#1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward’s ferociously inventive series continues as the most fearsome member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood discovers just how tempting the night can be… by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society.
Bella is instantly entranced by the Brother’s seething power. Except even as their desire for each other begins to overtake them, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against her abductor drives him to the brink of madness. Now Bella must help her lover not only overcome the wounds of his tortured past, but find a future with her…
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4.5 Stars
Zsadist and Bella’s story was so good! I’m crazy about The Black Dagger Brotherhood universe. The world building is extraordinary. Zsadist is a fascinating character and I enjoyed getting a deeper look into his past and why he’s the way he is. He’s been through hell. Horrific abuse and yet there’s still a part of his humanity intact inside him. Bella brings that side out him. She’s a fantastic and kickass heroine. The perfect match for Zsadist. She brought the man out of him and those scenes were beautiful cause they showed that he was still in there despite him thinking the opposite.
A lot happened in Lover Awakened and some I didn’t see coming. It bodes well for the next several books. More layers are peeled off of the other characters and I can’t wait for their books.
J.R. Ward does an amazing job expanding this dark and gritty world. I have no idea where the overall story goes next and I like that. I’m a fan of this strong and loyal Brotherhood and am ready for more.
4.5 Nalla Stars
In the third Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Bella has survived mental and physical torture for the past six weeks at the hands of a lesser. When the brotherhood finally rescues her, she’s lost and confused, and only feels safe around Zsadist, the vampire warrior whom she’s dreamed about for so long.
Zsadist is the most tormented of the brothers. After a century of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as a blood slave, he believes himself to be unworthy and dirty. He doesn’t trust easily. He’s loyal to the brotherhood, but he’s not friends with any of the brothers. He’s cruel, rude, and able to kill without blinking an eye. Until Bella.
Z’s twin, Phury, is racked with guilt. He’s constantly worrying about his brother, and he’s so stressed he’s turned to drugs to help him level out. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Z, even give up Bella, the woman he cares about.
This is an amazing story, and I can see why it’s a fan favorite. I cried a few times. Bella and Zsadist are wonderful, broken characters. Z keeps his pain bottled up inside. He only feels anger and hatred, no other emotions. Bella breaks through his walls and forces him to grow as a person and find his humanity. It was beautiful and heart wrenching.
In the previous two books, I couldn’t relate to the brothers as a whole. In this book, I finally saw them as a family unit and realized how deep their emotions are for one another.
Several different plot lines run alongside the main romance, which feature: Butch, John, Phury, Rehvenge, and Mr. O (the villain). Butch and Marissa’s story is up next. I’m a big Butch fan, but I’m not so crazy about Marissa.
I knew it was coming (I’ve researched this series before reading it), but I was shocked with how Tohr lost Wellsie. The aftermath and Tohr’s breakdown will surely be hard to read in later books.
I didn’t like Bella’s brother, Rehvenge. He’s a drug-dealing pimp who traffics women and drugs through his nightclub, and he wants to keep Bella under house arrest to protect her. I don’t mind overprotective brothers, but I don’t like double standards, especially those that are so extreme. After all, those “whores,” as Rehv calls them, are somebody else’s daughter and possible sister. Hopefully, he’ll find a way to redeem himself.
There are some unusual word choices and phrases. For example: the word “boot,” as in shoe, is never used. Instead, it’s “shitkicker.” I can see the warriors using that because they sometimes talk like gangstas, but vampire civilians and humans use it, too, so it feels awkward to me.
Anyway, I absolutely loved this story. It’s my favorite so far in the series.
5 Stars
Love the black dagger Brotherhood books
For a full review please visit https://tinyurl.com/y2md82v2.
JR Ward’s Brotherhood series was my guilty pleasure for years.
I’m pretty sure that this is my favorite (admittedly I’ve only listened to the first 11 so far) book of the series. I don’t know if it’s because Zsadist has been intriguing from the beginning or the fact that Bella could sense something in him that even the Brotherhood couldn’t. The back story and the continued development of the other characters are also fantastic in this one.
The epilogue too – it’s just perfection.
