Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Envy: A Novel of the Fallen Angels
    Unavailable
    Envy: A Novel of the Fallen Angels
    Unavailable
    Envy: A Novel of the Fallen Angels
    Audiobook14 hours

    Envy: A Novel of the Fallen Angels

    Written by J.R. Ward

    Narrated by Eric G. Dove

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Envy

    As the son of a serial killer, homicide detective Thomas "Veck" DelVecchio, Jr., grew up in the shadow of evil. Now, on the knife-edge between civic duty and blind retribution, he atones for the sins of his father - while fighting his inner demons. Assigned to monitor Veck is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly, whose interest in him is both professional and arousingly personal. And Veck and Sophia have another link: Jim Heron, a mysterious stranger with too many answers...to questions that are deadly. When Veck and Sophia are drawn into the ultimate battle between good and evil, their fallen angel savior is the only thing that stands between them and eternal damnation.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateSep 6, 2011
    ISBN9781441830982
    Unavailable
    Envy: A Novel of the Fallen Angels
    Author

    J.R. Ward

    J.R. Ward is the author of more than sixty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series. There are more than twenty million copies of her novels in print worldwide, and they have been published in twenty-seven different countries. She lives in the south with her family.

    More audiobooks from J.R. Ward

    Related to Envy

    Related audiobooks

    Paranormal Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      April Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month)

      Apr 5, 2021

      April brings new books from Haruki Murakami, Helen Oyeyemi, Elizabeth McCracken, Kaitlyn Greenidge, and a whole lot more. The post April Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month) appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Winterson, Lerner, Díaz, Walbert, and More

      Oct 1, 2019

      New Ben Lerner, August Burroughs's latest memoir, and a reimagination of Frankenstein that puts Mary Shelley’s creative process front and center. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Winterson, Lerner, Díaz, Walbert, and More appeared first on

      7 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Millet, Cain, Orner, and More

      Oct 11, 2022

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from Lydia Millet, Amina Cain, Peter Orner, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read our most recent book preview. Want to help The Millions ke

      5 min read

    • Article

      June Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month)

      Jun 1, 2022

      We wouldn’t dream of abandoning our vast semi–annual Most Anticipated Book Previews, but we thought a monthly reminder would be helpful (and give us a chance to note titles we missed the first time around). Here’s what we’re looking out for this mont

      7 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Smith, Jones, Jemc, Dancyger, Marantz

      Oct 8, 2019

      Zadie Smith headlines a new week of new books, including essays by angry women and an excellent exploration of the rise of the online alt-right. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Smith, Jones, Jemc, Dancyger, Marantz appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Strout, Percy, Vapnyar, Hodgman, O’Brien, and More

      Oct 15, 2019

      In John Hodgman's delightfully absurd latest, the author casts himself as a used-to-be-somewhat-famous person trying to figure out his place in the world. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Strout, Percy, Vapnyar, Hodgman, O’Brien, and More a

      7 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Murakami, Oyeyemi, Wideman, and More

      Apr 6, 2021

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from Haruki Murakami, Helen Oyeyemi, John Edgar Wideman, and more—that are publishing this week. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Murakami, Oyeyemi, Wideman, and More appeared first on Th

      7 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Orner, Dermansky, Simic, Tate, and More

      Jul 2, 2019

      Sexy satire, a biography of the semicolon, and the latest collection from a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet are just a few of the new reads out this week. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Orner, Dermansky, Simic, Tate, and More appeared first o

      8 min read

    • Article

      Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2020 Book Preview

      Jul 15, 2020

      Wash your hands, wear your mask, keep a safe distance from others, and pick out a book. The post Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2020 Book Preview appeared first on The Millions.

      47 min read

    • Article

      October Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month)

      Oct 6, 2022

      Celeste Ng's latest novel, Amina Cain's musings on fiction, new stories from George Saunders, and more. The post October Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month) appeared first on The Millions.

