J.R. Ward - Lover Avenged

Rehvenge, drug dealer and club owner is glad that his sister Bella is happily married to Zsadist, one of the Black Dagger Brotherhood vampires and mother to his young niece. But what his mother and sister don’t know is his dark secret and he hopes and prays that they never will find out. Unfortunally there is one woman who knows everything and she uses it to blackmail him into sexual activities. Rehvenge can only hopes that his injuries will take his life soon enough to end this all.

Ehlena is a nurse at the vampire Havers clinic and is taking care of her sick father. She is the only nurse who assists Havers with the injuries of the scary Rehvenge. The other nurses are terrified of the man, but Ehlena consider it as her job and will help him wherever she can. But after seeing him during his latest visit, she is concerned about his health and makes a house visit, not knowing that it will turn both their lives upside down.

Although they both know it’s better to stay away from each other, they cannot ignore the growing attraction between them.

Lover avenged by J.R. Ward is the seventh novel in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. In the last couple of books we already saw the new direction Ward was going, not only the romance between the main characters, but also one or two secondary storylines. Of course this book is about the relationship between Rehvenge and Ehlena, but we also see the struggle Wrath has with this sight and accepting his leadership as a King. Besides that we also see more of John, Qhuinn and Blay, I call them the three musketeers and really enjoy their conversations and actions.

The relationship between Rehvenge & Ehlena starts slow, because Ehlena doesn’t want to get involve with someone, she is taking care of her sick father and doesn’t need the distraction. Rehvenge has a dark secret he wants to keep, so getting involved with a woman isn’t a great idea. But we all know that love and fate have a mind of their own, so I was glad to see their love growing. I totally love the part where Rehvenge was taken and Ehlena went to Xhex for help. Then both turned to vampire King Wrath for back-up. Although Rehvenge isn’t a brother warrior, they all were ready to kick some ass and save him.

The huge friendship bond between John, Blay and Qhuinn is just terrific; they stand by each other no matter what. We see John struggle with his feelings for Xhex, finding out what exactly he feels for her. But also his relationship with his adopted father Tohrment, the trust between them is gone when Tohr left him behind after Welsie’s death. Now Tohr is back, but the relationship is still painful. I do hope we see the bond between father and son grows stronger again. And WOW, what about Blay and his feelings for Qhuinn, we all knew this was coming, but will it be possible to see that grow into a relationship or will Blay find someone else to love. I have a lot of questions unanswered, but I do hope to find out more in the next novel.

I honestly can say that Lover Avenged is one of the best novels in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.