Charm

Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. I thought I would do my thoughts on these books as a whole series as each book concentrates on one character out of the whole cast. I’ll start with listing the books in order with a synopsis of each courtesy of Waterstone's. Dark Lover ~ Book 1 (I have already written my thoughts on this book earlier in this thread) In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There also exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Among them, none relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...The only pure-bred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed - orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead...Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both... Lover Eternal ~ Book 2 Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover - for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him. Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. Her faith in miracles was lost years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves. Lover Awakened ~ Book 3 Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion - until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society. Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist's thirst for vengeance against Bella's tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her. Lover Revealed ~ Book 4 Now, an ally of the Black Dagger Brotherhood will face the challenge of his life and the evil of the ages. Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world - to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him... Lover Unbound ~ Book 5 Dr Jane Whitcomb, leader of a cardiac trauma team, is about to leave the medical centre for the night when an emergency is brought in - a man with a gunshot wound to the heart. As she examines him, however, she begins to suspect that her dangerously sexy new patient is not entirely human.One night, while he's still in recovery, this tattooed stranger reaches out to her. He seems soothed by her presence. And she is oddly captivated by his.She will soon learn that he is Vishous - V for short - the smartest vampire in the Black Dagger Brotherhood. But his tortured past has left him avoiding intimacy. It is against V's nature to let anyone see his vulnerable side. Except Jane. He has the oddest sense that she understands. Lover Enshrined ~ Book 6 Phury, Zsadist's twin brother and a vampire in the Black Dagger Brotherhood, makes the ultimate sacrifice and stands in for a fellow brother to become the chosen - one who will save the brotherhood's bloodlines. Tormented by the love he has for his twin's mate, he devotes his passion to the higher good of his race and forbids himself from being distracted by a romantic relationship. The war with the Lessening society is graver than ever, and the brothers need the few warriors they have to fight. Phury is resigned never to divert himself with love or put his brothers in jeopardy, until he comes face to face with the only woman who can tempt his heart and make him question his chosen destiny... Lover Avenged ~ Book 7 Rehvenge, as a half-breed symphath, is used to living in the shadows and hiding his true identity. As a club owner and a dealer on the black market, he's also used to handling the roughest nightwalkers around - including the members of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. He's kept his distance from the Brotherhood as his dark secret could make things complicated on both sides - but now, as head of the vampire aristocracy, he's an ally that Wrath, the Blind King, desperately needs. Rehv's secret is about to get out, though, which will land him in the hands of his deadly enemies- and test the mettle of his female, turning her from a civilian into a vigilante... Lover Mine ~ Book 8 (Not yet released) My thoughts: The Black Dagger Brotherhood is an elite group of vampires whose purpose in life is to protect the vampire race. Wrath is the only living pure bred vampire and also the vampire king who answers only to the Scribe Virgin, a kind of God. He’s also the leader of the brotherhood and is charged with keeping them in check and issuing commands. The brotherhood is built upon honour and tradition, along side fighting. Their history goes back hundreds of years and only vampire males who prove their worth, both morally and through combat, are bestowed the honour of becoming a black dagger warrior. At present there are only a handful of black dagger brothers left and each book in this series concentrates on each one. Their histories are told and how they came to be in the brotherhood, often covering details of their tortured pasts and revealing deep dark secrets which explain their menacing demeanours. We get to see them all come to terms with and deal with their inner demons, spurred on by meeting their perfect mate of course. Let’s not beat about the bush here, these books are choc a bloc with sex, full of it and extremely graphic at that! If you are in any way put off by sexual scenes, then these books are definitely not for you. All this soul searching and mating takes place while continuing with the ever present storyline of the fight against lessers, an inhuman race, made to kill and destroy all vampires. Sometimes the sexual nature of the books can dominate and obscure this fight and in fact one of the earlier books seems to get completely taken over by the brother in question’s personal story, but as the series progresses, the war with the lessers escalates making some of the later books my favourites. I loved these books. They’re not particularly well written and in fact can be quite cheesy and corny in parts, but for some reason I still loved them . I ventured on to the author’s website where she holds interviews with each brother as if they are real and it is all a huge secret, which she has been granted special permission to report on! Fantastic! I got really caught up in this series, although I can see it not being to everyone’s taste. I’m gonna give the whole series a collective 9/10. The point is dropped purely because they can get a bit corny at times.

Definately! I think she thinks they're real. You never know, maybe they are and it's our cynisism (sp?) that she's banking on to keep the secret! Rivals eh? We both have good taste! Thanks Weave

Fantastic Four

I'm reading Fallen at the min Chesilbeach and tbh finding it a bit boring I believe it picks up about half way through, and I'm nearly at the half way point now, so fingers crossed

Thanks Steph Oh you would whizz through it! You're right too, easy reading, not too taxing, even Kookie read it in 2 days, she loved it and can't wait for the next

Oh god yeah, it's really cheesy! The books can be so corny in parts too, still can't help myself though I would be hard pushed to pick but I would think I'd go for Zadist, underneath all that menace there is definately a real softie I kinda like Rhevenge too, still no idea what exactly a sympath is though. How about you pickle? Who's your favourite?

