Claimed (1) (Lair of the Wolven, The)

Important thoughts first - I loved the twist of the role of the wolven Ward put in this book . Brilliant ! Because I did NOT see that coming .

I loved Lydia , as someone who has always been a bit of a loner and used to people leaving , I felt connected with her. She is different from the other ladies Ward has created.

Ahh Daniel , he was hiding secrets but the biggest one isn’t one I guessed at . :’-(

The first 3/5ths of this book seemed kind of slow but the rest of it ended really well. By the time I made it to the last few chapters I realized that Ward probably wrote it this way because it’s setting us up for another strong series . She isn’t rushing into spilling so many secrets and details as quickly as Black Dagger Brotherhood .

Once you get to it there really is SO many secrets behind this story that so many characters are hiding . We don’t get a lot of answers, just enough to make us suffer a year for book two .

The story for Xhex and John Mark continues in this book but they aren’t the stars of the book. Xhex’s story is weaved in this one on a small scale - and it has to be so for her to come to terms with her past . I think book two will make more sense of it .

While there were steamy scenes I do wish there had been more.

Yes there’s a small cliff hanger but it’s pretty forgivable , it’s not a big deal .

I have been a J.R. Ward fan for years reading the BDB series & every spin-off. I have rarely felt this type of disappointment with J.R.. I genuinely do not understand the point of this book. She was long-winded. She keeps bringing modern day problems into a paranormal universe so it is becoming depressing (i.e. sickness). I am reminded of the sadness from Trez's book. Also, the characters had chemistry, but it was nothing compared to the author's usual style: it seemed forced & lacking. Then the "I love yous" seemed disingenuous when the time came to share feelings. I will say I didn't expect Lydia's secret,
but I don't feel this needed to be an entire book. Plus, there were too many irrelevant visits & plots going on. I am left with so many unanswered questions.

This book is yet ANOTHER BDB spin off. I was super disappointed, even at 80% in, I could not have told you a single thing that happened in this book. It was slow and I was bored. The last 20 pages contained literally every plot detail and all the action. I don't know why it was being sold as a somewhat stand alone novel, or a new series, but the only way this book makes sense is if you've read the previous Black Dagger Brotherhood books.
I felt like this was a gimmick to get me to buy her past series and I just did not love it.
I will not be continuing this series.

If I could give this book zero stars, I would. The female lead character was written as a weak whiney character that was too stupid to listen or accept help from the male lead. Her character was annoying and too dumb to realize what was going on right in front of her. JR Ward really blew it on this book. Usually her female characters are smart and strong but Lydia was absolutely worthless. I couldn't even finish this book because Lydia was just too annoying. I even cancelled my pre-order of the next book in this series. Don't waste your money on this one. If JR ward plans to continue to write about this new type of female lead, perhaps she has run out of talent and should retire.

I have been reading J.R Ward for over a decade. I have met the woman in person a few times and have always loved her books. This one. No.

It felt disjointed in some spots...like some things were never explained. Like how did Lydia even know Peter was missing? She had talked to him on the phone and got Daniel approved for working there...then suddenly she was like "I need to go to his house. He's missing." What?

Most of it felt weak and I couldn't get into it. I thought Daniel was the werewolf because of how he felt towards the wolf and some of his actions and behaviors...until the end. I was like "This doesn't make sense."

It didn't feel like her normal work and I am hoping the rest improves. I had this issue with her Fallen Series as well. Maybe it's because I am so used to BDB?

The book was up to J R Ward's usual standard of fine writing - entertaining, gripping, with characters you come to identify with and care about. I had misplaced my copy of the book, so I bought this one so I could re-read it over the days preceding the release of its sequel. Unfortunately, Amazon flubbed the delivery and they both arrived on the same day.

Arrived quickly and in perfect condition.

I so love this series

I really liked the characters in this book. I highly recommend this book.

I have all her books. She is one of my favorite writers. She mixes paranormal fantasy with the real world.