~REVIEW OF J.R Ward's LOVER AVENGED~

Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #7)
  Big Stars

"THE KING MUST DIE"
And with these four words so begins J.R Wards 7th instalment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I couldn't wait to read LOVER AVENGED and at 642 pages Ward does not disappoint. She has encompassed it all; Surprises galore, evolving storylines, several POV's, plot-twists, humour, action, romance and of course heartbreak.

I won't give away too much here, I'll just give you a brief rundown of all the goodies involved in this intricate story. First off, and this was important to me. All the brothers make an appearance and are all involved to some degree within the story. So yes, we get shots of V, Butch, Zsadist, Rhage, Phury, Tohrment and Wrath, Ah Wrath...

Although pegged as Rehvenge's book, LOVER AVENGED belongs equally to Wrath and his continuing story. And oh how sweet it is to be back with the King. We haven't seen much of him since DARK LOVER(Book 1) but his character takes up a significant number of pages here as Wrath goes rogue from his royal duties and ultimately has to pay the consequences. John Mathew and Xhex also get a fair amount of attention and in secondary roles we have Blay and Quinn, Tez, iAm, and Payne. We are also introduced to George, a new companion to the King. Lassiter is back as the hilarious fallen angel, sidekick of Tohrment and the battle continues with the Lessers. Speaking of the Lessoning Society, Lash is simply awesome as their evolving leader taking things to a whole new level of evil.

I've never really been a fan of Rehvenge (he kind of creeped me out) but I have to say my opinion of him has now changed. His and Ehlena's love story is well done and surprisingly sweet. Ehlena makes a worthy mate but alas their romance never takes center stage (much like Phury/Cormina in (LOVER ENSHRINED.) Ehlena is a nurse from the clinic who treats Rehv after he develops sepsis from repeatedly injecting the dopamine he must take to hide the fact that he's a sympath. It's an unlikely pairing that somehow works even though Rhevenge is still a major drug lord/pimp and has his hands full running the nightclub Zerosum and being a leahdyre on the council. We do get to see a whole new side of him however and gain a much greater insight into the world of sympaths. JR manages to weave all her POV's and storylines together for one nail biting and (literally explosive finale.

My one and only gripe would have to be that JR's brotherhood language has evolved. I don't mean the terms (but yes there are more of these as well) but the actual street lingo that the brothers use when speaking to each other. I occasionally found it hard to understand what they were talking about and had to re-read their dialogue several times before I could figure it out.

I can't imagine how you could ever start the series with this book, so please don't try. The BDB is so involved and complex with so many major characters, interweaving stories and POV's that you would be utterly lost plus you'd miss out on the other 6 great books in this fantastic series, but if you're a fan you won't be disappointed, true. The brotherhood undergoes some changes and there are major developments in all ongoing storylines but the hilarious banter we all love, the intensity and excitement are all still here. LOVER AVENGED made me laugh, made me cry and I didn't want it to end yet JR has done a great job in setting things up for the next book which is to be John Mathew's story ( LOVER MINE.)

Rhev rockin the fur

~WILTW (Van Damn edition)~

Here's what I loved this week...

• Well in all honesty there wasn't a whole lot to love this week. I live just outside of Vancouver and our hockey team losing to Boston was the least of the problems as I watched a riot rage downtown for 5+ hours afterwards. There just aren't any words. Still I've tried to find a few bright moments amidst the rubble. See ya next year Canucks, it was a great season!

Thanks Lou!

A police car is randomly decorated with love and thank you notes following Wednesday nights

riot

Thousands of messages are left from Vancouverites on the “Wall of Love” outside the boarded up broken windows of the Bay 



Mayor Gregor Robertson and Premier Christy Clark look at the memory wall



The "kissing couple"

....and not so much

We also lost Betty Fox this week. Which just makes me want to cry, what a special lady.

