Book #1

I absolutely adore the imagination of this author. She captivated me with the

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Black Dagger Brotherhood series and she’s gone and done it again with this new series. The only bad thing is she can’t write fast enough.

Jim Heron is trying for a fresh start in Caldwell. He’s not much for company since he doesn’t trust anyone. He becomes a major player in the war between good and evil with little help from some fallen angels. He is told that someone is at a crossroads and he is supposed to help them choose the right road. On the other hand, he is being mislead by some and he doesn’t quite know what is going on. The person he is supposed to help is an extremely wealthy man that seems to have everything. Including a woman that he shouldn’t of interacted with the night before. Vin diPietro does nothing but work and make money. He can’t seem to be happy no matter how much he makes. There seems to be something that keeps him driven but never sustained. But to redeem his soul, he has to accept the help of Jim to figure out what evil has come calling and what they are going to do about it.

I was able to finish this book in one sitting on Sunday. With 482 pages of pure intrigue, I was left panting for more. There is such a great story along with some passion and just a little naughty. Just as expected from JR Ward. I can’t wait until the next book of this series comes along.

Volume 7

Rehvenge is one tough bad ass and is known to many as the Reverend. He isn’t above killing when needed or dealing drugs and selling sex to keep his sister and mother from the evil of his other half. Rehvenge is a sympath. Well his father was a sympath and his mother a vampire. A sympath is a subspecies of the vampire known for the manipulations of emotions to others. The vampire race had killed them to near extinction. Now when a sympath is known, he or she is sent to the colony up north and with Rehvenge being a half breed, he wouldn’t last long there. His sister doesn’t know about him. Only the Brotherhood know his secret. He’s been blackmailed by the princess for years and had to do evil and dirty things for her and pay her in cut rubies every month. He had to run the drugs and sell his girls at the club just to take care of the princess’ price. He takes care of his sympath side by shooting dopamine into his veins but the downsides of that medicine is extreme. He is cold to the bone all the time and he has no sensations at all.

Ehlena is a vampire just trying to take care of her father, who is suffering from voices in his head. She works at the clinic and happened to get the short end of the stick when all the other nurses declined to take care of Rehvenge. For all the nurses, he made them nervous but she seemed to handle it better than the rest.

Events start to change for not just Rehvenge and Ehlena but the Brotherhood as well.  Many vampires from the glymera get killed by lessers. No one seems to know how the lessers found out about the clinic’s location or that of the rest of the aristocracy. The only result they could come up with was Lash. He was taken from the clinic, on his death bed. The Omega has plans for him. The Brothers try their best to defend their race but they can only do so much. After trying to get everyone to evacuate to their safe houses, their hands were tied. Whether they went or not wasn’t up to the Brothers.

John has fallen in love with Xhex but doesn’t know her little secret of being a sympath either. He also gets surprised by Tohr coming home. He doesn’t know how to feel and spends a lot of time getting drunk and sleeping around so he wouldn’t feel anything. He is alone except for Quinn and Blay. Quinn finally opens his mouth about Blay trying to keep him from following and doing anything stupid.

There is so much to tell about this book. There are twists and turns and no way you’ll be able to put it down. All the dirty laundry gets aired in this one. What a page turner. The characters are so alive and I have to give it up to Ward for making them come out and I hope that she keeps up the good work. I’ll definitely recommend this book.

Volume 6

Phury is a big part of the Brotherhood. His twin brother, Zsadist, was taken when he was a child and Phury spent his childhood being unnoticed by the parents since his twins abduction.  His father gave up once the trail ran cold.  Phury couldn’t forgive himself or forget that he had a brother out there and couldn’t do anything about it until after his transition. Once that happened, he took off without any goodbyes from his parents and made a vow of celibacy to keep him from getting sidetracked. Once he was finally found and brought to the Brotherhood, there were so many things going on in both of their heads. Phury had a savior complex and couldn’t seem to get through to his brother at all until Zsadist’s shellan came along. But that also made for many complications because Phury thought to be in love with Bella as well.

