Lover Enshrined, Anger Unleashed

Lover EnshrinedSo a few folks have pointed out the hiss and snarl that’s going on at the Amazon.com page for JR Ward’s newest book,Lover Enshrined. If I had to sum up my reaction to some of these reviews, I’d have to say, “What the crapping damn hell is going on here?” I’ve never seen an Amazon review section where there’s roughly the same number of reviews for each level, from five stars down to one. The laudatory reviews proclaim it a bold new direction for the series; the one-star reviews are ready to sit on low benches and mourn the passing of their favorite series from auto-buy to never-again.

Combine that with the email asking me if I’ve read it yet, and the comments here and there that have mentioned readers who are dying to discuss it and I’m officially curious. So, then, let ‘er rip.

Caveat 1:

If you don’t want spoilers, don’t read the comments.

Caveat 2: I politely ask that you refrain from one habit that really makes me feel squidgy: don’t presume to know what Ward was thinking or what motivated her. It’s not about the author; it’s about the book. If you didn’t like the book, please explain why. If you’re disappointed, ditto. But please don’t make statements about how she’s only in it for the money, she’s scamming the public, yadda yadda. I’m not trying to host a slamfest about Ward. I’m honestly curious why rabid fans are heartbroken about the book. Because damn, there’s some rabid heartbreak out there. They’re emailing me. They use a lot of vowel of anguish. Or, ahnguihsh. Or sohmthingh.

Candy adds big words: “The distinction between author and book may feel artificial sometimes, because the author is the creator of the work, and any critique of the book is necessarily a critique of the author’s work, which in turn reflects on the author’s (perceived) abilities. But focusing on the text, interpretations, reader expectations and reader reactions is ultimately a much more fruitful enterprise, because nobody knows Ward’s intentions other than Ward herself.”

Within those boundaries, you want to bring forth your opinion? Want to discuss? Bring it on. I want to hear what you have to say.

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  1. LeaF says:

    LOL – good question and point MaryKate. Maybe it was from the translated “15th century bard”, dialogue from the Chosen? lol

  2. Marcella says:

    I’m not crazy about how Xhex has a name that objectifies her sexually, but there’s a precedent set there with Zzadist, so OK.

    Do you know how long it took me to figure out her name was Sex?  In my head, I pronounced it Zecks, and I kept thinking “her name is zest, but with a k” instead of “her name means sexxah mcsexerson”.  Honestly, DAYs after finishing the book, I’m like “zecks? really?  oh wait.. sex!!!”

    And also, the whole book I kept thinking how Qhuinn really got the short end in the bad-ass names department.  Vicious, Wrath, Fury, Rage, Sadist.. and Quinn? 

    Which goes to show, not a great book.  All I could think during Zsadist’s book was “oh.  oh.  yes.”

    Honestly, if Ward had written two books—one just with Phury and Cormia’s story (hopefully fleshed out and better) and one with all the other stuff and no romance, I would have preferred it.

  3. Has says:

    I’m not crazy about how Xhex has a name that objectifies her sexually, but there’s a precedent set there with Zzadist, so OK.

    I always thought her name meant Hex LOL

  4. dangrgirl says:

    I always thought her name meant Hex LOL

    Gee, I guess that tells you where my head is at while reading a Ward book…doesn’t it?

  5. LeaF says:

    All I could think of was “okay, Xena Warrior Princess”. Therefore the pronunciation must be Zex??? lol

  6. dangrgirl says:

    In my head I have been pronouncing it like Zex, and seeing it as a combo of sex + hex.

    Qhuinn did get a bad deal with his name, but John-Matthew’s name beats even that. He didn’t even have a deadly sounding name his first time around. Right after I read the first book, I wrote a blog post about what would Wrath and Beth name their children? If they had a son, would Beth name him Todd? Todd the vampire. Actually, Todd and the Vampires would make a great band name.

  7. rebyj says:

    An inconsitency I think?

