Dear Ms. Ward,
I was a relative latecomer to your Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, joining it in progress at, I believe, book three (or was it four?). Anyway, I remember reading online discussions about the series well before starting the first book, mostly related to the unusual names of the heroes (debate, IIRC, raged about whether the names were so silly as to be distracting, or not).
A friend finally convinced me that the books were addictive enough to overcome both my paranormal prejudice and the conviction that the heroes’ names were in fact just too silly to bear. I did become a devoted follower after reading the first book in the series, Wrath’s story, Dark Lover. A devoted follower, but an ambivalent one. There is a lot that I don’t like about the BDB books. Chiefly the slang, which seems increasingly ubiquitous – almost every character thinks and talks in a highly stylized and artificial way. But also the nature of the hero/heroine attachments, which are very animalistic and seem almost biologically-driven. I think the latter is probably a positive for some romance readers, those who prefer their heroes ultra-alpha. Now, it’s not like I’m looking for an Alan Alda-type “sensitive” hero (uh oh, I think I just dated myself with the Alda reference), but I do prefer my romances a little more nuanced and realistic – two words that I doubt could ever be applied to the BDB books. But they are strangely addictive books, and if I think of them like old-fashioned comic books or some other medium where the emotions and characterizations are broadly drawn, I manage to keep my irritation at the elements I don’t like to a minimum.
Lover Avenged is, of course, Rehvenge’s story. Rehvenge is the secret sympath, drug-dealing, Mohawk-sporting, club-owning brother of Bella, the heroine of Lover Awakened, who is of course the mate of Brother Zsadist, who…wait, why am I explaining this? Anyone who has read the first six books in the series already knows it; anyone who hasn’t – why are you reading this review? You’d do better to go watch a Season 5 episode of Lost; it’d be less confusing.
Anyway, Rehvenge is paired with Ehlena (is this the first sighting of a heroine with extraneous consonants in her name? I think it might be! Equality at last!), who is a nurse at Havers’ clinic. Ehlena doesn’t have much of a life; her family was shunned by the glymera, the vampire aristocracy, after her father was swindled in a business deal. Now Ehlena spends her time working or taking care of her father, whose schizophrenia manifests itself in an obsession with order and regularity. At the beginning of Lover Avenged, Ehlena is already familiar with Rehvenge as a patient of the clinic, one whom the other nurses avoid because of his menacing air. Rehvenge is attracted to Ehlena but has a serious case of I’mnotgoodenoughforheritis, plus his life is already pretty complicated, what with being a secret sympath and the fact that he’s been blackmailed over it for the past 25 years.
Ehlena is at first somewhat immune to Rehv’s dubious charms, which I appreciated (and which contradicts my earlier point about all of the pairings in the series having a biology-as-destiny view of mating). She gets closer to him, though, when she tries to help him with an infection in his arm that he seems strangely reluctant to have Havers treat. From then on, it’s pretty much true love, which runs about as smoothly as you’d expect given the obstacles I’ve already mentioned and the fact that Rehv lies to Ehlena rather a lot.
Lover Avenged is not just Rehv and Ehlena’s story though; as with previous books in the series, there are multiple storylines. We follow Wrath as he faces new challenges as the Vampire King, Tohrment as he slowly returns to the land of the living (little vampire pun there), John Matthew and Xhex as their relationship progresses and regresses, and, by far my least favorite, Lash as he combines the worst of both worlds: being a seriously obnoxious vampire and being a lesser, creatures I’ve only barely tolerated reading about in previous books. At least the previous lessers were impotent, meaning that while they were gross, creepy and unpleasant to read about, there at least was not a sexual element to their gross creepiness. No such luck with Lash, who is a truly loathsome villain. I could have done with many fewer pages spent on his thoughts and actions.
I’ve seen some readers express dismay at the numerous plots each of the BDB books holds. It doesn’t bother me so much, but it can be aggravating to keep switching scenes if one of the storylines is a lot more interesting than the others. That wasn’t really the case in Lover Avenged; I was about equally interested in the main story, John Matthew and Xhex, and Tohr. I didn’t care quite as much about Wrath, and again could have done without Lash entirely, but the book did not feel unbalanced and I wasn’t having to plow through large sections of stuff I didn’t care about to get to the good stuff.
I normally evaluate a book by looking at the plot, the characterization and the prose. That doesn’t really work with the BDB books in general or Lover Avenged in particular, because the plot is a mess, the characterization is absurd and the prose sets my teeth on edge. The fact that I still pretty much enjoy the books means that there is something else there that draws me in. I’m not sure that I can (or need to) articulate it any better other than to say that they are entertaining.
I will say that though I did not find Rehv’s and Ehlena’s relationship excessively romantic, by the climatic scene I did feel a little frisson at the thought of their HEA being in sight. (If I don’t get that feeling at some point near the end of a romance, I know it’s failed me; it means I really just don’t care about the characters at all.)
