Shuzluva: Aaaaaaaaaand…we’re back! The subject of today’s virtual ping-pong match is Lover Enshrined, the sixth book in J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Who will type faster? Who will be reduced to screaming in capital letters first? Before we take off the gloves, we wanted to make sure everybody’s on the same page; thus, Bam has asked me to provide you with the following brief synopsis.

When we last left the BDB, Phury had become the Primale, a glorified sperm donor for the Chosen, the chicks that live in The Fade with the Scribe Virgin. The Primale is responsible for churning out new members of the BDB by making sure he gets every one of the Chosen prego. Phury, being the self-sacrificing whiner that he is, has voluntered for the responsibility, taking Vishous’ place. Of course, the irony here is that Phury is a virgin (don’t tell me that crap in the bathroom de-virginized him. Really.), a loner, and a drug addict. He also thinks he is in love with Bella, providing himself with more reason for self flagellation since Bella is well into the elephant-like gestation period and Zadist is going bananas with worry, which I have to admit is kinda cute and horribly annoying at the same time. Phury’s first sperm recepticle is Cormia, who was introduced to us in Lover Unbound. Cormia is unsure of herself, scared of her discontent with the Fade and has fallen head over sandals for Phury. We will definitely delve into this below.

The Omega, meanwhile, has done something really disgusting: he has reproduced! How, you ask? Well, I’m not tellin’ ya here…but spoilers will abound during our…conversation. Let’s just say that the Omega has come up with an excellent plan for destroying the BDB, and I’m actually impressed with the twist that the entire story has taken. The Lessers no longer bore and annoy me (and seem like filler), and their story is integral to the series moving forward. We also have some major issues cropping up with John Matthew and his buddies Blaylock and Qhuinn as well as Rhevenge and Xhex. Oooh, plot detours abound and I know we will get into all of it below since the secondary characters and plot were much more colorful that the story of Phury and Cormia.

Will Phury lose his virginity? Will Cormia be the first in a long line of women? How will Cormia deal with her lack of enthusiasm (okay, essentially her blasphemy) for the Fade and the Scribe Virgin? What about the Scribe Virgin’s daughter? And what the FUCK is gong on with Rhevenge? Who is the new guy? And what about JM and Xhex? Keep reading, if you are so inclined…

Bam: ok. lets do this.
Shuzluva: ok
Shuzluva: btw, before we start, I have a technical question for you
Shuzluva: I got a new iPod last week
Shuzluva: downloaded my songbook
Bam: yep
Shuzluva: bought another song and it didn’t automatically load
Shuzluva: then I gave the iPod to a friend
Shuzluva: and he was going to download a bunch of stuff onto it
Shuzluva: was able to do it for all of his friends
Shuzluva: but mine didn’t work
Shuzluva: is the iPod defective?
Bam: yes.
Shuzluva: ok
Shuzluva: should I call apple or just take it back?
Bam: send that shit back.
Shuzluva: There’s an apple store in the SH mall
Bam: apple will replace it.
Shuzluva: I’m going to deal with it today
Shuzluva: ok
Shuzluva: DAMN
Shuzluva: I’m so annoyed
Bam: ok
Shuzluva: I’ve had it A WEEK
Shuzluva: ok
Shuzluva: let’s start, for real.
Bam: woo-hoo, Lover Enshrined. Yay, Furry. I gotta admit, sports fans, I cracked open this contribution to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series with slight trepidation
Shuzluva: what, exactly, was that due to?
Bam: well, it’s Furry. He was not my favorite brother— that would be Vishous— and he just did not interest me
Shuzluva: I was extremely curious about Phury. Sorry, just can’t get over the Furry like a dog thing…because to me he’s not. I wanted to know what motivated him to be the self-sacrificing twat he’d become
Shuzluva: jeez, that was really mean right off the bat, but srsly, he has been portrayed as downright pathetic.
Bam: yeah, I can’t believe you used a euphemism for vagina. that’s not sexual transcendence.
Shuzluva: Okay, you got me there. But let’s get to the meat of this (haha…meat). What did you think? Really? Because I felt that the majority of the book had absolutely nothing to do with Phury and Cormia…and because of that their story really lacked substance.
Shuzluva: However, I loved ALL of the other parts of the book
Shuzluva: now if that doesn’t say something about Phury’s character, I don’t know what does
Bam: Exactly! this time around, I was more fascinated by the drama of John Matthew and his friends… they were like Queer as Folk, but gayer…
Shuzluva: And the whole storyline with JM, Blay, Qhuinn and the Lessers was fascinating. Ooh, and the Rhev storyline.
Shuzluva: Wow
Shuzluva: I felt like Phury and Cormia were the filler that the lessers used to be
Bam: exactly. Who are these sympaths and are we going to learn more about them?
Bam: but yeah, Fu–Phury and Cormia…
Shuzluva: here’s my biggest problem with the two of them:
Shuzluva: NO GROWTH
Shuzluva: they might as well have been the same as when they started
Bam: okay, three words. describe.
Shuzluva: hmm
Shuzluva: I have to use only three words?
Bam: yeah. three words to describe F/C
Shuzluva: are you looking for something specific or my actual opinion?
Shuzluva: you clearly have something in mind…
Shuzluva: but here goes:
Shuzluva: deux ex machina
Shuzluva: they are simply a means to the next step in the series
Shuzluva: Regardless of whether I liked how Ward handled the stories of the other brothers,
Shuzluva: there was ALWAYS passion between the H/H
Bam: explain your usage of a latin phrase, you pretentious slag.
Shuzluva: in this…I felt like we were almost there, but something more interesting was always happening in the background
Shuzluva: alright bitch:
Shuzluva: F/C was simply being used as a tool to get the story to where it needed to be
Shuzluva: now, I think they could have been both a tool and a story unto themselves, but it didn’t happen
Bam: heh. tool.
Shuzluva: yeah.

