Limecello’s Reflection of Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7) by J.R. Ward
Paranormal romance hardcover released by NAL 28 Apr 09
Well now. That’s about as much of a review as you’re going to get. After “talking” to Sybil about it, we decided this would go in the Ponderings section, which made everything much easier for me. No reason to be professional, or thoughtful and insightful within the constraints of writing a good review. Now, I get to ramble and let my thoughts wander at will. If I can even manage to type these words correctly.
Oh… right… and since this isn’t a review, this post will likely be spoilerific. If you hate spoilers, skip the middle part, and scroll down to the end where I talk general book stuff, please, because I really would like your input. (And I’m sure you’ll have something important to add – my hope, as always, is that someone important will see it and listen.)
I can’t write a review for this book in good conscience, because I’d say I didn’t read a good 40% of it. How does that work? I flipped through all the pages that had anything to do with “lessers.” And the civilian vampires. Frankly, I don’t care. I came into this series expecting to read about the Black Dagger Brotherhood members. And that’s what I chose to read. All the rest? Pretty un-involving.
I came into the series, and really liked it. (Oh as an aside, can I say I really like this cover? Looks great. Of course he also looks nothing like what I imagined Rehv would look like, but win some lose some. I will say that Ms. Ward does a pretty good job of including characters from previous books. (Perhaps a problem is she can’t let them go? Or at least… they jump in and out of importance as she needs them.)
First issue with the book? Wrath. And Beth. And you know, the other Brothers too. How would nobody but Butch know that Wrath is out hunting? First of all, I think the character are all too clever to be tricked for four months. Yes, Wrath has all those smart king genes, but come on. Aside from the obvious – in that Wrath is madly in love with Beth, and Beth is not a blithering idiot, the truth would have come out sooner. Wrath would have told her. He may have gone out regardless, but… it’s not really a secret he could keep. It would not have been a shock to Beth.
Then, Butch knows because he has to inhale the lessers. Ok, whatever. However, when Butch does this, he needs to be healed by Vishous. If Wrath has indeed been out killing lessers for four months, you’d think he’d have killed a lot. So Butch has to do his thing a lot. Which means a lot of recovery, and healing. He has a wife you know, okay, a shellan. Marissa would know. And she’d probably let it slip to someone else. And Vishous would’ve known too, as he would’ve had to heal Butch. Major gap here, but that’s like the first few pages, so we’ll ignore that.
I’m not really clear on the sympaths thing. I’m sure we’ll find out more about it later. I’m going to be honest and also say I pretty much forgot everything about the book already. I probably would’ve given it a C+ based on what I read. I mean, it’s good, don’t get me wrong – on the better side of average, a good, average read. Gets a C+ here. I don’t like what is going on with Phury. (And what is going on there?)
But I will say I LOVED Ehlena. She of course has a difficult life as all J.R. Ward heroines do, but she’s a real person, with a relatively normal struggle… and then she goes has a weak moment and steals drugs. (Ehlena is a nurse -she steals prescription meds for Rehv.) Of course she’s also fallen aristocracy. Whoops. There goes the normalcy. I don’t care. I heart Ehlena. I thought she was very realistic – until the breakup with Rehv. Yes, it made some sense because she was a nurse and so horrified by the drug overdose deaths, and finds out Rhev = the master dealer… but she was so emotionally invested at that point. I didn’t believe she could just walk away, or be so very unwilling to hear what he had to say. Then she bounces back a few chapters in – so it was all for dramatic effect, really.
Anyway, the strange and twisted courtship between Ehlena and Rehvenge is the cutest thing ever. I wish I could re-read all the scenes between them, but I can’t because the book was due. (Yes, I got it from the library. I’ve been drifting away from this series so I didn’t want to shell out the $25 for it – but also, I generally read books from the library. Libraries, being the wonderful, terrific things they are probably provide 70% of my leisure reading material, possibly more.)