I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, though I’m not sure who the hero and heroine are slated to be. Possibly John Matthew and Xhex? There were definitely some interesting developments in their relationship in this book, and it ended on a cliffhanger note. I have always liked John; he actually became less likable in Lover Avenged, though I understood the reasons for the hardening of his personality. I’m a little cooler on Xhex; I don’t mind a tough heroine but her androgynous appearance is a bit of a turn-off for me. We got a little more insight into her personality in this book, and I liked what I saw. I didn’t like one instance of vigilante behavior, but that was less about the action itself and more about how graphically it was rendered. Really, Ms. Ward, I understand that subtlety is not a hallmark of these books, but sometimes less really is more. Alluding to a fairly gross and sadistic act of torture is one thing; the act did not need to be described multiple times.
That said, I’m giving Lover Avenged a B-.
Best regards,
Jennie
This book can be purchased in hard cover from an independent bookstore or ebook format from the Sony Store and other etailers.
J.R. Ward’s books are like crack. They are actually really bad but somehow compellingly readable.
I’m waiting impatiently for my copy of Lover Avenged to arrive.
I’m also a late-comer to the series. I started reading them late last year, and I finished the series (so far) in a few weeks.
I agree with Sarah. The books are crack. It is almost impossible to put them down, even when you are bored to tears by yet another annoying soliloquy by whichever lesser we are supposed to be following at the time.
And, J.R. Ward does write some fun sex scenes.
I so agree with the two of you. I tried to quit her before Phury’s story but I was drawn back as if I were a yo-yo on a string. She is worse than crack.
I’m about half-way through this book and I have to say, I’m skimming through a large part of it, mainly the Lash stuff. I’m a little interested in Tohr and Wrath. I do wish, however, that these BDB books would go back to being paranormal romances which they aren’t so much anymore.
Still, give me what you got, Ms. Ward. You’re in my blood now!
I’m so ehmbarrassed. I’m rheading Rhage’s story for the third time while whaiting for my copy of Lover Avenged to ahrrive.
I hhhhate myself for it.
I’ve read all the books in this series. I gave up on it after the last book and decided I wasn’t going to keep up with it any longer. But wouldn’t you know it? I received this last book as a gift. After quite a few attempts, I haven’t been able to get past the 4th Chapter, I’ll probably give it a few more tries before I give up on it… who knows?
I just can’t quit this series. Even worse–whereas I used to skim the lesser sections because they were boring, now I find myself reading them with just as much interest as the rest of the book. HELP!!
Seriously, though, my favorite parts of the book dealt with Wrath. I know, I know, he had his book already, why let him intrude on someone else’s. But if the series has officially jumped over to urban fantasy from paranormal romance, I might as well get to revisit some characters I care about (I was always a bit meh about Rhevenge).
Also, unlike the previous two books, I felt as though we got to see a bit of all of the brothers in Lover Avenged. Which may have been the point—the Brotherhood had splintered apart for various reasons and had to figure out how to come together again.
Or maybe I’m just reading too much into this. Yep, definitely reading too much into it. Need help, need serious help…
Positives: I agree this one flowed story line to story line a lot more smoothly than Lover Enshrined. It was also improved in that Rehv and Ehlena were together more than Phury and Cormia. The crack recipe hasn’t changed so it was a satisfying buzz.
Negatives: I thought the John Matthew angst was contrived . I found myself saying “WAAA WAAA WAAA ” sarcastically out loud.
Rehv and Princess sex scene was as squicky as Lash’s, that’s no spoiler, it was squicky in Lover Enshrined.
And without detailed spoilerage, Wrath’s issues were not in line with his character’s actions in former books.
I’ve kicked my addiction. Sort of. The book sat here while I read other April 28th releases. I’m a little proud of me.
Jennie you are so right about the plot(s) being all over the place, but for whatever reasons that works in this book, so I enjoyed it. I read just enough of certain parts of Lash’s story to keep me in the game but not enough to care about his activities. I think Ward succeeded with Rehv’s story by taking him from past books and into the future without turning him into a complete wimp.
Xhex took me by surprise. I wasn’t much interested in her as a character but now I’m anxious to see where this goes — although I thought I read that she and J.M. would have a long road — so whether or not that’s completed in the next book, I dunno.
And yes absolutely; all the characters talking like street-toughs just grates on my nerves — but not enough to stop me from reading the next book. Maybe I shouldn’t even be a little proud of me.
I’m about halfway through and enjoying this book tremendously. I’m still in.
Thank God the editing has improved. Big difference this time around. Poor editing is just so unprofessional.
Yeah, the crack comparison is apt. It’s not like these books are “so bad they’re good” (a concept that has never really worked for me in practice). It’s just that they manage to be entertaining in spite of breaking all of the rules (at least, my rules) for what makes a good romance.
It felt a little contrived, but OTOH I felt that John Matthew was due for a little angst at that point. I mean, I like Tohr, rather a lot, and I sympathize with him, but at the same time I understand that between Tohr and Xhex, John was sick of being rejected.
What felt contrived about it to me is that I think it’s intended in part to mold John into a more conventional BDB hero, rather than the emo teenager he had been previously.
Yeah, the whole business with the princess was unnecessarily over the top, IMO. Though maybe calling any plot point in a BDB book “over the top” is redundant.
The one thing that bugs me about the turn from romance into urban fantasy is that I think with the increased “grittiness”, we get things that I don’t particularly want to read about, like skanky sex and the torture scene I mentioned in my review.