The Hero

Bam: alright, let’s focus a little. PHURY.
Shuzluva: okay, rebuttal?
Bam: no, no. no rebuttal. I agree with you. Even Jane and Vishous had pretty good heat between them. I almost believed it, though I was always thinking, “get away from butch’s man, you bitch.” but with F/C, I was thinking F was more in love with his next toke.
Shuzluva: YES!
Bam: btw, it’s all very edgy.
Shuzluva: the whole “I’m a lost druggie”? I agree
Shuzluva: but I felt that there was such a lack of change during the book
Shuzluva: there was no…Phury takes two steps forward and one back
Shuzluva: he was just a downhill slide
Bam: Yeah, that whole “I’m just a gimp with one leg and I’m in love with my brother’s wife and my parents didn’t love me” thing didn’t work for me
Shuzluva: Well, it would have worked for me in the beginning if he actually FACED each of these issues and dealt with them, but he didn’t
Shuzluva: he OD’d in a major way (which, btw, I’m not sure why or how that happened when it did)
Bam: instead he got high, instead he got high, instead he got high…
Shuzluva: and then BAM! Time to clean up
Shuzluva: yeah
Bam: wait, are we sure we’re not just down on him because OMGWTFBBQ HE’S A JUNKY WHORE?
Shuzluva: No. Really. I desperately wanted to love him. Hey, I’m like that…I want to love the hero.
Shuzluva: But he had NO redeeming qualities
Shuzluva: I can’t think of one
Shuzluva: other than his self-sacrificing inclinations, which were total bullshit anyway
Bam: ah, he was consistent with his self-hatred.
Shuzluva: yes, but being a self-hating person with no growth doesn’t a romance hero make
Bam: for real. I thought it was going to be deeper than “my daddy didn’t love me, if I do this… he totes will”
Shuzluva: Hey, V’s story was significantly deeper than that. And he dealt with the total shit he was steeped in
Shuzluva: And while there were unsatisfactory things that happened in LU, I still could believe the change
Bam: ok. Let’s not just bash Furry. Any redeeming qualities?
Bam: what would you have wanted to see?
Shuzluva: I’m thinking
Shuzluva: I would have wanted to see the realization that he needed changes within himself to occur earlier. Then from there, the push-pull of his relationship with Cormia could have actually happened. That doesn’t mean I would have wanted him to be instantly cured of his addiction and fall madly in love with Cormia.
Shuzluva: What I would have wanted was the forward/backward, push/pull tension born of someone that knows he is on the road to change, but there are things he’s having trouble controlling and a backslide might (does?) happen.
Shuzluva: It would have made him much more sympathetic and would have made his relationship with Cormia much more interesting
Bam: The problem with Phury was that he was so saddled with issues that it was difficult to believe that everything would be resolved by the time we got to page 650 (!)
Bam: it’s like a cokehead going to a 30-day program and expecting to be 100% cured. that’s not going to happen.
Shuzluva: That was my biggest problem with the wrap up
Bam: There will be backsliding. There will be relapses. It’s not easy. I heard.
Shuzluva: there was no progression
Bam: I didn’t believe him, period.
Shuzluva: ah. You’ve hit the nail on the head. I didn’t believe him either. And that does not make for a strong hero or a strong backbone to the book. Which is why I think all of the secondary characters’ stories were so much more interesting than his