My personal pet peeve is how spastic the characters are. Especially in their speech. And… I cannot imagine a brother, if he’s seriously as hardcore and badass as the book suggests, saying “oh em gee.” Even my uber geeky nerdboy friends don’t say “omg.”
Anyway, I love how Rehv and Ehlena are connected – they both feel alone, are drawn to each other, and find such comfort in the other’s presence. I loved their stilted courtship, and the conversations they had over the phone. It was so high school and cute. (I wonder if this is what the Twilight books are like – sans the high school/hormonal teenage emotion.) I really liked how into Ehlena Rehv was. There’s one line where it says his chest sparkled because he was so happy to be with her. It just makes you love them.
I will say that I liked Lover Avenged a lot more than the previous two books. I know it being in hardcover annoyed a lot of people, but … well it didn’t bother me because I got it from the library! I also liked that Ehlena had purpose, and was necessary. She also really and truly didn’t need Rehv to survive. Ehlena and her father were lucky enough to inherit a good sum of money, and she was totally fine on her own. (Aside from that whole emotionally involved thing.)
And now, we come to what bothered me most in the book. Xhex being “lost.” Are you kidding me? Especially considering how Ehlena found Rehv? Even if there’s some weird thing that empath blood is different… Rehv can still track Xhex down. Why? Because he’s half vampire. Accordingly, he can sense his blood in Xhex. Thus, Rehv can pinpoint where Xhex is, which is how a number of other characters have been found previously in the series. Perhaps John doesn’t know this. However, I think this is a giant plot hole, and I really hate unnecessary or weak drama. Ridiculous. (I’m also not big on a John/Xhex romance, but then what do I know. I also hate the idea of a Teddy/Lucy romance, for SEP.)
I also think everything has gone a bit far. Lash can now shoot energy balls? (And I didn’t know about it until the end/the big fight because remember I don’t read Lesser stuff. How the hell can you win over that? And Lassiter just stands around being useless – but I hope he hooks up with some vampire girl. That would be fun. Also because it doesn’t seem like the end is near, so with a slew of more books in this never ending series, I can hope for all sorts of ridiculous things that have a high likelihood of happening.
And what is with Dr. Manny? I also think/hope that Tohr and Payne will get together.
Anyway, enough with my wild conjectures. What do you think about the series? What did you think?
I hate my addiction to this series. The hardcover prices (in Australia: $40-55) will, I hope, cure me–especially after I found out that this is now an open-ended series.
I was all for Tohr/Payne, to, but … wanna spoiler? *g*
I don’t understand why I still read this series. I only loved Lover Eternal, and then I loved some individual scenes in Lover Awakened and Lover Revealed. Otherwise, the books have been average. Like you, I think Lover Avenged is an improvement over the previous 2 books, but I still feel like Ward doesn’t quite reach the emotional peaks that she did in her earlier books.
Oh, and the Wrath storyline annoyed me. It’s the kind of thing that should be in a novella and not taking up precious hardcover book space.
I’ve got it, and I did think about doing a review, but yeah, I had the same problem. I skipped. It’s moving from romance to urban fantasy, and I read romance. What would be interesting would be to get a uf/fantasy reader to have a go at it.
But it went right up the bestseller lists. In hardcover. So who is buying it? It’s doing well, but it hasn’t exactly had great reviews.
It’s been a few weeks since I read it but I pretty much agree with you. The name dropping product placement has gone from tiresome to hilarious. There are supposed to be several lessers working to kill the vampires but I just didn’t get an “army” vibe. Just Lash and Mr Southerntwang and whatever lesser is gonna die in the scene. I think they , as a group, were written better in the earlier books.
This book hardly had the Scribe Virgin and Omega in it. After they get so much play in other books it was a pretty glaring omission.
The Wrath story was simply bad. He lacked skills that were highlighted in earlier books. Payne. I dunno, maybe she’ll open a motivational ass kickin gym or something .
