Retro-Review: Angel's Pawn (Hunters Guild, Prequel) by Nalini Singh

Angel's Pawn by Nalini Singh is an e-book and a novella, so it's not too long and a fast read. It's actually called a "companion book" to Angel's Blood. As a companion book, I think it works well. The story works by giving the reader the starting blocks to the Hunters Guild world without giving away too many details -- the ones Singh really gets into in Angel's Blood.

I read Angel's Blood first, so I was already familiar with its main character. The two main characters are Ashblade or Ashwini, a Guilt Hunter, and Janvier or The Cajun, a Vampire, as he is referred to in most of the book. These two characters share a history and some serious chemistry. However, there's not a "conclusion" to their relationship in this novella. My hope is that their will continue to be developed throughout the series because I really loved both of these characters, and unlike Elena -- whom I really liked, but took me a while to embrace -- I liked Ashwini from page one. There's a lot we still need to learn about this character and I'm very curious about her. Janvier is too charming for words and I'm definitely rooting for him.

You'll also meet a mid-level angel in this novella, Nazrach, who rules the Atlanta territory and who's having problems with two different factions of Vampires trying to take control from each other. An old family that has been ruling for centuries and a new, ambitious Vampire who wants to take over. Although the Vampires have autonomy when it comes to their own businesses, etc... they have to ensure that they don't ultimately challenge the Angel who rules them in any way.

The conflict here involves all factions -- Nazrach, the Angel, the Beaumonts, an old Vampire family and Callan, a new and ambitious Vampire trying to take over. Ashwini and Janvier come in to help resolve the problem and in the process make more enemies than friends. They also learn to see each other in a whole new light and gain an appreciation for each other that they didn't have before.

I read this prequel second and Angel's Blood first, so I was already familiar with the worldbuilding. I wonder how it would be to read this novella first? Either way, it's a good one and I personally loved it!

Category: Urban Fantasy/Romance
Series: Guild Hunters Prequel
Released: March 3, 2009 - Kindle Edition
Grade: A

Visit Nalini Singh here.

Featuring SFR Review: Song of Scarabaeus (Book 1) by Sara Creasy

Trained since childhood in advanced biocyph seed technology by the all-powerful Crib empire, Edie's mission is to terraform alien worlds while her masters bleed the outlawed Fringe populations dry. When renegade mercenaries kidnap Edie, she's not entirely sure it's a bad thing . . . until they leash her to a bodyguard, Finn—a former freedom fighter-turned-slave, beaten down but never broken. If Edie strays from Finn's side, he dies. If she doesn't cooperate, the pirates will kill them both. But Edie's abilities far surpass anything her enemies imagine. And now, with Finn as her only ally as the merciless Crib closes in, she'll have to prove it or die on the site of her only failure . . . a world called Scarabaeus.

Song for Scarabaeus is Sara Creasy's debut novel and the first of two books that follows the exciting space adventures of cypherteck Edie and her bodyguard Finn. I love the "kick-ass Captain" as the female protagonist just as much as the next reader, but that's not Edie. No, Edie is a geek and I loved that about her. Now, don't think that because she's technologically brilliant Edie doesn't kick ass. Technologically speaking, she does.

Edie is a half-breed and she grew up as an outcast in the backwater planet Talas. At age 10 she was picked up by the Crib for what they saw as her potential abilities to work with biocyph (biological and cypher technology). By way of computer chips implanted in her brain and body parts, Edie is able to program and decipher complex computer (dry teck) and biological (wet teck) technologies.  Her abilities are rare and valued throughout the universe and she's kept under wraps and well guarded by the Crib. But rovers (space pirates) kidnap her with the aid of serfs who have been promised freedom in return. Finn is one of those serfs.

Finn's serf or slave status doesn't change when they reach the rover's ship, the Hoi-Polloi. The rovers place a boundary chip or leash on him that ties him to Edie. In other words, he can't stray away from her or the explosives implanted on his brain kill him instantly. Also if she dies... he dies, so he has no choice but to guard her with his life, as they are both forced to carry on with the rovers' mission. The mission takes them on to Scarabaeus, a planet that the Crib attempted to terraform years earlier and Edie's secret obsession.