The Heroine

Bam: ok. Cormia.
Shuzluva: I liked her story
Bam: kill me, but I liked her.
Shuzluva: could believe it better
Shuzluva: LIKEWISE
Bam: HA HA, jinx.
Shuzluva: HAHAHAH
Shuzluva: She had actual growth during the book
Bam: I was really, really expecting to hate her and I can’t even remember why
Shuzluva: the shame was I wanted to see her enjoying that growth with Phury rather than JM
Bam: god, she was so cute with JM.
Shuzluva: because she seemed like a whiny snot in LU
Shuzluva: that’s why you hated her
Shuzluva: but she really grew in LE
Bam: I halfway expected Ward to be like, “whose story is this? Ah shit, Furry…” then eschews the storyline and gives Cormia to JM instead.
Shuzluva: I know
Shuzluva: there was much more sexual realization going on for Cormia when JM was present than when Phury was around. Which is just odd.
Shuzluva: I believed all of her growth
Bam: there was sexual tension between them!
Bam: I really bought her angst. can you imagine having to share your boyfriend with 40 other women?
Bam: and knowing he has to be the Baby Daddy for all of them?
Shuzluva: No, and I believed it when she tried to completely remove herself from the situation
Bam: (brb, bathroom)
Bam: you go on and talk it out.
Shuzluva: she realized that she’d fallen for him (lord knows why) and didn’t want to face the fact that he’d be shtupping 40 other chicks. Rather than watching him self destruct and letting her heart be broken into a gazillion pieces (which, btw, IS a mathematical term), she decided to try and get away completely. Okay, that’s not unusual in romancelandia, but it is believable
Shuzluva: and her desire to learn more and live in color (so to speak) didn’t surprise me. Her discontent with life in the Fade was carefully and believably sown in LU.
Shuzluva: And her fear of the regular world was also totally believable
Shuzluva: Everything is completely new to her, so her automatic reaction is to be muy nerviosa.
Bam: anyway, what I liked about Cormia was that she was willing to break away from the shit even if it cost her everything.
Shuzluva: YES
Shuzluva: um, didn’t I kinda say that?
Shuzluva: wow, I’m off the mark today
Bam: Sure, Furry is supposedly her one true love, but she was not going to tolerate his ass if he kept acting the fool
Bam: and sister, he kept acting the fool till the last page.
Shuzluva: WHICH IS WHY I DIDN’T LOVE HIM
Bam: I can’t even remember how JRW resolved that whole thing.
Bam: remind me again
Shuzluva: Well, first there was the OD
Shuzluva: then Phury goes to see Cormia while she’s sequestered
Shuzluva: And then the Scribe Virgin asks Cormia what she would change
Shuzluva: and I don’t remember how Phury and Cormia end up being together either…which is fucking ridiculous
Shuzluva: because I should
Shuzluva: but it had no impact
Bam: exactly!