Evermore ~by~ Alyson Noel Synopsis Courtesy of Waterstone's: Seventeen-year-old Ever is the sole survivor of a car crash that killed her entire family. Living with her aunt in Southern California, she's plagued by the ability to hear the thoughts of those around her, and haunted by the ghost of her little sister. She tries to tune everyone out, shunning her old lifestyle as the pretty, popular cheerleader, but somehow she can't hide from Damen, the new guy at school. Stunningly handsome, clever and not a little bit intimidating, there's something about him that doesn't quite add up. Ever realises he's hiding something, but nothing could prepare her for the truth - especially when the truth involves past lives, murderous enemies, everlasting love and the secret of eternal youth. My thoughts: Ever is a popular girl who has it all, then it happens. She loses her parents and her sister in a car accident and not only did Ever survive, she survived with a talent. Now she can hear other's thoughts and is also visited on a regular basis by the ghost of her little sister. Then she meets Damen and things begin to change ... As a young adult read this book is great. The story moves along swiftly with plenty happening to keep you interested. There is a great mix of characters who each add to the story in their own way. I did find the ending a bit too convenient, but I'm intrigued to see where the author takes Ever's character in the next installment. 7/10

Have you been on the J R Ward website? There are interviews with each of the brothers along with snippets of their daily life! Incredible, I love it!

Nope, not for me. Although I must tell you about my brother in law. When the film came out and was in the cinema he was a big strapping fireman. Well, he and about 6 of his big strapping firemen mates, went along to the cinema to see it. They were in the middle of the auditorium and right at the part where Reagan , a bloke about 3 rows down in front of them started having some sort of fit or seizure. Scared witless, my brave, big brother in law literally leaped over half the row he was sitting in to escape! He kept running until he was about 3 streets away from the cinema and hasn't watched the film since! For me the most scary films are zombie films, I can't watch them at all or even read books with them in the story without having nightmares. 28 Days Later scared the bejaysus outta me, I was having nightmares for weeks! Even Shaun Of The Dead frightened the life out of me, and it's a comedy! Also I have to say The Descent was pretty scary for me, I'm claustrophobic

Hi Kim and to the forum

Hi Kate and to the forum

Is the movie actually called 'Precious'? I heard a friend talking about a movie of that name but had never heard of it before. Only 3? Bloody hell, that's great! Aren't you .. well .. em ... getting withdrawals or anything?? I think I've bought about 12

So pleased you enjoyed The Empty Chair joe, I thought it was a great Deaver read, although it did take me a little while to get into it , well worth the effort though!

I've read the first three in the Logan McRae series and loved every one of them. Flesh House is on my wishlist, definately want to get my hands on it! I really enjoyed the humour aspect of the books as well, I find scottish wit very like our northern irish wit, and 'get it' instantly, such great reads!

Hello and to the forum!

I'm still reading Fallen by Lauren Kate, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere just yet but I'll stick at it, I believe it picks up. I'm almost 3 quarters of the way through The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as well Edit: Nollaig I read Let The Right One In last year and have to say it was one of my surprises of 2009, I loved it. It ended up being one of my favourite reads, totally surprised me. I hope you like it if you do read it.

Hi Kayla! to the forum

Hi Heddy to the forum!

Excellent haul frankie I hope you had a suitcase with you to carry that lot back! :lol:The charity shops must be glad to see you coming, with the amount of books you buy you could save a small country! It's nice to see though, there's nothing more satisfying than coming out of a charity shop with your bags bursting with books you want to read and knowing your money has went to help a good cause. I love it!

Bone Cold by Erica Spindler Synopsis Courtesy of Amazon: Twenty-three years after surviving an encounter with a psychopath who abducted her, cut off her pinkie finger, and vanished, Anna North lives quietly in New Orleans, writing thrillers under a pseudonym, until threatening letters, the disappearance of a friend, and a bizarre murder force Anna to confront her past, with the help of homicide detective My thoughts: Anna North escaped from a kidnapping by a psychopath who cut off her pinkie finger. Taking on a new identity, the beautiful red-head lives happily as an up and coming author and part time florist, working for her two best friends in New Orleans. Then the murders start. All of which are red-heads and have their pinkie removed. Coincidence? Can Anna really afford to believe that ... So far I haven't been disappointed by any of this author's novels. This is another one which had me hooked from the start and unfolded as a gripping read to a fantastic ending. I found the main characters to be believable and likeable, with each one being well written into the storyline. The plot moved along swiftly with plenty of suprises and events to keep me interested. The only downside was, I guessed the killer before it was revealed although this didn't spoil the book for me at all. Another brilliant thriller from Erica Spindler which I would recommend. 8/10

Well I for one am glad it was, it was one of my favourite in the series