~REVIEW of Lorelei James' SADDLED AND SPURRED~

Saddled and Spurred (Blacktop Cowboys, #2)

 

Opening line: "You're firing me?"

Cattleman Bran Turner (Bran, really!?) is left shorthanded during calving season and since rural Wyoming and in particular the sleepy town of Muddy Gap doesn’t have an overabundance of qualified help he reluctantly hires Harper Masterson for the job. Now while this down on her luck, former beauty queen may not look the part of your typical ranch hand (the gem encrusted sunglasses and leopard print gloves are a dead giveaway) Harper proves to be a quick study and more then capable of gettin’ er done.

What starts out as a strictly a professional relationship of course builds into something more; Bran just can’t keep his eyes off Harpers curves and she in turn doesn’t mind getting down and dirty. He can’t believe that this gorgeous beauty queen would have anything to do with the likes of him and Harper well, she can’t believe what she’s been missing, who knew sex could be so good.

Besides there’s no harm done right? They’ve both agreed that this is only going to be a temporary affair, just until Bran’s injured help returns and Harpers younger sister Bailey graduates high school. A few weeks tops, then she’s outta this dusty little town, and never looking back, right?

If you’ve read any of Lorelei James’s other books (I highly recommend the Roughriders series) then you’ll know what to expect from this one. Erotic love scenes, emotion filled storylines, a couple of dustups at the local saloon and a whole town of unique characters and situations to keep you interested.

I have to be honest though, this book didn’t quite grab me like her Roughriders series always does and I was honestly surprised at how difficult a time I had getting into it. Neither of the main characters made much of an impression on me until later on in the book (which ended up being awesome) and I just never felt their supposed “spark”. And while the sex scenes where certainly steamy enough they seemed to lack any genuine emotion or even excitement of the usual level I’ve come to expect from James. It just seemed like our couple was going through the motions (sexy as they may be) and I had a hard time caring.

However like I said at around chapter 16 it all seemed to come together. With the ranch job ending, Harper is leaving, Bran’s not stopping her and nobody is talking about how they really feel. I also enjoyed the storyline involving her sister Bailey’s bombshell decision and *sigh, Bran’s last minute attempts at romance. For such a strong silent type he sure came out of his shell. Interesting events also open up for book #3 in the Blacktop Cowboys series; WRANGLED AND TANGLED.

~REVIEW of Suzanne Brockmann's FOREVER BLUE~

 

Forever Blue (Tall, Dark & Dangerous #2)

Opening Line: "Lieutenant Blue McCoy was the point man, leading the six other men of SEAL Team Ten's Alpha Squad across the marshlike ground."

Carter "Blue" McCoy is the 2nd of Brockmann's Navy Seals to have his story told in the Tall Dark and Dangerous series and I have to say I am loving these men. Feeling a little bit like dessert these well written romances are short, super addictive and each just different enough that the stories always feel fresh. With delicious alpha male heroes, fantastic dialogue and just the right amount of suspense, action and melodrama to keep you coming back for more (sometimes even before dinner) While each of these can be read as a stand alone as with all romantic series they seem to work best when read in order due to the continuing or evolving story arcs.

Blue McCoy has just returned to his hometown of South Carolina to attend his stepbrothers wedding. He hasn't been back to Hatboro Creek since he graduated and joined the Navy and in all honesty doesn't relish being back here now especially since his stepbrother Gerry is marrying his high school sweetheart, the fluffy, perfect Jenny Lee. It's a little awkward to say the least. However awkwardness soon becomes the least of Blue's problems as later that night at a pre-wedding party he and Gerry get into a heated argument and by morning his stepbrother is dead.

Of course Blue becomes the primary suspect due to their very public fight and because Gerry's neck has been broken in such a way that only someone skilled in hand to hand combat could have done it. Soon witnesses are coming out of the woodwork and the whole towns convinced Blue's guilty, everyone that is except for his old friend and rookie police officer Lucy Tait.