    When Butch became a member of the Brotherhood, did they not say the only way out was death? If Phury was ” kicked out” they shoulda toasted him!! Then we’d have something else to bitch about LOL

  8. Has says:

    Qhuinn did get a bad deal with his name, but John-Matthew’s name beats even that. He didn’t even have a deadly sounding name his first time around. Right after I read the first book, I wrote a blog post about what would Wrath and Beth name their children? If they had a son, would Beth name him Todd? Todd the vampire. Actually, Todd and the Vampires would make a great band name.

    Wouldnt that really be Thod? – but it sounds too much like THUD. But then again with Wrath being his father thats probably the reactions of many women when they meet him 😀

  9. Lorelie says:

    He didn’t even have a deadly sounding name his first time around.

    Meaning Darius?

    Can someone explain something to me?  The whole theory that JM is Darius reincarnated (and Ward does seem to hint that way). . . How does that work if JM and Darius were alive at the same time, for 20 years? 

    PS I liked the book, but more for what were supposed to be secondary stories.  Phury and Cormia were about as meh as can be.

  10. dangrgirl says:

    Wouldnt that really be Thod? – but it sounds too much like THUD. But then again with Wrath being his father thats probably the reactions of many women when they meet him 😀

    Thod – LMAO. Love it! I think the best name out of the whole bunch is Tohr. It works in its short and long form.

    Can someone explain something to me?  The whole theory that JM is Darius reincarnated (and Ward does seem to hint that way). . . How does that work if JM and Darius were alive at the same time, for 20 years?

    I have no idea. I just chalked it up to the Scribe Virgin being able to do what she wants. It really doesn’t quite make sense.

  11. Lorelie says:

    It really doesn’t quite make sense.

    Nope, it doesn’t.  And more than that, I feel like if that turns out to be true it will entirely negate his whole traumatic young life.  No one loved you and you had a shit life?  It’s okay, that was just some soul-less version of you because you hadn’t been reincarnated yet.  Got raped in the stairwell?  No big deal—you we’ren’t *real* yet.

  12. dangrgirl says:

    I feel like if that turns out to be true it will entirely negate his whole traumatic young life.

    I don’t follow you. I have always assumed he would have memories from both lives once his true self was revealed, so I don’t see how his J-M experiences would be negated. The weird part would be Beth discovering the kid she saw as a brother was actually her dad.

  13. Rachel says:

    I believe that Xhex is pronounced Hex.  I was thinking just plain “X”, but JR I believe confirmed that it’s Hex.  🙂

  14. dangrgirl says:

    I’m glad it’s pronounced Hex instead of Zex, but I’d never have known that otherwise. I’ll have to mentally adjust it to Hhex or something when I read.

  15. Suze says:

    The whole theory that JM is Darius reincarnated (and Ward does seem to hint that way). . . How does that work if JM and Darius were alive at the same time, for 20 years?

    Yeah, this made me pause for a bit.  Quantum physics seems to indicate that time doesn’t happen in a linear fashion…?  But, honestly, the inconsistencies and implausibilities of the BDB universe are such that I’ve given up trying to make sense of them, and am just going along for the ride.  It’s a fun ride, but it’s not a logically consistent one.

    I think this is one of the things that defenders of romance find so frustrating.  The worldbuilding for paranormal romances is generally really weak, but we buy them anyway because we’re enjoying the story and are more able than (for instance) SFF fans to suspend disbelief.

    So, when we’re looking for paranormals to recommend to SFF readers to show them that romance can be fun, engaging, thought-provoking, and well-written, we often get egg on our faces because of the holes in the worldbuilding that we just can’t defend.  It comes across as laziness or stupidity on the part of the authors, and on the part of the readers who enjoy such under-par work.

    Regarding the Phury/Cormia storyline, the big disappointment for me was that I was looking forward to seeing how Ward would handle a polygamous /polyamourous marriage for Phury and His Women, and OMG the potential for conflict and relationship building!!!  But she copped out and made Phury and Cormia fall in lurve, and the poor virgin warrior can’t get it up for anybody but his One True Chosen.

    group98:  Heh.  That would be one heck of a relationship to work out.

  16. Lynn M says:

    I believe that Xhex is pronounced Hex.  I was thinking just plain “X”, but JR I believe confirmed that it’s Hex.

