Long Review: There’s a new paranormal series in town and it’s called Fallen Angles. Yes, J.R. Ward has written a powerful and exciting new series with a new cast of characters, a new mythology, and a new reason to keep reading her books. Although the series takes place in Caldwell New York (the same location as her bestselling series The Black Dagger Brotherhood) and even though there are some cross over characters, this series has a brand new mythology.
With that I mean, vampires, Lessers, and the Brotherhood may live in Caldwell NY, but they live on the other side of town. It’s a fresh start with perhaps some familiar places and faces BUT with a brand new perspective and a brand new raison d’être. With her trademark ability to create vivid images, snappy dialogue, compelling story lines, inventive and INTERESTING characters, Ms. Ward has given readers a reason to rush out and buy Covet.
J.R. Ward is an author with a big imagination and her latest release proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this woman can write. From page 1 to page 474 I was hooked and didn’t want it to end. I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this book. And in fact, I didn’t want to know. I wanted it to be a surprise, and every page of it was a surprise. The main character – who will be featured in each of the books – is Jim Heron, an unlikely ‘hero’. I put hero in quotes here because he’s not your typical hero in so much as he’s not the hero of this book. In fact, that title goes to Vin Di Pietro, who is the hero of this book. Now, don’t get confused… give me a chance to explain.
Jim Heron, a very intriguing man with a very mysterious past, is just passing through town and doing odd jobs. His past is about tragedy, pain, destruction and murder and he is a survivor. Given what I know, I tend to think Jim’s life has always been about survival. We don’t know the whole story. We only get glimpses, albeit powerful glimpses of his past, and the experiences that have shaped him. I strongly suspect that as the series goes on we’ll learn even more about what has shaped the man Jim has become because he is the ‘glue’ that holds this series together. With each little tidbit that Ms. Ward gives, she not only enlightens us, but compels us to guess at more of what has shaped him, and even more, what he will become.
For now, you need to know that Jim becomes a fallen angel charged with saving the world by saving seven souls from the seven deadly sins. If he fails at his task Evil will win and the world as we know it will end.
The first soul Jim must save is Vin Di Pietro, a very rich, very self-involved businessman; and yes, the hero of Covet. Vin Di Pietro’s troubled past is catching up to him and because of choices he’s made in his past his very soul is at stake in the present. With Jim being new to the job of saving souls he’s on the ‘trial by fire plan’, which doesn’t bode well for Vin. With each new revelation on how to do his job, Jim’s knowledge about himself and the world grows. At the same time, Vin also has been given a chance to reexamine his life, his priorities and what’s really important. Both Jim and Vin have realizations about their lives that parallel each other throughout the telling of this book.
So you tell me, is Jim the hero of this book? Or is he the hero of this series? Can both Jim and Vin be the hero of this book? And really, is the question even necessary? For me, they are both the protagonists in this book with their journeys intertwining and each becoming a better person for knowing the other.
The heroine in this book is Marie-Terese – some of you might remember her from the Blackdagger Brotherhood books – a prostitute at a nightclub called Zero Sum. And for those who have been arguing ad nauseam about whether Ms. Ward’s previous books are romances or urban fantasies (I for one couldn’t care less), this new series is definitely a romance. Boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy and girl live happily ever after.
Let me repeat, there is a definite HEA. No equivocations. The romance is very strong and front and center in Covet. And if that’s really important to you – you’ve got it all here. But you’ve also got so much more. As with all of Ms. Ward’s books, you have secondary characters that are intriguing and essential to the overall outcomes. It’s extraordinary when a book not only has the required elements that are the root of all romance novels, but also has layers and depth, that draw you in because the parts are equally as important as the whole, creating textures and nuances that infuse the story line with multi-faceted viewpoints enabling the story to be three dimensional. I think that’s what makes this particular series so damn powerful.
For me, the book is about redemption and transformation. I was discussing this with Maria and she loved it because she felt at the core Ms. Ward has created a powerful story centered around good vs. evil from many different vantage points – and was ‘stunned’ by the ending. Perhaps we’re talking about the same thing. I think each reader will come away with their own viewpoint of what this series is about. That’s what J.R. Ward does so well; she respects her reader’s intelligence by giving them a story that captivates, satisfies, surprises and at the same time creates a sense of longing for the next book.
So dear reader, if you’re looking for a romantic paranormal suspense that takes place in present day with amazing characters, a very interesting mythology, great dialogue, a compelling story line, a touching romance, and the promise for more great things to come, might I suggest Covet.
Until then, happy reading,
Marisa
Covet by J.R. Ward
Book #1 in the Fallen Angles Series
Reviewed by Marisa O’Neill
Publisher: Penguin
5 Stars
Marisa is Vice President of Programming at Romance Novel TV
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