I liked your ponderings and pretty much agree with the C rating . C is for crack, yes? LOL
Here’s where I am on Lover Avenged…I started it just after the book came out, made it about 4 chapters in and hit the Giganto Wall o’ Brand Names. Could. Not. Deal. Put it aside and finally took it to a friend for her to read first. I’m waiting for her opinion before I dive back in.
>.<
Kat – Oh gosh – can you get this book from the library? Also O_o open ended?!
YES YES YES! You haz spoiler? Plz to share! (Normally I hate spoilers, but for this series, don’t so much care anymore.) I liked the series through Lover Revealed. But the next two… blah. And I DEFINITELY agree about the emotional aspect. I felt that she finally got some of it back in Lover Avenged… but you’re right. It’s not the same. The scenes between Rhage and Mary just ripped my heart out.
And yeah, oh gosh. What was with the Wrath side story?
Lynne – I know people started saying Ward was moving from romance to UF a book or two ago. I think UF/Fantasy readers might take issue to the first few books.
I think Ward still has a lot of fans – I’m waiting for them to come out of the woodwork though, because I haven’t ran into any yet.
I am disappointed about the genre change. I wish she would have done a spinoff, or something. It made me very unhappy when I first heard about it.
rebyj – Heh; at least you found entertainment, right?! I… think it’s ridiculous. I get the sense Ward has written herself into a corner a few times then busted out crazy things. E.g. Lesser armies? And only 3-4 Brothers fighting an army? Then the random Lassiter-ness.
Yeah; no Omega and Scribe Virgin= obvious. And the whole faded/weak/listless Scribe Virgin? Doesn’t say much for vampires as a race. Just roll over and die :X
Wrath… as I said… no. Heh MOTIVATIONAL GYM. That would be a HUGE genre change. 😛 And yes. C is for average… but crack. Or should we say… chrack? 😛
c2 – Heh. Uber wall? This is why I didn’t/couldn’t read it page for page. So I just kept flipping until I found something that caught my interest. I think that’s why I liked this book as much as I did. (Which, mind you, rests at a C+, which is average/good side of average.)
I nearly dropped it when I read the glossary at the front. Adding an H doesn’t make it a new word. It’s like Siouxsie and Koffee and Creme. Just not right. I got to “leahdyre” and nearly lost the will to live. Betcha can’t guess what it means! My daughter is a huge graphic novels/urban fantasy/steampunk fan and creator (you’d probably know her web name if I mentioned it) and she refuses to read it. She can’t deal with the h’s. So you’re probably right. So who’s reading it?
Tohr and Payne? OMG no. please no.
Can I have Lassiter? He cracks me up. Much love for Rehv. Wrath needs to shut his trap and just be the king.
Well, I was irritated. *pout* If I had wanted to read a catalog, I would have picked one up, wouldn’t I? I mean, does she talk like that?
“Oh honey, would you bring me some Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea, please? And some Pepperidge Farms Milanos to go with?” “Hey kids, don’t forget to use your Reach toothbrush with Crest Tartar Control toothpaste before you go to sleep.” Garrrrrr!
And off my brain goes, so I can’t concentrate on the story. :-p
Lynne – you know how I got over the glossary? O:-) I didn’t read it! Really! I saw one word and was like “omg wtf” so I decided not to look over it. HAHAHAHA. Please will you use “siouxsie” in a book? PLEASE? Or rather, PHLEASE?! 😉
katiebabs– I didn’t know it was Payne and Manny. When/where did Ms. Ward say that? (I don’t follow the boards etc, have been warned away from them. Also I’ve never much liked boards.)
*snerk* Not much sympathy for Wrath, across the board, it seems.
I haven’t been on the boards in a while but after Lover Unbound, people wondered if Butch and Manny were bros. She said no and that Manny was Payne’s future mate.
