Feversong: A Fever Novel by Karen Marie Moning (Book Review)

MacKayla Lane and Jericho Barrons return in the epic conclusion to the pulse-pounding Fever series, where a world thrown into chaos grows more treacherous at every turn.

As Mac, Barrons, Ryodan, and Jada struggle to restore control, enemies become allies, right and wrong cease to exist, and the lines between life and death, lust and love, disappear completely. Black holes loom menacingly over Dublin, threatening to destroy the earth, yet the greatest danger is the one MacKayla Lane has unleashed from within: The Sinsar Dubh—a sentient book of unthinkable evil—has possessed her body and will stop at nothing in its insatiable quest for power. 

The fate of Man and Fae rests on destroying the book and recovering the long-lost Song of Making, the sole magic that can repair the fragile fabric of the earth. But to achieve these aims, sidhe-seers, the Nine, Seelie, and Unseelie must form unlikely alliances and make heart-wrenching choices. For Barrons and Jada, this means finding the Seelie queen, who alone can wield the mysterious song, negotiating with a lethal Unseelie prince hell-bent on ruling the Fae courts, and figuring out how to destroy the Sinsar Dubh while keeping Mac alive.

This time, there’s no gain without sacrifice, no pursuit without risk, no victory without irrevocable loss. In the battle for Mac’s soul, every decision exacts a tremendous price.

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

 

 

 

When I started reading KMM’s books many years ago, I knew this author was going to take me places from which I will love and loathe her for. As I was gobbling up the pages of Feversong, there were times I couldn’t believe the path she was taking the characters but in the end it all made sense. Every death, every painful decision, every tear shed brought forth a stellar end to Mac/Jericho’s story and a promising future for Dani/Jada and Ryodan’s. For those last two, I can see a true partnership. Their love won’t be easy but, then again, nothing ever is easy for those two. 

As for the deaths I mentioned, I won’t disclose who died but I will say one person in particular will be sorely missed by me and by many readers/fans. However, like I said, the person’s death (much like their life) had a profound effect ….. especially Jade/Dani.

As the saying goes, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

For the ending, there is no doubt in my mind KMM will be back with more amazing tales. Read the final chapter and you’ll agree with my assessment. 

Until then, I’ll be eagerly anticipating the return of my favorite characters and imagining what adventures will befall them next. With Shazam around, I’m sure nothing will be quite the same again! 

 

Heart Rating System:

1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤1/2

 

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

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Author Showcase / Interview / Review – Nabila Fairuz (The Chronicles of Captain Shelly Manhar)

Welcome, Nabila!

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  1. For those who might not be familiar with you, would you be a dear and tell the readers a little about yourself? How did you get your start in the writing business?

(Nabila) Ahoy, mateys! I am a Bangladeshi Canadian living in Calgary, AB at present. I published my first novel, The Chronicles of Captain Shelly Manhar, this year in October. I love Anime, video games, and reading. A lot of reading. Not all of it necessarily needs to be books. I hate not knowing what happens at the end of movies. And I am a big fan of lame puns. The lamer, the better. Here’s one: A man walked into a bar, and said, “Ow!”

 

 

  1. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, please share how you handle it.

(Nabila) First of all, I’ll have you known, I don’t handle it well. When writer’s block hit me, I tend to become very lazy. I end up doing everything else except writing. So if you want advice, here’s what I would tell you: don’t be like me. Try some other way. If I had to take a guess, I’d say that even if you are facing writer’s block, still try to write something. It may not be your best work, but it will keep the habit going.

 

 

  1. Contrary to what some people envision about a romance writer’s life, it’s not all glitz and glam. Well not for the majority of us. With that bubble sadly busted, when you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?

(Nabila) I like to play video games. Or read books. Currently I’m playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, and reading “Siege and Storm” by Leigh Bardugo.

I also like to check up on events happening nearby. Street festivals, Harry Potter themed outdoor markets, new movies, etc.

 

 

  1. I know many writers, such as myself, keep their pastime/career a secret. Do those close to you know you write? If so, what are their thoughts?

(Nabila)  Thankfully, I have a very tight-knit group of family and friends who always wish me well and are very appreciative and proud of my work. I published my first book quite recently, and the love and support I have received from them has been astounding!

