Black Dagger Brotherhood Series: Lover at Last

I don't know if you guys picked up on this, but I was pretty excited about Lover at Last coming out. I think I was pretty subdued...

No?

Anyway, I finished it the other day but I had varsity related stuff to deal with so I didn't get a chance to tell you guys just how FREAKING AWESOME it was!!!

Warning: there will be fangirling. Lots and lots of fangirling.

Blay and Qhuinn... these boys just broke my poor little heart. The WARDen didn't pull any punches, and right from the beginning she started pulling on your heartstrings. The prologue was just so damn sad! And the emotional torment just kept on coming. There were times where it seemed like Blay and Qhuinn were never going to get their shit together. It was so stressful! Just when you thought they were making some progress, meeting each other halfway, then BAM! Misunderstandings, a lack of communication, and the WARDen's refusal to make things easy on her readers had me sitting on the edge of my seat. These two worked so hard and they only got their HEA riiiiiight at the end. But, holy crap, was it worth it! Honestly, the way this book ended had me choked up and I almost never cry while reading. I cannot remember reading a more beautiful HEA.

Now on to the side stories: since this is J.R Ward, there were a lot. I'll discuss them all separately.

  First there's the whole Layla/Xcor thing. I have always liked Layla. And now I like her even better because she's discovered her backbone! Man, I got such a kick to hear Layla going all grrr... on Phury. She was fierce! 

In the Old Language, she hissed, “If any harm shall befall him, I will come after you, and find you where you sleep. I do not care where you lay your head or who with, my vengeance shall rain upon you until you drown.”
That last word was drawn out, until its syllable was lost in more growling.
Dead silence.
Until Doc Jane said dryly, “Annnnd this is why they say the female of the species is more dangerous than the male.”

As for Xcor... he had me feeling really conflicted. One moment I wanted to give the guy a hug, the next I wished somebody from the Brotherhood would just stab the bastard. I kinda hate him for messing with Wrath, but his response to Layla is just too damn sweet. It's like, why can't you all just get along?!?!

Speaking of Xcor and his Band of Bastards, we now know all their names. We obviously have Xcor, the leader of his merry band of crazies, and Throe, his second in command; Zypher, the group's resident can't-keep-it-in-his-pants, and the three cousins, Balthazar, Syphon, and Syn. The last gent's name isn't actually Syn, but he's so bad they all just call him that.

Then we have Assail and new girl, Sola Morte. I can't decide if I like Assail. He's... a little sociopathic, if I'm honest. While this isn't outside the norm for the WARden's leading men, he seems a little bit nuttier than the others. I also don't like that he has any form of cooperation with the Lessers going on. Nuh-uh. Not cool. Assail's really hot but he's just a little too aggro for my liking. I think I like Sola. She seems like quite a toughie which is nice. I like it when Ward gives us strong heroines. Most times it seems as though the guys have majority shares in the whole badass enterprise.  

Now to my favourite side story: Trez and Selena. Trez and his brother iAm have been in the BDB universe for a while, but we haven't really learnt a whole lot about them. I'm happy to announce that the WARDen is working on rectifying this. These boys... wow. They sizzle. That's about all I can say. We don't know much about Selena either besides the fact that she's a Chosen, so I can't decide if I like her or not. What I loved about this particular side story was when Trez met Selena for the first time. It was just too freaking adorable for words. For most of Trez's perspective in this book, you see him acting like an utter manwhore. To see him getting all tongue-tied over Selena was just so "awww..."-worthy" and also so funny. I was hee-hawing like a donkey. I'm glad I read this part while nobody was home, otherwise I'd have had some explaining to do.

I just want to share a few of my favourite quotes from the book with you:

Here, John Matthew and Qhuinn are in one of those 24-hour stores and spot a cardboard cutout of the Biebs... I don't really have anything against the guy, but this was funny.

"The little shit is everywhere." To prove the point, he motioned to a greeting card display featuring Short, Cocky, and Fifteen-Minutes-Are-Up. "I swear, that kid is proof the Antichrist is coming."

This is the scene where Blay comes out to his mom over the phone. It was such an emotional scene, I got a lump in my throat while reading. This is how every parent should respond in this situation.

"...as long as you're happy, that's all I worry about. I want for you what you want for yourself."

