Sammy’s review of Dearest Ivie (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 15.5) by J.R. Ward
Paranormal Romance published by Ballantine Books 13 Mar 18
I have to confess to having a love/hate relationship with this series. Yet, I can’t seem to quit it. I guess that’s because J.R. Ward writes a damn good book, even though some books want me to burn shit down (The Shadows, anyone?) I am a little gun shy after that book. I guess you can say I lost trust in how these books are going. While I love the world she created and I want to know all about how the characters end up, a little bit of that shine for me has dulled. I was excited to see that she was putting out a novella based on the world. Especially that it was about an Aristocrat and a Civilian. I love when one of the characters are from the wrong side of the tracks. If only that was what this novella was about …
“When she had been kissing Silas, her movie had been in color and with full sound, IMAX all the way. And it was hard to transition back from that.”
The first 30% of this novella was fantastic. I absolutely LOVED Ivie and Silas. Their witty banter was off the charts. Ivie’s sarcasm was hysterical, and Silas’ very proper speak was amusing as well. They meet by chance in a cigar bar in Caldwell. Ivie is nursing a drink on her night off with her cousin. They both work for Havers as nurses. Ivie’s cousin Rubes notices a gorgeous vampire staring at Ivie and sets the scene for them to be introduced. Once she sets things in motion, she leaves Ivie to her own devices and the witty banter ensues between them. Ivie is a bit standoffish, since he’s very wealthy and she’s not. But Silas doesn’t give up and asks her to meet him at 10:00 the next night for dinner at Sal’s.
Ivie’s not sure she wants to go. She has her doubts, but she puts on her big-girl panties and shows up. The sparks between the two will melt your e-reader. When they kiss I think it’s hotter than the actual sex they have later down the road. I love that Ivie is upfront and honest about her feelings and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Silas, on the other hand, has a HUGE secret and, boy, is it a doozy. At this point I know something is really wrong and this is when I almost flung my kindle into the fireplace. We were doing so good up until this point, I want to tell you up front there will be SPOILERS below. If you don’t want to continue reading, please stop here.
Silas has been acting strange. He doesn’t eat, when they have sex he doesn’t remove his shirt. He never stays the night or invites her to his house. Ivie has to attend a party with her family and she is hesitant because her parents are poor and she doesn’t want him to judge them. Of course, Silas is a perfect gentleman and after the threats from her father, her whole family really embraces him. After the party they wind up having sex in his SUV and then she doesn’t hear from him for days. While she’s at work, Rubes, who works in the VIP section of the hospital, sees Silas being treated. She, of course, runs and gets Ivie. We find out that Silas is dying from a vampire disease that is on par with Lupus. Let me just stop right fucking here for a second. Here we go again with someone else dropping dead in this series. I am so sick and tired of this dying thing. Every damn book has someone on the brink of death or dead. This just freakin’ ruined the first part of the book for me.
Ivie’s family rally around her and she has a moment with her father that will make you cry. Ivie is a true fighter and she won’t accept that he’s dying and gets together with Havers (who is a bit better in this book) and tells her about the doctors who work for the King. She asks for an audience with Wrath and he sends Manny and Jane to see if they can help. They decide to do a bone marrow transplant and call on everyone to have their blood checked to see who is a match. Rhune turns out to be that vampire. I haven’t met Rhune yet, because I am behind on the Legacy books. Long story short, the bone marrow transplant works and they live happily ever after for now.
I just rolled my eyes up into my head so hard I gave myself a headache. Then I had the misfortune of reading the first two chapters of The Thief and we have more medical problems with Assail. I am just exhausted from all this dying nonsense. What happened to the fight with the Lessors and the Omega. Where’s Lash? No, now we get Grey’s Anatomy vampire style. I would give the first part of the book an A, the middle a big fat fucking F, and the ending a B. We here at The Pond can only put one grade and that’s a C for me. I know fans of this series (the diehards) will love this novella. Me? Not so much.
Grade:C
Summary:
The last place Ivie expects to be approached by a devastatingly handsome male is in a crowded, smoky cigar bar rarely frequented by vampires—yet here he stands. Silas is flirtatious, gallant, and, above all, mysterious. Ivie is anything but. A nurse at the healer’s clinic and the daughter of a biker, Ivie is accustomed to speaking her mind. So she does. Since aristocrats rarely pick up females of her class, Ivie asks Silas just what kind of game he thinks he’s playing.
Despite her guarded exterior, Ivie surrenders to the fierce desire she feels for Silas. And yet, just as their courtship is heating up, he reveals that it cannot last, for he is bound to return to the Old Country. Their bond only deepens as they make the most of their precious time together. But when she learns the truth, Ivie must find a saving grace—before all is lost. . . .
No excerpt available.
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