I'm having a really hard time thinking who is my favorite character.. Zsadist or Rehvenge.. and also which one of the books is my absolute favorite - this one or Lover Awakened. It's a close call and each day I might change my mind.. but anyhow both of them are excellent also when considering the side plots.
In the first books, Rhevenge is mainly portrayed as a "drug lord". We know he is the owner of "Zero Sum" a club in which there are gambling being made, whores and drugs to be bought. But we also started getting a little bit more from him in the previous book, when we see he "has a soul" so to speak. He is willing to stop selling drugs to Phury when Z asks him to, we know that though he is a tough brother to Bella he truly cares about her and in his eyes he is not only her big brother but somehow her father. Bella doesn't remember her father and what it was like growing up with him because thankfully he killed him after he beaten their mother one time too many.. (he was also harsh on Bella but she doesn't remember as it seems..). Rehv will do anything, anything at all, to keep his mother and sister safe and since he and his family has been through a lot he is quite obsessive and aggressive when it comes to them and also to his close friends - iAm, Trez and Xhex which are mostly "partners in crime" but also friends he values as his family.
In the previous book we also learnt that Xhex has done something years ago that "blew their cover" as half Symphaths so Rehv has to go every month to meet with the Symphath princess - paying her in rubies and sex. All the dirty money he makes in his business isn't only for keeping his mother and sister living the lifestyle they are used to, but mostly to pay off the princess...
Rehv meets Ehlena in Haver's clinic. He goes quite often to get prescriptions for his "anti-synphath" drugs - Dopamine. The Dopamine helps him suppress his Symphath side but it has it's side effect too which aren't that comfortable.. Ehlena is Rehv's favorite nurse. All the other nurses are afraid of him and doesn't interact with him well. Her, he likes. She is afraid of him in some level but she is also smart and sharp and he likes "tormenting" her a little. Their relationship changes a little when she sees he has an infection he isn't willing to treat and she is adamant that he WILL take care of it even going to the trouble of meeting him outside the clinic so he will take the pills he needs for them. From there on, both of them find they have a lot more in common in the way they feel about the world.
Ehlena used to belong to the Glymera. But her family has lost it's fortune and her father got mentally ill after his shellan died. Now, with the money she makes as a nurse she has to support him and herself. There isn't a lot, but she survives. She is a very strong person. Like Rehv, she will do what she needs to do to survive. She will do what she thinks is right in her mind. Well, she isn't into illegal businesses as Rehv is.. doesn't maim and kill anyone on a regular basis.. :P but she does have her morals and she is a good person that truly believes anyone deserves a chance, and deserves to be saved - yeah, like Revh does.. He lives for everyone else but himself.
I loved how their relationship progressed. How they came to love each other even if the both of them weren't ready to admit it. Loved their phone conversations and how they relate to each other. Ehlena is truly a perfect match for Rehv. He is no innocent, and he has his dark side, but with her, he is different, he want to be different and very shortly she becomes one of the few he cares about and will do anything and everything to protect.
I really loved this book. Loved Rehv and Ehlena, as a couple and each on her/his own. I loved that we got to see both the vulnerable side to Rehv and Ehlena towards one another but also the length they are willing to go to protect their family and each other. Rehv couldn't have being satisfied with a small sweet girl, he needs a woman that can take care of herself and of him. Someone with a back bone and even if she doesn't sound like this is who she is in the beginning when we get to know her, when things are getting rough, she shows her worth.
There are mostly had 4 side plots - JM/Xhex, Thor, Wrath and Lash (now being the Lessening Society's POV).
Lash I hate so I won't write anything about his POV besides he needs to be killed - pronto!!
John Matthew is dealing with a lot in this one. Since there aren't enough brothers, he, Quinn and Blay are fighting with the brotherhood against the Lessers. He is still obsessed with Xhex but there is a "fall off" between the two of them which together with how Thor returned (uninterested in life..) makes a huge change in him (for the worse..). It's really sad how his world is crumbling down around him. So this has been the most "down" he has been and the next book is of him and Xhex and as I remember he has quite a hard time before they get together...
We get to hear Xhex so we have her side of the story (towards JM but also her loyalty to Rehv). I think we get to see more volnurable sides to her. I loved reading of her and Ehlena. When you think about it - it's not the most obvious friendship, yet, Ehlena is more than meets the eye and Xhex isn't JUST a cold blooded killer.. She tries to appear this way, but she has a past that she tries to avoid and yet it's always there... We mostly get glimpses of things that she dealt with in the past, but nothing close to a whole story about her.
I loved hearing Thor and how he started taking care of himself. He doesn't only have to eat/drink, work out, and strengthen himself to get "back in business" he also have a lot of work with JM.. But he is still a brother and he is still an asset even if he's probably half the man (physically) that he used to be.
The final POV is of Wrath. V had a vision of Wrath and he is quite concerned that it will be coming soon - and he is right! Wrath has a lot to deal with in this book, him wanting to fight (while trying to keep it a secret), the prophecy, his relationship with Beth and also there is a political plot against him. When I started reading his POV I was actually reminded why I DIDN'T like him in the first book. Well, he IS the king and he can do whatever he wants.. but there is something annoying about the way he acts like he can do what he wants and get away with it. I don't really know how to explain it. But I really hope he won't be SUCH a douche in the last book - "The King".. There is a new character introduced through him - Payne. You can guess who she is if you think about things that the Scribe Virgin said in the previous two books..
