So these 3 were the tough reads. Without fail Lover Revealed, Lover Unbound, and Lover Enshrined were readers least favorite books of the series. After falling madly in love with the first 3 books I’ll admit I was almost scared to tackle them. But the rave reviews of Ward’s latest titles kept me going. Even if a reader didn’t like the romances in the middle 3 books, all ultimately admitted it was worth it to keep up with the series other plot lines.
I will agree with the other readers. These books were nowhere near as good as the first 3 of the series. But, my interest in the other plot threads drove me through the titles. All I can say now is that I’m hoping for the big pay off of the final few books in the series.
Lover Revealed:
Butch and Marissa have circled each other for 3 books now. Butch, the human cop who has ties with the brotherhood and Marissa, the aristocrat who was tossed aside as mate by the Vampire King. Neither feels worthy of the other. Soon Butch will find that his shallow concerns have a corporeal form making romance with Marissa dangerous. Both are obviously in love with one another but, they’ll have to rid themselves of their own preconceived notions to find love.
Review
You knew this book was bound to happen. they’ve been chasing each other since book 1. I was a little bored with it. I love that in this series the characters who fall in love have a back-story but this was a little too much. The plot twist keeping them apart didn’t hold up for me as it seemed solved almost as quickly as it occurred. Why then does it take Marissa and Butch so long to figure it out?
Rating 6/10
Lover Unbound:
Vishous is one of the most complicated characters in Ward’s paranormal world. He is a sexual deviant favoring S&M and his mated roommate Butch. During a Lesser fight V is wounded and wakes up to find himself in a human hospital under the care of Dr. Jane Whitcombe. At first scent V senses that Jane is his female and proceeds to kidnap her during his hospital escape.
Jane’s history includes a lack of parental love and the early death of her sister. A driven but emotionally lonely woman, Jane will find that to give both Vishous and herself the gift of love she’ll have to give up the life she’s built.
Review
This is the rough one…the hated book. The book people quit the series for. Vishous and Jane. There were complaints of unbelievably quick romance, the change in sexual preference, the lack of Lessers, and the now limited powers of the Scribe Virgin.
Let me start with the quick romance. I’ll remind readers that in book 1 of the series Wrath and Beth were in bed the first night they met. He was all bonded by the second time they had sex. I’d call that a quickie.
Now let me tackle the unbelievable aspect…No one is reading about 7 foot, leather-covered, Vampire Warriors and the woman they love for the realism. Enough Said.
The change in sexual preference is a little rough. Ward may have taken the relationship between Butch and Vishous a little too far. It’s definitely not a friendship, and the Bi-Sexual label even seems a little thin for what they have. Even with the various rationalizations (Butch was just the first person Vishous cared for, or that Vishous’s S&M fetish means he was depraved and/or into all sex) Ward couldn’t reason the readers away from the strong ties the boys have. Vishous’s quick switch to bonding with Jane after so many books of pining for Butch does ring a little untrue even for a paranormal series. I think it’s because the love Vishous feels for Butch had developed over the course of 6 books. Where as the bonding with Jane (while technically as quick as others) happens instantly, the entire romance from kidnapping to marriage proposal happens in a 3 day span. There’s just not enough room in Ward’s already busy novel to emotionally attach to the couple.
As for the lack of Lessers, it didn’t bother me in this book. Again the entire book happened over 4 days. Not nearly enough time for another major Lesser plan to go down. Also, Ward hints at lesser interaction which kept them in the forefront of my mind so I didn’t really miss them.
Finally the limited powers of the almighty Scribe Virgin. She pulls out an acceptable ending. I think had she been able to magically fix everything perfectly it wouldn’t have matched Vishous’s trajectory. In the end she does pull out some pretty heavy magic it’s just not the classic save the reader was expecting. Which, in my eyes proves that Ward is a great series writer, constantly giving the reader a new plot rather than publishing the same story with different character names.
This was still not my favorite of the series, but much better than anticipated.
Rating: 7/10
Lover Enshrined
Phury is the celibate twin of Z. He’s spent his whole life with a hero complex, beginning with the search and saving of Z and continuing to this day. Phury loves nothing more than humbly saving people. The problem is he’s a hero with no self-confidence. He has a voice in his head driving him with negativity…the idea that he will never be good enough. While this voice drives him to help others, it also drives him into drug addiction.
Cormia has been raised a Chosen and she’s about to become head Chosen. The first wife of the Primale, the man to have sex with all 40 Chosen to further the Brotherhood race. Quite the honor if Cormia wasn’t so against it. Cormia wishes to live a unique life, one where she is not part of an identity of 40.
Between Phury the Primale’s self doubt & drug use, and Cormia’s resistance, the reader will wonder if they’ll ever get over themselves and embrace the chance at life both have been given.
Review
I didn’t love this one. Don’t hold your breath waiting for Phury and Cormia to get it on…or even have a touching connection. John Mathew and his friends become the stars of this novel. Cormia and John Mathew have a lovely relationship and I often found myself wondering why Phury wasn’t the lead man instead of John Mathew in these scenes. John Mathew had all the tender connections and Phury just stayed in his room stoned.
As a side plot, Ward again proved her sexual openness by making Quinn and Blay gay. She tempers their romance with Quinn stating that he “feels like he’ll end up with a shellan” or female, as a mate. I wish at this point in the series Ward would just go with it. She’s done S&M and that weird love/brother/homoerotic thing with V and Butch…I think it’s time for a healthy gay relationship. It seems as though she’s always stepping into the territory of gay relationships and never fully committing.
Rating: 6/10
Sara O
thelibrarianreads 