Lover Eternal by J. R. Ward

Description:


In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret bound of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. 

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 ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him. 

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant to Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves...


My Review:

Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mary hasn’t had an easy life. After being in remission, Mary discovers that she has had a relapse. She isn’t looking to start any relationships; rather she is hoping to just go it all alone, even if that means dying alone. But when mute John Matthew comes into the picture, he ends up leading her to Rhage.
Rhage is a vampire who, because of bad decisions in the past, he struggles with a literal beast inside that will be unleashed if he isn’t careful. So to keep the beast under wraps, he boozes, uses drugs, womanizes, and fights. When he meets Mary, he is automatically drawn to her. Her voice calms the beast, but her touch ignites not only a desire to keep her, but also the beast.
I liked the changes in Rhage’s character. I mean, he was a womanizer who was trying to control the beast within. As he realizes what Mary means to him, he can’t help but want to change. He is willing to sacrifice for her, even if it means never seeing her again. Considering how cocky he was at the beginning of the book, I found that refreshing.
I had a hard time with Mary’s character. She seemed a bit whiny about her difficulties, and was more prone to want to be alone and mope than to actually get up the nerve to stand up for herself, even dying with dignity.
I liked the beginnings of the story of Bella and Zsadist, which helped to break up the Rhage/Mary story line. Mr. O was creepy stalker man, but I find all the lesser a bit overly creepy.
This is definitely a “Beauty and the Beast” story between Rhage and Mary, though it does end differently compared to other “Beauty and the Beast” stories. There are a lot of predictable moments to the book, and I must say it was a bit disappointing. Overall, it was a good book; just realize there might be moments where you just have to put the book down due to the ridiculousness of the Brothers’ speech…
I recommend the book for a good read.



**Adult content - Not appropriate for all readers**


Happy Reading!


Cana