Envy by J.R. Ward (The Fallen Angels #3)
September 6, 2011
Paranormal Romance
Paperback
Signet
Reviewed by Helyce
Envy is book three in JR Ward’s Fallen Angel series. I’ve had rather lukewarm reactions to the previous two books (Covet and Crave) but I decided that I would give book three a try and decide from there if I would continue. Well, third time’s the charm, my friends. Ward really stepped it up in this book
Here’s a little background.
If you read Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, you know that there is some crossover between these two series. In Lover Unleashed we met Veck, a new detective with the Caldwell Police Dept. Assigned to a case involving a serial killer, Veck is hot on the trail of David Kroner. He returns to the scene of his last crime with the intention of killing Kroner, he sees him, is going for his knife when he blacks out. When he comes to, Kroner is on the ground, his neck is shredded, Kroner is dying and Veck has no memory of what happened. He immediately calls 911. Because this is an officer involved incident, IA representative Sophia Riley is assigned to the scene.
Riley arrives at the scene and questions Veck. His lack of memory is suspicious, but initial evidence looks like Kroner was attacked by an animal. The fact that Veck attempted to help him and called 911 is also in his favor. Additionally, other than the blood on his jacket, Veck himself is clean. No evidence of struggle on his person.
When Riley files her report, Veck is removed from the Kroner case and assigned to desk duty, handling cold cases. Riley is assigned to be his new partner and because she’s IA, she’s to make sure he stays away from the Kroner case while the investigation ongoing, not an easy task. It is apparent immediately that there is major chemistry between these two, but Riley knows Veck’s reputation with the ladies and she’s not interested in being one of his many conquests. She can’t deny, however, that Veck is a gorgeous hunk of a man.
Enter Jim Heron, our savior of souls. The score is 1 to 1 in the saving souls game with Devina winning the last round. The pressure is on to save the next soul; unfortunately the angel in charge, Nigel, isn’t talking. Jim is determined to win this round, so he has to take matters into his own hands, making a deal with the devil, literally. The soul to save is none other than Thomas “Veck” DelVecchio, Jr. Veck is riding a fine line between good and evil and Jim, along with his sidekicks, Eddie and Adrian, have their work cut out for them.
I really enjoyed this book. It grabbed me from the very beginning, and was very difficult to put down. There is a lot going on in this book and Ward successfully weaves all the different parts together without the reader feeling overwhelmed. We see Nigel and his crew in heaven and we get a better feel for who they are. Then there is Jim, Eddie and Adrian. It was awesome to see Jim take total control and do whatever was necessary to give good the advantage over evil. He comes across way more accepting of this burden that he has been given than in the other books. Jim’s job of saving Veck is complicated, somewhat, by his need to also rescue the “girl in the wall” but he never let that stop him from doing what needs to be done. Adrian and Eddie are back to help keep Jim in line. Then there is Devina, who I hated even more in this book if that is possible. She is wicked evil. She causes much havoc and there were many times where I wanted to throw the book down in frustration. She fights dirty and she doesn’t play fair-exactly as you would expect her to.
Reilly and Veck are great together. From the moment they give in to their attraction it seems like Reilly is everything Veck needs to help him finally rid himself of the cold, blackness that lives within him. But that would be too easy and they are consistently faced with obstacle after obstacle which seems to doom their relationship’s fragile foundation.
I cannot lie and say everything was perfect, however. While we are treated to a very hot ménage m/f/m scene, a very sexy and compatible hero and heroine, major plot twists and advancement of the main story arc, there are a couple of WTF moments and one chapter that will make you cry. None of it takes away from the fact that Envy is really a worthwhile read and I am very much looking forward to the next book.
Rating: B+
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I liked the first book but the second was a DNF for me and I lost interest in the series. I like the premise of this book though, and I’ve heard great things about it so I’ll probably read it, but to be honest I find it annoying when authors do crossovers between series, they might do it as a wink to the fan but to me feels like they’re trying to sell you the other one, which is completely unnecessary IMO because if I’m not familiar with the previous series (in this case I obviously am because who doesn’t know about the BDB?) and I like the new one, chances are that I’m getting not just the first series but the author’s entire backlist.