Song of Scarabaeus is not heavy sci-fi. Instead it's an engaging, well-written story with the main focus on those sci-fi details and a touch of romance. I enjoyed Ms. Creasy's sci-fi world building including the space terms that differ a bit from others I've read, but are easy to follow. The action and pacing are excellent. The story begins with action, slows down to build on the plot and picks up to an action-packed finish. I was never distracted from the story and finished the book in two sittings. Some of my favorite scenes take place on the planet, Scarabaeus. There are creepy, eerie as well as action-packed and intense moments. There's nothing like space creepy-crawlies to light my fire when I'm reading sci-fi, lol!

The plot is quite interesting with the overall storyarc detailing how the powerful Crib empire creates a monopoly out of terraforming new planets, populating them and then enslaving Fringe worlds through their dependency on technology. Yet, there are many grey areas presented by the author through Edie's own personal conflicts about the different entities involved, the technology itself and how it's used, as well as characters introduced. Are they good or evil, or are they a bit of both depending on their agenda?

The characterization is well done, especially for a first book where some characters are highlighted more than others. Edie is well developed and a thoroughly likable character. Although not a physical threat, Edie uses her technical abilities, but better than that she also makes great use of instincts by exhibiting good insight and judgment. I love her humanity and the way she chooses to become independent and to go against the odds to achieve her goal. Enough is revealed about Finn for this story's purposes, but he is still a mystery by the end. He's definitely the most intriguing character so far. The other secondary characters are interesting for their "grey" areas with some better drawn than others.

There is a touch of romance and I enjoyed the way that developed. It's not too fast or too blatant, instead the emotional connection and building chemistry between the characters seems like a natural progression. As it turns out, there is a cliffhanger at the end of this book and those usually bother me. However although you can tell there's a continuation coming, the story is not cut off at an awkward moment and it ends well enough. Having said that, I'm glad I don't have to wait long to read the next book, Children of Scarabaeus, Book 2.

The best recommendation I can give Song of Scarabaeus? I couldn't stop reading the book and couldn't wait to finish it. I recommend it to readers who love sci-fi and sci-fi/romance. I think this is an excellent debut novel for Ms. Creasy and will definitely look for her books in the future.

Goodreads 
Sci-Fi Romance
February Read

Category: Science Fiction/Romance
Series: Scarabaeous
Published: Harper Collins; April 27, 2010-Kindle Edition
Grade: B

Series:
Song of Scarabaeus, Book 1
Children of Scarabaeus, Book 2 - Releasing March 29, 2011

Visit Sara Creasy here.

January 2011 Reads & Minis

January began as a slow reading and blogging month for me. I'm still getting used to my new working schedule, but somehow it seems as if somewhere along the way I found time to read (and blog). I think the weather and all those snow days helped! As a matter of fact I'm home right now due to a huge ice storm that hit our area in the Northeast. Brrrr..... I hope you're all safe and cozy at home too.

Here's my recap:

Total books read: 11
Contemporary Romance: 1
Contemporary Romance Suspense: 1
Contemporary Mysteries: 2
Historical Romance: 2
Fantasy: 1
Urban Fantasy: 2
Science Fiction/Romance: 1
Anthology (17 short stories - mixed genres): 1

1. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie was my favorite book of the month. It worked for me on all levels, the story, characters, romance, atmosphere and execution. I will continue to read Crusie's backlist and I hope to enjoy the rest of her books as much as I loved Bet Me and Welcome to Temptation. (That might be a bit much to expect, I know!). Grade: A

2. Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath was a highly enjoyable historical romance with excellent characters. I loved that Heath used standard devices and made them work in this book. I loved both the male and female protagonists, as well as the majority of the secondary characters. I liked it so much, I read the second book, Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman, immediately after finishing this one. Grade: B+

3. Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath: B+
(Upcoming Review)

4. In the Bleak Midwinter (Fergusson & Van Alystyne, Book 1) by Julia Spencer-Fleming. I decided to check out this series after Orannia recommended it here on my blog. I've been wanting to get back to mysteries for a while and after reading the summary for this first book I was hooked. It was a good decision. The central character Rev. Clare Fergusson is unique, plus I enjoyed the "updated" cozy mystery style. There's also room there for some interesting future development in that series. I have quite a few books to read, but I have a feeling I'll be catching up fast. Grade: B+

