Covet (Fallen Angels, #1) in Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group

Mar 04, 2009 Auntee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: i-ll-buy-for-the-cover-alone, 2009_reads, paranormal-romance, keepers

Fab-u-lous!! One of the best books, if not the best book I’ve read all year. I wasn’t sure if JR Ward had another series in her that could rival the best of the BDB series, but this fantastic effort proves she does! Part urban fantasy, part romance (yes, there’s one, and it’s touching and hawt!) part horror, part suspense--this book has it all and then some--and can keep and hold the weakest of all attention spans. I hated to put it down, and when I did, I kept thinking about it, plotting it out Fab-u-lous!! One of the best books, if not the best book I’ve read all year. I wasn’t sure if JR Ward had another series in her that could rival the best of the BDB series, but this fantastic effort proves she does! Part urban fantasy, part romance (yes, there’s one, and it’s touching and hawt!) part horror, part suspense--this book has it all and then some--and can keep and hold the weakest of all attention spans. I hated to put it down, and when I did, I kept thinking about it, plotting it out in my mind, wondering where it was going to lead, and eagerly anticipating what would happen next.

I won’t get into the plot much (because it would be too easy to let a spoiler slip) except to say that it takes place over the course of three days in Caldwell, NY (home of the BDB, but not exactly connected to that series, and no, you don't have to read that series to enjoy this one)), is about a battle of good vs. evil, big choices are made, and has a big “be careful of what you wish for” theme. It’s wonderfully detailed (including Ward’s trademark “branding” of nearly every inanimate object), has the same wonderfully witty dialogue and male bonding happening (much like the BDB books), is laced with some violent and gruesome scenes, has a romance you can root for, but most importantly has some wonderful characters that the reader can fall in love with. I just loved all of them!

One of the heroes of the book, Jim Heron, is charged with saving seven souls from a life of eternal damnation since each are committing one of the seven deadly sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride). How he got this assignment and how he goes about the "saving' is the basis for this book. Jim, a former Black Ops guy who only seems to know how to live a life based on violence and revenge and whose whole life was affected by a tragic incident in his childhood, ends up at a crossroads in this book and discovers if he has it in him to make the most unselfish sacrifice of his life. I loved this guy and was fascinated by his story. I loved his interactions with the other male characters throughout the book--very “BDB-like”. JR Ward does the whole male POV so well…I just loved getting inside Jim’s head! I even loved his interactions with the scruffy, homeless dog named “Dog”--Jim had a good heart. Just wonderfully told.

So the first "sinner" that Jim has to save is Vincent diPietro, committing the sin of avarice (greed). What can I say about the insanely rich, sexy, general contractor and romantic lead? I adored him, which surprised me a little. His character reminded me a little of Rehvenge (Lover Avenged)--he was sort of an anti-hero at first. Self involved, remote, all about how much he could “acquire”, a shady, less-than-legal past…but somehow Ward, with her tremendous storytelling skills, had me falling for him--fast--as she delved into his background (sooo sad) and portrayed him in a more sympathetic light once she put him in the path of the heroine, Marie-Terese. (Loved the whole “meeting of the eyes” “hit-by-a-thunderbolt” first encounter!) I loved how she developed Vin’s story, and she gave him and Marie-Terese some of the most smokin' hot sex scenes since Zsadist and Bella in Lover Awakened! My God, the whole sequence of scenes that ends up with them in the shower? H-O-T--no doubt about it, and made me realize that Ward could be an outstanding erotic romance writer if she chose to be!

Now Marie Terese, a woman running from a past with a controlling, mobster ex and working as a prostitute? Ward doesn’t take long to reveal the circumstances surrounding that particular choice. At first I thought, ‘okay, I get it…but there has to be another way.’ Other than having it an easy way to have the H/H meet and set the plot in motion, the choice of earning money that she desperately needed that MT made still nagged at me. But later in the book Ward reveals why MT chose to put herself in that situation--and it was a very reasonable explanation--so well done Ms. Ward for putting my questions to rest. I also liked the whole Mary Magdalene comparison--nice touch.

Now the horror aspects of the book? Very Stephen King-like. In fact, Vin has a "gift" that's straight out of The Dead Zone which starts him down the whole “be-careful-what-you-wish-for” path. I don’t want to reveal anything about the “evil” that Jim, Vin, and Marie Terese find themselves battling, except to say as long as you haven’t read any spoilers, it will come as a big, creepy surprise who/what the evil is. And if you’ve read the BDB, this evil may remind you a little of The Omega…Some nice, juicy horror here.

Fans of Ward’s BDB will be tickled by the Phury cameo (can’t miss it), the Butch sighting (pay attention or you’ll miss it), and the other small connections to the BDB series. You’ll be re-introduced to Trez (“Lover Avenged”), recognize local Caldwell landmarks (the Commodore--where’s V & Jane?) and feel like at any moment you could run into one of the “Brothers”. I loved the whole atmosphere--I felt right at home.

