Lover Revealed: Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 4

Alyce In Wonderland

Book 4 of The Black Dagger Brotherhood Depicts a Soulful Bond Between Brothers & Intense Romance Between the Leading Couple.

"Black Dagger Brotherhood Series (Definitely Read Them In Order!): Dark Lover Lover Eternal Lover Awakened Lover Revealed Lover Unbound If you have not been reading this series, be sure to start with the first book and follow the series from there. By the time you reach book 4, you've come to know all of the characters well. Each character has a distinct personality that stays the same from book to book. J.R. Ward keeps them consistent, so you are always glad to be reunited with "the guys". The continuing story is terrific. The bonds between the characters get deeper with each book. In Book 4, "Lover Revealed", our hero is Butch. He's a man with a big heart, who will do anything to help out a friend. Because he is human, the brothers are very protective of his life. Butch loves his buddies, but he feels he is useless in their world. As an ex- cop, Butch needs to be in the battle. He has been in love with a vampire female, Marissa, for months. With his heart broken over her, Butch feels he has nothing to lose if he is killed. While attempting to save civilians from enemy slayers, Butch is captured, taken prisoner, tortured, and left for dead. His roommate and best friend, "Vishous", is the only one with the means to find him. The evil enemies have put a poison in Butch's body. Vishous will use his gifts to heal Butch, and he will do all he can to reunite Butch with Marissa. Fierce loyalty and trust between Butch and Vishous make it possible for Butch's dreams to come true. However, the means for making those dreams happen could also cause Butch's death. Marissa has been cast out by her family. With no place to go, The Brotherhood offers her shelter. When the love between Marissa and Butch intensifies, she begs him not to take part in the war with the brothers' enemies. Butch is devastated. He has to choose between the woman he loves, and the only true family he has ever had. His bond with Marissa is soul- deep, but his love for his brothers and his chance to make a real future for himself are worth any price. Keeping with the trend of this series, "Lover Revealed" is exquisitely romantic. The love scenes are intense, and the ties between the leading couple are binding. The brothers are loyal to each other, and to Butch, without fail. Ward writes her characters with personalities that are funny, direct, realistic, and moving. They seem like the kind of men you could meet in everyday life. They pick on each other in good natured teasing, as real brothers tend to, and they back one another as real brothers would. I genuinely like these guys. That makes the books addicting. Also in this edition: John's story is continued. Vishous's character plays a major role, preparing readers for his story in the next edition. Mr X is back, but he has a new and surprising scheme. ["

Show more

September 21, 2007 Verified Purchase

The Literacy Advocate

RAW, PROVOCATIVE, AND SENSUAL, WITH THE MOST "HEART" IN THE SERIES THUS FAR! AN OUTSTANDING READ!

"With nearly 700 reviews on Amazon for LOVER REVEALED and in light of Ms. Ward's cult-like following of fans (of which I am one!), it would be repetitive for me to detail the plot of this outstanding story. Let me instead convey my opinions regarding what sets Ms. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood (BDB) apart from other urban fiction/paranormal/erotic romance fiction series'. The vampire brothers of the BDB are warriors, committed to defending their vampire race against the Lessening Society, which would destroy it. In this fascinating, incredible world, Ms. Ward has used our present day setting to incorporate races of paranormal beings who live side by side with us normal folk, but who minimize their interactions with humans so as not to be identified as different. Preserving the secrecy of their existence is of paramount importance to all of the supernaturals in Ms. Ward's world, and the constructs she builds for the societies of vampires, Lessers, and in later volumes in the series, other supernaturals, are detailed, rich, full-bodied, and interesting beyond description. Every species the author invokes has complex social traditions and rituals, a full economic structure, and a political system which is steeped in the history of the particular species. The vampire lore, particularly, is incredibly complex and utterly thrilling. We learn portions of their native tongue, the "old language", watch poignant, emotional ceremonies that surround their births, deaths, courtships, and marriages, and become completely intoxicated by their charm, power, sensuality, intelligence, loyalty to each other, and dedication to their race. LOVER REVEALED is the story of ex-cop Butch (given the choice to disappear from the police force and drop off the human map or die, after becoming aware of the vampire species) and Marissa, the most regal, highly stationed and utterly lonely of all the vampire females, who longs to make an emotional connection to another being. Their story is an edge-of-your seat emotional rollercoaster; we ride along with our hero and heroine, hoping they can shed the baggage of their pasts and their many misgivings, as they try desperately to find their happy ending. Ms. Ward's typically complex layering of both plot and characters throws quite a few curveballs at Butch and Marissa, every one of them completely non-cliche and fascinating. We learn that Butch has more of a role in vampire folklore than he realizes, and we hope that he stays alive to have the chance to capture his destiny. The conclusion of LOVER REVEALED is not overly predictable at all; in fact, it is fair, balanced, believable, and has just enough magic for us not be able to have guessed it. LOVER REVEALED has the most "heart" in the BDB series thus far. It is also as raw, provocative, and sensual as its two precursors in the series, DARK LOVER and LOVER ETERNAL. The sex is intense and smoldering, and it fits the story and the characters so perfectly that it is inspirational! This is Ms. Ward's strength: perfect precision among all elements of story, character, action, plot, emotion, sex....all tropes and literary devices...and she is the master. The audio version, narrated by Jim Frangione, is superior; he is able to voice gentle, lonely Marissa as beautifully as he voices the tormented, powerful, out-of-his-element Butch. My recommendation: RUN, don't walk, and get all three Black Dagger Brotherhood novels today. If you've already read LOVER REVEALED, give the audio version a listen. Both are part of my permanent home library. Please note: This serisis should be read in order! ["

