Author: J R Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 3
Publisher: Piatkus books
Published: 2010
434 pages

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret bound of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her…

WARNING – MINOR SPOILERS FROM BOOK 2

Oh Zsadist… **sigh** I don’t think I’m going to be able to do this book (or Zsadist) justice in this review but I’m going to try!

Firstly, this one is now my new favourite BDB book. Everything that was good about the first two is even more so in Lover Awakened. The action, the romance, the friendships and journies these characters go on. It all made for such an epic story.

What I love the most about this one is the huge journey that Zsadist goes on throughout the book. He has to deal with issues that he has had for over 100 years, which began when he was kidnapped and used as a blood slave by a wealthy aristercrat. Ever since his brother Phury rescued him he has been unable to properly interact with others, unable to love, unable to even touch other people. That is until he meets Bella. She (unlike everyone else) isn’t scared of him and wants to bring him out of his shell. But at the end of book 2 she was kidnapped by a lesser who was completely mad and thought she was his dead wife. Once Zsadist manages to rescue her they begin a wonderful journey towards both his and her recovery and I loved every minute of it. It was written beautifully and so perfect.

As with the other BDB books there are many sub plots being told at the same time as the main storyline and again I loved this. From the bromance of Butch and Vischious to the story of John who is training to become a warrior, and new characters such as Bella’s brother… they all contributed in making this book a very well rounded story.

I just can’t get enough of the brothers at the minute and when I finished this I literally started reading the next one straight away. They are THAT addictive. So, if you havent started this series yet and are a fan of adult paranormal romance then I urge you to give these a try. They are compelling, addictive, gritty, romantic, funny and just all around awesome!