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Karen Marie Moning

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Darkfever: Fever Series Book 1 Kindle Edition

by Karen Marie Moning (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 8,113 ratings

Book 1 of 11: Fever

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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. . . .

Look for all of Karen Marie Moning’s sensational Fever novels:
DARKFEVER | BLOODFEVER | FAEFEVER | DREAMFEVER | SHADOWFEVER | ICED | BURNED | FEVERBORN | FEVERSONG

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Karen Marie Moning's Bloodfever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Drawing on elements from the paranormal world that bestseller Moning (Spell of the Highlander) created in her earlier romances, this suspense novel takes readers on a darker journey, one dominated by the search for a powerful Faery magic and bereft of the romantic magic Moning's fans have come to expect. When MacKayla Lane, an ordinary young woman, travels to Ireland to track down her sister's murderer, she is sucked into an extraordinary world filled with ancient secrets, vampires, assorted Fae nasties and other tough-to-kill beings. In the process, Mac learns of her own unusual talents and finds an unlikely mentor in the wealthy and mysterious Jericho Barrons. Moning's newest foray contains suspense and plenty of setup. Indeed, this reads like a fragment of a larger story, an introduction to character and place that, while entertaining, skims the surface. But it's a compelling world filled with mystery and vivid characters, and this, combined with the hint of sparks between Jericho and Mac, will stoke readers' fervor for Bloodfever, the next installment. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

MacKayla "Mac" Lane is a small-town southern girl living a life of suntans and shopping. All that changes when her sister dies in Ireland and a cryptic message on Mac's cell phone raises disturbing questions about the nature of her sister's death. Mac follows the lead to Dublin and the strange life her sister led, on to the darkly dangerous book-dealer Jericho Barrons, and a burgeoning war with deadly Fae that humankind doesn't even realize has begun. Time-travel-romance maven Moning reshapes her Celtic lore for a radically different and engaging new dark fantasy series. Mac's first-person narrative is more than point of view; it's a true recounting of how a sheltered young girl grows to accept the role fate has dealt her. And while moments of sexual awareness hint that a relationship between Mac and Jericho could complicate matters in the future, wisely there is no full-blown romance here to distract from the complex introduction to Moning's new world. Nina Davis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“A seductive mix of Celtic mythology and dark, sexy danger.”—Chicago Tribune

“A wonderful dark fantasy…give yourself a treat and read outside the box.” —Charlaine Harris

“A compelling world filled with mystery and vivid characters…will stoke readers’ fervor for Bloodfever, the next installment.” —Publishers Weekly

“Clear off space on your keeper shelf—this sharp series looks to be amazing.” —Romantic Times

About the Author

Karen Marie Moning graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in Society & Law. Her novels have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists and have won numerous awards, including the prestigious RITA Award.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

A year earlier . . .

July 9. Ashford, Georgia. Ninety–four degrees. Ninety–seven percent humidity.

It gets crazy hot in the South in the summer, but it’s worth it to have such short, mild winters. I like most all seasons and climes. I can get into an overcast drizzly autumn day–great for curling up with a good book–every bit as much as a cloudless blue summer sky, but I’ve never cared much for snow and ice. I don’t know how northerners put up with it. Or why. But I guess it’s a good thing they do, otherwise they’d all be down here crowding us out.

Native to the sultry southern heat, I was lounging by the pool in the backyard of my parents’ house, wearing my favorite pink polka–dotted bikini that went perfectly with my new I’m-not-really-a-waitress-pink manicure and pedicure. I was sprawled in a cushion-topped chaise soaking up the sun, my long blonde hair twisted up in a spiky knot on top of my head in one of those hairdos you really hope nobody ever catches you wearing. Mom and Dad were away on vacation, celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary with a twenty-one day island-hopping cruise through the tropics, which had begun two weeks ago in Maui and ended next weekend in Miami.

I’d been working devotedly on my tan in their absence, taking quick dips in the cool sparkling blue, then stretching out to let the sun toast drops of water from my skin, wishing my sister Alina was around to hang out with, and maybe invite a few friends over.

