Lover At Last: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood
To say I was dying to finally get to Blay and Qhuinn’s story is an understatement. I have been feeling them for a few books now, and was thrilled they (and we) were finally going to explore their potential. Their magic. After all, I was crushing on the old “V and Butch” potential back in the day and am still in love with their soul-deep connection. I was a bit surprised at the turn they took, but, considering how much I loved V’s book, and the romantic intensity between him and his mate, I’m happy. Those two made me cry a few times, and anything that I feel that deeply will forever be cherished as a favorite.
I was hoping to have that same feeling with this one. I was sure “Lover At Last” was gonna be it! Reminiscent of the older BDB books where battles were fought, and strategies, planned. Where the warrior theme was front row and center, the “uber-alpha bad-ass” feel of the book wasn’t sullied by sap but the love story was still obviously the main focus. That emotional intensity that might possibly rip my heart out, even while the guys continued being guys.
And I was worried (and excited) about a certain “love triangle” that could interfere with Blay and Qhuinn’s happiness. Possibly giving it even more of that angsty *oomph* that I always fall for. And let’s not even talk about turning this into a love square (Layla… ;)) There were lots of places this one could go, and it did.
“No,” he hissed.
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.
But for me, it didn’t go there enough.
There were so many (too many?) other side stories weaving us in and out of Blay and Qhuinn’s situation (admittedly helping expand the BDB world, preparing us for future romantic possibilities) but I was distracted. Was never allowed to full immerse myself in them. Any of them, for that matter. In their pain, worries, and deep love for each other. Oh don’t get me wrong, it was there. It was super-SUPER-steamy.
Dizzy. He got downright dizzy from it all. In every fantasy he’d ever had, he’d always pictured Qhuinn as a ferocious lover, but this was… on another level.
It was thoughtful, and both brash and eloquent, and when they came together, it was intense. There is no denying that J.R. Ward knows how to write an affecting love scene (romantic, sexy or heartbreaking – in every aspect ;)).
You and I… we grew up together, and that’s it. Yeah, we shared a lot of stuff back then, and we were there for each other when it mattered. But neither one of us can fit into the clothes we used to wear, and this relationship between us is just the same. It doesn’t fit in our lives any longer. We don’t… fit anymore.
Wow, right? I know… perfectly said. And perfectly sad.
But, I never really got that huge “snowball effect” from any of the stories, meaning… my feelings never snowballed out of control. Never peaked. Just as things got going, we switched to another, just as that one got going, we switched to another, and just as I finally started figuring out who/what/where & why of those new characters, we switched again. To me, many of the side stories were at first confusing. I didn’t recognize the characters, didn’t understand their relevance yet, didn’t remember what their story was in past books, didn’t understand the secret code and undertone of their “dealings”. Their scheming. What they had to do with anything… BDB related.
Maryse’s Book Blog: BDB’ ing it right now, 20% into “Lover At Last” and I think I should have re-read the last one. I can’t remember a few of these guys. Can definitely remember the biggest parts, but Assail? Trez? Sola? Son of….? and all of the mini stories have me confounded. However, everything “Qhuay” related has been a great read so far!
Jennifer: I feel the same way. Should have done a refresher, I’ve read 3 series since BDB so I’m having to dig deep to remember some things! Can’t put my kindle down
Maria: Trez worked w Xhex and iAm for Rehvenge . Assail came from the old land, he’s taking over the drug business and it was at his place that Wrath got shot by Xcor. Love The BDB. Loving Lover At Last!!
Kari: All the sub stories confuse me!
Carrie: Agreed!
Tanya: I’m in the same boat but things are slowly coming back to me as I read
Barbara: Frankly even tho Im a fan. And I will get the book next Friday. All this additions are hard to follow. Too many POVs too many sub plots. I miss the.old days.
Jowanna: I’m falling for Assail. Oh and Barbara I feel the same way. I liked the simpler books but I still read them.
Jodi: Thank goodness I thought I was the only one confused.
Kathy : This is the most dialog from Trez. Assail badass vamp drug dealer/his house was where Wrath was shot in the neck by Xcor. Élan highest ranking member of the council only 2 nd to Rhevenge. He is kind of being used by BOB.
Natalie: Same here I just started it and am thinking I am gonna put it down and re-read the last one
Kristal: I agree! I’m only 15% in but I’m having the same problem.