I feel kind of bad that I can only appreciate her when we get to see her vulnerability a bit. I swear, I do like kickass heroines! But I think I also need to relate to some degree, and I’m a girly-girl and not remotely kickass. So it helped me to hear some of her thoughts and get a sense of why she was the way she was.
I’m on my way OUT when it comes to this series. I bought all the others, but this one is on reserve for me from the library — and not JUST because of the hardback format and price.
From the very beginning, there have been elements about the BDB world and books that have bugged me, but I had been willing to overlook those things because of my overall enjoyment of the series. No longer, though. Maybe I just don’t find the remaining characters as compelling? I dunno. I just know that I’ve become bored with the label-dropping and the weird urban slang-speak and the silly aitches thrown into words. (I’m still trying to recover from Marissa’s assertion that Butch’s wahoo is “phearsome.”) I’m annoyed with all the “God” references and the constant “fucks,” the weird Scribe Virgin leaves me cold. Plus…I miss Rhage and Mary and Puff! (Waaah!)
I’ll read Lover Avenged when the library notifies me that my copy has arrived, but I can’t say that I’m really looking forward to it. I want to catch up with the characters, but my interest in the BDB is really waning.
The scribe virgin and omega were noticably absent/quiet in this book.
Jennie John M. Is supposed to be Darius reincarnated it just seems he’d be above being a snot.lol
I have to agree with Nifty. My friend kept on recommending this series to me so I finally broke down and read them some time last year. I remember when I first read Wrath’s book, I had to reread the actual physical descriptions of the characters many times, mostly because I found them weird. Images of blown-up comic book characters kept intruding in my mind as I went along the book. I wasn’t too keen on the romance aspects of the books either, probably because the romance seemed more like “he saw, he came, he conquered” then any real getting to know each other. And yet, I kept on reading and as soon as I finished one book, I was picking up the next one. I honestly can’t pinpoint what it is about this series that made it so addicting. But now, I just can’t bring myself to care about any more of the characters. I feel that everybody that needed to have a book has already got one and the series could have had a quasi-decent ending a long time ago.
I might get around to reading this book if I find it in the library and I have nothing else to do, with work or life, but I can’t see myself opening my wallet for a copy.
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I held out for Rehvenge’s book hoping to get answers regarding the Symphaths, maybe it’s me but did all Symphaths have 3 fingers and look like the aliens from “V”? I guess that makes Xhex a half-breed like Rehv?
Also in the book there was a scene when they tell Bella that her brother died in the explosion and John Matthew was having inner dialogue with himself. He leans over to grab the bottle of Jack off the floor and then the next sentence proceeds to read “the scream that lit off next door”…then JM sobered from this scream, he grabbed his gun and shot out of bed…Ummm isn’t JM deaf? Kinda threw me.
I usually enjoy the different arcs running through a story. Brockmann does this well and so does Jessica Andersen, my personal opinion (we know how that goes) I felt like the book was all over the place and for me didn’t flow smoothly. To say I don’t miss the romance that I think she did so well in previous books would be a lie.
JM is mute not deaf. They’re the puniest super heroes ever written LOL. Blind, mute, scarred, addicted, etc
Thanks Rebyj! Cleared that up. Can’t keep all the issues straight..lol
I actually think that Ward is trying to get the series under some sort of control (I’ve said this elsewhere.) I think she threw in a bunch of not very well thought out cool sounding stuff and then found herself with something successful that she then had to deal with the implications of all the weird stuff she’d thrown in.
That said, I liked this better than the last one. I could do with less lessers…
Oh, and I’m calling it “Lover Ahvenged.”
The scribe virgin’s appearance was rather short and she seemed to be in a snit.
Puff does make an appearance but was pretty much useless. Ward seems to have given Lash so much power that I wonder what is she going to conjure next. Will the vampires suddenly possess something that we didn’t know of before that will ultimately defeat him?
This book was better than poor Phury’s but not worth the hardcover price IMO. Luckily, I didn’t pay anything to read this book. As usual, I skipped over the lesser and also that of Lash (except for the rescue scene near the end) because it is, as always, boring. I still don’t understand the sympaths fully and can’t imagine what they look like. But for all that I thought was going to be heavy stuff and all the issues that Rehvenge had – his addiction, his being a pimp and drug dealer, his being half sympath, the blackmail and even his barb – all this seemed to be non-issues and pretty easy to overcome. I might have missed it due to the skimming, but was the addiction even discussed in the end? He seemed to be functioning pretty well without it. So much for trying to curve his sympath side.
Oh, and that ejaculation thing in the bathroom, that was rather gross and way overdone though I guess some people likes to read that stuff.
For those interested, this book is #10 in the USA Today Bestseller List as of May 2, 2009. Lover enshrined was #8 last year. I’m curious to see how it will fare in the NYT Bestseller as it is easier to compete in there than in the USA Today list.
I really only got LA for John Matthew’s part as he was the only thing that kept me reading Phury’s story…and what a mess that was. I think what made him so interesting was that he was so opposite the BDB alpha male must-screw-everything crap. While I can see him looking for comfort, I can’t however see comfort in mindless 3 ways in bathroom stalls. And the complete 180 he does in the last chapter re: Xhex just seemed…off. Almost like Ward needs to do a repeat of Bella/Zsadist’s story with the mysterious kidnapping thing.
