Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward

SPOILERS GALORE. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

I'm not sure where to start with this *cough* opinion.

So I'll start by saying I really, really, really wanted this book to blow my skirt up - so to speak.

Am I disappointed?

You bet.

Does this mean the book is crap?

Not really.

I've mentioned in a few places that I think I would rate this book a straight B and hopefully that pans out.

Cindy Blurb: Wait. I really don't think you can read this book without reading the rest in the series. Maybe it would have worked better if I had never read the other three books but I'm not sure.

Butch is basically the human pet of a bunch of vampire warriors of the Brotherhood. He fetches when called and isn't allowed out to play with the big boys. He stumbled into knowledge of the Brotherhood in the first book in this series and his choice was to stay with them or die. He chose to stay with them and really he didn't start to regret his decision until a year had passed and he realized his life was the same as before except he now has financial privileges. In the first book he met the King's ex-mate Marissa and bloody hell if she isn't the love of his life after one kiss. I have to say seeing him mope over his booze was not quite what I wanted to read.

Marissa meanwhile, is part of the glymera (basically high society of the vampires where lineage is all important - yeah.) but has been shunned for something like 300 years because soon after her pairing with the vampire King it became clear to everyone that he did not bond with her. Yep, she's the oldest living virgin.

Okay we need to speed this up.

Butch gets caught by lessers (evil dudes) and is tortured for information which he doesn't give up. He knows he's about to die but then the Omega (super big evil dude) realizes the Brotherhood will want him back so he puts a piece of himself in Butch.

V - Butch's bestest friend (and did V want more?) finds him, takes him to the vampire hospital where he realizes Butch is suicidal and calls Marissa to help him. Marissa races to Butch's side. She's later caught by her brother in a compromising position with Butch, gets thrown out of her home, goes to the Brother's mansion (where Butch lives) for sanctuary. Butch is worried he's going to turn into an evil guy, a whole bunch of lesser crap happens, finds out he's got some Brotherhood blood in him, gets turned into the new weapon against the evil, joins the Brotherhood and Marissa takes her head out of her ass and HEA.

Problems?

I have many.

I loved Butch as the world weary cop with a heart of gold. He was so broken and lonely and wonderfully dark. In the beginning of Lover Revealed he is all that and I was in my glory. Hell, Marissa has a panic attack in the beginning of the book and I'm all relating to her and thinking 'Booyah Baby this one's going to be a keeper!'

Pffffffft.

I should look the page number up but Butch and Marissa tell each other they love one another fairly early in the story. Some seriously heavy petting ensues, they promise to always be straight with each other and then WHAM - blindsided by stupidity and immaturity.

Saying, hey, let's always talk things out does not mean someone says something and the other leaves the room with out going 'WTF did that mean!?' Communications were down, their software was not compatible and it was a frustrating thing to be a part of.

These two people were perfect for never saying anything outright or letting the other person explain.

Here's what I know for sure.

Butch loves Marissa hands down.

Marissa is about 21 yrs old in human years.

Apparently vampires mature much, much, much slower. MUCH! I figure she needs to live another three hundred years before she is ready to actually be with Butch.

I'm just saying, I live quite a cloistered life and I'm only 36 but even I know whose opinions matter to me. Three hundred years should put a bit of gumption under your belt so I find it odd Marissa would just discover she has a backbone.

So, not a big fan of Marissa and Butch was pussy whipped.

Since this is getting long, let's see if I can do bullet points.

1. Butch was himself in the beginning and I would have preferred it if he had actually remained who he was but instead he discovers he's more than human and OMG that means he has purpose. Ugh. At this point I began to feel like he read like all the other Brothers.

2. The Brotherhood blows. Butch gets caught and is being tortured for a day and all the Brotherhood can think of is 'OMG what if he tells the lessers something'. Wow. I can only hope I have friends like you. Then they get him back and even V starts to question whether Butch is his enemy. WTF?

At one point the vampire king says 'go bring our boy home'.

Here Lassie, here boy, come on Lassie! Ugh.

3. V is an asshole. I mean really. First he's worried he's going to have to kill Butch (cause he's evil - NOT), then he knows if Butch tries to leave the Brotherhood he will kill Butch, then V does some sort of suicidal swan dive off a building but hey, vampires can do that whole teleportation thing and he ends up behind Butch who is screaming because he thinks his best friend just killed himself. Yep. Not a lot of sympathy for V going on over here.

All of the above blew holes in any type of homo-erotic stuff that *might* have been going on between Butch and V. I don't think Butch ever felt that way but V from previous books seemed to. Well, if this is the way V loves someone then whoever is about to become his mate better look out!

Let's end there before my head explodes.

So why a B? It didn't feel like a C book which usually leaves me with a 'meh' feeling. Obviously I have some pretty strong feelings.

Oh. And for those who are wondering, I skimmed the lesser parts and John's parts and I didn't miss them.

It gets worse.

I read the preview of V's book and I thought 'meh'.

I guess I can do a separate post sometime on how reader's expectations can bite an author in the ass.