~Review of JR Ward's LOVER REBORN~

Lover Reborn (Black Dagger Brotherhood,#10)

 

 Opening Line "The bastard 's taking the bridge! He's mine!"

*SPOILER FREE*

Wow, I honestly don’t know where to begin with this review. To say that this was good is an understatement. To say that it knocked me on my ass and left me a drained, emotional wreck, is far closer to the truth. Yup, LOVER REBORN did me in, talk about your gauntlet of emotions, I mean I expected some angst but jeez! I cried (I mean really cried) I laughed, I sighed, I swore, I groaned and I gasped but in the end I also smiled.

As much as I was anticipating this book it was also with a heavy dose of apprehension; was I ready to see Tohrment find love again? Was he ready? Were any of us really ready to let Wellsie go? And most importantly could Ward make me believe in this new love? The answer is a resounding yes, I think in part because it doesn’t happen quickly (or easily) Reborn has been broken into 4 sections (1 per season) so that this book takes place over the period of a year. And it was over that year and all the shit that goes down (and oh does the shit ever go down) that Ward made me believe.

Starting where Lover Unleashed left off and with her usual flair Ward throws us into “Spring” and right into the action and pain that is Tohr. Chasing down a group of Lessers, Tohr is now relentless in his pursuit of the enemy, basically only drawing breathe to “ahvenge” his murdered wife and son. Tonight’s hunt sees Tohr launching himself off a bridge as John and Qhuinn watch helplessly from below, John issuing a silent scream as Tohr falls. And so it begins. Through 572 pages Ward proceeds to give us everything we want and then some…

Without going into spoiler territory (which is going to be hard) I can tell you of course that this is Tohr and No’one’s story. These two have a long history together and are both equally broken so it makes sense for them to get together. Lassiter is helping to move them along on the love train (in his own way) and as it turns out with a sense of urgency. John and Xhex also play key roles in their story, giving us some absolutely filthy-hot love scenes as well as showing us a marriage in transition.

Xcor and his Band Of Bastards are back and gaining strength in Caldwell. They do things here that… can never be forgiven. Sending one Brother on a mission under a decree of death. New and mysterious characters are introduced (Assail) while others are fleshed out (Throe and Zyphor.) We’re still all mixed up in the whole hot-mess that is Layla/Qhinn/Blay/Saxton; however that’s all about to change:) The Blind King still kicks ass, Ward throws a “needing” (or two) our way and gives us details of a ceremony that absolutely broke my heart. We also bare witness to a battle that gave me heart palpitations for all of its 60 pages and left some Brothers with life threatening injuries.

 Somehow through all this Ward also manages to give us time with each and every member of the Brotherhood mansion. We get to see everyone doing their thing, giving us some special moment with each of them and that in itself says something because there are so many characters now. There also aren’t any “lesser” POV’s to suffer through; we don’t travel back to the old country or to the other side to hang with the chosen (verily.) And I have to compliment Ward on toning down the product placement and Wardisms. This book just flowed beautifully.

In fact I would have to say that Ward has hit her pinnacle with Lover Reborn. The balance here is just right; the romance, the action, the surprises and the healing. I honestly never knew where this was going to go and when that happens you’re guaranteed a great ride.

And now for the good news Blay and Qhuinn have been officially announced as book #11! That’s right the wait is over. It looks like Ward has worked a miracle with her publisher because their story was originally to be a novella and now they’re getting their very own Hardcover instalment. Way to go boys. See you Spring 2013.

"Thats right, buddy. Our future has come."

~REVIEW of J.R Ward's ENVY~

~THE BEST OF THE SERIES~

Envy (The Fallen Angels, #3) 

Opening Line: "It was in the spring,on a dark April evening, when Detective Thomas DelVecchio Jr. learned that nigthmares could in fact make the  jump out of the mind and into real life."