      9 min read

    • Article

      Most Anticipated: The Great 2018 Book Preview

      Jan 8, 2018

      Settle in, folks, because this is one the longest first-half previews we’ve run in a long while. Putting this together is a labor of love, and while a huge crop of great spring books increases the labor, it also means there is more here for rea

      33 min read

    • Article

      Swansongs And Southern Discomfort

      Oct 27, 2022

      THE BORDERLAND BETWEEN popular fiction and literary fiction is now fertile territory. Once upon a time it was easy to tell them apart. Popular and genre fiction were in small format paper-backs, literary fiction larger: now all have been promoted to

      6 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Knausgaard, Davies, North, and More

      Jan 5, 2021

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from Karl Ove Knausgaard, Nnedi Okorafor, and Mateo Askaripour—that are publishing this week. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Knausgaard, Davies, North, and More appeared first on The Mi

      6 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring James, Li, Wang, McCracken, Bolaño, and More

      Feb 5, 2019

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from the likes of Marlon James, Yiyun Li, Esmé Weijun Wang, Elizabeth McCracken, Roberto Bolaño, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read our m

      10 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Kyle Winkler

      Dec 22, 2021

      The book is a blister. It’s fun to touch, mess with, and you eventually want to see it explode. But when it does, it’s more of a mess than you expected, hurts, and takes a while to heal. The post A Year in Reading: Kyle Winkler appeared first on The

      6 min read

    • Article

      March Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month)

      Mar 4, 2020

      March brings us new books from Louise Erdrich, Lily King, and Rebecca Solnit—and the FINAL volume in Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall Trilogy. The post March Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month) appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Darnielle, Allende, White, and More

      Jan 25, 2022

      This week's new release picks feature all sci-fi, metafiction, and three insightful novels in translation. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Darnielle, Allende, White, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      10 min read

    • Article

      Most Anticipated: The Great 2023B Book Preview

      Jul 3, 2023

      Six months. 179 books. Here's what we can't wait to read in the second half of 2023. The post Most Anticipated: The Great 2023B Book Preview appeared first on The Millions.