Overall I wasn’t anywhere near as disappointed as I was prepared to be. In previous books I haven’t cared for Rehv, and liked Xhex but that flipped in this story. I liked that the name dropping didn’t jar me as much in this story as in the past, and the story just moved better.
Now if only the extra h’s would disappear. It takes me out of the story when I have to say the name out loud to figure out WTF it is.
I was bothered by the use of the word “As” at the start of every third chapter or so. Maybe this was for some reason, but it total threw me off.
Heh. Point taken. Though I’ve never felt like I really understood how that worked. Or maybe the reincarnation thing was explained in a previous book and I forgot. I like series but I have the hardest time remembering great swaths of stuff that happened previously.
Sam, somehow I didn’t think about it but wouldn’t half-sympaths have some physical characteristics of the race? Because those folks seem pretty freaky with their triple-jointed fingers and their androgyny. I don’t really understand the whole sympath nature, anyway. I really felt that that plotline could have been better developed (and resolved).
So it’s not just me, then. I guess I kind of imagine them looking like the “gentlemen” from the “Hush” episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, except maybe less skeletal in the face. I think Ward describes them as sort of gliding rather than walking.
Yes, see, that’s what I guess was lost with all of the focus on other storylines. All of Rehv’s issues just disappeared in the end, with very little discussion.
I was kind of bothered by the pimping and drug dealing. Or at least the latter. Okay, he had a “reason” for doing it, and I’m not excessively bothered by morally ambiguous heroes. But Ward kept shoving in my face the fact that Rehv had done a lot of damage by selling drugs all those years. Plus the beatings and torture of those who crossed him. At least with the pimping it was explained that he was a nice pimp. Again, I don’t mind moral ambiguity but I do a little better with it if I’m not explicitly reminded of how very bad the behavior has been.
One of my main problem with Rehvenge’s story, that is before he met Ehlena, is that I always think the “reason” for his continued selling of drugs and pimping were rather too contrived. I would have understood it when he originally decided to do it at first (for his Mahmen, for Bella and to pay the blackmail), but why keep on doing so after his business became very successful and he’s got loads of money. Since he’s suppose to be a nice guy, why didn’t he become a “Roarke” once he established himself. You know, diversify, invest in other ventures, liquidate all those questionable businesses. There’s always lots of ways to make money enough to pay the blackmailer if you’re intelligent, you’ve got guts and have enough capital. Which he certainly has. Darius and the other brothers seemed to amass lots of wealth without having to resort to those things.
I was really irritated with John Mathews in this book so much so that I skimmed his part. What an idiot. Xhex did surprise me and she was much more interesting.
I don’t particularly care about the jumping from one subplot to another. I have to admit I skipped over chunks of the book, though not as bad as with the book that preceded this one. I think B- is an apt overall rating. I have to admit I am still mourning the change to urban fantasy with elements of romance rather than the other way around, which is how the series started. I remember having thought when I first read the first book in this series “this book is too addictive, wonder how the others are going to be” well, I got my answer.
Potential spoiler:
Am I the only one that was reminded of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters when some humor was is used, particularly in the part where the brothers are told that Rhev is alive and they are going on a rescue mission with Xhex and Elehna? It jumped right on my face.
This is a great way to put it. I stopped reading after Vishous’s book, but I agree with you on how they have to be taken.
My problem is that they all talk in the same way. Seriously, if you abstract away from the plot, and just look at the dialogue and descriptions of the Brothers … they are all one guy.
For example,
My recollection is that EVERY Brother is afflicted with this particular ailment.
I don’t need to buy a new installment of the BDB. I can just reread the old ones.
Great review!
#10 on the USA Today bestseller list (compared to #8 for the previous book, Lover Enshrined) is pretty darn good considering that this one was in hardcover. That often loses a lot of readers because of the price or because people like a little homogeny in their series books on their bookshelves. I have no doubt that if this one had been in PAPERBACK, it would have placed higher. (I would have bought it in paperback, even though I’m not as much of a fan of this series as I used to be.)
(In comparison, Patricia Briggs’ most recent Mercy book, Bone Crossed, which was her first entree into hardcover format, peaked at #23 on the USAT list. The previous book in that series, Iron Kissed — published only in paperback — had peaked at #14. So a big drop for Briggs’ hardcover debut. I was going to say, “Of course, maybe that was due in part to the fact that so many people were less than thrilled about the events at the end of Iron Kissed.” But then I figured it was still apples to apples, as many people were also less than thrilled about the whole of Lover Enshrined in general.)
Yes, it is. She has actually been climbing steadily in the USA Today list with each BDB book that she comes out with. No #1 yet, but she’s working her way there. I also think that the slight drop was due to the book being in hardcover. One thing though, since she started hitting the bestseller list, her books never managed to go up the rankings after its first week peak position nor held steady in that position. And the drop is usually big, especially in the USA today listing. Her maximum stay at the top 150 list is at 4 weeks only. It is rather surprising, give the amount of talk, interest or even controversy her books normally generates.
I’m eagerly waiting for the NYT release. She was #1 in the paperback mass market category last year for one week, then down it went. Nora Roberts new book, which was released the same day as hers, could be a competition but fortunately for her, Roberts book is in paperback (currently #3 in the USA Today). Balogh is hot on Ward’s heels at #13, Christine Feehan at #8, both in paperback and released at the same time.
