The sex scenes are delectable, but I could do without EVERY hero being so damn tortured. Part of the appeal is that JR Ward creates this engaging world (complete with a glossary of terms) with multidimensional characters and a fast moving plot. Each book has one main romance, but there is a lot more going on, and it is nice to revisit the characters you love over and over. I also like that it isn't just a neat and tidy "now they're together, DONE" as you see in future books that a lot of the couples are still navigating their relationships.
Distractingly hilarious quirks? Shitkickers; "beat feet"; relentless shower taking; convenient vampire servants who neatly circumvent having to explain how this parallel world exists all around us; similarly, the made-up city of Caldwell that for some dumb reason singlehandedly homes most of the vampires AND most of their enemies (like, dude, you can teleport, why the hell don't you spread yourselves around so your enemies can't pick you off so easily?!); and the idea that these male vampires have 30 orgasms in one sexual encounter - half of which likely occurs with no touching them while they are wearing leather pants. EWWWW.
Dark Lover, 2005 - Wrath, the Blind King, and Beth, the half-breed daughter of Darius
Lover Eternal, 2006 - Rhage and Mary, a human (who we pretty much never see again the rest of the series. Bizarro).
Lover Awakened, 2006 - Zsadist, the super tortured twin vamp and Bella, a surprisingly normal female vamp, given the cast of characters in this series.
Lover Revealed, 2007 - Butch, the human cop, and Marisa, a female vamp and Wrath's former mate sort of thing. This book ends (somewhat abruptly) a minor story line on the vampire's enemy.
Lover Unbound, 2007 - Vishous, the bi-curious kinky vamp, and Jane, the human trauma MD. A satisfying start to a their relationship, but mostly the overall BDB story line starts to really take off in this book.
Lover Enshrined, 2008 - Phury, Zsadist's twin, and Cormia, a Chosen. Ugh, this story is so boring. Mostly because Phury sucks, but also the love story is super weak. Thankfully we get a lot of interesting background plot in this one.
Lover Avenged, 2009 - Rhevenge, who is a vampire, but not in the BDB, and Ehlena, a female vamp. This book of lovers with extra 'h's in their name starts another big story arc that ends in Lover Mine.
Lover Mine, 2010 - John Matthew, our beloved special needs vamp, and Xhex, a female vamp, and Rhevenge's right hand. We see more of Wrath and Beth in this one. By this point, you are so sucked in to the series you whip through each massive tome in a day and then yearn for an entire year until the next one comes out.
Lover Unleashed, 2011 - Payne, a female Chosen, and Manny, a human MD and Jane's old coworker (and who's name is basically Manny Manny and no one ever mentions it). We get a lot of Vishous in this book, but then the story arc sort of disappears.
Lover Reborn, 2012 - Thorment, the widower, and No'One, a female vamp with a past. This was supposed to be the conclusion of the series, but definitely does not end anything. A lot of the characters have had progressing story lines from the 3rd book in, and we still haven't seen things conclude for them. Word on the street is another book is on the way...
Lover at Last, 2013. Wow, JR Ward is not just hinting at the the "Brother-on-Brother" action in this one - we finally see what happens with John Matthew's best friends, Qhuinn and Blay.
The King, 2014. A totally unexpected release - and featuring Wrath and Beth again. The book ends with FOUR separate romances that leave us wondering what the heck is coming next?!
E Rating: 4 stars H Rating: 4 stars
Stand out book: They are all pretty awesome with the exception of Lover Enshrined - SNORE
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