Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward

Lover Revealed is the forth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and picks up a little while after Lover Awakened. This is Butch's story. He's an ex-cop, human, living with the Brotherhood under their protection and with their friendship. He fell in love with vampire Marissa when he first met her but things have not been simple between them. Marissa fell for Butch at the same time, but she's spent 300 years being unwanted, and she doesn't believe Butch can really love her. When Butch is taken and almost killed by the lessers, Marissa steps up to help get him back to health. As their relationship changes and grows, Butch is also coming to terms with being a human in the vampire world, and what the lessers have done to him.

I really enjoyed the first three books in this series, but it's taken me a while to carry on and pick this one up. Not because I wasn't interested, but because I prefer UF and YA to paranormal romance. I will confess from the start that I skipped over all the sections that were from the POV of the lessers and just read what was from the Brothers and Marissa's POV. I don't think I really missed out on any of the story by doing so, and honestly the lessers bore me!

The majority of the story is very good. It's got a good pace to it, not hanging around but not rushed either. I love the development of some of the side characters through the book, John Matthew and Zsadist in particular. I didn't like Marissa before the start of this book, I've always found her annoying and whiny, although I can understand her discomfort. But by the end of the book I really liked her. She grew a lot through the book developing in to a really well rounded, stronger character and one I enjoyed reading about.

My problem with this book though, despite my overall enjoyment of it, is Butch. For a couple of reasons. One, because I wasn't too thrilled with where his story went, how he changed over the book, although I understand why it happened as it did. But mostly because I don't enjoy Butch and Marissa together. In fact I'm a huge supporter for Butch and V to be together. I love the way the bond between the two has grown through the books. I think they've got far more chemistry together than Butch has with Marissa and the way they play off each other is far more entertaining. I would have loved to have seen JR go there, to twist what was expected. I think it would have made for much better story. I did like how Butch was affected by the lessers and what it meant for him. I also enjoyed seeing him realise he was basically a kept man by the Brothers, everything he 'owned' bought with their money or given by them. It was nice to see his pride come out and start throwing his weight around again.

Overall I did like Lover Revealed, but I got to the end wishing more than ever that Butch had chosen V and not Marissa. That was kind of a let down really. The BDB books aren't short and after the time put in to it I was almost wishing I hadn't bothered. I will certainly read more of the series, I enjoy the switch up on characters in each book and they are well written for the most part (I was getting annoyed with their 'language' here, regular words aren't good enough?) but I'm disappointed with this one. Easily my least favourite so far.

Rating: 5/10

Lover Awakened by J. R. Ward

"In the shadows of the night in New York there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion - until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist's thirst for vengeance against Bella's tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her . . ."

This is the third Black Dagger Brotherhood book and follows Zsadist's story, which really started in the previous book, Lover Eternal. There he met Bella for the first time, and then she was kidnapped by the lessers. Zsadist shocked his brothers with his reaction to her abduction, because he's known as a killer. Someone who doesn't treat women with anything more than contempt. No one trusts him with Bella, but his obvious drive to save her can't be ignored. It's Bella who needs to stay strong to rescue Zsadist though.

I loved this book. It was gripping, intense and painful reading. Particularly the flashback scenes to how Z was tortured a couple of centuries ago, and how he's still torturing himself now. Pain is what he knows and understands. He struggles to accept that it's at all possible for Bella, for any female, to love him. Some of Z's thoughts on himself are heartbreaking to read. I loved how he and Bella grew and dealt with each other over the course of the book.

Aside from Bella and Z, we learn a lot more about Phury (Z's twin) and John Matthew throughout the book as well. John is easily my favourite side character in this book. I liked finding out more about Phury because we didn't know too much about him before hand, but I'm far more curious about John. I like that he's got his own background we're just seeing glimpses of, rather than just being a flat padding character. Butch's continued involvement in the brotherhood, as the only human to be so, also gets a fair bit of page time, which a very surprising twist towards the end.

There is heartbreak in more than one way in this book. And a fair few tears were shed on my part through it. But while the ending was fantastic, I couldn't help feeling just a little cheated over something. We got a fair bit from John through this book, but when a couple of big incidents happened, John's reaction to them (which should have been big) was mostly ignored. Which I thought was a real shame and after everything we got of him before that moment, I felt a little cheated by it. I also felt that there should have been more on a certain other brother with regard to the events that happened. I'm not naming names for spoilers sake, but this particular brother was hugely involved and his reaction was (rightly) massive, but then...nothing. 2 months get skipped over for the final chapter and in the last chapter I really wish there had been mention of what was going on with him, but it was very strictly a Zsadist/Bella chapter. Which makes sense as it was their book, but still, I was disappointed by that.