My iPod was tucked into my dad’s Bose sound dock on the patio table next to me, bopping cheerily through a playlist I’d put together specifically for poolside sunning, comprised of the top one hundred one-hit wonders from the past few decades, plus a few others that make me smile–happy mindless music to pass happy mindless time. It was currently playing an old Louis Armstrong song–“What a Wonderful World.” Born in a generation that thinks cynical and disenchanted is cool, sometimes I’m a little off the beaten track. Oh well.

A tall glass of chilled sweet tea was at hand, and the phone was nearby in case Mom and Dad made ground sooner than expected. They weren’t due ashore the next island until tomorrow, but twice now they’d landed sooner than scheduled. Since I’d accidentally dropped my cell phone in the pool a few days ago, I’d been toting the cordless around so I wouldn’t miss a call.

Fact was, I missed my parents like crazy.

At first, when they left, I’d been elated by the prospect of time alone. I live at home and when my parents are there the house sometimes feels annoyingly like Grand Central Station, with Mom’s friends, Dad’s golf buddies, and ladies from the church popping in, punctuated by neighborhood kids stopping over with one excuse or another, conveniently clad in their swim trunks–gee, could they be angling for an invitation?

But after two weeks of much longed for solitude, I’d begun choking on it. The rambling house seemed achingly quiet, especially in the evenings. Around supper time I’d been feeling downright lost. Hungry, too. Mom’s an amazing cook and I’d burned out fast on pizza, potato chips, and mac-’n’-cheese. I couldn’t wait for one of her fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh turnip greens, and peach pie with homemade whipped-cream dinners. I’d even done the grocery shopping in anticipation, stocking up on everything she needed.

I love to eat. Fortunately, it doesn’t show. I’m healthy through the bust and bottom, but slim through the waist and thighs. I have good metabolism, though Mom says, Ha, wait until you’re thirty. Then forty, then fifty. Dad says, More to love, Rainey and gives Mom a look that makes me concentrate really hard on something else. Anything else. I adore my parents, but there’s such a thing as TMI. Too much information.

All in all, I have a great life, short of missing my parents and counting the days until Alina gets home from Ireland, but both of those are temporary, soon to be rectified. My life will go back to being perfect again before much longer.

Is there such a thing as tempting the Fates to slice one of the most important threads that holds your life together simply by being too happy?

When the phone rang, I thought it was my parents.

It wasn’t.

It’s funny how such a tiny, insignificant, dozen-times-a-day action can become a line of demarcation.

The picking up of a phone. The pressing of an on button.

Before I pressed it–as far as I knew–my sister Alina was alive. At the moment of pressing, my life split into two distinct epochs: Before the call and After.

Before the call, I had no use for a word like “demarcation,” one of those fifty-cent words I knew only because I was an avid reader. Before, I floated through life from one happy moment to the next. Before, I thought I knew everything. I thought I knew who I was, where I fit, and exactly what my future would bring.

Before, I thought I knew I had a future.

After, I began to discover that I’d never really known anything at all.

I waited two weeks from the day that I learned my sister had been murdered for somebody to do something–anything–besides plant her in the ground after a closed-casket funeral, cover her with roses, and grieve.

Grieving wasn’t going to bring her back, and it sure wasn’t going to make me feel better about whoever’d killed her walking around alive out there somewhere, happy in their sick little psychotic way, while my sister lay icy and white beneath six feet of dirt.

Those weeks will remain forever foggy to me. I wept the entire time, vision and memory blurred by tears. My tears were involuntary. My soul was leaking. Alina wasn’t just my sister; she was my best friend. Though she’d-mailed incessantly and spoken weekly, sharing everything, keeping no secrets.

Or so I thought. Boy was I ever wrong.

