The Brothers - Rhage

 Lover Eternal is the second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.  Although it can be read separate from the other books it's still best if read in order.  So we've learned all about the vampire culture and species.  We've met the king and ultimate queen of the race.  We have also met the other brothers as well as the enemies they face.  As stated before J.R. Ward does an amazing job of getting you interested in the other characters while she's writing the main love story.

In book two we get to know Rhage and Mary.  Rhage is the playboy of the group (not that the other guys are slouchers in bedding the opposite sex).  He's affectionately nicknamed Hollywood by the brothers because of his movie star good looks and smooth moves with the ladies (both human and vampire) and due to some nasty curse by the Scribe Virgin he has to release excess energy through sex of fighting (Butch a human who has been allowed into the group quips when he witnesses the curse first had that he needs to remember never to get between Rhage and a woman again).  Needless to say he goes through women like a black dagger goes through a lesser.  What you learn is that although it seems that Rhage has it made in the sex department, he's lonely and actually jealous of the other brothers who have shellans (that being Tohrment and Wrath at this point).  Naturally his curse doesn't allow him to get to close to someone because he's always afraid he'll inadvertently turn into a dragon and eat the woman (and not in a good way).

As with all of the boys he's HOT!  Well built with blond hair and blue eyes, they describe him as more handsome than Brad Pitt (which isn't that hard to do lately... Brad is not aging that well).  I have to tell you that after seeing Thor, Chris Hemsworth is the spitting image of Rhage!  And he's got the attitude to play him.  So picture that scene in Thor when Chris comes out in just a pair of tight jeans and no shirt and that's pretty much how you can picture Rhage.  But I digress... Rhage is a great asset to the Brotherhood, his ability to wipe out a major group of lessers is often extremely helpful.  So how do we help him through his loneliness and yearning for a shellan?  Simple we bring in the human!

Mary is human.  No vampire DNA anywhere.  She's also dying of cancer.  But her caring heart and extremely insane calmness at being informed not only do vampires and undead human enemies exist, but one of these vampires has decided that he wants her (scars and unimpressive looks and all).  Lucky girl!  She meets Rhage after she befriends a pre-trans vampires (unknown to her and the pre-trans at the time) and thinks she's taking him to meet some martial arts experts.  This is the introduction of John Matthew.  He will get much more involved as the series goes on along with the introduction of his best friends Qhuinn and Blaylock (boy are they a post for another time!)

Of course the romance between Rhage and Mary is fraught with peril and the ever present threat of her dying of the leukemia.  The best thing about this book is it's the funniest of all the books.  Rhage had a great sense of humor and Mary is sarcastic and quick witted.  The inner dialogue is about as quippy as the the banter between Rhage and the other brothers as well as his sexy bedroom talk with Mary.  For a change it's actually Rhage who gets chained up (so for those of you who like be a little more Christian Grey than Ana Steele this should appeal to you), but of course it's for Mary's own safety.  Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh right!  This book also sets up the next book in that it introduces the heroine of that book in the character of Bella.  The way the book ends just pushes you into reading the third book.  The third book is the most intense as far as emotion and back story of the vampire Zsadist.  If you've picked up the series with Wrath and Beth, then keep reading because there are more characters introduced in the next few books as well as development of story lines for future books.  Lover Eternal is a great read by itself but really continues the saga of this group of brothers who are trying to save their race and themselves in the process.

Book Two of Black Dagger Brotherhood Series

50 Shades of what? 18 + *Spoilers*

I like every other woman on the planet has read the 50 Shades of Grey series.  Everyone keeps asking, "when are you going to post about this one?" Well here it is.  I wanted to write something in response to the negative reviews that I have seen regarding this book series.  First let me say that the author E.L. James is a fantastic writer.  Her ability to write in first person (a style I'm not all that fond of) is nothing short of astounding.  In the same style as Stepanie Meyer and the Twilight series, Ms. James captures the thoughts and feelings of one individual and takes it to a whole different (and certainly more R rated) level.  I also have never wanted to know what another character was thinking more than I did with Christian.  Her little teases at the beginning of each consecutive book as well as the bonus chapters at the end of the third were titillating (pun intended) to say the very least.

