The Shadows by J.R. Ward

This is a big book. Honestly, it was a little intimidating at first, but like any other Black Dagger Brotherhood book, it's easy to read. In the last few books, this series disappointed me a little bit, but it has redeemed itself in my view with The Shadows. There's a lot of point of views in this book, which makes it a little hard to follow at times, but each point of view is interesting enough. The continuation of many story lines and the introduction of new characters keeps things intriguing and fresh.

I knew this book would be mostly about Trez and Selena but I didn't realize that iAm would also play a major part. Trez has bonded with the Chosen Selena but Trez feels like he's not at all worthy of her. He feels like he has tainted his body by sleeping around with an infinite amount of women. Selena knows she has little time left to spend with Trez. With the deadly disease she has, she might only have days left. Whether those days should include Trez or not, is an easy decision for Selena but convincing Trez might be a little more difficult. However, life isn't that simple for Trez because he has been engaged since birth to the Princess of his Tribe. As a Shadow, a superior race of vampires, everything is predestined by star charts and all sorts of craziness. And his predestined future has always been to mate with the Princess in order to continue the royal bloodline. For such a "superior" race, they're kind of stuck with primitive ideas, if you ask me.

After the failed mutiny that attempted to overthrow Wrath from his royal throne, he now rules his people as the elected leader. He has decided to take on a more active role by meeting with his people and hearing their troubles. Abalone, a respected member of the vampire society is more or less in charge of his political office, organizing meetings and keeping track of everything. Great news for the vampire society is the Brotherhood opening its doors once more to new trainees. However, now they're not only accepting glymera males, but also commoners and females. At least some vampires are willing to move into the 21st century with forward thinking and new ideals. I think it's great that Abablone's daughter, Paradise, is thinking of auditioning to train with the Brotherhood. As one of the last females of good breeding and of mating age, this is obviously taboo, but it's great to see more females willing to kick ass. This is definitely one storyline I want to continue reading!

One point of view I'm not crazy about is Assail's. The drug dealer/drug addict story is getting old. It feels like his story has been dragging on in the last few books and I just want it over with. I like his story when Sola, the human woman he's attracted to, is present, otherwise I don't care for his drug dealing life. And his involvement with the lessers? I hate that even more.

Compared to the last couple of books, it seems like there wasn't as much slang and product placement. I hate when there's too much of it. I'm all for pop culture references but when J.R. Ward trying too hard to makes her characters sound and look cool, it's a complete fail. I'm just glad she didn't try too hard in this book.

Like so many paranormal romance books, many things in this book were predictable but The Shadows also kept me on my toes. So many great things happen in this book, even though others were not so great. I have mixed feeling about the ending but I guess many J.R. Ward books end like this. Ward knows fatalistic romance and brotherly love and it definitely shows in this most recent book. Although not as great as the first books of the series, The Shadows is decent addition to the series.

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Posted by Tynga at 03:25

 Black Dagger Brotherhood, brotherhood, J.R. Ward, Library, NAL, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Review, vampires  1 Person left their mark

The King by J.R. Ward

I really love this series. Even though I have my issues with the writing and some of the stories, J.R. Ward always has me coming back for more. You're always guaranteed a 500+ page book so you definitely get your money's worth when it comes to the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I admit, some of it can be simple filler and there's a good amount of gangster talk, but I've simply learnt to overlook these things and simply enjoy the ride. Although, we didn't need that many Miley Cyrus references in this book. I'm not a fan of Miley Cyrus but I still don't understand J.R. Ward's problem with the twerking celebrity.

My only major dislike with this book is the amount of point of views. I didn't officially count them all but in my opinion, when you have more than ten point of views, it feels a little bit overwhelming. Mind you, many POVs revolved around the same story lines, but all the same, when there's a switch in POVs every chapter, it's really difficult to get into the book. It made the book feel like a bunch of short stories or novellas all mixed up and crammed together. With that many story lines, it also reduced the amount of fighting and Black Dagger Brotherhood action. Brotherhood interactions were also missing in this book since a lot of the story lines were centered around couples or characters that are not part of the Brotherhood.