Wrath annoyed the crap out of me. On Weds, myself and 2 others will post our discussion about LA and lame ass boo hoo Wrath.
lol drinking the hatorade much? Where will the discussion be? Feel free to link to mine; I want to see who/where the people who are still 100% behind this series are!
The parts with Rehv and Ehlena sound good. Too bad I stopped reading with V’s story.
LIme-
I agree with you. I gave it a B-, but that’s only because I’d given Phury’s a C+ and like Lover Avenged a smidge more.
My issues? Basically everything you talked about, but my biggest was the complete and total personality change JM went thru. Yes, I could understand why he was pissed, but I HATED how he went from being a pretty decent guy to being a complete and total prick. Maybe that’s just me though. I dunno.
I still like the series and it’s still an autobuy for me. I want to know what happens to everyone. So, as to who’s reading, I guess the answer is I am!
I think Ward has tapped into some very strong tropes and characterizations, enough that people are moved to discuss the ways in which Ward did and did not succeed (in the various opinions) and that’s not a reaction just any writer can engender in her readers. A series with less vibrant characters would, I think, have fizzled out.
LA definitely included an actual Romance in LA. I liked Rhev and Ehlena’s romance quite a lot. I confess, I skipped the Lesser parts, which I have done in all the books. But I also usually skip Brockmann’s secondary plot lines, too.
Regarding JM, I thought Ward did a great job showing JM starting to grow up. It would be unrealistic, I feel, for such a young adult to be a Man from the get go. So I was OK with his pouting moodiness — because I expect that he’ll snap out of it by the time we get to his story.
Katiebabs– Also/another thing. Hm. I personally thought Tohr/Payne might work because Tohr is more of a “main character” which makes more sense to me personally. (As in pairing together people readers will be more invested in.) Of course I’m not a NYT bestselling author. 😛 Just a lowly reader who flipped through a 400? page headfuck 😛
Jane A– I would suggest getting Phury’s book, and Rehv’s book, both from the library, and flipping through just to read their romances. 🙂 Well, ok, I really like Phury’s, but his is skippable. (Though there’s the great scene where he charges… uh, obviously I’m not so much into the series because I can’t even remember the heroine’s name. I’d be embarassed other than… meh.)
Because really- Rehv and Ehlena? *sparkle*
Bridget – I don’t remember what I gave Phury’s book; maybe a C-? (Wow, I’m too lazy to do a search. My apologies.) JM… yeah see, I kinda flipped through that. I didn’t like how Xhex broke him. I thought he’d get over that a bit more easily. Or just… be an asshole to girls only/Xhex. Not to everyone, and become a total douchebag. :X I also think he acts pretty kid-ish when he is determined to go after Xhex on his own. I have little to no patience for dumass moves.
Carolyn- Hello! I’m leaning towards indifferent for the series, now, though I do like it. I’ll probably continue to get the book(s) from the library, but I won’t care if I get it on release day. I definietely won’t make it an autobuy. (But then, personally, I never really went that route, so it’s not a big factor or indicator for me.)
I see your point about the tropes; I disagree slightly, however, in that I think Ward did an AMAZING job developing everything in the first few books. I’d say 1-4. Terrific, fabulous, grab you by the heart strings and make crazed, obsessive fans. Truly.
However, with book 5, and then 6, she lost a lot of people. I think 5-7 (Although 7 was MUCH better than 5 & 6; although I admit I might feel this way due to the way I read Lover Avenged) were so different from the first four, that fans were left reeling, and still trying to figure out what the heck happened. Or really, that she did such a great job on the first four it still has a tie to the readers who are feeling rather burnt out.
LOL also, I think you might feel the way you do because you didn’t read all the “lesser” bits. That’s why I thought this book was on the better side of average.
As for John… I don’t mind how he acted; other than, he already had his teen phase. Once you transition you’re a man, and accordingly, he had to grow a pair. That annoyed me, but really. I think it was just… taken too far. If JM hadn’t changed QUITE so much, been SO abrupt in his 180… it would’ve been much more believable and workable. At least that’s how I felt. :X I will admit, however, I still wasn’t too concerned with his story. It was a far, far distant second to Rehv and Ehlena.
