My Love Affair With The Incomparable JR WARD

I’ve always been a fan of the classics. I read Herman
Melville’s Moby Dick when I was about ten years old. Although I didn’t quite
understand every nuance, metaphor, symbolism or shift in tone. It remains one
of my all time favorite books to date. Maybe it’s because I felt so grown-up
when I read it back then. Whatever the reason, there is something so nostalgic
about that oh so familiar line in the beginning of the book, debatably the
best opening line in American literature — “Call me Ishmael”.

So you can understand my astonishment when I found myself literally enthralled by JR WARD’s sinister paranormal world. I was initially
introduced to her Black Dagger Brotherhood series by a colleague while working
at Penguin Group. I gave her the whole speech about how the paranormal genre was
not my cup of tea. But she just was not having it. She literally stuffed the
book into my handbag and said with utter conviction, “Read it.”

I remember my first encounter with JR so vividly, isn’t that
always the case with great loves?

Since it was my first week at Penguin, I really didn’t know anyone all that well. So I walked a block to Getting Hungry and ordered myself the Penne a la
Vodka. After cleaning my plate clean, I glanced at my watch and wouldn’t you know it,
I only used about thirty minutes out of my lunch hour. I needed some way to
pass the time, since I’m not one to get out of my seat and strike a random
conversation with a complete stranger. I took the book out of my bag and began to read. To my absolute surprise,
I just could not put it down.

I soon began to feel like the book and I were
attached by an invisible tether. And when I would put it down it felt like
someone tore my soul in half.  Hey, I never
said this love affair was a healthy one. Anyway, after some research I found
out that I had read the second novel of of the Black Dagger Brotherhood
series, Lover Eternal.

Excuse me folks, I need a brief moment of contemplation about the protagonist of Lover Eternal. Aah Rhage — his face is so
gorgeous, he makes “Brad Pitt look like a contestant for The Swan.” Okay, I think I’m done salivating over Rhage now.

Again, I apologize, I’m usually more self-composed.

After I completed the book which was in about two days, I knew from the depths of my soul that JR and I would always share an eternal bond.  How cliche was that statement? But remember folks, I’m in love.

Afterwards, I  hunted down the first novel of the series, Dark Lover (All Hail the blind King). After I finished reading it, I worked my way down the list in chronological order. Since then I must have reread the entire series about four times. Mind you, each of her novels are about 500-600 pages, if not more. 

WARD’s Black Dagger Brotherhood and Fallen Angel’s
series are deliciously addictive. I’ve just started reading the novels she
wrote under her maiden name Jessica Bird and they proved to be just as
addictive. She is such an amazing writer and can navigate a plot like no other.
I must have heralded her brilliance for at least six months after discovering
her novels. I have nearly all of the books she has written at the center of my
enormous book shelf. And I won’t stop until I’ve read everything she’s ever had
published.