For a book that I really enjoyed, this review has been pretty negative so far! On to the good stuff. One of the greatest things about this book is revisiting Beth and Wrath. The couple that started the whole series are ever present in all the BDB books but it was still nice to read more about them. It goes to show that stories don't always end up with a happily ever after and that book couples do fight after their "ending". I liked how Beth and Wrath fought about realistic problems that readers could possibly associate with. Although their circumstances may be a little different, since Wrath is the blind king of vampires, but all the same, I thought it was a great idea to bring them back. However, we still don't know why Wrath is blind, and as an Optometrist, I'm ever curious about his condition. (Unless it was mentioned and I totally missed something?) I just wished the book was centered more around them, since the book is title The King. On another note, I loved reading about Wrath's parents because not only do we get some historical background, we also see how the glymera, the vampire aristocracy, was never fond of Wrath or his father. Tension between the royal family and the glymera is ever present and for the past few books, we've been expecting something big to happen.

For some reason, I really enjoyed Assail and Sola's story line. Although I didn't care much for Assail in the previous books and I really thought he was a bad guy, he did do some pretty heroic stuff in this book (if you ignore the death that followed his wake). His old fashion attitude combined with his drug dealing business makes for a pretty interesting and original character. But what sealed it for me was his interactions with Sola's grandmother. One way to a girl's heart is to woo her only living relative whom she adores. Assail and Sola's relationship is pretty strange, but like all J.R. Ward couples, it's heavy and intense.

I won't discuss any other point of views except mention Trez and iAm. These Shadows, a different "tribe" of vampires, if you will, are well set up for their own book, which releases at the end of March 2015. I'm not overly excited about their book because I still don't understand where they're coming from. When Territory and the s’Hsibe are mentioned, there's still a lot of mystery and I don't know what to make of it. Hopefully their story will grow on me and we'll finally get to learn more about their origins.

Most fans of the series will enjoy The King if they can overlook the ridiculous amount of point of views. The book did have some flaws that I was able to overlook so some fans may not be crazy about The King, but then, if you've gotten this far in the series, you can turn around now. I loved revisiting old characters and the story development of newer ones. For future books, I say bring back more Brotherhood butt-kicking action. I need more!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:48

 Black Dagger Brotherhood, J.R. Ward, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Purchased, Review, Romance, Signet, Vampire  Leave your mark

Lover at Last by J.R. Ward

As much as I was disappointed with the previous book of this series, I really loved this one. Personally, I think J.R. Ward has redeemed herself and brought this series back to glory. I love these vampires and their culture and I just can't get enough. I would definitely recommend this series, but the books really need to be read in order. I mean it as a compliment when I say Lover at Last is a hot mess.

I'm slowly catching up with this series, and I didn't know how to approach this particular book because it's the one featuring Qhuinn and Blay. I've really been looking forward to it, but at the same time I didn't want to be disappointed. Same sex relationships are hot in erotic fiction right now and it has, to a certain point, made its way into mainstream fiction. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all homophobic, but it kind of surprised me that the author would lead these two characters in this direction. Actually, I'm kind of surprise how much I loved reading about them. J.R. Ward achieved what she wanted to do, which is feature two hot and ripped vampire males in a romantic relationship as the main story line, and not just an afterthought story. Kudos to J.R. Ward and her publisher for breaking barriers and including this relationship in a New York Times bestselling series.

Qhuinn and Blay's story isn't a simple one and it's full of misunderstandings and fights. For those of you who have read this series, you'll agree with me when I say this has been a long time coming. J.R. Ward is pro when it comes to misunderstandings and conflicts in relationships, which ultimately allows her to write 600+ pages books. I kind of hate to say it, but if Qhuinn and Blay had been honest with each other, say in the first 50 pages, everything would have gone a little smoother for these two guys. Forget that. If they had been honest with each other many books before this one, things would have been simpler.

This book isn't just about Qhinn and Blay, although they do have quite a lot of angsty and steamy scenes. The story is also about Layla, the Chosen who went through her needing in the previous book and in which Qhuinn serviced her and possibly conceived a child. I say possibly because when it comes to these complicated vampires, nothing is simple, especially when it comes to pregnancies. They are very difficult on the females, and more often than not end up in miscarriages. It's important to note, however, that Layla and Qhuinn didn't decide to have a child together because they love each other. No, this is more out of convenience because both want a family, and figure this is the only way to do it. Like I said, nothing is simple when it comes to these vampires. And that's not to mention the fighter Layla fancies after meeting him only once, when she gave him her blood in order to save his life from mortal injuries. Still, she feels drawn to him, even after she's made aware that this fighter is Xcor, the enemy of her king. Layla is confused about her feelings, but oddly enough, the disfigured Xcor also feels the attraction, but is disgusted because he is not worthy of a female like Layla.

I told you it was a hot mess. Besides all the complicated Blay-Qhinn-Layla trio and the enemy Xcor, there is also, this random attraction between a vampire drug dealer and a private detective-like woman. The Band of Bastards lead by Xcor are also gaining some ground and planing to overthrow the current king and the Brotherhood. The glymera, the elite society of vampires, are also working with the Bastards to take over the royal family. Let's not forget the vampire's true enemy, the Lessening Society, the soul-less humans that are trying to eradicate vampires. It felt like they were missing from the previous book, but they are definitely making a come back, despite being hunted by both the Brotherhood and the Band of Bastards.

One more thing I want to mention: Plane crash. Please, try not to fly a plane without training like these characters. Piloting a plane is way more complicated than when these characters makes it out to be. This was an absurd scene but I assume the author wanted to add some action, and the characters had already totaled a Hummer. I guess the next thing on the list was a plane.

So many things going on with this book that I've had a really hard time putting it all together in this review. Honestly, I really enjoyed this eleventh book of this series (hard to believe it's been going on for so long). J.R. Ward definitely knows how to keep readers coming back for more. She writes powerful romance and intense scenes that I just can't get enough of. Lover at Last is the perfect title of this book because at last, it tells the story readers have all been waiting for.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:22

 Black Dagger Brotherhood, J.R. Ward, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Purchased, Review, Signet, vampires  4 People left their mark

Lover Avenged by JR Ward

I was curious to read Lover Avenged because Revhenge has always been so mysterious and while this novel wasn't my least favorite of the series, it is far from being my favorite. Despite my curiosity, I've never been a fan of this male and I think I would've been perfectly fine seeing him evolve as a secondary character, not really getting the spotlight. To be fair though, this character does have interesting depth and I enjoyed, if not loved, his story.

Ward excel at reuniting completely opposite personalities and she worked her magic on this novel as well. Up front, Revhenge is a drug lord, pimp, drug addict, sex slaves AND a sympath. In short, no one a father would want his daughter to date. Ehlena on the other hand is a very sweet girl, a nurse sacrificing her life to care for her sick father. When they meet and start interacting though, we realize they are much more similar than one can first presume and it was nice to watch 'em 'dance' together while getting to know each other. Both have noble values, just completely different way to execute them.

I really liked the insight in the sympath community. We've heard tidbits here and there along the way but in this book everything was disclosed and it satisfied my curiosity. Not sure I would like to explore further though.

I am a big fan of Ward, but something just felt off while reading this novel and I simply can't put my finger on it. She always writes long novels, but this one felt particularly long while reading it.

In the end, I think I was more anxious to know what would happen between Xhex and John Matthews, which doesn't make sense since they are only suppose to be subplot in this novel (and there were many subplots by the way...). The next book features them though, so I guess Ward wanted to set the table for the action to come.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Adult, Black Dagger Brotherhood, J.R. Ward, JR Ward, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Purchased, Review, Romance, Vampire  13 People left their mark

Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward

To be quite honest with you, I have some mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I've been a fan of the series for so long now, that it's nice to see the characters again and to read about what's going on with their lives and their romantic relationships. On the other hand, I found some parts of the story were so repetitive that it felt like some hundred pages was saying the same as the hundred before. Needless to say, it felt like the story dragged on, and maybe it was done on purpose to show the lapse of time, but frankly, I got bored because it felt like the story was never ending.

It's the main romantic story line that feels repetitive, the one between Torh and No'One. Torh lost his shellan (mate) only a while before this novel began and it has taken him a long time to simply get back on his feet, let alone even think about getting intimate with someone else. No'One, a female of worth, has a second chance at life and believes this second chance should be spent serving others, regardless of her past. So when they are thrown together and they must face their feelings for one another, things get difficult because of Torh's mixed feelings about moving on, and No'One vulnerability because of the fact that she was raped when she was a lot younger and has never looked at a male in a romantic way. It felt like J.R. Ward was tiptoeing around their feelings just a bit too much and it felt like an endless cycle of "I want to, no I don't/can't..." Don't get me wrong, their story really is interesting but it dragged on...

One thing I'm usually not fond of is a switch in point of views because it more or less puts the main story on hold, but in this case, I really didn't mind. Especially because we got to read more about John and Xhex, who despite all odds were mated in the previous book. I love the fact that we see what happens after the supposed happily ever after and it just so happens it's not happily ever after. We also see a bit of the Quinn/Blay story which I can't wait for and is coming up in book #11.