As others have mentioned this is the best yet from Ward’s Fallen Angels series. She seems to have gotten the mix just right here and I found myself completely caught up in the story, it’s romance and all the many sub characters and their ongoing battles. I suppose introducing the hero in the last BDB book didn’t hurt matters, as from the get-go I was wondering how a Vampire attack and Veck’s subsequent “memory loss” was going to be explained. However the two series feel very different to me now, and even though I can still sense the BDB world in the background, its no longer a distraction. (I do become a squealing fan girl when I find those cameos though) Speeding black Escalade in the rain or old landlord in a butlers uniform anyone.

  

I would describe this as a romance wrapped in urban fantasy. The mix works though, along with Ward’s usual hilarious male banter, excessive product placement, seriously hot love scenes and a few major surprises -which we should see the trickle down effect from for several books to come. I also feel that she finally got the romance right here; I enjoyed Veck and Reilly and found myself rooting for their HEA.

Through some unique world building we also get a much closer look at arch angels Nigel and Colin (who are growing on me) and of course our sexy saviour Jim and his badass fallen angel sidekicks Adrian and Eddie… (Sigh)

Lastly I have to mention Devina. She is just awesome, probably Ward’s best female character to date and a superb villain. Yes she is evil but she is also so much more, what with her therapy sessions, hoarding issues, insecurities and school girl crush on Jim -which let me tell you he uses to his full advantage. Alls fair in love and war bitch.

As with all of Ward’s books there are many characters fighting for POV time; popping us back and forth between hero and heroine, into heaven and hell and the minds of angels, demons and anyone else caught in the crossfire of battle #3. I can honestly say though that I didn’t ever want to skip any of their sections (Lessers) as each POV was an integral part of the story and more than held my interest.

Yes, the WARDen got it right with ENVY and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Homicide detective Thomas “Veck” Delvecchio is convinced he’s just killed a man. Haunted by the legacy of his serial killer father and followed by a dark shadow, it was really only a matter of time until he gave in to the dark side. The problem is he doesn’t remember the attack and the evidence says he’s innocent. Sent to monitor Veck is internal affairs officer Sophia Reilly whose interest in Veck grows increasingly personal as they share pizza and a mutual admiration for Victoria’s Secret.

-Veck



Entwined in their budding romance is Jim Heron, now facing the 3rd round in the ultimate end game of good VS evil. He and his two back up angels have been given the task of battling against the devil for Veck’s very soul.

Bringing our group together is Reilly and Veck’s investigation of missing person Sissy Barton. She is of course being held by Devina (CRAVE) Jim is determined to find her body and retrieve her soul from hell whatever the consequences which gives him more reason then ever to shadow Veck, who’s own internal struggle is just beginning. Honestly I could go on and on about the plot. So much happens and I‘m not doing it justice here so I will stop. It is intricate, shocking, suspenseful, exciting, sexy and just well played. Cheers

~TONS of *Spoilers* from Ward's Sept 10 book signing in Cincinnati -ENVY & LOVER REBORN~

Okay. I got stole details from several sources regarding Ward's latest book signing and Q&A  in Cincinnati on Sept 10. MAJOR SPOILERS ahead and a *Language warning* as Ward has been know to let the "occasional" F-Bomb fly!

-Did Devina cheat with Eddie? She did not cheat this time.

-Is there a return of Eddie? Hope so, yes.

-Do you have authors or other inspiration for writing? Wrath was the first word out of her mouth. Then said no other authors inspire her. She is a writer and must write each and every day.

-What will Mary & Rhage’s child be? A girl. Can’t you just see when she starts dating and Daddy’s dragon tries to eat her dates.

-How many BDB books will you write? Will write as many books as her readers will continue to buy.

There will be an awesome new male introduced in Lover Reborn named “Asail”

-Muhrder will get his own book

-She has written Mary & Rhage’s novella, but still needs to write Beth & Wrath’s. Can’t finish until she finishes Tohr’s book. No date yet for the novellas to be published.

-Is Wrath white or African American? 1st he isn’t a human, nor is he or any of the brothers pasty-ass white boys. They are tanned skinned, so not white or black

-Will Butch & V ever be together? Who says they haven’t already been together and we don’t know about it (she even laughed and said this will show up on the internet)

-She said it needs to be next after Tohr’s book. 2 things have to happen in Tohr’s book to set it up – Team Qhuay won’t be happy with one of the things that happens. Both must happen for their book to be ready.

