Review of Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

Title: Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood #2)

Author: J.R. Ward
Published by: Signet
Pages: 441
Source: Bought
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★★★

Summary from Goodreads: 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...

What can I say about this series...it gets hotter and hotter the more I read.  I am kicking myself for waiting so long to pick up this series, though I must admit I like that there are so many books in this series that are currently out that I don't have to anxiously wait for the next one to be released.

Lover Eternal is Rhage's story and oh it is quite a story.  He's the famous "sex-god" of the brotherhood and can he be tamed?  This story shows a whole different side of Rhage than you got from Dark Lover.  I wasn't really expecting it, but I loved the raw emotion that radiated through the pages.  Rhage is the type of guy most girls dream of.  He's the bad boy with a dark side that you want to tame and dig deep enough to find his loving and sensitive side.  The question is can Mary do it?       

I loved the interactions between Mary and Rhage when he was losing control.  It showed that Mary is not some fragile women, instead she takes charge and fights her way through.  I respected Mary so much by the end of the novel because of her inner strength and determination.

As for the ending, it seemed a little rushed and almost too good to be true.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy it ended the way it did, but I wish we would have had a little more suspense. 

I can't wait to see what's in store for me with the rest of the boys.  I'm definitely looking forward to it!