June's Secondary Read: "Dark Lover" by J.R. Ward

[Adrianna, Owner of Cafe Libri]

This thread is for discussions pertaining to June's 2011 secondary read Dark Lover (chosen by group moderator Shelli).

[Adrianna, Owner of Cafe Libri]

Anyone planning to read this one? I've read it before, so I'm looking forward to a re-read. I'm ready to discuss it with whoever has started it.

[Adrianna, Owner of Cafe Libri]

My friend on Lunch found this url that has additional discussion questions for "Dark Lover." Some are a little ridiculous, like question #5, but there are still some interesting points posed. Here's the url: http://www.lemondrop.com/2009/12/07/j...

1. Do you prefer men who are aggressive and dominant like Wrath and the other Brothers, or do you look for something else in your man?

2. Compare and contrast Wrath's treatment of Beth with Jamie's treatment of Claire in 'Outlander.'

3. Do you think that the Brothers' attitudes toward women are outdated and archaic, or would you like to be treated like that in a relationship?

4. Which was your favorite sex scene between Wrath and Beth? What's the raciest sex scene you've read/seen in other books, TV shows or movies?

5. "Dark Lover" has a high wet-panty factor. What other books that you've read would you recommend for someone looking for more of the same?

[Adrianna, Owner of Cafe Libri]

Aerin wrote: "LOL, I see our friend passed these along. :) I found this page of questions a couple of days ago when I was looking for discussion questions. I wasn't sure you'd be interested in the questions so I..."

LOL! I know, right? I wasn't sure either, but I thought, what the heck! You never know what people might want to discuss. For some reason J thought I wrote this in a review of the book. And I was like...no...I don't write reviews like that! :-P

[Adrianna, Owner of Cafe Libri]

Aerin wrote: "Wrote it in a review? LOL! Oh, that's funny! It was probably one of those days when he was only half awake."

I guess so; it was funny because he felt so bad for presuming I had such pedantic language in my reviews.

And yes, I have read it before. I'm re-reading it for the group, and I'm almost done. I'm probably sticking to my original assessment which is a +4 rating, although there are more quirks to the villains that annoy me this go around. I like it because it's a different take on vampires, and it has strong female characters despite the overly masculine and animalistic side of the male characters. It's also a really fast read.

Have you considered trying it?

[Adrianna, Owner of Cafe Libri]

Cross-post from Donna at the Yahoo Cafe Libri Group:

I liked the book's premise, it took a different take on the lives or unlives(?) of vampires.

I didn't like the sexual content, I'm not a prude but it was a bit gratuitous.

My favorite character would be Wraith. He sounded like a hot, sexy male... on the order of the old Chippendales.

The least favorite character was the karate instructor/ vamp stalker and killer.

I don't think there was a moral to the story other than don't go chasing Vamps, they really don't exist! LOL

Donna

[Adrianna, Owner of Cafe Libri]

"Cross-post from Donna at the Yahoo Cafe Libri Group:

I liked the book's premise, it took a different take on the lives or unlives(?) of vampires.

I didn't like the sexual content, I'm not a prude..."

**Slight Spoilers**

I would say in this case it would be "lives" since the vampires actually age and die naturally in this saga--albeit way slower than humans.

I'm not as bothered by the sexual content purely because I see these reads as erotic romances.

I agree with you about the favorite and least favorite characters. I liked Butch as the story progressed, and he met Marissa.

LOL! Funny comment on the morality of the novel, or lack thereof!

[Adrianna, Owner of Cafe Libri]

Well, I finally finished my re-read of "Dark Lover." I hope to get to a review of it once I finish my current one about "Nothing Personal."

**SPOILERS**

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First, I was disappointed about the big fight scene between Mr. X, Billy, Beth, and Wrath. I didn't remember it being short. I also didn't remember that Mr. X was taken by The Omega. I thought Mr. O took over the Lessers or something at the end of this one. I imagine this won't be the last of Mr. X, and I will have to read the second book in the series sometime soon.

Second, I thought more occurred between Butch and Marissa. I didn't remember that they didn't become a full couple by the end. I guess it makes sense that they take it slow, especially since she's a virgin. I expect that their romance will develop in later novels. They might even have a novella about their romance. Who knows?

Third, I really thought that Wrath is allowed to see Beth one time thanks to the Scribe Virgin. He was able to see her briefly, and I had hoped she would give that as a gift to Wrath for his wedding.

Finally, my copy had a lot of editing issues, which really bugged me. The first time I read this book, I don't remember any editing errors. There were at least 4 or 5 that glared at me as the story progressed. This irritated me because I bought this copy. The original one I read was borrowed from the library.

Originally, I gave the book a +4 rating, but I might lower it to a +3. I'm not sure. I'll revisit my feelings once I sit down to write the review. I still enjoyed my second reading of it. :)