Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another....
Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: The male has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young—just as Qhuinn has always wanted for himself. It’s hard to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. As he’s learned firsthand.
Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions... but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together... finally become one.
I was going to write a review, but I think I missed that boat. If you want the classic review you can find it:
Goodreads: 4,655 ratings/1,424 reviews
Amazon: 423 customer reviews
I am going to give you my overall thoughts then I am going to give you all the dirty spoilery details (hidden behind the page break so you don't have to worry about seeing them unless you want to) I can remember because there are some readers who aren't interested in reading m/m, but desperately want to know what is happening with the characters. I read this when it came out and I can’t recall everything so if you have questions about what happened or if I got something wrong let me know and I will answer or fix it!
My thoughts (sort of review)
I love m/m romance and I have been waiting for this book for a long time. The book is about Blay and Qhuinn getting their HEA and they do, but it was all about the sex in this one. If you were avoiding this book because you didn’t want to read gay sex then you better stay away cause they get down and dirty. Honestly, you can still read the book because the gay sex doesn’t jump out at you from nowhere. You can avoid those parts. Anyway, I know good gay romance and JR Ward did a fair job with it, but she doesn’t write m/m for a living and it shows. The romance element was missing from the sex and that was disappointing. The ending was a little rushed and cheesy. The bar is symbolic of of their relationship and I get why Ward would have them hash things out there, but having the emotional climax of their story happen there didn't work for me.
The book has a ton of POVs and other character story lines. You might get whip lash as JR Ward switches between them with each chapter. Normally this would frustrate me in a bad way, but in this case it kept me turning the pages. I would be angry as a chapter ended because I would have to wait till the author got back around to those characters to find out what happened, but then I would get caught up in the next chapter and frustrated when that one ended. Bottom line… page turner!
All our favorite brothers are here, but their HEA have been told so Ward is bringing in new characters for the romance. There is still a lot of story for our favorites in the series and I like where she is going with them. The Band of Bastards are trying to overthrow Wrath as king and they have made some unusual alliances. A new drug lord, the vampire Assail, has come to town and he has allegiance only to money. I really like this character and can’t wait for his HEA with the human Sola. Then there are the Shadow brothers Trez and iAm.
Squee quotes:
Blay thinking about Qhuinn: “Hair? Brushed if it was lucky. Cologne? Gunpowder and orgasms.”
“As his voice resonated inside his own skull, he resolved to listen to himself. No further. This would go no further. He’d long ago lost his heart to that male. There was no reason to lose his soul, too.”
Blay admitting his feelings to Qhuinn at the end: “Because I was, and I remain, utterly and completely and totally… in love with you.”
Trez being badass when he catches a guy mistreating a female at a club (Holy crap! What are shadows?) “I’m going to come at you from behind. You won’t know I’m there, and you won’t live through what I’m going to do to you. I promise you this” Yup, Shadows had a special way of disposing of their enemies, and though he preferred low-fat meat like chicken or fish, he was willing to make exceptions."
My fangirl heart gives 5 Sheep
FOR SPOILERS click to read more
Amazon: 423 customer reviews
I am going to give you my overall thoughts then I am going to give you all the dirty spoilery details (hidden behind the page break so you don't have to worry about seeing them unless you want to) I can remember because there are some readers who aren't interested in reading m/m, but desperately want to know what is happening with the characters. I read this when it came out and I can’t recall everything so if you have questions about what happened or if I got something wrong let me know and I will answer or fix it!
My thoughts (sort of review)
I love m/m romance and I have been waiting for this book for a long time. The book is about Blay and Qhuinn getting their HEA and they do, but it was all about the sex in this one. If you were avoiding this book because you didn’t want to read gay sex then you better stay away cause they get down and dirty. Honestly, you can still read the book because the gay sex doesn’t jump out at you from nowhere. You can avoid those parts. Anyway, I know good gay romance and JR Ward did a fair job with it, but she doesn’t write m/m for a living and it shows. The romance element was missing from the sex and that was disappointing. The ending was a little rushed and cheesy. The bar is symbolic of of their relationship and I get why Ward would have them hash things out there, but having the emotional climax of their story happen there didn't work for me.
The book has a ton of POVs and other character story lines. You might get whip lash as JR Ward switches between them with each chapter. Normally this would frustrate me in a bad way, but in this case it kept me turning the pages. I would be angry as a chapter ended because I would have to wait till the author got back around to those characters to find out what happened, but then I would get caught up in the next chapter and frustrated when that one ended. Bottom line… page turner!
All our favorite brothers are here, but their HEA have been told so Ward is bringing in new characters for the romance. There is still a lot of story for our favorites in the series and I like where she is going with them. The Band of Bastards are trying to overthrow Wrath as king and they have made some unusual alliances. A new drug lord, the vampire Assail, has come to town and he has allegiance only to money. I really like this character and can’t wait for his HEA with the human Sola. Then there are the Shadow brothers Trez and iAm.
Squee quotes:
Blay thinking about Qhuinn: “Hair? Brushed if it was lucky. Cologne? Gunpowder and orgasms.”
“As his voice resonated inside his own skull, he resolved to listen to himself. No further. This would go no further. He’d long ago lost his heart to that male. There was no reason to lose his soul, too.”
Blay admitting his feelings to Qhuinn at the end: “Because I was, and I remain, utterly and completely and totally… in love with you.”
Trez being badass when he catches a guy mistreating a female at a club (Holy crap! What are shadows?) “I’m going to come at you from behind. You won’t know I’m there, and you won’t live through what I’m going to do to you. I promise you this” Yup, Shadows had a special way of disposing of their enemies, and though he preferred low-fat meat like chicken or fish, he was willing to make exceptions."
My fangirl heart gives 5 Sheep
The reviewer in my head gives 4 Sheep
FOR SPOILERS click to read more
