J.R. Ward – Crave

The second book in the Fallen Angels series, published October 2010.



From the Number 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series comes a new novel of the Fallen Angels, and a deadly new mission for the reluctant savior enlisted to protect the future of humanity…

Seven deadly sins, seven souls that must be saved. One more no-holds-barred battle between Jim Heron, a fallen angel with a hardened heart, and a demon with everything to lose.

Isaac Rothe is a black-ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender, Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her is a totally wrong place – wrong time kind of thing – and that’s before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil…


In the first book, Jim Heron asked his former boss, Matthias, for help. In exchange, he got ordered to kill his former collegue, Isaac Rothe. Jim refuses, and he wants to do everything in his considerable powers to help the man escape safely. As Jim is truly dead, and a Fallen Angel in charge of saving 7 souls to safe humanity from eternal damnation, Matthias has no more hold over him. Especially as Jim believes Isaac is the next soul to be battled over. With his two helpers, Adrian and Eddy, Jim heads over to Boston, where Isaac has been imprisoned for illegal cagefighting.

Isaac’s pro bono attorney has things under control though. She has gotten him out on bail, as he had no priors, but instead of using his illegal winnings, she used her own money. It is not as though she will miss it if he bails. But Grier intents to safe Isaac, and convince him to stay and face his trial. Do his time, and start over again. What she doesn’t know, is that Isaac is running from his former job, and his bosses will never let him leave the secret military agency that used him as an assassin, like they did Jim, alive. He knows too many state secrets for that. And they have already found him. Is it a coincidence, that Grier’s father is a part of the same agency? Involved in collecting the intel needed for the operations? When he tried to quit a few years ago, they killed his son Daniel, and made him watch. To keep his daughter Grier alive, the man will do anything. And now that Isaac is in the picture, Alistair is terrified all over again. Especially when he finds out Matthias himself has already threatened Grier, in Isaac’s old place. Why won’t she listen to reason and give Isaac up? But Grier is determined to “rescue” Isaac. She even convinces him to stay the night …


Very difficult to write a review about this book, without spoiling too much. What shall I say, I just loved it. The book is filled with action, and suspense. The parts with Jim and Devina are horrible, and I thoroughly admire Jim for what he did.
I loved both Isaac and Grier, even though I think Grier is a very ugly name. Grier could not safe her brother Daniel from the choices he made, and he choose drugs. She saw him slide down for years, and tried her best to safe him, but he just wouldn’t let her. And now in Isaac she sees a new person she can safe. The poor idealistic woman has no idea what she is getting herself into.
Isaac tries to escape his life in the army, his conscious can’t handle it anymore. He needs to money to leave the country, and the only way he knows to earn it, is with fighting. And all is going well, he almost has enough to leave. But then the police raids the premises, and he gets arrested. And thanks to his stupid promoter, who put his face on a flyer, his boss has found him. He knows his days are numbered, and he will not drag Grier with him. Yes, he is attracted to her, but he is all wrong for her. He was a simple southern farm boy when he was recruited, and now he is an assassin. And she is a very classy lawyer, from a good family and with a splendid career ahead of her. He will not act on that attraction … until she makes him. Cause Grier wants him as well. Even though she is not a woman for a one-night stand, she can’t just leave him alone, and never know what could have been between them.

I have always loved the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and in her Fallen Angels series, I have found another series I love. J.R. Ward sure writes great romantic urban fantasy novels, and I can’t wait to see where she is going with this series. She sure surprised me with the ending.

This book is, like I said before, fast paced. Lots of action and some battle scenes. Both old-fashioned hands on combat, and on the paranormal plain. I liked both. I liked the new couple in this book as well. When Grier finally wakes up and sees reality, she chooses for herself, but still loves Isaac. There are some hot love scenes between them. And of course, as this is about the fight between good and evil, some difficult soul searching choices to make. But all without getting religious. Even though we are talking about Angels, it is not about going to church and praying (although it is mentioned). I definitely recommend this series.

9 stars