Review–Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood #2) by J.R. Ward

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetite. 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. When Mary Luce is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world, she must rely on Rhage's protection. Knowing that Mary feels the same intense animal attraction, Rhage must make her his alone...

My Review:

Before I had ever heard of this book series, I first stumbled upon the Black Dagger Brotherhood Role Players on Twitter. I was all excited to learn more about this series, but when I found out the author did not allow fan fiction, I resisted reading it because I think that is so limiting in the fan experience.

Nevertheless, I got a copy of the entire series from a friend - who wouldn't let me be in my resolve to stay away (LOL) and I found that Book 1 was a great introduction to the series. I loved the sexy, hot relationship between Wrath and Beth, and so did Michele.

See Michele’s review for Dark Lover here.

The real shocker from Book 1 – to me at least – was the pairing between the human, Butch, and the vampire, Marissa. I honestly thought she deserved better since Butch is a human and doesn’t compare in any which way to Wrath. In my opinion, Butch was a total downgrade, and for the love of the Scribe Virgin, the man didn’t even have a job. LOL

Book 2 – Lover Eternal – starts out with Butch enjoying the high life that hanging with the Brotherhood now affords him, finding no problem wearing designer labels and carrying more cash than an ATM. Though despite all this, Marissa refuses to see him. Smart girl – I heart her. But just when I was about to discard Butch entirely, we find out he’s been hitting the gym and has acquired a six pack. Hmm…no job, a complete moocher, but has a six pack? Okay, what the hey, I’ll give him a second chance LOL!

But I digress, Lover Eternal is about the relationship between Rhage and Mary. We learn that Rhage has been cursed by the Scribe Virgin and has a tattoo of a dragon-like beast on his back which comes to life whenever he feels rage, pain, or extreme arousal. The beast can’t discern between friend or foe, so it’s best to keep your distance from it in a fight.

Mary, a human who unfortunately has a life-threatening disease, finds her way into Rhage’s world and the warrior is never the same again. In order to get his girl, though,  Rhage must overcome several obstacles: gain control of his raging inner beast, battle several lessers, and defeat the most formidable foe in the book – Mary’s over the top insecurity issues.

I found Mary’s continued refusal of Rhage and insecurities a bit taxing, but I still enjoyed the book as there are always two types of characters I find irresistible in a book – an underdog and a bad boy. I can’t resist either, and luckily for me, J.R. Ward always has several storylines running at once and includes both of these types in Lover Eternal.

First, we meet the underdog - John Matthew, a young man in his 20’s who has no clue he’s about to transition into a vampire. He’s alone, lives in a bad neighborhood, and cannot speak. I found myself rooting for him, and hoping he’d get out of there before something happened to him. Towards the end of the book, we get a sense that his story is just beginning, and I can’t wait to see how things develop with him.

Then we get to the bad boy – Zsadist. Since book 1, he’s been brooding in the background, and I can’t help but be more than a little intrigued with him. We also meet Bella, a vampire who’s a friend and neighbor to Mary. Bella joins the Brothers in their mansion and is fascinated with Z and the many scars adorning his face. She wants to know more about him, and is inexplicably drawn to the warrior.

The Brothers warn Bella to stay away from Z, but the inner force driving her to him won’t listen to anyone. *fans self* The scenes between Bella and Z were so hot and heartbreaking, I was completely enthralled with this couple. At the end of the book, we are left with a cliffhanger as the lessers have taken Bella, and Z makes a vow to rescue her. I can’t wait to delve into Book 3 – Lover Awakened – and see what transpires between these two.

My favorite part of this book was when Bella has been taken and Z goes to her house to find some clues about where she could be. He stumbles on her diary and discovers Bella has been writing about him – though he has no clue what she’s saying as Z doesn’t know how to read *heart melts & sobs* He’s so broken – I can’t help but want to save him, too.