5. The Sea Thy Mistress (The Edda of Burdens, Book 3) by Elizabeth Bear was the ending to the trilogy that began with All the Windwracked Stars. Boy, did I ever love that book! This was a solid, solid ending to the trilogy and not a disappointment. I liked the way Bear joined the story lines from Books 1 and 2 and the way she again picked up the cyberpunk style and maintained the atmosphere established on that first book. I enjoy her subtle (and not so subtle) touches when exploring the dark and the erotic. Grade: B

6. Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy - I belong to the Goodreads Sci-Fi Romance group. Song of Scarabaeus was chosen as the February Book of the Month and after reading the summary, I just had to read it. I finished that book in two sittings! (Upcoming Review) Grade: B

7. Deeply, Desperately (Lucy Valentine, Book 2) by Heather Webber - I think I've said enough about Lucy Valentine for now. These are favorite books when I feel like reading something light and fun. I enjoyed this book and am enjoying this series quite a bit and will be picking up the next installment, Absolutely, Positively soon! Grade: B

8. Songs of Love and Death: All Original Stories of Star-Crossed Lovers by Gardner R. Dozoir: Grade B-
(Upcoming Review)

9. The Homecoming by JoAnn Ross is a small-town romance suspense. I enjoyed the family and small town atmosphere, but the lack of real emphasis on the romance or the suspense made it an average read for me. However, I enjoyed the Ross' writing style and look forward to reading something from her backlist and hopefully her next new release. Grade: C

10. Dreamfever (Fever Series, Book 4) by Karen Marie Moning was a book I waited to read (patiently) for a whole year. I read it the week before Shadowfever released and it paid off as all the details were fresh in my mind. Dreamfever moved the overall storyarc along and I liked that. The repetitiveness found in the previous book is kept to a minimum and that, plus the movement in the story line are huge improvements in my opinion. Details about the main characters, motives and pasts, (Barrons, V'lane and Mac) are still scarce, but there's enough provided to give readers some idea as to upcoming revelations. I had problems with overused devices, lack of real emotional connection between the characters, and being left in the middle of a scene in another huge and unnecessary cliffhanger. Overall the book balanced into an average read for me. Grade: C

11. Shadowfever (Fever Series, Book 5) by Karen Marie Moning is a book that I looked forward to reading since I read that first one, as the end of the Fever series. Especially as it's written by a long-time favorite writer. Unfortunately, although this series began as a favorite, it didn't end that way for me. Grade: D

That's it for January. In the end I'm quite happy with the mixture of genres read and with few exceptions it turned out to be a solid reading month. There are two books I began reading in January and am still reading. They are  El Hombre que Amaba los Perros by Leonardo Padura and Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear. Both books are interesting but long and involved, and with my crazy schedule I kept putting them aside to read books that didn't require as much attention. I'll be listing them with my February reads.

Review: Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath

Known throughout for his prowess in the bedroom, Morgan Lyons, the eighth Earl of Westcliffe, cannot forgive an unpardonable affront to his honor. Discovering his young bride in the arms of his brother was a staggering blow—so he banished the beautiful deceiver to the country and devoted himself to the pursuit of carnal pleasure.

Claire Lyons was an innocent, frightened girl on her wedding day, seeking chaste comfort from a childhood friend. Now, years later, she has blossomed magnificently and has returned to London with one goal in mind: the seduction of her notorious husband. Unskilled in the sensual arts, she burns nonetheless for the kisses too long denied her. And she has but one Season to win back the heart of the rogue she betrayed.

They are masters of seduction, London's greatest lovers. Living for pleasure, they will give their hearts to no one . . . until love takes them by surprise.

Passions of a Wicked Earl is the first book in Lorraine Heath's latest historical romance series, London's Greatest Lovers. It's an excellent beginning to a series that focuses on three brothers, their dysfunctional family relationship, sensual exploits and eventual happy endings.

Plotting devices used: the big misunderstanding; the brooding, jealous, possessive, passionate hero; the innocent, virginal, strong, passionate heroine; the wicked mistress; the estranged brothers; the scandalous family. Heath makes all these devices work with few exceptions.

The series begins by focusing on Morgan Lyons, the Earl of Westcliffe, and his troubled marriage to Clare Lyons. As the book summary above explains, this couple is estranged with good reasons. Morgan believes Clare betrayed him with his brother Stephen on their wedding night and there's no way he can forgive her. Clare understands his position and feels guilt, but is determined to make him understand her own position, gain forgiveness and a true marriage.