We’d been planning to get an apartment together when she came home. We’d been planning to move to the city, where I was finally going to get serious about college, and Alina was going to work on her Ph.D at the same Atlanta University. It was no secret that my sister had gotten all the ambition in the family. Since graduating high school, I’d been perfectly content bartending at The Brickyard four or five nights a week, living at home, saving most of my money, and taking just enough college courses at the local po-dunk university (one or two a semester, and classes like How to Use the Internet and Travel Etiquette didn’t cut it with my folks) to keep Mom and Dad reasonably hopeful that I might one day graduate and get a Real Job in the Real World. Still, ambition or no, I’d been planning to really buckle down and make some big changes in my life when Alina returned.

When I’d said good-bye to her months ago at the airport, the thought that I wouldn’t see her alive again had never crossed my mind. Alina was as certain as the sun rising and setting. She was charmed. She was twenty-four and I was twenty-two. We were going to live forever. Thirty was a million light-years away. Forty wasn’t even in the same galaxy. Death? Ha. Death happened to really old people.

Not.

After two weeks, my teary fog started to lift a little. I didn’t stop hurting. I think I just finally expelled the last drop of moisture from my body that wasn’t absolutely necessary to keep me alive. And rage watered my parched soul. I wanted answers. I wanted justice.

I wanted revenge.

I seemed to be the only one.

I’d taken a Psych course a few years back that said people dealt with death by working their way through stages of grief. I hadn’t gotten to wallow in the numbness of denial that’s supposed to be the first phase. I’d flashed straight from numb to pain in the space of a heartbeat. With Mom and Dad away, I was the one who’d had to identify her body. It hadn’t been pretty and there’d been no way to deny Alina was dead.

After two weeks, I was thick into the anger phase. Depression was supposed to be next. Then, if one was healthy, acceptance. Already I could see the beginning signs of acceptance in those around me, as if they’d moved directly from numbness to defeat. They talked of “random acts of violence.” They spoke about “getting on with life.” They said they were “sure things were in good hands with the police.”

I was so not healthy. Nor was I remotely sure about the police in Ireland.

Accept Alina’s death?

Never.

“You’re not going, Mac, and that’s final.” Mom stood at the kitchen counter, a towel draped over her shoulder, a cheery red, yellow, and white magnolia-printed apron tied at her waist, her hands dusted with flour.

She’d been baking. And cooking. And cleaning. And baking some more. She’d become a veritable Tasmanian devil of domesticity. Born and raised in the Deep South, it was Mom’s way of trying to deal. Down here, women nest like mother hens when people die. It’s just what they do.

We’d been arguing for the past hour. Last night the Dublin police had called to tell us that they were terribly sorry, but due to a lack of evidence, in light of the fact that they didn’t have a single lead or witness, there was nothing left to pursue. They were giving us official notice that they’d had no choice but to turn Alina’s case over to the unsolved division, which anyone with half a brain knew wasn’t a division at all but a filing cabinet in a dimly lit and largely forgotten basement storeroom somewhere. Despite assurances they would pe...

From AudioFile

MacKayla Lane searches for her sister's murderer in Ireland. Her only the clue is the Sinsar Dubh, a magical book. When MacKayla meets Jericho Barrons, a man with magical powers, she discovers she can sense the Faeries and other unworldly, scary creatures, including a Faerie prince who ignites her libido with some potentially offensive sex scenes. Joyce Bean captures the beauty, fear, and otherworldliness of Moning's characters. Bean portrays Mac as plucky and self-sufficient and Barrons as all-knowing and powerful. Moning's explicit sex scenes rival those of Laurell K. Hamilton's Meredith Gentry (Faerie) series. While Mac searches for her sister's killer and her heritage as a seer, Barrons takes her on an adventure among the Faeries and other creatures of the night. M.B.K. 2007 Audies Award Finalist © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000MAH7SQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Delacorte Press (October 31, 2006)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 31, 2006
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3027 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 382 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0575108495

Best Sellers Rank: #34,299 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #128 in Magic Romance eBooks
- #585 in Paranormal Vampire Romance
- #1,108 in Thriller & Suspense Action Fiction

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4.2 8,113 ratings

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Karen Marie Moning

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Karen Marie Moning is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fever Series and the Highlander series. She is a winner of the prestigious RITA award for best paranormal romance and is a multiple RITA award nominee, and a Goodreads Reader's Choice Award winner. An alum of the Immaculate Conception Academy, she attended Purdue University where she completed a BA in Society & Law, with minors in Philosophy, Creative Writing and Theatre. Prior to becoming a full time writer, she worked in the insurance industry directing commercial litigation and intercompany arbitration. She agrees with Jorge Luis Borges that paradise must be some kind of library.

