Just a head's up for those who read Ward's BDB series and may not be reading the new Fallen Angels series. This is not a spoiler but more of a head's up because I've read several posts where people are loyal to the BDB books but were not into the Fallen Angels. I'm reading both series and have discovered that even though the story lines and 'realms', for want of a better term, are really different in each series, both series are set in Caldwell and there seems to be a bit of convergence between events and characters from each series.

So, to help eliminate confusion by those who are not reading both series, I thought I'd post this explanation. I hope it doesn't add to the confusion factor.

I read Envy (#3 in the FA series) a several months ago and finished Lover Unleashed (#9 in the BDB) a few days ago. As I was reading Lover Unleashed I thought the characters and one of the subplots in Lover Unleashed seemed familiar. It's the story line of the serial (human) murders being investigated by Butch's ex (human) partner Detective de la Cruz and his new partner Detective DelVechio (Veck), which it turns out has pretty much nothing to do with the Brotherhood but is important to what happens in Envy. It is, essentially, a prequel to Envy. In fact, the opening scene in Envy is the murder scene immediately after the murder that takes place in the next to last chapter of Lover Unleashed. Weird. In Envy, it never really says who committed the murder in its opening scene or why. It wasn't until I read Lover Unleashed that I found out the 'who', 'why' and 'what' of this opening scene in Envy. I'mmmmm soooooo confused.

So, for those reading the BDB but not the Fallen Angels books and are wondering WTF the serial murders of humans has to do with the 'Brothers', they don't. They're just a lead-in to another book in another series.

What do you think PBSers, is this weird or clever? Is it a good thing when an author splits bits of a storyline between two totally different series?

I know that she has mentioned several times that the two series are connected but it has never been said that you have to read both to know what's going on. It seems that most 

fans of BDB don't care for the FA series. I haven't read them yet so I don't know but it seems like she is trying to get everyone to read the FA series even if you don't care for it. 

I don't really like when writers do this. This is why cliff hangers drive me crazy. Even if I didn't care for the book I have to read the second just to see what happens. I feel duped into 

reading the next book. Writers should trust their talent to sell books.

  Anyway, I love J.R. Ward and will continue to be a fan but I don't think it's clever. If she is going to leave  the end of a BDB book on a cliff hanger then it should be finished in the next

BDB book not the FA book and vise versa. 

I have also read both and I don't think you HAVE to read the entire series (FA and BDB) to understand it. The first two in the series of FA had nothing to do with BDB at all, it was only the last one. I also read Envy before I read Lover Unleashed. While I admit some of it may have been a little confusing (as I didn't have the background story),  I still enjoyed the books. And it answered a few questions I had (who the vampire was and what the motive was).  It was really only a very small part of it. I haven't read Lover Reborn yet, so I am not sure if any elements of Envy are in that one. 

I'm not sure I like the idea at all. It seems to be a very deliberate marketing ploy, and that is a turnoff for me. I usually get the books from the library - I never buy them.  I actually like the FA series bettter. I find the brothers try a little too hard to talk cool (if that's the right word for it). 

I'm reading both series, and enjoy both as seperate series and also enjoy the bleed thru in FA.  During an interview Ward spoke about a Werewolf coming up in new books.  I wonder if it was DelVechio, but as Rhonda pointed out the answer to the crime was in Lover Unleashed.  But DelVechio has his own demons, which leaves open lots of outlets.  And recently having read Lover Reborn, I sit on the edge of my seat awaiting a new release.

I enjoy the crossover because it's enough to make them "connected" without you requiring to read both.

That being said, I was a BDB fan from book 1, but I think FA is BETTER.