Gwen’s review of Covet (The Fallen Angels, Book 1) by J.R. Ward
Contemporary paranormal romance released by Signet 29 Sep 09

With the Fallen Angels books we get a new set of bad guys, some cameos of the BDB and related characters, and a new set of good guys – angels.  I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing something of Lassiter in future Angels books. So you ask, is this book good? Well, yes and no. 

Covet is an interesting paranormal romance. I think it’s WAY too long, but is still an entertaining read.  I read nearly all of it, though I admit to skimming some of the paragraphs simply because how many times did I need to read about the heroine’s guilt or the hero’s obsession with money.  However, Ward is setting up a new world here, so I cut her some slack.

I was a bit perplexed about the title.  Greed is a deadly sin but coveting isn’t.  Though I guess they’re related.  Dumb thing to pick up on, I realize, but it bugged me.  Regardless, the cover art rocks.

As with the BDB books, in Covet Ward indulges a bit too much in the period.as.a.speech.pacing.tool.  I seriously hate it when authors do that.  Totally throws off my reading rhythm.  I wish the author would just say “he ground out” or “he said slowly” or anything except mess.with.my.reading.mojo with a stinkin’ grammatical stop sign.  There’s a lot of that in Covet.  There’s also a lot of slang like “freshies” and other oddities that will make this book a hoot to read in about ten years.

The romance between Vin and Marie-Therese is sweet and fun to read.  The heroine’s profession and personal situation is heartbreaking to read about.  The hero is much more understanding than you can imagine.  I was happy to read about their HEA, but I sincerely wonder how a couple can overcome all they have to overcome.

The good guys are interesting – Jim Heron is a terrific fallen angel.  He’s just bad enough to be fun and still noble.  I do wonder what’s going to happen in the next few novels in this series.  And if Dog is more than he appears to be.

There’s no vampires or lessers, but there are demons and angels, plus some hot romance and cool action.  I did feel like the pacing dragged a bit – again, the book is just too long.

I can recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the author and is looking for a new, but similar series to the BDB.

Grade: B-

Summary:

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.

Read an excerpt here.