    She’ll always be Zex for me, I’m afraid. That’s the problem with choosing to give oddly-spelled names to your characters. I keep wondering how we are supposed to pronounce all of those “dh” words. I think you might need a degree in Old Norse to be able to read BDB correctly.

    Regarding the Phury/Cormia storyline, the big disappointment for me was that I was looking forward to seeing how Ward would handle a polygamous /polyamourous marriage for Phury and His Women, and OMG the potential for conflict and relationship building!!!

    My thoughts exactly! What a great conflict. Phury falls in love with Cormia but he has to do his duty at Primale. How does he cope? But no, we get a cop out instead.

    As for Jane the Ghost, every time she showed up in LEn, I got the sense that Ward is still trying to ret-con her way out of that goof-up. Over and over again we got reminded that Doc Jane might be a ghost, but she becomes completely corporeal, just like a real girl!, so really, it’s all cool. Not buying it.

  17. Nike says:

    And speaking of friends, he has none.  Not even his so-called Brothers, for whom he’s sacrificed everything for.  The so-called heroes of other book kick him the hell out of the mansion without a, “thanks for saving my life, pal.” No one can even look him in the eye.
    deeemer

    Yes! Thank you! I know that sometimes when you’re dealing with someone who’s addicted to drugs you have to let them hit rock bottom, but the way they dealt with Phury’s addiction was bullshit. At the very least I think Ward could have show the other brother’s fight and agonize over the decision to kick him out of the brotherhood but all we got is a couple sentences. “You’re out.” That’s it? That’s IT?! The most generous and giving of all the brothers, the one who has given up the most, the one who’s sacrifices have had a profound effect on the lives of not just one but two brothers is kicked out on his ass just like that?

    I thought these guys were supposed to be ride or die for each other but I didn’t see that in this book at all. There was no loyalty towards the brother who deserves it the most. Clearly, becoming the Primale was the straw that broke Phury’s spirit. Z knew that and it didn’t occur to him or anyone else to try and help him out a little? Anybody want to lend a hand to the man struggling to keep it together? No? I’d read a chapter, shake my head, and think: You ‘effing ungrateful bastards (or maybe bhastards).

    I didn’t like Cormia one bit. If the most interesting thing about a character is that she makes models out of peas and toothpicks then something has gone horribly wrong. And I honestly didn’t believe that she loved Phury at all. She had him believing that he’d sexually assaulted her because . . . ? I’m still unsure about that.

    The book did have it’s good points, I thought Xhex and John Matthew have a very interesting—and hot!—relationship. Plus, I loved the interaction with John, Quinn, and Blaylock. I like that fact that the lessers might actually become a more serious threat. Before I had trouble believing that vampires were on the brink of extinction against enemies so easily defeated by the brotherhood. I think the book had major problems: bad characterization, unrealistic dialogue, inconsistencies in the world she’s created, etc. But that’s nothing new. I enjoyed it, the same way I enjoy McDonald’s hamburgers—no substance, but still tasty. I’ll definitely still be reading.

  18. Kitty says:

    I had aaaaall kinds of problems with this book – probably too many to list. If I compare the quality of the storytelling, the building of the characters and romance to say, Lover Eternal there’s just no comparison. There are quite a few errors in the grammar, a lot of poor phrasing, weak characterization.. Even without my beefs about the lack of romance, it’s just okay at best for me. When there’s more heat and eroticism (not to mention more description) in a scene between two secondary characters compared to the supposed hero and heroine, you know the book’s got problems.

  19. Qhuinn did get a bad deal with his name, but John-Matthew’s name beats even that. He didn’t even have a deadly sounding name his first time around.

    JM’s vampire name is Tehrror.  He’d put that on the bracelet he made.  It was what Bella saw that made her realize that he was pretrans vamp.

  20. orangehands says:

    Yup, chalk me up as another “Zex” thinker.

    Out of all the inconsistencies, the J-M/Darius thing is the one that bugs me the most.  Ugh. And when they kicked Phury out, I was like, ummm, WTF? Z did that shit to lessers and everyone was like, oh, it’s just Z. V and Butch knocked back Grey Goose all the f-ing time, but whatever. But Phury does it and whoa, get him out before he brings our name down. 