Maybe Payne can heal Tohr just like she smacked the crap out of oh woes is me Wrath.
katiebabs- lol. Maybe. Only I don’t think Tohr can take a beat down. >.< I think my Tohr/Payne hope really was a “main character” story dream. I mean, Payne/Manny? Really? Fine but… who is next? A Secret Long Lost nephew? Someone who is actually obscurely related to Fritz but actually a vampire? O_o
I finished LAv last week, and I really enjoyed it. I took a week to read it b/c although I have many quibbles with the universe (the slang, the name dropping, the immature behavior), I just really love it. I get totally enveloped in it. It’s like visiting old friends.
I don’t know if it’s because my expectations have changed (lowered?) but I think Ward’s getting a better handle on her newer style. Overall, all the plotlines were stronger, and the transitions back and forth were better. I seem to be in the minority, but I find Lash to be an amusing villain and it makes the lesser parts more interesting than before.
The romance was stronger than in the past two books. I liked Ehlena,but I find a certain sameness to all the heroines. Strong, but bland damsel in distress who just bowls the hardened brother over with her goodness and beauty. Eh.
Which brings me to JM/Xhex. Hated hermaphroditic Xhex at first. Hate! But I’ve grown to really like her, and am very invested in the JM/Xhex dynamic. I like his sweetness and her hardness, an interesting change for this universe. So I was totally unhappy with what was done here. Making JM into an angry, disillusioned guy that doesn’t give a crap? That hasn’t been done before! And Xhex into a traumatized damsel in distress? I’ll be pissed if she goes all girly and grows out her hair. I’m looking forward to reading it, still.
I can’t deal with the way the glymera talk. So dumb.
Gah, the email notifications didn’t work for me. Sorry! I see that the Tohr pairing has already been spoiled. 🙂 Like you, limecello, I wanted Payne/Tohr because I think there’s a natural conflict between Payne being a warrior and Tohr being old-fashioned and believing that the Brotherhood is for men only (per his “interview” on Ward’s site).
And yes, on the last chat Ward mentioned that she’d originally planned 10 books, but now it’s open-ended. Open-ended and released in hardcover. Maybe I should just take up REAL crack. (Yes, I can get it from the library, but they don’t get it in for months. Too long! I’ll know the entire story by then. My other option is to borrow it from friends.)
As for the genre change, I think it’s kind of an imposition on her romance fans to suddenly switch. First, only people active on her Boards would know that it’s changing. Second, why not just close the romance series and start a related uf series? Third, these books are neither romance nor uf. Fourth, her strength has always been the romance (or, rather, the angst leading up to the romance) and I’m not sure why she’s trying to move away from that.
[blockquote]Third, these books are neither romance nor uf. Fourth, her strength has always been the romance (or, rather, the angst leading up to the romance) and I’m not sure why she’s trying to move away from that.[/blockquote]
Good point, Kat! I definitely agree with you. Although I though this one worked better, they’ve still lost something. They were better when the romance was stronger. Is it just that she can’t let go of the characters?
I flat-out loved books 1-3. 4 started losing me, 5-6 were meh, and I “read” the latest by skimming it in the bookstore aisle–I tried to find something to hook me, but couldn’t.
Ward’s strength is definately as a romance writer, and the world she began was fairly simple and easy to follow–it also was overshadowed by the characters. The romances were hot, emotional, and drove the story.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that books 1-3 were created and sold as a package deal, as the subsequent books have lacked the same quality. Ward didn’t built a strong enough world in her originals to sustain an open-ended series. Her characters were strong, but not the worldbuilding that a series depends upon. The sheer number of inconsistencies and changes between books are a turn-off.