*sniffles*

I am so damn sad this book is over. I think it may well have been my favourite book in the series. Easily. But I have a feeling that the next book is going to blow this one right out the water. You've undoubtedly already heard the news about whose book is going to be next, but even four days after the announcement I'm still excited as fuck!

It's titled The King, and no prizes for guessing who it's going to be about. Also the WARDen said that there's a strong likelihood of some of our old favourites getting another book. If you want to check out what else was said at the signing go here. 

Lover At Last: Teaser XIV

Assail closed in and assumed control, taking the female’s face between his hands, tilting her head back, and kissing her hard. In response, she moaned, as if the unexpected advance was something she not only welcomed, but hadn’t dared expect...
-Lover at Last, pg. 344

This is the last teaser before Lover at Last's release tomorrow (oh, my God, it's coming out tomorrow!!!) and it features Assail and an unknown female. No clue as to who the lucky lady may be.
To those lucky bitches getting Lover at Last tomorrow I just want to say one thing: I hate you. 

Okay, not really.

Well, maybe a little.

Happy reading people! I'll just bite my nails until Blay and Quinn arrive on my doorstep. 

Lover At Last: Teaser XIII

Resuming his form in a wooded area south and west of the

compound, Quinn steeled himself against  making any inferences

about what had detained the guy- although the fact of the matter was, the fighter had

gone up to his room and hadn't come back. And whereas most accidents happened in 

the home, it was a good guess that he  hadn't had a slip-and-fall.

Unless Saxton had been playing throw rug 

on the marble in their bathroom.

-Lover at Last, pg 106  

Oh, my word! I sat around laughing for a good five minutes after I read that! Seriously, I dare you to read this with a straight face!

And despite the fact that Saxton stands in the way of Blay and Quinn's HEA, I actually like him. I hope the WARDen doesn't do anything totally evil like kill him...

Lover At Last: Teaser XII

Leaning in, Assail dipped his chin and glared. “I am not upset. Yet.”
One of Benloise’s hands surreptiously dipped out of sight. A split
second later, Assail heard the door down at the other end of the room open.
Keeping his voice low, Assail said, “This was a courtesy to you. The
next time I find anyone on my property, whether you sent them or not, I shall not be even half so polite.”
With that, he got to his feet and ground the lit cigar out upon the
desk.
“I bid you a fond good evening,” he said, before walking away.
-Lover at Last, pg. 104

I love him- I can't lie!!

The WARDen makes me laugh. She is so totally crushing on one of her own fictional characters. 

Not that I can blame her. Assail is pretty intriguing... 

Lover At Last: Teaser XI

Abruptly
Qhuinn shifted his position, pivoting around, tilting his head back, sluicing the water through his dark hair, that incredible body arching.
He’d kept his PA.
And holy sh*t, he was aroused—
-Lover at Last, pg. 79

This little snippet takes place shortly after Quinn sees Blay not lifting weights (you know what I'm talking about), and it seems to imply that these are thinking along similar lines. 

Once I'd wiped the drool from my chin though, I found myself scratching my head in confusion. I know I'm not the only one who was wondering what in the hell a PA is. The only PA I could think of was a personal assistant... and that would obviously make zero sense in this situation.

So, I did what every reader of this series has done at some point: I consulted Urban Dictionary. As it turns out, PA stands for Prince Albert, and is -as one Facebook user so eloquently put it- a "piercing on his junk".

See? You learn something new every day. Although I don't know that I wanted to know that...  

Lover At Last: Teaser X

My day has been totally made! I woke up this morning and I remembered that there's only one week to go!!! until Lover At Last is released. I am in the happiest place right now...

Communicating via hand signals, they split into two groups, with
him and John taking one side of the mammoth double doors, and
Rhage, Blay, and Z zeroing in on the smaller entrance.
Rhage went for the requisite handle while everyone braced for
engagement. If there was a football team’s worth of lessers in there, it made sense to send the Brother in first, because he had the kind of backup nobody else did: His beast loved slayers, and not in a relationship sense.
Talk about your thin mints.
-Lover at Last, pg. 107

Now, speaking of Rhage, does anyone have any idea when his and Mary's novella is coming out? I'm not normally one for novellas, but I wouldn't even dream of missing this one.