The ending? What can I say? Suspenseful, horrific, sad, yet soooo satisfying…although it left me with a few unanswered questions. Suffice to say I can’t wait for the next in the series (and there are six more sins to go!), I hope we see Vin and MT again, and man, I’d like to read this one all over…Ward’s writing skills knock me out--can I give it more than 5 stars?
...more

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Oct 07, 2009 Robin rated it really liked it

Overall, this was a good book. Ward is great with characters, and that doesn't change here. Her hero(es) are fantastic, down to their witty one liners, and her two main female characters (heroine and villainess) were outstanding. For all the knocks that Ward has taken about under-developed female characters, she certainly seems to have taken that criticism to heart and fixed it in this book. There is actual character development with her heroine, and her villainess is just plain evil. And kinda Overall, this was a good book. Ward is great with characters, and that doesn't change here. Her hero(es) are fantastic, down to their witty one liners, and her two main female characters (heroine and villainess) were outstanding. For all the knocks that Ward has taken about under-developed female characters, she certainly seems to have taken that criticism to heart and fixed it in this book. There is actual character development with her heroine, and her villainess is just plain evil. And kinda scary, like all the best villains are. I was expecting a lot more from the fallen angels, but ended up liking their roles just fine. Maybe, in time, they will become more front and center, but I found myself liking their sideline role very much. They are helpers, but ONLY helpers. Heavy lifting has to be done by someone else, and I thought that was very nice.

I liked the nods to people and places of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books. I liked seeing a lot of Trez. (Who doesn't?) Other throwbacks were more subtle but made me smile. The story, for the most part, moved along nicely and this was the first full length novel I read on my Sony e-reader so it, and the book, passed the test.

A few things I could have done without: I liked this MUCH better than the first Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Dark Lover but this one still suffered from a few first book problems. There was a lot of telling (and not showing) in terms of world building. When you're setting up a new world, new rules of engagement, new characters, it is really hard to get around the pages of explanation that are needed for the reader to understand what is going on. I get that. Some authors do this really well, and some do not. Ward does not. It is all stuff the reader needs to know, but the delivery method leaves much to be desired. Quite frankly, I get bored. Pages and pages of exposition, important or not, makes for droopy eyelids. That's just how it is. Where she does characterization REALLY well, this could use some work.

The other thing I hate is the narrator's voice. The narrator speaks like a thirteen year old girl. Calls a new beer a "freshie". That is the one example that is still grating on my nerves even though I'm done with the book, although there are more examples. If a character talks like that, I'm fine with it. That is their vocabulary. I may want to smack them, but if it is consistent with the character, so be it. But when the omniscient narrator speaks like that, it grates on my nerves. A lot. It wasn't as bad as the BDB books can get sometimes, but it was bad enough that I noticed it. I could have taken notes about it on my new Sony toy, but I haven't made it to that advanced user level yet!

Overall, though, this was a good book. I liked all the characters, I am interested in their past, present and future, and I'm excited for the next book. ...more

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Aug 14, 2010 Netanella rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, author-j-r-ward

Ward's new series is tantalizingly similar, yet different, to her Black Dagger Brotherhood series - there is one or two cameo appearances of the Brotherhood, almost like Hitchcock or Mel Brooks making a quick appearance in one of their films. The setting is still Caldwell, New York, and the local club scene is still the same - here, Trez has inherited The Iron Mask nightclub from the Reverend, and his employee Marie Therese is in the lead role as female protagonist. And Ward's writing style is r ...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Wendy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: had-to-own-series, vampire, paranormal-scifi-romance, j-r-ward, pub-2009, i-own, 2009-reads, part-of-a-series, favorites, cover-hottie

This was really good. I think it will be a great series.

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Dec 04, 2010 RogueHireling rated it liked it

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, but ultimately found it rather compelling.

Its not nearly as much romance (aka sex) as her other series, but what is made apparent is that Ward is actually really good at telling a story.

Oh its far from perfect, but the characters are interesting, the story flows well, and its a smooth read.

It did seem to me that she was fighting her slang tenancies from the DBD series with a few items slipping in, but it was actually quite refreshing to be mac ...more

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Dec 24, 2009 Jenny Rebecca rated it it was ok

Dear J.R. Ward, I get it! She's a whore! She doesn't like her job. She'd rather not be a whore. She feels guilty about her unhappy whorishness. Can we move on. No. Alright. Let's waste another 150 pages discussing how sad you are about your whoring.
I miss old J.R Ward. ...more

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Apr 08, 2009 Heather rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, romance

Too many not-well-defined characters, too many story lines, a predictable plot, and the old heaven-vs-hell trope (weirdly executed) - disappointing. I expected more from the creator of the Brotherhood.

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