Dark Lover to Lover Mine inclusive - BEWARE Spoilers**

YUP, V is definitely prime cut meat to savor!!!! And now we know the secret to his HAWT chocolate he was always making for Jane..... I want me some of that!!!!

I was in court today and one of the attorneys was questioning a witness. At the end of 80% of his questions was the word "true". All I could think of was V. So I'm sitting there laughing to myself. Too bad he didn't look anything like V.

That would have been a treat.

Oh that would have been too funny PC I think I would have had to have been excused or possibly removed for laughing - did you want to say 'bro' as well??

I was doing some serious laughing trying to cover it up with my hand over my mouth or fake coughing.

"So you're saying ABC happened on XYZ date, true?"

I have to be there Thursday and Friday also. I'll pay special attention to him and see if he says "Bro". If so, I'm going to have to leave the room.

Or "You feel me?"

Shit! I had completely posted this in the wrong thread!

I'll just apologize straight up; I don't like Phury and doubt I can do any justice to describing his book.

Lover Enshrined is the story of Phury and Cormia. Phury is rapidly decompensating. We're talking Charlie Sheen with some nice black daggers, instead of being a warlock though Phury has a wizard in his head. Also along the way he managed to become the Primale. One of his Brothers needed him and he's never lived for himself, so yeah. Of course the celibate Brother can go procreate with all the Chosen and create the next generation of Brothers and Chosen for the race. And Cormia is to be his first. The Chosen who is terrified. I just have to say, don't make major life choices when stoned. Phury decides to run back to the Mansion with Cormia. All that responsibility and no red smoke was just too much to handle, besides, he's the Primale! Primale does what Primale wants! Woof!

No matter how much Phury tries to mess things up, he and Cormia start to fall in love and lose their virginity. Okay, it takes a while and a few false starts for that to really happen. Phury manages to mess that up too. He does what he thinks is best and let's Cormia leave him. Problem is, he's now a bonded male without his mate. Heroin is totally the answer to that problem. That just leads to near death experience next to a toilet. Way to stay classy Phury! He gets kicked out of the mansion, finds himself on the other side, and realizes it's time to grow up and live for himself. You can only do that when sober. Cormia helps him. Unfortunately for the Scribe Virgin, living for himself means Phury is changing some things. In freeing himself he frees the Chosen to set their own paths in life as well. He didn't mess that up. Phury's major life decisions when sober are actually pretty darn good.

Lover Enshrined has significant alternate story lines dealing with massive changes in Vamp society and the Lessening Society as well as the private lives of other characters.

I think I liked Phury until his book. That's sad! Cormia was boring and Phury was annoying. His drug use made me insane because it was so overdone and it became too much of the story for my liking.

Well I said it there and I will say it here... Phury was boring , Cormia and her peas and toothpicks drove me insane! As did the fucking wizard ! On the plus side we got lots of Qhuay and actually the rest of the book was intense

That was the big frustration of the book for me. Phury and Cormia really turned me off, but the rest of the book was incredible.

Ugh, the peas and toothpicks. I have no problem suspending my disbelief, but that really was too much, even for me.

Don't shoot me but I didn't hate this book. I thought I would, and I almost just skipped it. It was terribly depressing to me or I had PMS or something, but I got sucked into Phury's misery big time. I thought she did a really good job describing what an addicted person is like, tedious and depressing, but it was accurate I thought. I have never been addicted to drugs but I know a lot of people who have been. It is a hard thing to write IMO and have it be believable. I still don't really like Phury, rainbow hair yuck, but I understand him now.

When Z sang at the end, with the ribbons, I cried my eyes out. I know it was a sappy Hallmark sort of moment, but I balled like a baby and I do not cry over books ever. Or it could have been PMS.

From a technical perspective that really has no bearing on my opinion of the story, if Phury was having conversations with an imaginary wizard in his head he was suffering from full blown psychosis, not just an addict. Not that anyone is "just an addict," it's never that simple.

