Hey friends!
Today I'm reviewing a adult urban fantasy and sometimes dubbed as paranormal romance novel by J.R. Ward. If you can't tell by the fact that I'm reviewing book 13, I seriously adore this series. Read on to find out why I recommend this series.
Today I'm reviewing a adult urban fantasy and sometimes dubbed as paranormal romance novel by J.R. Ward. If you can't tell by the fact that I'm reviewing book 13, I seriously adore this series. Read on to find out why I recommend this series.
Publisher: NAL
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Format: ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 592
Source: Amazon
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Review Date: April 30, 2015
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: Trez “Latimer” doesn’t really exist. And not just because the identity was created so that a Shadow could function in the underbelly of the human world. Sold by his parents to the Queen of the S’Hsibe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer in Caldwell, NY for years- all the while on the run from a destiny of sexual servitude. He’s never had anyone he could totally rely on... except for his brother, iAm.
iAm’s sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing- and he knows he’s failed. It’s not until the Chosen Serena enters Trez’s life that the male begins to turn things around... but by then it’s too late. The pledge to mate the Queen’s daughter comes due and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.
Trapped between his heart and a fate he never volunteered for, Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others- or forever leave behind the female he’s in love with. But then an unimaginable tragedy strikes and changes everything. Staring out over an emotional abyss, Trez must find a reason to go on or risk losing himself and his soul forever. And iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice...
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Format: ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 592
Source: Amazon
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Review Date: April 30, 2015
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Synopsis: Trez “Latimer” doesn’t really exist. And not just because the identity was created so that a Shadow could function in the underbelly of the human world. Sold by his parents to the Queen of the S’Hsibe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer in Caldwell, NY for years- all the while on the run from a destiny of sexual servitude. He’s never had anyone he could totally rely on... except for his brother, iAm.
iAm’s sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing- and he knows he’s failed. It’s not until the Chosen Serena enters Trez’s life that the male begins to turn things around... but by then it’s too late. The pledge to mate the Queen’s daughter comes due and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.
Trapped between his heart and a fate he never volunteered for, Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others- or forever leave behind the female he’s in love with. But then an unimaginable tragedy strikes and changes everything. Staring out over an emotional abyss, Trez must find a reason to go on or risk losing himself and his soul forever. And iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice...
In true Ward fashion she delivers a fun yet complex story of loss, war, and love...or lust in the beginning anyways. I thought it was great that we got to focus on the Shadows of the group, aka the honorary Brothers, Trez and iAm. If you've been reading along, we know that Wrath and the Brothers love to bring in good men and women, and their mates and make them apart of the family. I enjoyed learning more about the Shadows and watching them find their other halves. They both have always been so dysfunctional in the relationship arena, and it was good to find out more about the whys behind it.
The villain situation in this installment isn't as cut and dry as it once was. Lots of changes in motives and allegiance. Zcor may not be as evil as we all thought and his 2nd Throe...well maybe he's more bad that I previously gave him credit for. This is a turning point for the villains story and we shall see what happens next!
There was a lot going on in this installment. We visit with so many characters same as before in the more recent books. It's truly a skill to be able to weave so many story lines and characters without creating confusion. Ward nails it. Not only do we deal with Trez and Selena, iAm and his mystery lady who prefers to be called maichen - which means maid, we explore more into the whole Xcor and Layla situation, Rhage's open wounds left from what he went through with Mary, and a few other situations. Seriously, there was no character missing from this story. Every single one made an appearance, and that a ton of characters.
The villain situation in this installment isn't as cut and dry as it once was. Lots of changes in motives and allegiance. Zcor may not be as evil as we all thought and his 2nd Throe...well maybe he's more bad that I previously gave him credit for. This is a turning point for the villains story and we shall see what happens next!
