Book Review
Title: Lover Awakened (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #3)
Author: J. R. Ward
Genre: Paranormal/Romance
Rating: *****
Review: After finishing Lover Eternal we got hints of the next story being Zsadist’s and I was correct and I couldn’t wait to jump into it as we have seen so many facets to this man already and I can’t wait to delve deeper into his personality, history, and eventual relationship with Bella. In the opening section of the novel, we learn that it has been several weeks since Bella has been taken and most have written her off as dead including her own family but Zsadist is still looking for her even though he knows that she is most likely dead because he can’t give up on her. Zsadist is confused by a lot of his feeling towards Bella as the last woman who truly wanted him was the woman who made him her pleasure slave so he doesn’t associate those feelings with anything good which explains his reactions towards the end of Lover Eternal. However, we know that Bella is still alive and being held captive by the lessers but she is beginning to develop almost Stockholm Syndrome like feelings towards Mr. O but she still believes that Zsadist might rescue her until another prisoner informs her that he attended her funeral which shatters any hope she has of being rescued even though Zsadist is still fighting for her. We also see in this opening sequence that both Zsadist and Phury have feelings for Bella which might cause some tension between the twins but I am sure that Bella will always pick Zsadist as she never felt anything towards Phury in the previous novel.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we soon begin to get the truth behind Zsadist’s behaviour and it was horrid even the tamer parts included Zsadist being used as a sex and blood slave immediately after his transition when he wasn’t really aware of what he was. Things really start to pick up when Bella helps another vampire escape and he goes to the Brotherhood telling them that Bella is alive and where to find her. As soon as the sun goes down the Brothers storm the facility with Zsadist taking the lead where they rescue Bella and unknowingly pass Mr. O as Zsadist drives her back to the mansion. There we see that Zsadist refuses to let anyone touch Bella or look at her while Havers in working on her and even then, it takes all of his control not to lash out at the doctor. While the other brothers are a little confused and worried by Zsadist’s behaviour, Phury understands it perfectly as he feels the exact same way and it makes sense given that they are twins that they would both want the same female. However, we know that a vampire male can have more than one woman but it would be a death sentence to put two vampire males together as they would just fight no matter the relation and we see Phury struggling with this and it is possibly going to come out later on in the novel. We also see Zsadist being confused and scared by his physical attraction to Bella as he doesn’t know how to deal with it but he puts it to the side in order to take care of her. Also, during this time Tohr brings John to meet Wrath and when Beth steps into the room, the boy have a seizure as he seems to remember something about Beth but not completely. At this point I am 100% sure that John in Beth’s reincarnated father and he does try to explain the protective feeling he has for Beth but the brothers shrug it off and send him to Havers so they can get a read on his bloodline as he still has around 2 years before he makes the transition but I have a feeling it might happen sooner than the brothers think. We also see tensions building with the lessers as Mr. X is furious as he believes Mr. O burnt down their facility when it was in fact the Brotherhood and he now faces either death or torture from the Omega and Mr. O wants neither as he doesn’t really believe in the society anymore, the only reason he was staying was because of Bella.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, we see two things happen in quick succession, Bella wakes up unable to see and mistakes Zsadist for Mr. O and lashes out leading the other brothers to believe Zsadist did something to her and she is given over to Phury who wants her just as badly as his twin. However, at some point during the day Bella returns to Zsadist room because she feels safe with him and falls asleep at his side. We also Mr. O replace Mr. X as the fore-lesser meaning he is now in charge but he doesn’t care for the society at all, the only thing on his mind now is getting Bella back and killing the vampire who took her from him which is going to lead to some interesting conflicts. When Phury discovers Bella missing he immediately checks Zsadist room to find them cuddled together and he knows he doesn’t stand a chance with Bella no matter how much he wants her as she will never want him the same way she wants Zsadist. However, they have their first conflict when Bella asks to feed from Zsadist and he freaks out bringing Phury in instead but Bella won’t feed from him. Phury confronts his brother and explains that she only wants him and he needs to do this for her as she won’t feed from anyone else despite his history. Eventually Bella manages to get Zsadist back into the bedroom but there is no telling what is going to happen especially since Zsadist has some pretty horrifying memories of being used as a blood slave for a long time but I have a feeling it is going to be different with Bella as we can see his personality changing in subtler ways already.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Zsadist and Bella are trying to navigate their own issues but he does let Bella feed from him which is an interesting experience as he believes himself to be tainted but to Bella, he is the purest thing she has ever had the pleasure of feeding from. While they wait for the sun to go down so Zsadist can help Bella make the trip to her home, which I am worried about as Mr. O has been watching the place like a hawk we get the first intimate scene between the pair as Bella discusses things, she remembers about her time with Mr. O. When Bella kisses Zsadist and he doesn’t kiss back she thinks there is something wrong with her until he confesses that it was his first kiss and the pair begin to explore but slowly since Zsadist has complicated emotions with these sensations but he quickly realises it is very different with Bella. However, when she leans over him, he freaks out as the Mistress was always on top of him and he confesses this to Bella who understands and tries to get more information out of him but he isn’t ready to discuss it yet. Phury eventually explains a little of it and it just confirms Bella’s suspicions that Zsadist had been sexually abused in the past. When they make the trip to her home everything seems to be going well until the lessers watching the house attack but Zsadist fights them off and orders Butch to take Bella somewhere safe. We then switch briefly back to John who is told that he is of Darius’ line meaning Beth is his sister which would explain his actions towards her which surprises Tohr in a good way and he is watching over his friend’s son but Havers recommends that the boy goes to counselling but we don’t know why. John also starts his training and he is finding very difficult especially since the other boys learned he has a true warrior name unlike their which makes it even harder for him. We also see Rehvenge, Bella’s brother is coming to take her home which she doesn’t want as she knows her brother is going to try and lock her up essentially and he confirms this but there is something going on with him as well but I could guess what it is yet.