Bella was kind to Phury but there was nothing going on. Phury was happy in a way that Zsadist was getting better but on the other hand Phury had a voice in his head he liked to call the wizard. The wizard could keep Phury on his toes and the only way to drown him out was to smoke his red smoke until he was oblivious. He smoked more and more until it wasn’t enough. Also knowing that he was now the Primale, replacing Vishous, and he was to help populate his race wasn’t getting the wizard out of his head. He was always thinking that he was and is a failure. The wizard wouldn’t let up on that and it was driving Phury crazy. Even more crazy than he thought he was. The red smoke and gin seemed to be the only thing that was helping him but honestly it wasn’t.

Zsadist had enough problems with fighting lessers, taking care of his shellan and the young she carried inside her, dealing with his own mentality, and dealing with Phury’s downfall. Once Phury hits rock bottom by shooting some heroine and nearly killing himself did things start to come together.

I was so enthralled with this book. I haven’t had so many different feelings so strongly in one book in such a long while. I have to give props to Ward once again for a fantastic novel and a fitting piece of the ongoing puzzle of the Brotherhood. I couldn’t put this down. This one is my all time favorite in this series. That is until I finish Lover Avenged I’d say. Wonderful, Erotic, Enticing, Eventful, Passionate, and many more words, fit this book but I just can’t think of anymore at the moment. An excellent adventure!!

]]> http://www.read-that.com/fantasy_books/jr-wardlover-enshrined/feed 3 http://www.read-that.com/fantasy_books/jr-wardlover-unbound http://www.read-that.com/fantasy_books/jr-wardlover-unbound#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:50:41 +0000 tim http://www.read-that.com/?p=524 Continue reading →]]> Black Dagger Brotherhood

Volume 5

Vishous is a ruthless killer of the undead, aka lessers. He is part of the Brotherhood which is made up of elite bloodlines of vampires. Only the best of the best. The problem now is that there are far too many lessers than Brothers. There are only 4 but if you include Butch that makes 5. Butch is Vishous’ downfall. He is his best friend but not in love with him which to Vishous is a bad thing. He is happy for Butch and Marissa and thinks they make a great match but the closeness seems to be going between the two friends because there has to be room for Butch’s shellan, or mate. At war with his feelings of guilt and loneliness, V winds up getting beat up badly and shot by lessers. With no Brothers around to take care of him, an ambulance took him to a human hospital.

Dr. Jane Whitcomb loved what she did for a living. She only had one problem. At the trauma center where she works isn’t having any openings to advance and she didn’t want to be just Chief of Surgery anymore. She wanted the whole department. She wanted to be boss. Knowing that she wasn’t going any further, she had interviews lined up for another hospital. That was until a man was brought in with a gunshot to his chest. After operating on him herself, she noticed that his heart wasn’t right or normal I should say. Bringing out the genetics in her, she was intent on studying him.

Meanwhile at the Brotherhood mansion, the brothers finally figured out what had happened to their brother and was going to get him out of there before things got ugly. Once all the minds were cleared and V was going to get out of there, he felt that he had to take the doctor with him. When they decided that once he was cleared health wise then her mind would be wiped clean and she would go her own way.

Vishous had a really difficult past. His father was the most cruel being there was and he suffered so much at his hands. Not recovered from the past is eating up his future with Jane if he doesn’t figure out what to do. He figures that even though he loves this woman, that she is too good for him. Which in turn makes everything more difficult.

With him wanting to mate with her and have her as his shellan and her getting over the fact that she belonged with him, they decided that she would go back and he would spend as much time as he could with her. Things didn’t turn out quite the way they’d planned then either. She missed him too much and he wanted her with him all the time. He didn’t want her to have to give up her career and life for him so he never says anything. Vishous is tormented with a reoccurring dream about being shot and finds out who his mother is.

