Scan barcode
A review by liz_ross
Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
" 'I love you forever' didn't always need to be spoken to be understood."
The Black Dagger Brotherhood series books are Dark Romance with vampires. Anyone who knows that has no trouble realizing it means that there are sex scenes. Lots of them. And I have no doubt those sex scenes with sexy, handsome, dangerous vampires are what makes many readers continue to buy the books in this series. Which is fine because anyone should be allowed to read whatever they please and this genre is as good as any other.
But those sex scenes are not the reason why I keep buying these books and loving them (with one sad exception so far). They are a plus I could live without. What makes me buy the books and love them are the mesmerizing world Ward created that is even more complex that it already seemed at first sight; the addicting, extremely interesting plot when it is related to the war between the vampries and the Lessening; and yes, the sexy, handsome, dangerous vampires, but not because they provide quite good sex scenes, because they are messed up, each one with demons of their own that they fight everyday, and that makes them so incredibly credible and somehow easy to love, to care about, to connect with.
All these things create stunningly beautiful books. Give me a reason to put up with all the sex scenes, because I need to know more about everything else.
Now, you must be wondering why I am telling you all this. Because that's the only way you can understand why I loved this book so much, when Phury is the Brother I like the least - I do love him, but I love all the others way more. There are really few sex scenes in this book, which means there are really few scenes I have to put up with in order to have the chance to enjoy everything else. And that made the book even better for me.
It's not just the fact that it made things easier for me, though. This lack of sex scenes when compared to the other books is just something that feels so damn right. Because it's Phury we are talking about. The Brother who pretty much gave up his life for his brother, sacrificed his own happiness to take care of his brother, devoted his life to him. He didn't deserve a story filled with sex scenes, a story mostly about sex or about loving Cormia like a "man" should. He deserves exactly what Ward gave him. A story about self-love, about trust, about acceptance and learning to forgive himself. Phury deserved redemption perhaps more than any other brother and he finally got that.
And by giving him all that, Ward created this absolutely lovely story that got me near tears as often as it made me smile. It's quite close to perfection and the best match to that bittersweet ending that left my heart throbbing while I stared at the book with a stupid smile on my face.
Ward made me love the one book I was expecting to like the least and I do admire her for that.
But it's more than Phury's path that made me give this book such a high rating. The lack of sex scnes brought one other positive aspect - it left a lot of space for world and plot development.
I loved to learn more about The Chosen and their world and I absolutely love what Ward did with it and how it fits Phury and Cormia's relationship so well. It was so interesting to dive into that side of the world Ward created, which had only began to be developed in the previous book and definitely hadn't got enough "screen time" yet. It adds a few more layers to the complexity of the vampiric world and its culture.
And the Lessening are no longer on vacation!! 🎉🎉 You know what that means? Action. LOTS of it. And DRAMAAAAA. And oh boy, I am here for the drama! And the action. Well, mostly the action. The drama is a bonus, but you know what I meant. Anyway, as I said before the part of the plot related to the fight between vampires and the Lessening is one of my favorite parts about these books. So, you can imagine how glad I was to get more about that in this book. It made the book a thousand times more interesting and I am desperate to get my hands on the next book. I need to know when will the Brotherhood finally figure out the threat that is pretty much knocking at their door. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN!!
Overall, one of the best books of the series so far. Phury's story is absolutely endearing and left me so many good memories of the book that fill me with joy just for thinking about it. And the new information about the world and the developments in the war against the Lessening are just as interesting. For those who read this book for the sex scenes, I can guarantee you, everything else makes up for the lack of those. And for those who read the book for the same reason that I do, I assure you, you'll love this book.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood series books are Dark Romance with vampires. Anyone who knows that has no trouble realizing it means that there are sex scenes. Lots of them. And I have no doubt those sex scenes with sexy, handsome, dangerous vampires are what makes many readers continue to buy the books in this series. Which is fine because anyone should be allowed to read whatever they please and this genre is as good as any other.
But those sex scenes are not the reason why I keep buying these books and loving them (with one sad exception so far). They are a plus I could live without. What makes me buy the books and love them are the mesmerizing world Ward created that is even more complex that it already seemed at first sight; the addicting, extremely interesting plot when it is related to the war between the vampries and the Lessening; and yes, the sexy, handsome, dangerous vampires, but not because they provide quite good sex scenes, because they are messed up, each one with demons of their own that they fight everyday, and that makes them so incredibly credible and somehow easy to love, to care about, to connect with.
All these things create stunningly beautiful books. Give me a reason to put up with all the sex scenes, because I need to know more about everything else.
Now, you must be wondering why I am telling you all this. Because that's the only way you can understand why I loved this book so much, when Phury is the Brother I like the least - I do love him, but I love all the others way more. There are really few sex scenes in this book, which means there are really few scenes I have to put up with in order to have the chance to enjoy everything else. And that made the book even better for me.
It's not just the fact that it made things easier for me, though. This lack of sex scenes when compared to the other books is just something that feels so damn right. Because it's Phury we are talking about. The Brother who pretty much gave up his life for his brother, sacrificed his own happiness to take care of his brother, devoted his life to him. He didn't deserve a story filled with sex scenes, a story mostly about sex or about loving Cormia like a "man" should. He deserves exactly what Ward gave him. A story about self-love, about trust, about acceptance and learning to forgive himself. Phury deserved redemption perhaps more than any other brother and he finally got that.
And by giving him all that, Ward created this absolutely lovely story that got me near tears as often as it made me smile. It's quite close to perfection and the best match to that bittersweet ending that left my heart throbbing while I stared at the book with a stupid smile on my face.
Ward made me love the one book I was expecting to like the least and I do admire her for that.
But it's more than Phury's path that made me give this book such a high rating. The lack of sex scnes brought one other positive aspect - it left a lot of space for world and plot development.
I loved to learn more about The Chosen and their world and I absolutely love what Ward did with it and how it fits Phury and Cormia's relationship so well. It was so interesting to dive into that side of the world Ward created, which had only began to be developed in the previous book and definitely hadn't got enough "screen time" yet. It adds a few more layers to the complexity of the vampiric world and its culture.
And the Lessening are no longer on vacation!! 🎉🎉 You know what that means? Action. LOTS of it. And DRAMAAAAA. And oh boy, I am here for the drama! And the action. Well, mostly the action. The drama is a bonus, but you know what I meant. Anyway, as I said before the part of the plot related to the fight between vampires and the Lessening is one of my favorite parts about these books. So, you can imagine how glad I was to get more about that in this book. It made the book a thousand times more interesting and I am desperate to get my hands on the next book. I need to know when will the Brotherhood finally figure out the threat that is pretty much knocking at their door. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN!!
Overall, one of the best books of the series so far. Phury's story is absolutely endearing and left me so many good memories of the book that fill me with joy just for thinking about it. And the new information about the world and the developments in the war against the Lessening are just as interesting. For those who read this book for the sex scenes, I can guarantee you, everything else makes up for the lack of those. And for those who read the book for the same reason that I do, I assure you, you'll love this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence