Debbie's Spurts
Just an avid reader. Mostly SF/Fantasy, some hobbies, paranormal, urban fantasy and lighter, fluffier things.
Currently reading
Review of "Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood #1)" by J.R. Ward
This reader's personal opinion, ©2012, all rights reserved, not to be quoted, clipped or used in any way by Google Play, amazon.com or other commercial booksellers*
A series and author new to me that I kept hearing about and putting off. Overall I enjoyed.
Hard to review because summing the individual elements of the story does not actually portray the book. Some interesting twists on the normal paranormal race stuff, like the vampires being more likely prey than predator with the exception of the Black Dagger Brotherhood warrior group (clan? tribe? religious order? police department?).
Some stuff so standard I mentally cringed and was preparing myself to bear in mind this series is one that has been ripped off a lot--like the very sexy leather clad dark hero or the generally oversudden-harlequin style of romance (suddenly in/out of love or lust for no explicable reason)--but the story, characters and writing carried it forward.
Kept me interested start to finish. Built up to a nice bit of worldbuilding with a let's-rebuild-our-civilization closure. Sorry I waited so long; was a little putoff by all the hype and the gang of characters who will each get their own book aspect (not always a favorite plot/series device for me).
Likely to read more in series--but, spaced out just by personal preference (the lusty romance formula one I need to take in small doses even if curious what happens with the "brothers").
Hopefully, fewer pages will be devoted to getting inside cartoonish villain's, like Mr. X, head as that was one part of book that went on way too long and did not hold my interest (Although was admittedly creepy).
Reading Progress from goodreads:
| 06/23 | 1.0% | "Keep hearing about this series and will keep in mind it has been ripped off a lot. Estimated % readings as am reading 4-book bundle downloaded from library. Also reading for SOS group BINGO game." | ||
| 06/23 | 2.0% | "Confusing POV and a rather long glossary of terms (hope made up terms not going to pass for worldbuilding)" | ||
| 06/23 | 6.0% | "Now catching a feel for the series." |
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| 06/23 | 16.0% | "I am liking the book and the characters (names and talk of how über sexy all the brotherhood were threw me for a bit). But the worldbuilding is more of the warrior/clan society of men protecting their tribe/clan/females sort of thing that is making it read more medieval historical romance despite microwaving food and goth customers at the local bar." | ||
| 06/23 | 19.0% | "Better on the worldbuilding, paranormal stuff. One sex scene of the overcome with passion type (a bit of relief after some of the supernatural or fated to mate excuses some recent PNR reads have been peddling)"--goodie, some sexy times as this author actually can write on stage sex. | ||
| 06/23 | 45.0% | "More street thuggie now as if they are gangsters or monsters. "romance" heated up. Some twists on usual paranormal mythologies. Liking, but not sure something I would have picked up without the hype nor am I likely to be a huge fan following the series with bated breath." | ||
| 06/23 | 47.0% | "So does anyone else flash on the torturer in the True Lies movie when Mr. X of the lessors thinks about what to do with his tools like using melon baller to scoop out eyeballs? (mind is obviously wandering 'cause I just flashed on how much I love my melon baller with a hole in the bowl so you do not have to pry out the melon balls...just scoop and scoop and they release themselves)" | ||
| 06/23 | 51.0% | "Beauty and the beast type of scenes. Beth still not transitioned to vampire" | ||
| 09/20 | marked as: | my-shelf-category-i | ||
| 09/20 | marked as: | i-rd | ||
| 10/20 | marked as: | read | ||
| 10/22 | marked as: | to-read | ||
| 11/05 | marked as: | shelved-for-one-reason-or-another | ||
| 12/16 | marked as: | books-to-delete-after-move | ||
*©2012. All rights reserved except permission is granted to author or publisher to reprint/quote in whole or in part. Copyrightholder posted on booklikes, BookRabbit, Leafmarks, The Reading Room and may have cross-posted to other book sites. Posting on any site does not grant that site permission to share with any third parties.
Ratings scale used in absence of a booklikes suggested rating scale:
★★★★★ = All Time Favorite
★★★★½ = Extraordinary Book. Really Loved It.
★★★★☆ = Loved It.
★★★½☆ = Really Liked.
★★★☆☆ = Liked.
★★½☆☆ = Liked parts; parts only okay. Would read more by author.
★★☆☆☆ = Meh. Okay.
★½☆☆☆ = Disliked but kept me reading in hopes would get better.
★☆☆☆☆ = Loathed It. Possibly DNF and a torturous read.
½☆☆☆☆ = So vile was a DNF or should have been. Cannot imagine anyone liking. (Might also be just an "uploaded" word spew or collection that should not be dignified by calling itself a "published book." Or author should take remedial classes for language written in until basic concepts like using sentences sink in. Is author even old enough to sign a publishing contract or do they need a legal guardian to sign for them?)
5
 - J.R. Ward)