Discovering Your True Self

"Better to die with a snarl than a sniffle"

--Karen Marie Moning, Darkfever

Genre: Adult Paranormal

Publisher: Delacourte Press

Pages: 309

Publication Date: October 31st, 2006

Source: Bought

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Goodreads Description

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….

The World 

This is also going to be a point in my Beast section for reasons I'll discuss below but I loved being introduced to a brand new, dark, seedy, paranormal underworld. Y'all know how much I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood books and while these are not replacing that series in my heart, I still really liked this. This world deals with Fae, the Seelie and the Unseelie and Mac who, unbeknownst to her, is a person who can see through the glamours they put up to assimilate into human life. She's rare and important...read on below for more details. I also LOVED that this took place in Dublin because I can picture the city perfectly. Temple Bar District is actually exactly where I stayed when I was there traveling. Can somebody explain to me why I didn't see any big, sexy, men running around? No? Rude.

Mac 

Mac is not a heroine I would scream from the rooftops how much I love her but she isn't horrible. She's a little more than superficial and pissed off being dragged into this world when all she wants to do, initially, is go home and live an uncomplicated life. I love my heroines kickass and sassy but I can appreciate a good difference in personality once in a while and I liked Mac. I liked that she didn't make excuses for her fear, she admitted to not being strong and wanting a simple life, I can't fault her for that even if she isn't my normal type of heroine I root for. She's in Ireland to begin with to find her sister's murderer, that takes guts. I'll give her mad props for that. Her inner dialogue was a little annoying at times but, surprisingly, I didn't dislike her as much as I initially thought I would. I'm all about growth and she does a lot of growing in this book. I can only hope that trend continues because I can see myself really liking her eventually.

The Men 

There are some pretty sexy male specimens up in Dublin. While I really wanted more from Jericho Barrons, I've heard a lot of complimentary things about him and I wanted more. Barrons is mysterious, closed-off, secretive, and sexy. Combination win for all female readers. I can't wait to get more of him and I'm really hoping for some future sexy times...and I DEFINITELY need to know more about this V'lane character who is a type of Fae that is so potently sexual you literally rip your close off in front of him...wait, what? Yes, that actually happens. So OBVIOUSLY we need more details about this kind of man. Seriously.

The Love 

The fact that this book exists because Mac wanted to avenge her sister's murder and kick some asses immediately stole my heart. I love that she went against every instinct in her to stay in her comfy Southern home and go solo trying to find out what happened. I have sisters, I get it hunnie, I got your back on this. I'd tear that city down and set it to flames in trying to find answers. The core of this story comes from a sister's love to do right by the one she lost. I love this.

The World 

I felt like a lot of world building was lacking and I was on board with Mac's frustration of 'what is the point of it all?' I mean, I GET the point of the plot but I felt like we didn't have a whole lot to go on in respect to the details of this world and race of Fae. I'm holding out hopes for more in the future books.

The Romance

I mean...we're gonna get sexy times with this Jericho in future books, right?...Right?!

Reserved Seating

I sped through this book and I really didn't want to put it down. I cannot wait to find out more details about this world and see where these characters go. I wanted more world-building and a few more answers but this series comes highly recommended to me so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt that more details come our way. If you love paranormal romance, this is definitely a series you want to check out.

And because this book totally got me all nostalgic and wanting to go back to Ireland, I thought I'd share a few pics from when I was there! Enjoy!

Trinity College

The Temple Bar...no joke