ICED ~Karen Marie Moning

 Have you got 'The Fae Fever"? It's time to cure it with 'ICED' (see what I did there.... no? Than you need to read further...)

Are you looking for a book or author with the ability to drown you in a clever fantasy world? A novel or series that gets under your skin so much you dream about it?

Welcome to The Fever World created by Karen Marie Moning.

Words can not begin to describe how much I love The Highlander Series and The Fever Series.  (I have previously blogged about them, just click the links provided) So forgive me if I repeat myself a bit in this blog, but Karen Marie Moning books are ones I get very excited about.....

I can't believe it took me so long to download a copy of her latest book 'ICED' (Shame on me!)

If you have NO idea who Karen Marie Moning is....(Shame on you!) ...than let me tell you a bit about her work.....

I don't even know where to begin, but her novels involve everything from Romance, Time Travel, The Fae, Sex, Sidhe-Seers, Monsters, Action, Suspense...
We are talking the full package. On the edge of your seat ah-mazing stories!!!
(I know you are excited right now)

Even if Fantasy isn't your thing....(Expand your horizons damn it!).. start with her "Highlander" series (Romance lovers will enjoy it!!) and if you like those... than you will WANT to get lost in Fever! (Both series are linked together) 
Seriously, step outside that little 'I only read fluffy romance' box you have created and give one of her books a try. (I am willing to bet you'll thank me for introducing these books to you....)

ICED is Dani O'Malley's story.

Here is the rundown from Amazon.com:

 "The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced."

My Take:

A MOST EXCELLENT BOOK!!!!

It had a bit of a pricy tag on it (my Kobo download was around $16!!) but WELL worth it, especially if you are into The Fever Series or are looking for a series to knock your socks off.

The one thing about the Dani O'Malley Trilogy that I do recommend is you MUST read the original Fever Series (MacKayla Lane's story) first. If you don't, I imagine you are setting yourself up for a 'What The Fuck?' moment, trying to figure out what exactly is going on. Her stories are very complex and detailed and you need to start from square one.

We learn a lot about Dani in this novel. We gain some insight into her past, how tragically she was raised and how she came to live with the Sidh-seers. 
Throughout the story we do catch glimpses of Mac and Jerricho, and it is part of the story line how Dani misses and avoids them.
She also seems to have quite the crush on Ryodan, even if she doesn't realize it.
One of the more twisted aspects of the storyline are how many men are waiting for her to grow up. They all want to keep her safe and it really adds a fascinating aspect to the story. (It has a bit of a creepy factor to it, especially where the Unseelie Prince is concerned, but set's it up for an interesting triangle when Dani is 'older')
It will be interesting to see where the next two books in the series take us. I am sure KMM will age Dani as the series continue so we can see who she eventually ends up with, if she ends up with anyone at all.

Like all books I am obsessed with, I couldn't put it down. I couldn't finish it before bedtime though, which meant I had some insane dreams that night. I was in Dublin fighting alongside Dani and Ryodan. (Crazy!) When's the last time a book has actually influenced your dreams? That is a rare occurrence with me, but I'll take it!
I picked the book back up the next morning at breakfast and devoured it. (It turned into a PJ's until noon-kinda day!)
Due to the surprising cliff-hanger, I am going to go insane until Book Two in the trilogy is released and I won't slack so much on grabbing a copy this time.
Rumor has it that "Burned" may not be available until 2014..... I am trying to keep up to date on my KMM news and will let my readers know once I find out.

I have said it once, twice and I will keep saying it again....and again......

Read anything that Karen Marie Moning has written.  

 End of story!

Happy Reading! :)


**Possible Small Spoiler Alert for those who haven't read MacKayla's ENTIRE Story:

(Everyone else don't past this part if you don't want a major series spoiler)

Don't say I didn't warn you.....

I had to add this for those who are just as obsessed with these books and as I am.
Probably the only trouble I had with Dani's story is knowing the role she played in betraying Mac.
It's hard to 'like' her as much as you liked MacKayla knowing that she was capable of such deceit.
I discussed this with a friend who felt the same way, so it's not just me.
That lil fact doesn't make me love the book any less though, After all, it's more Fae-Fun!

Into The Dreaming

 

Do you love losing yourself in the world of Romance? Paranormal? Fantasy? If you are like me, than the answer is a resounding 'Hell Yes!!' Well, enter Karen Marie Moning, and the page-turning fantasy worlds she has created! If you haven't heard of her before, than clearly, you haven't read some of my other blogs. (What's stopping you? Get on it already!)

To those who have read my previous KMM blogs, yes, "I know" I have written about this author before, but after reading it, I felt compelled to tell you about her novella 'Into The Dreaming - With Bonus Material'!

What is the deal that I 'had' to blog about it. Here it is:

 Like a shy kid at a high school dance, this book is off in the corner on its own, but can fit in with the rest when you drag it onto the dance floor. (No I am not telling you to dance with the book, it's my metaphor and I'm sticking to it!) If you have read either of her series, you will find that the book stands alone, but works well with between both worlds.

Here's the gist: A Highlander named Aedan MacKinnon  is tricked into making a deal with The Unseelie King and ends up trapped in the Unseelie realm. The Fae (Seelie) Queen gets wind of this, and decides to work some magic to help ruin the kings plans. Enter Jane Sillee who lives in modern day time. She has very detailed and romantic dreams about her Highland Hottie named Aedan. They are very vivid and real to Jane and with good reason. Needless to say, in 'the real world' she has some obstacles to overcome. Including making Aedan remember....
It's time-travel, fairy, fantasy and romance all in one short story and that is all I am giving you. If you want to know more, you'll have to read the novella to see what happens!