Show more

November 15, 2014 Verified Purchase

Amjedi

Enjoyable

"This is the 4th book in the Black Dagger series and focused on Butch, a human cop who has sorta been adopted by the Brotherhood of vampires. A common theme in all the books is people feeling like outcasts, like they don't quite belong, even in a vampire world. Butch has a double dose of this bc he feels like he doesn't quite fit in with the vampires ( since he's human, he's not able to do a lot of the things the vamps can do) and he has been rejected on many levels by the human world most of his life. As he struggles to come to terms with who he is/isn't, he falls in love with Marissa, an aristocratic vampire from the "right side of the tracks". The story does a great job chronicling how Butch discovers and struggles to come to terms with who he really is, won't go into detail so I won't spoil it for folks who haven't read the book yet. This book is my fav in the series so far, author did a better job of helping the reader understand who the lessers were and the roles of the Omega and Virgin Queen. I loved the relationship between Butch and Marissa and loved how Marissa find her own voice and strength in the book: I'm soooo tired of wimpy, indecisive women in romance novels: women can be strong, assertive, intelligent, beautiful AND love a strong alpha male at the same time. Butch sometimes struggles with her strength as a vampire but he embraces it and loves her for ALL of who she is. What she needed from Butch was emotional strength, and he was able to provide that for her. The male vamps do occasionally go Neanderthal re their mates but not in a domineering, controlling way. There is also an interesting, almost homoerotic theme between Butch and Vicious, I initially thought, yeah, 1st gay couple in paranormal erotic series but wasn't meant to be, little disappointed since most of the romance novels display gay folks as the side kick of the hero/heroine. Hope issue of Vicious' sexual orientation is explored in a later book. So, if you want to read a tender love story that is wrapped up in a sorta coming of age, finding oneself/ finding your purpose book, sit down, relax, and enjoy the ride. On another note, comparisons are often made between this series and the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilynn Kenyon. I read and like both series but don't think one is better than the other. Kenyon has more mythology in hers, so much so that sometimes it's a little hard to follow who is what. Ward's series focuses more on two sets of creatures: vamps and lessers, which to me is fine and easier to follow. Ward's characters are more urban, deal with more urban problems (domestic violence, drug abuse) and she gives more attention to secondary characters, which makes it easier to follow what's going on in the next book in the series. Kenyon has more sex scenes but to be honest, Ward probably has a better balance between storyline and sexy scenes. So, I would tell a reader to read both series, they are both enjoyable and easy to get immersed in. Can't wait to read the next book in the series. Glad I found out about this series (from Book Bub) late because I don't have to wait for sequels to come out! ["

