Beyond the Highland Mist
Highlander #1
by Karen Marie Moning

Synopsis
He would sell his warrior soul to possess her. . . . 

An alluring laird...

He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart—until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne de Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue. Coerced into a marriage with Hawk, Adrienne vowed to keep him at arm's length—but his sweet seduction played havoc with her resolve.

A prisoner in time...

She had a perfect "no" on her perfect lips for the notorious laird, but Hawk swore she would whisper his name with desire, begging for the passion he longed to ignite within her. Not even the barriers of time and space would keep him from winning her love. Despite her uncertainty about following the promptings of her own passionate heart, Adrienne's reservations were no match for Hawk's determination to keep her by his side. . . .

Review
If you've been reading my reviews for awhile, you have come to understand that I do not like half naked - or just plain naked people on the covers of my books. I barely like having any person on my book covers - naked or clothed. So, it took me a while to get this book at my library. Once I did get it, however, it took me a day to read it. It's really good! Now - let me step back a little. Do any of you read the Smart Bitches Trashy Books podcast? If you don't already, I very much recommend it. Well, the main podcast person, Sarah, says that some books are so addicting that she refers to them as "crack." This book - is crack ladies and gents. Unlike the Fever series by Moning, that I believe the masses will like because it has more action/adventure than sexy times (in the first book - I haven't read the rest of the series), the Highlander series is silly at times, X-rated, and addicting. There's a highlander that has slept with every living woman during his time (it seems), fairies, and, oh yeah, TIME TRAVEL. I don't think I would have liked this book as much if it didn't involve time travel, actually. I love that Adrienne came from the future and has the sass of her time too. Hawk is a flawed, strong, and sexy hero. Anyway - I loved this book because it reminded me of a fairy tale...except this is an x-rated fairy tale. Yeah :)
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Darkfever (Fever Series #1)
by Karen Marie Moning

Synopsis
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….

Review
I'm always up for trying out genres and one I had been hoping to really get into is urban fantasy - also classified as paranormal romance, I guess? The only other book that I've read that fits these genres is Richelle Mead's Succubus series - which I love so much (I still need to complete the series...I don't even know if new books are coming out for it still? Must research...). So, I was very happy to try out this series. This book is basically (in the best of ways) an adult version of the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Darkfever deals with Mac finding out her sister, who is also her best friend, has been killed while studying abroad in Ireland. What Mac soon finds out is that her sister's death only the tip of the iceberg. Deciding to travel to Ireland in search of avenging her sister and learning something of what had happened to her, Mac finds out all about the Fae world. Little does Mac know, however, that she plays a much bigger picture in the Fae world than she is ready to realize. 
I definitely loved the first book in this series and finished it rather quickly - even for a paperback! Mac has a fantastic sarcastic and real sense of humor and self. Barrons makes for a great and grumpy (and handsome?) frenemy to Mac (with the hint of something more??). The book also follows in line with other fae books - the fae are tricky, scary, and are a force not to be reckoned with. I cannot wait to read the second book!