Crave, by J.R. Ward
Crave, by JR Ward
Book 2 of The Fallen Angels Series
Reviewed by Megsly, aka The Book Bitch
All of us here at MVF are familiar with the awesomeness that is J.R. Ward. Even if you haven’t read any of the Warden’s panty melting books, you’ve at least heard those of us who write for MVF speak of her. Some of us have even met her (I haven’t had the opportunity yet, but trust me…it will happen…in April…and I CANNOT WAIT) and exchanged emails with her and have gotten to know this amazing author to some degree. She was kind enough to make donations to MVF’s food drive over the Christmas holidays and has, quite frankly, been an absolute inspiration to many people here on the site. As I’ve taken up shop as a bit of an obsessive book reviewer lately, I realized that we had yet to review one of the Warden’s books!
Slightly lesser known than the Black Dagger Brotherhood, J.R. Ward writes a stand alone series called the Fallen Angels, which is set in the same time and place (for the most part) of our beloved Brotherhood world. Susanashlea wrote a review for the first book, Covet, which I thoroughly enjoyed!
Crave picks up where Covet left off, with Jim Heron waking up in a morgue and leaving his body behind to continue on with his work with the angels to save someone from making a bad decision. Just as a refresher on the backstory, in Covet we learn that there is a supreme battle between good and evil, but it’s not an outright war so much as it is a bet. Selecting a single individual to manipulate the hearts of others, the forces of good and evil have decided to place their fate in the hands of Jim Heron (who acts as the single individual.) His actions will lead to the decisions of others and his quest is to keep at least four out of seven people from committing an act that would seal the deal on their eternal damnation. If he succeeds, the world will not go to hell in a handbasket woven by Satan. If he fails, we all burn in the fiery pits of damnation…all of us (Can I just say, Dear Jim, please don’t fail? Hell does not sound like my cup of tea.) Considering that Jim only needs to have the majority of the people make the right decision, his odds aren’t too bad. He technically only has to get four people to make the right choice, but exactly how easy is it to influence people, or to even know if you’ve got the right person?
I think Crave takes a more of a romantic approach than Covet did, in the aspect that the main characters in Crave seem to have much more emotional connection than characters of the previous book did. Since going AWOL from the special ops, Isaac Rothe has been hiding. He’s a doomed man; one doesn’t just walk away from the Special Ops. It’s one of those jobs where you kinda have to die to get away from it. Jim actually has a connection to Isaac, something he didn’t have to his main goal in the first book. Jim, also a former Special Ops member (hence the leaving of his body, he had to “die” to get out of it) has worked with Isaac before, so locating his target isn’t necessarily the hardest thing in the world, especially since Isaac is making money via an underground fighting ring and is arrested after nearly killing a man with his fists. His arrest also draws the attention of Matthias, Jim and Isaac’s former boss. As I said before, one doesn’t just leave the Special Ops and having Matthias tracking you down does not bode well for your future.
Things progress quickly in Crave, and before you realize it you’re entrenched in a battle to save Isaac’s life and watching as Jim does everything within his power to prevent Isaac from making that fatal mistake that will not only condemn his soul, but also lead the world closer to Hell. Isaac, as a character, is rather entrancing. I love his internal monologue, his thoughts, his way of thinking. He is a man’s man, but deep down inside he has a soft spot that Grier Childe, the lovely court appointed lawyer who’s dedicated herself to saving him, finds her way into. What I like about Grier is that she is a truly strong woman, without being unbelievably so. She’s scared, she’s vulnerable, but she’s willing to do what it takes to get things done, and to protect her client (even when the stubborn He-Man that he is refuses her help.)
In typical Warden fashion, Crave is a powerfully written book. It lacks the hoity-toity, flowery romance words that swamp the pages of a traditional romance novel, and even though the story centers around love, it has a true plot behind is that isn’t so much about saving the fair maiden’s life or screaming their love from the mountaintops. To be honest, the romance takes a second seat to the actual plot of hello, time to save the world! Which is something I enjoy! I also greatly appreciate the Warden’s ability to give us a great story that doesn’t have that barftastic happy ever after ending. Yes, in true romance fashion Crave does have a happy ending, but guess what? It’s not going to make you gag with it’s sugary sweetness. It’s an appropriate ending, it’s a realistic ending, it’s a true ending. And what’s more? It’s a surprise ending, you’ll never guess what happens until it happens!
Overall, I was very satisfied with this book. I think the Warden found her groove with this second installment in the Fallen Angels series, because though I thoroughly enjoyed Covet, I actually loved Crave. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series, and even more than that, I can’t wait for the release of the next installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I’ve yet to read a book by the Warden that I haven’t enjoyed, so I do highly recommend Crave for any fans of romance out there that are looking for a different take on the genre. The Warden’s books are original, refreshing, and highly entertaining with plenty of violence, blood and sex, and really…who doesn’t like a good bit of mayhem with their sex!
Crave by JR Ward
-Story Elements (plot) – 9
-Character Development - 8
-Grammar & Punctuation - 9.5
-Prose – 9
-Paranormal Element – 8.5
Total Score: 8.8/10
(total score is derived from the average of the 5 individuals scores)
|
||||||||
Recent Comments