There were things in Phury's story that were just as brutal for me to read as the things in Zsadist's story. This book did a good job of showcasing the victims of crime are never just the victim of the crime specifically. The whole family was destroyed by Z's kidnapping. Completely and utterly destroyed. It was a creepy bit of symbolism to me that the twins mother rotted in her bed. The rot was so bad the house had to be burned down.

I think I went into this book refusing to open myself emotionally to Phury. I've been burned by addicts enough to keep even the fictional ones out of my life.

Cormia is either the absolute worst character Ward has written or was really presented to us as a blank slate ready to finally live her life. To some extent many of the Chosen have made a comment that says they feel they are still waiting to live their lives. Cormia was really nothing when introduced to us in V's book. The peas and toothpicks are absolutely one of the stupidest fucking things I have ever read, but at least she found something she was allowed to have an opinion on, and do it. As the Primale, Phury did a really good job of allowing all his Chosen the freedom to find out what they liked, or didn't like, even if it meant early evening arguing over who gets to vacuum, destroyed cookware, and bad piano playing.

POVs in Lover Enshrined include:

Phury: Everything in his life is wrong. His obsession with his twin's shellan doesn't help. He has spent his life living for others and doesn't realize he is letting himself down in the process.
Cormia: She is dazzled by everything she is seeing and experiencing. Including Phury.
Qhuinn: He killed Lash and would do it again to protect his friend. His family never wanted him so getting kicked out doesn't mean much. He becomes John Matthew's ahstrux nohtrum.
John Matthew: Shit is happening fast! Qhuinn killed Lash and most of the glymera was killed by Lessers. Tohrment was found by an angel and brought home to the Brotherhood alive. Well, kind of alive. His body appears to be alive. On the plus side the sexy head of security at Rehv's bar features prime time in all his sexy sexy fantasies.
Tohrment: That fucking fallen Angel Lassiter found him and took him home. It'll be harder to just die this way. Wellsie is waiting. Too bad it's going to hurt his son so much, but this is too hard without her.
Rehvenge: There's a business to run, drugs to sell, and blackmailers to fuck. It's killing him, and that's okay.
Xhex: Rehv is slowly killing himself. Sex with the Princess because of her mistake is going to do him in, but Xhex's hands are firmly tied. This is so not the time to be looking at John Matthew. Stop looking. Really. Stop it.
Lash: Didn't I get killed and who the fuck is the black blob in Liberace's suit? THAT is my DAD?
The Omega: He didn't expect to cause the fulfillment of the destroyer prophecy. His child is meant to keep him alive, but he didn't expect to feel...anything about him.
The Scribe Virgin: The Primale said to have faith in her creation. Does that mean they don't need her? Is she still relevant? What of Payne?

Lover Avenged is the story of Rehvenge and Ehlena. Rehvenge is fascinated by Ehlena. He always hopes she will be his nurse when he has to go to Havers' clinic. He would wallow in her goodness and purity if he could. He doesn't see himself worthy of it, just as she doesn't see herself worthy of a male in his social position. He has fine furs, suits, cars, and Ehlena has a run-down rental house with her mentally ill father in the basement. Neither of them understand her need to save him from himself. but both are willing to allow it to happen. They are both willing to let a whole lot happen actually. Wow, males can bond really fast!

Rehv finds himself bonded to a female to whom he can't tell the truth about his past. When his past finds Ehlena and gets up close and personal he doesn't have a lot of options. He shows Ehlena his tarnished truth then lets her leave. Rehv leaves too. In a Grecian twist, it is through Rehv's machinations Ehlena finds herself quite well off. She also finds information about Rehv. Information that puts him in a new light and makes his tarnish look more like antiquing. She returns Rehv's favor and rescues him. To Ehlena, Rehv is worthy of every risk she takes to get him back.