Clare and Westcliffe's marriage was arranged by contract. Clare was engaged to Westcliffe at birth and neither had a real choice. The difference is that although Westcliffe needed Clare's dowry, he was also content with the choice that was made for him. On the other hand, at barely seventeen years of age Clare was terrified of her serious husband-to-be. The events that occurred on Westcliffe and Clare's wedding night devastated their lives and in the process ruined the brothers' relationship.

Three years later Clare leaves her exile in the country and comes to London in the hopes that Westcliffe will help her sponsor her sister's first Season, and will give their marriage a second chance. Heath develops Clare and Westcliffe's relationship throughout the story. They don't become a "couple" for a while and as such, they grew on me slowly. I was initially taken with Westcliffe's feelings and situation. His was more of an emotional character than I expected and Heath did a wonderful job in conveying his deep pain, his passion for Clare and the reasons he was so reluctant to admit those feelings. Westcliffe was a dark, brooding and passionate character. Of course, he was also unfaithful to Clare throughout their marriage, but this was also understandable and part of their desperate situation.

At first I had my doubts about Clare, however she grew on me quite rapidly. She knew it would be tough to go to London and regain Morgan's trust, yet she took the chance for her sister's sake and for herself. Clare showed both strength and maturity and was admirable for both. Even when she became aware that Westcliffe had a current mistress, Clare didn't give up on her marriage and fought for it.

Morgan's relationship with his mistress Anne is where I find the weakness in this story. It didn't bother me that Westcliffe was having this relationship while married to Clare, Heath explains that situation quite well. However, the relationship just goes on for too long after he knows she is not for him. I know Anne's the wicked mistress, but I couldn't make up my mind weather Westcliffe was being wishy-washy or bordering on cruel by keeping Anne on the side for that long. I found the final resolution to Anne and Westcliffe's relationship unexpected and overly dramatic.

My favorite secondary characters are Westcliffe's scandalous mother, the Duchess of Ainsley, and her younger lover Leo. The most intriguing secondary character for me is the Duke of Ainsley, Westcliffe's youngest brother. I can't wait to find out what makes him tick.

I really enjoyed Passions of a Wicked Earl. It's a quick read and an enjoyable historical romance with interesting characters and a passionate story line. I like the way Heath uses standard historical romance plotting devices and makes it all work. I'll be reading the second book, Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman, Stephen's story. His was the most superficial character in this first book, but hopefully there's more to him.

Category: Historical Romance
Series: London's Greatest Lovers
Release Date: Avon - October 26, 2010
Grade: B+

Visit Lorraine Heath here.

Review: In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming

It's a cold, snowy December in the upstate New York town of Millers Kill, and newly ordained Clare Fergusson is on thin ice as the first female priest of its small Episcopal church. The ancient regime running the parish covertly demands that she prove herself as a leader. However, her blunt manner, honed by years as an army pilot, is meeting with a chilly reception from some members of her congregation and Chief of Police Russ Van Alystyne, in particular, doesn't know what to make of her, or how to address "a lady priest" for that matter.

The last thing she needs is trouble, but that is exactly what she finds. When a newborn baby is abandoned on the church stairs and a young mother is brutally murdered, Clare has to pick her way through the secrets and silence that shadow that town like the ever-present Adirondack mountains. As the days dwindle down and the attraction between the avowed priest and the married police chief grows, Clare will need all her faith, tenacity, and courage to stand fast against a killer's icy heart.

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming is the first book in a contemporary mystery series with an 'updated' cozy style. The setting is the small New York town of Millers Kill in the Adirondack Mountains which provides this story with wonderful atmosphere. The place is perfect for the mystery/police-procedural plot as well as the interesting situations and characters.

The characters are what really caught my attention in this initial installment, particularly Clare. She is Rev. Clare Fergusson, the new priest at the town's Episcopal church. However she doesn't turn out to be your typical priest, Clare is also an ex-military helicopter pilot and you can tell there's history there. She's a tough, down-to-earth, no-nonsense woman who wants to know her community and give them more than spiritual guidance. The other central character is Chief of Police Russ Van Alystyne. He is more typical of this type of character: middle-aged, fairly good looking, married, ex-army, a bit cynical and disenchanted with life, but protective of his small town.