Lover At Last: Teaser IX

‎"I must needs go-"
At that moment, Elan's eyes went to the window across from him, and he saw the reflection of his killer in the glass.
-Lover at Last, pg. 404

I have to admit, when I first saw this I was a little... underwhelmed. Like, who the hell is Elan? But then I remembered. A quick consultation with Lover Reborn, and I realised that I was right.

Remember that little weasel in the Glymera who's helping Xcor and his buddies with their plan to overthrow Wrath? Well, it looks like he's going to get what's coming to him.

That realisation made this snippet a whole lot more interesting. I'm now waiting with bated breath to see who kicks this little worm's ass.

Lover At Last: Teaser VIII

This particular snippet is an excellent example of the WARDen's cruelty. Seriously, she seems to take a vast amount of pleasure in torturing her fans. 

I don't know about the rest of you, but -holy shite- this has me positively squirming for this books's release!

Qhuinn went over to the door and leaned in, listening for Rhage’s
voice, closing his eyes, waiting for the hall of statues to be clear.
Jesus, he could be a selfish prick sometimes; he really could— 
"Qhuinn.”
His body turned on a dime, sure as if Blay’s voice was a ripcord
that yanked him around. “Yeah?”
The male walked forward. When they were eye-to-eye,
Blay said, “I still want to f**k you.”
-Lover at Last, pg. XXX

Hot, right?

Lover At Last: Teaser VII

Qhuinn froze.
On the other side of the blue mats, Blay was on the machine closest to the door, sittting as still as the weights he was not lifting.
The expression on his face was volcanic. But he wasn't mad.
No, he wasn't.
He had a h**d-on big enough to see from across the room. Maybe across the state...
-Lover at Last, pg. 73

Hmmm. Well. Ahem.

I'm not entirely sure how to respond to this other than...

 

Just as a so by the way, how is it possible that these guys still manage to be hot while pulling those faces?

Lover At Last: Teaser VI

By the looks of it, no one is safe from the WARDen's evil genius. The latest victim: the Chosen Layla. Don't even know what to think about this little snippet. 

Layla opened her mouth to shout. Tried to reach for her savior. Strained against her body's still-glowing deadweight.
But there was naught else she could do.
The last thing that registered before she lost consciousness was her concern for the other female. And then all went dark.
-Lover at Last, pg. 316

Why isn't it 26 March yet?!?! The suspense is killing me...

Lover At Last: Teaser V

“So be it,” Wrath murmured. “Eight’s a good number. A lucky
number.”
That low growl of agreement rippled through the air once again,
the sound one of complete and utter solidarity.
This was the future, Wrath thought as he smiled and bared his
fangs. And it was right.
-Lover at Last, pg. 165

This teaser was released last night, and it sounds like there's going to be a new member of the Brotherhood. The only question is... who's it going to be? I'm guessing that it's between John Matthew and Quinn. But I was thinking, could it possibly be both of them? My reasoning is that Wrath can't fight with the Brotherhood anymore because he's blind, right? So we have six Brothers: Rhage, Zsadist, Butch, Vishous, Phury, and Tohrment. I don't think I'm leaving anyone out...

Maybe both JM and Quinn could be becoming Brothers?

What do you think?

Lover At Last: Teaser IV

Oh, dear. Poor Quinn. What has our tormented hero gotten himself into this time? I almost wish that the WARDen would stop being so bloody mean to our leads. It's like, why do you take so much pleasure in making them miserable?!?!

But the HEA wouldn't be quite as sweet if there wasn't some proper angst, right?

“Is this real?” he mumbled.
John looked momentarily confuzzled.
It had to be real, Qhuinn thought. Because the Honor Guard had
come to him in the summer, and the air he was inhaling was cold.
Are you okay? John mouthed as he signed.
Shoving his hand into the snowy ground, Qhuinn pushed as hard
as he could. When he didn’t budge more than an inch or two, he let that speak for itself . . . and passed the f**k out.
-Lover at Last, pg. 20

Hey... Isn't this a scene from after Quinn killed Lash? In Lover Avenged? 

Right? 

Maybe?

No?

Lover At Last: Teaser III

This is the third teaser released by the WARDen on her Facebook page. She released it just yesterday, and there has been lots of speculation as to what it might mean.