You can learn more about her at www.karenmoning.com.

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Mithrendiel

Breathtaking and Unforgettable - Must Read!

Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2011

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So over the weekend I found myself completely in the thrall of Moning's Fever series. It's not every day I run into a series earns a solid place on my "Favorites" list, but this series earned itself an unequivocal place of honor. It may even make my top 10 favorite series of all time list. It's a series I can see re-reading many, many times.

This is actually a review of the whole series (no spoilers, I promise). Since I held off on reading this series for so long because of the first few chapters of the first book, I thought I'd put in a good word in hopes of giving anyone still on the fence about reading it the courge to dive in. You won't regret it - I promise. :D This series is FANTASTIC!

Here's a list of the books:

Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever

Basic storyline involves the Fae must like so many other urban fantasy book these days. But it's a darker version of the Fae we find in this series. It's them on our turf, invading our world.

What sets this series apart from many of its urban fantasy counterparts it the complexity, epic scope, and unpredictability of the story. It's a many layered story - the first book starts with a mystery that turns into an epic world altering adventure as the story moves on. It's party post-apocalyptic adventure, part mystery, part romance, part suspense. It defies genre stereo types. The story is rich, dark, and unpredictable. There are plots within plots throughout the whole story. Just when I thought I had part of the story figured out, I found out my theories were wrong. But I never felt like the author was over complicating things and her truths when she revealed them never disappointed. She just kept me guessing up to the very end - and that in and of itself is a noteworthy accomplishment as it can be pretty hard to surprise me.

The characters are very likeable. I'd actually looked at this series earlier, but decided not to read it because the sample chapters from the first part of the first book made it seem like main character MacKeyla, is a glorified fashion hungry, pink obsessed Barbie doll. I pegged her as a silly girly girl from those chapters (which is not my cup of tea at all). You might be inclined to do the same thing, but I encourage you - read on. You'll fall in love with Mac, I promise. She's strong, kind, determined, but reasonable (I dislike the common urban fantasy theme of bull headed spunky heroines that constantly make silly mistakes because they are too stubborn to see reason - Mac lacks that folly). She also is powerful in her own right but not invincible. One of the biggest themes present in this series is a strong admonishment to not judge a based on a person's words or appearance - but judge them based on their actions. Mac becomes an amazing character - actually she always was one, I just had a hard time getting passed her pretty pink nails, and cute shoes. The side characters are fantastic too - Barrons being a personal favorite, Dani, V'Lane, Christian - I liked them all.

Sadly romance is not a major theme in this story - it's present (and yummie), but takes back seat in the face of the world altering events occurring in the rest of the story. Even though it doesn't take center stage, the I found I really enjoyed the romance elements of the story. This author tends to create sort of strong, exceedingly mysterious, possessive, alpha male types. Normally too much alpha throws me off, but it really worked in this story and I found myself suitably swoony. I found it interesting that I sort of fell in love with the males of this story slowly, right along with Mac, and for the same reasons. I wasn't so sure about some of them in the beginning, but their actions won me over (there's that theme again).

I'd read a some Amazon reviews that warned that the first book started off a bit slow and was a bit weaker prose wise than the rest of the series, but I actually really enjoyed the first book, the series just kept getting better the farther I read. I had such a hard time putting any of the books down - I'd read until I fell asleep, and then pick up again the next day. The story from start to finish was amazing, and the end was completely satisfying. All loose ends were tied up beautifully.

Another thing I appreciated about the series is the wisdom present in it, and the moral quandaries the story raises. There's the aforementioned lesson about judging based on actions not words that's a constant theme. But there's also an ever present question of right and wrong, good and evil, black and white. The lines aren't so clearly drawn here, and you as the reader have to sort of puzzle through and make your own judgments right along with Mac.