What do you mean that the score is 1-1? OMG! What happened to the hero in the second book? This is what happens when you DNF a book! LOL
And there’s a ménage scene? Way to go J.R.! I like that she pushes the envelope with the sex scenes, heroes into BDSM, heroines that are hookers…
Hi Brie-yes, at the end of book two the score is 1-1. IMO books one and two were lacking-but book 3 is so much more of what I’ve come to expect from a JR Ward book. I actually felt invested in the characters and what they were going through and there are a few parts that will really make you sit up and get really and truly pissed off-only to have it all make sense and come together shortly thereafter. It’s really well done this time around.
Yes, menage m/f/m-very smexy! It brought to light things that I completely missed in books one and two!
Great review! I agree with everything you’ve said. As a huge BDB fan, I love how the end of LUnleashed tied into Envy. And damn are Veck and Riley steamy!
Great review! I agree with everything you’ve said. As a huge BDB fan, I love how the end of LUnleashed tied into Envy. And damn are Veck and Riley steamy! I’m really glad that we got to see the softer aide of Jim and Ad, although the circumstances were not the greatest. Can’t wait for the next one!
Hi there! I’m looking at this series in a whole different light after this installment. Yes-character development is HUGE in this book for Jim, Ad and Nigel and Colin as well. Glad you liked it!
I stopped after the first book in this series, but I’m intrigued by your review. Do you have to read book two in order to read book 3?
For some weird reason this series has never screamed; read me :( I do have the books so hopefully they will draw me at some point. As far as I can tell this series gets a bit better with each story, so there is still hope :)
Hi Leontine, yes, it’s true that books 1 and 2 left the reader wanting. We have such high expectations of JR Ward because of her BDB books. We are so addicted to the Brothers that we will glom onto anything WARD and we expect to be entertained at that same level. Covet and Crave lay out the basic foundation for this series and we meet the major players-but for me, it all was kind of jumbled until Envy. And while there is a lot of information given in Envy-it really is done in a way that enhances the series without overwhelming us.
Hi Lizzielvr-you know, I have to be honest. I read book two, but it didn’t make that much of an impression. I think that you could read Envy and still enjoy it without reading book 2. As I mentioned above, I think that Envy has a lot more character development that we haven’t really seen in books 1 and 2 and Jim’s acceptance of what he is to face comes through much more in this book. He’s not fighting it now, but he is doing it completely on his own terms. Just my opinion. :)
I’m glad to hear good things about this book. I’ve only finished book one and I thought it was good, but not that great. I can’t wait to catch up so I can read Envy. Great review!!
Hi there, thanks for stopping by. Two might take a little bit to get through, but 3 will WOW you!
Thank you for the review. It looks good :).
Your welcome! I hope you enjoy it if you give it a shot!
I really liked this one. And I didn’t love the first two. I was def surprised by HOW much I liked it.
Dare I say I’m excited for the next book? :)
I, too, am looking forward to the next book-but I’m not thrilled with the “soul” in question! Hopefully, we’ll get some closure on that other matter we discussed!
So do we get a more informed idea of what the hell is going on with the angels? I think I haven’t been into the other books because I don’t understand what is going on!!!?? I either skipped where the rules were explained or I just didn’t get them :(
Hmmm, good question. I do think we get major insight to the personality traits of the angels above and Jim, Adrian and Eddie on earth. We certainly learn a bit about their “relationships” that I seem to have missed if they were alluded to in previous books. I also think that we get a good look at the big picture in Envy and a much better understanding about the game of good vs. evil-so to speak. That said, there are things that will have you asking “what?” more than once in this book. There is also some set up for the next book at the end of this book.
When the h e (double hockey sticks) are we going to get jim’s HEA?!
I thought Envy was far better than the previous bks.