There are A LOT going on in this book, I don't want to write about any of it.. I don't want to write what/where so I won't spoiler anything so I'll just leave it to that.
One last remark - Jim, the narrator is getting better and I'm starting to really like him. I wish there were differences between M/F but except for that he's doing a great job
Additional Details: Audiobook, 23:07 Hours, 6-13 April 2014 / On GoodReads
ABOUT THE MCs
Rehvenge
Brother-in-law
to Zsadist, half symphath, and when the series started, owner of a club
called ZeroSum. He is also a member of the vampire aristocracy and the
"Princeps Leahdyre" of its council. He hides the fact that he is half
symphath even from his own sister, Bella. His and Ehlena's story is told
in Lover Avenged (BDB #7).
Ehlena
Works
as a nurse at Haver's clinic until she's fired for giving Rehvenge
non-prescribed antibiotics. At first she keeps her distance from the
male, but soon his pursuit of her changes her mind. When he destroys his
life in Caldwell by exposing his history and occupation to her, it
disgusts her to the point that she leaves him. He then fakes his own
death and moves to the symphath colony. However, once she finds out that
her lover is still alive, she asks for help from Xhex and the
Brotherhood. Their story is told in Lover Avenged (BDB #7). Currently,
Ehlena works with Jane and the Brothers as their nurse and is Rehvenge's
shellan. ABOUT THIS SERIES
The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a Paranormal Romance by J. R. Ward.
This was actually the first PNR I've read. I've been a HUGE vampire fan
most of my life, but I used to read Fantasy and Urban Fantasy. When I
fell upon this series I've realized adding the romance "bit" is the best
thing ever!
This
series have been one of my most favorite for a long while. I really
liked the way Ward built the world of the Brotherhood and in general the
"Breed". They have been living besides humans but they are not a threat
as they feast from their mate (partner) and anyhow human blood isn't
potent enough for them. They mostly act human but as expected they have
special abilities and animalistic behaviors.
The
series follows the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a contingent of vampire
warriors in charge of protecting the "Breed" (Vampires) against their
mortal enemies the "Lessening Society" which are a group of ex-humans
transformed into soulless being with the sole purpose of harming the
vampire race. The head of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath, is also
the King of the race but he was trying to run away from his duties
leaving in his stead a group of vampire aristocrats called the Glymera.
My
main issue with this series comes from the longgggg novels with many
POVs and sub-plots. Sometimes it feels like everything is happening
while there is nothing to actually move the plot. I guess it's very
character driven and there is a lot of shenanigans between the
"Brothers" which makes this read a fun one. This is a series to anyone
looking for an action packed novel with tender romance and a lot of
"bro" attitude. In each book one of the brothers gets his own HEA. There
are interesting coupling, not what you'd expect (or the men themselves
expected) but each woman helps her Breed male find his own happiness as
they are all damages in their own way.
I've
been a huge fan of the series till the 13th novel - "The Shadows", it
has been a breaking point for me, because it was different (and many
reading complained about it) but also because I somehow felt I've had
enough. I still highly recommend this series, It's one of the best in
the genre IMO.
If
you love these kinds of series I'd also recommend "Midnight Breed" by
Lara Adrian. There is a few similarities (mainly in the first
books) bit it takes a totally different turn. I actually enjoy it a bit more than this one.
YEP, RECOMMENDED!
Books:
1. Dark Lover [Wrath & Beth] (published 6 September 2005) ★★★½
2. Lover Eternal [Rhage & Marry] (published 7 March 2006) ★★★★½
3. Lover Awakened [Zsadist & Bella] (published 5 September 2006) ★★★★★
4. Lover Revealed [Butch & Marissa] (published 6 Match 2007) ★★★★½
5. Lover Unbound [Vishous & Jane] (published 25 September 2007) ★★★★
6. Lover Enshrined [Phury & Cromia] (published 3 June 2008) ★★
--- An Insider's Guide (Including "Father Mine") (published 7 October 2008 ) ★★★★
6.5 Father Mine [Zsadist, Bella & Nalla] (published 7 October 2008) ★★★★★
7. Lover Avenged [Rehvenge & Ehlena] (published 28 April 2009) ★★★★★
8. Lover Mine [John Mathew & Xhex] (published 27 April 2010) ★★★★★
9. Lover Unleashed [Payne & Manny] (published 29 March 2011) ★★★★½
10. Lover Reborn [Thor & Autumn] (published 27 March 2012) ★
11. Lover At Last [Quinn & Blaylock] (published 26 March 2013) ★★★★½
12. The King [Wrath & Beth revisited] (published 1 April 2014) ★★★½
13. The Shadows [Trez & Selena / iAm & Maichen] (published 31 March 2015) ★★★
As I've mentioned there are more books published in this series but I've stopped after the 13th one.
No comments:
Post a Comment