Alissa

Oh, very, very good. It is way WAY better than I expected when I first picked up this series as my next paranormal romance fix. I've been on a PR kick lately, it's odd the way I became fast addicted to a genre I basically avoided, considering I wasn’t even much into urban fantasy. Actually, I’ve never liked emphasis on romance in my fantasy, I’m all for epic/low/grimdark stories and romance doesn’t factor well into the equation (I still don’t. That's what romance novels are for).
In August I only had Anne Rice’s and Laurell K. Hamilton’s books under my belt. In September I read the whole [b:Black Dagger Brotherhood|42899|Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1)|J.R. Ward|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429676285s/42899.jpg|2158128] series, started both [b:Night Huntress|1421990|Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, #1)|Jeaniene Frost|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1373855613s/1421990.jpg|1412415] and the [b:Elemental Mysteries|12755792|A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries, #1)|Elizabeth Hunter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475548523s/12755792.jpg|17897317] series, tried and dropped both the [b:Dark-Hunterverse|84136|Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunterverse #1)|Sherrilyn Kenyon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348332807s/84136.jpg|2384] and the [b:Guild Hunter|3819326|Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter, #1)|Nalini Singh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436398982s/3819326.jpg|3863622] series. Go figure.

The Fever series is more than I've bargained for. Belatedly, I noticed this is primarily shelved as urban fantasy and I agree, there is a romance subplot (with a sharp focus on sexual tension) but it's not the core of the series. Setting, concept and characters are. It's well written, the rhythm is good, there is a plot, there are several mysteries, the tones are very dark, there is murder, there is violence, there is rape; it also gets very disturbing at times, particularly during the interactions between the main leads (#lovehurts).

And it's totally absorbing.

No matter the narrative flaws, some inconsistencies or the high-handed alpha-males, I truly enjoyed the snarky banter, the engaging plot and the themes explored.

I plan to get current (Edit 01/12: The second half of the series is not as good as the first, unfortunately it seems the author is running out of steam; gradual decline notwithstanding, I’m looking forward to [b:Feversong|12446825|Feversong (Fever, #9)|Karen Marie Moning|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458832646s/12446825.jpg|17429860]).


There’s comfort in knowing your limits. It’s a safety zone. Most people find theirs, get in it, and stay there for the rest of their lives. That’s the kind of life I thought I was going to live. There’s a fine line between being stupid and knowing you have to test your limits if you want to do any real living at all. It was a line I was poised on very delicately at the moment.