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, we see more from Bella’s brother but it ties in with storyline as Marissa is apparently feeding from Rehvenge now and she still has feelings for Butch but that doesn’t explain why she won’t see him, there has to be something more going on there and I need to know what it is. Back with our main couple we get to see them in the bedroom properly for the first time but it turns out that Zsadist needs to be in pain in order to finish which disturbs both him and Bella. This leads to a scene between him and Phury where he explains why he has been trying to get Phury to be with Bella and he completely ignores the fact that he has bonded with her and Bella has too because neither believe the other is capable of it. Bella believes that Zsadist won’t bond with anyone let alone her and Zsadist doesn’t believe he is capable or worthy of bonding himself to another. However, Bella needing comes on then and every male vampire in the house is affected by it but both Wrath and Rhage have their own parents to turn to whereas Vishous and Phury don’t and when Zsadist goes to check on Bella and she asks him to leave because he is making it worse, his brother has to explain that the only way to lessen the effects of the needing is by finishing inside of Bella or drugging her but he doesn’t believe he is capable of being with someone that way. However, when Phury offers to go to Bella instead he freaks out because he has bonded with her and he admits that, in reality, Phury’s suggestion was just a way of getting his brother’s attention and making him see that he is the only one who can help Bella. When he returns to the bedroom, they pair do the deed and Zsadist is surprised when he has no issues finishing and even let’s Bella feed from him but then he does offer to drug her if she doesn’t want to continue but she does and we know she does. We are also aware that Rehvenge is heading their soon and Bella is only 5 hours into her 2 day long needing which might cause some issues but been as the pair are bonded, I don’t think there is anything Rehvenge can do. Mr. O on the other hand has been trying to track down Bella’s family and it seems he has done just that but when some lessers get arrested and he has to speak to the Omega for help with that it throws a wrench in his plans.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, the relationship between Bella and Zsadist is crumbling but he can’t accept the fact that Bella wants him and keeps trying to push her towards his brother which is only hurting all of them until Bella finally decides to leave meeting her brother at Haver’s place. Phury comes to her not long after that as he is planning to hunt and Bella offers herself to him which he accepts and Phury has the suspicion that Bella is pregnant. However, this is overshadowed when Wellsie and another young female vampire who had been crushing on John are captured by O. He ends up shooting Wellsie but she is alive when he rings Zsadist to arrange on final confrontation between them and he informs the Brotherhood of this and there is nothing they can do to stop him not even Wrath. In response to this Phury drugs Zsadist and alters his appearance to look like his brother even scarring his face in the same way so he can go to O in his brother’s place. By the time Zsadist comes around we learn that Wellsie has died along with the child she was carrying and Tohrment has vanished despite John needing him as John sees him as a father and Phury is long gone too. Zsadist races to find Bella as he knows his brother drank from her so she is the only way able to find him at the moment since her blood is running through his veins and Zsadist pleads for her help which she agrees to although she is still under the impression that Zsadist doesn’t want her.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, they find O and Phury and Phury is a bad way. Zsadist attempts to deal with O but he is seriously injured when Bella returns and manipulates O in coming to her where she shoots him in the head before driving a knife through the space his heart should be ending him once and for all before bundling both brothers into a truck and racing to get help for them before it is too late. As Phury and Zsadist are healing in Haver’s clinic we get to see a true heart to heart between the brothers finally putting the past behind them. Bella comes to visit as well in order to say goodbye and start fresh somewhere new and she and Zsadist part on good terms. In the two months Bella is gone Zsadist works on himself, finding a purpose in the training facility alongside his brother, feeding and eating properly and learning to read with Mary to make himself a better person. Bella returns however to speak with him where he confesses his love for her which she still has for him before telling him that he is going to be father before he promptly passes out. When he wakes up the whole Brotherhood congratulate him and even gives his brother a special role with the child which was beautiful to see. We also get an interesting scene where Vishous tricks Butch into drinking his blood and while this doesn’t make him a vampire, it makes him something more than human because Vishous saw Butch’s death which is something he couldn’t live with and this scene had all the gay energies about it. We then jump 20 months in the future where Bella has given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Nalla and get to see a scene of the family and how even the trainees are beginning to see Zsadist as more than the rumours about him because he is a much better person now than we encountered in the first 2 books and I love him for it and I hope we get to see more of Nalla in some later books.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Also see: Dark Lover
Comments