    Qhuinn. All I can think of is Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. However, the extra h’s never bother me. A stupid way to show the difference between vampires/humans, but whatever, she’s been doing it since the beginning.

    but the text messaging wasn’t explained and was difficult to understand for those of us not accustomed to “text message” speak

    *cough* she did it wrong, that’s why *cough* I was able to translate it in my head but she took out the wrong letters sometimes and it just bugged me.

    The worldbuilding for paranormal romances is generally really weak, but we buy them anyway because we’re enjoying the story and are more able than (for instance) SFF fans to suspend disbelief. So, when we’re looking for paranormals to recommend to SFF readers to show them that romance can be fun, engaging, thought-provoking, and well-written, we often get egg on our faces because of the holes in the worldbuilding that we just can’t defend.

    Ok, this is really interesting to me, because thinking about it I am more willing to let things slide in paranormal romance world building than I am in books marketed as SF/fantasy. Anyone else?

  21. Suze says:

    I am more willing to let things slide in paranormal romance world building than I am in books marketed as SF/fantasy.

    Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.  In a paranormal romance, the main focus is the romantic relationship, so you build things to support it.  In SFF, the whole point is the world that you’ve built, and any romance is secondary.  There’s going to be adventure and character-building events, and maybe even True Love and a Happily Ever After, but if you plunk any of that into a poorly constructed world, you’d never sell it.  (Or if you did, your reputation would never recover.)

    Whereas for an engaging, romantic story, I’m willing to forgive a lot of sloppiness and silliness as long as I get my sex and romance.  Which I guess is why they’re two separate genres.

  22. dangrgirl says:

    JM’s vampire name is Tehrror. He’d put that on the bracelet he made. It was what Bella saw that made her realize that he was pretrans vamp.

    Absolutely right, I had forgotten that. The next question is, why does he get two names (technically, now three)? Does anyone else have a regular name and a “vampire name?” I don’t recall any.

  23. dangrgirl says:

    Whereas for an engaging, romantic story, I’m willing to forgive a lot of sloppiness and silliness as long as I get my sex and romance.  Which I guess is why they’re two separate genres.

    I think the same can be said of Science Fiction and Romance, though for both crossovers the genres can be effectively combined. It’s just more difficult to hit the right note on both the Romance and the world building.

  24. orangehands says:

    Does anyone else have a regular name and a “vampire name?”

    I thought it was because J-M was raised by humans. He couldn’t read the Old Language and had no clue what his bracelet/name said. And since he spent 20-some years as J-M, why change it? Though I’m really curious if Xhex is going to call him that, hee hee.

    Whereas for an engaging, romantic story, I’m willing to forgive a lot of sloppiness and silliness as long as I get my sex and romance.

    But why do we accept that? I mean, a suspenseful romance would be laughed at if the suspense was basically someone hiding behind a corner and shrieking (or a book has bad examples like that) even if the romance was wonderful. Wouldn’t it? So what is it about worldbuilding that we’re willing to forgive more readily in romance than other genre crossovers?

  25. Mel's Bells says:

    Honestly, I haven’t read this entire string of posts. Still, I enjoyed the Lover Enshrined. I’ve enjoyed all of the books. She writes a heck of a lot better than I could. I enjoy her world and her characters.
    I do have a comment on the topic of marketing it as romance, even though the more recent books seem like urban fantasy. It’s a series. It began romance-y so they put it in romance. Should they put the latest books in Scifi/Fantasy? The the fantasy people would want to know why romance series are in their section. Meh. Maybe they’ll switch it eventually.
    Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series was in romance for years even though it’s really not a typical romance novel. Borders just recently moved it to fiction/literature instead.

  26. Mel's Bells says:

    Oh and the names. I think only those bred to be in the Brotherhood or of their lines get the crazy warrior names. The pretrans trainees were mostly regular vamps who were training to fight with the Brothers, but not in the Brotherhood, per se. They mentioned something about it in which ever book John Matthew first started training.

