Adult Review: Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 9
Format: Kindle Edition
Release Date: March 29th 2011

Synopsis:

Few authors give readers such a “powerful rush”* as #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward does in her phenomenal books of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Now she returns to that fiercely intoxicating world in a new novel of a woman’s journey from terrifying enslavement to an erotic rapture that proves equally dangerous…

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either.

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.

Links:
Amazon - B&N - Goodreads

It's funny, because anyone who spoke to me when I first started blogging knows I had tried reading this series before with no luck whatsoever. After a couple paragraphs of Lover Unleashed I realized, this is the book that made me NOT want to even start the series. I started out of order, go figure. Funnier still, that even after having read the previous books and having a better understanding of who these guys are and what their world is about, I STILL don't like the book and honestly I could have done without reading it.

"I came to you, Jane. Every night this week, I came to you. I didn't want you to be alone. And I didn't want to sleep without you."

I know this is Payne & Manello's book, but in all honesty it felt like Vishous and Jane's book to me. The whole book seemed centered on their relationship and how it was falling apart because V was having coping issues and couldn't seem to be able to talk to Jane about it. I love Vishous, true. He is one of my favorite Brothers and I love how much of an ass he is sometimes, and those moments of vulnerability he shows are priceless. I still don't believe he and Jane are a good match, I wasn't thrilled about the outcome of Lover Unbound, but if he loves her what can I do? C'est la vie. *shrugs*

Reviews Redux: THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost

Hi everyone!! Welcome to Reviews Redux! Before I joined Neyra as the co-blogger to Darkest Addictions, I had my own book blog. Now that I've moved here, I don't want my old reviews to get lost in the vast Internet world. That's what this feature is for. Every week, I'll move 1 to 2 old reviews from my previous blog to this one and delete them from my old blog. I'm not moving all the reviews, just some of the most important ones, about 20-30 in total. If you've read them before, great! If you haven't, I hope you find some new gems in those older books I've read!

Title: This Side of the Grave

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Series: Night Huntress #5

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: February 22, 2011

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:
Danger waits on both sides of the grave.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"; the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

Review:
In the 5th installment of the Night Huntress series, Cat and Bones are faced with the threat of war. Apollyon, the ghoul we met in the previous book, continues to incite hatred among the ghouls. Cat and Bones, along with their friends, are doing everything they can to stop a war from breaking out among ghouls and vampires.

This one wasn’t quite as exciting or action-packed as the others. Instead of the endless action I’m used to from the series, this one had a lot of self-reflection from Cat. Whenever she thinks of something, she’d go off on a long tangent about it. It sounds very stream of conscious, but it stopped the flow of the story and actually made it drag.

Also, the danger from the war seems a bit contrived. We have only Cat’s words on how bad this war will be, but we rarely actually see the tensions between ghouls and vampires. We are mostly told that vampires are disappearing and that tensions are rising, but I couldn’t feel the tension between the species at all. In the end I felt that the situation was exaggerated to give this book a plot, but it just wasn’t exciting.

I also miss the humor that I’m used to from Ms. Frost’s works. This book was a bit more serious than some others. I still wished that there were more witty and snarky conversations from my favorite characters. Instead the most “humor” I got was from Cat’s embarrassment concerning sex. Whenever someone says or does anything insinuating, Cat turns into “embarrassed teenage girl”. Most of the time I wish she’d just grow up and stop being embarrassed so easily.

Cat and Bones’ relationship in this book has matured. While it’s a great thing for them, it’s not so much fun reading about it. Is it bad of me to miss their fights sometimes? Now they’re so lovey dovey that it’s kind of annoying. What happened to fight first and sex later?

Overall, I liked the book. This one just isn’t as solid of a sequel as the previous ones that I’ve read. Considering the 4th book wrung my emotions dry, I’d expected to feel more in this book as well, but I just didn’t get that. I still recommend the series in general. I just hope the next one will be better. 

Reviews Redux: DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost

Hi everyone!! Welcome to Reviews Redux! Before I joined Neyra as the co-blogger to Darkest Addictions, I had my own book blog. Now that I've moved here, I don't want my old reviews to get lost in the vast Internet world. That's what this feature is for. Every week, I'll move 1 to 2 old reviews from my previous blog to this one and delete them from my old blog. I'm not moving all the reviews, just some of the most important ones, about 20-30 in total. If you've read them before, great! If you haven't, I hope you find some new gems in those older books I've read!

Title: Destined for an Early Grave

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Series: Night Huntress #4

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: July 28, 2009

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:
Her dreams leave her in grave danger…

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they’ve fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it’s time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She’s having visions of a vampire named Gregor who’s more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn’t know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won’t stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who has her heart, only Cat can break Gregor’s hold over her. She’ll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she’s ever faced … even if getting that power will result in an early grave. 

Review:
There’s just never a day of peace in the lives of Cat and Bones. Their romantic vacation is interrupted when Cat begins to have strange dreams about Gregor, another vampire who claims to be Cat’s husband before she met Bones. Gregor’s claim, if substantiated, means that Cat belongs to him and not Bones under vampire law. Now Cat must find out what happened in her past and stop Gregor if she wants to stay with Bones.

A lot of things happened in this book that made me laugh and cry and just plain want to kick and hug the characters at the same time. I loved this book because I just couldn’t stop reading once I started. Forget chores, forget work, forget real life, there is only Cat and Bones and how they’re going to solve this new obstacle in their relationship.

Cat and Bones have their differences, and they’ve definitely had their relationship spats over the last few books, but never as bad as this one. In this book when they’re mad, they’re furious and crazy and threw insults at each other like there’s no tomorrow, like they’re mortal enemies instead of lovers. I was really worried for their relationship. Halfway through I wanted to throw the book away because I was so mad, but I couldn’t, because I cared too much and I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next.

I love how strong Cat and Bones are as a couple. They stick with one another, no matter their differences. Yeah, both of them are stubborn and protective, and their personality might sometimes drive a wedge between them, but in the end they always come back because they love the other person. There’s no one else for them. I love that about them.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the same series without some humor despite all the bad times. I love Vlad, who shows up a lot. He and Bones do not get along! Hehe. Then there’re all the vampire laws that makes my head spin. Damn these vampires have more rules than humans, with their bloodlines and hierarchies. Not to mention the twists near the end and everything that happens that will change the rest of this series. I can’t wait to see what Jeaniene Frost has up her sleeves and what’s in the future for Cat and Bones.

Anyhow, this one is a great addition to the series and my new favorite. Yeah, parts of it made me mad, but in a good way because I was so invested in the characters and what happens in their lives that I have to cheer for them, not because I hated anyone or anything. I do recommend that you set aside some free time when reading this because once you start, you won’t want to stop until you’re finished!

COVER REVEAL: KINSLAYER by Jay Kristoff

Expected Publication: September 17, 2013
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A SHATTERED EMPIRE
The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously – by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead.

A DARK LEGACY
Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé
rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.

A GATHERING STORM
Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat.

The ghosts of a blood-stained past.

Jay Kristoff grew up in the most isolated capital city on earth and fled at his earliest convenience, although he’s been known to trek back for weddings of the particularly nice and funerals of the particularly wealthy. He spent most of his formative years locked in his bedroom with piles of books, or gathered around dimly-lit tables rolling polyhedral dice. Being the holder of an Arts degree, he has no education to speak of. Jay’s debut novel, STORMDANCER, a Japanese-inspired steampunk fantasy, will be published by St Martin’s Press/Tor UK in September 2012 as the first installment of THE LOTUS WAR trilogy. Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13870 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell. He does not believe in happy endings.
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