Sandy: im having the same problem maryse lol i just want blay n quinn. to many other story lines
Brandie: l I thought the same thing while reading but got more into the other story lines as it went along. I loved it!
Maryse’s Book Blog: yah i’m at 60% and following much better, but I do prefer the parts with the whole Qhuay/Layla angle
Brandie: Me too Maryse.
Brenae: 30% in and loving all the back stories! Looks like there will be more books. Blay is a lot more assertive then I remember! Great so far 🙂
Emily: Just finished I was very pleased with it.
Eventually, yes, I understood all of it, but for a good 50 to 60%… when I was trying to find my rhythm and get into that “unputtdownable stage” I never did. I was mostly just irritated for awhile. Sadly, a little bored (except for ANYTHING that had to do with the BDB compound and everyone inside). Was never bored once we were back within our own walls. They feel like family to me and that’s where I wish most of the stories occurred. I was never lost within the compound. But so much of this book occurred outside and I struggled to stick with them.
Mind you, there were some crazy-awesome scenes outside of the compound (scary plane situation that had me on the edge of my seat, and a horrific “find” in a barrel that had it been a movie, would have made me jump out of my skin)… but again. I was with the Brothers in each of those scenes.
Okay and yes… once I was at about 65 to 70% of the book, I was in, and enjoying the other stories. All of them have romantic-angst potential.
Xcor smiled to himself in a nasty way. This whore wouldn’t have him, and yet his body, in all it’s biological stupidity, insisted on responding to that Chosen as if the sacred female would e’er look twice at him.
So silly.
But again, as a reader, I was tossed around to and fro so many times that I could never truly connect 100%. And when the good got going (and it got really good – deep and gorgeous)… it was over. But at least I got to know Qhuinn a whole lot better and his own personal pain and doubt, was palpable. I adore him.
Oh, how I would have loved to live for at least 3 or 4 days in row in one of those rooms languishing in the romance (like with V… and with Wrath, and with Z and… feel me?) *sigh* How I would have loved for that bonding scent to make more of an impact instead of just a few minor appearances, as in the old BDB days. How I would have loved to hear the brothers suspecting… things, and yah, I know… privacy and such. I just missed it. Something. I dunno. I wanted to feel every bit of the love, angst, heartache, suspicion and drama with them.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t ’cause J.R. Ward kept giving me all these crazy-hard jobs with all of these strangers. I kept having to go outside and hunt stuff. Spy on stuff. Track stuff. Scheme stuff. You know how it goes. Plus it was cold!!! I even had skis on for awhile! 😉
So that’s it! The BDB world continues to expand, the Black Dagger Brotherhood is changing, growing and important alliances continue to be forged. Enemies are scheming. Some are obvious enemies, and some… well. I wonder where it’s all going to go considering how closely tied everyone is (despite their obviously opposing intentions). And of course I’ll continue reading… but maybe we can slow the books down a bit with more intense love and just a tad less focus on the side-stories? Well, a girl can hope. *grin*
3.5 stars
I agree whole heartily. I wish the side stories were from the other brothers and shellans instead of so many other characters. It would have been nice to have an update about what was going on in their lives. We got so attached to those characters…then nothing!! I did love the Quinn and Blay story line but like you said, felt like it wasn’t enough after all the build up to it! Though I did LOVE some of the scenes 😉
I was so looking forward to this book and in places it was great and then some I admit I skimmed over. I too had to go back and reference people from the previous books just so I could understand what was going on. This book was ok for me and I’m super excited to see the potential of new BDB books coming our way.
I’m 50% in and too many new characters and side stories I’m thinking this would have been better as a Novella (which i was against I wanted a full book) as it would have focused more on Qhuay and that is what most of the BDB fans wanted. I have loved the sceens with them, they are heartbreaking and I love Qhuinn even more, the sex has been hot so far, but I miss the other Brothers and their Shellans I want to live with them when I am in their world and its not happening. I do releaize that this is the “last book” with the BDB Characters (that live in the mansion) so she has to have story lines but I wish she would fine a way to bring the original BDB warriors into the mix more I miss them all so much
Alrighty then. Guess I will be rereading the last book before I start on this one. I actually reread the entire series last year in anticipation of that book. I mean with the new ones only coming out once a year I can’t keep up with all the characters. I know I loved them, or hated them, or whatever, but I can’t always remember the whys.
Exactly!! I had ‘feelings” about them (good guy, maybe a good guy even though acts bad, bad guy for sure)… etc… but how intricately they relate is lost on me after a year… but it all came back to me and now we have three potential love stories to enjoy in our future.