I really liked the heroine this time around, usually I find Brockmann's females kind of bland and unmemorable but Lucy had spirit and personality. She's had a crush on Blue since she was 15 and he rescued her from some bullies, never quite able to forget him she`s learned all she can about the SEALs program and is aware of how Blue lives his life and what it took him to get there, she also knows he's not a killer.

As a rookie Lucy's first big assignment comes when she's made chief investigative officer to Blue's case. And despite the hero worship she's suffering and the palpable sexual tension between them Lucy is determined to play by the book to prove Blues innocence and find the real killer. But what will she do when she finds out Blue is not the hero she thought he was? And as for Blue well he's never had a friend who was his lover before, who knew that was possible?

Unfortunately with this instalment there isn't much interaction with the rest of Alpha Team but it's still a great story, complete with several car chases and a police pat down that will make you blush. Once again Brockmann's dialogue draws you in, making the whole falling in love within days theme plausible. The love scenes are soft yet still erotic (just without the dirty words and more imagination needed) Here we even get some underwater action, and just wait till this SEAL chokes!

~REVIEW of Susan Sizemore's I BURN FOR YOU~

~SOME NEAT IDEAS BUT ALL IN ALL, JUST ANOTHER VAMPIRE ROMANCE~

I Burn for You (Primes, #1)

Opening Line: “He was growing hungry for the night”

I BURN FOR YOU was an okay read. I mean I won’t be rushing out for the rest of the series or anything but it did have its moments. It’s the first book from Susan Sizemore’s Prime series (which is also available in the omnibus (CRAVE THE NIGHT) Providing us with yet another take on Vampire romance. I have to say though that I enjoyed the world building here and for the most part, as a first-book-in-series it wasn’t overwhelmed with huge info dumps but explained gradually throughout.

Our hero is of course Vampalicious; dreamy, tortured and seriously alpha or “The Prime” as his chest beating manliness is explained as here. There are interesting secondary characters and some funny dialogue and I enjoyed the premonitions/dreams aspect from our heroine as well as the mind melding process our couple went through. The love scenes are steamy enough but nothing special, which was how I felt about the romance in general -nothing that I’ll remember for very long. My only true complaint (other then the blahness) was the abrupt ending, with several loose ends left hanging and a general feeling of what? That’s it? Still there’s way worse paranormal romance out there.

Alec Reynard is battling his inner demons and true vampire self. Undergoing secret medical treatments that allow him to go out in the daylight and live among humans. Alec keeps himself on a very tight leash and everything seems to be going according to plan until he feels the call of his “Bond Mate” She brings out the beast in Alex and suddenly his cocktail of drugs isn’t working so well anymore hence the recent sunburn and aggression issues he‘s been experiencing.

Domini Lancer works at her grandfather’s security company as a bodyguard. She’s experienced premonitions her entire life and has grown used to the occasional weird dream. Lately though these dreams have been taking on a life of their own, filled with erotic visions of sex, blood and a man she doesn’t know. And now that voice in her head is there even when she’s awake, compelling her to buy peaches and go places she’s not entirely comfortable with.

So while Domini doesn’t yet know what she is or the danger this places her in Alec as her soul mate and The Prime is driven to protect her. Taking a job at the old man’s company he’s soon teamed up with Domini on their latest security detail. (Hmm mind influence anyone) As the darkness seizes him there is nothing Alec won’t do to keep Domini safe… And claim her as his own.

~Last Movie I Watched -THE FIGHTER~

4.5 stars

So I watched another Oscar worthy performance this weekend in the Fighter, well several (Oscar worthy)actually but Christian Bale stood out in this movie, basically stealing every scene he was in.  How he manages to transform himself ffrom one movie role to the next is just amazing. Here he plays a skinny, twitchy, toothless crack addict with a Boston accent.  The movie itself was really good too, but then anyone that knows me knows that I have a bit of a thing for the boxing movies. Blame Rocky.