Still, it is a great book and that is only a small complaint. It's fast paced and intense. Like the two books before it, I had a really tough job putting it down. I am still fascinated by all of the brothers and their lives and I'm looking forward to reading the next book, Lover Revealed, soon! 8/10

Lover Eternal by J. R. Ward

"In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood . . .

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover - for inside him burns a ferocious curse. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

May Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and is reliant on Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves . . ."

This is the second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and I loved it from beginning to end. Rhage lives with a beast inside of him, constantly afraid it's going to come out and hurt those he loves. He has ways of keeping it as chained in as possible, by fighting daily and, well, a very active sex life. He's nicknamed 'Hollywood' because of his stunning good looks and his ability to have any girl he wants. But for him it's a hollow act, something he does to keep his beast satisfied as best he can, and something he wishes he could do without. Mary is a human with no idea her best friend and next door neighbor, Bella, is a vampire. She knows what it's like to fight something inside you have no control over though, she's fought leukemia and won, but now it looks like it's back. Their meeting changes things, for both of them, in a big way. But it isn't exactly all for the better.

This whole book was a rollercoaster of intense emotion. It had me laughing and crying. The ending is immense and I was in floods of tears a couple chapters from the end, feeling the pain both Rhage and Mary did as if it was real. There is, of course, some intrusion of lessers in this book, but I found myself hurrying through those parts to get back to Rhage and Mary. I love them both individually, and together. Like Wrath and Beth in book one, Dark Lover, they're very well rounded, real characters who you can't help feeling for. We also see a fair bit more of Zsadist in this book. The next one, Lover Awakened, is his story but it starts here in this one and I'm already falling for him.

I love the detail given not only to the main characters, but to the secondary ones as well, and the world around them, how it works from an inside and outside view. It's something that helps stop the books from simply being a romance, and making them books that you can really get your teeth in to. And while there are certain things that are kind of predictable, there is a lot that happens that you don't see coming. For me, this book was just about impossible to put down. I got so wrapped up in Rhage and Mary that I seriously lost track of time. It's a fantastically woven story that leaves a lot open whilst giving greater depth to the characters we've already met, and introducing a few important new ones. Z's story is only just beginning in this one, and I am hungry to get in to the rest of it as soon as I can. But I don't need to read the rest of the series to know this one, Lover Eternal, is going to be a lasting favourite. Rhage and Mary's story is just too intense, too powerful and it's one that I know I'll be rereading a fair bit!! 10/10

Dark Lover by J. R. Ward

"In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There also exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Among them, none relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

The only pure-bred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed - orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath much usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead . . .

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both . . ."

I tend not to read much paranormal romance preferring urban fantasy with romantic subplots, for the same reason I rarely read any romance books, I get bored with them. I prefer more action, though I'm always happier when there is a romantic plot as well, just not when it's the whole plot. But the Black Dagger Brotherhood series was recommended to me by a good friend so I decided to give it a shot. Really, really glad I did!! I completely fell in love with J.R. Ward's world and her Brothers. The books are written in third person, from several different points of view. It flows well and I like getting to see the extensive world created here, through different angles. From inside the Brotherhood, from the human POV, and from the lessers. It also means we get to see the characters through different eyes, which helps give them more depth by showing how they're perceived by different people. And I also really like the vampire lore that exists here.

The Brothers themselves are intense. They're all unique, with different skills and different issues, but all warriors who are completely loyal to each other, and to their duty, keeping the rest of the vampire population alive by destroying the lessers, who are soulless immortal killers. Although we see more of Wrath than any of the other Brothers in this book (a given as it's Wrath's story) we see hints as to the backgrounds and future stories for the rest of them. Which made me fall in love with pretty much all of them over the course of the book!

Wrath's story is intense and violent. He's a warrior through and through and not known as the nicest guy around. But at the same time, it's touching and sweet and I fell in love with him very quickly. Beth is smart and tough, and while there is the 'girl meets bad boy and instantly falls in love' aspect, it isn't nearly that straight forward. There is a lot more to the plot and the characters, both main and side, are very 3D making even the predictable parts that much more enjoyable because you care about the characters, they're very much alive. The ongoing battle between the Brothers and the lessers is another aspect to the story, adding to it but not taking center stage. Its not without it's place, it just doesn't story the love story being the focus. But the main story is the Brothers. Their pasts, their future, and what they're fighting for. But as it turns out, the lessers aren't the only danger they face.

I love Wrath and Beth's story, they play off each other so well. It's a fantastically written and gripping book which I had a very, very hard time putting down. It left me wanting a whole lot more of the Brothers and I can't wait to read the rest of the series that's currently out!! 9/10