Except I hope she actually lets us LIVE and indulge in the love-story for future installments, so we can fall for the characters like we have in the past.
I would just like to “filter” to just Qhuinn and Blay…
I started re-reading the entier series weeks ago. Wrath, Rhage, Z… I couldn’t put it down. I skipped Butch and Phury’s because I couldn’t handle the self loathing those guys had to go through until they found happiness. Plus, they were never my favorite characters.
I just jumped ahead to Thor’s book and feel the say way. A Ton of side stories are broadening the family and complicating things. I can see that the Warden wants to broaden her scope and I like that… but I would have liked some more Blay and Qhuinn.
I really wished this book was moving more toward the brothers. but… I will still love it. Its still the brothers I will always love. Even if only for a brief moments.
Agree with all of you. Finished the book yesterday, and as I thought about Blay and Qhuinn, all I could think was….more. Like Maryse said, their story was being told, and then, on to someone else> I was, more times than not, saying, “no, go back, I don’t care what Xcor is doing, (or whoever). Trey interested me, I always liked him from the other books, and Assail is definitely someone to think about. I waited soooo long for this book, was so excited to fnally have it, and then…”wheres the more?” And so many problems left up in the air. So the waiting begins again.
I too miss my boys. if this is the last book in the compound we should be able to say goodbye properly. I already miss them and we haven’t left the compound yet
I think your review describes exactly how I feel about the book, so many jumps between different groups of people, every time we left the Brothers to go somewhere else I would be disappointed. I enjoyed the book but mainly what excited me was the possiblilities of the stories that can come from this book, Ive always been facinated by Trez & iAM so I look forward to their story some day. I would give it 3 stars I think, Good, but not Fab like I felt after reading Rev’s book.
I was in the same boat. It didn’t even seem like “their” story. I was very much like in the other BDB books everything was revolving around the main couple and in the discovery of that couple we learned about the brother and his shellan. I was very disappointed in the relationship development in this one. Still hoping for the next one but……..
I was very disappointed with this instalment of the BDB. Qhuay’s story took the back seat to too many sub plots. It seemed that every fourth chapter was abut Blay and Qhuinn which really annoyed me when I was anxious not read about them and had to get through the story lines of all those other people to get to them. This was the most unorganized book I have ever read. I kept reading and waiting to be “hooked” but that never came until the last chapter for me. Personably, I much prefer The Lords of The Underworld series by Gena Showalter.
I agree, too many characters, nessed up my Qhuay story coz they pop in the middle, plus i miss the brothers and i wanted to hear more about them 🙁
I agree completely. I am at 50% and I “feel” you. This feels like more of a bridge book – trying to connect us to future books rather than focusing on the here and now. I thought Phury’s book was a bridging book too. While I can understand the need for a connecting book, I am missing the depth of the other BDB books. Like you, I want to live in the house or be out with the Brothers…
I don’t even no where to start…dont get me wrong is good but not what it could have been. I think there was more Blay and Qhuinn in other books, then in there own book.
Yep, you nailed this review. You said everything I thought after reading LaL.
I don’t know…maybe because I’m new to the series and been reading trying to get to this lastest installment for the past 3 months…I liked this one a lot, not one of favorites, but it was a good read to me, side stories and all except I really could have done without Trez/iAm. And since new stories have been presented, I’m anxious to know who and what the next installment will be about.
I am going to comment on this, although I haven’t read the book yet! I will be reading it today.. I see a lot of people have expressed their disappointment with this book. I would just like to say that the story inevitably had to “progress”, so to speak, by starting to get into the other character’s stories.. I am a big fan of BDB, and I realize that as fans we would all have loved to stay in familiar territory, with the brothers in the mansion, but for the series to progress J.R. Ward had to move away from them a bit. So hopefully I am still going to enjoy the interesting new spin she has put on the series. I would also like to recommend her Fallen Angels series.. in the latest book in the series there was actually a mention of Beth from BDB, so some overlap between the two series. Very good read as well!
