Fevered

The Carnal Court #1

by Devyn Sinclair

I was left for dead and they saved me. Four gorgeous men who've vowed to keep me safe. Now their carnal magic is keeping me alive.

Kari was a rising ballet star until a blown-out knee ensures she’ll never dance again, and she’s forced to rely on something she never expected—magic. She might be more used to pirouettes than potions, but she's learning to love her new shop, her customers, and handsome New York cop Kent.

But using magic is dangerous. Kari is attacked and left to die—a curse devouring what’s left of her. Until three gorgeous Fae appear, swearing to keep her alive even as their touch leaves her breathless and wanting.

Kari’s best chance for survival is in the Fae realm, but she might not make it. Her only choice to keep the curse at bay is the carnal magic of her Fae saviors. It flows from physical pleasure—something Kari desperately wants and they’re more than willing to provide. Their touch washes away the pain, and Kari finds herself surrendering to the bond that’s pulling them closer together.

Brae, Verys, Aeric, and Kent won’t leave her side until she’s healed, but leaving the human world didn't mean leaving Kari's mysterious enemies behind. They swore to keep Kari safe, but will their touch be enough to save her, and will their strength be enough to protect her from the enemy who hunts her across realms?

Fevered is the first book in a steamy, medium-burn reverse harem fantasy romance series. No choosing, no cheating. Mature readers only!

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fae, Magic, Why Choose, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal

344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2019

About the author

Devyn Sinclair writes steamy Reverse Harem romances for your wildest fantasies. Every sexy story is packed with the right amount steam, fiery hot men, and delicious happy endings.

She lives in the wilds of Montana in a small red house with a crazy orange cat. When Devyn's not writing, she spends time outside in big sky country, continues her quest to find the best lemon pastry there is, drinks a lot of tea and buys too many books. (Of course!)

Reviews

[★Me Myshelf and I★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted a good old fashioned fantasy adventure and that's what I got.

Well okay not completely old fashioned but nearly all of this book was based in the Fae world. To cut a long story short, this was a race against time through the Fae world to save the protagonist life.
As the blurb says, Kari is left for dead and saved by 3 Fae with an instant connection to her and a need to save her life
Yes its Fated Mates.
No Academy
No Bullying



just 4 protective guys who want to save her.

This Fae world is a little more complicated than the usual seasoned or light/dark courts. There are kingdoms and courts for everything. Pleasure,pain, the moon...this list goes on. The journey takes us through a few of the worlds in Allwyn (what the Fae call their world) and they are wonderfully descriptive and original. The Fae who belong to the court get their magic from that thing. Our 3 guys are from The Carnal Court...you can guess where their magic comes from....
Sex Magic



or sorry pleasure to be exact. The word pleasure was so overused the word is now a bit pukey to me. 118 times according to my kindle that word is said.



The guys are all hunky and elfy and stuff but I had a hard time remembering who was who because of the weird Fae names. Kari was unconscious for most of this and it took to the end of the book for these guys to have a personality. So because I defiantly plan on picking up book 2 here's my own reminder of the guys
Kent- The human detective
Verys - The conflicted white elf
Aeric - The green one
Brae - The golden one

It feels like I've been in the same Academy lane for so long I was just happy to read something different. it was really well written and descriptive. It was chock full of pleasure but it didn't feel like too much, it was part of the story and necessary. Even if the word gives me the willies now.

[Klizbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not sexy

2.5 Stars

Listen, whoever thought the idea behind this book was sexy, they were wrong. Having sex with someone who is almost dead and in excruciating pain isn’t hot. The men had to literally fuck the FMC’s soul back into her body…. 😣☹️🙄

This entire book consisted of the characters traveling across the fae realm and having sex with the FMC so she doesn’t die. This wasn’t love sex or emotional sex, it was impersonal and sad sex.

Most of the pages in this book consisted of vivid descriptions of the fae realm, and the author did this very well. Maybe too well, I got bored reading about their surroundings. Not much character development was present in this book. None of the characters had much personality; everyone was just so bland and boring. There was no relationship development.