  27. Janine says:

    And it is not a commonality that in UF the main characters die, mostly it is secondary characters. And even if we were going to play that side of the coin, Ward killed off Tohr’s mate. That type of stuff does not happen in romance.

    Sandra Brown wrote a romance trilogy about two brothers and a sister in the early 1990s.  The books were Texas! Lucky, Texas! Chase, and Texas! Sage.  In the first book, Texas! Lucky, which was about the middle brother Lucky, the older brother Chase was happily married and he and his beloved wife were expecting a baby.  Toward the end of the book, the pregnant wife dies in a car accident.  The second book, Texas! Chase, was about how Chase enters into a marriage of convenience for financial reasons and has to learn to let go of his grief for his dead wife and learn to love again.  These books were very definitely romances, yet I don’t see this as very different than what Ward did with Tohr and Wellsie.

    I personally wouldn’t classify Lover Enshrined as urban fantasy.  The little urban fantasy that I’ve read is more concerned with world building, which interestingly, makes it feel more grounded in reality.  The BDB series is larger than life and often over the top in a way that I don’t associate with UF. 

    I can see why some readers don’t consider the books romances, at least not in a traditional sense, yet they still feel closer to romance to me than to other genres, perhaps because they are so concerned with the characters’ personal happiness.  I feel that in a fantasy or SF book, the major concern is usually saving the world, and personal happiness takes second place to that.  If the books were true UF, wouldn’t Phury have had to mate with some of the other Chosen instead of saving himself for Cormia?  The system would not have been overturned so easily in an UF book.

    I actually enjoyed Lover Enshrined fairly well.  Some of the things other readers complain about, like the multiple subplots and viewpoints, are a lot of what I enjoy.  I like the epic feel of Ward’s books and the way the lives of so many characters intersect in them. 

    Phury and Cormia were okay even if not great.  For my money, the most romantic moment in this book was between Qhuinn and Blaylock.  I’m less interested in Rhevenge, but I liked him better in this book than in the earlier ones. 

    I love John Matthew and Xhex and am very much looking forward to their eventual relationship, even if we only get a few scenes like we did with Phury and Cormia.  The mention that Xhex did not have a security system because she didn’t believe in them worries me, though.  I hope that she doesn’t get attacked by the lessers or that even if she does, she still remains as interesting as she is now.

  28. orangehands says:

    I hope that she doesn’t get attacked by the lessers

    If she does, she’ll eat them alive. 🙂 Unless Ward wimps out on one of two (other being Payne) female characters that seem to know how to kick ass (or are at least memorable). Seriously, Payne- with two lines in this book- is already more interesting than most of the other heroines.

    For me, I don’t classify LEn as a romance because the main h/h romance was barely a fifth of the book (someone do a scene count yet?), and romance books have the main plot as the romance. I would say it’s a hybrid of romance and UF. But take Kay Hooper’s Bishop series. It started as a romance with a strong suspense plot. The last book I read (second to last that’s come out) wasn’t a romance because the h/h relationship was about finding the killer and her accepting her gifts, not their relationship. (I think they finally kiss in the last few pages). This is not to say I didn’t enjoy the book or that I won’t continue to read the series (hello, psychic FBI team solving murders, course I’m there), but that I wouldn’t term it as romance.

    But can romances kill off people? Yes. Can they kill off the h/h? That gets tricky. The romance implies an HEA (what that HEA is differs, but there is one) at the end of the story. However, one of my fave romantic stories is Love Story, where the heroine dies. On the other hand, that’s found in “Lit” not “Romance”. 

    But wait, I just reread that. There is an implied HEA at the end of Kay’s book. It’s a kiss, sure, but it’s a kiss with promises of a relationship. So I guess I go back to the idea that romance, to be romance and not romantic something, has to have a main plot about the romance/relationship between the h/h.

    Not sure though. I may have just rambled 59 cents of nothing thoughts. Anyway, I do agree the most romantic scene is with Blay and Qhuinn. I’m hoping we get Blay’s pov in the next book.

    And now to go write the paper that’s actually due tomorrow.