All in all I really enjoyed the books.  The email correspondence alone was hilarious and incredibly sexy at the same time.  *twitchy palm* and my husband and I now say goodbye with "Laters, baby".  But what about the "risque bondage and sex" that everyone is spouting about this book?  Honestly, although the sex is very hot (and I mean very very hot) it's really nothing that's not already out there, it's just written much better than most.  I think due to it's great marketing it has found it's way to women who haven't ever read this kind genre of romance novel and believe me this BDSM stuff is out there and in some very good book series that I have already read.  The Hell's Eight series that I have blogged about before makes use of toys and bondage and these are very well written books.  My favorite author J.R. Ward and book series, Black Dagger Brotherhood has a character who's sole focus until he meets his HEA is bondage and dominance (ahhh Vishous still so damn hot).  Again another very well written series.  Unfortunately with the vampire angle this type of book is geared toward a very specific group of people so it doesn't get to be mainstream.  I hope that will change.

Christian Grey is of course sexy as hell but it's not the sex that got me.  It was his dialogue and his banter with Ana that made my breath pant.  To have someone who is capable of taking care of every need (both in bed and out) is really very sexy.  The idea that some people view this book as a glorification of an abusive relationship is ridiculous.  First of all Ana LITERALLY asks for the spankings and other things.  There is something to be said for a good spanking.  Also, if it were a truly abusive relationship Christian would have done more to isolate Ana from her friends and family, but he never does (even though he's not fond of Kate or Jose).  Yes he is possessive, but again I say, read most romance novels and the guy is always possessive.  I can tell you that in every book I've read somewhere the guy growls "Mine".  Believe me when I say that although I would never want a guy who isolates me, a guy who wants to possess me (both body and soul) and wants me that badly is a total arousal waiting to happen.  And guys I'll let you in on a little secret, most women want this (at least in bed).

Christian is the epitome of the Lost Boy.  The one all women want to hold, protect and save (not to mention have wild, crazy, kinky fuckery with).  He's scarred and flawed yet perfectly beautiful and commanding both in the board room and the bedroom.  Not to mention he's loaded!  But it's really his vulnerability that slides into you and makes you pant.  I for one was nearly laid flat when Ana was finally able to "touch" Christian.  There was no sex in these books more erotic then the first time Christian actually allows her to touch him.  I know the stereotype that most men see is a woman wanting a knight in shining armor and for the most part this is true. Only it is more that we want the guy to be able to fight for us with passion but more than that, I think (well I know I) we want to be able to do some saving too.

There is much talk about turning this book series into a movie (and with all the hype this is a very real possibility).  I don't know how I feel about this.  First of all in all the books I read, I of course picture myself as the main woman (so in my head I am sooooo totally Ana).  I am too often disappointed in the adaptation because they rarely consult with the author and then they go and change so much of the dialogue (which is what I love most about a book).  And then there is the casting.  No one ever agrees that they picked the right person because everyone has a different picture of what Christian looks like in their head.  Many actors have said they would love to play Christian (but have they really read the books).  As most of you know I have a majorly bad case of lust for Joe Manganiello (who has said he would play Christian Grey)and as much as I like to picture me as Ana and him as Christian (on the boat outside Monte Carlo with two sets of hand cuffs..mmmm ... where was I?  oh yeah..) and as much as I believe he could play the part and play it well, he just doesn't LOOK like Christian to me, no unruly copper colored hair and no intense gray eyes although he does definitely have the body.  I know all this can be fixed with contacts and hair color but I don't know.  Again this is the downfall of adapting books into movies... there is honestly no one who I know of who looks like what I picture (which is a sort of mash up of different people's attributes).  Maybe this is my hang up but I love this character and I would hate to see it chopped to bits by writers and producers.  And I'm pretty sure most women would hate whatever actress they got to play Ana, because like I said we all picture ourselves in this role with Christian.

I liked this book series a lot and would be interested to see follow-up stories from Christian's point of view as well as the stories behind Christian's sister and Kate's brother and Kate and Christian's brother.  I'd really like to know Christian's brother's story.  All in all I think it's a great story and even my mother-in-law has read them and it's actually given us something to talk about which is cool (not so cool for my husband though).  BDSM aside the story is poignant and sexy and a truly great read and if they make it into a movie and do cast Joe, I'll be the first one in line to see it.  Hell, I'll be in line to see it no matter who they cast in the role.

Love slave...

Greek love slave imprisoned in a magical book for centuries by a jealous, vindictive Greek god.  Sounds like some serious romantic fluff, the stuff Fabio made famous, right? This is what I thought as well.  Little did I know that it would lead to my second favorite book series of all time.

Fantasy Lover is the first book in the Sherilyn Kenyon Dark Hunter series.  It's starts in New Orleans (pre Katrina).  The characters are quirky and sassy.  The mystique and magic that surrounds New Orleans is the perfect backdrop to set up a series of vampire-esque hunters who seek to take out as many of Apollo's "children" who have gone rogue (these are the real vampires).