Ms. Spencer-Fleming's focus in this first installment is in developing the relationship between the central characters and to some extent revealing parts of their lives. The secondary characters are also well drawn and memorable. Having said that, it is also interesting how the author draws key characters that hover invisibly yet don't appear in the story. For example: Russ' wife, Linda, and his mother are both mentioned repeatedly. Linda in particular is a presence, yet neither character makes a single appearance even though they live in a small town. I'm hoping to meet these characters later on in the series.

The author's focus pays off and there's excellent development in the way the friendship between Russ and Clare evolves. As the friendship deepens, their commonalities come to the surface. Military background is the initial factor, but slowly they realize that even though one is a cop and the other a priest, both need to serve their community. Russ feels responsible for the town and its people -- protect and serve. Clare feels responsible for their spiritual lives and personal well-being -- serve and provide.

Despite the fact that Clare is a priest and there are moments in this book where spirituality comes into play, the fact that Russ is agnostic seems to balance the scales in that respect and the story doesn't come off as preachy. In fact as their friendship evolves, what Clare most appreciates about Russ is that he sees/treats her as a regular person (as Clare) and not as a priest. In turn, Russ appreciates the fact that he can find understanding when sharing his professional burdens with Clare. The reader experiences the great connection between these two people as they become friends, as well as a slow-building, subtle chemistry.

The mystery plot is a bit of ride. A baby is abandoned at the church steps and a young girl is found murdered. Clare and her parish are involved in both these events from the beginning and she and Russ wind up investigating both situations together. During the investigation, Spencer-Fleming touches on social issues, mainly on the plight of underprivileged pregnant teenage girls and what can or should be done to help educate them to stop the cycle of poverty.

There's a slew of suspects, red-herrings are used as a device, and Russ acts a bit like a typical cynical cop while Clare refuses to believe good people are capable of murder. They both err, but Clare makes grave mistakes along the way and her impulsive actions gave me more than a few anxious moments. It's interesting because I usually chuck these actions to lack of judgment, but in Clare's case I saw them more as part of her humanity and in some instances due to her "vocation." I had a few other niggles to do with the mystery, but nothing significant.

This is not a romance. Russ is married, Clare is a priest and they're friends. Yet, as I mentioned above, there's chemistry and a building attraction between these two people. This is interesting and a bit controversial with the Chief married and Clare a woman of the cloth, yes? I certainly want to know what happens next.

This was an enjoyable mystery with well-developed and interesting human characters, plotting and a lovely setting. I definitely want to see how this series evolves and will read the second book, A Fountain Filled with Blood.

Thanks to Orannia for the recommendation.

Category: Mystery
Series: Rev. Clare Fergusson and Chief of Police Russ Van Alystyne Mystery, Book 1
Release Date: Minotaur Books; April 1, 2010 - Kindle Edition
Grade: B+

Visit Julia Spencer-Fleming here.

Mini: Deeply, Desperately (Lucy Valentine, Book 2) by Heather Webber

Lucy wants to breathe new life into her family's Boston-based matchmaking company. But how? Even though she comes from a long line of ancestors blessed by Cupid with psychic abilities, a freak accident left Lucy with only one special skill: finding things. Car keys, socks in the dryer, needles in haystacks...and now, in a stroke of professional genius, lost loves!

It's not long before Lucy's on a winning streak, helping old flames reunite and create new sparks. Business is booming. But when Lucy finds herself involved in a possible case of murder, she realizes she's in too deep. Enter Sean Donahue. Lucy's handsome fire-fighter-turned private eye neighbor, Sean is just the man she needs to help her on the job. Could he also be the man she's been looking for all along? When it comes to Valentine, Inc., falling in love is always serious business...

What can I say, I love Lucy Valentine's character. Deeply, Desperately is the second book in Heather Webber's mystery/romance series. This is a light mystery series where the main story line is woven into the central character's personal life as other issues arise. The cast of characters, situations, dialogue and interactions are what make the story interesting. The way Lucy processes information (first point of view) and her personal relationships with parents, friends and Sean are what make these stories so enjoyable for me. I enjoyed Deeply, Desperately more than the first book and that's probably due to the fact that the Truly, Madly served as the "set-up" book for the series.

I really like the way Webber is developing Sean and Lucy's relationship. The romance is slow-going, fun and light. There's a bit of self-analysis on Lucy's part with plenty of kissing and "fooling around," but so far there are no explicit sexual encounters in these books. In this instance, the lack of heavy sexual scenes mesh well with the rest the plot, making the whole light and balanced.

