Scan barcode
A review by ihateprozac
Blood Kiss by J.R. Ward
4.0
I was worried that this would be 85% boring training montages with 15% cameos from Butch and Vishous. Turns out it’s 50% Brotherhood drama and 50% Trainee drama and I loved it!
I enjoyed Paradise and Craeg as leads. Paradise is a tenacious and strong woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone, defying her upbringing as a delicate glymera flower. Craeg is a working class underdog with no family, no money, and a dominating vibe. Naturally, their scenes together are helllllllllla steamy. Sure, I don’t have an emotional connection to them like with Vishous, Zsadist, and Assail, but they made for a steamy romance.
What I found truly compelling about this story was the interpersonal drama between Butch and Marissa. These books always portray an intense bonding experience between the leads, and it’s fair to assume that everything is peachy and great sex from then on out. But through Butch and Marissa we see that vampire relationships still take work, and that even the tightest shellan/hellren can fall out of love without communication and compromise.
We also get some great Butch/V interactions and it’s safe to say that I still stan the fuck out of this friendship! And I really liked the new recruits, becoming instant trash for our bisexual icons (bicons) Axe and Novo. I NEED MORE.
There’s a strong thread of crime and mystery running through this novel, and though I guessed the killer before the end it was nonetheless interesting to watch it play out! Said mystery laid the groundwork for future novels, highlighting the need for vampire police/forensics in Caldwell, and it’s easy to see how some of these characters may go on to fill those roles.
This was really steamy, fun, and put some further flesh on vampire society that I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t think I’d like these recruits and their stories, but I was pleasantly surprised! It may not be required reading for the main series, but I think anybody who doesn’t pick it up is seriously missing out.
I enjoyed Paradise and Craeg as leads. Paradise is a tenacious and strong woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone, defying her upbringing as a delicate glymera flower. Craeg is a working class underdog with no family, no money, and a dominating vibe. Naturally, their scenes together are helllllllllla steamy. Sure, I don’t have an emotional connection to them like with Vishous, Zsadist, and Assail, but they made for a steamy romance.
What I found truly compelling about this story was the interpersonal drama between Butch and Marissa. These books always portray an intense bonding experience between the leads, and it’s fair to assume that everything is peachy and great sex from then on out. But through Butch and Marissa we see that vampire relationships still take work, and that even the tightest shellan/hellren can fall out of love without communication and compromise.
We also get some great Butch/V interactions and it’s safe to say that I still stan the fuck out of this friendship! And I really liked the new recruits, becoming instant trash for our bisexual icons (bicons) Axe and Novo. I NEED MORE.
There’s a strong thread of crime and mystery running through this novel, and though I guessed the killer before the end it was nonetheless interesting to watch it play out! Said mystery laid the groundwork for future novels, highlighting the need for vampire police/forensics in Caldwell, and it’s easy to see how some of these characters may go on to fill those roles.
This was really steamy, fun, and put some further flesh on vampire society that I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t think I’d like these recruits and their stories, but I was pleasantly surprised! It may not be required reading for the main series, but I think anybody who doesn’t pick it up is seriously missing out.