Tormented by the love he has for his twin's mate, he devotes his passion to the higher good of his race and forbids himself from being distracted by a romantic relationship.
The war with the Lessening society is graver than ever, and the brothers need the few warriors they have to fight. Phury is resigned never to divert himself with love or put his brothers in jeopardy, until he comes face to face with the only woman who can tempt his heart and make him question his chosen destiny . . .
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:
I have to admit that I've been putting off my re-read of Lover Enshrined for months now. As much as I wanted to get to the later books in the series (that I've never read) I refused to skip Phury's story but knowing how much I hated it the first time around I struggled to make myself pick it up a second time! I have to say that now I've read it again it wasn't actually as bad as I remembered it being but it is still far from my favourite book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
As much as I have both admired and felt sorry Phury in previous books for the things he did for his twin Zsadist I just didn't like him as the hero of his own story. His drug addiction and the ridiculous plot with the "wizard" just irritated the heck out of me and made Phury come across as such a weak character - not hero material at all no matter how noble some of his previous actions have been. I was also annoyed at his continuing obsession with Bella, she is mated to your brother - just get over it already! I was pleased with the changes within Phury towards the end of the book but for me I'm afraid it was a case of too little, too late. Although Cormia is likable she is a bit to sweet and innocent for my tastes and I just couldn't care about them as a couple. I didn't find their relationship believable and I wasn't invested in them, it really wouldn't have bothered me if they'd ended up going their separate ways.
In my review of Lover Unbound I complained that the story didn't focus enough on Vishous and Jane because there were so many side stories going on. In Lover Enshrined we have the same thing but this time it was something I was thankful for because the less time I had to spend listening to Phury's thoughts the better. In fact, the best part of the story by far was focused on John Matthew, Qhuinn and Blay and I can't wait to see more of all of them. I felt like we were missing the banter and camaraderie with the main brothers and I hope that is something that returns more in the next book. I'm a little nervous about reading Rhev's book because he has never been a character that I've been particularly keen on but I'm hoping going into it with lower expectations will mean I enjoy Lover Avenged more than I'm expecting to.
Overall I'd have to say that Lover Enshrined is worth reading for the side stories alone even if the main romance is somewhat lacking. I am very curious to see how things develop for the Brotherhood and in the war with the Lessers and hope that the series gets back to the heights of the earlier books which are still some of my favourite paranormal romance books.
Source: Purchased
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I've read the first book and listened to the 2nd and 3rd book as an audiobook. Thanks to your review I want to pick up the rest of the books especially this one with Phury the poor thing. :( I'm glad to see hes got his own happy ending.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I agree 100%!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, I agree completely. I have never been a Phury fan and his drug addiction got SO old for me. I was always kind of 'meh' w/Cormia and Phury together, but they finally grew on me. Rehv's book is quite good!
ReplyDelete@ Naj - I'd say the first 4 books are probably my favourites so far but I'm hoping the series picks back up again with Rhev's book. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series when you get to them :o)
ReplyDelete@ Twimom227 - Hi Jen, I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt like this about Phury's book. Fingers crossed I like the rest of the series more, I've already bought them all so will hopefully get to them soon
@ Kelli - it looks like quite a few of us weren't so impressed with this one. I'm glad to hear that you liked Rhev's book more though, I'm a bit less nervous about reading it now :o)