She was a hunter.
And the man in that house, whoever he was, was her prey.

The WARDen really hasn't given us much to work with here, has she? My first reaction when I saw this was, "This can't be it. Is that all?"

So, who is she and who is stupid enough to be wondering around her house?

Any theories?

Lover At Last: Teaser II

This is the second spoiler for Lover At Last which was released by the WARDen yesterday. She hasn't actually let us know who's in on this conversation. I'm thinking it's between Trez and iAm. 

Anyone else have any theories on what's the what?

“Your sex life is out of control. (...) You’re not behaving in a professional manner.”
“You eat your own food at Sal’s.”
“My linguine with clam sauce doesn’t require a restraining order
when I decide the next night I want the Fra Diavolo.”

I'm pretty sure this is going to be my reaction when Lover At Last comes out. Some restraints are going to be necessary...

Lover At Last: Teaser I

Those of you in the know will know that Lover At Last is coming out at the end of the month. If you're anything like me, you'll be absolutely salivating to get your hands on this book. It's book 11 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and we'll finally get a HEA for Blay and Quinn. These two have been through so much and I have a feeling that the WARDen is going to have me in tears with this book. 

I. Cannot. Wait.

Just a word of warning for you who aren't aware of it (don't know how that's possible, but in any case), Lover At Last is going to be about two guys. Please do not let this put you off. It's going to be beautiful. I can feel it in my bones...

Enough fangirling for now.

This is a little teaser that the WARDen posted on Facebook earlier today. As an ardent Bella/Zsadist fan, this has me feeling a wee bit queasy.

“Zsadist! Zsaaaaaaaaaaaaadist!”
The scream carried all the way across the glowing blue lawn as, up
at the terrace, a lone figure shot out into the snow at a dead run.
Lots of people shouted back at Bella, but he doubted she heard a
thing.“Zsaaaaaaaaaadist!”
As she skidded into range, Blay immediately reached for her- (...) (A)nd, oh, God, he was never going to forget the expression on her face— it was more horrific than any war atrocity he’d ever seen, as if she were being flayed alive, sure as her arms and legs were strapped down and pieces of her very flesh were being peeled from her body...
-Lover at Last, pg 152 (edited a little bit)

Heart of Gold

Heart of Gold tells us the story of Carter Wessex and Nick Farrell. I'm having a hard time writing this because, believe it or not, I didn't actually... like this book all that much.

Gah! I can't believe I said that. But it's true. 

I just didn't feel it. I can't tell you why. Maybe my head just wasn't in the right place. But never mind my little bout of madness. Here's the basic gist of the story.

Nick Farrell is a business tycoon with a reputation for being ruthless. He lives on a mountain that potentially has enormous historical significance. However, no one is entirely sure how significant this mountain is because Nick won't let anyone on the mountain to actually determine whether or not the area was the scene of a great battle. Carter Wessex is an archaeologist and she wants on that mountain. Bad. When Carter approaches Nick, he tells her in no uncertain terms that it's not going to happen. After some glaring, snide comments, and door slamming, Nick realises that Carter is in fact the estranged daughter of one of his business partners. He finds himself wondering how grateful his business partner would be if Nick orchestrates some sort of reconciliation between father and daughter. Nick promptly changes his mind about allowing Carter to dig on his mountain, and the story progresses fairly predictably from there. 

I feel so disloyal saying that I didn't enjoy this book. J.R Ward is one of my all time favourite authors ever, and it almost causes me physical pain to admit that something she's written didn't rock my world. 

Please, somebody go read this book, and come back and tell me that I'm nuts. That it's all in my mind.

Fallen Angels Series: Rapture

Have I mentioned lately how much I absolutely adore J.R Ward? Well, you're going to hear all about my love for the WARDen now. 

Rapture is book 4 in the Fallen Angels series. In case you don't know what the series is about, let me quickly break it down for you. It's basically about the whole good versus evil thing that will eventually determine the fate of the entire world. Seven souls are hovering between choosing to be either good or evil, and it's up to Jim Heron to influence these people and help them make the right choice. Jim is being helped by two angels, Adrian and Eddie. Jim is being hindered by a psychotic demon named Devina. 

