Review: Lover Revealed - J.R. Ward

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. But now an ally of the Brotherhood is about to encounter his own dark desires...

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world - to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have Marissa, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him...

The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series:
The Story of Son (novella set in the BDB world but about completely unrelated characters)
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide
Lover Avenged
Lover Mine
Lover Unleashed
Lover Reborn
Lover at Last
The King
The Shadows
The Beast (2016)

The Fallen Angels Series:
(This is a spin off series set in the same world with a slight crossover of characters)
Covet
Crave
Envy
Rapture
Possession
Immortal

Black Dagger Legacy:
(A second spin off series that stars the original characters from BDB and the new recruits they're training)
Blood Kiss

Visit J.R. Ward's website for more information

Review:
Butch is the only human who has ever been allowed to know the location of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and is as close to being a member as a human can possibly be. He thinks of the others as his brothers and wants to join their war against the lessers to help protect the vampire race. Things go horribly wrong from him when he tries to protect a civilian and ends up captured by the lessers, after suffering horrific torture Butch is left for dead. Thanks to V he is discovered but can they save him and even if they do what will be the long term consequences of what the Omega did to him?

Lover Revealed is the fourth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and although it was my least favourite book in the series so far I still really enjoyed it. If you're one of the few people who is new to this series then it is one I'd definitely recommend to paranormal romance fans but I would recommend reading the stories in order starting at Dark Lover so you get the most out of the full back story.

I have liked Butch since he was introduced in the first book so I've been looking forward to reading his story and he didn't disappoint me. As an ex-cop Butch is as tough as they come but he also has a softer side that just makes you want to hug him. Butch has had it tough never feeling like he fitted in with his family so it's nice to see him finally find acceptance with the Brothers. I love watching him & V together, they have such a close friendship and strong bond. The scenes with the two of them are some of my favourite in the book and for me V stole the show and left me really looking forward to his story. I did feel that things came together a little too easily for Butch at the end of the book but I was pleased with the outcome so it didn't really worry me. It's hard to say much without giving spoilers but I'm also very curious about his new ability and how that will change things throughout the series.

I've never been the biggest Marissa fan, I felt quite sorry for her in Dark Lover after the way Wrath treated her but I've never really cared much for her or been interested in reading more of her story. I'll admit that she still isn't my favourite character in the series and I found her far too sweet and innocent for my tastes particularly at the beginning of the Lover Revealed but J.R. Ward did manage to improve my opinion of her by the end of the book. There were things she did that irritated me but I felt she grew a lot throughout the book and by the end I actually admired her for the things she has planned (again I don't want to say more than that for fear of spoilers).

Overall Lover Revealed is a strong instalment in one of my favourite paranormal romance series and one I would highly recommend reading. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into V's story in Lover Unbound.

Source: Purchased

Other reviews of this book:
StoryWings
All Booked Up
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