Bloodfever (Mass Market Paperback)

by Karen Marie Moning (Author)

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A Q&A with Karen Marie Moning

What inspired you to launch a new series? And what is the single greatest new twist in the Fever series that fans can expect to enjoy?
Inspiration is a kind word. I didn’t have a choice. It’s the story idea that came and wouldn’t go away. I think the single great­est new twist in the Fever series is that Mac is a continuing heroine, on a critical mission, who gets caught in a danger­ous love-lust triangle with two of the most seductive men I’ve written to date.

If you were casting the Fever series for television, who would be the ideal actress to play Mac. Why?
That’s a tough one. I don’t watch much television and what I do see is after the DVD’s have been released, so I’m woefully out of date. If backed to a wall I'd say Mac is one part George from Dead Like Me, one part Sara Pezzini from Witchblade and one part sweet southern belle who's being forced to discover there's steel under all that magnolia, after all.

You write vividly sexy scenes. You write thrilling suspense plots. Do you find any one part of crafting these novels more challenging than another?
I find them equally challenging. The suspense plots have to be tightly constructed and seamlessly interwoven through the five books of the Fever series, which makes for a lot to keep up with, what to reveal, what not to reveal, how and when. The sexy scenes are very intimate and I don’t shy away from detail, which demands both total immersion and separation of self to write. There are some "sexy" scenes in this series that are far more disturbing than seductive and those are among the most difficult to write. I hope if I'm squirming, wanting to rescue Mac, so is my reader.

Were you surprised at any point in the writing of Blood­fever—meaning did anything come up in the creative pro­cess that was not what you anticipated when you began Darkfever, the first novel in the series?
In Faefever, the third book of the series, Mac says: "Sometimes my dreams feel so real it's hard to believe they're just the subconscious's stroll across a whimsical map that has no true north. Sometimes it seems like Dreaming must be a land that really exists out there somewhere, at a concrete latitude and longitude, with its own rules, laws, treacherous terrains and dangerous inhabitants." (She later finds out The Dreaming does, indeed, exist.) I feel the same about the Fever world. It’s so complete to me, so vividly and exactingly detailed that I think it must really exist out there somewhere. Since the story came to me in toto, there have been very few, minor surprises.

If you could stand in a room with your heroes—the men from any of your novels—not just the Fever novels—who would you most like to interview yourself? Why? What of the women?
Men: The Unseelie King. He’s rumored to be a million years old. I want to know if he’s sorry.
Women: Queen Aoibheal. I want to know if she’s really for­gotten, or if she’s just pretending.

Describe your writing routine when composing the Fever novels.
The location varies but the schedule is the same. I write best in the morning when my subconscious is still simmering with images and metaphors from dreaming. I wrote Darkfeverin Georgia, and Bloodfever in Key West; all that sunshine was a nice counterpoint to the darkness of the story. I start early in the morning, usually around 4:30 or 5:00 and write until 11, break for a two-hour lunch and go back to it around 1. I use the afternoons to edit and work on other aspects of my busi­ness. Before I go to bed I block out the scene(s) I plan to write the next day so my subconscious can mull them over while I sleep.

When you aren’t writing your novels, what are you doing for fun? And what kinds of books or which authors are your favorites?
Lately a lot of lying in the sun—I’m still in Key West and I’m afraid Mac has rubbed off on me, or maybe it’s all the Jimmy Buffet they keep playing down here. Usually, however, I’m not so sedentary. I love to work out, hike, bike, rollerblade, shop with my sisters, and travel with my husband and our cat, Moonshadow. I don’t get nearly enough time to read. The most recent books I finished were the latest by Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Charlaine Harris, and an early Dan Simmons.

And can you share a little sneak peek at what’s coming after Bloodfever?
The darkest hour is before dawn. It isn’t dawn yet.

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--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Moning's latest feverish Fae dispatch (after Darkfever) finds that in Dublin the walls are coming down between Man and Faery. That means that the Buffy-like services of MacKayla Lane—the 22-year-old Georgia-born sidhe-seer (or one who can see the Fae) and slayer—are required. Mac is determined to kick the nasties back to faeryland and to avenge her sister Alina's murder by the Fae's dark Lord Master. She's also seeking the sinister Sinsar Dubh, a book of black magic. Jericho Barrons, Mac's enigmatic protector, is a purveyor of books and antiquities (and of course, is a major hunk). As Mac takes direction from Jericho, she must resist the sexy dangers of V'lane, a death-by-sex Fae, and learn about her true family of Irish sidhe-seers. Moning's delectable Mac is breathlessly appealing, and the wild perils she must endure are peppered with endless conundrums. The results are addictively dark, erotic and even shocking. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Dell; Reprint edition (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440240999
• ISBN-13: 978-0440240990
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (142 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,961 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Fever Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding follow-up to Darkfever, October 22, 2007

