Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Lover Revealed

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward

4 reviews

allingoodtime's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

There’s never been a doubt in my mind that Butch has been through some things in his life that led him to be so cynical and disillusioned when he was a police officer. As this story unfolded and more and more of his upbringing is revealed, my heart broke for the young boy he used to be and the hope he had to one day be enough for his family. It doesn’t forgive some of the methods he used to get things done as a cop, and he doesn’t ever try to make such a claim. He is extremely honest with himself about the terrible things he’s done in his life. There’s no sugarcoating or excuses from him. Having watched him grow into a different man since moving in with the Brotherhood, I know Butch just needed some true friends to be able to be the person he was meant to be.

Marissa had a lot of love growing up, but she was cosseted. Nobody ever gave her a chance to come into her own, and that’s sad when you think about the fact that she’s hundreds of years old. Marissa always did what was expected of her even if her heart wasn’t in it, leading her to think something was wrong with her. After all, if she’s done all the right things year after year for hundreds of years, why is she still unattached? Marissa had the bad luck to be paired with someone who wasn’t right for her and it gave her a complex.

Since both Butch and Marissa have feelings of inadequacy, and they sense that in each other, they hold back way too much. Butch because he doesn’t feel he is worthy of Marissa and Marissa because she thinks she will somehow come up short with Butch. While they cannot hide their attraction, these two have off-the-charts chemistry, they can hide their inner thoughts and feelings.

As much as I love this series, the homophobia is rampant and annoying. Because the friendship between Butch and Vishous figures so prominently in this book, that connection between them is even more obvious. That also means the characters have their backs up a bit more about their relationship, leading to some tiring homophobic language and ideas. I cringe every time because I just know that language would not be used if these books were written today.

There is so much going on in each of these books which keep me wanting more, more, more. Of course, I want to see everyone in the Brotherhood happy and mated, but there is so much more to this world of vampires than finding their mates. In fact, having a mate is a bit of an inconvenience in their line of work. There are a whole lot of books in this series, I only hope the level of storytelling stays as stellar as it’s been while the stale and tired language goes away.

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pvbobrien's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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psydneigh's review

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This one went a little too heavy in the miscommunication trope for me to love. A lot of the tension between Butch and Marissa was just because they wouldn’t let each other finish their sentences and I got a bit tired of that. Overall though, still like the series and will continue to read.

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the_disreputable_dog's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I'm rating 3.75, because the book was pretty good, but it did bug me how innocent and virginal Marissa is - physically doesn't know her own literal body‽ Are you joking? I loved Butch though, right along with Vishous, and am disappointed they didn't get together. I went ahead and looked at the spoilers and V doesn't even get a guy, he's suddenly fucking pencil straight after this book from the sounds of things. And that scene during the transformation ceremony and all! I'm glad we didn't get a kill your gays moment, but we almost did, and did we not get one just because Butch, V, and Marissa are not gonna become a thruple? Also, I liked the way that Ward included info about Butch's background for the first time, and the plot with the Omega and the Lessers is interesting. I just feel like there's so much neglected potential with Vishous, and that brought the rating down an entire star. It's a really strong pairing, and I actually think the strength of V+Butch, combined with the fact that Marissa had absolutely no clue about it, detracted from the story. If Marissa had known and been fighting for Butch, or if they had become a trio, or if Butch and Marissa realised they weren't a good fit and Butch got with V, that all would've been done a little better, and probably got a 4.5 or higher star rating out of me.

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