      48 min read

    Reviews for Envy

    4/5

    176 ratings40 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I was excited to read this book, but I think it might have suffered for my having read Olsen's Waterman & Stark series. Compared to those books, I had a harder time engaging with the plot and characters here. I think part of it may have been the teenagers--they felt more like teenagers seen and written by a sympathetic adult than wholly believable teenagers if that makes sense. It wasn't so much that they weren't believable, as that they were a bit too neat in terms of character and feelings, whereas real teenagers are kind of a mess. (No offense meant to any teen who might be reading this lol--I was a mess when I was a teen, too!) Here, in other words, the characters were just a little bit too neat and easy, more like adults who hadn't graduated high school than teens if that makes sense, when it came to the two at the heart of the story. The other teens in the background felt more believable, but they were also little more than stereotypes because they were in the story so little--and that was fine because they really were only minor characters. But, all together, it led me to feel like the characters especially held back the first portion of the book for me.By the time I got into the second portion of the book, the plot and the intrigue had me engaged, so I sped through the second half of the book pretty quickly. There was also a twist that was a really nice touch to what I'd expected to be a predictable book.So, all told, I don't know if this series can hold its own against Olsen's other series, but in the end, I'm glad to have read it and I certainly plan on reading the next one. Now that the characters are established, it'll also be a lot easier to go into that one now that I know what to expect, so I expect to enjoy it even more.
    • 1/5
      Gregg Olsen's YA debut is NOT impressive. Like several other NYT best-selling adult authors, he seems to think he can milk the cash cow of YA publishing by making his protagonists a decade or two younger and throwing in some text message and out-of-date slang. And, unsurprisingly, the result is a book that reads more like adult fiction than YA. The voice feels like that of an adult peering in on a teenager's life. The teens talk and text in the manner that adults who don't know many teens or have much respect for them THINK teens do. The girls are supposedly crushed over their friend's death, but the reader never sees or feels any evidence of this. The teens consistently call the death a "bummer" and say that it "sucks," but, in general, teens aren't that shallow and they feel their emotions far more deeply that that. Almost none of the emotions ring true here. Additionally, there are major plotting errors. On page 186, the teens look at a thumb drive that is not actually handed to them until pg 207. There are math errors in terms of how old the girls would have been in different years. The timeline is consistently confused with flashbacks and transitions handled poorly. And when chapters are 4-5 pages long and the first 3 or more all end with "they didn't know it yet, but...", that's not actually foreshadowing; it's physical abuse of a dead equine. Maybe that sort of thing works in the adult market -- I read very little adult fiction, so I wouldn't know -- but it won't fly in the teen world. When you read the acknowledgements of most YA authors, you see the names of other YA authors. YA literature is a community of people who respect teens, their intelligence, their passions and interests. A writer starting out in YA should seriously consider looking to that trend and that community instead of attempting to rely on their success in the adult market. Teens are significantly more discerning readers than adults give them credit for, or indeed than most adult readers, and they can spot when someone is just trying to make a buck off them. I'm sure this will sell well because Gregg Olsen's adult fans will purchase it for the kids in their lives, but I'd be surprised if it took off with teens. They've got many far better options in the world of authors who actually have a passion for the world of YA literature.
    • 1/5
      Slow and Boring. Not a big fan of the characters. Predictable. HATE when authors use "text speak" or try to incorporate products that they think teenagers will relate to (uggs, smashbox etc). Ending was tacked on and awkward. Author had no idea how girls think/feel/speak. If you don't understand them - don't write about them.
    • 1/5
      This was definitely not my type of book. I really struggled to get into this book and I actually gave up on it about half way through which is really disappointing, because the first chapter was great. I loved the description and the intense feeling that Olsen create there. But that description becomes the books downfall.After the first chapter every little thing was bogged down with adjectives and yet nothing felt real. While a well placed adjective or adverb can help build depth, Olsen's frequent over description completely slow down the story and pulled me right out of it. It got to the point that I was skipping page after page of boring useless details.There was also an endless list of characters that we were introduced to, and get to see a chapter here and there from their point of view. I don't mind third person, in fact I actually prefer it, but Olsen puts us right in these new character's heads and I began to wonder if I was supposed to be getting clues from each of their seemingly pointless thoughts. From the synopsis, I thought this story would focus on the twins, but they're just two more characters that I really didn't care about. They had absolutely no personality and their powers were so badly described (strange, I know, considering Olsen was so detailed about everything else) that I had no idea what they were suppose to be doing with them.Envy is loosely based on a real life tragedy of cyber-bullying, but what could have made an interesting realistic story was really just a mess. Technically there was nothing wrong with the book, but I felt no connection to any of the characters, and midway through I had no investment in figuring out what really happened and was completely bored. I gave up at the halfway point after about a month of having it sit open on my nightstand, and I don't have the slightest inclination to give it another try.
