Lover Awakened by JR Ward

Editorial Reviews
From BooklistDeeply scarred without and within, vampire warrior Zsadist believes that he is unworthy of either compassion or true love. One night a glimmer of hope crosses his path, embodied in the young civilian Bella; yet, true to form, he pushes her away. But when the enemy of their race kidnaps Bella, Zsadist can't rest until he finds her, and once he does, he faces his biggest threat to date as fate grants him one last chance at peace. Ward spins her take on Beauty and the Beast into a raw, gritty tour de force, creating an array of ugliness and beauty, pain and pleasure in a tale that sparks enough plot stunners to keep readers fascinated for years to come. Not for the faint of heart--strong sexuality and stronger language rule here--this genre-bending third novel in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, following Lover Eternal (2006), is a perfect fit for those who like fast-paced urban fantasy rich in both fury and poignancy. Nina DavisCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Terri's Thoughts:

This is the third in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and has been a big favorite at my book group. It has become my favorite as well. They aren't light reads, like say Mary Janice Davidson or Janet Evanovich, but they go just as fast because you simply don't want to put it down. The Brothers are a compelling lot.

Zsadist story held the least interest for me when I initially heard about it. In the previous two books, he was characterized as an animal. A woman killer. Dangerous to everyone he was in contact with. By the end of the second book, I started to feel differently. There was a story there. An important story worth telling. And I've always had a burning desire to find out why people do the things they do. Especially why "evil" people do the things they do. And I saw Zsadist as evil. How the worm had turned. And how talented JR Ward is for creating a character I hated into the most sensitve and beautiful.

As I read a series, some authors have a turn of phrase that get annoying as they are over-used and I have a feeling that could start to happen for me here if I'm not careful. The use of language is a huge thing for me. With Ward I think it's less the common use of phrase rather then her voice she uses in this world. Sometimes that voice is odd for me. The forced urban music references, "shitkickers", and the tough guy speak is just a nitpicky thing for me and the only thing I can find that I don't like about the series. Which amounts to nothing!

I love this series and look forward to future books. Butch's story is next, which I wasn't expecting but I've yet to be disappointed. The Brothers interest me the most, but they are alluding to Butch becoming more then Vishous' roomie. I like seeing how Butch has evolved, but I enjoyed him the best in the first book, Dark Lover. Wrath is still my favorite Brother, but I'm curious about Vishous and Torment. We have a lot to look forward to with the Brotherhood.