The Black Dagger Brotherhood-by J.R. Ward

Ok reading fans let's just cut to the chase, we all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to books. Whether it's secretly hoarding the entire Twilight series or reading the Outlander books while maintaining that you only ever read 'real' literature. And no matter what it is, it's all ok mainly because it still involves reading and loving books. My guilty pleasure is The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward, which happens to be a paranormal romance series. And yes I did indeed say paranormal and romance in the same sentence. It is a series that involves vampires (the good guys), their mortal enemies the lessers (the undead bad guys), The Scribe Virgin (the goddess that made the vampires (that's right maternal society)) and The Omega (the creator of the lessers). 

How did I even come across this series, you might ask? Well it starts with the fact that I work at a bookstore and when I worked on the book floor I saw a lot of the new books that came in. One of these was the (at the time) latest installment in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series 'Lover at Last' and for some reason I became super curious about the series. So, feeling utterly foolish, I bought the first book in the, 'Dark Lover,' on my nook and after that I became obsessed. I instantly fell in love with the characters, the story line, the writing. I realized that it was so much more than just a silly romance, yes, yes there is romance and sex and all that in there but it's all so much more exciting than just that. 

I know, I know you are all thinking 'eww vampires? Really? It's like 'Twilight' or some other really stupid angsty teen vampire novel isn't it?' And the answer is no, it is nothing like that at all. These vampires are warriors that protect their race from being murdered by the lessers. They are fully grown males that start out as big meat head types that focus only on their war and yet when they find the female that they belong to they become bonded and the most important thing in the world becomes their females. It's a beautiful thing to see these giant warrior men bowing down to the smallest whims of their females. 

There is fighting, suspense, adventure, ghosts, medical emergencies, and pretty much non-stop excitement. Each book focuses on a different Brother and the journey they take to finding their mate. So each new book is an exciting new story to grab onto while still focusing on the overall goodness of the whole story line. Not only are the story lines intriguing and engrossing but the writing is amazing. J.R. Ward is a really great writer, she has a way of blending suspense, romance, tragedy and bliss that I have not really seen before. I think that the reason I enjoy these books so much is that they are simple or as easy as 'a man meets a woman, there is lust, followed by sex, followed by a big fight followed by a happy ending.' At least that's how I see it, it's not just stupid vampires or lame formulaic romance (yes of course some of the formula is in there I'm not denying it is) but it's detailed and intricate and in many ways beautiful. I guess I enjoy the fact that not only are the vampires a matriarchal society their creator and deity is The Scribe Virgin, but they take that love for the female into their love lives. Their mates become their world, they can't exist without their females and they treat them like the goddesses they are. 

This is a series that I usually would pretend I don't read, I would hide the truth and bury it as deeply as possible. In short this would be my guilty pleasure perfectly hidden and tucked away. But after reading the most recent installment, 'The King,' I realized that I love the series enough and feel that it is good enough that I am going to be open and proud about this little guilty pleasure of mine. Although I didn't love 'The King' as much as the others I still feel that the entire series is worth it. There is something addictive about the series, something that makes me want to go back again and again to visit the Brother's mansion and bite my nails about whether or not Wrath will take the throne or Vishous will survive his visions. 

I know that not everyone will want to pick up a series such as this one. And so I am not going to recommend it, instead let me say this. Guilty pleasures are good to have because they can introduce us to a world that we fall instantly in love with and can't seem to get enough of. There are even times when our guilty pleasure turns into something that becomes a favorite thing, a great pleasure that we are willing to share with the world. I guess my point is this, never shy away from something, especially when it comes to books, just because it looks strange or is labeled something that you normally bypass. Again in short don't judge a book by its cover because it is what is in between the covers that moves you to laughter or tears, transports you to Westeros or teaches you the best summoning spell at Hogwarts. So what's your guilty pleasure?  

A Change is Upon Us

To My Faithful Readers,

   The time has come once more to switch things up. I have come to realize, and I am sure that you have noticed as well, that I don't stick to the simple read and review formula. I change things around, do interviews (when I can get them), comparisons, discussions etc. I find that I rather enjoy writing this way. With more creativity and spontaneity than just 'this is the title of the book, here is what happened and this is what I thought about A, B, and C.' And so with the start of a new season, spring/summer (in New York they seem to flow into one another) has finally begun, I am embracing this wacky way of updating. 

    Now fret not dear ones for there will of course be times that I revert back to the old formula standby. I am not knocking this method of blogging or updating. In fact I quite enjoy it most of the time, but I find that if I try to force myself to stick to that and only that I lose the passion for reviewing that I started with. That passion is not something I am willing to give up and so I am trying to find new ways of expressing it. I hope that since you have stayed with me for so long already that you too will be excited with the 'new' way of doing things. 