-Will we see more cross-over between BDB/Angel series? They will be in Caldwell from now on, so very possible to see cameos from each series.

What is dog? Answer to dog is in dog.

-Zsadist is her favorite character (Mine too)

-Will Jim get a happy ending? Yes he will.

-Score is tied 1-1 after Crave. How did Jim lose? He tried to help the wrong guy.

-When will Nalla find out about Zsadist’s history and what will be her reaction? She will read about it. This will throw Z back into the world of the Mistress again. Will always worry about how Nalla sees him now. Also how any male she would mate with would see him. Never gave a total answer about Nalla’s reaction, but seemed like it wouldn’t be good.

-Will Trez & iAm get their own books? Also asked about future threesomes. Yes they will get books. We have not met iAm’s mate yet. Would not comment on future threesomes. We will see more of Trez & iAm in future books.

-Tohr’s new mate is No’ One. Very long book and will be broken up into 4 sections – Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Tohr is not ready for a new mate yet, so takes some time for him to be ready for a new mate. ***Will need lots of Kleenex for this book***

-Lassiter will be seen a lot in Tohr’s book.

-Payne & Manny’s book and Tohr’s book were happening at the same time. There was much overlapping in action that occurred, so Payne & Manny’s book focused mostly on them. Tohr’s book will have more focus on the brothers. Will see more of the brothers together in Tohr’s book. Tohr is the last original brother.

-How did you pick a dragon for Rhage? When she first saw Rhage he took off his shirt & she saw the dragon tattoo moving on his back.

-Devina & Adrian thing – She is a parasite and she is in Adrian. Must keep reading to find out if she get Adrian.

-Will Layla ever have sex? (she actually dropped the microphone with this question) Yes and you won’t like who it is with

-Who is next for Fallen Angel series? You will know at the end of Envy.

-Will we see more of Scribe Virgin? Lash? We will see more of the Scribe Virgin. She hates Lash with a passion and he is such a shit. Answer to Lash was at the end of Lover Mine.

-What would it take to have the BDB to move to movie/mini-series (HBO)? Has to be the right situation. Her concern and focus will always be the books.

-What will happen with Sissy? Jim will save her.

-Brothers will start training again. Must have families return to Caldwell first.

-Will we see more of the Sympaths in the future? Most likely will help with battle between Wrath & Xcore & his band of bastards.

-Wrath will never get his eyesight back.

-Lassiter & the Brothers hate each other. Lassiter is a dick. However, we will see another side of Lassiter in Tohr’s book.

-How did she pick Brother’s music? JR listens to rap & hip/hop.

-Was questioned about Jane forgiving V so quickly in Lover Unleashed. Jane knew who/what V was when she decided to be with him. In fact, she was pretty defensive of Jane’s choice. Jane knew V was a Dom and had to accept him for who he is from the very beginning.

-What is her favorite book? One she is currently writing.

-Will we see Qhuinn’s brother again? Yes and she said the line “might be a Lessor” a couple of times.

-No’One’s name will be revealed in Tohr’s book.

-Asked if No’One is Throe’s sister? No answer given, but seemed like a yes based on body language.

-What about the Omega? He has been very quiet in the books, but not quiet for what is going on.

-Tohr’s book will be at least 700 pages. She is about half way through it now.

-Question about Qhuinn’s piercings. He took them out while he is working to redefine himself. Some piercings have not been taken out. Others will return once he leaves his unhappy place

-Would we ever get a prequel for Darius? Most likely no since there is no happy ending.

-Does Layla losing her virginity have anything to do with Qhuinn’s vision? Big no answer, but again I will guess yes based on body language.

~Some more tidbits from another source although most are repetitions.~
 

1. Is Wrath white or Black? Hello he is a vampire!!! he ain't no pasty ass white boy. He is tan skinned.

2. ENVY SPOILER!!!! Eddie didn't go because Devina cheated this book. She "hopes" he can return. She likes him alot.

3. Rhage and Mary are having....? a girl. Can you imagine coming to meet her dad? hi this is my dad and so is this!!! ROAR!!!

