Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward A few years back, when I read Dark Lover (the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series), I thought, this is a great book, I hope there will be more books about these characters. I couldnt begin to imagine or even hope that this series would be as epic in its scope as it has become. With Lover Avenged, J.R. Ward continues to prove why she has legions of fans that not only spend a great deal of time debating the fate and fortune of each of her characters, but clamor and wait with bated breath for each new installment in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. As Ive said before, the world Ms. Ward has created is rich, layered, inventive and complex. It is filled with characters that have finely crafted gradations of qualities and personas that reveal and unveil nuances which are not only specific to their individual stories but also contribute to the whole in a meaningful and purposeful way. The intricacies of each story meld together to create a whole that when seen from above create a landscape that is picture perfect. This is true of Lover Avenged, which is the story of Rehvenge. Reading Lover Avenged was an emotional roller coaster, and because of the scope of this book I find it difficult to summarize the plot, so Ill just give some highlights. I found myself crying (a lot), laughing (out loud) and sighing (dramatically). Truth be told, Rehvenge was never a character I paid much attention to. He played on the periphery of MY vision of the Brotherhood. He is half vampire and half symphath (a sub-species of the vampire race); he is the owner of the nightclub Zero-Sum, a drug dealer and a pimp. Not very redeemable qualities. Yet hes also brother-in-law to Zsadist (Lover Awakened), which makes him family to the Brotherhood. In Lover Avenged J.R. Ward takes a character that I thought had no possible way of becoming a hero and makes him one. Simply put, he becomes a male of worth. Hard to do, I thought impossible, but word by word, chapter by chapter she does it. For all his pimped out, hard assed, drug dealing ways, he is a loving compassionate, son, brother, friend and lover. His internal fight between all that is good and all that is evil is an immense struggle you want him to win. Rehvenge is tested every step of the way in this one. His identity as a symphath is threatened to be revealed and all that he has worked for is about to be destroyed. If he is outed as a symphath it means only one thing, banishment to the upstate symphath colony and living the rest of his very long life with a bunch of psychopathic soul eaters. Yet, banishment becomes his only option if he wants to protect the people he loves. Whats a half symp half vamp to do? Hes also tested when he meets the heroine, Ehlena. For me, one element of a good romance is when the hero and/or heroine give unselfishly to the people they love, no matter what; and that is what Ehlena and Rehv do for each other. Romantic? Absolutely. Heart breaking? Makes you want to weep. Riveting? Couldnt put it down. Ehlena is worthy of the name heroine. Her strength, intelligence, courage and compassion, as well as her loyalty, are inspiring. How Rehv and Ehlena come together, how they fight for each other, each in very different ways is certainly one of the core elements of this book, but not the only one. As with the past books in this series, Lover Avenged continues the over arching story line of the Vampire race and their fight to stay alive against the Lessening Society. This is one of the things that I love about this series. Each book contributes to the telling of this central plot point. Ms. Ward walks a fine line between revealing a clearer understanding of the intricacies that hold each character together while at the same time keeping you in suspense about how the overall conflict of the world will be resolved, and she does it with grace. So if youre looking for a simple romance where the hero and heroine are the sole and only focus of the book, well, this aint it. Quite the contrary. Its a big book, and by that I mean it continues to encompass and elaborate on what Ms. Ward started when she wrote the first book Dark Lover. Although the book is self contained and could be read as a stand alone, those of us who have read all the previous books in the series have the added pleasure of sitting down to a banquet with each successive book contributing to the entire experience. In this installment we get a more in depth look at the Symphath culture and society and we also get a look at some surprising developments within the Brotherhood. Not all the brothers have a starring role, but there is enough of each of the brothers that you know for certain that they are all back and in the game fighting the good fight to save the race. There is much I wont say here because I dont want to spoil the experience for you. Let me just say that Wrath and Bella (cried a lot with this story line), Xhex and John (this story line near about broke my heart), Thor and Lash are all prominently featured. Surprises abound! Truths are revealed. And yes there is some serious avenging going on. J.R. Ward continues to expose, nurture and cultivate this world one book at a time with powerful dialogue, exciting prose and dynamic characters that stay in your mind long after youve read the last page. The biting wit, the loving camaraderie, the explosive action and the romance are all in play here and kept this reader at the edge of her seat and wanting more. romancenovel.tvromancenovel.tv/wordpress/2009/04/29/lover-avenged-by-jr-ward/
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 00:31:19 +0000
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