#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…
more
Love all of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books! The world building is amazing and you come to care for each of these Brothers. Tormented but brave and honorable towards each other and their mates.
Still one of my favorites
This is definitely my favorite book of the BDB series. Zsadist and Bella, together, perfect. Just… perfect. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved this book. The ultimate tortured warrior. Just awesome!
love this book
I love this whole series and this book kept me turning the pages. Very good
Anything by J.R. Ward is very readable
Love that series!!
The best.
Love this series
Great. The whole series is worth reading more than once.
Jr ward never disappoints
Oh Zsadist…so broken. I loved this story. I love the fact that finding your soul mate can truly heal a person (or vampire ha ha) We also get to see a little more about John Matthew, which I enjoyed. The sad moments though…I’m not sure how to move past what happened. (keeping trap shut for those reading this who haven’t read the book) I hope there is a healing to be found there as well. I would love for Butch to have given Marissa more of a chance to talk, so I’m hopeful for that in the next book. OH, and I just love a shocker like was revealed when we found out who Bella’s brother was. Yes, excellent installment, every element of this book is designed to keep you engaged and involved in the story.
Best Vampire Series EVER!
If you like JR Ward, you will not be disappointed. This story is just like her others and finally wrapped up some lines a little too easily, it felt formulated. But yes, I still read it and was glad I did. It was not a waste of time.
I just cannot get enough of these characters. Great book all around. It has it all.
Loved the books in this series.
Great series.
I love the black dagger series. Fascinating and very humorous at times! Always a twist!
Third in the paranormal romance series, Black Dagger Brotherhood, which is located in the state of New York.
In 2007, Lover Awakened won the All About Romance (AAR) Annual Reader Poll for Best Romance of the Year AND Best Paranormal AND Most Tortured Hero AND Strongest Heroine AND Best Villain AND Most-Hanky Read; in 2006, it won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Vampire Romance.
My Take
I do so enjoy the dialog between the brothers, which Ward creates. There is such a street, male feel to it. I guess that one of the more surprising [and attractive] aspects of this series is Ward’s portrayal of these hard, fighting-mad men with such tender and caring natures — a real treat to read.
One of the subplots involve Mr. O’s maddened pursuit of Bella which results in total tragedy for one of the brothers…I kept hoping the Scribe Virgin would show up and do a rewind… Then there’s young John — what he learns of his bloodline, how he copes with a particularly bad past trauma, and the future to which he can look forward.
We learn more about the vampire culture, specifically, the needing experienced by its women and its effect on the men.
The Story
It’s six weeks since Bella was kidnapped by the Lessening Society and, while all hope for her survival is gone, the Brotherhood, particularly Zsadist, is still actively searching for her.
The Characters
The Black Dagger Brotherhood is…
…composed of a small group of handsome, extremely well-developed, black leather-wearing vampires lethal with fighting skills and, I think, there must be a height requirement of at least 6’4″-plus. Wrath, the Blind King, is the vampire king mated to Beth, Darius’ half-human and half-vampire daughter. Rhage, aka “Hollywood” for how incredibly beautiful he is, is mated to Mary, a human granted a long life span by the Scribe Virgin. Vishous gets visions and has a very lethal, tattooed right hand, which he keeps safe in a glove.
Phury is known for his gorgeous hair and vow of celibacy who is addicted to a street drug known as red smoke and, along with Butch, indulges himself in a love for designer clothes. Zsadist is his twin whom Phury rescued from being a blood and sex slave over a hundred years ago. Zsadist is feared even amongst the brothers for his sadistic approach to all, but especially toward women. Z’s cruelty is particularly aimed at himself. Tohrment alone does not live on the estate and is happily married to Wellsie who is pregnant. Tohr and Wellsie have taken in John Matthew, a vampire orphan found on the streets in Lover Eternal , 2.
Butch O’Neal is a human and former homicide cop who fell in with the Brotherhood and lives with V in the Pit on the estate. He’s also deeply in love with Marissa who wants nothing to do with him. Fritz is the doggen or human servant for the Brotherhood and handles all the housekeeping, cooking, and other daylight-required chores for them.
Marissa is Wrath’s former mate and Havers’ sister. Havers is a medical doctor (as well as a vampire) researching constantly as he cares for the medical needs of the vampire community. Bella, like Marissa, is a member of vampire aristocracy with its own rules and expectations of behavior. Bella moved out of her family home and became Mary’s neighbor which exposed her to the attention of the lesser resulting in her kidnapping ( Lover Eternal ). Rehvenge (not a brother) is Bella’s brother with deadly secrets.
The Lessening Society is…
…a group of humans who have given up their souls to the Omega, a godlike being from another plane of existence, in order to destroy all vampires. Each member, each lesser , gives up their full name being known only by the first initial of their last names and is supported by the Society for the rest of their almost-immortal lives. This installment’s primary lessers are Mr. X, the Fore-Lesser or leader of this band of lessers, Mr. O, a psychopathic nutjob who kidnapped Bella for his own desires, and Mr. U, Mr. O’s partner.
A new species crops up as well — a symphath , a.k.a., sin-eater, a species which feeds on feelings and can read your mind. Usually, symphaths are either killed or run out of town when they’re discovered.
The Cover
The metallic-sheen on the cover is consistent with the two earlier ones: one of dreamy romance with two heads in a romantic entwining.
I enjoy all of her novels
Big fan of JR Ward and this was another great book in the series! Keep ’em coming!!