So in this installment of the series, the score is 2:1 to the good guys. Plus Devina is being punished because the concept of playing by the rules is completely beyond her. The soul in play is someone we met in both Covet and Crave. Matthias was a Bad Man. He was head of XOps (a sort of military group that carried out political hits for the US) and he didn't care who he hurt. It turned out that Matthias was the soul in need of saving in Crave, not Isaac Rothe. However, as a result of some misunderstanding on Jim's part, Matthias was lost and Devina won. Devina didn't get to keep Matthias for very long though. For being a lying, cheating, good-for-nothing she was penalised and Matthias was given a second chance.

I don't know whether the WARDen had a soft spot for Matthias or if he was a fan favourite, but I'm really glad he got his chance at redemption. I had thought that nobody in this series could top Isaac in sheer awww....-ness (I imagine Isaac to be kinda like a young Matthew McConaughey), but Matthias did it. He's had a really rough life and he lives with both the physical and mental scars. And the physical scars are really horrendous. Matthias once intentionally stepped on a landmine and as a result his lower body is badly scarred and he needs to use a cane to get around. Obviously this is a huge blow to his pride, seeing as how Matthias is a big, strong, manly man. But he seems to have accepted his injuries and the limitations that come with them. Until he meets Mels.

Mels Carmichael is a reporter. She moved back into her parents house after her father died with the idea of being a "pillar of strength" for her mom. Sadly, this didn't happen. Mels' life just sort of stalled out. She's frustrated by her job, uneasy living with a mother she doesn't have much in common with. She's stuck waiting for life to happen. And then, after she hits some poor stranger with her car, it does. 

Things progress pretty quickly from there and within a few days Mels and Matthias are thinking in terms of I-love-yous. But Shakespeare had it right and speed bumps for these two come in the form of Devina with poor, long-suffering Jim trying to smooth things over. 

I just want to talk about the characters quickly. 

I loved Matthias. I just wanted to give the poor guy a hug. Amnesia Matthias was much nicer than XOps Matthias. He just seemed more cuddly in general. Still badass though. His stint in hell did him some good.

I liked Mels well enough. I don't know how well I'll remember her in two or three books time, but I really liked how solid she was for Matthias. 

Jim and Adrian are having adjustment issues. Eddie was killed by Devina's minions and this has left them a lot out of sorts. Jim and Adrian tend to... well, they struggle to see eye to eye and Eddie usually played referee when the fists used to go flying. Adrian has now lost his best friend and Jim has to try to keep the poor guy on track as well as save the world. Adrian isn't the only one struggling with death. Jim is still hugely preoccupied with the young woman Cecilia Barton, who was sacrificed by Devina to protect her magic mirror. Devina taunting him about it at every available opportunity is not helping matters either. 

Lastly, we have Devina. She is quite obviously evil and psychotic and horrible and sadistic and all those other things. But she's also funny as hell. Please don't judge me, but I have to be honest: I love Devina. I don't know how the WARDen does it, but she's managed to create a villain that you can almost relate to. Devina has a debilitating OCD (she's a hoarder) and she sees a psychologist for it. She goes to the salon to get her hair done. She wants to look pretty for the guy she likes (Jim, much to his disgust) and she doesn't get why he doesn't like her. If she weren't such an evil, crazy bitch, I would totally be rooting for her.

Let me share some of my favourite bits form Rapture:

This is when Mels' boss, aptly name Dick, is hitting on her.

What she was clear on was that with a jawline more ham sandwich than Jon Hamm, the man had no objective reason to believe the answer to any woman's problems was in his pants. 

This is from Jim's perspective when Matthias ends up asking him for help.

And yet no matter how much his brain cramped, it looked like pigs could fly, there was a snowball in Hell, and somewhere across town, a twelve-year-old dog was learning to drive a goddamn car. 

Jim and Adrian are having a fight because Adrian can be an irresponsible pig when he's got time (but it's okay. I forgive him. And you will too). Jim hits Adrian in the penalty area. 

Motherfucker was going to sing the high notes like Justin-cocksucking-Timberlake for a while.

And then for Devina related fun, read chapter 31.

So, in conclusion, I just want to tell you that if you haven't started reading this series you really should. It isn't quite as good as the Black Dagger Brotherhood, but it does serve to tide me over until Lover at Last comes out next year.

