Lover Awakened

Long time no write . . . yes, I know. I'm still reading, but now that I'm writing more often, writing reviews sometimes seems like a chore. So I'll just keep on plugging along, doing my thing, and posting when I have the desire to post.

I read J.R. Ward's Dark Lover a while ago and quite enjoyed it. Since then, the hype this series gets has made me a little reluctant to read more. It's almost like reading about the books makes me less interested in reading the books themselves? I don't know. In any case, Zsadist interested me in the first book, so I decided to skip Lover Eternal and go straight to Lover Awakened.

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 his only passion--untl he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for each other begins to overtake them, 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 . . .

I loved the main story. Bella and Zsadist--both are terrific. In fact, Zsadist is immensely compelling. I loved every moment he was on the page, and I thought Bella was certainly his match. The singing scene was awesome.

The rest of the story, though . . . I found myself skimming the lesser scenes. There's too much from that POV and not enough of it interested me. Perhaps that's because of my tendency not to like to get the villain's POV.

As for another subplot, I wasn't as affected by it as I could have been because I knew what was coming. This made it a sad development, but I was a bit detached, too. I wonder what I would have thought if I hadn't known about it. Actually, reading that part would have been worse. I tend to like my stories nicely tied up at the end, so knowing what was coming helped in that regard.

I enjoy Lover Awakened, and give it 4 out of 5, but I don't find myself desperate to read the other books. So I guess I'd call myself a casual reader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series rather than an avid fan.

Did I mention that I love Zsadist? I just wish I'd loved the rest of the book as much as his story.