I felt so sorry for Vishous throughout this book. I also wanted to jump in a kick him a few times so he would understand what was isn’t what is. I loved reading about him finally getting a break and falling in love or learning what love is for that matter. Also learning about why he is the way he is makes it easier to understand who he is. The details that Ward put into his character and background was phenomenal. She is such a good author and I can’t wait to read the next installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I sincerely hope you can enjoy this series as much as I have. Its top notch.

Volume 4

Butch seemed to have lost everything before meeting the Brotherhood. He was an abusive cop which cost him his job and didn’t have anything worth anything. His women were many but for only short periods of time and he sure loved him some Scotch. While many events lead up to the Brothers feeling as Butch was one of them, he wasn’t allowed to fight. Of course he was only human too. Once leaving the bar, ZeroSum, again trying to drown out the feeling of not belonging and not being worth a damn, he came across some lessers (the walking undead) and was beat down. When the brothers found him he was rushed to the unknown clinic for vampires. The brothers wanted him treated as one of their own. Butch was in quarantine because of the evil that was put inside him from the Omega. Marissa, the vampire that Butch has fallen in love with, finds out what happened and rushes into the clinic and to his bedside to stay. He worries that her getting involved with a human would hurt her status with the aristocrats and that he isn’t good enough for her. She thinks that she is inadequate for him. Its a heart wrenching story about love in a tangled up fictional way. I loved it.

I really enjoyed learning more about Butch. His family has disowned him and now we know why. Marissa’s life is more detailed in this tale also. Together with the rest of the Brothers, learning bits and pieces about them is definitely worth reading. The way that Vishous acts around his new found best friend is hilarious. You also learn more and more about John. This is one of those stories that was so easy to fall into but so hard to describe without giving something away, so I’m going to let you read it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy

]]> http://www.read-that.com/fantasy_books/jr-wardlover-revealed/feed 0 http://www.read-that.com/fantasy_books/jr-wardlover-awakened http://www.read-that.com/fantasy_books/jr-wardlover-awakened#comments Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:34:30 +0000 tim http://www.read-that.com/?p=515 Continue reading →]]> Black Dagger Brotherhood

Volume 3

OK so maybe this one is my favorite. Zsadist has been through hell and back and his lack of emotions shows. He has nothing to live for except killing lessers. His twin brother, Phury, has been through hell right along with him. Because to him, Phury feels responsible for the things that happened in the past. He looked and looked until he was found but all that was done was done. Once Bella comes along, Zsadist starts to learn how to feel and it scares him. And that just angers him even more. He does his best to push Bella out of his mind but with her being held captive by the enemy, he can’t seem to let it go. While thinking, after more than weeks of being gone, Zsadist feels nothing but revenge and hatred. Thinking that Bella is dead, all he wants to do is kill as many lessers he can.

John has decided to train at the brotherhood and live with Tohr and his shellan, Wellsie. He isn’t doing well with the others or with the physical aspect of the training but the bookwork isn’t as much a struggle. He is starting to see a therapist to learn to deal with his inner demons. Also the blood work has come back on him and the brothers were astounded to learn that his blood matches Darius so close that he should be his son. No one has an idea what happened when he saw Beth, their queen. He just started having an overwhelming urge to protect and wound up seizing.

Back to Bella. Zsadist finds out that she is still alive and where she’s at and goes to rescue her. Although him rescuing her didn’t mean that she was going to be his. He wanted her but didn’t want the past to rear its ugly head. He tried to push her off on his twin but she wanted only him. Throughout both of their emotional issues, they find an understanding of each other. But that doesn’t stop him from wanting her to have better. He keeps pushing her away and finally she goes.