    • 4/5
      Review taken from my blog: reading-by-candlelight.blogspot.comI have to admit that it took a while for me to get into this one. I wanted something different to read than my usual paranormal or dystopian read, so I picked this book up. The plot in the beginning moves kind of slowly, but throughout the book the pace picks up and I ended up really enjoying it.I liked the plot and setting in this book. Even though the pace was slow in the beginning, I understand why. The author was setting the story up, putting in background info and other goodies to raise the tension later in the book. I found myself hooked when the last 100 pages came, I couldn't put it down. I could envision the town and all of the wonderful.. or not so wonderful, characters. Speaking of characters..Haley and Taylor: Our main character in the story are twins, Haley and Taylor. I loved them both. They each had unique personalities that I liked - twins shouldn't have the same personality. They had such a close bond, and I really liked that. Plus they were pretty much telepathic and psychic. Awesome.Katelyn: She wasn't actually present, of course, since she had died, but we got a lot of glimpses of her life from when she was alive. I loved her and hated her at the same time, and pitied her and rolled my eyes at her in the same instant. I felt sorry for her because of her family life. Her parents fought, and her mother had a drinking problem. I can understand these things.. but she was such a weak character. It was like she had no strength to her, especially after not making cheer squad. I kind of wish she would have been stronger when she was alive.. but oh well.Starla: I loathed her. I know she's just a character in a book, but I felt like her cruelty jumped through the pages and smacked me in the face. She was so self-absorbed, all she cared about was her looks and popularity. There are a lot of girls like this in real life, so her character actually is quite realistic. I just thought she was quite cruel.. she ditched Katelyn, who was supposed to be her best friend. She not only ditched her, but she was a main contributor to her depression.I enjoyed all of the twists and turns in this book, I was always kept guessing. Even from the beginning of the book I had a tiny inkling of what happened and who was involved. While I was partially right, there are many things that just jumped out at me and surprised me. I was completely off in part of my guess. This book will keep the best guessing.
    • 3/5
      This series is not even close to the Black Dagger books by the same author - there is no angst or build-up here, no tension (sexual or otherwise) and not much suspense. A lot of the phrasing is the same - i.e "shits and giggles" and "hot mess" shows up a lot. The sex is about the same though - strapping beautiful men with large genitalia and dexterous mouths who claim and win over beautiful women with previously suppressed animal sexuality. It's okay. Not very creative and not very distinct from every other sex scene I've read of Ward's... but at least it's not cheesy or rape-like which seems to happen a lot in these types of books.So... what about the story? It's identical to the story in the first two books in this series... same wording, same tension, same sex, same characters, same plot... does that make it bad? Not really, but I don't think I'm going to continue with this series as I understand it's going to have a total of 7 books in it. Three with the same storyline is plenty for me.
    • 3/5
      Good balance of his regular crime novel writing and YA appeal. Next story in the series bound to be just as good.
    • 1/5
      This is just not a book for me. I picked it up a few month ago and couldn't get into it. Decided to give it another try tonight. After about 30 pages I had to give up. My main issue was the multitude of characters being thrown at me without a proper introduction. I couldn't connect and it left me bored. I felt like I was expected to all ready know each of them and their stories. It had me checking my copy for missing pages. The differing POV, and careless switch between each character, was enough to make me dizzyI also wasn't a fan of the dialogue. I know this author also writes adult fiction and personally it was reading more like an adult novel littered with random incoherent teen texting and Facebook updates. Keep in mind I didn't finish this novel. This is just a review of the first 30 pages and why I opted to add Envy to the DNF shelf. Bottom line: This book stressed me out and not in a good way.
    • 4/5
      I love the plot of these books. A fallen angel both good and evil is in the war to end all wars - literally. He must save the souls at the crossroads of their lives in order for good to triumph over evil.The third book of he series is every bit as good as the others, but about halfway through, I got put off the book but how the "angels" act. I know they are fallen angels but having sex with multiple partners in the bathroom stall. If you suspend that disbelief and look at the main plot point, it is thoroughly more enjoyable.Thomas "Veck" DelVecchio Jr., a police officer, grew up with a serial killer, his father. Born with evil inside him, his greatest fear is to become like his father. He finds himself being partnered with Sophia Reilly from Internal Affairs and that's when things get steamy. They are drawn together not only through their profession but also on a more personal level. And when it comes time for Veck to choose his way on the crossroads will it lead him to love or to the fires of hell?
