Crave by J.R. Ward
Series Name: Fallen Angels
Genres: Angels, Contemporary, Demons, Erotica, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Urban
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Signet/Penguin Group (USA)
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-451-22944-1
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book
Seven deadly sins. Seven souls that must be saved. One more no-holds-barred battle between Jim Heron, a fallen angel with a hardened heart, and a demon with everything to lose.
Isaac Rothe is a black-ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender, Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her is a totally wrong place-wrong time kind of thing – and that’s before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil….
Personal & Info
Reminder, I’m reading these in tandem with the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by publication date, because that’s what was recommended to me. They will be shelved this way in the index.
Unlike the first book, I didn’t notice any subtle crossovers with the BDB. They might be there. If they are in this volume, I can’t tell. I don’t care if they are there. I’m just trying to keep an eye out for them.
Characters
Jim Heron is the main character for the series.
Isaac Rothe is a former coworker of Jim’s, and the person Jim attempts to save in this book.
Grier Childe is a public defender, and the love interest for the volume.
Adrian and Eddie are Jim’s fallen angel assistants, whom advise and teach him as the game proceeds.
Matthias is Jim’s former boss. He was vaguely introduced over the phone in Covet, and appears in this volume.
Devina was introduced in Covet as the first soul’s fiancée. She is the demon trying to manipulate the game in favor of darkness.
Story & Thoughts
I get the feeling all of the books in this series will be a little slow to start, because each book is going to have to introduce new characters for each mission. The new characters being the soul to save, and the love interest who will be important to ensuring success.
This one feels a little lax. It seems like Jim and his friends do a whole lot of nothing. Isaac and Grier significantly overshadow the fact this is a fallen angel themed story. It feels like reading a love story between a military man and a lawyer with little else going on. I guess Jim makes the decision to be more hands off than he was in the first book.
I think Adrian has some significant character growth between this and the first book. The time difference is only a few days, so it seems fast. I think I like his character a little more than I did in Covet. I hate them abbreviating his name as Ad, though, it sounds so dumb to me.
I’m baffled at how big a mistake the angel team makes. Either Nigel lied, or Eddie was given bad information. It makes me question the rules of the game. Jim even questions the rules of the game because of the mistake. That kind of mistake should not have been possible. I know this is vague, but I can’t fully vent the frustration of what I’m talking about without spoiling a major plot point.
Trigger Warnings
Sexual themes and violence are the main ones for this series. Maybe torture, too. I can’t remember if there are others.