Review: Lover Eternal - J.R. Ward

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 a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin.  Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times 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 becomes reliant on Rhage's protection.  With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love.  Her faith in miracles was lost years ago.  But when Rhage's intense 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...

The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series:
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide
Lover Avenged
Lover Mine
Lover Unleashed (2011)

Visit J.R. Ward's website for more information

Review:
In the second installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series we get to know Rhage, the sexiest warrior in the brotherhood.  He may be blond adonis with a voracious appetite for women and fighting but he is also so much more than that.  Due to a wreckless mistake he made as a young man he was cursed by the Scribe Virgin.  In order to keep his inner beast at bay he must work off his excess energy to keep his inner beast at bay and the best way to do this is through sex and fighting the lessers (vampire slayers).  He is unable to let anyone get close to him as the beast may make an appearance at any time - even his brothers have to keep their distance from him when the beast comes out to play.  It isn't easy for Rhage to deal with his curse and as you get to know him I think that just like me you'll find that it is impossible to not fall in love with him.

Mary is a fantastic heroine - she has faced a tough battle against leukemia and survived but now it looks like the disease may be returning and she has to prepare herself to fight again.  The last thing she is looking for is a relationship - she doesn't want to be a burden on anyone - but Rhage literally sweeps her off her feet, not taking no for an answer.  I found it so easy to relate to Mary - she is an average looking woman with insecurities about her looks, especially the scars left by her cancer treatments, but at heart she is an incredibly strong woman.  If you've ever met a cancer survivor I think you'll recognise a part of them in Mary, her character is so realistic that in places this story broke my heart but it was also an uplifting tale.

The growing relationship between Rhage and Mary has everything - it is both sweet and romantic and incredibly passionate.  This story will have you fanning yourself one minute and reaching for your tissues the next.  It is a heartwarming tale of love blooming against all odds and I'll warn you now to start reading this when you have plenty of time on your hands - you won't want to put it down.  Alongside the main storyline J.R. Ward continues several ongoing plots that continue from the first book Dark Lover and are leading us neatly into the next book Lover Awakened.  I loved the first book in the series but Lover Eternal was so much better than I imagined it could be and it will leave you desperate to read Zsadist's story.  If you're new to the series I would recommend reading the stories in order but I would definitely recommend this to any fans of paranormal romance novels.  Even if you've never tried paranormal romance before it would be well worth your time giving this series a try. 

Source: Purchased

Other reviews of this book:
All Booked Up
Story Wings
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.