    Here is what I am hoping will be the new Girl in the Tiny Hat, I want to bring a little more me into the mix. I love reading people's personal accounts of how they came across a favorite book or an incredible story of a person's journey reading everything a favorite author has ever written. I hope to share these kind of stories about myself with all of you. I want to be able to share when I've gone to an author reading or a big book event in detail and without feeling like I am taking away from the reviewing process. There will still be book reviews for sure, that will never stop, but I want to focus more on the discussion aspect of the review process. Remember my review/discussion of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's?' If not click here. That is the type of comparison/discussion that I am going for.

     This is something that I have been thinking about for quite awhile but haven't yet put into motion. I plan on starting this in the next post. I guess though that this may even be considered the first post of the new Girl in the Tiny Hat. I believe that change can be a good thing most of the time and I hope that you all feel that way too. Because the more I think about it the more I realize that reading and reviewing, for me anyway, is less about the A, B, C's of the book and more about the feeling I get when I finally open that one book I've been looking forward to for months or finish a book that I came across in some unusual way. Isn't that more exciting and fulfilling than just reading what the book is about and if I liked it? 

     Anyway this is what I have planned for the new me. I hope that you all keep coming back to see what new thing or adventure I have to talk about. I think that this is going to be a super exciting new direction that I am taking and I look forward to hearing from all of you on it as well. I want to take this time to thank all of you for being readers, for coming to support me and for just generally being all of you. Maybe I haven't yet met you all or heard from all of you yet but just knowing you are out there being supportive of a book nerd such as myself is amazing. You are the reason I get on here and review book after book, and why I finally pick up that one book that I have been promising myself I have to read. So thank you for everything, and I look forward to this next journey we are taking together.

                 Happy Reading All,

                  The Girl in the Tiny Hat

 

'The Value of a Woman'-by Victoria Kante

Book Title: The Value of a Woman
Author: Victoria Kante
Version: Paperback
ISBN: 9781497346956
Publication Date: March 14, 2014
Publisher: CreateSpace
Genre: Fiction

Victoria Kante has a true gift for storytelling. This was made perfectly clear in her wonderful first novel 'Loving Marcus' which I reviewed here . With her second novel Ms. Kante has brought something totally different and more visceral to the table. I had the incredible honor of editing one of the first drafts and with discussion and encouragement I feel that Ms. Kante was able to really let herself be herself. She took her storytelling talent and her love of writing and really allowed herself to write the way I always knew she could.

The novel tells the story of Amitola a young Native American woman living in Las Vegas and working as a prostitute. She walks the streets in order to make enough money to help care for her son who is currently lives with her Aunt Miriam. Told through the eyes of both Amitola, or Amy, and Miriam the story follows Amy's journey into dark places and her struggle to make a life for herself and her son. Amy finds herself in impossible situations that at times scare her and at others excite her. She is pushed and challenged, beat down and brought back up and ultimately discovers that in order to find true happiness she must first look within. The novel has all the parts that one looks for in a great read. A good story, it's well written and has incredible characters.

Victoria Kante has a talent, a truly beautiful talent, for taking dark subject matter and turning it into beautifully poetic stories. With 'The Value of a Woman' Ms. Kante has done it once again. It may begin as a story about a prostitute but it turns into a journey of self discovery. From the draft I helped edit to the final product so much changed that it was almost like reading a new book. And it was a beautiful change because she allowed herself to run free with her imagery and her descriptions. I loved seeing the transformation and I look forward to seeing what she will allow herself to do with the next book. I have true faith that Ms. Kante is only going to better with each new book and I look forward to seeing her talent grow.

All in all the book was a good read and full of some wonderful messages. There are parts that took me back and made me tear up but for every tear shed there was a smile that took its place. I really enjoyed following Amy's journey from the streets, to her tribe's reservation, to a whole new life for her and her son. It was a journey that had it's moments steeped in darkness but also had moments of breath-taking beauty.

I saw from the first pages of 'Loving Marcus' that Ms. Kante was a great storyteller, and I knew that she had it in her to be an equally great writer. With 'The Value of a Woman' I saw her writing talent really begin to come forth. By allowing herself to write for herself Ms. Kante has finally started tapping into her true talents. It's a beautiful thing to witness and something that no one should miss out on. This is a great book that I highly recommend to all my readers. Don't miss out on this wonderful read, and not just because I say so, but because it's a beautiful story, a well written novel and full of characters that touch the heart and soul. 'The Value of a Woman' by Victoria Kante is a journey well worth taking.