  

Bale transforms himself yet again

Official IMDB Synopsis:

The Fighter, is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer on the verge of being KO'd by drugs and crime.



Blame Rocky

~REVIEW of Stephanie Meyer's THE SHORT SECOND LIFE OF BREE TANNER~

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (Twilight, #3.5)

Opening Line: "The newspaper headline glared at me from a little vending machine: SEATTLE UNDER SEIGE--DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, I mean Bree's character only has a tiny part in Stephanie Meyers Twilight world so she and the rest of the newborns can’t really have much of a story to tell can they? Well as it turns out the answer is Yes. At 178 pages this novella manages to also give up some new revelations regarding Jane and the dark cloaks (Volturi) -jeez, that Jane is evil! And I absolutely loved seeing Carlisle, Jasper, Bella and “the red headed mind reader” from an outsider’s perspective.

There was more violence here then I would have expected from Meyer, as the newborns pillage Seattle and dispose of their drained food sources. I was also freaked out by a scene involving the armies seizure of a passenger ferry in the Puget Sound and the insuring carnage as the dine on their human buffet (I live on an island in the pacific northwest) We are also introduced to a couple of fantastic new characters; Diego as Bree’s love interest and in particular Freaky Fred, who I really hope to read about again someday. Because we all know the outcome there is a building level of suspense throughout the story. And as the inevitable Eclipse battle approached I found myself wishing for a different ending to Bree’s short second life as I'd come to genuinely care about her which I believe was Meyer's point.

Bree Tanner can barely remember a life before the relentless burning thirst took over. Now as a newborn Vampire this 15 year old runaway lives a precarious existence, trying not to draw attention to herself while her and her fellow newborns fight amongst themselves, killing each other as often as their prey. Her only other constants would be Riley, who as their leader the army follows submissively and without question and a horrifying creator known only as "her".

After 3 months Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego when the pair discover that they can in fact go out in the daylight without turning into a pile of ash (a stake through the heart is pretty useless too) They quickly begin to wonder what else Riley’s been lying about and question his agenda as a whole. However as their friendship blossoms Bree and Diego soon realize that they’re nothing but pawns in a war that has little to do with them. But when everything you know about yourself as a vampire is based on a lie how do you find out the truth, who do you trust and how do you get yourself free?

With such an insignificant character like Bree getting her story told I realized that the novella possibilities here are endless. Now if we could only convince Stephanie Meyer to finally finish Midnight Sun. *sigh*

"Don't watch" the redheaded mind reader whispered. I closed my eyes."

                

~REVIEW of Dan Maloney's SUNRISE ON KUSATSU HARBOUR~



.5

Opening line: “I have always loved my wife”
Wow, this was one of those short sneaky books that you devour in a day and then can’t stop thinking about. At about 130 pages SUNRISE ON KUSATSU HARBOUR has a huge story to tell and with about 200 more pages it would have made for an epic read. As it stands though it felt rushed and important events that I would love to have read about in greater detail were glazed over. However the narration style almost dictates this as it's the retelling of a story from a third person and the underlying message does still manage to shine thorough.

Sunrise is a frightening, tragic and haunting story of star crossed lovers. Encompassing love and hate, revenge and prejudice but most of all forgiveness. It’s a small book with a big message and a twist at the end that will really leave you wondering. I also think that this book would make for a fantastic movie, regardless I’m just glad I found it.

We begin with a man finding a video tape at a garage sale. Instead of the tape containing the movie he was expecting it instead shows the confession of an older Japanese man. And so our story begins with the writer of this tale telling us Meiko’s story via the video diary. Taking us back to Japan during the 2nd world war where we watch a young couple fall in love and make plans for a promising future together. One fateful day our hero Meiko is called to serve in the army, he pledges his undying love to his girlfriend Tori on Kusatsu beach, vowing to always be true to her and return and get married as soon as Japan wins the war. Meiko then leaves his peaceful village in Hiroshima to help create biological weapons for the war effort.