i pretty much feel as everyone else, i wanted more of Quinn and Blay and even Layla’s story and would have been nice to hear more from the other brothers, i think she still has enough story to tell without having to bring in so many others, a few i can understand but heck this book was all over the place, was hard to keep up, i liked it but have to say did not live up to all the hype and the long wait, 🙁 but i will read the next one when it comes out of course
I don’t know if you remember this, but I was certain that Blay & Qhuinns story was gonna be a novella and was heartsick that she would treat these guys different than everyone else. Then I heard their book was gonna be huge and my heart was bursting at the seams to get my hands on it!! I was so excited…then…nothing. This book was a character dump of people we don’t know or don’t remember. 4 storylines at once? I had forgotten how Ms. Ward writes and that is on me. But,really? 4 story lines? And honestly, Blay & Qhuinns story WAS a novella. Think about it. How much of that book was about them? 40% maybe? This was supposed to be about them, about Qhuinns journey to understanding his feelings and accepting them. Don’t even get me started on the love scenes. (No gay man does ANYTHING without lube!!) I wanted to know what V & Butch thought of this pairing. I mean, rememember how things were between Butch & V? Or almost were? What about the other brothers? Being jerked between FOUR story lines was not a fun read. There was so much potential for this to be the BEST of BDB…just like the first 4 books were, but sadly it fell short imo. I have been invested in Blay & Qhuinn since they met and fell very let down. Not just by what was written but by was wasn’t.
I haven’t finished yet, but I’m in the same boat as you Maryse (and a few of the other commentators). I am so in love with Blay and Qhuinn, their relationship and their special relationship to John Matthew. MISSING! I expected JW to be more involved with the wth for them, alas not so much. I laughed when you said you expected the bonding scent to be more of an integral part of their story…their interludes were too brief and not enough feeling or thoughts from them when you KNOW it’s there. Maybe JR took for granted all her readers and followers of the BDB know these characters so well? The feelings between these two is so much…just more.
I so agree, Maryse! I’ve been a HUGE fan of the BDB since 2006, when I was looking for some books to take to the hospital to keep me company after cancer surgery. I sneaked a peek at the first one, then had to force myself to leave them alone or else I’d have nothing to read while I was there (brought the first 3). I read them all twice in the 3 days I was stuck in bed, because they were that good. Since then, I’ve revisit Caldwell on release day every time, and this is the first major disappointment. LAL felt like 100 pages of necessary character exploring was simply edited out to keep the page count manageable. Yo, publisher: I’m going to invest time to read over 600 pages… carrying it up to 700 instead would not bother me, to get the feeling that my time had been well-spent. WE WANT THE STUFF FROM THE CUTTING-ROOM FLOOR! The author’s cut, as it were. I don’t know if the Qhuay love scenes were brief because they were afraid of offending the readership with M/M scenes, but we all knew what we were getting into when we cracked the cover (virtually or actually) and expected these two to get the same respect the other couples had. And were sorely disappointed.
I totally *get* that there needed to be set-up for the future books, but it really was a disservice to the readers to sacrifice what could have been an amazing and satisfying love story for the sake of page count. I feel like I know Layla far better than I know Blay. And this was supposed to be half Blay’s book. And that’s a crying shame.
I love Lover at Last, and though I get the comments on the side stories, I liked those stories, and with a little thought I remembered them from the previous books. Assail had a pretty big part in the last book, with the assasionation attempt, and Trez and I am also have been mentioned quite alot, so was nice for me to get more about them. Also opens up the future. I loved the Quinn and Blay parts the most, of course . and thought Ward did a wonderful job developing and advancing their story. In some ways the other stories offered a little relief from the intensity of the primary story. I hear the criticisms and understand, but for me this is one of her best books and I can’t wait to hear who will be featured in the next book. Also J R Ward continues to amaze me with her writing skills. She is so much better than she needs to be. I loved her description of the word “in” on page 339. There are bits like that in all her books that amaze me.
Yep! I love J.R. Ward’s writing style, too, which is why I’m such a fan. She’s amazing! I guess we just all take in books differently but that’s a great thing. 😀
For me, I remember really falling deeply in love with the main characters in her past books, getting all caught up in the emotion, and it just kept snowballing until I was either crying or beaming (or both). I really enjoy being “indulged” by a love story, overwhelmed by it even, and I suppose I just… love that kind of intensity. Maybe it’s simply a case of personally… what I’m looking for in a read, but not what everyone is. So I get it.
But when it comes to J.R. Ward, I miss it ’cause she’s SO good at that kind of stuff. She takes a love story to a whole other level.