Into the Dreaming has been in paperback before, yet this newest release is chalked full of bonus material. I naturally enjoyed reading the story, but I will admit, the reason I wanted to bring this to your attention was due to the 'extras' that KMM was kind enough to include!

Inside there is a book proposal that in my opinion should see the light of day! It's a paranormal romance, but takes on a different twist than her other novels. It is too bad, it never came to be, as it would have been an intriguing romance!! (Do you hear me publishers!!! Listen to the Karen Marie Moning Fans we want the WHOLE story!!!! NOW GET ON IT!!)

Ms. Moning also treats us to a narration, filling us in a bit on her journey as an author. I enjoyed reading the ‘behind the scenes’ aspects of it. I’m always interested in what makes an author tick, how a story came to be, etc.. Sometimes I just don’t have the time to pay attention to the interviews (unless they end of on The View) or the fan pages, websites etc.... Having these included with the novella was a nice touch!

And there is more still! 

For those who are a fan of the Highlander series, we are treated to deleted scene from “Kiss of the Highlander”, as well as what ‘could’ have been the novel “The Dark Highlander”, thus dubbed 'The Dark Highlander Lite'. It was too soft to be Daegus MacKelter's story. As a reader, I loved having the chance to read the original, unedited story and compare it to what I know was eventually was printed. It was a real treat.

Ms.Moning also shares the opening of ‘DarkFever’ (a novel I have previously blogged about!), and a look into her Graphic Novel ‘Fever Moon’

'Into the Dreaming with Bonus Material' is a short read, I recommending picking it up if you are a fan of her work or are just curious to see what she has to offer!

I have attached her website for the curious!

As KMM would say, 'Stay To The Lights'

Karen Marie Moning's Website

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning ~Paranormal Fantasy

Book One of the Fever Series: Dreamfever

I’m going to continue on with my Karen Marie Moning love-fest. I waited patiently for weeks to read this series. I decided to start the books on my vacation to Punta Cana, I knew it would be a great read and wanted to give myself plenty of ‘relaxing’ time to devour them. Naturally, I read them whilst sipping Pina Colada’s and sunning myself on the beach.  As a busy mom and housewife, it was just what the doctor ordered!

Rather than write about the entire series, I will pay attention to each book, as this series is so much different than the Highlander one. The two series do blend together, but you will find are polar opposites in style and characters.  The Highlander Series offers more romance, and gentler characters of good breeding and virtue. While the Fever novels are more action, fantasy and mystery with questionable characters and surprising villains.  I do recommend for the sake of really understand what is going on in the Fever series, you read the Highlander one first, BUT you don’t need to. It is fun to see characters from the first series cross over into the next!

In Dreamfever, we meet MacKayla Lane. She’s a southern belle, music lover and princess in pink. She receives a devastating phone call that changes her life and has her rushing off to Ireland. She discovers she is a Sidhe-seer, a person who can see the Fae. Mac ends up on a quest not only to find her sister’s murderer, but her true identity as she finds herself immersed in a frightening new reality. She meets a mysterious book shop owner named Jericho Barrons who knows things a normal person wouldn’t, and so begins a partnership of sorts. He needs her help finding the Sinsar Dubh, a book written by the Unseelie King, and she needs his help to stay alive. They don’t exactly trust one another, are very suspicious of each other and KMM captures that intensity quite well! 

Mac’s first experience with the Fae are Unseelie, which are the lesser ‘evil’ fairies. They like to project themselves as the most attractive of humans, but they are anything but. She only meets one ‘good’ (Seelie) fairy who is on a mission to help her save the world and recover the Sinsar Dubh, sent by the Seelie Queen.  Mac is very suspicious of him, but as a Sidheseer her instincts don’t let her trust any of the Fae. As far as she is concerned, they all can go away and die.

 I found myself literally on the edge of my seat, (or should I say my lounge chair) all the time, especially with the introduction of new characters and the walls between Man and Fae coming down. I was always trying to figure out who is good, who’s bad, and generally what Mac has got into! 

I don’t know about anyone else, but no matter what I read, fiction, non-fiction, news stories alike; I always find myself wondering if I would be like the heroine. I’d like to think I would be as strong as Mac’s character, but I am pretty sure I would run screaming in the opposite direction. You would eventually find me rocking back and forth in a corner somewhere. Her character has a lot of strength and resolve that increases over time. You really see a change in her from book one, to the final novel.

 I only had downloaded the first two books (Dreamfever and Bloodfever) for the trip, thinking I would be taking part in more activities than beach time. My husband surprised me by wanting to be more of a beach bum this trip, so both books were finished far too quickly! 

When I came to the end of Dreamfever, I literally screamed “NOOOOoooooo”. The cliff hanger has that effect on you and I have a bad habit of getting that sucked into a good story.

My hubby found it rather amusing because I was so obsessed with MacKayla’s story, that I re-read both books twice to keep the story going. I was barely off the plane before I hit the computer and downloaded the rest of the series to my Kobo. My apologies to my bank account.

If you haven't noticed, I'm really pushing Karen Marie Moning as an author, and HIGHLY recommend reading Dreamfever. I swear, she doesn't pay me. I am just a huge fan of her work.