Just one question. How the heck do you pronounce Xhex? Because that’s been bothering me for several books now. I can overlook a lot of extra h’s but that “xh” is throwing me for a loop.
@Sela Carson:
Xhex is pronounced Hex, according to Ward when she did a signing a few days ago up north. One of my fellow board mods went and heard that, got some books signed and had a good time. I always pronounced it Zex myself. I say just pronounce it however works best for you.
I’m slowly making my way through the book. I’ve got about 1/3 or so to go (even though I went spoilers before hand so I know all the important stuff). I kind of stopped and haven’t picked it up for a few days now. I’m in no rush whatsoever to get back to it.
What tickles me so damn much is the urban fantasy label. If this is urban fantasy it’s bad UF. Urban fantasy, the good ones, concentrate on building a good and convincing world, something this series has been unraveling since a few books back. There have actually been some really interesting points to the worldbuilding, but they come out of nowhere and are never expanded on again. Characterization and development is almost equally as important, but with the BDB, the formula is almost exactly the same for every major character. Toss in a troubled childhood, some brand of painful angst and stir with a healthy-sized stick of self-loathing. Even the women are barely spared a crack of the BDB whip. After a while, redundant doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Rehv was always my favorite. That being said, pretty much his and Ehlena’s (and JM and Xehx’s) parts are the only ones that are interesting. To enjoy them, though, I have to try to ignore a lot of what is frustrating about the series (which includes Lash, I’m completely skimming/skipping his parts) which isn’t good. If only about a third of a book is engaging, well, that’s not a very good book. I have a feeling so far that the book will rate from a “wish I’d read something else” to a bland “OK”.
There is a decided lack in the last three books, as opposed to the first four, which were much more romantic. I think it’s pretty obvious what some readers, like me, are missing the most.
@Sela: Spanish is my first language, so in my head I pronounce like I would “sex” in English. I didn’t know the author pronounced it “hex”.
This is why I book one was DNF for me. Somehow the *cracktasticness* was lost on me.
And I kept throwing in a “zh” sound, which just felt wrong. Hex it is. Thanks for the tip, KMont!
Sela, in the audio version of a previous book, Xhex is pronounced Zex. No idea if that’s correct and I always thought it was Hex.
Those who entirely skip the sections about Lash and the lessers (would Dave Barry think that’s a rock band name?) are missing some interesting developments, IMO. He adds real twists and brains to the dark side.
I am unashamed and unrepentant in my enjoyment of these books. In the manner of light switches on my walls, I know what they do, and while I have no clue how they work, I am pleased and delighted each time the lights come on. I’m invested in the characters, warts and all, and that’s as close as I can come to an explanation.
Personally, skimming/skipping Lash’s parts just means I’m of the opposite opinion. In Phury’s book, Lash was actually interesting. I loved the potential begun there with his character. Well-done villains are essential, else they’re just wasted space. In Lover Avenged, though, for me, that potential just didn’t soar like I hoped it would. Sorry, I just don’t think he’s adding any twists whatsoever at this point. However, due to what happens at the end, it looks like there might still be time and more chances to redeem his character, in the purely evil sense of course. For now, he’s flat boring.
I haven’t cracked LA since I got it on release day. I blame the 40% off coupon burning a hole in pocket. Borders already discounted LA at 30%, so I wonder if the book would have made it to even #10 sans discounting.
I’ll probabaly return my copy since I feel none of my BDB burn of yore.
Brenna said:
That just FLOORED ME. EW EW EW It went EVERYWHERE LOL! In a book where everything had a brand name such as toilet paper (Cottonelle) and juice ( CranRas) I was surprised there wasn’t a Bounty paper towel product placement there. “The quicker picker upper” lol
I did buy Phury’s book, but it is sitting in my TBR pile under my bed. Not a good place to be since I forget about those books often. V’s book pushed me to the edge. With Phury I bought the crack, I just haven’t smoked it.
Rhev is interesting to me, but there is no way I would pay hardcover prices for a book I’m not sure about. Maybe I’ll wait until it comes out in paperback.
Maybe if Ward brought back the romance I would be jonesing for a fix.
@Brenna:
I think there is a difference between fantasy exaggeration and the grotesque. The descriptions of JM’s hugeness after his change in Vishous’s book (?) and the Slice of Life short story, “The Letter Opener” (?) on Ward’s website, featuring a sexual encounter between Wrath and Beth with similarly over the top “completion” both crossed my personal line, throwing me right out of the story.
Ha! Phury’s book didn’t rate a spot under my bed. That’s where my special books go. *winknudge* Phury’s gathering dust on the bottom shelf of my bookshelf. Somewhere.
I agree with Kmont about Lash. What started out as a possible great villain he turned into a pouty, boo-hoo I want, I want, I want. The whole taking over the drug “biz” with that moron howdy doody Mr. D as in Dummy. For me it bordered on juvenile.
The Rehvenge and Ehlena parts on the phone, sorry didn’t get a cute warm fuzzy moment, more like an eye roll and a serious WTF? You hang up first, Noooo you. The sex scenes with Wrath and Beth were hot except that was ruined when Wrath started taking off her “stillies” and her “sevens” cause like the King would know she’s wearing Sevens right? Even the “outtie” and the “kays” were annoying.