Zsadist's eyes lingered on her face, then drifted over her hair. He took another hunk out of the apple. "Phury likes you. I think he might even be attracted to you, which is a first, at
least since I've known him. He doesn't get distracted by females."

Funny, she hadn't gotten that vibe at all. Then again, she'd been focused on Zsadist. "I don't think Phury's—"

"He keeps watching you. While you're looking at me, he's staring at you. And it's not because he's worried about you. His eyes are on your body, female." Zsadist tilted his head to the side. "You know, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are the one who'll shake him out of his celibacy. Shit, you're beautiful enough, and he ain't dead."

She flushed. "Zsadist, you should know that I, ah, I find you—"

"Revolting, right? Kind of like a good car accident." He bit off some more apple. "I can understand the fascination, but you need to be taking those eyes elsewhere. Look at Phury from now on, we clear?"

"I want to look at you. I like to look at you."

His eyes narrowed. "No, you don't."

"Yes. I do."

"No one likes to look at me. Not even I do."

"You're not ugly, Zsadist."

He laughed, deliberately running a fingertip down his scar. "Now, there's a ringing endorsement. As well as a blatant fucking lie."

"I find you mesmerizing. I can't get you out of my mind. I want to be with you."

Zsadist frowned, falling still. "Be with me exactly how?"

"You know. Be with you." She blushed a brilliant red, but figured she had nothing to lose. "I want to… lay with you."

Zsadist backed up so fast he hit the bar. And as the liquor bottles rattled, she knew for certain the stories about him were false. This was no female-killer. If anything, he seemed petrified by the thought that she was sexually attracted to him.
She opened her mouth, but he cut her off.

"You stay away from me, female," he said, pitching the half-eaten apple into the trash. "If you don't, there's no telling what I might do to defend myself."

"From what? I'm no threat to you."

"No, but I can goddamn guarantee I'm hazardous to your health. There's a very good reason why people stay away from me." He walked out of the room.

Bella looked at the all the people around the pool table. Everyone was focused on the game. Which was perfect. She didn't want any of them to talk her out of what she was about to do.

[…] Bella follows Z to his room.

Bella was yanked inside by the arm.

The door slammed shut and the room plunged into total darkness. Quick as a gasp, she was spun around and pushed face-first into the wall. Candles flared.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

She tried to catch her breath, but with Zsadist's forearm pressed into the middle of her back, she couldn't squeeze much air into her lungs.

"I, ah, I… thought we could talk."

"Really. Is that what you want to do up here? Talk."

"Yes, I thought—"

His hand clamped on the back of her neck. "I don't talk with females who are dumb enough to come after me. But I'll show you what I am willing to do to them."

His put a thick arm around her stomach, popped her hips out from the wall, and pushed her head down. Off balance, she braced herself by holding on to a piece of molding.

His arousal came against her core. Breath exploded out of her lungs. As heat licked between her legs, his chest brushed her back. He pulled her blouse out from her skirt and slipped his hand onto her belly, spanning it with his long fingers and
wide palm.

"A female like you should be with another aristocrat. Or are the scars and the reputation part of my appeal?" When she didn't answer, because she was breathless, he muttered,
"Yeah, of course that's it."

In one swift movement he shoved her bra up and captured her breast. Caught in an onslaught of raw lust, she hissed and jerked. He laughed a little.

"Too fast?" He took her nipple between his fingers and rolled it, pleasure and pain combining. She cried out. "This too rough for you? I'll try to control myself better, but, you know, I'm a savage. Which is why you want this, right?"

* * * * *

Want to Further Your Fan Experience?

If you’re a fan of this series, I invite you to follow these amazing BDB Role Players on Twitter – they bring the Black Dagger Brotherhood world to life and will help you through the wait for the new book to be released. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Here is a list of their twitter accounts – follow your favorite BDB Brother, or all of the characters for an experience you won’t soon forget!

They occasionally hold events where all of the characters participate. Join in the fun today!

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