by J.R. Ward
Hardcover, 508 pages
April 5th 2016
April 5th 2016
Rhage and Mary return in a new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.
Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself…
For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect—or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand—or control—the panic and insecurity that plague him…
And that terrifies him—as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities—and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world...and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from.
Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself…
For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect—or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand—or control—the panic and insecurity that plague him…
And that terrifies him—as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities—and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world...and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from.
After reading all that plot info you might be thinking "sounds good!" or something along the lines of "oh hells to the yes!!!".. ..well sadly I was a bit let down with the latest BDB installment. I can't help it, I've got high expectations for this author and I am just not willing to give those up. She's amazing. She can write the mess out of anything and THIS time she kinda failed for me.
Pretty much the majority of The Beast is about Rhage and Mary deciding if they want to be parents. We follow their single minded story of becoming "possible" parents and how they feel about it all. Then there's more time talking about feelings. It's a lot of emotional ice cream dates and crying about what they may or may not be missing when it comes to kidos. I dunno, it was just a bit bland for my tastes.
Sure there are those tasty side plots, that J.R. Ward is famous for, about other characters in her world. Layla and her pregnancy move along in that progression. Lessers and humans getting more wise to the paranormal world. Everyone in the mansion seems to love and support each other all the dang time, almost to the extreme side of smothering. V and Doc Jane are what they are, loving their jobs and just kinda humping each other when it suits. It's just all too easy plot wise and the puzzle pieces just fit too easily it seems.
Overall, I like this author. Shooooot I kinda really frelin LOVE this author and her series, but this installment was a let down for me. This one bad apple won't stop me from keeping the BDB love boat going, I'm just wishing there was a stop in Ensenada for Pina Coladas and nights we wont remember or regret!
Getting 3 Sheep
KD
Pretty much the majority of The Beast is about Rhage and Mary deciding if they want to be parents. We follow their single minded story of becoming "possible" parents and how they feel about it all. Then there's more time talking about feelings. It's a lot of emotional ice cream dates and crying about what they may or may not be missing when it comes to kidos. I dunno, it was just a bit bland for my tastes.
Sure there are those tasty side plots, that J.R. Ward is famous for, about other characters in her world. Layla and her pregnancy move along in that progression. Lessers and humans getting more wise to the paranormal world. Everyone in the mansion seems to love and support each other all the dang time, almost to the extreme side of smothering. V and Doc Jane are what they are, loving their jobs and just kinda humping each other when it suits. It's just all too easy plot wise and the puzzle pieces just fit too easily it seems.
Overall, I like this author. Shooooot I kinda really frelin LOVE this author and her series, but this installment was a let down for me. This one bad apple won't stop me from keeping the BDB love boat going, I'm just wishing there was a stop in Ensenada for Pina Coladas and nights we wont remember or regret!
Getting 3 Sheep
KD
Thanks for the review. I keep reading this series, even though I haven't truly enjoyed it in a long time. I still have yet to read The Shadows. Looks like it may be time to call it quits.
ReplyDeleteI love love J.R. Ward. She is an amazing writer, but lately her BDB series just hasn't..."been the business" as my husband would say - like her earlier books. I'm definitely going to pick this one, but I understand where you're coming from.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review!
I haven't made it through The King. I was thinking about skipping ahead to read this one since I loved Rhage and Mary. But now... Darn it, darn it. The mix of reviews keeps me on the fence. Nice review.
ReplyDelete