I’m a reformed BDB addict after this. I held out for Rehv’s book and now it’s here. This romance reader is outtie.
Nothing survives under my bed because of the dog hair and dust rhinos. Way too scary under there!
I think this is the crack. In each book, there’s so much POTENTIAL! And then the next book just fizzles out, but has another character that shows such POTENTIAL. In another comment thread about JR Ward, someone mentioned that the books have become extended ads for their sequels, and I thought they had something there.
They’re such oddly-alluring books. Not well-written, not well-developed, a big ole mess of a plot, caricatures rather than characters, loose threads, inconsistencies, and oh so much WTFery. They no longer have enough romance to qualify as romances, they’re not nearly well-designed enough to qualify as urban fantasy.
And yet.
I kept calling the local bookstore to see if they had Lover Enshrined in yet (my town is slow to get new releases), but this time around, I can definitely wait until it’s available at the library.
I really agreed with the majority on here. B- but still disappointed. John Matthew being my favourite and her total 180 on him (though I can understand where she was coming from) totally made me =(. I liked his emo thing! :’)
But what I found most disturbing is the graphic violence in it, and the creepy sex. Incest? Really? I know exactly what scene with Xhex you were talking about and I thought it was totally unnecessary. Actually there were two scenes now that I think about it. The assasination and then the graveyard. Totally gratuitous IMHO. Allusion would have been just as successful. *shivers*
And addition of Payne? Like, why? I’ve known for years (member of the msg board) that she was gonna be in the series, but it seemed tacked on at the end. Heh, strange. Is it just another plot point that will take up space in J.M.’s book? Uh…….. YEAH!
I just finished the book yesterday and overall really liked it. Like a lot of you, I skim over a lot of the lesser stuff. I actually really enjoyed the Wrath/Beth storyline. I like seeing their HEA with bumps.
There were several people who wrote they didn’t enjoy John Matthew’s storyline. I actually really liked it. Not because it was pleasant, but because I thought it was realistic (yes, I know how laughable it is to use that term in BDB book!) It was believable to me that he would react how he did to that series of events. I really didn’t need to be there in the bathroom stall with him, though.
I liked Xhex, too. I’m curious to see where she goes from here. I was disappointed about the kidnapping aspect of things though. It feels like a repeat of Bella. And add in Lash’s lack of impotency… yuck.
Also, as many of you have mentioned, the sympath thing seemed waaaay underdeveloped. I didn’t get why the princess needed to be his sister. That was an added bonus ick for me. I didn’t appreciate the flash back details of their encounters either.
Still, and this is why I think it’s such wonderful crack… I LOVED it while I was reading it. Everything about it is ridiculous and over the top, but when I’m in the book, I’m totally involved. Crahck.
I’ve enjoyed coming back and reading all of the comments after mine. I thought of one thing as I was responding to comments on my pop culture blog about the horrific nightmare that is the new 90210. It is awful, yet I and a few of my lovely readers can’t stop watching it. The BDB is the 90210 of paranormal romance.
Mara,
Don’t be down on yourself! Rhage’s story was the best of the lot!
I agree. There’s a definite template that Ward is working from. It would probably bother me more if I was reading the books close together. I would love better characterization in the series.
Me too. Hmm. I’ll have to try to remember to think of her as Hex.
Villains are tricky for me because the better they are at being villains the more I hate them and the more upset it makes me to read about them. But I can usually at least appreciate a well-done one given some time and distance (Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series comes to mind. Oh, so much hate!). Lash just makes me feel like I need a bath. He’s not interesting, he’s just ugly. The time spent with the lessers has always been unpleasant because there is no refinement or cleverness there; they are just soulless and ugly. Lash brings a sadistic sexual dimension to the story that makes him extra icky to me. I know the story needs villains, but I’d rather not spend time on their POV.
That I actually didn’t mind, because at least I was getting some sense of connection there.
Yeah, I’m already wondering if there is going to be a book for Tohr? I’m a little unclear because of the undying-love-for-Wellsie thing. And I know it would probably be disappointing. And yet I find Tohr one of the more interesting characters at this point.
I know! It’s like, I find myself wondering, why don’t I hate this? It’s so strange!
To be fair, I think at least some of the things that for me make the books technically “bad” are pretty deliberate choices on the author’s part. I mean, it’s not like she’s some hack putting out crap that she doesn’t know it’s crap. I would assume Ward knows that her books are pretty over the top, for instance. And she’s certainly made a very deliberate decision to have the characters speak in a stylized way. I’ve heard it referred to as ghetto or gangsta speak, but about 9/10ths of it does not seem remotely “urban” to me (the one that always throws me is when one of the brothers uses the emphatic “so not” construction, because that’s one I associate very much with Chandler from “Friends” – not exactly a Lil’ Wayne clone.)
Yeah, I had to try not to even think about the incest part of it too much. I agree, so unnecessary. The assassination was disturbing but the graveyard scene was awful. I was bothered by the torture and grossed out by the coup de grace. What I found ridiculous was that Ward sort of alluded to it and that was plenty but then she had to make like three or four other references to it – the detective noticing it, one of the other characters (Lash, maybe?) commenting on it. I was like, OKAY, I get it. Yuck.