I still have the same complaints about Jim Frangione’s narration that I’ve had, he’s more of an animated reader than a true performer that I’ve come to expect from truly engaging narrators. He is, however, *the* voice of the books and at this point I can’t imagine anyone else narrating.
The BDB series is my annual read series. J.R. Ward’s world building skills, character arcs, and witty banter are so tantalizing that this reader just wants to live in this world. If you are looking for a fantastic series to read—the audiobooks are fabulous too—to fall into, I highly recommend the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series! This particular book is book three in the series: Zsadist & Bella are the main characters in this tale. I ‘ship’ them so hard!
I love the BDB series. Whenever one is listed as a pre-order I re-read the entire series. I was never a “vampire” book or movie enthusiast but the dialogue in JR Ward’s books are great. I love the banter between the “brothers”!
This was such an emotional story. This was Zsadist’s backstory. My heart was breaking for what happened to him.This story explains why Zsadist reacts the way he did to the people around him and why he was so emotionally distant. I was so glad he let Bella into his life. There are a few twists and turns in this story, especially at the end. We find out more about John Matthew, Rhevenge, Bella’s brother and a death I did not see coming. I look forward to the next book in this series.
4.5 Stars
“Lover Awakened” was so much more than I was expecting. God I loved it so much. This book packs on the emotions. I read it in two days and I didn’t want to put it down. I was hanging on to every word. It was crazy and INTENSE and so freaking amazing. It repeatedly broke my heart but it was so worth it. I loved reading this story. Zsadist and Bella consumed me. I never wanted to let them go. Zsadist took me by surprise y’all. I was expecting this dark alpha asshole but he wasn’t . He is such a deep character and my heart bleeds for him in the book. He is an asshole don’t get me wrong but he is so much more. Bella goes through so freaking much in the book. She is so strong and such a fighter. I loved her. I love that she knows how she feels and stands by her emotions. Along with Zsadist and Bella’s relationship the relationship between Zsadist and Phury is a big part in this book. I loved getting to see their relationship. This book was wonderful. It will have you all up in your feels. Zsadist and Bella are incredible and their story is one you can not miss. I really enjoyed the extra POV’s we got and I am so excited to continue on with this series.
One of my absolute faves by J R Ward!
Such an amazing story!! Love this series!!
Strong entry in the series. Does not to be read in order – but it helps. One of my top-two favorite authors. No one builds characters with such insightful nuances. Author is auto-buy for me. Characters are so life-like it’s easy to imagine them living on even after the books are finished.
I R Ward never disappoints
Love, love, love this series! Highly recommend!
A former blood slave, Zsadist, still bears the scars of his past. He is hostile, dangerous, and feared by both humans and vampires. The only one not scared is Bella, an aristocrat. Bella is instantly entranced by the scarred warrior Zsadist. When she is kidnapped by the lessers she knows he will save her, she just has to survive.
Zsadist and Bella are probably my favorite couple from this series. Z helps Bella work through the trauma of her captivity and she does the same for him. She makes him live again and changes his outlooks so he wants to be a better person, not just a killing machine. I loved watching Z fall in love and deal with his past. It was so emotional and heartbreaking. I can’t get enough of these two and am glad they will be in future books.
“I was dead until you found me, though I breathed. I was sightless, though I could see. And then you came…and I was awakened.”
Major changes also happen within the Brotherhood in this book. We have Tor missing, Phury is struggling with his addiction and feelings, something is going on with V, and we know there is going to be something big happen to Butch in the future. That was very vague but I didn’t want to spoil anything for new readers so just expect a lot to happen.
I can’t wait to reread the next book because, as I said in my review for Dark Lover, it’s been 6 years and I don’t really remember much.
Z is not the most likable character but his story grew on me as it progressed. As usual, lots of action, suspense and on top of all, rather sweet ending.
I love how JR builds her characters and lays out the storyline I keep notifications on my calendar to look for her next books on my calendar. Her books can have you laughing hysterically one moment and crying the next. I like she creates so much action in her stories as well.
I loved reading this series! You will not be disappointed!
I loved this book the first time I read it. I started reading the BDB series several years back, and have read every book JR Ward has written. I love all of her series. She is an amazing author, and I always look forward to her books.