There was a lot going on in this installment. We visit with so many characters same as before in the more recent books. It's truly a skill to be able to weave so many story lines and characters without creating confusion. Ward nails it. Not only do we deal with Trez and Selena, iAm and his mystery lady who prefers to be called maichen - which means maid, we explore more into the whole Xcor and Layla situation, Rhage's open wounds left from what he went through with Mary, and a few other situations. Seriously, there was no character missing from this story. Every single one made an appearance, and that a ton of characters.
With Wrath and Beth in power, a lot of the old ways are changing. Included the fact that girls are now being admitted into the training program, which previously was only extended to boy children from certain families. After all, both Payne and Xhex are out there kicking ass and taking names, so why not. We are introduced to Paradise, her male best friend Peyton, and another new character, Craeg. All three of them are applying to the program and I suspect a love triangle on the horizon for Paradise. Regardless, she's itching to do more than be a traditional lady in their old school aristocratic society. Her character is yearning for independence and she'll take it anyway she can get it, even if that means getting in shape and learning to fight with the big boys. This was the perfect lead into Ward's first book in her new spin off series which showcases the new trainees to the program.
I fully embrace a believable ending and that's exactly what we got. While some situations didn't work out in the way I had hoped, other situations did. That's life ups and downs. "Life isn't fair"... and sadly everyone in the story feels the full impact of that statement. Even with the sad tone that the book ended on, there was a ray of light at the very end that left me hopeful and looking forward to seeing what happens next for both Trez and iAm.
It's been a full year since I read the last installment and I was worried that I'd forget something important, No worry of that here. Not only does Ward drop of little bread crumbs to jog our memory, she does it in a passive and non assuming way, which I like, None of that re-writing chunks of previous books like some authors do. If you need a little more to refresh, I stumbled across this awesome website, Book Thingo, with tons of cheat sheets. They have amazing synopses. These are only for those who have read the books, because they are laden with spoilers.
As always Ward's writing is nothing less than colorful and descriptive. And by that I'm referring to sex, cursing, fighting, you know - the usual for this series. I did feel that her use of slang has decreased over the last few books, which I appreciate. For a while there the books were very heavy with usual slang, but it's eased up a lot. I think it reads more smoothly this way.
If you're a fan of the other series that I've been loving in this genre, you've got to give this one a try, I think you'll be hooked too!
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"My lord and ruler, Wrath, son of Wrath, blooded father of Wrath, i present you with Throe, Piece of Shit."
"Memories were especially dear, when they were all you have left of a loved one to hold on to."
"This is calm, cool, and collected, you little bitch. You don't want to see me pissed off."
Happy Reading,
~Tamara
I fully embrace a believable ending and that's exactly what we got. While some situations didn't work out in the way I had hoped, other situations did. That's life ups and downs. "Life isn't fair"... and sadly everyone in the story feels the full impact of that statement. Even with the sad tone that the book ended on, there was a ray of light at the very end that left me hopeful and looking forward to seeing what happens next for both Trez and iAm.
It's been a full year since I read the last installment and I was worried that I'd forget something important, No worry of that here. Not only does Ward drop of little bread crumbs to jog our memory, she does it in a passive and non assuming way, which I like, None of that re-writing chunks of previous books like some authors do. If you need a little more to refresh, I stumbled across this awesome website, Book Thingo, with tons of cheat sheets. They have amazing synopses. These are only for those who have read the books, because they are laden with spoilers.
As always Ward's writing is nothing less than colorful and descriptive. And by that I'm referring to sex, cursing, fighting, you know - the usual for this series. I did feel that her use of slang has decreased over the last few books, which I appreciate. For a while there the books were very heavy with usual slang, but it's eased up a lot. I think it reads more smoothly this way.
If you're a fan of the other series that I've been loving in this genre, you've got to give this one a try, I think you'll be hooked too!
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"My lord and ruler, Wrath, son of Wrath, blooded father of Wrath, i present you with Throe, Piece of Shit."
"Memories were especially dear, when they were all you have left of a loved one to hold on to."
"This is calm, cool, and collected, you little bitch. You don't want to see me pissed off."
Happy Reading,
~Tamara
Get the Kindle version here: 
