I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Lover Avenged
by
J.R. Ward
paranormal romance in Hardcover edition on April 28, 2009 and has 527 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, Covet, Crave, Lover Revealed, Lover Unbound, Lover Enshrined, Lover Mine, Lover Unleashed, Envy, An Irresistible Bachelor, Leaping Hearts, His Comfort and Joy, Lover Reborn, Rapture, Lover at Last, Possession, The King, The Shadows, The Bourbon Kings, Blood Kiss, The Beast, Blood Vow, The Chosen, Blood Fury, “Dearest Ivie”, The Thief, "The Reception", "The Rehearsal Dinner", Consumed, The Savior, Blood Truth, Where Winter Finds You, The Sinner, A Warm Heart in Winter, Claimed, The Wolf
Seventh in the paranormal-romance series, the Black Dagger Brotherhood is set in contemporary Caldwell, New York. Marie-Terese (one of the characters of major interest in Covet, the first book in the Fallen Angel series) is still working at ZeroSum.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood series revolves around battles between the Lessening Society and vampires with the vamps’ battles fought by their warriors, the Black Dagger Brotherhood, so named for the black daggers they use to complete the death of a lesser.
My Take
This particular story revolves around Rehvenge and Ehlena’s romance with a lot less action focused on the brothers.
The interaction between Rehvenge and Ehlena at the clinic rings partly true, but Ward doesn’t quite pull it off. I wanted to believe that she was attracted so, subconsciously, I let it slide but Ward just doesn’t get the passionate interest flowing here on either side although Rehvenge is written as being more interested than Ehlena.
While the level of passion is not as high as in earlier novels, it’s still a good read which I found difficult to put down. Ward does an interesting job of blending vampire society with the real world through the bars while keeping them separate everywhere else. The money troubles experienced by the lesser is interesting. Just a short time before, they don’t seem to have any problems and now they suddenly do. I’d like to understand more about this. Where was the money coming from before and how/why did it suddenly change?
And, of course, I do just love the dialogue she creates among the brothers.
The Story
A power-hungry glymera, Montrag, plots with Rehvenge to assassinate Wrath. Little does Montrag begin to fathom loyalty to friends or family, not with his and his father’s history of betrayal.
Wrath, however, is making it easy to come at him. Despite vampire law now that he is king, Wrath is sneaking out and fighting lesser on his own, forcing Butch and Vishous to keep his secret although it does come to a head with near-fatal results for Wrath when Beth finds out.
We meet Ehlena just as she’s heading out to work at Havers’ clinic. Formerly of the glymera, she and her father have fallen on very hard times with Ehlena struggling to earn enough money to care for her father who has descended into a schizophrenic state. It’s through her work at the clinic that Ehlena meets Rehvenge.
Ehlena and Rehvenge’s romance is cyclically rocky: hesitant and unwanted to bliss, betrayed to desired. Ehlena is so pure and good while Rehvenge wants to be good, good enough to deserve Ehlena.
John Matthew is still obsessed with Xhex even when he discovers her huge secret. Obsessed that is until she throws down on him with gratitude. Between Tohr and Xhex, John goes on the downside of that emotion rollercoaster and throws himself into a young brother’s lifestyle.
Lash, of course, is finding that being the all-powerful leader of the lessers requires more than simply being a leader in name and does find a uniquely perfect, for him, way to bring his new troops back as a major threat.
It’s a rocky path they all tread between the law regarding symphaths, the sacrifices made, and the losses incurred due to the lessers and Lash while the upheaval in the usual order of things continues with Phury and Wrath.
The Cover
No kidding! It truly is Lover Avenged in terms of Rehvenge’s mother being avenged in the past, Ehlena avenging her lover through rescue and love, Wrath receiving unqualified support from Beth, Xhex working a secondhand vengeance for Murhder, and a backhanded sort of retaliation for Ehlena when Rehvenge, through Xhex, unknowingly rescues Ehlena.
