Lover Avenged

I've been waiting a long time to read Lover Avenged. I didn't expect the book to be this large it has a total of 527 pages. Wow! It's definitely a Chunkster.

Here's the blurb for Lover Avenged:

Caldwell, NY, has long been the battleground for the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It’s also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and notorious nightclub that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he’s approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King, and leader of the Brotherhood.

Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a member. Because he’s a sympath, his identity is a deadly secret- the revelation of which will result in his banishment to a colony for sociopaths. And as plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll against Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in a darkening world- Elhena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him- and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

I knew that this book was Rehv's but it was also Wrath's, Xhex's and John Matthew's. Don't get me wrong I like them all but it would have been nice to see a little more of Rehv.

And that leads me to the romance between him and Ehlena. Or the lack thereof. There wasn't any romance, no getting to know you. There was just sex! Ok, there's nothing wrong with sex(it is a romance, it's expected), but I would have like to see them to grow closer to each other. It just happened too quickly.

And then there's John Matthew. He's become one of my favorites. I enjoy on how honorable and somewhat naive that he was. Yep, was. He's developed a nasty shell and I kind of like it. There's an edginess to him that makes him more appealing. I just wish he was a little less of an ass when it came to Xhex. But I can't get into that...

Now...Wrath. It was nice to see him again. He's having issues with being King and wanting to help his Brothers, that he's risking his health and his relationship with Beth. I loved seeing his struggle with making difficult decisions.

The story itself was fast paced and dark. Which I've always enjoyed. The author sets the scenes wonderfully but the dialogue is starting to get too much. Seriously are there people that talk like that. I enjoyed all the twists and turns that the author threw at us, and I'm enjoying Lash as the super bad "lesser". He's great.

Overall I enjoyed Lover Avenged. It was much better than the previous book but it still isn't up to par to first few books of the series in my opinion.

Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward (4/5) Paranormal Romance; Vampires; Published: New American Library (5/2009); Series: # 7, Black Dagger Brotherhood; 2009 100 + Reading Challenge (71); Chunkster Challenge (4)