I was hooked even before the end of the first chapter.  Sherilyn Kenyon has such a wonderful way of building good characters that you enjoy not only the main love story but the side stories that play out in the background.  I would soon come to demand this in the other book series that I would read in the future.  This culminated in the book series that has me absolutely ensnared (but that's a blog for another time).

The combination of a centuries old Greek warrior falling for a 21st Century sex therapist?  Just perfect.  What could possibly go wrong with that?  Add in the fact that the sex therapist is sexually repressed and his only function for the last thousand years has been to feed every desire of any woman who summons him from full moon to full moon and it makes for incredibly hilarious banter between the two.  Oh and add in her married psychic friend and a flighty artist who sells her wares in the local market square in the middle of New Orleans, I don't think I've ever laughed so much.

Sherilyn's writing style and the way she makes her dialogue sound natural are another big bonus.  Although the main character in the first book is not a dark hunter the first dark hunter you meet in the series is mentioned and even eluded to during this book.  You meet him in the second book.  The books that follow introduce you to a whole slew of supernatural characters from Dark Hunters, to Werewolves, Were-tigers, were-bears (ohhh those bears... yummmm).  But threaded throughout each book is the never understood mysterious Acheron who commands the Dark Hunters and respect from all the other supernatural characters..  mmmmmm ... Acheron!  What to say about him would fill up a whole separate blog... so stay tuned...

If you're looking for an adventurous, humorous, very sexy (wait till you meet Vane Katalakis girls... he's not your average werewolf... but you can picture Joe Managaniello in the roll ... VERY HOT... oh and ladies he likes a girl with above average curves) book series for your summer reads I definitely recommend the Dark Hunter series by Sherilyn Kenyon.

Book series...

Prior to the purchase of my nook, I had only attempted to read a few series.  Books like Diana Gabaldon (Outlander Series) and Anne Rice (Vampire Series) were really the only series that I had read.  I liked them but if they were older series it was very hard to find copies of whatever book I was going to read next.  At the time of my nook purchase I had just finished reading the second book in a series called Blades of the Rose by Zoe Archer.  I had to read the second book first because the first book was not available at the store.  And although most of these series are those stand alone types,  it's not always necessary to read them in order.  However,  I find that many times there are aspects of the sequels that are more thoroughly explained in the first book.

Anyway, upon purchasing my nook I found a book bundle that contained all four books in the series for the price of two of the paperback!!!  Excellent!  Now I had four new books to read and I never had to leave the comfort of my home.  Again, excellent.  So this is how I got hooked on book series.  Many of the posts that will follow will about the many great series that I have read.

The Zoe Archer series was my first step into the supernatural/magical romance world.  Although I had read the Anne Rice Vampire books they were more a story of friendship, betrayal and survival as opposed to true romance.

I have to say after I finished this series I was hooked!  The Blades of the Rose series is set in Victorian England as well as other far off places.  It incorporates both archeology and magic.  Giving it that Indiana Jones meets Harry Potter feel.  The men in the books are rugged and battle scarred.  But they are protective and gentle.  I told my husband he needed to read the books to get a better understanding of what was getting me all hot and bothered after reading.  It was a vain attempt at getting him to act more like the heros.  I've realized now that this is not a truly realistic expectation... as we are rarely set upon by pirates and and we don't go looking for magically enhanced objects in order to save the world.  But he tried and that counts.

So yes the romance and intrigue were exciting and the women were tough but gentle.  Of course most of them were virgins... what with it being Victorian England and all.  But the sex?  HOT!  Although not the first book I've read with good sex in it, the banter between the characters (something I've always loved about a book) certainly set my blood tingling.  I have a real problem with books that have dialogue that is choppy and lacks the ability to sound like something people would actually say.  Too rigid grammar during dialogue frustrates me.  If the character is saying she doesn't think he should touch her there... it shouldn't be written as "I do not think it is such a good idea for you to put your hands there"... it should come out more like "I don't think it's such a good idea for you to put your hand there"... unless there is some reason like English isn't their first language, they're properly English, or their robots (which I have to say I'm not all that interested in Robot sex although it is out there)... dialogue should read that way it would sound coming out of a person's mouth.

But anyway, I digress.  The dialogue is excellent and the adventure and danger just heightens the excitement and sexual tension between the characters.  If you're looking for a great read that is full of sexy men, high adventure and a touch of magic the first book in the series is Warrior.