The Fever Series, Dead until Dark, Sweet Ruin

I am so behind on updating this page. I've read several books in the last month or so, just keeping busy enough not to stop and blog. So here is a list and synopsis of what I've read:

The Fever Series by Karen Moning

DarkFever: MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….

Enjoyable - the characters were likable, but I found MacKayla to be a little whiney and annoying at times. Too girly, legally blonde type. But Jerrico Barrons on the other hand.... But it was enough to get me wrapped in the Faerie world and wanting more. One thing you might want to understand is, Karen Moning is a romance writer turned fantasy writer..so these books have a little bit of eroticism in them, but honestly it's the undertone of the entire book, and it keeps it going as well.

BloodFever: I used to think my sister and I were just two nice southern girls who'd get married in a few years and settle down to a quiet life. Then I discovered that Alina and I descend, not from good wholesome southern stock, but from an ancient Celtic bloodline of powerful sidhe-seers, people who can see the Fae. Not only can I see the terrifying otherworldly race, but I can sense the sacred Fae relics that hold the deadliest of their magic.
When my sister was found dead in a trash-filled alley in Dublin, I came over to get answers. Now all I want is revenge. And after everything I've learned about myself, I know I have the power to get it....
MacKayla Lane's ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland's shores and was plunged into a world of deadly sorcery and ancient secrets.
In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh-a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of the Fae and of Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V'lane, the insatiable Fae who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman, and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious.
For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them....

Better than the first book...was ready to pick up FaeFever the minute I put Bloodfever down.

FaeFever: The New York Times bestselling author of Darkfever and Bloodfever returns to Dublin’s Fae-infested shores in a bold, sensual new novel. Hurtling us into a realm of seduction and shadows, Karen Marie Moning tells the enthralling tale of a woman who explores the limits of her mysterious powers as she enters a world of ancient sorcery—and confronts an enemy more insidious than she could ever have imagined.

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul.

As All Hallows’ Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences.…

Should I say the best yet? Or not? At the end the book slipped into an erotic nature that I personally thought was a bit much (for my taste, others would likely disagree with me)...but the story keeps me going. Wanting more. So alas, I'm in the middle of a series, and have decided I DO NOT LIKE series...because I want the story ended. And it's not like Karen can give you any resolve, she stops her books right in the middle of the story. At least with Twilight everything had an ending to the point where you were pretty satisfied for the time, the imminant danger was gone even if there was more lurking ahead. But between the books of the Fae Series...it's like the longest commercial break ever, leaving you at a point where it MUST go on...but won't for at least a year!

Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life--and one of her coworkers checks out...Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea. A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed.

Yet another attempt of mine to find a replacement for the Twilight series. It was an okay book, but I can honestly say that I'm not "dying" to go and get the next book of the series. It was entertaining enough. The extra twist of her boss (which I won't give away in case you haven't read it) was a fun one, although you are given enough foreshadowing to know something is up. But the characters just weren't near as relatable as I like. I didn't wish that I was Sookie at any point, nor was I overly attracted to Bill. I don't know - he just didn't possess enough "man" under the vampire for me to really get into him.

Sweet Ruin by Cathi Hanauer

Thirty-seven-year-old Elayna Leopold used to be a New York magazine editor, until she and her young family moved to suburban New Jersey. Two years ago, the death of an infant son sent her into a deep depression---a darkness that begins to lift in the company of a handsome, unattached neighbor. As she fights yearnings that could destroy everything that gives her life shape, a threat to her young daughter's welfare emerges from an unlikely source, throwing Elayna's questionable morality into stark relief---and forcing her to make choices she never dreamed she would have to make.

This is the first audio book I've ever listened to. At work we are allowed to have an IPod, as long as it's kept quiet. I've been missing out on reading books, so I got this ingenious idea to listen to them instead. So I went to the library and searched through our very limited books on CD and found this.

I really enjoyed Sweet Ruin. Elayna having gone through one of the most difficult things I can imagine, is struggling to come out of her depression and resurface into the world, only to find that she is seeking passion, to be loved, to feel loved. There are parts I can relate to in the story, such as making decisions for her daughter and reasoning out scenarios of what is good or right or okay for her 6 year old. And what is right for herself as well. She is just trying to begin to live again while her husband is shut up in an office working long hours, and barely has time for her. Cathi's writing style is beautiful. I know in the past I've mentioned that I prefer character development over very potent descriptions - but for Sweet Ruin; the descriptions, the language - which is poetic, is what make this story so good. The character development is very strong as well. You can feel the emotion, and the love, and the hurt and betrayal of each character. This book is simply written beautifully!