I’ve loved the series, but after waiting so long for the new book, it was hard to get into the groove. And like you said, just as you were getting into that charecter, she’d switch. I’ve been waiting for this match, but felt like she was running up the other stories instead of concentrating on them. It also felt like since she was trying to run up the other story line, that she went “whoops, I was supposed to finish their story” and it ended abruptly.
I agree also. I have never stopped and started with a BDB book as much as with this one. The Qhuinn and Blay story line was the only part that held my interest. I can see that in order for the series to continue the story line has to broaden to include more people. All the main characters are mated already. Not sure that I care that much about Assail or Trez yet. I would have much preferred to hear more about the main characters and their shellans.
forgot something……one great thing about this book? The cover – holy hawtness!
At $17.66 on kindle think I might give it a miss or wait! I also miss badass BDB like Wrath, Rhage, Zsadist and Rehvenge….sigh!!!!!
I agree, you had Quinn and Blay, should have stuck with Xcor and Layla, but with Trez and Assail has well it was to much! Bdb is favorite series but this was not my favorite book.
I read half of the book as written and then I started skipping everything and just reading Blay and Quinn’s story. Once I did that, I really got into the book and enjoyed it. I’ll probably go back and reread the other parts but for some reason the I don’t care about the other characters as much. And yeah best cover so far! Love it!
Maryse I totally agree with everything you said …I felt the same way. JR Ward is one of my favorites but I miss those early BDB book days!
Okay, so I read the book since I last commented on this thread on 29 March. I think it was absolutely FANTASTIC! J.R. WARD is really in a league of her own. I loved all the new characters and can’t wait to see how their stories unfold. And her use of language, descriptions etc. was absolutely mind-blowing. I wish I could write like that! I didn’t mind all the extra characters, I thought it was a great way of expanding the BDB world. I just want to add that there are two other series that I absolutely loved as well, which reminded me a bit of BDB.. D.B. Reynolds Vampires in America and Rebecca Zanetti’s Dark Protectors series.. both really fantastic reads as well. You guys should all try it!
On 3/30 J.R. Announced the next book will be out Spring 2014 and the title is The King!!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!! It will be about Wrath, Beth and them trying to have a baby!!!! How awesome is that!!!!! Now that is going be big and hopefully she will take you back to that place you miss 🙂
I understand what many of the reviewers are saying (those if you who are more so negative towards ‘Lover at Last’) and I respectfully disagree. I thought that this one of Ward’s best BDB books. I was never bored or skimming while reading this latest novel. There was always something different going on in each chapter with the different characters. I found that in some of her previous novels I became bored while reading about one relationship plus the Lessers. I was thrilled to read about about Trez, Iam, and Assail. More hot characters=more steamy books. There was a lot of jumping, however, it kept things interesting! Definitely in my top 5 for BDB.
Don’t know how I feel about the next book… Wraith and Beth had their book alreay… why not go for one of the other characters she was setting up??
Seemed to me Lover at Last sets things up well for the next book about Wrath and Beth..There will be the “legal” challenge to his throne, and then Beth wanting a young, plus the additional characters can move forward. I think it will be great.
Yes that next book is gonna be EPIC!!!
Can’t express how frustrated I am so far with this book. I was probably more excited for this one than Lover Mine! And that’s saying something! Frankly, I’m starting to think JR just chickened out. She could have focused more on Blay and Qhuinn and really dove into the complexities, pain, and, emotions of that relationship but all we really got were snap shots. And wasn’t that easier? Easier than taking on the more controversial M/M relationship being depicted in a mainstream romance series. This should probably teach me the age old “it’s only a book” lesson and warn me against pinning hopes on someone whose just a person like anyone else. BUT, I hate to say, you let me down Warden. *Sigh*
Unlike everyone else, I had enough of “Quay” in the other books. I read this one hoping it would have other characters to get hooked on and for me it was Assail {spelling} and Sola! I’m hoping a continuation of that story will be at the forefront of the next installment! I love your blog! It’s my Go-To when I’m looking for my next read!! ❤BDB Fan❤
I did the same as Jen posted above, read the book and then at about 50% in, started skipping over every chapter except for the ones about Blay and Qhuinn.
Verily, the rest of the book was filler, in my opinion. This is the end of my BDB reading. The book stops here.
