Blood Fury
Initial impressions:Maybe 3.5 stars?
A bland HEA for Saxton - but he did get to wield a dagger and work through his feelings for Blay. I've been waiting for Saxton's story for so long. We really didn't learn a lot about him here. As much as Ruhn, having grown up lower class, doesn't really understand same sex relationships, he falls into his relationship with Saxton very easily. I liked Ruhn's back story and it made for a nice opposites attract pairing, but the whole storyline felt rushed and predictable. In fact both storylines rely on near death scenarios to jumpstart actions - something that's getting really old now.
I ended up liking Peyton. We knew from the start he was more than his rich, party-boy image. His storyline parallels Saxton's a bit as both have daddy issues. Peyton's father is awful and there is a storyline there that was left hanging.
More watered down trainees (Novo gets the same treatment Axe did in [b:Blood Vow|29496208|Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy, #2)|J.R. Ward|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461428631s/29496208.jpg|49782231]). Novo is a bad ass, has been since day one, but of course she has a deep dark secret. She also has no back bone when it comes to her awful sister and mother. I really didn't get why she allowed the sister to steamroll her.
Peyton and Novo together? They would make good BFFs or even, if they get their act together, good partners in the field. As far as their romance - not feeling it. Overall, the couples lack chemistry in this spin-off series and I'm not sure why.
Predictable, low on action, crappy editing, seems to be par for the course with the series. But hey, thanks to the two main men being part of the glymera we were spared a lot of the ridiculous bro talk that peppers most of the BDB stories so #props though there still were enough bad pop culture references.
Cameos from Manny, Luchas and Assail's screams. Bitty, Rhage and Mary are there too, and of course Wrath, but the book kept a tight focus on the two main storylines.
Only one more storyline in this world now that will have me coming back for more and that's Lassiter. I know Ward is intending to cross-over characters from her other series (which I don't read) and I have feeling that would be the final death knell for me as the BDB world already has so many branches and characters who are mentioned as important and never seen again (Muhrder anyone?)
Full review to come... maybe.
*****
I'm only in it for Saxton's story. Please don't let it suck.
