Reviewer: Casee Lassiter by J.R. Ward
Narrator: Jim Frangione
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #21
Also in this series: Lover Unbound, Lover Avenged, Lover at Last, Lover at Last, The King, The Shadows, The Beast, Lover Enshrined, The Chosen, Lover Mine, The Thief, The Savior, Where Winter Finds You, The Sinner, Lover Unleashed
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: April 11, 2023
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 480
Length: 15 hours and 17 minutes
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Series Rating:
The next book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series!
In the next installment in J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, a fallen angel finds love with a mysterious female—who could be his destiny... or the embodiment of his utter destruction.
I don’t even know where to start with this review. My emotions were very conflicted when I finished this book. On one hand, I really liked being immersed back in the Black Dagger Brotherhood. It always hits me with a sort of nostalgia because I remember exactly where I was when I first read Dark Lover. That book hit me hard & has continued to stay with me through the last 18 years. I remember buying it from a used book store thinking that it was interesting that a man was writing romance novels (little did I know). I loved that book from the first page to the last. On the other hand, I didn’t love this book. I thought I would. I’ve been waiting for Lassiter’s story for quite some time. More than Tohr’s actually (and I really wanted that book). Lassiter has been such an interesting character from the first moment he appeared on the page. I think that JRW’s writing has changed & it’s not necessarily for the better. Unfortunately.
Lassiter & Rahvyn were supposed to be the main characters in this book, but I didn’t really feel like that was the case. I liked reading their story, but the Lash & Devina thing was absolutely ridiculous. I don’t care about Lash or Devina’s POV. As a matter of fact, it almost ruined the book entirely. When I would get to another chapter about those two, I felt like throwing my Kindle. It was really boring & I just didn’t give a fuck about those two. I understand that they were integral to the story and all that, but ffs, lay off a little. Devina’s character needs to be put out to pasture. She is so over-the-top bad that it’s just absurd. Lash isn’t much better.
The best part of the book was Lassiter & Rahvyn’s mating ceremony. I really felt that the ceremony & the love between all the characters was embodied very well. Still, that didn’t excuse the rest of the book. Even the (usually amusing, although sometimes annoying) anecdotes were eyeroll inducing. I would have DNFed it, but I really wanted to see what happened with Lassiter & Rahvyn. Unfortunately, I think that I’m going to call a halt on this series, even after the (kind of) cliffhanger. I also didn’t appreciate how she fast forwarded the series. I thought it was really poorly done.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Black Dagger Brotherhood
First, my brand new hardcover book fell apart as soon as I started reading. Not impressed with the cheap printing to have pages come out in clumps. Second, I accidently ordered 2 books with the pre-order and all and this book is so bad, I’m not even giving the 2nd book to my bestie and fellow BDB lover. I’m sending it back. Lassiter’s book is dedicated to Wrath, and that should tell you all you need to know. I feel insulted and cheated to quote other reviews. Third, SPOILERS. Our beloved angel saddled with …. a girl child with the emotional maturity of a tomato. So, she’s got some super hero hair, and bring back the dead time traveler fingers (what’s with the meteorites) there is zero chemistry, zilch, and Lassiter deserves more. There are only a handful of scenes between these 2, no flirty romance at all! Nadda, it’s insta-luv at the most boooor-ring snooze fest level, and a romp in the sack in some cave, which cures all their backstory head trips. Nah. The Golden Girls ARE sexier than Lassiter in this one. And bless Rahvyn’s little heart “I want to be your receptacle” is not, and I repeat, is NOT hot pillow talk in any century. It’s ewwwww! And why not use her magic meteorite bring back the dead fingers “the now” because 20 years of Wrath and Beth, those 2 deserve MORE! We the readers, that love the BDB world, deserve more! It’s ok on George, but not the King. In what universe? The stakes would have been so much higher if Rahvyn HAD used her abilities, than what we got. And where was our striped leggings Lassiter, because he sure wasn’t in his own book, even V read like day old dishwater. That’s not the V I know and luv. The why of Lassiter’s love of all that gold jewelry? Hmmmm, cough, clearing throat…totally out of left field. Does Rahvyn even wear jewelry? The whole morphing into Wrath scene is downright disgusting. You can’t tell me after 200/300 years supporting their guy, their KING, these boys are gonna go “hey, that’s a great idea, Rhage: yup, pass the ice cream.” I loved Beth walking in dressed in her mating gown (maybe) stepping up as Queen all “not going to rob L.W. of his legacy” but come on, dayum – she’s lost her hellren! So she’s going to want to look at, or any of the brothers going to want to look at a Wrath melty for the next 30 years??? That’s just mental. Yup, I’m pretty tired of Devina too and her POV, especially after all the Fallen Angels books, but at least she and Lash actually had some kind of sicko chemistry and dialogue, and how romantic, he even brings her a gift. Really?? With Lash back, where were John, Blay and Qhinn?? They have more personal history with Lash than anyone, and he’s clearly not the Omega, just filled with his juice, so the boys don’t get a personal mention? JR Ward wrote herself into a box with this one, straight into a crypt, and BDB is never going to recover. The frantic pacing of this book is monotonous and super silly….boooor-ring. Cramming 10 pounds of evil into a 5 pound bag cut off any plausible plot or character arcs, especially for the good guys. The 30 years into the future hot asphalt patch job of an epilogue is crushingly bleak and unbelieve in covering the heart wrenching plot holes in this story. BDB was probably over about 5 books back, true. I should have shelved this series, happily knowing the shellens were stoking the home fires while the brothers were out saving the race. There is no coming back from this. Some of those 5 star ratings on other sites gotta be chatbots. Maybe the whole book was chatgpt?