I kind of even forget who she is, but I’m very slightly intrigued by her at this point. Some new blood (ha ha) wouldn’t be the worst thing for this series.
I really liked this book compared to LE, which was just long and boring. The B- grade is not bad, i would give it a B.
But could do with less about Lash and the Lessers…whenever i took a break in my reading the idea that i would encounter them again once i got back to reading Lash is just a boring and selfish character, and the twist in him being the Omega’s son just makes me wonder where this series is going to end.
On the other note the Xhex ( Alex Hess) and John Matthew’s story was interesting and i really look foward to seeing what comes next, i hope the next book will be about them and the end of the series.
Rehv and Ehlena’s was good, but got buried in between all the other story lines and the whole sympath thing was never really explained.
Is anyone else interestde in knowing how Trez and Iam are different from the sympaths?
And when Xhex tought about Muhrder, is that Vishous father?
I feel like this book left a lot more questions than answers…
I’m on page 180 of LA. I am really enjoying it more than Phury’s. I wanted to like Phury’s book but it fell short. I love LU though. I loved it more than I ever expected cuz I hated V in the beginning.
I always skip over the lessers parts. I never did like Lash. But I’m forcing myself to read it because I want to know if something critical is going to come down.
Currently LA had more memorable parts than LEn, which I don’t remember anything from.
I think I would always like JR’s writing. I find it different from other writers. I do still consider this paranormal romance. There are basic elements of love and desire and wants and needs. I found it really great that JR is building this world and inviting us to see it and experience the hardcore aspects of this world. I keep thinking “What’s going to happen next?” I just wish she would write faster.
I just finished this book and absolutely LOVED it. This series is the best I’ve ever read.
JR Ward’s storytelling and character development is phenomenal. It just keeps getting better. I completely devoured this book.
Oh, and the editing was clearly taken in hand this time around. They heard us. :)
[...] at Dear Author wrote I will say that though I did not find Rehv’s and Ehlena’s relationship [...]
I really didn’t like the resolution of Vishous’ story, though. I was one of the readers going, “A ghost? You have got to be freaking kidding me!”
I don’t actually differentiate between the books in the series all that much. I liked Zsadist’s book best, but I don’t really remember why at this point. Even the change from being more romance-centered to more UF-centered – I believe that it’s happened based on what other readers have said but I don’t really see it. But I’ve gotten terrible about remembering books and their details as I’ve gotten older. Even series that I loooooove – like the Sookie Stackhouse series – I forget huge plot points between books – remembering what book something happened in would be way beyond my capabilities.
I don’t really get what they are. I just wish Ward would cease referring to them as “Moors”. Their whole portrayal is a little on the edge, IMO. I know the books are very broad in their characterization in general, but when two of the few minority characters fit so well into the “inscrutable yet devoted servant” category, I get a bit uncomfortable. Plus, in a series rife with stupid names, iAm has got to take the prize. I’m assuming it’s some sort of riff on whats-his-name from the Black Eyed Peas, but still.
I can’t agree more: these books are like CRACK!!!! I even got my teenage cousin addicted to them too! (She’s 18, so it’s ok.) I love the tragic-hero and sexual heroine dynamic. It’s to die for! And Zhadist and Johm Mathew bring me to tears! In L. Avenged, I was yelling at the book “No, John Mathew! No! Why?!?”
Jennie,
Taz & Iam are called “Shadows”. They are not “sin-eaters” like Xhex and Rhev, but they are discriminated against because they are different: they can make themselves unseen and drift like air/vapor under doorways, even if the door or room is lined with steel. I haven’t figured out if they “feed” or not. I get the impression they do. They are bestfriends and devoted to Rhev. As you know, consealing the identity of sympaths is punishable.
For those who haven’t or couldn’t stick with L. Avenged; try to, it gets good. I read it in three sittings. My eyes were bloodshot afterwards, but I can’t get enough. I’ve read the other books a second time.
I am PRAYING that the next book is Xhex (which I’ve been pronouncing as “Zex”) and John!!!!!! Xhex is such a bad ass! I love her. And I am totally IN-love with John Mathew! He’s so sweet. It’s been nice to see him grow up through-out the books and I think he’ll completely mature in this next one.
I read all the Sookie Stackhouse books, but the dialoge and intereaction between the characters is nothing compared to the Brotherhood. I’ve also read most of Kresley Cole’s Immortrals After Dark series which is a lot fun (demons, witches, weres, vamps, female warriors). Very fantasy and witty. My only criticism, is that the descriptions during the “romance” scenes are really anatomical, which is quite distracting.
Is there another series anyone can recommend?
Sami, have you tried Nalini Singh? Some people seem to really be hooked on Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series, though I only read the first book in that one. She has another series (Alpha and Omega) that started with a short story and has had one full book and has another one coming out – the characters are werewolves. I have enjoyed that one so far and am looking forward to the next book.
The Sookie Stackhouse books are so different from the BDB series it’s hard for me to compare them, but I do like Sookie a lot better. She’s just so relatable, whereas I can never feel that much of a connection to any of the BDB characters, because the characters and situations feel so unreal to me.
Hey everybody,
I’m a big Sci-Fi/Fantasy fan, so I read many different types of series.