All in all, this book was dull and had entirely too much impersonal “healing sex”. I’m not planning on reading the next book.

Fae
Fantasy reverse harem
4 men in harem
5/5 for the amount of sex, but it wasn’t hot or steamy
FMC is human
No triggers
No MM

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars because I did stay up late to finish it. Kari is attacked and hit with a draining curse. Three fae save her and have to stop her from dying. For the fae their powers require different things depending on their court. Kari has been saved by the carnal court. Sex is magic.

For an introduction it was good. I liked how all the characters came together, although Kent’s attitude/jealousy at the beginning was annoying. The story itself is an ongoing life and death battle road trip.

Kari is a strong MC that is kind and tenacious. Although she spends the majority of the book unconscious, in pain or dying you get a feel for her and I liked her.

The story is told through multiple POVs, so doesn’t get boring and it’s interesting to see the guys’ thoughts as well as confirming ten as harem members. I liked all of them and Kent grew on me.

The sex is a necessity and there is a lot of it. It’s well written and what I did like was the level of consent. Even if Kari is on her deathbed she still needs to say yes or give them a sign.

I found the story had a strong resemblance to A demon’s horns.

- the necessary sex
- god/goddess destiny
- the bonds/mates
2 others but they count as spoilers.

I’m looking forward to seeing where this one goes next. Ends on a cliffhanger.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the fae world and its descriptions were interesting, and the intimate scenes were spicy, but honestly, the whole book could be summarized as

1. attempting to escape a fae that continued to try to kill the FMC Kari by draining all her magic for an unknown reason
2. racing against time to get Kari to a special fae healer to remove the curse before the evil fae killed her
3. Kari finding new mates left and right
4. Kari having sex with everyone to power magic to keep her alive

There wasn't really much character or relationship development other than deciding when to go further with their intimate actions. Everyone's background was incredibly shallow and barely explained anything. Kari's ballet background and magical powers basically had nothing to do with most of the book as she was incapacitated.

Looking at the reviews for the later books, it seems like the plot pacing doesn't improve, so I think I'm going to leave the series unfinished with the first book.

[Paula]

DNF @74%

It's me, I was bored.

[Iretsia]

Dnf 22% because the MC hasnt really been an active player in the story so far since she can't really stay awake or move. Not a fan.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kari is on her way to see her friends when she is attacked and left for dead. Never did she think she would be saved by three Fae men, or the man she has been flirting with for a year would join them on their journey to heal her.

Brae, Verys, and Aeric are not sure what drove them to find Kari but they know she is destined to be someone special in their life. Her friend Kent wont allow them to leave without him though and they can appreciate the protectiveness. As they make their way through Fae realm, the threat is still there weakening Kari but there is something that can help, their magic is stronger if it is used in a more intimate setting, will Kari be able to accept the men for who they are and what about Kent?

This was fun. I liked the idea of this and the mystery surrounding who was trying to kill Kari was definitely intriguing. Will be checking out the next book in this series.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly not that bad, there was a lot more plot than I was expecting. Ignoring the horrific cover it wasn’t that bad.

[Bethany Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy S**T! I just finished this and I'm still struggling to close my mouth at that ending! The men are incredible, I love their different personalities and their backstories that bleed through as the book progresses and just when you think you're on top of things and know where it's going BAM, curveball! So, so good! The spice in this book is amazing, Devyn really brought the heat! Damn woman! The story is extremely compelling and gripping that I just couldn't put the book down - I HAD to now what was going to happen to them! I love Kari's story so far and I'm so excited for book 2!!

[Taylor Loewe · Rating 4 out of 5]

hahaha not a typical cliffhanger but still

Spice: 3.5/5 - lots but it’s not very intensely detailed or it’d be a 4.