(Cover is smokin’ hawt though)
I dont know if I was just so jacked up waiting for this book that there was no way it could possibly live up to what I had imagined it would be like or if there just wasnt enough Qhuinn and Blay. I felt like I was reading three different books at the same time so I bet I can guess what the next three books will be. The lead in to Wrath and Beths next book was perfect. I felt we had way to much Trez and Assail even though like you by the end I was into those strory lines too. But this was QHUINN and BLAY! I felt they deserved way morre attention than they got and it left me wanting more for them. I would start to get emotionally connected and then it was gone. I was robbed, I was robbed! lol. All in all, a good book but not my favorite BDB and that makes me sad. 🙁
Loved it! When is the next book out???
I was really irritated by the side stories at first but after I thought about I realized it kind of made sense. There had been a lot of focus on Quay in other books and I think the Warden used this book to wrap that story up. It definitely felt like this was a bridge book to me. IMO she is trying to take the series from one place to a completely different place and this book was a step in that direction. I can’t wait for the next book about Wrath and Beth that is going to be epic. Also heard that other characters are going to get second books. Butch and Marissa were the only other couple she specifically mentioned but there will be other couples with second books as well. I personally would love to see another John and Xhex book but I’m biased since they are my favorite couple.
I just finished reading. A whole MONTH after release day. That right there tells me exactly how I felt about the book. To not even finish a BDB book on release day means something is wrong. Your review is spot on. We were missing something. As somebody mentioned many days ago WHERE were Butch and V’s feelings about these guys getting together? As a matter of fact WHERE were ANY of the brothers feelings on this? NOthing, we saw NOTHING on their feelings for this new relationship. I kept expecting for her to take us into somebody, ANYBODYS head during last meal or somewhere so we could see how the others were getting the vibe that they were getting it on. And the bonding scent?? WTF?? one darn sentence!! I wanted the brothers to smell it and go WOAH!! I did really enjoy the brothers relationships and how they get along. Their friendship and easy going nature with each other reminds me why I am a fan. But where is Marissa, hardly any JM, Xhex like one glimpse, Bella? nalla?? where is everybody?
I have tried her fallen angels series and it just did not work for me because I want to see BDB writing and wording and that cannot be because its a whole new series. In this book I felt like the fallen angel author came and wrote a BDB book. so not right.
I feel like crying honestly. I am so worried about future books. I will always read BDB no matter where she takes us the difference is that after this book I really don’t care how long the next one takes 🙁
Hi maryse!!..first of all I want to thank you.its through your blog zat I fell in love wiz BDB…I have read all the book in two weeks….fortunately for me as I hav just started reading this series I didn’t hve to wait for Lover at last..this was my favorite book..I just love Blay and Quinn, Quinn, my heart has been breaking along wiz him while watching Sax and Blay…even though it was a guy-guy story, the love scene was mind blowing..I didn’t get confused as I read ony blay, quinn, layla and trez parts..I know trez is goingto hav his story soon..once again thank for allowing me to knw BDB..
BDB is my favorite vamp series and I had been waiting for this book it seems like forever. Sadly I have to agree the side stories were just too much. I usually like the few side stories going on it keeps it interesting but with this book there were way too many and too many characters getting introduced in the same book. I kept reading going wait a minute who is this again?? There also just wasnt enough Blay and Quinn moments. the moments they had were great! and heartbreaking! but just as it was getting good with them the book switched to someone else and sometimes for an endless amount of pages i was just thinking oh GET BACK TO THE BOYS!! my rating 4 stars ( and i think thats only because how much i love the couple)
I was pretty disappointed with this one as well. I was sooo sooo looking forward to Blay and Quinn’s HEA! I was wondering if you have any other suggestions where I could get that rush I’m looking for with a different gay couple? Suzanne Brockmann’s romance between Robin and Jules was basically the same, a whole lot of build up and then…..blah. Anyways I’d really appreciate any advice since most gay romance I find are… well not so much romance as dirty.
I feel like I totally and completely bond and identify with all the comments, feelings, needs, wants, excitements, frustrations and loves here on this blog! Thank you so much for being here! I’m so glad I found you!!
Agreed. You know what it felt like to me ?. It almost like JR Ward didn’t trust her readers enough (or possibly was pushed by publishers ?) to be open to a fuller gay romance. Like she held back. The whole time I was reading I could hear a conversation about demographics and not wanting to alienate readers with too much Blay/Quinn. It was really disappointing, I found both of them and their story hot as hell. But it was so diluted and hidden in too many other plot lines. Which were great separate plot lines but they possibly needed to be divided up or put into another book or something. the focus was just taken off Blay/Quinn too much. And I was left with questions about their story at the end. But as always another great BDB read.