The Plot

Bam: let’s move on.
Bam: Plot.
Shuzluva: ok
Shuzluva: What did you like? Love? I know you didn’t like the P/C story, but I don’t think it falls into the realm of hatred, so was there anything you hated?
Bam: I guess the whole thing about this harem of women serving only as broodmares to the RACE (I really hate that word) when this whole damn series is written by a woman… well, that freaks my shit out.
Shuzluva: yeah, I hate that word too
Bam: I can’t like it. it’s… skeevy. the feminist in me wants to choke something.
Shuzluva: I like using blunt instruments better than choking
Shuzluva: but that’s a personal preference
Bam: kill me, but I think the entire BDB series is sexist.
Bam: there’s no female empowerment in it at all
Shuzluva: I don’t think that is a groundbreaking statement, honey
Bam: shut up. I like pointing out the obvious.
Shuzluva: HELLO, the doc was a woman and now she’s a GHOST?
Bam: it needed to be said again, besides.
Shuzluva: true
Bam: seriously. it’s like Queer as Folk, but gheyer… not that there’s anything wrong with that, but jeez, stop giving these poor men beards and play “it’s raining men” already
Shuzluva: ROFL, GHEYER
Shuzluva: I think there’s another issue behind the whole Ghey thing: those that aren’t Ghey (which at this point might only be Rhevenge) are secondary
Bam: No, Wrath isn’t teh ghey either.
Shuzluva: I was just writing that
Shuzluva: but he’s also been marginalized
Bam: yeah, seriously.
Shuzluva: and when was the last time we saw Beth?
Bam: no, shit.
Bam: that’s really a good point, shuz. are there any females in this world that really stand out for you?
Bam: no.
Bam: WHERE THE HELL IS MARY??!!?
Shuzluva: for me, not at all
Shuzluva: Jane would have stood out, but she’s effectively been cut off
Bam: she’s still very helpful to have around, though
Shuzluva: And even if she is a ghost, I’d have liked (and would like) to see more of her around as she’s supposed to be their medical attention
Shuzluva: I know
Shuzluva: But back to the story
Shuzluva: This is what I’m seeing: now that it’s been some time since I’ve read the book (okay, it could have been a day, what with the three kids, the move, the job, don’t make me go on)
Shuzluva: but what stands out to me is that there is a lot going on in this series
Shuzluva: and none of it is streamlined,
Bam: exactly
Shuzluva: so quite a bit of the characters and important plot points get lost in the noise
Shuzluva: Now, I like a series with a lot going on,
Shuzluva: but I think there’s a loose quality to the plotting that wasn’t in the first four books
Shuzluva: It’s like when Rowling wrote The Order of The Phoenix.
Shuzluva: An editor should have told her to tighten that bitch up
Shuzluva: both before and after the books were much more focused
Bam: that’s true.
Bam: do you have a problem with Furry and his harem?
Shuzluva: As a woman, a reader, both?
Shuzluva: uh, I don’t like the idea of a master race
Bam: I’m not even really sure what’s going on there. Is he going to have sex with all of them?
Bam: yeah, same here. That creeps me out.
Shuzluva: gee, wonder why.
Shuzluva: but I don’t think the Chosen are his harem by the end
Shuzluva: the fact that he’s in white robes freaks me out though
Shuzluva: remember, the SV essentially sent all the Chosen to … choose their own paths
Shuzluva: rather than the original proscribed one
Bam: as a woman of color and I’m not calling anyone names and people can say “but it’s just a book!” I’m alarmed that Furry wears white robes while having sex with white women and they’re trying to create a master race
Shuzluva: Yeah, that symbolism is really high on the squick factor
Bam: um. wait. what? I thought the chosen were only created to feed the vampires and be broodmares.
Shuzluva: hello, did you not read the end of the book?
Shuzluva: MAJOR SPOILER ALERT
Bam: Uh… HELLO? A huge chunk was missing?
Shuzluva: I SENT IT BACK TO YOU
Shuzluva: DID YOU NOT RECEIVE IT?
Shuzluva: BECAUSE IF NOT, SOMEONE ELSE IS LOVING LIFE RIGHT NOW
Bam: yeah, haven’t had time to read it with the whole SCHOOL AND REAL LIFE and all
Shuzluva: okay, fine, fine, fine!
Shuzluva: SPOILER ALERT….SPOILER ALERT
Bam: all caps ought to do it.
Shuzluva: So…the Scribe Virgin decides that Cormia has some sort of point that she’s a round peg in a square hole
Shuzluva: and asks her what the Fade is missing
Shuzluva: all of a sudden, everything in the Fade is technicolor
Shuzluva: and the SV decides that the Chosen will be allowed to Choose their own paths
Bam: oh. hey, maybe the BDB is not so racist ’cause color… IS GOOOOD
Shuzluva: LOL, You might be right there
Bam: so who’s going to procreate for the Brotherhood?
Shuzluva: so a bunch of Chosen chicks decide that Earth is going to be a good place and they’re ready to try it out
Shuzluva: and the Brotherhood will start using the warriors they’re training…I know that was resolved, but can’t remember what exactly it was
Shuzluva: the Chosen that go to Earth use Phury and Cormia’s house as a transition point
Shuzluva: so, no. Phury isn’t gonna screw all of them
Bam: oh. then who’s going to feed the Brotherhood?
Shuzluva: again, a little fuzzy on exactly what was decided for the bro’hood
Bam: hmm.
Shuzluva: I think they’re actually going to start turning all the trainees into “real” warriors
Shuzluva: they won’t be “Brothers” so to speak, but they will be warriors
Shuzluva: which means that Qhuinn, Blay and JM are now part of the warrior class
Shuzluva: or some such shit like that
Bam: White Brotherhood of the White Dagger…
Shuzluva: GROSS

