Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #2) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Dec 19, 2011 Jennifer Lane rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, recommended-by-goodreads-friend

I didn't want to stop to write this review before I started reading Lover Awakened, so I'm finally getting to it when I'm almost done with Zsadist's story in book 3. (Zsadist is all he's advertised, hee hee.)

Lover Eternal tells the story of Rhage, the ferocious brother who literally has a beast living inside of him as the result of a curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. When Rhage gets really ticked, he flips into a vicious scaly monster that destroys all in its path. He's terrified of hurting his b I didn't want to stop to write this review before I started reading Lover Awakened, so I'm finally getting to it when I'm almost done with Zsadist's story in book 3. (Zsadist is all he's advertised, hee hee.)

Lover Eternal tells the story of Rhage, the ferocious brother who literally has a beast living inside of him as the result of a curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. When Rhage gets really ticked, he flips into a vicious scaly monster that destroys all in its path. He's terrified of hurting his brothers, so he tries to keep the beast at bay by having lots o' sex. He's a blond hottie nicknamed Hollywood so it's not like he has a problem attracting women. What he does have a problem with is all the meaningless sex in his life. He wouldn't mind a real lover.

Enter Mary, a human who's endured such trauma that she once considered suicide. Now she works at a suicide hotline as a means of giving back, but sadly the trauma in her life isn't over--her cancer is back. A sweet mute boy named John lives across from the hotline center, and he calls Mary often just to hear her voice. John's involvement in Mary's affairs brings the brotherhood into her life.

I enjoyed the characters of Rhage, Mary, and John, and I'm glad John's story continues in book 3. The effect the beast has on Rhage is really cool, especially when the tattoo of the beast comes alive and seems to peel itself off his back. Here he describes the feeling when the Scribe Virgin lifts the curse for a period of time:

Rhage took a deep breath. There was the most amazing...emptiness in him. No background buzzing. No itchy drive. No burning.

This description reminds me of individuals who suffer from racing thoughts, delusions, ADHD, eating disorders, OCD, or other illnesses. They can't get away from the buzzing and chaos in their minds, and it's interesting how Rhage learns to live with his beast (with Mary's help).

This novel also sets up the story between Zsadist and Bella, and here's their first meeting:

"You're sorry," he said, tilting his head to the side and focusing on her neck. When he smiled, his fangs were long and very white. "Yeah, I bet you are."
"I am very sorry."
"So prove it."
"How?" she croaked.
"Get down on your hands and knees. I'll take your apology from there."

Ha ha! Bella definitely has her hands full with Z. Now I must get back to reading! ...more

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May 04, 2011 OpenBookSociety.com rated it really liked it

J.R. Ward
Lover Eternal
Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book #2

Brought to you by OBS staff member Deannerenee

Summary

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He’s the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover—for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.
Mary Luce, a survivor of many ...more

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