    • 4/5
      I haven't read a lot of true crime novels (or novels based off of true crimes, anyway). This was definitely my first that calls under the YA genre. It was easy to become intrigued with the story from the very beginning and I found the characters dynamic and worth following. The way things played out was even more chilling knowing that some version of the events actually occurred. I am definitely planning on reading more of Gregg Olsen.
    • 4/5
      This book was definitely not what I imagined it would be when I read the synopsis, but thats definitely not a bad thing. I found out from a fellow blogger while reading this book that Gregg Olsen based this story loosely on an actualy cyber-bullying case, which I found extremely interesting, and think that bullying in general is an important topic esp. for young adults, as suicides are prevelant amoungst bullying victims. Katelyn, a young high school student was found by her mother on Christmas Day dead in her bathtub, but was it a suicide, a murder, or something else sininster in nature?? Twins Taylor and Haley Ryan try to solve the mystery of their once close friends death, but find deeper, darker secrets hidden as well in the mix. The construction of this book itself is amazing, in fact the second I saw it in person I immediately knew that I needed it in my collection. The pages are crisp white, and the end pages are full of scrabble pieces. The book overall is just extremely well-made and the cover is so creeptastic! I love it. Gregg Olsen writes a creeptastic and fast paced novel, I read this right around Halloween and it was the perfect book. I'm so happy that this is going to be part of a series and I cannot wait to read more in the Empty Coffin Novels.
    • 3/5
      Katelyn is dead. It's Christmas night and her mom is the one who discovers her. What happened with her? Did she killed herself? Was it an accident? Did someone murdered her?... In a small town like Port Gamble these where the questions everybody asked.But Katelyn was a troubled girl and almost everyone knew she used to cut her wrists because, in her own words, it was the only thing that made her feel in control. That's why her death was labeled as "accident", specially since she was found with a mini espresso machine inside the tube with her dead body. And of course everybody believed it.Except for Taylor and Hayley, two twins that used to be friends with Katelyn and who happened to "know" somehow that this was no accident and they made a silent promise to discover Katelyn's murderer.How did they now it was no accident? They both, since they were children, had this ability to see or feel the past and sometimes the future. And a very persistent reporter wanted to used Katelyn's death to write a big story about the twins and a tragic accident that had happened a few years ago.In a more personal note my opinion about this book is complicated. Although I enjoyed it I didn't love it. The end of the first chapters really annoyed me... the way the author finished them, splitting phrases to try to build some tension just didn't work for me. But then the book really improved and I had a good time with it.The fact that this book is based in a real story was and still is very appealing to me and a good thing was that I never read any news about what really happened so no spoilers for me :D Am I going to read the second book? Sure! Why? I just told you, I enjoyed the book and I'm sure the sequel will be interesting too.
    • 4/5
      In this third book of the series, Jim Heron and angelic company are fighting for the soul of Thomas DelVecchio, police detective and son of a serial killer. They are also fighting for Sophia Reilly, Tom's temporary partner and love interest. I really enjoyed this book. I liked Veck and Sophia. Veck was so haunted by his past and the demon, Devina. I like the development of the characters in this book, including the Archangels who supervise Jim and company, I enjoy each of these book better than the one before.
    • 4/5
      First I want to say, I saw the immediate "similarities" with Twilight but thank the lord, the author didn't disappoint and stay with the knock-off thought flow. It is almost like he was using the similarities to make fun of Twilight, which made me like this book a little bit more. I am not a Twilight fan. This had me absolutely shaken to the core. Centered around online bullying, this story is loosely based upon the Megan Meier case and seemed to depict high school kids with a startling realness. All in all, a good book.
    • 3/5
      Oh ack, this is one of those difficult reviews to write. Because I was half and half about this book. I really didn't care for the first half of the book. I was kind of bored to death. The style of the writing and the POV's wasn't grabbing me, I wasn't growing attached to any characters and I really wasn't even caring too much about the story and the mystery like I should have been. I forced myself to continue reading and about halfway it started getting easier and the mystery became more important to me as more details were revealed. But it wasn't until the last quarter of the book that I could sit down and read straight through and actually not want to put the book down and really was desperate for answers. I was finally feeling a little more attached to the twins in the story, Hailey and Taylor and their own secrets (or secrets about them) outside of Katelyns death. So I would say that the last half and especially the last quarter of the book pushed this up to three stars for me. I also liked the more contemporary issues like the cyber bullying and the realistic parts of the issues the characters had and had to work through.Now, I know lots of people loved this book so I want to make sure you understand what it was that bothered me. I didn't care for the style of writing. It just wasn't for