Hi KC-agreed, so much better than the first two. As for Jim, I’m thinking his HEA won’t be till near the end if not at the end. We don’t want him too distracted and skanky Devina will use anyone he cares about against him, you know. Good question, though I’m more interested in who she will be. :)
So glad to read that this series is picking up…
And, ‘yay’, that Cecilia ‘Sissy’ Barten is back! I totally had my fingers crossed after ‘Crave’ that she would make a reappearance. Is there possible romantic chemistry between her and Jim, or is it more likely brother/sister savior kinda thing?
Great review!
Hmm, there’s a hint that Sissy means more to Jim-but romantically, I’m not sure. We’ll have to see what happens in the next one.
I remember meeting Veck in the last BDB book and being annoyed with his page time! I haven’t started this series – I just can’t bring myself to do so and I don’t like that there is overlap. And yes, it would be good to have logical reasons for my decision, but…nope :) None!
In addition to an excellent review (and answers to follow-up questions from readers), it felt honest. I really do appreciate that. Reading is always relative to our personal likes and dislikes. You present a very balanced picture and don’t shy away from weaknesses or strengths of a particular book or series. I respect your balanced approach. There are reviewers that I automatically avoid because each and every book they read is “the absolute best,” which any reader knows is patently not true…their personal preferences aside.
While I loved the whole BDB series, I hated Covet and is where I stopped in this series. I was so put-off that I’ve already decided not to continue it even if Envy has merit. It is likely I will try a future J.R. Ward book at some point because certainly she’s a talented author. The thing is that I have tons of favorite authors and never lack for really good to exceptional reads so I don’t follow any series that I find “iffy.”
This is only one reader’s opinion of course, and many don’t share it and that’s cool. Readers are fortunate to have many talented author’s from which to choose. I don’t deny J.R. Ward’s talent…it’s just this particular series doesn’t work for me. Keep up the great reviews.
I love the BDB but I still have to start on this series. I believe I read the first two pages in the first book, and then quit. It sure needs a second chance.
Hi Aurian, I certainly didn’t get drawn into Crave and Covet the way I do with the BDB books. It really did take quite a bit to get through those. Envy was not at all like the first two. I really was drawn in from the start and the twists and turns that the storyline took were very well done. I wish I could say that you could just read Envy and go from there, but I do think there are little things of importance in both Crave and Covet that set up the base of the story and are important to what happens in Envy.
You’ve given me hope girl. That I might Enjoy this series. I have 1 & 2 and I haven’t been able to pick them up. I loved Veck. And just maybe I’ll learn to love these Fallen Angels. I mean they’re not BDB’s. So just Maybe you’ve convinced me. LOL!! Maybe!! Thanks Lisa.
I seem to be in the minority here. I’ve fallen out of love with the BDB books over time. I don’t care for heroines & the so hood brothers (especially considering the lack of multi-cultural characters). The first in this series was a bit slow, but I really enjoyed the second one! I love that evil won a point & the soul in question wasn’t obvious. I’m looking forward to reading this installment. Your review was great & pushed this book to the top of my towering TBR stack.
I’m trying to like it, I REALLY REALLY am but the reading is going slow. I find myself putting it down for whatever excuse being that when a BDB book is released I am GLUED to it until I finish….sigh….I just can’t get into the whole angel/demon thing :(
Thanks for the great review. I never read book 2 and now I feel like I should try so I can read this one. I was so irritated with Ward for putting Veck in the last BDB book I swore I wasn’t going to read this one. LOL.
@Diva Donna-thanks for stopping by! I know exactly where you’re coming from-but Envy really did breathe new life into this series. It’s a good read!
@Eboni-I hope you enjoy Envy! Like any series, I think, some of the stories will be stronger than others. Especially if it’s the story of a character you’ve been waiting to read about. I’ve had issues with things in the BDB books too, but I’m not ready to quit that series yet!
@bookster-you know, the good vs evil theme has been around a long time and it can get old. For me, Envy is the book where this series finally comes together and started to ‘click’ for me.
@twinmom227-you know, I didn’t remember many details from the previous book and I still loved Envy. There were little things that popped into my head as I read Envy, but honestly the details of it were blurry to say the least. There are a lot of established relationships by the time you get to Envy-so you may feel a teeny bit lost if you skip book 2, but you could always go back, I guess. :)