One thing I don’t get is…where the heck are her proof-readers, fact-checkers, and editors? Is Ward such a superstar that no one in the production stages will question the inconsistencies? It almost seems like the publishing team has agreed to turn the series into a parody with the continuation of overbearing name-dropping and soap-opera style relationships.
I so agree with Kat and LL.
I absolutely adored books 1-4. They are among my all-time favorite romance books. 5 was okay. 6 I didn’t care for at all.
Who’s buying the books? Well, I’m one of them. Why? I think because I have such strong feelings for the first 4 books, I keep hoping for a return to the style and quality of those books.
I, too, only skimmed through LA. We leave for the beach next week and I plan on reading it while there. (with no skimming!) But even with skimming, I can tell that I like it better than book 6.
I think JRW is getting a bit full of herself.
I have to quote LL:
[“One thing I don’t get is…where the heck are her proof-readers, fact-checkers, and editors? Is Ward such a superstar that no one in the production stages will question the inconsistencies? It almost seems like the publishing team has agreed to turn the series into a parody with the continuation of overbearing name-dropping and soap-opera style relationships.]
Do you get the sense that JRW could type up her grocery and to-do lists, publish them in hardcover, and ‘cellies’ would still snap them up???? I used to read the boards occassionally and get the group blogs. If someone dared critize her writing, other ‘cellies’ would attack and defend JRW to no end. It seemed that only ‘good opinions’ were expected and welcomed. With support like that, why not write whatever you want?
I’m not a huge fan of this series because of how weak the lesser plotline is. The lessers mismanage everything, yet we’re suppose to believe they’re terrifying.
I think JRW made a huge mistake in making Lash totally evil. Readers would be more interested if there was a chance of redemption. Think Angel & Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This ship sailed, however, when Lash killed his adopted parents and who knows what he has planned for Xhex. There’s no way to sugarcoat that.
That said, I really liked this book for all the reasons limcello stated. I enjoyed Rhev and Ehlaina and it was nice to see Torh recovering. I know JRW says no, but I still hold out hope that Wellsie will come back to Tohr.
Maybe I’m wrong, but can Rhev still track down Xhex when they never bonded, just exchanged blood? Was it even clear in this book how long it’s been since they fed from each other?
Last, JRW gave a hint as to when we’ll next see Payne. JRW said the answer to this is in Dark Lover. In DL, the Scribe Virgin says to Wrath, “I will come upon you and ask a favor.” JRW said this favor will play a vital role in Payne’s future.
I loved Dark Lover so my biggest issue with Lover Avenged is it seemed to kill Dark Lover.
Like devon I did not like xhex and john but I totally want it now but I LOVED Rhev and I see Ward picking up the habit where her book totally sets up the next book so well and then fails to deliver as well as she can. So maybe I should set my expections lower and I would be happier as well?
There are parts of the book I loved and worked and so much of it just let me going wtf. I am not labeling her as romance or urban fantasy or paranormal or whatev. She writes fiction.
There is a bit chunk not working in Lover Avenged and I am not sure if it is from spreading herself too thin or if she is just finding her way. The last two books are hands down better and hopefully the next will work.
It will be sad if she ends up like LKH and they totally stop editing her and just let her go over the edge at the same time LKH is a brand that makes money. It seems the publisher and the author are happy with that ::shrug::
I have read LAvenged twice and still don’t get it and after putting it down reread some of the other books which are far and away better. I like JR Ward. I like her a hella lot a big piece of me wonders if I keep reading because it makes me sad her books are no longer going to work for me.
I want to like the crack ::pout::
Devon – The slang makes me really mad. I can’t think about it. IT’s so valley girl. Haha, I think it also annoys me that other people can’t see it. I’M OUTTIE! 😛
I like seeing old characters, but it’s a little jarring other characters pop in and out of importance, as I said. I think possibly standards have changed/lowered, consdering the number of people who have said they didn’t read word for word, but skimmed/flipped through pages.