4. Will Murhder get a book? ABSOLUTELY!!

5. Will Butch and V every "get together"? She smiled and said "who says they haven't???

6. Will the BDB and FA merge? She said not totally but you will continue to see the beothers in the angels. FA is suspence where BDB is an epic story.

7. What is dog? She said a small fury animal that likes kibble. Then said thats all I can say on that subject.

8. Does Jim get a HEA? YES!!!!

9. Does Jim save Sissy? YES!!!

10. Who is the next book? She said she was drawing a heart and wrote a Q and B. She said " i think its their time guys". We all cheer and she said " WAIT!! I didnt say it was them but it is time. If everything happens in Lover Reborn that should happen it will be them but LR is gonna PISS PEOPLE OFF!! be warned!!!

11. Does JM have issues with Murhder coming back? Wouldn't you? He is gonna be much happier with him getting it on with someone else!!! However it will depend on how Murhder "comes in" and then she laughed at herself.

12. Do the shadow brothers get a book? Yes!! Then the girl asked if they would have a threesome and JR flipped. She said EEWWWW...they are brothers!

13. Tohr's mate is....? No'One. Very complex romance and get your tissued ready. His story will be told in 4 seasons.

14. Another insider book? Yes but not for a few more books.

15. What about Lassiter? he will be in the next book TONS!!

16. Fav quote from Lover Reborn so far? Tohr talking about Rhage "He is slapping his money maker like bread do.

17. Will Layla FINALLY have sex? she laughs and tells the "coming story" from Saratoga. Then says yes but we won't be happy with who it is and how it happens.

18. Have we seen the last of Lash? YES. He is a shit. I hate him.

19. What about the Scribe Virgin? She needs a large dose of prozac.

20. Will the Darius/JM secret be told? NO. NEVER! Cant be told. Xhex knows something is there but can't tell what. He will still have seizures.

21. A movie? She has no control if there is a movie made. She only has control out of the books. However, she said where will they find men with "attributes" of the brothers???? You gonna stick a bicycle pump up their ass to blow them up? Casting would be difficult and she doesnt want her readers upset

22. What about Sissy? She jumps up and down and says I wanna tell!! Then she said YES he saves her. Then she sings "lets get it on"!!!

23. Does the training return at the compound? Yes but first people need to return to Caldwell.

24.What is going to stop the Bastards? She said 1 of 2 things....humans find them OR the brothers join with with the sympaths!!!!! That would chill them the fuck out!! Then she proceeds to say how Xcor needs plasctic surgery to get with her. She would need a paper bag over his face or turn the lights WAAAAAAAAAAYYYY down.

25. Will Wrath see again? No

26. Why do the Brothers hate Lassiter? He is a jackass!! He is an ass. He is a dick. He is an angel w/o compassion. She said he was sent back to help TOhr regain compassion but also to help him find some.

27. The music she selects, where does it come from? She said ME! I am not the typical rap/hip hop listener but I love it. I like Eminem, Tupac, Akon, etc.

28. Who is your fav female? She is alot like Marissa but feels closest to Beth.

29. Will we see Qhuinn's brother again? Very interesting place is where he is being held. She wonders if he is a lesser now........

30. Does No'One have a name? YES

31. Is No'One Throe's sister? She smiles amd said I am sorry the English language has escaped me!!!!!

32. Why has the Omega been quiet in the last book? She said he was quiet in the books but not in activity.

33. Longest book so far? She said Revh is swinging his dick in pride that his is the longest. The she says "the more I play with Tohr the longer he gets" which cracked herself up.

34. Will Qhuinn get his piercings back or is he done with them? She said he is still trying to find himself because he isn't comfy in his skin unlike Blay with being gay. She said when he finds himself they will return however she pointed out not ALL his piercings are gone!!!