me. It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't something I was feeling, that I connected with, that compelled me to keep reading. It was a third person style and jumped around to the different people. From the twins, to the different mothers, a couple of friends, and even a reporter. I think maybe seeing all the different thoughts was suppose to maybe add to the mystery, but it just wasn't really working for me. However, I think fans of mysteries and true crime would enjoy it, just don't go into it expecting to be all creeped out cause it wasn't really all that creepy like I usually imagine a thriller to be. It was just a mystery with a touch of paranormal like stuff (notice I say touch and paranormal-like, it's definitely not a strong paranormal type theme). Once the book picked up, once the pieces started coming together more, I began to feel like I could start making guesses and the book was suddenly much better for me. I started feeling the mystery and felt like I knew who did what, etc. And to be honest, I was actually right. But guessing it correctly didn't ruin the ending in any way. There were many details I hadn't figured out so there was still plenty of surprise. Now this is the first in a series so I wondered where it could go and if it would leave off on a cliffhanger, or what? Well, the book wraps up this mystery but at the end there's a little opener for the next one. And the finished copy I read had the sneak peek of the next book and it was pretty intense. I think I'm actually really wanting to read it. So although this book sent lots of mixed feelings through me I felt like I could say I like it okay when I'd finished, so I'm giving it three stars and I do recommend it to fans of mysteries, true crime and thrillers (light style thrillers ;). This one has loads of positive reviews, so be sure to check them out before you cross this one off your list.
    • 5/5
      I'm at ends here, I LOVE Ward's men! They are more colorful than a box of 150 colored Crayola. At the same time they are very disturbing so maybe that super latent deviant part of me is responding to her stories. J.R. Ward just writes about men so well and I'd like to believe that she'd captured their POV to a tee. If I don't know who she is, I'd think that she's a dude! If you are a Ward fan and haven't started Fallen Angels then you better haul some serious a$$ and start reading because the story is getting better each time. Envy was worth the hype and I hardly reread books immediately but I think I'll make an exception for this one.
    • 3/5
      The contest between good and evil continues - Jim Heron and his angelic companions return to Caldwell, NY hoping to win the third round after failing the second. The soul up for grabs this time is Thomas "Veck" DelVecchio's - son of a vicious serial killer, Veck is now a homicide detective. Which is appropriate, as he has serious homicidal tendencies of his own. Not to mention a lot of lust in his heart for his new partner, IA officer Sophia Riley. Veck's afraid he's going to turn out like his father, Sophia's woried about her growing attraction for Veck, Jim's made (literally) a deal with the devil, and the angels in heaven are finding it hard to keep the faith. Things are definitely heating up.Story - good, if predictable. Characters - likeable if likewise predictable. Title - an-noy-ing!!! Not sure who or what is supposed to be envious here, but for some reason Ward's title choice really bugged me. Overall? Readable, but nothing special.
    • 3/5
      I really liked Veck and the development of his character. I enjoyed the interactions between him and Sophia. The plot was pretty entertaining, as well. I must say, though, that the portions of the story (and series) focusing on Jim and the other angels doesn't do as much for me. Jim just doesn't capture my interest. I will continue to read this series despite that, but it does diminish my overall enjoyment of each book.
    • 2/5
      I was quite interested in reading this book. Taking a few very important problems in today's society like cyber-bullying and suicide and adding a paranormal edge to the whole thing. While you did get some aspects of those problems, taken right from the headlines, it didn't quite work for me.I enjoyed the characters of Katelyn and the twins, Hayley and Taylor. In fact, I'd have to say I enjoyed all the characters even if they were the "good" guys or the "bad". The author was able to portray characters with more than one side to a personality. One where often the "bad" guys had problems within their lives and a rounded out view as to why they acted the way they did. I also enjoyed the unfolding of Katelyn's life and Hayley and Taylor. The twins who were born to solve problems with a psychic gift between them were the most interesting and who I believe the next stories in this series will revolve around.So, have I now left you scratching your head as to why I said it didn't work for me? Well... it was the story. It was several stories all jumbled together. Yes, they all have a connection as they all live in the same town, but it was as if we are pulled in several different directions trying to find out what the real mystery is that we are supposed to care about. The main story was elusive and yet seemed to be everything at once. It felt as though this book either needed to be several short stories, or at least let one of the mysteries take the lead. It just didn't work. Even what we thought would be the main story was reduced in the end to something of lesser importance. This was a chance to make a huge statement and I don't think it was achieved here.I give this book 2 stars. It wasn't bad at all, but lacked direction. I might pick up another book in this series as they are published. I've seen books like this get a direction and then the stories rock. I'm hoping that this will go that way. The ideas were good, so there is potential.
    • 5/5