 

 

  1. Will you share with us your all-time favorite authors? If you’re like me, it’s a long list so give us your top ten.

(Nabila) Um… I am not good at coming up with top tens, but here’s a couple: J. K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, Stieg Larsson, Neil Gaiman, Dan Brown.

Among Bengali writers (i.e. writers from Bangladesh and Calcutta) I love Tagore, Humayun Ahmed, Zafar Iqbal, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

 

 

  1. If you could choose one book to go to the big screen, yours or otherwise, which book would you choose and whom would you love to see cast in the parts?

(Nabila) Well, I’ll be a little narcissistic and say that I would choose mine. I think ‘The Chronicles of Captain Shelly Manhar’ would make an excellent movie. It’s about a female pirate captain, and I think movie industries could use more of that.

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  1. Would you care to tell us what you’re working on now? That is if it’s not top-secret information. If so, just whisper it in my ear. I swear it’ll go no further.

(Nabila) It is still in the outlining/planning stage, but I am planning to write another YA fiction with a sixteen year old girl called Celeste as the protagonist. There will be nursery rhymes. That’s all I’m saying.

 

 

  1. Where can we find your stories, and is there a particular reading order?

(Nabila) So far, there’s only one book published by me, so no need to worry about reading order. My book is available on Amazon, and in e-book format from Kindle and Kobo.

It is also available in Barnes and Nobles, and the e-book version is available through Chapters and Indigo bookstores in Canada.

I am not 100% sure but I am pretty certain it is also available in UK and Australia.

 

 

  1. Would you please share how your present and future fans can contact you?

(Nabila) Yes! I am available on Facebook and Goodreads under the name Nabila Fairuz. Check out my page on Facebook and send me a message!

I am also available on Twitter and Instagram.

My Twitter handle is @N_FairuzR and Instagram ID is n_fairuzr.

Finally, and most importantly, you can contact me on my blog, My Own Little Corner, at the following address:

http://nabila-fairuz.blogspot.ca

 

  1. Before we conclude this enlightening interview, do you have anything else you’d like to share? The stage is all yours.

(Nabila) Goodbye, my dear friends,

‘Tis the mighty end of the road.

Again, we shall meet.

 

 

~~ Closing remarks ~~

I’ve said this once and I’ll say it probably a 1000 more times but I love interviewing authors. It’s so interesting finding out more about the person behind a story, what or whom inspires him/her and what he/she are working on next. When I read an interview, I find myself adding new books to my reading list based off question 5.

And, like many of you, my TBR is constantly growing and that warms this bookworm’s heart.  With that said, I have ONE MORE BOOK I hope you add to your reading list because it’s a voyage I think you’ll rather enjoy taking.

Enjoy, Mateys! 

 

 

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The youngest of three siblings, Shelly’s childhood tragically ended when her family disappeared under cryptic circumstances. Shelly and her sister embark on an epic journey to find them, only to face more hardship.
 
Witnessing the death of her only sister’s hardened Shelly more, and she was left with facing the bleak reality of continuing the mission alone. It affected her deeper than she imagined, and fueled her every move. It made her become the pirate captain whose name would eventually be feared everywhere. She gathered a crew and despite all odds always managed to come unscathed from any of her crazy exploits.


Along the way, she bumps into her brother who is now charged with arresting her, reconciles with her father who is hiding his own secrets, and frees her mother from the clutches of a power hungry Admiral of the English Navy. Will the fearless Captain Shelly Manhar manage to evade the hangman’s noose, or be forever lost in Davy Jones’ Locker?

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images-2(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 

You can’t have a pirate’s tale without a hunt for lost treasure and what would a hunt be without a map. Shelly and her merry crew go searching for Neptune’s treasure and a magical goblet that grant a user’s request. Of course, the journey to the great booty isn’t easy as a finding an X on a sandy beach. No, they have to face creatures, scoundrels, and traps — some of the magical nature. 

This all sounds like a making of a Disney movie — aka Pirates of the Caribbean. Well mateys, Jack Sparrow didn’t suddenly appear from stage left but he was mentioned in passing. No, the pirates in this tale weren’t lead by a mascara wearing bloke. Instead the crew was led by a woman who wore an eyepatch and was quite the swordsman ….err swords-woman. 🙂

For that alone, I had to give this story high marks. The only reason why I knocked off a full point was due to the interaction between her and her brother. In First Contact, Conrad (Shelly’s brother) flats out states he wrote to her and Anna but they never responded. They argued about it. Then down the road in the chapter titled Family Reunion, they once again argue over it and Shelly appeared perplexed by him stating the same thing again. Why? Did she suffer from short term memory loss and forget he made this claim already. 