The Secondary Characters

Bam: they should have a black brother, even if he’s just token.
Shuzluva: come on
Bam: just so it’s not so creepy.
Shuzluva: THEY SHOULD HAVE A BLACK PERSON IN THE BOOK
Shuzluva: I think that Rhev’s body guards aren’t black
Bam: oh, hey, good call. And also, maybe not as a servant or something.
Shuzluva: they’re Mesopotamian or Egyptian
Shuzluva: or something
Bam: hey, they had one brown guy there… Manuel Manuelo or some shit.
Bam: what a terrible name.
Shuzluva: You’re sure it wasn’t Menudo?
Shuzluva: sorry, I couldn’t help myself
Bam: Manuel Menudo is a TERRIBLE name.
Shuzluva: Good lord, I’m actually cracking up here
Bam: god, now I have an actual Menudo song in my head.
Shuzluva: Don’t get me started. Since the tension (or lack thereof) and the story between Phury and Cormia was pretty much a non-starter, what did you like?
Shuzluva: Because there was plenty going on…and there were two other storylines that had me panting for more.
Shuzluva: wait…I think three of them really interested me
Shuzluva: but there were about half a dozen other things happening in the book
Bam: I like the possibility of a gay couple— Blay and what’s-his-face
Shuzluva: Qhuinn
Shuzluva: Well, Qhuinn certainly didn’t shut that one down
Shuzluva: He made it pretty clear that he knew Blay was watching him not the girl when they were in a 3some
Bam: Qhuinn has this whole “If I were gay, I would give you my heart” thing and now I have to post a link to this video.
Shuzluva: YES, you must!
Bam: I liked the relationship of John Matthew and Cormia
Shuzluva: eh. I was lukewarm on that one
Bam: I thought they had a cute, innocent, two-kids-on-a-date thing going on.
Shuzluva: because I know it’s pretty much going nowhere

The Villains

Bam: I also like the scarier, more devious lessers.
Bam: The Omega is a scary bastard.
Bam: HE IS NOT TO BE TRIFLED WITH!
Shuzluva: now, that storyline was riveting
Bam: I know. It really threw me off. I was actually scared for the BDB
Shuzluva: I’m STILL scared for the BDB
Shuzluva: They now have an enemy that will totally fuck with them
Shuzluva: which is AWESOME!
Shuzluva: I feel like the lessers came to power in this book.
Bam: for real.
Bam: About time!
Shuzluva: They used to be an annoying diversion, but now there is something real happening there
Shuzluva: and I think the BDB will be totally surprised

