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Review
4 stars
I have been waiting such a long time for this book! The spin off to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, JR Ward promised that this book would take us back to the original brothers, but also bring in some new blood by re-opening the training centre. And that’s exactly what we get – a bunch of new, young recruits with their very own hot romance, and a storyline for originals Butch and Marissa. Definitely a must-read for fans of the series, I wouldn’t recommend diving into this one without having read the BDB books first.
Paradise has appeared in the last couple of books. She is the daughter of Wrath’s advisor, and a member of the glymera – the vampire elite – who dreams of more than the aristocratic life stretching out before her. When the Brotherhood re-open their training program, she signs up hoping to learn not only how to fight, but to discover who she is and what she wants from her life.
Craeg joined the training program for a completely different reason. As a member of the vampire ‘blue collar’ class, he wants revenge on the people that he blames for the death of his family. He wants to become a warrior, and he will let nothing get in his way – not even his beautiful and tempting fellow trainee.
Individually, I really liked Paradise and Craeg, but I didn’t feel their relationship as much as I usually do with the couples in this series. There wasn’t as much focus on them, and their relationship seemed based purely on their physical reaction to each other, and developed slowly with a start/stop thing as Craeg battled with his commitment to his training and his growing feelings for Paradise. And when they did interact, it wasn’t exactly deep and meaningful, but usually full of Craeg’s growly warnings to back off or lust-filled declarations.
“Do you like playing with fire, girl?” he growled. Because if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to burn you to the ground.”
“If I kiss you,” he growled, “there’s no going back. I might not fuck you right here, right now, but I’ll have you on your back the instant I get the goddamn chance.”
There’s no denying they were smoking hot together, but as for the actual ‘romance’…. yeah, not feeling it. But Paradise was the big surprise, and OMG, I love her! She’s a total badass! Not that’s she’s cold-hearted, she’s actually a real sweetheart, but she’s completely together, and emotionally strong and isn’t prepared to put up with any shit. She has been raised in the glymera with little expected of her but to mate well and look pretty, but damn, there’s so much to this girl! She struts into training with a ‘never quit’ attitude, and when Craeg starts jerking her around, she doesn’t let him get away with dismissing her and acting like an indecisive douche.
“This is getting us nowhere,” he muttered after a moment.
“You’re absolutely right. So fuck off. Have a nice life—hope all your holier-than-thou keeps you warm during the day.”
The female is fantastic, and I have a total girl-crush on her!
It was the other romance that felt like the main focus of the book, and which saved this book for me. I LOVED getting the chance to revisit with Butch and Marissa – their original story was fantastic, and I really enjoyed checking in with them again. They are still very much in love, but they have been together for a while now, and some issues are starting to appear. I thought it was very realistic considering who they are and everything they’ve been through, and I thought the way they dealt with it was fantastic! They didn’t hide from it, they worked on it, and they solidified their bond and fell even deeper in love with each other.
“I still think that every time I see you, after I’ve spent some time away from you. Thank God … he’s here.”
Butch is a great character. His human past brings a wonderful dynamic to his character, and I liked that we got to see him still adjusting to that. But the big surprise with them was Marissa! The woman is a fierce!! She has really grown from the gentle, innocent aristocrat, and though she maintains that part of her, she’s also strong and passionate and not afraid to stand up to her man. She was so amazing in this book!
“You and I are not going to survive long term, regardless of love or bonding, if you keep airbrushing things. If I keep airbrushing things. It’s not a good strategy for us—and if this makes you feel like you’re on the spot? As if I’m giving you an ultimatum? I don’t care. If anything gets in the way of our relationship, anything, I will mow that shit down—even if it is you.”
The two relationships fit together really beautifully, with both couples having to sort through similar issues (and both females kicking ass!). Of course, they all get their HEA, but I have to admit that I was feeling it more for Butch and Marissa than I did with Paradise and Craeg. One storyline was so emotional, detailed and well-resolved, and the other was just…. not. But it all ended up in a good place, and I was happy with that.
True love didn’t mean effortless, and ever-after wasn’t about cruise control. You started with the attraction, and then you opened your heart and your soul—but all that, which was no small thing, just got you to first base. There were many, many other trips to take to deeper levels of greater acceptance and understanding. That was where you found the happy. And the ever-after was the work you were always willing to put in to stay close, to learn, and to grow as people together.”
Running alongside the romance is a murder/mystery storyline that I thought was really well done, and worked well as a catalyst for things that unfolded throughout the book. I liked the introduction we got to the other trainees, and am looking forward to seeing more of them in the future. And in exciting news, there are no lessers, no BoB, and the story is kept very much focussed on everything that happens between the two couples, with only their dual POVs telling the story.
There were lots of light and funny moments. Any scene with Lassiter was great, but seeing the whole group of original characters was absolutely sensational! Butch and V together continue to be amazing – their teasing, slightly flirtatious friendship is both sweet and absolutely hilarious
The highlight for me was the scene where the girls all watched Magic Mike while the guys pathetically lamented their females looking at half naked humans. Freaking hilarious!The hallway beyond was filled with males of the house, the Brothers and other fighters and Manny sitting on the floor with their backs to the bare walls, their legs stretched out, propped up, crossed at the knees or crossed at the ankles.
Apparently there had been quite a bit of drinking going on, bottles of vodka and whiskey littered around them, glasses in hands or on thighs.
“This is NOT as pathetic as it looks,” her Butch pointed out.
“Liar,” V muttered, “It so fucking is. I think I’m going to start knitting for reals.”
God, I love these characters! I was so thrilled to be back in their world, and can’t wait for more.
4 stars.
Check out our Black Dagger Brotherhood page for more info on both series.