Show more

March 15, 2014 Verified Purchase

Elaine C McTyer

WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

"I waited for this release with bated breath because the other books in the series are so good. However, I really didn't think she could maintain the caliber of writing and Butch's story really wasn't the one I wanted. Was I wrong? Yes, this is a marvelous continuation of the best series out there. J.R. Ward is a very surpising author and so very talented. Butch has been in love with Marissa since he met her. He finds no comfort in his new lifestyle even though he wears Armani and has everything a man could want. He doesn't have respect for himself, he wants to fight for the race he has adopted. He and the warriors of the Black Dagger Brotherhood have bonded especially he and Vishious. There is a true brotherly love between them. They share each others secrets and Vishious is not so alone anymore. Butch was a cop and his dedication to saving Beth, who became Wrath's Queen, led to his knowledge and presence in the Brotherhood. But Butch feels unworthy not only to love Marissa but because he is not allowed to fight the Lessers. Marissa was Wrath's Shellan but Wrath never loved her and even after several hundred years she is still a virgin. Butch touches something deep inside her and only her feelings of unworthiness combined with her fear that if she feeds from Butch she will kill him, keep her from falling into the arms of the human who has touched her in these unknown ways. Her relationship with her brother has fallen apart because of her feelings for a human. Her brother is a doctor and has placed Marissa on a pedestal he in unable to forgive her when she falls in love with a human. They are considered little more than animals. Butch runs into a situation where he chooses to save a pre-transition vampire from the lessers who are attacking him. He is captured and tortured by the Lessers. When the Omega finds out who Butch is he inserts an evil part of himself into Butch. Now only Marissa, the Brotherhood and the Scribe Virgin may be able to save him. But even with the changes in his body he is determined to fight and serve the ones he trusts and loves. There is a prophecy that there will come one to face the Master of evil. The fore-lesser thinks he has found him and is determined that when he dies he will not join the rest of the lessers who make up the blood and energy that flow in the veins of the Omega. Taking this man under his wing he trains him to kill lessers and waits for the transformation to take place. Now he is only concerned with saving himself from the horror that awaits all lessers. I found the book thrilling. The action is non stop, the revelations come fast and furious. I can't wait for the next episode in this wonderful drama. Do not miss this one and if you have not read the others be sure you get them and read them first. Everything makes so much more sense and the growth of the characters is absolutely phenomenal. Loved it!!!!! ["

Show more

March 12, 2007 Verified Purchase

Lauren Sophie

Dark, Sensual and Satisfying

"I admit that when I read the first novel in this series a while back, I wasn't overly impressed. I thought it was just ok, and I didn't intend to read any more Black Dagger books. But then a lot of people recommended the later books to me and I found myself excited about giving this series another chance. And I'm so glad I did. Although I'm not super-devoted, ardent fan-- i.e. I don't think I'll be spending time on any message boards discussing the novels in depth-- I thought Lover Revealed was a very satisfying read with a compelling central romance and tons of intrigue, passion and great dialogue. In fact, I think that because my expectations weren't sky-high, I found this book even more enjoyable and worth the money/time than I anticipated. The story has already been summarized by many other reviews, so I won't do so again here. But I found Marissa and Butch's coming together to be very sweet and sexy. Many have said they didn't necessarily feel their connection, but I certainly did. They had an intense, immediate attraction, first introduced in the initial book of the series, that developed into infatuation and then love. Marissa and Butch's mutual loneliness at the beginning of the novel had me rooting for them to finally find each other again and once they did it was sweet, but full of the kind of angst and conflict needed to give the story its momentum. A few things I liked: first, how expertly J.R. Ward weaves in secondary characters and subplots. This book does an especially good job of developing V's character (his book is the next one and I can't wait for it), including his sexual issues and deep loneliness. There are some homoerotic moments, as other reviewers have mentioned, but they're pretty ambiguous, and overall the point of them seemed to be to show a) Butch and V's intense friendship (very moving) and b) to set the stage for V to realize that he wants and craves real love and intimacy from a woman. Also, I loved how, at 400+ pages, this book kept me engaged and left me feeling completely satisfied. I truly appreciate that the author releases new titles so quickly and keeps them packed with great storytelling and interwoven narratives. There's a lot of gritty suspense involving the Omega, Butch's true nature is revealed (hence the title) and we see Wrath, Beth, Zsadist and Bella again-- all of which kept me happily turning the pages. I recommend this book to anyone who loves or simply likes this series. You can read it by itself, but it is better read as part of the series. I was hooked from the first page and even though the darkness of these novels can sometimes feel a bit heavy, there are always sexy, romantic moments that balance them out. J.R. Ward is also an author you can trust to deliver plots and characters you can care about. ["

Show more

March 7, 2007 Verified Purchase