So, now that we know where they are, we all know what’s coming next and it was very interesting to see life from the other side of the war. On the day the US drops the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Tori is in Kusatsu harbour, missing her man. The blast knocks her from the beach and into the ocean saving her life. However everyone and everything else she has ever known is now gone. Deciding that she must try to find Meiko, Tori then travels many hundred miles to where he is stationed in Nagasaki only to learn that just the day before Meiko went AWOL and is now trying to find her back in Hiroshima.

That is when the 2nd bomb drops on Nagasaki, leaving Tori alive but horribly burned and disfigured. She is hospitalized for a long time. Meanwhile Meiko has of course not been able to find his true love and can only assume that she is dead. When the Emperor of Japan surrenders Meiko makes his plans for revenge, sailing out of Kusatsu harbour on a boat bound for America. Little does he know that the figure watching from Kusatsu beach is his Tori. As I said this a star crossed lover’s story and our couple cross paths many times before finally meeting again far away and under unusual and fateful circumstances. For such a short read this book is decades in it’s telling with Meiko paying a huge cost for his revenge. Not easily forgotten.

     

~REVIEW of Jo Davis' TRIAL BY FIRE~

~WELCOME TO THE MEN OF STATION 5~

 Trial by Fire (Firefighters of Station Five, #1)

 

Opening Line: "Lieutenant Howard Paxton gritted his teeth against the burn, every muscle straining as he pumped three hundred pounds of iron from his bare, sweaty chest."

Howard "six-pack' Paxton loves being a fireman, in his down time this confirmed bachelor lifts weights (to perfect the six-pack) rides his Harley and hangs out with the other members of station 5. Everything changes however the night A' shift responds to a house fire and Howard finds himself administering first aid to the curvaceous Katherine McKenna. She has literally fallen into his arms suffering from smoke inhalation and once she opens her eyes the sparks fly. This pair can't deny their attraction to each other and even though Howard has sworn off woman (because he's tired of being used for his body and wants more out a relationship than just sex) he's willing to make an exception for the beautiful, blonde schoolteacher. Just as their relationship starts to smoulder an arsonist makes himself known and tangles Howard up in his demented plans of vengeance. Now those closest to him are in danger of becoming the next potential victims as a ruthless string of fires roars closer and closer to home.

TRIAL BY FIRE was a surprisingly great read full of action and suspense, smoking hot love scenes and a complex yet tortured hero. The multi-layered plot kept me guessing throughout and the antagonist was genuinely evil. However the first few chapters are really silly and after having it pounded into my head every few pages just exactly how good looking, muscular, strong and enormous (6'6 240) Howard is and listening to internal dialogue with the words "Shazaaam and Ka-pow" I then had to wipe away the tears of laughter at having his man-bits described as among other things; a divining rod and renegade (there is also mention of Mt St Helen's) before resigning myself to just sitting back and enjoying a complete cheese-fest.

However it's at this point that author Jo Davis confused me by writing a great story with an actual plot. Somehow she's managed a perfect mixture of corny fun with thrilling action and heartbreaking post traumatic stress. It's also obvious that Davis has done her homework here and spent time within a fire hall and with real firefighters because her technical descriptions as well as those of life in the `house' and the feeling of brotherhood among the men are spot on. I also enjoyed the relationship between Kat and Howard and loved the fact that Kat embraced her curves and had no desire to be a size 2. Her struggle to get Howard to open up about his nightmares and abusive past without shutting down and pushing her away were well done and their relationship as a whole was believable.

My only real problem was with Howard's abrupt change in character whenever he got his freak on. Outside of the bedroom he never swears and is a giant teddy bear of a man however get him between the sheets, against a wall or in the hot tub and he turns into a sexual dominant with a nasty mouth. Thankfully we have also been introduced to the other hard-bodied men of station 5 and I can't wait to read their stories. UNDER FIRE, is next up in this scorching new series. Cheers.