LOVER REBORN made me realized that these brothers really are vampires. I mean, I knew they were vampires but since J.R. Ward has modified the lore on vampires in this series to the point of being really original, sometimes it's hard to remember these brothers have fangs. However, in this book, with all the blood feedings, it really hit me on how much they depend on blood to survive. The ongoing war between the Brothers and the lessers is the main reason for the blood feedings, and even if there is quite a number of fight scenes, it's hard to determine who the antagonist really is. The Brothers also have to deal with The Band of Bastards, a group of vampires that want to more or less replace the Brotherhood. It's interesting to read more about these "bastards" and it's a nice twist in the series especially since the lesser war was getting old.

The writing is typically J.R. Ward but I think she was trying to push the gangsta talk just a little too much this time around. It's one thing to have it in conversations between the Brothers but to include it in the narrative is kind of a deterrent. Personally, I don't appreciate it because it's not normal for me and sometimes I found myself rereading a certain phrase because I didn't catch the meaning. I just find it odd that it has a place in the narrative, especially since it's written in the third person. (On another note, this might just be me but I find the Brothers often say "How's it doing?" while I would normally say "How's it going?" or "How're you doing?". I don't know. I just find it strange, enough that I had to mention it. Maybe it's a regional thing...)

I might have been a tad negative with this review, but don't get me wrong! I really enjoy this series as a whole and I'm hoping this is just that odd book in a series that I had a hard getting through. Like I mentioned previously, the next book is all about Blay and Quinn and there's just something about those two Brothers together that makes sense. I'm definitely still a fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and I'm ready to ignore the shortcomings of this book to keep the series going. I'm really looking forward to the next books, especially now that I've almost caught up with the series!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:14

 Angel, Black Dagger Brotherhood, J.R. Ward, NAL, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Purchased, Review, vampires  2 People left their mark

Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward

J.R. Ward keeps surprising me every time I read a new Black Dagger Brotherhood book, because I always expect to get bored with the series. On the contrary, while the main themes remain the same or similar throughout the series (love, angst, strength, good vs. evil, etc.), the actual stories and characters couldn't be more different. With this ninth book, I'm still hungry for more and I definitively need to play catch up for the release of the twelfth book early next year.

This story is mostly about the vampire Payne, a female that has been imprisoned by her mother for ages and Manny, a human surgeon who has been plagued by the disappearance of his friend Jane and by his lonely life. An unlikely pair, an impossible pair, since a vampire will always outlive a human. I'm glad the author brought it up early in the story because it makes it that much more realistic instead of having them ignore the elephant in the room and deal with the "aging differently" later on. Their chemistry seemed a little odd to me at first, especially since Manny was more or less turned on by her when they first meet and she's on a hospital bed with a broken back. Eventually, with her naivety and his constant need to help everyone, they grew on me and their attraction became relevant and intriguing. Not that there weren't any other bumps on the road because there most definitely was, including an overbearing brother named Vishous. Just a name like that would force any man to have second thoughts.

I'm pleased that this book also allowed us to revisit Vishous and Jane's story. They are obviously in love and have great chemistry, but with a troubled history like Vishous', things from the past are bound to resurface and cause marital problems. I'm glad that Vishous and Butch's friendship is also on display because it allows us to see how deeply V is affected by his past. I guess you could say that this book is really about the brother-sister twin duo because V and Payne are more or less equally represented in this one.

I can't finish this review without mentioning the Quinn and Blay saga. While I'm not usually a fan of homosexual relationship books, this is one relationship that I can't wait to read about. J.R. Ward is such a tease for making this story stretch out over a number of books, and I almost feel like skipping book 10 to jump right into their main story in book 11. The few scenes we get in LOVER UNLEASHED are exactly that, teasers that make you anticipate their own book.

There' s a reason why J.R. Ward keeps winning the Goodreads Romance Choice Award almost every year. LOVER UNLEASHED won the prize back in 2011 and that goes to show you how much of a fan base this series has. Not only do the fans love reading about the brothers, but they actually believe the brothers' stories are #1. The only reason why this series didn't win this award last year is because it had to compete with the erotica phenomena, that included E.L. James and Sylvia Day's notorious books. In my opinion, J.R. Ward is a great storyteller because her books can be read so easily and effortlessly. You shouldn't expect literary masterpieces when it comes to her books but if you haven't pick up this series yet, you're in for a treat. I've recommended this series to a few friends that never read paranormal books but love romance books, and none of them have been disappointed so far!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Black Dagger Brotherhood, J.R. Ward, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Purchased, Review, Signet, Vampire  1 Person left their mark