35. A preq for Darius? No because she can't do a happy ending.

36. Does Layla lose her virginity to Qhuinn? She smiles and won't answer the question. She then said that Qhuinn doesn't understand why relationships with females never satisfied him.

37. How is your relationship with V? It is better after Unleashed but he is a smart ass stubborn SOB so she will always want to strangle him. When someone mentioned how he treated Jane in Unleashed she defended him and said Jane KNEW what she was mated to so she either had to forgive him or move the fuck on!!

38. Fav book? The book I am working on now cuz I know it isnt fucked up yet!!!

~REVIEW of J.R Ward's COVET~

 ~A PROMISING START ON THE OTHER SIDE OF CALDWELL N.Y~

Covet (The Fallen Angels, #1)

Opening Line: "She wants you."

I'm sure most people picking up Covet are fans of JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood and my advice to you would be (as hard as it is) to forget about the Brothers (just for a moment) and enjoy this story for what it is. Ward has created a whole new mythology here, that of Angels, Demons and the occult and given us some fantastic new characters to play in it. Her unique writing style makes this story feel familiar from the get go and I loved revisiting the places I've come to know in Caldwell N.Y. through the Brotherhood. Seeing the city in the daylight was especially fun and I revelled in the familiarity of these new yummy characters with their loud music, unique slang and multiple f-bombed banter. Yes, it's good to be back with the WARDen again.

I found writing a synopsis really difficult here without giving too much away so I'll just set the story in motion. Jim Heron, as one of the main characters is no Angel *wink, wink* He's lived his life on both sides of the law and that's what makes him the perfect impartial choice for the angels and demons ultimate end game. Jim has been chosen as the deal breaker in a game of good vs. evil and given the task of saving the souls of seven people from one of seven deadly sins, If he fails so does all of humanity, so it isn't really an option.

The first soul Jim is sent to redeem is that of Vin diPietro, a wealthy and powerful yet dissatisfied business man. He's also Jim's boss. Through circumstances Jim finds himself at the nightclub The Iron Mask (previously ZeroSum) with Vin and his beautiful but mysterious fiancé. This situation is awkward in a host of different ways (no spoilers here) but it allows us to see Trez again and for Vin to see Marie-Therese across a crowded dance floor and not be able to look away. We of course get into Marie-Therese's head and learn the whys and how's of her life as a prostitute (this is not a spoiler, she was in Lover Avenged) And her story is very interesting. We then enter a love triangle of sorts and a serial killer sets his sights on Marie-Therese. Meanwhile Jim adopts a dog and tries to save the world while Vin faces a horrifying ancient evil.

So, these are the four main characters involved in Covet and they all go through some major personality changes during the course of this story. There are also several secondary characters, some of which have been well fleshed out but others like Jim's two Fallen Angel mentors have unfortunately been left a little vague.

This gets 4.5 stars from me and I would recommend it. I become invested in the characters and couldn't put it down, I laughed, I shook my head, shrieked and sighed. The love scenes are amazing and I liked Jim as the hero and his little dog too. Vin and Marie-Therese's evolving romance is captivating and sexy, although those of you looking for a typical romance novel may be somewhat disappointed. I didn't feel as though I'd learned enough (or gotten enough) of the Fallen Angels but the antagonists were well done and even a little scary (albeit they didn't smell like baby powder.) The last 100 pages of Covet are heart pounding and in the end Ward left me wanting more. Do yourself a favour though and don't search for the cameo appearances from the Brothers while you read this, just enjoy the story. They are there but be warned they're very brief. (I will however admit to screaming like a little girl when I found them.)

~REVIEW of J.R Ward's: CRAVE~



~BETTER THEN COVET BUT STILL NO BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD~


Crave (The Fallen Angels, #2)

Opening Line: "Hey! Wait a -- Save that shit for the ring!"

CRAVE is book #2 in the anticipated Fallen Angels series and while this still aint no Black Dagger Brotherhood with this instalment the WARDen seems to have at least found her groove, and I feel way more invested in the series as a whole now then I did after reading COVET although I’m still not in love with it (does that make sense?)