  29. Maered says:

    The books should definitely be in the UF section – I think it’s wrong of JR to label them as romances.  If she had warned people about the romance that was not there, I think I would have enjoyed the book more.

    Aside:  I have just been kicked off the board for saying that many readers don’t visit the board because of the extreme fan girl behaviour. *rolls eyes*  The thing is I have read this many times on different sites and boards.  Oh well.  May they all live in ignorance….

  30. orangehands says:

    Her text messages read like lolcats.

  31. LeaF says:

    *cough* she did it wrong, that’s why *cough* I was able to translate it in my head but she took out the wrong letters sometimes and it just bugged me.

    Glad to know that because it certainly had me scratching my head and frustrated, because it would have been, ah, nice to understand what was going on.

    As far as Ward’s books fitting into the uban fantasy genre, well okay. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, I didn’t find “Lover Enshrined” to be a well written book irregardless.

    Kat Richardson’s “Grey Walker”, series is very well written and exciting. It is pure Urban Fantasy. Ms. Richardson lives in Seattle, where the story takes place, her descriptive prose is excellent. There is no eroticism in her books, just a very light hint of romance. The heroine/protagonist in the book is a tough as nails PI who is thrown into a paranormal world much against her will – really creative and blood chilling at times.

    It all depends what the reader is looking for I guess.

    I think this is one of the things that defenders of romance find so frustrating.  The worldbuilding for paranormal romances is generally really weak, but we buy them anyway because we’re enjoying the story and are more able than (for instance) SFF fans to suspend disbelief.

    So, when we’re looking for paranormals to recommend to SFF readers to show them that romance can be fun, engaging, thought-provoking, and well-written, we often get egg on our faces because of the holes in the worldbuilding that we just can’t defend.  It comes across as laziness or stupidity on the part of the authors, and on the part of the readers who enjoy such under-par work.

    I do agree with your statements to some extent, but I also think that its up to the reader to be discerning with respect to the series they choose defend. There are some really great paranormal romance series out there with good world building, plot/story line development, spicy erotica, and great characters. I would offer Savannah Russe’s, “Darkwing Chronicles”, as an example. Ms. Russe is extremely well read and articulate, her knowledge of poety is outstanding. The setting for her books is well researched. She has used her assets and creative juices and written a great series of 5 books. The series is now finished (sigh) and she is moving on to a different paranormal book (or series, I’m not sure). Ms. Russe did very well finishing the story off.

    I think the trick is and a good author should know when series has gone on for too long and know when to complete the story and move on to a new idea. Adding more and more characters who are not well developed, and writing storylines and plots that are out of context leave the reader scratching their heads.

    I hope I have gotten the quotes right from your various well worded posts. I’m trying to learn how to post properly – lol…

  32. LeaF says:

    oops – my apologies – I didn’t get the quotes right – oh well, I hope you can decipher my mess – I need posting lessons lol…

  33. Jesbelle says:

    Okay, I finished it! And I just was to second a couple points already discussed in way more detail. Thar be spoilers below:

    First of all, I completely agree with Lynn M and am a little suprised that no one else mentioned how much Blay/Qhuinn felt like a consolation prize for Butch/V. As if Ward is saying, “sorry, wasn’t braze enough to do it with two main characters, who I kept from having ANY interaction at all in this book, so I’m giving you these two secondary characters. And BTW, please don’t pay any attention to conveniently waiting cop-out of ‘but they were just young, horny guys.’”

    Additionally, right there with everyone else on the Lassie issue. Who is this guy? Why do I have to read your boards or buy your companion book in order to feel like I have a grasp on the series? I’ve book companion books before (I own the Dark-Hunter one in fact). But I bought it because I enjoy the series so much, not because I was utterly lost on the ever changing rules of the world.

    Also, where have all the question marks gone? “Did he” and “Why” are questions, even if they’re short sentences! And, what. is. with. the. sudden. use. of. stilted. diaglouge. It doesn’t add emphasis when it happens on every other page. It’s annoying, and show’s an insecurity in the word choice.

