Tag Archives: Bella

Literary Review: Lover Awakened (Book 3) by J R Ward

Title: Lover Awakened
Author: J R Ward
Series: Book Three
Format: Audiobook

The third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series focuses on the darkest Brother of group: Zsadist. With a past that others could never conjure up in a million years and a devil may care attitude on his life and future, Zsadist appears to be the Brother for whom everyone seemed to believe redemption doesn’t exist.

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…

When I listened to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series for the first time, Zsadist’s story was the one that I couldn’t listen to all the way through. There was just so much going on that I simply couldn’t stomach it. It wasn’t until I was listening to the series the second way through that I was able to listen through the book all the way through and I was glad that I did.
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Literary Review: Lover Eternal (Book 2) by J R Ward

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Title: Lover Eternal
Author: J R Ward
Series: Book Two
Format: Audiobook

The one thing I enjoy about the series – even though this is just the second book – is that you get a quick recap / cut to the chase with what happened in the previous book. Also, if the first book was used to introduce the mythology and background to the reader then the second book onwards lays the ground work for future books in the series for ever as long as needed. The relationship between the hero and heroine was a fairly cookie cut two people meet and eventually fall in love this particular book the hero worked hard to win over the heroine.

Available summary:

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He’s the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover—for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage’s protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. Her faith in miracles was lost years ago. 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…

After a book that had quite a bit of action, this particular book was fairly low key in comparison. Sure there were a couple of action sequences here and there, but it focused more on the couple and their budding relationship as well as filling out some of the other characters in preparation of future books. Here you start to see the seeds of characters like John Matthew, Tohrment and Wellsie, Bella, Zsadist and Phury just being planted and nurtured for the future. This book also delves a bit more into the Lessening Society and the Lessers moving back and forth between the two societies. If anything, even though the primary story is between Rhage and Mary Luce it wasn’t the only storyline that was given special treatment here.

Rhage’s background and story can be found in more detail at Book Thingo’s Cheat Sheet below.
Book Thingo: Black Dagger Brotherhood Cheat Sheet Part 2
– Black Dagger Brotherhood: Rhage, son of Tohrture
– Reproduction and the Needing
– Tohrture

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Literary Review: Lover Avenged (Book 7) by J R Ward

Note: I actually listened to all the books in the series straight through and will be re-listening to them in order in another week or two. Since I didn’t review all the books from the beginning, a lot of these will be out of order but eventually I will get to all of them.

Title: Lover Avenged
Author: J R Ward
Series: Book Seven
Format: Audiobook

Rehvenge was slowly gaining steam in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series as more than just a passing mention. Even though we’ve had glimpses of him in the first two books (Dark Lover and Lover Eternal) we didn’t really know how he is connected to the Brotherhood if at all until Book Three: Lover Awakened. Since then we’ve learned the following
– owner of the club ZeroSum a regular hunting ground of the Brotherhood
– major drug supplier in the Caldwell area
– brother of Bella shellan (wife) of the Brother Zsadist
– lover of the Symphath princess

As of the end of Lover Enshrined, Rehvenge was also tapped to be the “Princeps Leahdyre” the leader of the council run by the aristocrats of the vampire society… similar to the “House of Lords” in Britain. Even though we know bits and pieces of the kind of front that Rehvenge presents to the world we don’t really know him as a person except from heresay (Xhex and Bella) so he appears to have a kind of dichotomy surrounding him.

In fact, Lassiter the fallen angel describes him best:

The righteous do not always right, but their souls remain pure.

Available summary:

Now, as the vampire warriors defend their race against their slayers, one male’s loyalty to the Brotherhood will be tested – and his dangerous mixed blood revealed.

Caldwell, NY, has long been the battleground for the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It’s also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and notorious nightclub that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he’s approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King, and leader of the Brotherhood. Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a member. Because he’s a sympath, his identity is a deadly secret- the revelation of which will result in his banishment to a colony for sociopaths. And as plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll against Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in a darkening world – Elhena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him – and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

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