Rabid Reads

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

This is the first Black Dagger Brotherhood book that revolves around a non-bro character and I was curious to find out whether I'd enjoy Rehvenge's story as much as those that came before it. Imagine my surprise when Lover Avenged earned five stars from this reviewer! This novel delivers a one-two punch in that we get 2 characters for the price of one: Rehv AND Wrath! Plus all of the Brothers and most of their shellans make appearances too; this installment really is filled to the brim.

I adored uncovering Rehv's past and learning what makes him tick. All of the Brothers have interesting tales to tell but his is a head above the rest. He comes across as a real "bad boy" with his drug lord, pimpin' ways and his half sympath heritage. The reasons why he walks on the dark side are shocking; what's even more surprising is that they actually make sense. Rehv is a good guy forced to do bad things in order to protect the ones he loves. His motives are pure and that's good enough for me. You see, I have a thing for bad boys and Rehvenge definitely fits the bill; plus check out the cover. He's HOT! Please excuse the drool on my paperback...

Ehlena is one of the more likable females in this series. You'll find her picture in the dictionary beside the word "survivor" and quite possibly the word "resilient" too. Her family is in financial ruin, she takes care of her schizophrenic father and yet, still she trudges on. Ehlena's courage and bravery brought tears to my eyes on several occasions. She's just... wow. I'm in awe of her. Screw blade wielding, ass kicking, Urban Fantasy heroines; they ain't got nothing on this chick!

The romantic relationship between the two main characters is touching and realistic. I loved Rehv and Ehlena together! For me, these two are second only to Wrath and Beth as my favourite Black Dagger Brotherhood couple in this series (so far). Speaking of the blind king, I was overjoyed that the royal couple got their own side plot in this book. I've missed them so much! Their woes will definitely make your eyes water but their makeup sessions are something else. My main complaint about Lover Enshrined was the lack of sex, well... Lover Avenged more than makes up for the previous installment's shortcomings!

I like the way that Ward always sets things up for the next book in this series. It's really well done and in this case it's John Matthew and Xhex's story that gets prepped for Lover Mine. You definitely need to read these novels in the correct order to be able to fully appreciate the universe that J.R. has created. The only downside that I have to report with this book is the language used in the dialogues. Ward's trademark street lingo is out in full force and when paired with Mr. D's southern drawl; I found myself having to re-read several conversations before being able to fully understand what the characters were talking about.

Lover Avenged ranks among my top three favourite books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. So far. I'm happy that I decided to catch up on these novels by reading them back-to-back. I still have a few more to go before I'm stuck anxiously waiting for the next installment like the rest of you poor saps.