This book has a lot of great points, it’s addicting, it’s got great characters, a normal FMC that isn’t too overly BA that you get a complex about yourself nor so weak you are rolling your eyes. The non great points are: I wish for more world building, a little confusing about the FAE world so I’m just picturing what past books have led me to picture. I know there are several books in this series, so I’m sure more questions will be answered so I’ll hold judgement based on some of my other confusion about the conflict. NOW I NEED TO HOP ON TO BOOK 2 BECAUSE THAT CLIFFHANGER JUST KNOCKED ME OVER THE HEAD

[Myriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow, what a sensual book this was! More like sensual on steroids! And it is so beautifully written. The writing style, the author's voice, the flow, the perfect consistency in the plot and characters, yes, I absolutely loved it!
The story builds slowly, oh so painfully slowly, there is no rushing here, and this allows the reader to get completely immersed into this beautiful story and the amazing characters. I've read some negative reviews criticising inactivity of the main character, but what else is she supposed to do if she is paralised with pain and nearly dying? I find this kind of criticism superfluous because the main character becomes very active as soon as she is able. This is just a beautiful slow burn type of romance that focuses more on the inter character relationships.
In general, the author's descriptions are fantastic, full of details, colours, smells, emotions, everything. The way she describes the world of Allwyn makes me want to go there, and the way she describes Kari's shop in New York, I want to work there. The world is beautiful, albeit scary at times.
Kari is the main character, she is human, a potion maker, and due to her perilous condition, it takes a while before we meet her for real. Although initially she leaves an impression of being somewhat timid and not living her life to the fullest, the nearly dying experience chances her outlook on life. Then there is her painful past, which left her somewhat disappointed in life.
Kent is an interesting character, a human police officer dealing with the supernatural, and long time interested in Kari. But regardless of how mutual and long term the attraction was, neither one of them acted on it until the last minute. And then Brae, Aeric and Verys show up and change everything about Kari's and Kent's relationship dynamics. That was beautiful to watch. Yes, watch, I could see it playing out in my head, the author is that good.
There is so much more that I can't say, but this book was absolutely amazing, a must read and I have no clue why I haven't picked it up sooner. Warning for cliffhanger haters, this one is so epic and poetic, my jaw was on the floor, so be ware! I floved it and I am so glad I finally read this book because I loved it so much! I started book two immediately!
Books only make sense of read in order: Fevered (The Carnal Court, Book 1), Euphoria (The Carnal Court Book 2), and Shameless (The Carnal Court Book 3). Hopefully there will be more.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ⭐️ DNF at 93% I just couldn’t even finish it. I loved the premise of this one … the story had so much potential and the setup was super cool (a woman infected with something dangerous and a group trying to save her, all while navigating a new world for her). But I’ve gotta be honest… I completely lost it at the whole “the only way to temporarily heal her is to give her pleasure” thing. Like, she’s literally in pain and that’s the go-to solution? It just didn’t sit right with me, and kind of pulled me out of what could’ve been a really gripping story.

[Kay PM · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖤

Great story and I lived the twist at the end, very cool. Picking up book 2 to read straight away.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad if you adore instalove. It’s an epidemic here.

[Anne]

I thought I would really like this book because it is supposed to be more of a medium/fast burn. I just couldn’t get into it. You know nothing about any of the characters and, most for the time, the FMC doesn’t know what’s going on.

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

mehhh. It wasn't that bad.
It is my fault i over looked the series is called "The Carnal Court"
I almost DNF but just went through the whole thing.
I like the MC Kari and her guys.

But, for me it was just tooooo cheesy, and the fact for her to survive the guys need to have sex with her.hahahaha. again, it's my fault for overlooking the title of the series.
Plus, I prefer slow to medium burn type of RH books.
I love RH's. But, I haven't found any new RH book i loved since last June, so maybe I am just becoming tired of them?

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fabulous. It is an amazing story of an older man younger woman story. It is fast pace, well written and interesting – before you know it you are at the end wanting more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this reverse harem paranormal read. Kari is in trouble and rescued by three fae, Kent is a cop and always wanted Kari. Will he discover who is behind the attack? Fast-paced read with loads of drama and suspense. Lots of twists and turns, plenty of drama and steamy chemistry.

