The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

If you like the mix of fantasy, horror and romance in the True Blood series, you might like taking a walk on the fairy side with the Fever book series by Karen Marie Moning. These aren't your harmless, everyday, glittery fairies. The good ones have powers that drive mortals mad and the bad ones... well, let's just say I still have nightmares about them.

The series starts with Darkfever, in which normal Southern girl MacKayla Lane goes to Ireland to investigate her beloved sister's seemingly random and unexplained murder. Instead of finding a trail of clues, she finds bloodstains and an inhuman monster that can suck beauty and life from its victims. That encounter begins a new double life for Mac in which she alone can see through the illusion into the dangerous world of the fae. Her only ally is a mysterious - and, of course, desperately handsome - bookstore owner named Jericho Barrons who isn't at all what he seems.

There are five books in the series: Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever and Shadowfever.

Believe me, they only get better and more thrilling the deeper you get. I'll admit there was one point at which I thought, “There's no way the author can write her way out of this mess.” But then a friend talked me back into the next book, for which I'm eternally grateful. They're sharp, well-written, sometimes scary, sometimes sexy and always entertaining. Moning has really turned an old trope on its head with a collection of fairies that would curl Stephen King's hair.

You can find the Fever books online, in paper or e-editions, but I would recommend checking out your local used bookstore. I liked the Fever series so much I stopped by for a few paperbacks from Moning's Highlander series. But that's a review for another time.