Okay, so I think I've gushed enough. I highly recommended series! I'd say even a must read for the urban fantasy genre.

20 people found this helpful

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Krystal (@celestialbookdragon)

It's one of the best feelings ever when a book exceeds your expectations!

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023

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*4.5 Stars*

Ok, so I’ll admit that my expectations for this book weren’t very high, but to be fair I think that was part of the reason why I ended up enjoying it so much! The murder mystery aspect reeled me in at the beginning but the direction the story took from there will have me sticking around for the rest of Mac’s journey for sure!

I saw a lot of myself in Mac so while I was warned that it was possible I would get annoyed with her, all of my grievances were exactly what I expected from her character so I couldn’t be too mad about it. While her reactions could be deemed foolish given the things she was literally seeing right in front of her, she was also a complete skeptic grieving the traumatic loss of her sister and then had everything she thought she knew about the world blow up in her face. All of this to say that while I did get frustrated with her at times, watching her get immediately wrecked following those little tantrums, whether it be verbally from Jericho or physically by a foe, made them easier to tolerate! 🤣 I also knew that her character growth would be a highlight of this series since Mac from the prologue and Mac from chapter one sounded like two completely different people! I’m really looking forward to seeing her grow into a strong FMC!

On to the more important things, I LOOOOOVVVEEEEE Jericho so far! I recognized that name immediately and while we know literally next to nothing about him and probably shouldn’t trust him, I definitely see the appeal! 🤤 Him calling her Mac and painting her nails at the end?! SWOON! I know that this is a serious slow burn romance but man am I ready for all of the angst and tension!

Something else I found SO refreshing about this book was the writing. Maybe it’s that Darkfever is traditionally published or maybe it’s the slow burn, but the fact that this whole book was focused on the storytelling with a little bit of romance had me LIVING! Maybe I just needed a break from the super spicy writing style of my usual indie books because this felt like a breath of fresh air! There were also many moments where I had to use the dictionary feature of my kindle because I was seeing so many new words, LOVED THAT!

All in all, don’t go into this series for the spice because while some characters are lust personified, there is basically no romance so far! 🤭 If I didn’t know that there would be romance in the later books I’d be a bit skeptical but I think the goal with this one was to set the scene for Mac’s story. Well mission accomplished because I am already so invested in this story and these characters it’s crazy! I cannot wait to continue with Bloodfever and see where we go next on this journey with Mac!

2 people found this helpful

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anna

I have read this series before and love it

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024

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I needed the physically book because I previously audiobooked it and I have zero regrets!!! Everyone needs Barron's in their lives!

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Amazon Customer

Great read. Keeps you guessing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2023

Verified Purchase

Thoroughly enjoyed this one and can't wait for the next. Often, I find books a little predictable, but this one is anything but. Fabulous stuff!

jiggyasa agrawal

Great read

Reviewed in India on July 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

Loved the way Mac breaks the fourth wall with the reader. Refreshing and engaging read. Hopping onto the next one now..

Marie

A true page-turner. Love it!!!

Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2020

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I love this! I will definitely buy the whole series! It’s a real page-turner!

Aline Fonseca

Que arrependimento!

Reviewed in Brazil on October 9, 2017

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O enredo tinha tudo para me envolver, a construção do cenário é maravilhosa, mas a história é tediosa e os personagens são muito chatos. Além disso, há uma romantização de relacionamento abusivo que é insuportável. Maior decepção que já tive. Além de tudo isso, o livro não soluciona o mistério da irmã e é uma série de 10 livros, ou seja, não vou ler essa série porque, obviamente, não gostei da escrita da autora, e nem vou ter o mistério solucionado que, para mim, era o mais interessante da história. Um grande arrependimento.

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Mar S.

KMM never disappoints

Reviewed in Spain on February 1, 2018

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So gripping it'll keep you awake. No kidding. I'm a huge fan of hers, but then again I know true talent when I see it. On edge with adventure, mystery and sex.

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Darkfever: Fever Series Book 1 Kindle Edition

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