[BookFiend · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story was not for me. First, the magical system doesn't make much sense: Okay, so they explain that they can use their carnal magic to save her, and more carnal interactions are necessary to replenish their magic. However, they say that she can engage in self-pleasure to generate the magic. This part alone makes little sense - she doesn't have carnal magic. If we are to presume they can generate more magic from this type of interaction, that would make them more incubus-like, which would suggest they can pull magic from ANY type of sexual interaction. Why, then, could the two humans not engage in sexual activity to generate magic? How can she generate magic ALONE but not with a partner other than the fae? It gives a decidedly opportunistic light to their sexual interactions, and it makes it feel very uncomfortable. Moreover, later in the novel we find that they can "give" their magic to Kent, the human, so he can engage in the sexual activities. They knew that Kent and Kari had something between them; why did they wait so long to reveal that possibility? They are all about consent, but they give her only two options: have sex with them or die. They don't reveal until after they have had sexual relations with her that there is in fact a third option: have sex with the man you already know, have feelings for, and want. Again, it makes all of the interactions between them seem set up, sordid, and not genuinely consensual. So I'm not actually buying the heavy emphasis on consent throughout this book either. It feels more like gaslighting.

Then there are the actual sexual interactions themselves. Almost every sexual interaction in this novel is with a partner either unconscious or severely ill/wounded. Verys has been celibate for hundreds of years. He has acknowledged he will want to move past it but says he wasn't ready. However, he conveniently has to let go of that to save his own life. Again, the magical system just doesn't make sense. WHY does he have to be the one to have sex? Urien had a full-on orgy going in the temple to take that magic and use it to heal Kari (though he somehow still HAD to have sex with her to save her). Why couldn't Kari have had sex with the other men to generate the needed magic to save Verys? The whole thing is just so icky. And every sexual interaction is like that - Kari needs them to survive. Yeah, we get thought processes that she wants them, but it still doesn't make it sexy or fun to read.

Then there are just the other plot point issues that needed explanation for this story to make sense. WHY did they have to go to Urien specifically to save her? They passed court after court after court. They stopped and stayed in the Crystal Court who are their close allies. Not once was there a discussion of why other healers could not attempt to save Kari. Are we to believe that the Carnal Court is the only one with healing powers? If so, that was never stated, and it seems pretty hard to believe. So why couldn't they ask for healing anywhere along the way rather than travel for WEEKS with a near-death Kari? It again makes them seem stupid and opportunistic, because they know sex will be needed to save her in their own court.

Finally, I know others mentioned how descriptive this story is, and it somehow is but is also shallow at the same time. For example, they get to the Crystal Court, and she spends a lot of time talking about the colors and the facades of buildings, but then starts talking about the other stuff as just much more beautiful than anything seen in the human world, and that's it. It's a weird juxtaposition of level of detail. There's also little to no character development. We don't really get to know any of the characters because this is mainly Kari's POV but she's near-death most of the book, so her thought processes are rightly focused on her pain. I didn't feel like I got the opportunity to connect with any of these characters and come to like them.

I won't be continuing the series.

[Neera · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the world building was nice. I like the concept of different courts. The idea of Carnal was interesting. Having power through sex and healing through it as well is not something I’ve ever read before and I really enjoyed reading about it.

But there were things that gave me trouble wrapping my head around. While yes there was consent before any sexual healing, I feel like a bandaid was thrown on top of it. Like hey, she’s on the brink of death but let’s give her a surge of enough power that she’s lucid enough to give a verbal approval to act upon these actions even though she’s in extreme pain.

It made me uncomfortable.

But the spicy scenes were spicy!
Just. The reason for them was borderline questionable.

Then there was her constant making sure these men were actually interested in her for her.
M’am.
They’re your mates. But they don’t know anything about you aside from your name. And that you own a magic shop. Like it was just so vague and generic of an answer that she disclosed to them in some part of the book. It was barely talked about how she was a ballet dancer, although that’s understandable as there was trauma around how she had to stop. But that’s beside the point. The point is that they barely know her! It was all about attraction and protection.