Read my first BDB book about a month ago. I started with Dark Lover, which for me is still one of the better books in the series. I just finished the Phury book last week.
Like most of you on this board I felt the last Phury book was kind of a bore. I actually tried to concentrate on the John parts of the book more. Haven’t read this latest one yet, and it would have been nice if people would put a Spoiler alert before they post.
Anyway, currently my main issue with the BDB is that I was drown to the series because of the interaction between the brothers and how their lives are mixed with one another. That connection became more remote with each book.
I hope that this last book and the one after with get back to that.
Sami, I would recommend trying Kelly Armstrong Women of the Otherworld series. Bitten is a good start for the series. The world she created is much more diverse and even though the story is about supernatural, it is still some what connected to the “real world”.
It seems like the vampire craze will not be ending soon. Between Twilight, Sookie series, BDB and Women of the otherworld I think I read every possible point of view on vampires and the kind. With the 2nd Twilight movie coming out and the TrueBlood series, it seems like it will keep going for a while.
I’ve read all J.R. Ward books, and yes they are very addictive. I read them in such a short time – I loved all of her books. My favourites were Wrath’s story (because it was the first introduction to the books), Rhage and Zsadist stories. I found Lover Avenged to be quite different to the other story lines which was very smart of Ward. By this stage you’ve become more involved with the characters. Although the lessers and Lash are my least favourite parts, Ward needs to build a story line so without them there wouldn’t be one.
My favourites are Rhage,Zsdaist and Vishous & Butch’s relationship. Qhuinn and Blays story also suprised me in the earlier book which i thoroughly enjoyed…a little more happening here would be even better. Now i’ve grown to love John Matthew. His character has evolved and we’ve seen him grow into a man. I loved John M. and Xhex in Lover Avenged, and their relationship wasn’t the same old same old. I loved how he was treated by Xhex the first night and how he become so cold. Their relationship to this point is just about the sex – love your work JR! But there’s a lot of emotion i’m looking forward to reading about in any of Ward’s future books. Ward please bring out your next book soon!!
I love all the books!! It was so hard putting them down once I got started! They all have such good story lines and everything is so well thought out. I just love them. My favorite book is probably Lover Avenged! Followed by Zadist book, I love them all but if I had to pick it would start like that. I know there is going to be another book and I can’t wait!!! I think it is going to be about John even though I could be wrong. I like the whole brotherhood and their Shellans. I cant stand Lash and can’t wait until he gets whats coming to him! I would recommend these books to anyone!!!
[...] I was most disappointed by Marie-Terese. I liked the brief glimpse we’d had of her in Lover Avenged but in that book, my impression of her was that of a no-nonsense, tough woman who has to do [...]
I don’t understand all the complaining. The BDB series is one of the best most interesting ones out there. If it’s your taste. If it isnt, you can always read about Edward and Bella(the inferior if you ask me) staring at each other. The fast paced language, the slang etc is what got me hooked. The animalistic sex, and blood lust is what brings me back. I so dig the secondary characters being fleshed for us in Rhev’s book and getting our juices flowing for what’s to come. I cant wait for John’s, Quinn’s and Blay’s stories to play out.
This doesnt have to be a guilty pleasure. It can just be a pleasure. Everyone has a lil bit of vamptastic in them, and if they don’t, well they probably arent reading these books….or shouldnt be.
As for the disapointments in the series, well nobody pitches all perfect games. Phury’s book was a lil blah for my taste, but my cousin absolutley loved it. She thought V’s book was hard to get into while I could have sopped it up with a biscuit baby. With that said…Rhage is my man. Hell, they all are. JR Ward has created a world that we can escape to and not just in her books, but her website, the “interviews” with the boys, etc. Long Live the BDB! I like my vamps manly, unsparkled and punchin people in the face! Someone get me a freshy, Im parched.
I TOTALLY agree with Dawnandlo! This is just up my alley…. I love the fighting and the romance. Dawn as much as I like Rhage you can have him… V is totally my man! : )
“DAWNANDLO:The fast paced language, the slang etc is what got me hooked. The animalistic sex, and blood lust is what brings me back. I so dig the secondary characters being fleshed for us in Rhev's book and getting our juices flowing for what's to come. I cant wait for John's, Quinn's and Blay's stories to play out.
This doesnt have to be a guilty pleasure. It can just be a pleasure.”
Hey all I can say is I love you. Your BDB series are wonderful. You’re part of my reading along with cristine feehan and sherrilyn keyon. I love your models as well. By the way who’s the one one the cover of lover avenge? Gorgeous hunk, makes for good fantacy.Keep up the good work. You always have me in tears or laughing my @$$ off. Thank you! ;-)
ok, two years later and I´m commenting on this. What can I say, I´ve just started with the whole BDB books frenzy. I was really looking forward to know more about Rehv´s story and by the end of the book I confess I found out just about the same as I knew from the other books. I´m a big fan of details when it comes to life stories and the fact that his wasn´t completely told made me a little annoyed. I´m reading Lover Mine now and maybe it´ll give away some more info on Rehv, though. I like the plot better now that the author is filling it with other characters rather than just the hero/heroine story. Definetly Rehv is one of my favorite characters along with Xhex, Vishous and Phurry (even though Lover Enshrined wasn´t my favorite book so far).