What We Lurved

Bam: Oh, I’m still excited about JM and Xhex
Shuzluva: That is up there for me, but I was crazed to hear more about Rhev and the Sympaths
Bam: oh yeah. This whole Acheron-Artemis thing that Rhev has with the Sympath queen is totally hot.
Shuzluva: yeah…and gross
Bam: okay, hot and gross
Shuzluva: I love the total sickness of it
Shuzluva: He’s so screwed
Bam: I know! ’cause she’s like a monster, right? but still, totally hot.
Shuzluva: oh, yeah. And he loves and hates it
Shuzluva: he’s a total whore
Bam: I really can’t wait for his story. He’s such a messed up ball of issues and yet you can’t help but love the guy.
Shuzluva: true
Bam: he’s a drug dealer for god’s sake and yet he’s my favorite character!
Shuzluva: and the issues seem so much more legit than “my parents forsook me so I self sacrificed and now I’m a druggie”
Shuzluva: wow. That is a sad statement
Bam: well, duh. 1) he’ll be killed if the vamps found out what he really is 2) he’s taking the drugs because it damps down his Sympath abilities 3) he’s got parental issues like you wouldn’t believe… and they’re valid!
Shuzluva: I know! I love it! And on top of it all, he’s totally hawt!
Bam: I like the Mohawk!
Shuzluva: I love the $3K suit/Mowhawk combination
Shuzluva: It just screams I’m so bad do me
Bam: Yay Rehvenge! Yay Rhevenge!
Shuzluva: I’m interested in the JM/Xhex story to see if JM will break free of his abuse
Shuzluva: IMO, that is also a legit storyline
Bam: for real. The whole thing between him and Lash was RIVETING.
Bam: And I like this whole “I will die for you” thing that Qhuinn has for JM
Shuzluva: Totally. And Lash was actually going to rape him for reals. JM has these manly urges (I just saw Mulan for the 500th time, so I’m hearing her voice) but he can’t control his fears
Bam: Butch-and-Vee part Deux
Shuzluva: so I’m curious as to why Xhex turns him on. Also, re Butch/V vs. Qhuinn/JM
Shuzluva: I think Qhuinn will end up with Blay
Shuzluva: Okay, I HOPE
Shuzluva: because it’s clear that for the moment, JM can’t deal with ANY sort of love; man, woman or otherwise
Bam: yeah, I hope some MATE bullshit won’t automatically fix him ’cause dude is FUNKED UP.
Shuzluva: I agree
Shuzluva: this is something that will hopfully be worked through in a way we can see
Shuzluva: And what about the…uh…new guy?
Bam: oh yeah.
Shuzluva: what’s his name again?
Shuzluva: I just totally blanked
Bam: shoot, we can’t reveal that.
Shuzluva: DAMN
Bam: so it’s good you can’t remember.
Bam: (it’s Tohr)
Shuzluva: NO, NOT TOHR
Shuzluva: I remember his name
Shuzluva: the guy that showed up with Tohr
Shuzluva: who clearly has some sort of debt
Bam: wait, there’s a guy who… HEAVENS TO BETSY, I will have to re-read.
Shuzluva: and is opening up some other mythology
Shuzluva: GO RE READ
Bam: what else do you like about this book?
Shuzluva: well, I think that (as usual) the seeds have been sown for about 20 other books
Shuzluva: and I want to read about half of them
Shuzluva: in the following order:
Bam: yeah, same here.
Shuzluva: 1. Rhev
Shuzluva: 2. JM/Blay/Qhuinn + Xhex
Shuzluva: Within 1 & 2: the Lesser story
Shuzluva: 3. Scribe Virgins WAY pissed off daughter
Shuzluva: 4. New guy
Bam: oh, for REAL!
Bam: and Tohr!
Shuzluva: and last but not least, Tohr
Bam: hey, I agree with your list.
Shuzluva: Do you think Ward takes requests?
Shuzluva: HAHAHHA
Bam: heh. you mean Whard?
Shuzluva: oh, yes
Shuzluva: sorry