Anywho……

Despite that, I had only one other eh moment. I like how the story ended. The epilogue was quite comical but what about the buildup of Roy and Shelly throughout the adventurous tale? They had a moment, he loves her, and then nada. Maybe it’ll be played out in part 2. One can only hope!

Oh and one last thing, nice jaw-dropping, bombshell in Her Father’s Daughter. I do love surprises. It keeps me coming back for more! Others too. 

 

Heart Rating System:

1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤

 

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Once and Forever by M.S. Kaye (Book Review)

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Eden, a nun, is constantly struggling against her dark past of living on the streets, and her attraction to Trace, an ex-convict farm worker. After a twelve-year separation, Eden is finally reunited with her brother, Thomas, but why hadn’t she reached out to him in all those years? As Eden and Trace grow closer, confessing their pasts to each other, will they be able to resist getting too close?

 

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(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 

Life is all about choices. What to eat for supper. What school to attend. What job to take. And, whom to love or not to love.

In Once and Forever, Eden and Trace had every reason not to act on their desires. She was thisclose to taking her final vows (nun). Trace was dealing with his past and the inability to atone for all his past sins in the eyes of everyone in town.

However, the heart wants the heart wants. All I can say is thank heavens Eden realized her love for Trace surpassed her desires to take her final pledge for God and the nunnery. In my opinion, like with any calling in life, you must chose the path which is best suited for you.

Yes Trace was an ex-con but his past wasn’t so cut and dry. He had a heart bigger than the brightest star. He was generous, kind, and a man worthy of any woman! Once you start reading the tale, you’ll soon figure out how truly giving he is to those around him.

Once and Forever wasn’t a face-pace gripping tale. In actuality, it had a rather slow pace from beginning to end. However, it had a powerful message behind each word.

Like a book, don’t judge someone by their outer shell. A person’s actions will tell you what kind of man or woman they are. Make sure to always allow only good, gracious people to be a part of your story. 

 

Heart Rating System:

1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤

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WANT MORE?
KEEP SCROLLING! 
 
Book One
 
 
Her first and also her once.
Jonathan and Rebecca’s paths cross at exactly the right moment, when each most needs to hear what the other has to say.
But Jonathan is three days from entering the priesthood, and Rebecca leaves him to his peace. But he is unable to find peace.
Without each other’s comfort and strength, they must each struggle to forge a new path, with only memories of the one day that changed everything.
But are they able to forget and let go?
—> Kindle Purchase Link <–
 
 
Book Two
 

She was once his secret desire… Will she be again?

Father Aiden, an ex-marine and new priest, falls in love with Maylynn, but he struggles to stay away from her. He’s successful for many years, though he can’t keep her out of his dreams.

Then one day she shows up for a pre-marital counselling session with her fiancé, Davis. Aiden soon realizes Davis isn’t who he says he is, but what does that mean for Maylynn, and for himself?

 

Get your KINDLE copy today at  Amazon.
Add to your to-read on Goodreads.
 
 
 
M.S. Kaye has several published books under her black belt. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband Corey in Jacksonville, Florida, where she tries not to melt in the sun. Find suspense and the unusual at www.BooksByMSK.com.
To receive news on upcoming releases, sign up for email updates on her website.

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The Crimson Shamrock by Michael Hughes (Book Showcase)

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A scotch-swilling DUI attorney, a cynical congressional staffer, and a retired bomb- sniffing German Shepherd are just some of the characters Chuck Wesson meets after he takes a travel assignment from his new boss, mysterious Silicon Valley entrepreneur Axel DeWilde. Chuck has been sent on a flight from San Francisco to Boston in order to demonstrate the Crimson Shamrock, a breakthrough portable communication device code-named the RedClove.

However, Chuck begins to suspect that all is not as it seems after a robber tries to steal the device at the airport, and his flight later has to be diverted to the Twin Cities after a threat is made. After his meeting is relocated to the D.C. suburbs and does not go according to plan, Chuck flies back to California to discover who and what are behind his travails.

 

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After dropping Blake off at the VC headquarters, Axel drove me back to the office.  As we got inside, Axel began to go on one of his euphoric monologues.