By	D. Minchow "DesertReader" (NM) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bloodfever (Fever Series, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I read Darkfever and in my previous review I admitted it was a near miss. I almost put it down - the kiss of death for me. Luckily I stuck with it and I was not disappointed. But with the new installment of the fever series, Bloodfever, I discovered that the occasional slow pace in Darkfever was absent in Bloodfever. Bloodfever moved fast with action everywhere: more twists were introduced, more characters with complex hidden agendas appeared, old characters returned with scores to settle. Nonoe of the issues raised in Darkfever were resolved - should they have been? I don't think so. This is a series and there needs to be something in the rest of the installments. I disagree with the reviewers that claimed this story didn't advance. True, we still don't know who or what Jerricho is but then we were given clues to chew on and contemplate. Mac becomes stronger and more complex. Her pink clothers are disappearing, her nails are a mess, and she still doesn't know who to trust but she does learn who she can rely on - and she starts doing shots. I'm starting to think she's better than Buffy.

But there are no easy answers in this story. Darkfever was billed as a romance but Bloodfever is anything but (IMHO) with no knights in shining armor rushing to Mac's rescue without first proposing a bargain. Mac is pushed into doing things nobody could have guessed at in order to save herself. The evolution of the relationship between Mac and JB is raucous and funny. The sexual tension between the two does grow and come (almost) to a head. But mostly what we see is Mac growing and changing to fit this new role, this new personna. It was an amazing, exciting, wonderful read. If you are looking for sexually charged romances typical of Karen's previous work then maybe you should pass (and that would be too bad for you) but if you want to witness the growth of a writer into new territory and enjoy a great read then I strongly recommend Bloodfever.

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!! Excellent character development!, October 26, 2007

By	J. Sommerville "avid spender" (Global Citizen) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bloodfever (Fever Series, Book 2) (Hardcover)

So I just finished the book last night - finished it in about 8 hours. In my review of Darkfever, I stated that Mac had a lot of growing up to do; she was much to `spoiled valley-girl like for me. I couldn't identify with her, I really didn't like her or feel much empathy for what was happening to her. However, I told myself to wait and see how/if Mac changes in this book, and let that determine if I will continue reading this series. Well, KMM has pulled it off, and Mac's character has definitely grown, and developed to the point that I really truly like her now. She has become more serious and spunky. She's thinking for herself, and not letting anyone walk all over her. She's matured from the 22 y/o manicure-obsessed brat she came across as in DF.

In this stage of the story, KMM has added more characters, thrown in some interesting twists, and developed just a bit more of the relationship with Mac, Barrons and V'lane, and there could be a third love interest that KMM introduces. Mac can't trust anyone because there are no clear motives and everyone's in the game for their own reasons. But Mac's motives don't appear to be entirely pure either. I wonder what Mac really plans on doing with the Sinsar Dubh, if she manages to get her hands on it?

KMM has tied up very few loose ends, and has created even more. She hasn't resolved any of the issues brought up in DF, and created more. This is exactly what I look for in a series - if all the questions are answered too early, why bother to continue reading? Anyone expecting resolutions will be disappointed. For those looking for a bit of the romance between Mac and Barrons, there are two scenes that show more of the sexual tension - one of which is positively explosive. We get a brief shot of a softer side of Barrons than we previously had, making me think that Barrons isn't so tough and unemotional afterall. Anyone expecting gratuitous sex is going to be disappointed. From the sparks flying, I don't see how KMM can keep it from happening in the next book though.

There is more than enough fodder in this book to keep my fever going for the next year while waiting for the next installment. I was hoping for at least an excerpt, but it wasn't forthcoming.

SPOILER: It appears that V'lane sifts Mac away before she can meet the druids. I wonder why he chose that exact moment? Very intriguing. We also now know what Barrons is not, but gives a few ideas as what he could be.

41 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh mercy! , October 17, 2007

By	I. Daco "RomanceReader" (Elmont, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bloodfever (Fever Series, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I can honestly say that this was even better than the first...and thats saying a lot since the first one has made me salivate for this second book! Mac and Barrons are explosive together. I'm really HOPING that they do end up together because they sure make me tingle. LoL. As for the storyline there is definitely MORE now. The first book left me with a multitude of questions..I'm not saying it'll be answered in this book (obviously since there are other books in the works) but we definitely see an unraveling here! I started reading at 4PM and 3 hours later I've devoured the whole book! I practically whimpered when it ended. I can't believe I have to wait so long for the next installment!