The Wish List

Shuzluva: you start
Bam: 1) I wish that JM’s storyline won’t be fixed with a MATE-now-you’re-whole dealie 2) I wish Whard won’t back down on this whole trainspotting thing that Rhev’s got 3) I wish the Scribe Virgin’s daughter won’t cower before ANY man.
Shuzluva: wow
Shuzluva: okay, my first and over-arching wish:
Shuzluva: Whoever the story focuses on next, I’d like that to actually BE the focus. I’d like to see growth for BOTH characters and have interactions be more than just ships passing in the night (or in the hallways) and then WHAM! sexin’ ensues.
Shuzluva: For points two, three and four…well I gotta admit that I’m loving everything you said
Bam: and Tohr?
Bam: And Darius?
Shuzluva: Cormia actually turned out to be a stronger female than I had envisioned, and I’d love the SV’s daughter to be a kickass bitch
Shuzluva: Regarding Tohr, I think we’ve got to see WHY he didn’t off himself
Shuzluva: there has to be a clear reason, and I’m dying to know what it is…
Shuzluva: Darius: I think he’s in the Fade, babes
Shuzluva: for reals
Bam: oh. well, what about that whole JM is his reincarnation thing?
Shuzluva: Didn’t Darius show up in the Fade well after JM was…uh…discovered to be a vampire?
Shuzluva: That confuses me
Shuzluva: Because I am not sure how that logistically will work
Bam: did he?
Bam: hm.
Shuzluva: I thought so
Bam: ok. final thoughts. you first:
Shuzluva: maybe I’m not remembering right
Shuzluva: Okay…while I didn’t love the story between Cormia and Phury, I loved the secondary character plotlines and the general plot arc of the BDB. I was disappointed by Phury’s lack of visible character growth and annoyed that he and Cormia spent the majority of the book apart. I did like the “sisterhood” scenes between Cormia and Bella, and loved that Z is a total doting loving crazed warrior. I am totally addicted to this series and may need strong intervention to break myself of said addiction. HELP ME.
Bam: no, I can’t help you. I am also addicted.
Bam: Final thoughts: While I am freaked out about this whole “master race” thing, I can’t help but also be addicted to this series.
Bam: Wait, I’m talking.
Shuzluva: OK
Shuzluva: YOU ARE WRITING A NOVEL OVER THERE!
Bam: I don’t think the romance between Cormia and Phury was very convincing– they spent a lot of time apart, what with Phury drowning in self-pity and Cormia trying to find out what she’s all about– but they almost don’t matter. I’m really more engrossed by everything else in this world
Bam: (sorry, my mom keeps calling me, telling me to apply for this grant-writer position)
Shuzluva: I love your mom
Shuzluva: and I agree with your last sentence
Shuzluva: anything else?
Bam: I know this is a dead horse, but I would really like a more… technicolor world, my sister.
Bam: I think an Asian brother would be hot.
Shuzluva: OH YES!
Bam: like a Russell Wong, Takeshi Kaneshiro type. *swoon*
Shuzluva: I am loving that
Bam: or some kickass Tyson Beckford type. *dies*
Shuzluva: mmmmmmmmm
Bam: Hey, Kenyon has men of color in her Dark-Hunter series, right?
Shuzluva: I don’t remember
Shuzluva: I haven’t read them in….who the fuck knows how long
Shuzluva: but Nalini definitly has racial mix going on in the world of the Psy
Bam: I’m not saying Ward is racist, btw… I’m saying the world she has created? Kind of.
Shuzluva: I hear you. And I didn’t think that you were saying that she was racist
Shuzluva: but I agree with what you are saying
Bam: I just don’t like the symbolism of all the whiteness.
Bam: and the “master race” dealie.
Shuzluva: and I think the addition of Dwayne Johnson would be lovely as well
Shuzluva: I can’t help it
Shuzluva: His muscles and his smile get me going
Bam: oh, god, why was I thinking of DuWayne from What’s Happening?
Shuzluva: now imagine that smile with a pair of fangs….
Shuzluva: and stop ruining my fantasy
Bam: Hey-hey-hey…
Bam: oh, come on, DuWayne from What’s Happening WOULD BE HILARIOUS!
Shuzluva: YOU ARE KILLING ME
Bam: DuWayne: Hey-hey-hey; Vishous: Yo, what’s doin’?
Shuzluva: *HORF*
Bam: Yo, VIP, let’s kick it!
Bam: (ice-ice baby…)
Shuzluva: I think I’m yakking and laughing at the same time
Shuzluva: *HORF* *CHOKE* *LAUGH* *CRY* Repeat.
Bam: Check it —

All right stop collaborate and listen
Ice is back with my brand new invention
Something grabs a hold of me tightly
Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly
Will it ever stop yo I don’t know
Turn off the lights and I’ll glow
To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal
Light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle
Shuzluva: stop
Shuzluva: let’s wrap this up
Bam: damn. that shit’s funny.
Shuzluva: we’re gonna kill people with this
Bam: ok. we’re done. Rhev next plz. Kthxbai.
Shuzluva: I’m in agreeance with that! Do we have any idea who’s up next?
Shuzluva: huh?
Bam: I think it’s Rhev.
Shuzluva: PLZ!
Bam: five bucks says it’s Rhev.
Shuzluva: You’re on.
Bam: Man, I hope they still give me an ARC next time after this review.
Shuzluva: I say it’s Tohr/JM
Shuzluva: why?
Shuzluva: We laughed, we cried, we placed it on the keeper shelf
Shuzluva: with the other ones
Bam: that is true!
Shuzluva: I can’t get enough of this series
Bam: B+ for this one!
Shuzluva: Tots agree!
Bam: Three snaps up in a z formation!
Shuzluva: with the head shift
Bam: can’t forget the head shift.
Bam: ok.
Bam: I have to do pilates now. kthxbai.
Bam: will ttyl. lovez.
Bam: byez.
Shuzluva: byez and lovez too!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 7:18 am and is filed under Books, Grade: B, Romance: Paranormal, Y-Messie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.