Tag Archives: Elizabeth Randall

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 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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Literary Review: Dark Lover (Book 1) by J R Ward

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Title: Dark Lover
Author: J R Ward
Series: Book One
Format: Audiobook

So, I have been listening to another paranormal romance novel, well series really… in this case it is the start of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J R Ward. Currently in its 10th novel / 11th book, it was introduced to me by a friend of mine not long ago due to our love of paranormal romance / fantasy.

Since traditional romance novels tend to be very stale and bland for me nowadays I was needing something with a little bit of spice. Did I ever… with a well thought out mythology and background this series had so much that I could totally sink my teeth into (pun totally intended). The first six books in the series revolves around the six “Brothers” of a race of vampires, whose primary goal is to protect their race from prying eyes and extinction.

The first book in the series focuses on the point of view of Wrath, the leader of the “Brothers” and the reluctant king. He has long ignored his birthright in favor of being a warrior and had always felt comfortable in that role. Also nicknamed “The Blind King”, Wrath is a male vampire completely ill at ease with his birthright and has a lot of male pride.

When his friend’s (Darius) death wish was for Wrath to watch over Darius’ half-breed daughter Beth and ease her into the possible transition of becoming a vampire, Wrath does so reluctantly only for the wheels to turn him towards his destiny. Then again Beth was very reluctant when it came to Wrath:

Perfect date material. A vampire with the social equivalent of road rage.

Available Summary:

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 purebred 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 must 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 could go on and on about the series and the mythology, but why repeat through the motions when others have already done so. You could find the links at my “Literary” page under “Entertainment“. I would suggest going to Book Thingo where they have actually supplied details about each of the individual books in the series as well as extra information from the rest of the series:

Book Thingo: Black Dagger Brotherhood Cheat Sheet Part 1
– The Scribe Virgin and her single act of creation
– What is the Black Dagger Brotherhood?
– Black Dagger Brotherhood: Wrath, son of Wrath
– Class Structure and Civil Unrest
– Wrath the Fair

There are nine Cheat Sheets at the moment, one for each novel in the series (minus the Dossier). What was really nice about the cheat sheets is that they tend to follow the series in order for the most part. Giving the reader a chance to follow along and understand the absolute necessary pieces from each Cheat Sheet and building them as you read through the series.

Since the cheat sheets do a really good job of not only talking about the individual novels but the storylines of the primary characters throughout the series… the most I’ll do is introduce my own thoughts and opinions of the book in question:

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