Lover Avenged

Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward is the latest in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. From the back cover.~

J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood novels have introduced readers to a "different, creative, dark, violent, and flat-out amazing"*(All About Romance) world. Now, as the vampire warriors defend their race against their slayers, one male's loyalty to the Brotherhood will be tested-and his dangerous mixed blood revealed.

Caldwell, New York, has long been the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It's also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and owner of a notorious nightclub that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he's approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King and leader of the Brotherhood.

Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a member. Because he's a symphath, his identity is a deadly secret-the revelation of which could result in his banishment to a colony for sociopaths. As plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll on Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in his darkening world-Ehlena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him-and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

I loved Lover Avenged! I felt that Lover Enshrined, the last book released in the BDB series didn't follow the same story telling as other books in the series. With Lover Avenged, the WARDen went back to her old style of writing and kicked butt with Rehvenge's story.

Rehvenge is half vampire, half symphath. Having any symphath in him could cause him to be banished to the symphath colony in the North. Rehvenge has learned to battle back his symphath side by taking medicine. He must go to Haver's clinic to stock up on his Dopamine and this is where he meets Ehlena. Ehlena and Rehvenge are both attracted to each other from the first, only Rehvenge feels he must always hide part of himself. Rehv is being blackmailed by the Princess of the symphath colony. Rehv has also been asked to kill Wrath by someone who, unknown to Rehv, also knows that he is part symphath.

There are so many secondary story lines in Lover Avenged. Wrath is having more trouble with his sight, John Matthew is very angry with Xhex, one of Rehv's guards, yet very attracted to her, the continued battle with The Lessening Society, and Tohr is finally deciding to live again. The WARDen gives die-hard BDB fans more interaction between the Brothers. The main story always goes back to Rehv and his choices, and his romance with Ehlena. Rehv actually is mostly vampire when he is with Ehlena. Ehlena is quickly falling for Rehv, without knowing all the facts about him. She must decide if she can love the whole man that is Rehv and if she can accept him for everything he is.

The WARDen gives the reader a wonderful action-packed romance filled with twist and turns that I didn't always see coming in Lover Avenged. She has promised the next BDB book will be John Matthew's and Xhex's story, which will be called Lover Mine. It will not be released until next year, but the WARDen is starting a new series, Novel Of The Fallen Angels. Covet will be the first book in that series and will be released in October of this year.