🙂 I don’t know if you’re in the minority because of that, so much as the rest of us don’t know anything about Lash because we aren’t reading those parts :X
I agree with the romance being stronger, and the sameness is something I noticed, but I don’t think it bothers me quite as much as you.
I think I’d like Xhex more if I could get a better grasp on her. Also her whole hermaphroditic thing has weirded me out. Yeah, and the 180 changes. I dunno. I’m not convinced at this point. And I really don’t see it.
Kat – Genius! And thanks for making me seem more brilliant 😉 I second everything you said and your reasons.
MORE THAN TEN BOOKS? … I shall refrain from saying anything else. Ah, sad about the library books. I generally try to reserve books 6 weeks before the release date – or as soon as they’re listed. I’m pretty on top of that.
As to the genre change, YES YES YES. That’s what I think/have been trying to say. And Devon too.
LL – If you read the romance between Rehv and Ehlena that might’ve grabbed your attention; but good call on the bookstore browse. I’m for it 🙂
I agree that there are a lot of inconsistencies, and it doesn’t seem the world can stand to being open ended. What with 4 brothers left and a whole army of lessers etc…
Heh. Not touching that last comment, though it did put a smile on my face.
Georganna – Good point! That’s what I was thinking earlier! (Also to Carolyn) – the first few books grabbed us so much, that we’re still somewhat invested in the BDB books. Just can’t quit ’em.
I’m not buying *now* but I might. Will have to decide. I definitely agree that Lover Avenged is closer to the first few books than say Phury’s. (Wtf was that. Seriously.) Pretty sure I graded it better too.
… I’ve heard all these stories about her board. I’m wondering if any will show up here…
Kim – I’ve never liked the lessers/understood them, so I stopped reading that story line a few book back. (I mean the Omega put part of himself in Butch? And/but now he has Lash?) Also the lessers can take down Brothers, and obviously civilians.
Maybe… Lash will… become better? O_o Maybe… Xhex will change Lash and then JM will be paired with Layla? O_O [HAHAH Do you like my wild conjectures?!] I will say that I don’t think Wellsie will come back. I mean I’d like her to, but that would not work. I’d… I think if she did I *would* quit the series.
I’m guessing for the Scribe Virgin favor… Payne is going to live in the compound. And sneak out and hook up with Manny, if that’s how it’s supposed to go. Something like that.
Sybil – I liked Dark Lover; and agree that Lover Avenged really changed that story/took away from it.
I’ve always loved Rehv, so I’m happy he’s with Ehlena, who I also liked a lot.
😛 Isn’t it a bit sad to lower expectations to like a book? I have no idea what genre she writes. I just believe she started out as a paranormal romance writer, with JR Ward, right? (I mean before that was Jessica Bird…)
Are you saying that you like Phury and Rehv’s book more than V’s? I don’t know about branding, but I agree that even with a lot of disenchanted readers, obviously JR Ward did something right – as we’re all pretty done, yet discussing the books.
Apparently none of us can quit the crack/chrack.
Georganna–
You’re right; I think there is a pretty large fan base that would buy anything Ward wrote–I’ve heard the grocery list comment numerous times, and usually wonder “really? you would pay money for “cheetos, Bud, q-tips, hamster food?”
Seriously though, if you were on the publishing team and knew your author had such a large, crazed “auto-buy” following, wouldn’t you tighten up the editing to make sure you kept that following and increased it? Maybe herd the followers to some of your other authors? The final project, IMO, doesn’t read as something that has been through a stringent editing process geared toward producing a bestseller.
And the cellies…well. It’s a given that when one visits an author’s messageboard, one should play nice–hostility and derision of his/her work is uncalled for–but I also think the cellies have sent many innocent posters limping off with their tails between their legs. Their particular brand of fanatical zeal has earned the cellies quite the reputation, hasn’t it?
quote-limecello: (Jane A- I would suggest getting Phury’s book, and Rehv’s book, both from the library, and flipping through just to read their romances. Well, ok, I really like Phury’s, but his is skippable. (Though there’s the great scene where he charges… uh, obviously I’m not so much into the series because I can’t even remember the heroine’s name. I’d be embarassed other than… meh.)