Oh, the drama of these two as their lives unfold. I was totally enraptured. The more I read, the more I couldn’t find a place to stop. Everything was fascinating from beginning to end. I was so emotional myself over what happened to him in the past and all the hell he’s had to go through because of it and his twin was along for the ride. It was amazing to see him awaken like that from a breathing but unfeeling monster to…….. I won’t ruin this. This book is absolutely wonderful. I recommend this one wholeheartedly.

Volume 2

Oh I fell in love with the characters brought to life in this book. Mary Luce is fighting to stay busy in her life. She works all day at a law firm and spends her nights waiting to help people on a suicide hot line. She suffered with her mother while she was sick and wasn’t getting any better and now after two years, was diagnosed with leukemia herself. After meeting the boy (John) that kept calling the hot line but not saying anything, she realized that she wanted to do more than help him. She wanted to shelter him from everything. She did what she could by becoming his friend. He couldn’t talk but was fluent in ASL. Mary was able to understand him since she spent all her time taking care of the disabled before her mother got sick. They became fast friends and Bella, Mary’s neighbor, was leery of him because he smelled like her, a vampire. Not knowing what to do about him, Bella called a number that she had for the Brotherhood. He had the scar on his chest.

The Brotherhood decided that they should meet with the boy and Bella should bring him in. The problem was that John wasn’t going to be understood so Mary was able to go and translate. At the house the brothers stay at, Rhage was ill. Actually Rhage had a problem. Or more like a curse. When he is full of emotion, the tattoo on his back comes alive from his skin and goes berserk. Afterwards, he is spent. Even his eyesight is grainy and poor. That is when he runs into Mary at the house. When he hears her voice, that’s all it takes.

John has decided to join up with the brotherhood since his dreams every night involve drinking blood and killing lessers that are considered enemies. He isn’t sick but he isn’t able to eat much so he stays thin and unable to protect himself. He is about to go through the transition and badly needs to know what is going on with him and how to deal with it.

This story is erotic and sensual both plus any romantic would love it. Rhage and Mary try their best to make things work with his curse and her disease and a whole lot of mixed up feelings from pity to lust. I’m not sure if  he is my favorite brother or not but he’s one of them. His compassion and love for Mary is overwhelming. My heart was beating a mile a minute from beginning to end. I really loved this book. I am so happy I was able to find and read this series. I can’t wait to get to the next one in this series. Happy Reading!

Volume 1

Wrath is a vampire. The main vampire without emotion for anyone not in the brotherhood or not above his status. His only friends were his brothers. He was also known as the Blind King. He can see images but not details. Of course that doesn’t stop his major martial arts or kick ass style. He has been fighting with the brothers against the lessers, the undead, who feed off of humans and are currently trying to dwindle down the brotherhood by luring the vampires in and tormenting information out of them.

In the meantime, Darius is a brother that has a dilemma. His half human daughter is about to go through the change and needs a good strong warrior to help her get through the transition from human to vampire. He decides that Wrath is his best choice or rather his only choice. For Darius, Wrath would almost do anything but that. Wrath doesn’t have the emotions needed to take care of a female especially one who needs the extra attention as a female going through the change. When a bomb sends Darius to Fade, Wrath doesn’t have a choice. He tries to befriend Beth at first but not knowing what to do. Beth has no idea why this sex machine is trying to take care of her. She didn’t know who her parents were or what’s going on with this man. The only reason she doesn’t send him away is, he is so overwhelmingly gorgeous. There is something about him that makes her burn for him and his attitude for her changes as well.

This whole story is unbelievably sensual. I so enjoyed the way this book was written. It was definitely for an adult but wasn’t hard to read and the words flowed leaving you breathless and turning the page. I was immediately enraptured from the definitions in the beginning and stayed that way throughout.

I actually picked this series out for a friend of mine and she bought the whole set of books that day and within a week she read them all. I guess that I picked a good one. I finally got her to let me read them after she read them again. I read this first one in a day. I couldn’t put it down. When I did, I was itching to get back to it. I really would recommend this to anyone that is of age. Fabulously intense read.