      Like many of J.R. Ward's readers, I saw the foreshadowing of Veck's dark character in Lover Unleashed and because of the awesomeness of Butch's story, I looked forward to his feature in the Fallen Angels series and I didn't have to wait long. I love this writer, this series, and this story. I think that Ward is doing a great job of keeping the stories of each sinner fresh and moving the series forward. I can't wait for the next one. I also have to give 5 stars to the cover model on Envy, I found myself closing the book just to have some man candy.
    • 4/5
      I still love J.R. Ward. I was very excited about this book, and I jumped for joy when it downloaded to my Kindle. The sexy fallen angels are irresistible, and I can't wait to see how this series ends. With all that being said, this book lost a star because of stickability (yes I know that isn't a real word) but it is fitting. I stop reading several times during the first couple of chapters, because of the necessary evil of recounting the story to this point. Once I made it past that, I was golden, and really enjoyed this book. Ward always does an awesome job of keeping her story action-packed, and you care if the H/h wins in the end, even if they are not necessarily a good person. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves her BDB series, despite my own ADD.
    • 4/5
      This is a stunning novel that interlaces a serious topic such a cyber bullying with great character background and a good amount of paranormal elements. Even the layout of the book was noteworthy!Katelyn Berkley is found dead in her bathtub Christmas night. An espresso machine was found next to her in the tub. Everyone has written this off as accidental and some are whispering that it is a suicide because Katelyn was "kind of messed up." Taylor and Hayley, two twin girls with a unique gift don't believe that it was suicide, they're sure that Katelyn was murdered. They rely on their special gift to piece together moments in Katelyn's past and try to stop a family secret from going public. Gregg Olsen is a wonderful storyteller. I've read books that are written from the first person perspective, there is sometimes the occasional alternating point of view between two people, but Olsen explores all of the key characters. Not only was it engaging, the writing style made sure that every character had his or her own proper voice. While it seems that the focus of this novel is the two twins, it's obvious that Katelyn Berkly is the true main character. Every action, every memory is somehow related to Katelyn or her grieving family. The paranormal elements of the novel really kept the story interesting, especially in the end when some information is revealed. The backbone of this story deals with the very serious topic of cyberbullying. This novel was actually based on the terrible tragedy that happened a few years back to a Missouri teen. Also, Olsen uses different fonts and symbols throughout the book. There was a scene where the twins were decoding a message with scrabble cubes, the author actually used a font that resembled scrabbled blocks. Everything about the book format was just fun!This was a great and intriguing novel. The constant change of perspective and the constant flipping back and forth between the past and present made this novel a very enjoyable novel with a very mature theme. Although I really appreciate that Olsen brought this real-life tragedy to surface with his novel, I can't wait to read to read something that is 100% Olsen's story. I recommend this novel for mystery lovers and those interested in social issuse!
    • 4/5
      I did like Envy by Gregg Olsen. However, I did have a hard time keeping up with all the different characters, as the narrator hopped between them fairly often. I also liked and disliked the omniscient narrator. I like that it knew all that was going on, but disliked how impersonal it felt. I am a sucker for first-person narratives. The story itself was interesting and mostly flowed well. I got hung up a few times, but not enough to make me put the book down. I have some avid mystery reading teens, so I will be passing along my personal copy as well as ordering it for my branch.
    • 5/5
      This book could have been a mess. The author takes a fairly famous real life cyberbullying case, fictionalizes it a bit, adds a paranormal element in twin girls who have some psychic ability, and adds in several other little mysteries. It could have been all over the place and it could have easily ended up glamourizing the bullying situation. Instead we have a wonderful novel that never lets us forget that it is a fiction story and yet still really brings home the effects of cyberbullying in our teenager right now.The twins, Hayley and Taylor, use their gifts to investigate the death of their ex-friend and neighbor Katelyn. Katelyn died in a very mysterious manner and a little digging discovers she was having an online relationship with a boy...possibly a fake boy. The story here unravels in layers as we get to know more and more about not just Katelyn's life and death, but the lives of her parents and the mysteries surrounding a tragic bus accident ten years before. The story wraps up very satisfyingly with most of our questions resolved. I have to say there were a couple of twists at the end I didn't see coming and something very tramatic also happens at the end involving a reporter who is snooping around. We never know exactly what is going on with this reporter and I think that should be brought back up again in the future books. If it doesnt and it really ends as is, I will be disappointed. Still there is a lot more going on here than it first appears which really works for the novel. The characters are complex and driven by many different motivations. The book is written in a different tone I wasn't really used to. Almost a dry tone to start off with until I caught on. Then story flips between many different character's viewpoints. Again this could have been a mess but ended up adding much to the book.I would highly recommend this gem. I also give kudos to the author for keeping bullying in the spotlight. This is a huge problem and deserves as much recognition and awareness as possible. If nothing else this book should remind both kids and adults that sometimes a little decision can end up spiriling out of control and ruining lives.