So all the brother talk had pulling out LM for a reread. I also grabbed Lover Awakened because Z's book is soooo good!! I intended to flick through and ended up staying up way late reading. It's just too good to not read. *sigh* I love Zadist and Bella!! I forgot how disgusted he was with himself. He finally stopped calling his penis "It", poor man

Wow..these posts are wonderful. FLF--Really good job on Phury. It was a frutrating book. Ultimately, although I can't say I really enjoyed it, I did appreciate it. I think this is the book that highlights the changes in Vampire society. The emerging roll of the females as more than breeding stock for Warriors. I have know a few addicts, and they are a pain in the ass. Pulling himself out was good. Taking on the Scribe Virgin's rules was good. Freeing the Chosen was very, very good. Did I like Phury's book? Nope. At least not the parts about Phury. But, I think it was an important book.

Yep, it was definitely an important book. I guess I thought it was well written because it was so painful to read, just as dealing with an addict is painful. So that is why I didn't hate it. Notice I say "didn't hate it", not that I liked it or loved it. But looking back I certainly remember more of that book than I do Butch's for example. Or even V's and he is my favorite brother, I thought V's book was so disappointing in contrast. I had been looking forward to his book since the beginning and I just did not like it.

FaeLadyFaye has done a stellar job on these posts - thanks

POVs in Lover Avenged include:

Rehvenge: He's a half sympath product of rape and is tired of all the lies needed to keep that secret. He's also tired of his blackmailer and the disgusting sex they have.
Ehlena: She and her father have fallen on hard times. Ehlena works selflessly to take care of her father. There is no respite in sight.
John Matthew: He gives up on Tohr when he leaves again. And the sex with Xhex was just a thank you? Fine, just fine. He's lived his life alone so far he can keep it up. Everything else was just a pit stop.
Xhex: She should have done more with John Matthew. Now she's lost him. But he was never hers so it shouldn't matter. Riiiiight.
Tohrment: Wellsie wouldn't want him dead, there is shit to do. Shit like taking care of your son. That's pretty screwed up now.
Wrath: He lied and went back to fighting. It takes a while to get back into Beth's good graces. Then his eyes finally quit working at all. The Blind King is well and truly blind and has no choice but to accept it.
Lash: Selling drugs and screwing with the Brotherhood. Life is good. Having the Sympath Princess as a sex slave is good too. Shit, Xhex killed her. Well, Xhex will work just fine as a sex slave. The fight will be so good.

Oh, and Wrath got George! And the doggens got extra vacuuming!

Wrath also got his father's desk. It was purchased by Darius from the human who bought it after the Lessers looted the first families estate.

The alternate story lines in Lover Avenged are important. One tells of Wrath losing his sight and accepting the fact he is King. Really accepting it, not shirking and going out fighting Lessers.

The other story lines set the stage for John Matthew's book. He has severed ties with everyone but Qhuinn and Blaylock and is spending his evenings getting drunk and having lots of anonymous sex. He refuses to accept the apologies of those who have hurt him. Once Lash takes Xhex he realizes what a huge mistake that was. He vows to rescue her.

I really am not at all into fanfic. I find it creepy. This is truly funny though.

http://www.smexybooks.com/

It's the last one, guys! We are getting close! 6 more days.

Lover Mine is the story of John Matthew/Darius and Xhexania. It all started with the kidnapping of a young female from a family in the glymera, not that Xhex and John Matthew know any of that though. The only ones who do know aren't talking about it. Unfortunately, they have gone full circle and are back at a kidnapping.

John Matthew had his female taken from him. He intends to get her back in one way or another. He needs the closure at least, even if she doesn't want him, which he's pretty sure is the case. Xhex escapes Lash but is almost dead. John Matthew saves her to help her get her revenge. Neither one wants to admit how much they really need the other, or how much it hurts to know they share the horror of rape.

The real struggle between John Matthew and Xhex comes when they both have to move beyond past hurts and losses. They both have to forgive other people who failed them or left them, so they can be with someone now. They don't know how truly beautiful it is that John Matthew gets to hold Xhex in front of an apple tree again. The only ones who do know aren't talking about it.

Your summaries are so much fun, Fae!

Verily, that link was hysterical! I can't believe whoever wrote that actually created a toothpick-and-pea structure for the picture. That's commitment right there.