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Crave (Fallen Angels, #2)

J.R. Ward

Start date: October 1, 2010

Finish date: October 31, 2010

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What Members Thought

Oct 08, 2009 Auntee rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, 2010_reads, part-of-a-series

Good, but a little short of great. It's hard to live up to Covet, which I thought was excellent, or any of the author's BDB books. Where I think this one faltered was in the romance department. There was plenty of potential there--the hero and heroine were two very likable characters, from two vastly different worlds (he's a former Black Ops soldier with a brutal past and a bleak future; she's an uptown lawyer from a privileged upbringing)--but the fact that the whole story took place in a coupl ...more

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Jul 06, 2013 Julianna rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, read-2014

Reviewed for THC Reviews
Crave is the second book in J. R. Ward's Fallen Angels series, and overall it was a good story. However, I felt that this one, perhaps more so than the first in the series, focused a little more on the urban fantasy elements rather than the romance. I've always admired Ms. Ward's ability to create engaging stories with characters who exhibit a great deal of depth and for whom I can root. In that respect, Crave was no exception, but where I felt it fell rather flat was in Reviewed for THC Reviews
Crave is the second book in J. R. Ward's Fallen Angels series, and overall it was a good story. However, I felt that this one, perhaps more so than the first in the series, focused a little more on the urban fantasy elements rather than the romance. I've always admired Ms. Ward's ability to create engaging stories with characters who exhibit a great deal of depth and for whom I can root. In that respect, Crave was no exception, but where I felt it fell rather flat was in the relationship development. I know from her Black Dagger Brotherhood series that the author is quite capable of creating deeply emotional romances that make me, as the reader, feel like I'm a part of a great love affair, but the hero and heroine's relationship in Crave didn't quite have that same spark of connection that I've felt in many of her other books. Otherwise though, it was a good story that advanced the overall plot arc of the battle between good and evil.

Isaac is nothing if not a fighter. For several years, he's worked as a mercenary in a covert ops group known as XOps, and during that time, he carried out several assassinations. Now, things have changed for him and he wants out, but the guys in charge aren't about to let him go so easily. In their minds, the only way out of XOps is death. To avoid becoming the next target of an XOps operative, Isaac has been trying to lay low and earn enough money to pay the bills by cage fighting. His cover is blown though, when he's arrested in a police raid on the illegal fighting ring. His life takes another unexpected turn when he meets his beautiful public defender. She makes him long for things he shouldn't want and believes he can never have because of his jaded past. The thing I loved most about Isaac was that he can very much be the gentleman. He has a proper side that seems to be at odds with his rough nature, but I felt like it showed him to have scruples despite the seemingly terrible things he's done. I just loved the way he treated Grier like the well-bred lady that she was, and that he was willing to sacrifice himself to ensure her safety. I also liked that he had a vulnerable side and that deep down, he really wanted a future with a woman like Grier by his side.

Grier comes from a wealthy family, but as she soon finds out, her own father, who is her only living relative, has some pretty big secrets of his own. Grier's brother, Daniel, died of a drug overdose and ever since, he sometimes appears to her as a ghost. I thought this was an interesting angle, which gave the story another supernatural side apart from the angels and demons. Grier harbors guilt over her brother's death, thinking that she somehow could have saved him, which is why she volunteers her services as a public defender. She hopes to help other people in the way she couldn't help Danny. I liked that despite Grier being obviously well-off, she had a willingness to go into the trenches, so to speak, and help others in need. Her attraction to her client, Isaac, is almost immediate, and she thinks she sees similarities to her brother in him, which drives her to go above and beyond the call of duty. She posts his bail and then is determined to see that he doesn't leave town before going to trial, even if that means bringing him into her own home to keep an eye on him. Of course, she soon finds out that Isaac is much more than a mere cage fighter and that his past is dangerous and frightening. I like that Grier was able to give Isaac the strength to try to come forward and do the right thing even if it meant him going into the witness protection program and her probably never seeing him again. I also liked her strength and resilience which made her unwilling to take crap from anyone, but at the same time, she had a softer, more relatable side which cared deeply about other people.

