My Underwhelming Experience While Reading KMM's Fever Series

One of the biggest series to hit the Paranormal, Romance, and I guess the Urban Fantasy genre is Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. I’ve enjoyed Karen’s book in the past since they were straight up romance with larger than life heroes (Lusty Scots who reminded me of Jamie from the Outlander series. Och) and the heroines who think they’re lacking in redeeming qualities, but are adored and thought to be perfect by these lusty gimme an Och burly heroes that any women would tear off their kilts to get a taste of what they don’t wear underneath them.

When I heard Karen was going to start a new series that wasn’t a romance, but more along the lines of a paranormal mystery about a young woman who goes in search of her sister’s killer, I wasn’t interested in reading. When Darkfever came out, I didn’t pay much mind. But then as more books were published and the ultimate cliffhanger with Faefever and the electric Chapter 4 in Dreamfever, including the elusive, mysterious and cocky character of Barrons, that’s when I started to change my mind. When so many are so far gone over a series of books and the word “crack” is used, I think of JR Ward’s BDB series, which is my crack. So, two weeks before Shadowfever was published I started reading the first four books so by the time Shadowfever came out I’d be caught up on everything.

I’m warning all the Fever and Barrons fans that this post isn’t going to praise these books. So, if you are a hardcore lover of these books, you may want to stop reading here and move onto another blog that has big accolades of the Fever series. I’m in the minority because on a whole the Fever series was a big disappointment for me.

*waits as Bieber Fever girls.. oops I mean Barrons Fever girls leave to sigh over le Douche…*

Yes, that’s right, my nickname for Jericho Barrons is le Douche. When did I come to the conclusion that Barrons is a douche? Pretty much by the second book. But before I go on with my rant about Barrons le Douche, let’s start at the beginning with MacKayla Lane. MacKayla, who everyone calls Mac, lives in Ashford, Georgia with her parents. The twenty-two year old spends her days bartending, tanning hanging out with friends and is a proud girly-girl who has a pink fetish, loves doing her hair and nails and has no qualms that she’s beautiful. Her older sister Alina is in Dublin, Ireland studying at Trinity College. Mac’s entire world is about to go to hell in a hand basket one hot summer day when she finds out Alina has been killed. No one knows why Alina was murdered, and the authorities in Dublin pretty much close the case even before they can start to investigate. Mac refuses to let this be, especially since Alina left a frightened message on her cell phone a few hours before she was killed. Mac takes it upon herself to go over to Dublin and get answers. She owes it to Alina and herself to find out what happened.

Mac goes to Dublin without any real plan. The police can’t or won’t answers her questions and Alina’s teachers and fellow students have no clue about her whereabouts or who she hung out with because she began to cut class and became secretive. Alina had a lover named Darroc who has the power of the persuasive voice behind him. Mac believes Darroc (A character who has appeared in Moning's Highlander series) knows what may have happened to Alina, or he kiled her, but doesn’t want to be found. Mac is basically backed into a corner and it looks like Alina’s murder will never get solved. But then Mac starts seeing things that are not normal. Very freaky OMGWTFBBQ things.

Cutting to the chase here- Mac has the ability to see the Fae because she’s a sidhe-seer, from an ancient Celtic blood-line who can see the Fae. The Fae uses illusions, and there are different types, a cast system or sorts from the Seelie to the Unseelie and a whole bunch more that would take an entire semester of history class to understand. The wall between Man and Faery is coming down and Mac will be the one to stop it as she continues to find her sister’s killer and hunt a book called the Sinsar Dubh, a Fae relic that can possess humans. Mac meets Jericho Barrons, who runs Barrons Books and Baubles. Barrons doesn’t like Mac at all and keeps it just business between them by calling her Ms. Lane while she calls him Barrons. I call him Le Douche. Douche needs Mac because she’s the only one who can locate the Sinsar Dubh. Most of the action are these two searching for the demon book and Mac opening her eyes to the Fae around her, such as V’lane the prince of the Tuath De’ Danaan, a fine specimen of Fae who can literally kill you through too many orgasms during sex. Mac and V’lane become friends in a strange way while Barrons is always there taunting Mac and NEVER ANSWERING ANY QUESTIONS SHE HAS. Mac gets frustrated by Barrons’s aloofness and cruel demeanor while she fantasizes about his body, tattoos and his fast cars and bookstore she lusts after as much as she lust after him, but doesn't want the scary thing hiding under his garage that Barrons won’t say what it is because BARRONS DOESN’T ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS MAC ASKS HIM.