Continuing 4 days after the end of COVET, Fallen Angel Jim Heron finds himself in familiar territory as the soul he has to save this time around is that of AWOL Black Ops soldier Isaac Roth. The back story here is extensive as Jim and Isaac share a history together, both having served under the treacherous leadership of Matthias. When we begin Isaac is making some quick cash as an underground cage fighter. After the ring gets busted Isaac lands in jail where we meet his beautiful, court appointed defence attorney Grier Childe.

Despite their differences (or maybe because of) the sparks fly with Grier going so far as to post his bail using her own money. With Isaac now free he plans on disappearing and fast the only problem is he owes Grier and can’t seem to get her out of his head even though he knows all he could possibly bring her is trouble. When Jim and his fallen sidekicks make contact Jim realizes that its not just Devina stealing his soul that puts Isaac in danger but their former commander Matthias has put a death sentence on his head, because the only way you can leave their covert little organization is in a body bag.

The story moves along fast but smoothly and with a whole lot happening in the mere three day span of the book. So even though our romantic couple isn’t given a whole lot of time to fall in love (or enough romance period) they still managed to capture my attention and even gave me a couple of *sigh* moments. I really enjoyed Isaac and Grier, who (despite the amount of omelettes getting eaten) have great chemistry together and the love scenes are erotic and heart wrenching, which lets be honest is a Ward standard.

Also as per usual with Ward there are numerous characters vying for POV time and as always she handles this seamlessly. Popping us back and forth between the hero and heroine and into heaven and hell in the minds of angels, demons and anyone else caught in the crossfire of battle #2 this time around. All the returning characters get fleshed out (some even get wings) so you learn more about Jim Heron as well as his intriguing but still somewhat vague angel sidekicks Adrian and Eddie. Even dog makes an appearance. We also get into Devina’s warped and evil head and she’s proved to be surprisingly interesting.

Of course this book is full of F-bombs and Wards own unique brand of slang which I usually enjoy. However this time there are just so many “Wardisms” that I found myself getting side tracked trying to figure out exactly what she was trying to say in her riddlesque product placement kind of way.

"A gust of wind went Nike across the landscape" This is fun a few times then it just gets dhistracting.

Crave is definitely darker then Covet with some scenes that are downright disturbing and I will tell you (because I drove myself crazy looking) that there aren’t any Brother sightings this time around except for the mention of 'sKillerz' but I’ll let you figure that one out on your own.

For me Crave effectively advances the series as a whole, tying everything together so that I could see the big picture. So that even though each book will deal with a different battle of good and evil it’s really the end game that counts and the ending this time around is …surprising

~ENVY revelations~

                                                      (The Fallen Angels #3)

Really!? Wow, How did I not know earlier that the hero of this book is going to be Thomas “Veck” DelVecchio, Jr from J.R Ward's LOVER UNLEASHED.

Gah, how awesome is this? I love the BDB crossover.

This must mean that we'll also get to see his partner from UNLEASHED...Jose del la Cruz, yippee.  Now that just opens up endless possibilities; Butch sightings, Lessers, The Band of Bastards (Throe) and the subsequent headaches leftover from his scrubbing of Veck.

The year long wait for Tohr's book just got a little easier! You rock WARDen.

*Confirmation was given at Ward's latest signing (thanks Mahlet) that Throe from the Band Of Bastards will indeed play a role in ENVY -"has a meaningful moment in it" and that we will see more crossover between the two series in general.*

THE BACK BLURB:

"As the son of a serial killer, homicide detective Thomas “Veck” DelVecchio, Jr., grew up in the shadow of evil. Now, on the knife-edge between civic duty and blind retribution, he atones for the sins of his father—while fighting his inner demons. Assigned to monitor Veck is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly, whose interest in him is both professional and arousingly personal. And Veck and Sophia have another link: Jim Heron, a mysterious stranger with too many answers...to questions that are deadly. When Veck and Sophia are drawn into the ultimate battle between good and evil, their fallen angel savior is the only thing that stands between them and eternal damnation."

Paperback, 480 pages

Expected publication: September 6th 2011 by Signet