Have a good Monday everybody! 

Leaping Hearts

I really liked this story. It was so... nice! Don't pull that face. I happen to like nice things.

Leaping Hearts tells us the story of A.J. Sutherland and Devlin McCloud. A.J. is a talented young equestrian who has just bought herself a horse named Sabbath. Now, this wouldn't have been a problem if this horse didn't have such a bad attitude. Sabbath throws his riders, won't let blacksmiths anywhere near him, and he hates the water. For obvious reasons, this is the last horse anyone with a lick of sense would buy to compete with. But A.J. sees a whole lot of potential in Sabbath and she wants to take him to the Qualifier, a really big deal in the equestrian world, in two months time. 

But A.J hits a speed bump. She lives at home, involved in the racing aspect of the family-run stables. A.J.'s stepbrother runs the financial side of Sutherland Stables and he refuses to let her bring that crazy horse onto the premises. A.J. then decides that if her horse isn't welcome then she isn't staying at home either. Sabbath isn't an impulse buy for A.J.; he's her chance to prove herself. But it's going to be kinda hard to do that with nowhere to live and nowhere to train.

Enter Devlin McCloud. Devlin is a hugely reclusive former equestrian champion. After his nasty fall and his horse having to be put down as a result, he's been avoiding the equestrian scene entirely. He and A.J. had met at the auction where A.J. bought Sabbath so, after leaving home, A.J. turns to Devlin for help. Initially, Devlin is not so keen on the idea. He is totally jonesing for A.J. and given the temperamental nature of the horse, this can prove dangerous if he's going to be training her. But A.J. won't take no for an answer, which is how she ends up sleeping on Devlin's couch at night and him being her trainer during the day. 

This book is written by Jessica Bird who is otherwise known as the magnificent, awe-inspiring J.R Ward. Those of you who are familiar with the WARDen will probably have read her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, or her more recent Fallen Angels series. This book is nothing like either of these series. There is next to no swearing, the sex is the fade to black type, and there is no actual action. But it was still really good! After having read Shadowfever, this book acted like a palate cleanser. It was light, there were no major twists and turns, and the couple knew that they liked each other right from the start. So long as you don't expect any of the stuff typical of J.R Ward's better known works, you won't be disappointed with this book. 

So if you're looking for a light read that won't give you a headache trying to keep up, give Leaping Hearts a try.

Guilty Pleasures

I am mega excited. So excited that I completely forgot my dignity and acted like a complete loon in Exclusive Books yesterday. "What's got you acting so crazy, Mony?" you may be asking.
Well, I'll tell you: I got my grubby mitts on Lover Reborn by J.R Ward. Yes, I know, the title sounds unbelievably cheesy. I read these books facing the wall so that no one will see the cover or read the title. But I do these things willingly because the Black Dagger Brotherhood series is my guilty pleasure.
It's a paranormal romance that is set in Caldwell, New York. It's about this group of vampire warriors (I can't believe that I just wrote that) who protect the civilian vampire population from the evil lessers who are trying to kill off the whole species.
 Lover Reborn is about the vampire Tohrment (all the Brothers have weirdly spelled names) who lost his mate in the war against the lessers. To say that he was broken up about it is an understatement. He bailed on the Brotherhood and went MIA for a couple of months. He finally came back (with his crazy guardian angel, Lassiter) and has set his sights on killing as many lessers as he can get his hands on.
I can see some people rolling their eyes here to the point where they're on the verge of going blind. But I promise, these vampires are NOT Twilight-y in any way, shape or form. This is not the girly-girl type of paranormal romance where the guy is this smoking hot stud with no flaws and where the chick is this beautiful, helpless (annoying) female. Plus, there are loads of other characters who are vital to the story, so it's not like the whole book revolves around two people. Lover Reborn is book 10 in the series. Please give these books a try. These are not the typical tweeny books that are so sickly sweet that they give you toothache. This is some seriously good stuff.
Okay, so here are the books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood in reading order:
1. Dark Lover
2. Lover Eternal
3. Lover Awakened (my favourite in the series)
4. Lover Revealed
5. Lover Unbound
6. Lover Enshrined
7. Lover Avenged
8. Lover Mine
9. Lover Unleashed
10. Lover Awakened

Happy reading people!!!