So there I was, 6:47 AM on the Caltrain, half-dead from a 1 AM deployment that went sideways, and I'm listening to a fallen angel named Jim Heron try to save some rich dude's soul from the seven deadly sins. This is not the kind of content I usually reach for. But Kevin - who has questionable taste in everything except audiobooks - insisted I give J.R. Ward a shot. "It's like urban fantasy but with actual stakes," he said. He wasn't wrong.
Look, I need to be upfront: Covet is cheesy. Like, really cheesy. There are moments where I physically cringed on a packed train car and hoped nobody could see my face. But here's the thing - it's the kind of cheesy that works when you're too tired to think and just want something that keeps moving. And this book? It moves.
When the Premise Actually Delivers
The setup is basically "What if a morally gray ex-military guy became a supernatural referee between heaven and hell?" Jim Heron is rough around the edges, rides a Harley (of course), and suddenly has to prevent seven people from succumbing to the seven deadly sins. First up: Vin diPietro, a businessman who's sold his soul without realizing it. It's not subtle. But Ward knows how to pace a thriller, and the last chunk of this audiobook - we're talking the final few hours - had me missing my stop. Twice.
The romance elements are there, and they're... fine? I'm not really the target audience for the steamy bits (I skipped through a few on 2x, not gonna lie), but the actual tension between Vin and his love interest Devina felt earned. The supernatural politics between the angels and demons kept things interesting when the romance slowed down.
Eric G. Dove Nailed It
Okay, let's talk about the real MVP here. Eric G. Dove isn't Ray Porter (nobody is Ray Porter), but he's genuinely good. Like, surprisingly good for a paranormal romance. He doesn't phone it in. Each character has a distinct voice - Jim sounds appropriately gruff, the demons have this unsettling quality, and he handles the emotional beats without going full soap opera.
I couldn't find a ton about Dove's other work, but based on this performance? I'd follow him to another series. He kept me engaged through the slower middle sections where the plot kind of spins its wheels. Good narration can save a mediocre book. This book isn't mediocre, but Dove definitely elevated it.
The production quality is clean too - no weird background noise, no volume jumps. At 1.5x it flowed perfectly. I bumped to 1.75x during some of the more drawn-out romantic scenes, and it still sounded natural.
Worth Your 14 Hours?
Here's where I land: is Covet a masterwork of fantasy literature? Nope. Is it a solid 14-hour commute companion that kept me awake through morning rush hour? Absolutely.
**Listen if:** you want supernatural action with romance mixed in, you're okay with cheese, or you need something engaging that doesn't require your full brain. **Skip if:** explicit content isn't your thing, you hate love triangles, or you need literary depth from your fantasy.
If you're coming from Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, this is apparently a different vibe - more human protagonists, less vampire-centric romance. I haven't read Lover At Last or Lover Avenged yet, so I can't compare. Some longtime fans seem disappointed by that. But as someone with zero context? I thought it was a fun entry point.
The supernatural mythology is interesting without being overwhelming. The action sequences actually translate well to audio. And there's enough of a cliffhanger that I immediately bought book two. (Kevin is insufferably smug about this.)
Fair warning: there's violence, language, and explicit content. If you're listening in public, maybe keep those earbuds secure during certain chapters. I learned this the hard way when my bluetooth briefly connected to someone else's speaker in the quiet car. We don't talk about that incident.
Deploying My Verdict
Is it cheesy? Yes. Did I enjoy myself anyway? Also yes. Sometimes that's enough.