As I said before, I felt like the weak link here was Isaac and Grier's romance. Things go from zero to sixty between them almost in a heartbeat, and the whole story plays out over a matter of days. Although I liked Isaac's vulnerability during their first love scene, I didn't really start to feel a true connection between them until their third love scene (which is also the last full love scene in the book). Up to that point, they'd been through a lot together, which easily could have heightened their emotions, but it just didn't feel like enough upon which to base a lifetime commitment or even their declarations of love. There's also some time during which the pair are separated and Isaac allows Grier to believe some things about him that aren't entirely true for her own protection. I felt like this short period of distrust only added to the distance that IMHO hadn't been fully bridged yet at that point. Their final little reunion scene was sweet and romantic, but again, not quite enough to make me fully buy into a lasting love. Isaac's eleventh hour turnaround was also made with little explanation except that he needed some time to get his head on straight, and after giving it some thought, realized he wanted to give a more serious relationship with Grier a try away from all the danger and drama.

Probably the biggest strength of the book, in my opinion, was the ongoing story of Jim Heron and his fallen angels sidekicks Adrian and Eddie, as well as their continued supernatural battle with the demon Devina. Jim is surprisingly unaffected by the heinous tortures Davina devises for him in this book until she pulls out the emotional big guns. Nothing affects him more deeply than the twin losses he suffered in which he blames himself for not being there in time to save his mother when he was a boy or the young girl Davina sacrificed in the last book. He's determined to save the girl's soul even though he wasn't able to save her in life. Jim also begins to exhibit some new and intriguing powers that may some day be Davina's undoing. While getting to Jim may have been a challenge for Davina, the same cannot be said of Adrian, who sacrificed himself in the last book to keep Davina occupied. He's still suffering the after-effects of being Davina's “plaything.” The person... er, angel... who is there for him the most is his long-time friend, Eddie, and it seems their relationship may go a bit deeper than just friends. Davina is the character I love to hate for her pure evilness, manipulations, and everything she does to the guys. However, she shows some interesting vulnerabilities in this story that may end up being the key to defeating her. While their hands may be tied in certain matters relating to the battle, Nigel and Colin, the angels from the heavenly realm, are there to provide some assistance and guidance for our boys on Earth. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention Jim's scruffy little dog, Dog, who is still an adorable little furball.

Overall, I enjoyed Crave for the strength of its urban fantasy aspects and the advancement of that part of the story arc. I look forward to seeing where things go from here and how the battle progresses. If only the romance had been stronger, this easily could have been a five-star read. It's just that when I've read other books by J. R. Ward in which the romance made me swoon, Isaac and Grier's relationship simply seemed to pale by comparison. Even when the Warden doesn't hit it out of the ballpark, though, she still writes a pretty solid story, so I remain eager to continue with the series. ...more

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May 07, 2010 Yz the Whyz rated it really liked it

Shelves: jr-ward, 2010-reads, owned-books-read

It is Round Two in the battle between good and evil, between warrior Jim and demon Devina.

Caught in the crossfire are former Black Ops soldier turned caged fighter Isaac Rothe and pretty public defender Grier Childe. As Jim and his angel companions fought against Devina's wily machinations, will they be in time to save the soul (which soul?) that is on the line?

Ward's second installment of her Fallen Angels series is another great read. Ward's writing is distinctive as ever, and if you are a fan ...more

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Mar 25, 2010 Jess rated it really liked it

Enjoyed so much about book 2 in the series. Loved Isaac and Grier. Thought the story, pacing, everything flowed well, and I finished the book wanting more, especially hints about who the next soul will be, maybe someone from Sissy's family?

The one thing that bothers me - the rules. I don't understand how Nigel can go on and on for a entire chapter about the rules, they can't be broken, blah blah, but they are broken. I'm sure (and hope) consequences will be coming to the rule breakers, but it ju ...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Deyara rated it really liked it

Pretty good. Some of the slang grate a bit at times, and I didnt really care which characters lived and which died... none really grabbed me. Like the challenge aspect of the series though. Will probably read the next one.

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