Sweet Vernal Zephyr

Succinct Book Reviews
(aka Creating & Whit)

Showing posts with label Ward. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ward. Show all posts

Crave - Paranormal Review

Posted by Sweet Vernal Zephyr comments (4)

Love across the tracks and evil staining the God-forsaken world.

Crave
A Novel of the Fallen Angels
by JR Ward

Seven deadly sins. Seven souls that must be saved. One more no-holds- barred battle between a fallen angel with a hardened heart and a demon with everything to lose. Isaac Rothe is a black ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her can only lead to trouble-and that's before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil.
My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART

• Ghostly wings are a very accurate representation of his ability to be both seen and unseen in the human realm.
• Hard stone background foreshadows the rough nature of this story.
• Author's name is fighting with the book title.


PARANORMALITY

• Angels
• Demons


SEXUALITY

• M/F, taboo
• Rape, paranormal
• Unconsensual sadism


REVIEW

• Ms. Ward's extreme use of slang always takes a minute or so to get into. But now the unique vernacular of her world is running through my head. I better be careful not let it seep into my language too.


• Sexual tension builds into a jenga tower. Ms. Ward has honed her skills and always leaves me breathless with both the build up and the culmination.


• Get sucked into the world of extreme danger and sexy mysteries. You won't be fighting to keep the smile off your face, but you surely will be trying to stave off a blush or too!


• Piercing jewelry on men - HOT!


• Looks like Jim is coming into his own as an angel this go around. Last book he was just a regular guy. This time he has powers he doesn't even know about, not to mention his two un-angelic sidekicks.


• Devina actually garners a little tiny bit of sympathy while in her session with the shrink. I like that the glossy black shine of evil has a tarnish here or there even though it is still dark as pitch underneath.

• The relationship fatalism between Grier and Issac gets a bit tiresome. 

• Wicked scene in Hell with Devina. What is up with the supernova burst?!

• Whoa! What is up with the ending. Feels like a Harlequin... lol but SOOOO not really.

Read a a first impressions excerpt HERE.

Did you review this book too?
Comment with your link!

REVIEW: Covet

Posted by Sweet Vernal Zephyr comments (2)

Covet
A Novel of the Fallen Angels
by J. R. Ward
Audiobook runtime: 14 hours 42 minutes


Redemption isn’t a word Jim Heron knows much about—his specialty, both personally and professionally, is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. His weapon: the power of love. His enemy: the darkest of evil. And failure is not an option.

Vincent Di Pietro has surrendered himself to his business—until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior, and a woman who will make him question his destiny. With an ancient evil ready to claim him, Vin has to work with a fallen angel not only to win his beloved over…but to redeem his very soul.
My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
  • Got a bit of a conflict going on with the text size. What is more important, the author or the title?
  • Very nice use of blackletter style font for the secondary series title.
  • I miss the dog, guess a pup on the cover would convey the wrong tone.
  • Mr. Leather clad motorcycle man has a very similar tone to the BDB novels, appropriate since both series reside in the same world.

PARANORMALITY
  • Angels
  • Demons
  • Dog

SEXUALITY
  • M/F
  • Prostitution

REVIEW
  • There is a bit of graphic violence, just to warn you and foreshadow the tone.

  • More thriller, less romance.

  • Parallel events within the already established Black Dagger Brotherhood world of Caldwell, NY.

  • Primary characters Trey & Marie-Terese were secondary characters in BDB.

  • What is up with Dog? Humm... this constant companion is more than he seems.

  • Sometimes I wonder just who is angel and demon... they are not as clear cut as you would think. Shady motives abound.

  • Lots of questions left open at the end. Leaves you hungry for the next book in the series.

  • Titillating sex scene at Vin's childhood home, intense emotion and unpredictable actions integrated it into the story. The lead up to this scene made it even better. Sure did heat up my earbuds! And I must admit, I listened to it a couple times. But of course that is because my mp3 player was acting up... yeah.... that's why that section repeated over and over again.

  • I kinda lost my steam close to the end with Divina moving house. For some reason I was sick of her character already. But at the very end, Jim's 2 side kicks describe/warn him about her possible future actions and I got excited again. She wasn't so boring with a little extra explanation.

  • Yay! HEA... for at least someone! But don't confuse that with light. Heavy is the tone of this tome.

  • Dark apocolypitic theme leads me to believe that there will be 7 books in this series, one for each deadly sin.

  • Ms. Ward's style is very evident. If you liked BDB, I think you could easily get sucked into this series as well.

Read an excerpt HERE.

Listen to an excerpt -->

This book was spotlighted on my Tuesday Teaser HERE.

Did you review this book too?
Comment with your link! (at the top of this post)

Sweet nightmares...