And who were they protecting her from? They don’t even know. Everything was speculation. So much build up only to not have the end battle even be about the fae who caused her to be dying throughout the entireeee book.

Like that was all it was about. She’s dying the whole time and to keep it at bay, she had to keep having sex.

There’s originally 4 guys as is, right. 1 human, 3 Carnal Court fae. Suddenly there’s one more fae added towards the second half of the book and now there’s 5 guys.
AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ABOUT THE LAST EVIL FAE WHO SHE HAS INNER THOUGHTS ABOUT A NEW MATE BEING INTRODUCED BUT DOES. NOT. COMMUNICATE. ABOUT. IT. TO. THE. OTHERS.

Like holy moly the communication was misplaced throughout this whole book. All the focus was put on sexually healing her and not investigating the person who inflicted the curse on her in the first place. Oh. And let’s not forget her constantly needing to make sure the guys liked her for her and not her decaying body.

I don’t think I can handle reading more of the series of her having 6 mates, despite really liking the ideal of Carnal Courts. A lot could’ve been done with the universe. Unfortunately I don’t think the execution hit the mark.

[Merbabe Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should start out by saying that I am completely jealous of Kari. This girl goes from having no man in her life to having three fae and one human lover in a matter of hours! Where is my Carnal Court harem? Where can I find them? Are they exclusively with magic wielding humans and fae, or can a normal human female get in on this mate action?

As I hinted at, Fevered gets really HOT very quickly, which is to be expected when you need to orgasm in order to survive. Yup that’s right folks, in order for the magic that is keeping Kari alive to work she has to have some form of physical pleasure! Why you ask, because her mates are part of the Carnal Court and therefore wield Carnal magic. Jealous?- join the club!

I would’ve liked to have seen more of an emotional bond develop between Kari and her men throughout the entire book. However nearing the end we do see that side of the relationship start to become more evident and blossom. Personally I believe that the delay in emotions had a lot to do with another special someone not having been met yet, but I’m not going to dig into that since it may give away too much!

100% would recommend this book as I absolutely loved it! Heavy on the heat, smexy times, as well as action and adventure. Cannot wait to start book two!

[Harlie Bostelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kari is a human with magic living in New York when she is attacked by a dark magic wielding Fae. Three gorgeous Fae males come to her rescue, taking her to their realm to hopefully heal her from the curse placed upon her. These males are not just any Fae though, Brae, Verys and Aeric are members of the Carnal Court where pleasure and magic blend together. The trio, along with Kent, a human male who is close to Kari, vow to protect her as they journey back to their court in order to save Kari.

This book was downright delicious. A medium-burn reverse harem with Fae and humans, what more could I ask for? The story starts out a little slow (probably because of the medium-burn) but picks up quickly as the group journeys toward the Carnal Court. Devyn Sinclair created a fascinating new Fae realm that sucks you right in, along with a group of men that have no faults and you will fall in love with (total swoon worthy). I didn’t even mind the cliffhanger ending because it promises that the next book is going to be amazing and the story is going to progress in a way I never saw coming! I had to re-subscribe to Kindle Unlimited in order to download it right away!

[Miranda May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kari is a human who has just enough magic to be able to make potions. She opened her shop after her dance career ended abruptly. But then she’s attacked by a Fae who steals her life force, and the only reason she doesn’t die is three Fae men—Brae, Verys & Aeric—appear to save her. Her human crush Kent comes upon them and when they tell her that they must take her to the Fae realm, Allwyn, he demands that they bring him along. The three Fae feel drawn to her and they know that they can save her, if she just hold on long enough for them to make it to their court.

The three Fae are a part of the Carnal court, which is exactly what you think it is. They draw magic from sex. Yup, that’s right, Kari gets some sexual healing. Do not worry though, consent is given. Devyn’s world-building is awesome, the different Fae courts are so unlike any that I’ve read before. There are so many questions that I have about why the Fae targeted her—something that the characters would like to know as well. Not to mention that I think Kari might be more than we think she is. I’m going to jump right into the next book so that I can be caught up before the new book releases and I cannot wait.