Slowly… oh so very slowly, Mac gets closer to the truth as she goes from cutesy Barbie doll Legally Blonde Elle Woods to black wearing, I’m going to kick some ass ala Linda Hamilton from Terminator 2. All the while she lusts after Barrons, who acts like Batman, appearing for short amounts of time to act snarky and rude to Mac knowing she’s practically in heat for him. I guess his snappish insults are like foreplay for them both.

I have three big issues why the Fever series didn’t work. The fact that Barrons le Douche refuses to answer any questions thrown his way by Mac is a poor attempt to keep the tension alive. It’s a throwback plot device that doesn’t work and is a weakness on the part of the author to keep the reader invested in finding the answers. Having Barrons act like a petulant spoiled boy, much like a douche, by refusing to give up anything is almost insulting. Also the screen time with Barrons is very minimal if you think of it. He comes and goes with no real purpose and I wonder if Karen’s original plans for Barrons wasn’t as important to the overall story arc who was transformed into a more important role based on readers’ reactions.

I had a big issue with Mac’s constant internalization. Shadowfever is very guilty of this. Mac is a wonderful character who grows in every single book even with the long winded inner monologues, while Barrons is stagnant. The excuse could be is because Barrons is thousands upon thousands of years old, but you think he’d have some therapeutic change based on Mac being in his life. I was waiting for that moment where Barrons does have that light bulb moment with Mac. Sorry, by him accepting Mac as his lover and showing through hot sex that she’s the one for him, is not good enough for me.

Finally, The Fever series as a whole is very watered down. I can appreciate the mythology of it all, but at times I felt this was very surface type reading. It may just be me, but I like more descriptive explanations and much of the action was glossed over. I had problems trying to get a handle on things and what was going on. I also felt poor Mac was being thrown in every which direction for no purpose (this happens a great deal in Shadowfever). And destroying a character’s psyche and spirit by constantly throwing horrible things at them such as a death of a loved one, being threatened, brutally raped and then being insulted left and right, is not a good enough or valid reason to show how your main character, such as Mac, can walk though the fires, be burned to a crisp and come out stronger than ever.

The Fever series just didn’t work for me. I could continue to go on with other reasons, including why I think Barrons is the perfect example of an abusive, manipulative emotionally stunted jerk, but that would take a whole other post. For what it’s worth, I do have to mention how the tone of Feminism is very strong in this series. At no point does Mac rely on a man to save her. Barrons doesn’t really come to her rescue at any point, unless you count the one time when he helps her bring her out of her Py’ra, the almost death by Fae sex (Which I kept thinking of She-Ra). But the again, it wasn’t a totally unselfish move on Barrons part either. Karen does make a great case for “Girl Power” in the form of Mac and the thirteen year old Dani who becomes Mac’s backup and her new found sister and sidhe warrior in arms.

How I wished I could have enjoyed these books, but they fell so flat for me. Also, this could have worked better as a trilogy than over five books. Bloodfever, book #2, doesn’t bring anything worthwhile to the series. I will say this, Karen does sure know how to write some great one-liners and dialogue. What may be the most effective line from all these books still sticks with me. It was first mentioned by Barrons in Dreamfever and brought up by Mac again toward the end of Shadowfever where Mac and Barrons finally are completely honest with one another. Barrons tells Mac she’ll find a man who will kiss her until she can’t breathe, where she’ll realize she doesn’t need air. Mac has found that with Barrons, and since the Fever series isn’t technically a romance, their HEA is the least likely normal one that should be expected, even if their road to their HEA was less than ideal for me.

For this reader, I very much had my breath the entire time while reading the Fever series and didn’t lose my breath once because of the overall lacking enjoyment I found as I read. (Delacorte)

My Final Grade for the Fever series as a whole: C

I welcome any opinions from those who have enjoyed these books, as well as those who are in my camp.

And please, give me one redeeming quality why Jericho "le Douche" Barrons is so beloved by readers?