    As for the UF, I totally agree that it would not stand up in that market. The worldbuilding just isn’t strong enough. In fact, I must humbly diagree with everyone who called Ward a “master” or “great” storyteller despite these problems. A storyteller is great because they completely build a function, “real” world. She just isn’t capable of this.

    (You might have noticed the lack of Phumia mention, but really I’m not sure this book was about them anyway so why bother? Phury had more of a relationship with a “wizard”, who despite many trips in this Brother’s head in previous books has neve appeared before. And Cormia did a better job romancing JM.)

    Anyway, I’d like to see what becomes of Blay/Qhuinn and see where she takes Tohr’s character, but this was such a disappointment, I don’t think I have it in me to hang with the Brothers any longer.
    /end rant

  34. LeaF says:

    I too was quite befuddled with respect to the appearance of “Lassiter”, the “fallen angel”. Then I thought okay, Lassiter, Lucifer – a really deranged dude. But, then I decided, no, this guy is nothing but a “poor woman’s”, Acheron!!! Think about it, saves long suffering hero from previous book in the series, heals unsuspecting vampire with his lighted whatevers, “secret past”, seems to be a studly – although not quite sure, ya da da, ya da da, ya da da…

  35. karmelrio says:

    Why do I have to read your boards or buy your companion book in order to feel like I have a grasp on the series?

    Oh, don’t even get me started on worthless/shameless author promo.

  36. Jesbelle says:

    But, then I decided, no, this guy is nothing but a “poor woman’s”, Acheron!!!

    Ha! That’s so perfect! LeaF, you are my new best friend.

  37. DianeN says:

    I haven’t read the book. I gave up on the series after LU, and from what I’ve read about LEn, I don’t feel I’ve missed a thing by quitting. But I do have a suggestion for JRW—maybe one of her Cellies could pass it on to her, since I’m sure they’re reading this thread. How about dropping “Lover” from the titles if the series is no longer to be considered romance?? I see that word and expect a love story, and apparently there is none in LEn.

  38. Jesbelle says:

    karmelrio, I want to read an author’s website because I’m excited about their work. Don’t get me wrong, I love the author presence on the net. And I love how accessible it makes them. (When I first saw that Nora Roberts posted on the blogs I read, I was so floored!)

    So, its great when a website has a sneak peak or character profiles. In fact, I even like that Ward posts fanfiction for her core fans. That’s awesome! However, it’s a little unwise to assume that what you post on a message board (and I think that the stories should be moved to the site in their own section for easy access, but that’s just me) should be considered common knowledge.

    Man, I’m wordy today…

  39. Nonnie says:

    Aside:  I have just been kicked off the board for saying that many readers don’t visit the board because of the extreme fan girl behaviour.

    This is exactly why I don’t visit the BDB boards.  Because the mods have more than made it clear that the only reason the boards exist is to pump up JRW’s ego, and any dissenting opinion will not only NOT be tolerated, but you will immediately and forever be banished.

    I have enjoyed five of the six BDB books, but I can’t, in my wildest dreams, imagine acting the way that the “Cellies” do.  But that might mean there is something wrong with me, because neither did I get all fan-girly over the hair bands in the 80’s when many of my friends did.

    Regarding LEn, I personally enjoyed the book, because I didn’t go into it looking for Phury’s story.  LU cured me of using this series to get my romance fix.  karmelrio gave the reason I read it…for the bromance.  The brothers fascinate me, and I’ll continue to read this series until such time as they no longer fascinate me…which could be the next BDB book…who knows.

  40. Anne says:

    I still have not read these last two books since I am already getting the hint it will not be a pleasant experience.

    Ms. Ward is a wonderful author with a great imagination and a serious following that a lot of authors only dream of! That said, I did read LU and ended up a bit frustrated. It’s so sad to say, but I won’t buy LE I don’t think. I liked the first 4. They were paranormal romance with a kickass edge to them. In my opinion, the BDB Series added new life to the paranormal genre.

    Nevertheless, I’m a romance reader at heart and that’s still the biggest reason I was reading this series. Considering LE isn’t much of a romance story, well, I’ll have to pass.

    But maybe the next one will have more focus on the romance. This romance reader is still hopeful. 🙂

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