[Tiffiny · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @94% lol late I know.

There was 1 singular, lucid, consensual smut scene. The rest was screwing life into the FMC, but don't worry, she "consented," ya know, bc "either we screw or you die" is good consent [insert eye roll here]. Then, right there at 94%, the celibate one gets grievously injured, and I already know what's going to happen. Either he will "consent," or he will freakin die. That's the theme for this whole book: screw or die but don't worry, you can "consent." It was very much ick vibes, honestly.

Otherwise, the writing was... fine? Like, a bit stilted and juvenile, but not horrible. There are some grammar and typos, but it's not the worst I've seen. So I guess that means the author isn't on my black list, but I'm not going to go rush to read anything else by them that's for sure.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the whole "reverse harem" genre only works for me if there's a reasonable number of partners (what is reasonable? I don't know. But it has to make sense in the story.). This fae/human reverse harem situation has a nOrMaL ballerina/witch(?) who has a flirtation with a human cop and then gets smacked with a curse that only carnal magic can keep at bay...and the number of carnal partners involved just keeps climbing. The initial three I could handle; adding more seemed exhausting.

Also includes "mates" which pretty much grosses me out since SJM decided to make Rhys and Feyre so annoying.

I did like the descriptions of most of the fae territory, but overall this wasn't my cup of tea.

[Devan Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable and very easy read. Kari is a human woman who holds a small amount of magic. She weaves potions. She is attacked and almost killed. Three fae men save her. Unfortunately, the attack lingers slowly draining her life force. The race against the clock begins.
I found the world unique and vibrant. The world building is there but could be a little more detailed. It is fun but lacked a little in the development. The author is very descriptive, and hopefully, this series gets better with each book. It is spicy but didn't hit me as hard as I had hoped. I am looking forward to finding out more about the Carnal court though.

[Kitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ I gobbled this book up! I love fantasy RH novels. The world building seems vast and I can’t wait to visit some of these places again when Kari isn’t running for her life. My only worry, she is gaining mates rapidly and I’m afraid by the end of the sixth book there are going to be way too many boys in this harem to get to know. For me 5 is about the right number, more than that and they don’t get enough “screen time.” So far, each personality is very different along with their powers. Sexy times are plenty but not incredibly detailed.

I’m jumping right into book 2. I’ve downloaded the whole series. I’m sure it will get binged on vacation next week.📖🍹

[Jess O. (From Jess to You) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 stars. I just finished reading an irresistibly steamy fantasy romance that took me on an incredible adventure! Even though I wasn't prepared to dive into the entire series, this book left me on a thrilling cliffhanger that has me eagerly considering reading the entire series. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspenseful and steamy romances. Check out my full review here: https://youtu.be/YhX7E8lCE5s

- Polyamorous Fantasy Spicy Romance -
🛍️ Jess' 2024 Reading Book List: https://amzn.to/48qZ1Qq

[Kayley Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book during a 2023 stuff your Kindle day and recently decided to dive in between a couple of other series that I was reading. Without expecting too much from it, I did enjoy the read. Not my first RH book, but I did find it interesting how Kari was collecting mates like Pokemon, lol. And one mate being a human amongst the other mates that are Fae was an interesting twist. by the end of the book she has ANOTHER mate making six total?! I don't know how she will keep up tbh.

I will probably read the other books in the Carnal Court series at some point because I am interested in how she's going to...ahem...schedule her time accordingly.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable start

New Author for me and she sucked me in from page 1, well done. Great story from a strong but wobbly FL, to the men who help her survive the Fae attacks, journeying through the Fae Kingdom to reach a healer who can help. Well written and attention grabbing, I look forward to following this story and darn it, I want to know why what little magic she had as a human was enough to make it worth stealing in the first place and the repeated attempts to remove it totally!