In this book, I especially loved the way Lucy patiently and maturely fought for Sean and their relationship. Smart girl! The mystery is lighter and less of a factor than in the first installment, but it was still fun to follow Lucy's adventures. Particularly as it features Lucy working with Preston Bailey, the female reporter who drives her up a wall. I loved the turn of events with her childhood girlfriends, and the personal revelations in this book should make the next book, Absolutely, Positively, an even more interesting read.

Category: Contemporary Paranormal/Mystery
Series: Lucy Valentine Series
Released: August 3, 2010
Grade: B

Visit Heather Webber here.

Series:
Truly, Madly, Book 1
Deeply, Desperately, Book 2
Absolutely, Positively, Book 3 (Coming Feb 1, 2011)

On Winning and Book Shopping!

Last week I won a gift certificate after completing the 2010 Re-read Challenge. Nath was quite generous! So, you all know I went book shopping! I decided to purchase some books I had on my "books to buy" list.

Quite a few of these books are recommendations by other bloggers. Here's my haul:

Earlier this month I mentioned that I wanted to continue reading the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh. I took this opportunity to buy the second book in the series, Archangel's Kiss. If I like it as much as I did the first book, I'll be sure to buy Archangel's Consort soon enough. :D

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis is a book I've been wanting to buy ever since I saw Leslie's review! I've read a few of Shalvis' books and category romances and love her style, so this is a book that will be read soon quite soon.

And continuing with recommendations from other bloggers, I read an excellent review by Lori for The Perfect Family by Kathryn Shay and immediately wanted to read this ohhh so interesting sounding contemporary.

Then of course I had to buy one more contemporary, and this one a recommendation from Nath! Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas was not a book that received high scores, but it was one that, nevertheless, caught my attention. It just seems to be the type of book I will enjoy. Let's see. :D

I loved A Perfect Hero by Suzanne Enoch and when I heard Rules of an Engagement was coming out I was quite excited! Of course I placed it on my "to buy" list and it stayed there... now I have it and will read it. :D

Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman is the second book in Lorraine Heath's London's Greatest Lovers series. I've heard MUCH about this series (Leslie!) and I have the first book in my TBR already, but on the hopes that I will love it, went ahead and purchased the second book. :D

AND, last but not least, Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas is a replacement purchase. My old copy was well... old, and used and... old! I decided that as a tribute to the Re-Read Challenge I would replace a book that I love to re-read.  It was time to replace this one with a fresh copy so I can re-read it and enjoy it for a long, long time. :D

That's it! I think I did pretty well with that gift certificate. Thank you Nath!

Review: Shadowfever (Fever Series, Book 5) by Karen Marie Moning

I'll begin by saying that there's no way to write this review without giving away some spoilers. This is the last book in a series of five, plus in order to really get into the story and express my thoughts, I must refer to characters and events.

Book Summary:
Shadowfever begins where Dreamfever ends, with Mac killing the Beast that protected her while she was lost in one of the Silver's dimensions. As the Beast turns into a human, she finds out this beast is none other than Jericho Barrons. Mac is grief-stricken and through that grief, comes to terms with her feelings for Barrons and comes to the decision that she wants him back. The outcome of her deep, dark grief is again one more transformation. When she looks into herself, she accesses a dark place where she can conjure runes to protect herself and/or bind others, mainly the Fae.

Mac proceeds to align herself with Darroc, the Lord Master, in order to get whatever information he has gained about the Sinsar Dubh. He appears with the Unseelie Princes, and after coming to an understanding, agrees to take Mac out the Silvers. In order to get back to Dublin, Darroc must use a Silver and he takes Mac through the Unseelie King's concubine's White Mansion where some of Mac's buried memories come to the forefront.

But all is not as it seems, and Barrons is not dead. A chain of events unfolds where, through reading different translated prophecies and experiences dreams and recollections, Mac ends up questioning her origins. In the meantime, after Mac rescues the Seelie Queen from certain death, the hunt for the Sinsar Dubh is redoubled and all the interested parties assemble in Dublin. The McKeltars come from Scotland and join the fray, Rowena and the Sidhee-seers are at the center of it all, as are V'lane, the Seelie and Barrons men. Everyone wants the Sinsar Dubh, and most of them want Mac dead.