Comment link is at the top of the post.

REVIEW: Lover Mine

Posted by Sweet Vernal Zephyr comments (7)

Lover Mine
Black Dagger Brotherhood #8
by J. R. Ward
Audiobook runtime: 22 hours, 3 minutes



In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. Long divided as a terrifying battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate.

Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates.
My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
  • Ties in well with the series, but a little generic
  • Typographical hierarchy stutters a bit with the Author larger than the title
  • Beautiful integration of the BDB series ID without confusion

PARANORMALITY
  • Vampires
  • Gods
  • Demons

SEXUALITY
  • M/F
  • M/M
  • Public
  • Voyeuristic
  • Virgin
  • Rape

REVIEW
  • Harsh, Intense, Love, Hate, Loyalty, Betrayal

  • Some pretty rough stuff is described: bloody rape, violent rape, conscious decomposition

  • The key element/repeating theme in this story is trust...

  • Multiple story lines intertwine: John & Xhex, Qhuinn & Blay

  • Multiple reveals at the end tie up seemingly random plot lines

  • Loose ends: Payne, Qhuinn, Tohr

  • Emotional process is in depth and not streamlined. One step forward, two steps back happens frequently—realistically.

  • The story sucked me in! Therefore I kinda don't have a lot of bullets for you on this review. I didn't have time to analyze, too busy becoming one with the story!

  • And, I really really don't like spoilers... and this whole book is kinda one. LOL Guess you'll just have to read it! I recommend it.

Read an excerpt HERE.

This book was spotlighted on my Tuesday Teaser HERE.

Did you review this book too?
Comment with your link! (at the top of this post)

Sweet daydreams...

Comment link is at the top of the post.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!
• Grab your current read & open to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers
• Note the title & author


MY TEASE

"Jim shook his head and planted his ass back on the floor,
figuring that if his brain wasn't working right,
he wasn't about to chance his knees anymore
in the event they decided to take up the fad."

~ page 101, Covet: A Novel of the Fallen Angels by J. R. Ward





This series is running parallel to the Black Dagger Brotherhood world... very cool.

Are you feeling teased? Comment at the top of the post.

Teaser Tuesday with Xhex

Posted by Sweet Vernal Zephyr comments (13)


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!
• Grab your current read & open to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers
• Note the title & author


MY TEASE

"Although vampires believed in the Scribe Virgin, symphaths had no conception of an afterlife.

To them, death was an exit ramp not to another highway, but to a brick wall that you slammed into."

~ pg. 62, Lover Mine: A Blackdagger Brotherhood Novel by J. R. Ward





Very very hard to find a teaser that isn't a spoiler too!

Are you feeling teased?
Comment at the top of the post.

REVIEW: Lover Avenged

Posted by Sweet Vernal Zephyr comments (2)


Lover Avenged:
A Black Dagger Brotherhood novel
by J.R. Ward

Caldwell, N.Y. has long been the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It's also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and notorious nightclub that caters to the rich and heavily armed.

His shadowy reputation is exactly why he's approached to kill Wrath, the Bling King, and the leader of the Brotherhood. Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a member. Because he's a sympath, his identity is a deadly secret—the revelation of which will result in his banishment to a colony for sociopaths.

And as plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll against Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in a darkening world—Elhena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him—and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

COVER ART:
Striking, Clean, Successful use of the series identification, Cover model easily could be Rehvenge but I wish I could see the mohawk, sable coat or cane!, Author's name is larger than the title -uhgg*

PARANORMALITY:
Modern Day, Vampires, Sympaths, Demons/Lessers, Ghosts

SEXUALITY:
M/F, Strong but not vulgar, Restrained but still hot

REVIEW:
I was just tickled pink by the use of vulgar vernacular throughout. I knew from reading excerpts on Ward's website that the style was unique but I was surprised by how refreshing it was, almost an echo in my head of what my personal reaction would have been in that particular situation. Very well done.

I have not read any of the previous Black Dagger Brotherhood novels and it did take me a while to catch up on the vocabulary BUT this novel was satisfying as a stand alone. The awareness of dangling story threads from both the past and the future did not distract from the current story being told.

The quality that will have me coming back to this author and series again and again is simple. The relationships are not neat and perfect. Lovers quarrel and may strive for happily every after, but it is not really obtained - as per real life. That is the most endearing quality, it feels real.

The detailing is exquisite. The language is course but the story rings true, as true as a paranormal can - I strongly suggest it, especially to lovers of Dark Urban Fantasy.

* I'm a graphic artist. We are trained to be vicious bloodsucking weapons of truth, hence the "rough" critiques/reviews. It's not that I don't like this novel. Simply, everything can be better. And examining what could be polished allows me to learn and better MY skills.

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