Lover At Last by J.R. Ward

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another….

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: The male has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young—just as Qhuinn has always wanted for himself. It’s hard to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. As he’s learned firsthand.

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions… but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together… finally become one.

Because I was, and I remain, utterly and completely and totally…in love with you.

So, I’ve been looking forward to this book since the moment I met Qhuinn and Blay. And I mean, the MOMENT I met them. And I wanted to love this book, I wanted to cradle it in my arms and sing it to sleep at night.

What actually ended up happening? I read it and then I put aside.

My first gripe – and this is huge – why does J.R. Ward think I give a fig about XCor and Assail and all the other thousands of people who were thrown into this book? Last I checked, I was here to read about Blay and Qhuinn! Ward has gotten into a habit of telling multiple stories all at once, and while this is cute short term, there was no reason why the book needed to be half about everyone else. If she hadn’t dispersed the stories into so many books, she wouldn’t need the filler when she finally sat down to write.

Here’s my piece of advice, write until your heart is content, put whoever you want into your story…and then edit them out. This is a win-win. I get my story of Blay and Qhuinn and you don’t have to write so much for your next book.

Whew, okay, got that off my chest…now for the plot.

I don’t know where to start with this, since there were three – no, four – storylines. Blay and Qhuinn, Xcor and his issues, Assail and Sola and Trey and the s’Hisbe.

I can see the loose – and I mean loose – connection between them. But why do I care? All it does is distract me from the main story. I feel like a kid whose parent is trying to keep them from noticing the pony in the room by presenting me with other gifts first. We both know why I’m here, I want my pony and while I’ll take my other gifts, they mean nothing to me until after I’ve played with my damn pony! I can see myself liking Assail and I most definitely like Trey, but I couldn’t care less about what’s going on in their lives because I’m focused on Qhuinn and Blay!!

So, my boys. What the hell kind of romance was that? I was hoping for a little bit of Hollywood and a little bit of Z and even some Phury. What I got was a bunch of one-nighters and no communication. My favorite parts where when they were quiet together. And I’m sorry, but none of the Brothers had anything to say? No advice to impart? And V didn’t see this coming? What good is his superpower??

For a bunch of men who claim to be Brothers, they sure aren’t communicative. Not a single person, not even John Matthew (who, by the way, was the most useless BFF I’ve ever seen in my life!), stepped up and was like, “Cut the shit, just go talk to him?” Let me tell you something about family: They are nosy as hell and will butt into your business whenever the hell they please. All Qhuinn and Blay did was have sex when they saw each other and what, NONE of the Brothers heard or SMELLED them? I call bullshit. Their story lacked depth and growth and seeing them as a couple for the last chapter of the entire book pissed me off. So, gay men don’t do normal things like hang out, or talk, or go on dates? They just have sex that they then feel guilty about? Come on!

And don’t even get me started on Xcor. If that vamp walks for treason, I’m going to be pissed. Yes, I feel bad for Layla; yes, I want her to be happy; but I’ll be damned if Wrath pardons that SOB. I’ve done my research and the penalty for treason is death, in every case. What are they going to do, incarcerate him for life while he appeals and let Layla visit for conjugal visits? Anything short of his head separated from his body is bullshit. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

One last piece of advice, give us a character that doesn’t sound like he’s from the hood. Why can’t I have a well spoken vampire who can kick some ass? It’s not like it’s a cultural thing for them. They are so badass, they bore me unto death! And enough with the acronyms, I don’t walk around with a dictionary – it’s okay to spell stuff out. Give the hardcore talk a break. A guy can be a badass and still speak like he went to school.

And that’s all I have for now, but I can go on forever with this one. I would have given it a four (because even with all the crap inbetween and around the story, I really like the BDB), but there were some typos, like the editor forgot they were editing and became too engrossed in the story.

Safe reading.

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