Review:
I'm a fan of Karen Marie Moning's work and when I began reading this series, I was excited and thought that the story was quite interesting. I still think the story behind the series, the battle between the Seelie and Unseelie, their lore and how humans and the Sidhe-seers come into it, is fascinating. As a matter of fact, I spent countless hours doing background research and I still have copious notes, including the sequence of events, characters, etc. Having said all that, the Fever series as a whole has been inconsistent for me -- I enjoyed the second book and the rest were inconsistent or disappointing.  When it comes to Shadowfever well... in many ways it provided what I know many were looking for: a happily ever after and the answer to some questions. However, for me personally, the book was a disappointment. Here is why.

By the time Mac finished processing the fact that she killed the Beast, or Barrons, I was already tired. Where did that come from? I understand that she felt guilt, that there was lust between them and dependency on her part. But where did love come into it? The long, interminable diatribe we were treated to at the beginning of the book served no other purpose than to set up the following scene. Mac's transformation, again! Yes... because of her actions, guilt, and need to erase those actions, she transforms and (gasp) gains ADDITIONAL powers. This device was used to death in this series, and became a predictable device.

Throughout the series, Moning uses long and involved internal dialogues to develop Mac and to narrate her story. However, in Shadowfever this style is used to an extreme. There are pages and pages where Mac contradicts herself over and over again throughout the whole book. This often served to confuse and distract the reader. After a while, all it achieved was frustrate me and yes... I wanted to skim Mac's prolonged and contradictory self-analyses. I couldn't stand her thoughts any longer and just wanted to get on with the story. Period.

As a female protagonist/heroine, Mac left a lot to be desired. I was not impressed. She was manipulated by all the males around her, and the ones with the real "Power" were ALL male: Barrons, V'lane, Darroc, the Unseelie King, the Sinsar Dubh (yes), and Ryodan. She depended on them, one way or another, to do what she had to do. They played her like a violin. I don't care how many transformations she had to make her into a "kick ass-type heroine," Mac wasn't strong for herself, instead she was strong for others or because of others.

Then we come to Barrons and the "romance." Barrons treatment of Mac is explained away by making him part Beast, yet even when he is a man... his treatment is questionable. He is often violent, possessive and downright abusive at times (both verbally and physically). They fight and have sex and that's supposedly where they truly understand each other. How is that supposed to be romantic? It's not. Mac's see-sawing, back and forth feelings for Barrons continue in this book! No, it's not over after she realizes he's alive... it goes on and on. Yet, they do come to a sort of mutual emotional understanding and dependency by the end. I still think that in order to call it love, that relationship needs further development.

There are resolutions to some of the threads, and some of those resolutions are good -- some predictable and others not. There's a "happily ever after" for one couple in the book that was unexpected,  and there are plenty of betrayals by both friends and foes. We are told there are battles, although few of those are shown, and characters from the whole series make appearances.

As to the rest of the storyarc, there were threads left incomplete left and right, and some that didn't seem to serve a real purpose. For example: The McKeltars were a waste of pages read, what was the point? Christian McKeltar plays a key role in this book and series, yet his story is left incomplete. Barron's story is also left incomplete -- although some details are revealed about his past to pacify readers, there's no meat to his story, no in-depth details or revelations. Dani has her own point of view in Shadowfever, yet she disappears and is absent at the end, leaving the reader wondering what happened to her. And last, but certainly not least, the most important story line of them all! The Seelie and Unseelie, the wall and their battle? Incomplete.

So what does that tell this reader, apart from the fact that the book finishes with "The End .... for now?" Well, it says that either this series' "ending" is riddled with holes, or that there will be a continuation that will involve all the above mentioned story lines. And for me neither is acceptable, not when this book was supposed to be THE END to this series.

Category: Urban Fantasy/Romance
Series: Fever Series, Book 5
Release Date: January 18, 2011
Grade: D

Visit Karen Marie Moning here.

Challenges & a Thank You!

I would like to thank Nath of Books, Books and More Books. Nath hosted one of my favorite Challenges last year, the 2010 Re-Reading Challenge.

Last week she had a big surprise on her blog! She gave away a $50.00 Gift Certificate to the person who completed the challenge on time every month. That lucky person was me!

So, thank you Nath not only for your generosity, but for all those hours of re-reading pleasure I enjoyed in 2010 because of your Challenge.