LOVER AWAKENED – A Black Dagger Brotherhood Novel

 In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member 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…

Tittel: Lover Awakened, bok 3
Hendelse: Zsadist`s historie
Forfatter: J.R. Ward
Sjanger: Fantasi, romantikk og voksendserie, 18 års aldersgrense i USA
Sider: 448
Lesetid: under 12 timer
Sang: The Lines – Battles

In the eternal battle between the vampires and the Lessening Society only a small band of warrior vampires, known as the Black Dagger Brotherhood, stand between the vampires and the total annihilation of their species.  The members of the Brotherhood are all terrifying warriors who live a violent existence whilst upholding their vows to protect civilian vampires.

Zsadist is the most terrifying of all the Brothers.  Kidnapped and sold into slavery as a child the first hundred years of his life were a nightmare of abuse.  Locked and chained in a dungeon as a blood slave to a female member of the vampire aristocracy he was subjected to physical, sexual and mental abuse on a daily basis.

Nearly a hundred years after his dramatic rescue by his twin brother Phury, Zsadist is still a ruined man.  He may have left the dungeon and the torture behind but he has never gotten over the abuse.  With a trigger temper, a hatred of all women (and most men too) he is a ticking bomb of violence that can explode with the slightest provocation.

When Bella, a beautiful and high ranking aristocratic vampire is kidnapped by the Lessening Society, Zsadist is the only one who doesn't stop searching for her.  In his own way he is obsessed with thoughts of her and finding her is his new mission in life.  After her own family have given her up for dead, Bella is finally rescued from the torture chamber where she was being kept captive by a lesser who had developed an unhealthy obsession for her.

As Zsadist pulls Bella's beaten body out of the hole in the ground where she was being kept prisoner, it is clear that he has a deep attachment to her.  Bella herself has always had a fascination for Zsadist, ever since the first time she saw him before she was kidnapped and throughout her captivity she thought of him and hoped that he would rescue her.  Now that she is free, it is down to her to find a way of helping Zsadist leave the prison of his past behind if there is to ever be a hope for him to have a future with her.

Lover Awakened er den tredje romanen i Black Dagger Brotherhood-serien. Etter å ha lest Lover Eternal, den andre boka i serien, og tenkte det var en av de beste romaner så vel som en av de beste vampyr romanene jeg noensinne hadde lest. Jeg husker at jeg tenkte, hvordan skal JR Ward topp det med Lover Awakened. Jeg hadde flere øyeblikk av tvil da jeg plukket opp boken over at det sannsynligvis ikke kunne bli så bra som jeg håpet, at den skulle være helt ok. Det var den ikke. Den var tusen ganger bedre!



Lover Awakened plukker opp der Lover Eternal slapp. Sentrale karakterer (Mary, Rhage, Beth og Wrath) fra tidligere bøker er fortsatt i historien, men søkelyset er fast på Zsadist og hans relasjoner både med Bella og hans tvillingbror Phury.

Mens Zsadist alltid syntes å være en ond, men utgrunnelig karakter i tidligere bøker, vi (leserne) nå finne ut mer om ham og hans liv. For en så fryktet og ondskapsfull, får vi nå se den sårbare side til hans karakter som gjør ham så mye mer tiltalende. Overgrepene han led som en slave har ført til et selv hat og en nytelse av å påføre mer smerte og overgrep mot seg selv.


Alt i alt er han en kompleks karakter og Bella har arbeidet kutte ut for henne, ved å prøve å nå ham og dra ham tilbake fra randen av selv ødeleggelse. Vi lærer mer om Zsadist forhold til hans tvilling, og vi ser Phury presset nær bristepunktet. Det er noe helt hjertet kjærende scener mellom de to brødrene og følelsene bobler gjennom hele boka fordi Phury elsker Bella også, og hans kjærlighet er så trist og håpløst.


Lover Awakened er en utrolig enkel og god bok å lese. The Brothers blir bare bedre og bedre, og nok en gang sitter jeg igjen lurer på hvordan JR Ward kommer til toppen denne. Lover Awakened er en fartsfylt bok med action og hjerte skjærende drama som ruller fra en emosjonelle høy kant til en annen som tar leseren med på turen.


Jeg anbefaler at hvis du liker tøff sexy vampyrer og varme romantikk at du går til bokhandelen og kjøpe denne boken umiddelbart. Ikke gå, løpe!

Dette er min favoritt så langt i serien!!!