“You see, Chuck, all of the opportunities that we are presented with!”  I was afraid he was going to shatter the glass front door given how enthusiastically he had shut it.  “Just look how eager Blake was for our product!”

“Is he OK with our timeline, do you think?” I asked.  I turned on my computer and took a seat as Axel continued to pace around the floor.  I was half afraid he was going to start dancing.

“Why, of course!  All things take time, and Blake and his people understand that very fact.  We are, in a way, building up the anticipation even more, yes?”

That didn’t seem like the soundest logic to me, but who was I to tell Axel this?

“That’s one way of looking at it, I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“Oh, yes,” he said as he almost tripped over himself on his way back to his desk.  “The anticipation of the new product is key. Absolutely, essentially, key.  Key, key, key.”

I twiddled my fingers as I waited for my computer screen to turn on.  Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long.

“I think you’ve done enough work for the day,” said Axel.  He looked at my computer, walked over, and turned it off.  “You should head home and get some rest.  Next week is going to be a learning experience for all of us.  We are going to have to have the boys finish engineering the prototype, and then we will have to have it transported to the East Coast for its demonstration.”

“How are we going to get it over there?”

Axel grinned.  “The method of its transport is in this room.  He, I should clarify, is in this room.  I generally try to avoid flying.  You are free to draw your own conclusions.  Shall I see you tomorrow, ten o’clock, no?”

 

 

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I’m 25 and currently work for a bank in compliance in Los Angeles.  Pumpkin Farmer and The Crimson Shamrock are my two published paperback novels; I also self-published a novel titled Loafing by La Brea. 
 
 

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Wolf of the Tesseract by Christopher D. Schmitz (Book Review)

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After merging with her copy from an alternate reality, Claire must work with an interdimensional soldier in order to stop a warlock from shattering the laws of existence. As they flee his wrath, she must decide if these romantic feelings for her guardian belong to her or the alternate-self whose soul suddenly inhabits Claire’s mind.

Zabe, the only remaining member of the royal Guardian Corps escaped the warlock’s conquest of the Prime Dimension and wages a one-man resistance. As he sneaks through an enemy camp he discovers they plan to use their sorcery to annihilate all the aligned planes of reality. To stop it, Zabe must break the forbidden dimensional barriers, reach Earth, and hide the key to the dimensional rifts. If he fails and the Warlock acquires the prize, it could spell the end of all existence.

After a dimensional shift, Zabe discovers the key is really a human woman: a college student named Claire Jones whose blood holds the ability to unlock cataclysmic power. The enemy seeks her desperately, yet Zabe and Claire fight–knowing that her blood could rip open a cosmic fissure if even the slightest detail of their plan goes awry.

 

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(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 

 

Within the first few minutes of meeting someone, you know if you’re going to like them or not. You get a sense of their attitude, personality, and take note of how they interact with others. Maybe their facial gestures speak to you more loudly rather than their lack of action. For instance, a quiet/shy person tends to smile coyly, silently laugh. Whereas an overly cocky person might fold their arms, look annoyed, and give off a sense they don’t want to be there. In a nutshell. it’s the smallest things that sometimes can make or break a budding relationship.

I treat a new book like I treat meeting a new person because, really, that’s what I am doing — meeting a new person or group of new people. In the first few pages/chapters, I get a sense if a book is going to be a hit or miss (for me). If I am going to enjoy its company and possibly want to revisit it again. Rarely does my opinion change the longer I read a tale unless something epic happens to blow my mind.

When I began Wolf of the Tesseract, it was apparent that Christopher D. Schmitz meant to make an everlasting impression on me, the reader. This science fiction story literally had an explosive start and the action continued on until the final chapter.

Christopher’s imagination seemed limitless, his plot flawless, and the ending left it wide open for a highly-charged sequel.

The only thing missing from Wolf of the Tesseract was a terminology page — a point I made to Christopher on 12-2-16. With all the science fiction lingo, unworldly creatures, and/or beings, I thought the readers would benefit from a cheat sheet. He absolutely agreed. His exact words were this, “You are very right. I’ll make sure that future versions of the book include that.”  

Sci-fi/fantasy readers, grab this book and be prepared to encounter fire demons, werewolves, snake creatures, warlocks, and huge ass worms. Basically, everything you love about the paranormal world and much, much more! 

 

 

Heart Rating System:

1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤1/2

 

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