    • 5/5
      Envy by Gregg Olsen I have just finished this amazing book. The plot was amazing and flowed together wonderfully. The young adults in the story were believable. I just loved it but I am afraid to say much more I am known to do the "spoiler" thing when I speak on books. I am now passing it on to my teen kids here at the library. I am having to buy more for the library and I have passed my personal copy on to certain young ones I know that read books all night to get them done. I was lucky enough to go to the doctor yesterday (check-up) and had two hours of uninterrupted reading time. I am sad that I have to wait 3 months for my next check up. I have found the best times for me to read is when I am waiting which seems to be often enough for me to finish at least three books a week. I always have my Sunday afternoons after church dinner (lunch) that the family along with myself relaxes. My daughters 8 & 9 do this by playing outside and riding bikes, my son who is 20 is usually catching up on college work and I READ! It is a wonderful day of the week for me. Now some of the household work gets put off for a day or so but I feel it is worth it to have time for my passion of reading and studying insects, that is a whole other post.
    • 3/5
      This is the third book in the Fallen Angels series. Not the best Ward book ever, but good enough for hard core fans of Ward.
    • 5/5
      I started this book and finished it all in the same day. I really enjoyed it. I was a bit confused with all the characters at first because you have katelyn of course the main person the book is about but, then you have all the kids ( katelyns friends) and all their parents. Once, I got past that it went fine. I would say overall the author did a good job as far as keeping the reader interested once, I started reading i couldnt put it down. It seems like one story but, I felt like there were really 2 because you have the bus mystery as well. Im glad there is a second book coming out. Although fall 2012 seems pretty far haha, so yes, i would say this is a definite read! : )
    • 4/5
      This is the third book in the fallen angels series by J.R. Ward who also is the author of the black dagger brotherhood series. In this book the fight between good and evil continues, heaven and hell, demons and angels at war. The story is about homicide detective "Veck" who did a brief cameo in a bdb book. He is as all Ward's male protagonists big, sexy, hard with a troubled past, in this case a serial killers son. He soon falls in love with his new partner, internal affairs officer Sophia Rielly who can't deny her own growing feelings for the sexy Veck. Jim and his gang are back again in Caldwell to help Veck "Do the right thing", while the evil, sexy demon Davina does everything in her power to lure Veck to the dark side. I really enjoyed reading this book, J.R. Ward is a great writer and I couldn't put the book down. I love the fantasy world she has build up in the fictional Caldwell with all these amazing men, women, fallen angels and vampires. In most books a cringe a little at the sex scenes but I never do it in a Ward book, they are awesome. I was a bit bored up in heaven but maybe the angels will play a bigger part in the books to come and grow on me. I would also like to know more about what fallen angels actually can do and don't, the rules in this book are a little muddy to me, not as clear as in bdb. Most of J.R. Wards book are very similar to each other, the men behave and talk the same, normally I wouldn't read books like that but I adore this. Can't wait for some new Wards to come out!
    • 2/5
      Right away I was excited to read this book because of the intriguing cover art. Then, there are several hints given as to what's to come that kept me reading. However, I am a bit disappointed in the story overall. The author keeps alluding to a dark and sinister force that's out there, but it turns out to be much more mundane than all that. The twins and their abilities are interesting, but it seemed like the story never really developed into the paranormal mystery that was promised. I don't think I will be checking back in for book 2.
    • 4/5
      Writers have been writing some amazing stories. I love it when an author takes a real life story and changes it into something completely new! I love IT! So many new stories with a whole new twist. And this story has a twist like no other...I loved the mystery in this book. I like a good mystery that not only keeps me on my toes but also searching for clues. As the reader, you are taken on this great reading adventure in search for what really happened to Katelyn. As the story unfolded, I am amazing at the great writing that has pulled in and drown me. The characters of this book are not what I expected. We have twins Haley and Taylor that uncover not one but two mysteries in the making. I want to be these twins BFF's. They searched, ask questions, even their wittiness had me snickering and in awe of what they are capable of doing. I also like how close knit the families were. Haley/Taylor had wonderful parents and very supportive. I like the small town talk of the other families. it made the story much more juicier.One thing I adore about this book are the point of view switches. I like how they didn't confused the reader, but enhance the book. The reader got to see from all point of views and was able to peace together the great mystery of the story.Envy is a great mystery story like I have never read before! Totally amazing and thought provoking, Envy is what you want to read!