Because really- Rehv and Ehlena? *sparkle*)
The effort of wading through the c**p to get to the good parts makes it not worth it. I read the reviews and leave it at that. It’s too frustrating knowing how good the books *could* be. Makes me feel crabby. ha
I agree with Devon. I am still reading but I am not as in love with series as I once was. I discovered the series when the first three were out and the fourth was about to be released. I read them all in one big gulp and was hooked! After the disappointment in V’s and Phury’s stories I became less emotionally invested which is what happened to me with LKH’s Anita series. After she had the big break with Richard I still read the stories cause I can’t quit them. But I really enjoyed Lover Avenged because of the sweet scenes between Ehlena and Rehv. And by the way, Twilight is not as sweet as that, imho.
Sybil: LKH isn’t edited? She has the same deal as Anne Rice? WTF??
LL-
You are absolutely right about editing. Authors who have a long drawn out series of books should have a team that can ‘fact’ check new books for consistency within the series – be it for personalities, physical characteristics, time lines, etc.
Of the many quirks in the BDB books, the one things that bugged me the most was in Phury’s book. Quinn had just gotten his tats on the back of his neck after he became John’s protector. The date on the tat was a date later than the book was even published. So if JRW is telling a history as told to her my the brotherhood as she claims, why the future date? – Dunno, it’s just one of those things that stuck with me and drove me nuts.:-)
Oh my gosh! Haha you’re all so harsh! :X
LL – I’m curious as to who/where the cellies are. Maybe they ONLY stick to the boards? And yeah – sad about the editing.
Jane A – :X Haha, I think I’ve given up on the books :X So… I’ll take what I can get because I do/did want to know how everything would turn out. Granted now that people are saying it’s open ended? O_o
Leslee– I think Ward has managed to re-reel in a number of readers with Lover Avenged. I know I’m feeling much better about and towards this series than I was before I rad this book.
Georganna O_o I … did not see that/remember that. Haha, cannot think about it >.< Too many errors and messed up.
I keep trying to read this one, and at my third attempt, I have to say Epic Fail.
So it’s now an official DNF for me, I don’t think I’ll try again. At least this time I got far enough in to begin to see why I won’t read on.
1. Too much going on. The minute the story starts rolling, and things start happening, the minute you start to get interested in a character – the scene flips to someone else, somewhere else. Since I have this book in electronic format, it’s tempting to split it into its parts. I suspect Ward might have written it like this, then spliced it together. But I don’t care any more. I don’t want to have to keep picking up stories here and there.
2. Lots of scenes that don’t matter. This book could have done with a good editor, it really could. Elena (Ehlehna, Ehlehnha?) gets up, looks after her poor old Dad and goes to work, gets stood up on a date. I Don’t Care. All this could have been skipped or shortened, so that an impatient reader like me gets into the story quicker. I think it might have been done so that the timeline is retained, but no.
I might skim it to see what actually happens, but apart from that, I don’t think I’m going there again.
Okay. I obviously have to now write my review so that I can set you ladies straight.
I really liked this book. Was it perfect? No. Was it a fun read? Absolutely.
But I also like radish and butter saltine sandwiches and The Three Stooges.
I liked Lover Avenged I didn’t like it. I thought it was average/better than average as books go, so maybe C+. It’s definitely better than I was *expecting* that’s for sure. I liked it a LOT more than the previous two. But did I love it as much as the first four? No.
So… like. C+ 🙂 Maybe if I was feeling really generous, a B-. But honestly – I think a lot of the warm feelings come from it being so much better than the previous 2, which isn’t saying much. Although, yes, Rehv and Ehlena’s story is deliciously tragic and makes me all melty. Yay.