Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

The second book in J.R. Ward’s “Brotherhood”-vampire series proves to be excellent!!! I loved it from beginning to end! Fast-paced and action-packed this story didn’t have a boring moment in it. With great dialogue and many memorable scenes it carried the story forward at breakneck speed leaving me breathless and panting for more. Tough on the outside but tender-hearted on the inside these vampire warriors give paranormal romance lovers all they could wish for – and then some! These vivid, compelling characters jump from the pages full-grown and make this vampire world utterly believable. I couldn’t read fast enough but was crushed when it ended. I would have loved to read on forever!

The story:
About a hundred years ago Rhage was cursed by the Scribe Virgin to hold a beast inside his body that comes out when he gets really angry. As a huge dragon-like creature he destroys everything in his path, friend or foe. That’s why Rhage is in constant fear of hurting one of his brothers. The beast can only be held at bay by constant stress release through fighting or sex. Nicknamed “Hollywood” by the brother’s because of his good looks he usually has no problem finding a willing female. But over the decades he’s gotten bored with and also disgusted by the mindless, anonymous acts. Then he meets Mary and is immediately drawn to her, first of all to her voice that soothes him (and his beast) like nothing else ever has.
Mary has first lost her mother to cancer and then gotten leukaemia herself. She has been healthy for two years but now it seems the disease is back. When she meets Rhage she can’t understand why he’s interested in her because she is no beauty and he is screen-actor-gorgeous. But Rhage is determined to have her, drawn to her strong will, sweet compassion and the brave way she handles her illness. When they get attacked by some Lessers Rhage’s identity as a vampire is revealed to Mary. He takes her to the compound of the Brotherhood to keep her save from the soulless vampire hunters. But can he keep her save from the danger that is within him? Because every time he wants to get intimate with Mary the beast wants to come out and being celibate is only making things worse. On top of that Mary won’t let him get emotionally close because she knows how it is to see someone you love suffer and not being able to help.

There’s a second storyline about a young man, an orphan and a friend of Mary’s, who doesn’t know that he is shortly going through the transition to become a vampire. The mystery of his past is not completely resolved in this book but everyone who’s read the first book can probably take a guess. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in the next book and hopefully have my speculation confirmed.

Also Zhadist’s story, which will be told in the next book, is actually already starting in this one when he meets the first woman in ages who is not disgusted by him or sees him as a freak. On the contrary she feels quite mesmerized and very attracted to him. Their scenes are emotionally powerful and super hot! I can’t wait to get my hands on their book!

Ms. Ward you have me hooked! With this series you have propelled yourself to the top of my must-buy-list. I’ll range you right up there with my most favorite authors. You rock!!!

"Lover Eternal" ist der zweite Band der Black Dagger Brotherhood-Serie von J.R. Ward. Der erste Band heisst "Dark Lover".

Das Buch behandelt die Liebesgeschichte der an Leukämie erkrankten Mary und des mit einem schrecklichen Fluch behafteten Vampirs Rhage. Der gutaussehende Rhage, der wegen seines attraktiven Äusserlichen auch von seinen "Brüdern" Hollywood genannt wird, verwandelt sich nämlich in Momenten extremer Gefühle wie Schmerz, Wut etc. in eine Art Drachen. Diese beiden sehr unterschiedlichen Personen treffen aufeinander und verlieben sich - das geht nicht ganz ohne Probleme vonstatten.

Aus mehreren Gründen fand ich diesen Band wesentlich besser als den ersten Band "Dark Lover". Zum einen haben die beiden Hauptfiguren hier wirkliche Probleme und nicht nur die sonst in Liebesromanen häufigen Pseudoproblemchen. Ausserdem weiss ich nach Band eins nun, dass ich mit einem starken Romance-Anteil rechnen muss. Und ein ganz wichtiger Grund ist, dass hier auch bereits die Geschichte von Zsadist angesprochen wird, der von allen Mitgliedern der Black Dagger Brotherhood der für mich mit Abstand faszinierendste ist. Insgesamt ist mir das Buch zwar nach wie vor etwas zu romance-lastig und gefühlsduselig, aber die Vampirseite kommt trotzdem nicht zu kurz. Nach Band eins war ich mir noch nicht sicher, aber jetzt weiß ich: ich werde diese Serie bestimmt weiterlesen!

This is the second book in J R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series (the first being "Dark Lover", the third "Lover Awakened" and, to be released in March 07, "Lover Revealed"). The story takes place a month after the events in "Dark Lover" and with the same cast of characters.

These characters are very well drawn. We have Wrath (the King who has now stepped up to his position with his new wife Beth), Rhage, Zsadist, Phury, Tohrment etc. Very silly and cheesy names which I find disappointing - it's about the only complaint I can make overall about these books!

Anyway, this book follows the story of Rhage, the Vampire Brother with a curse... he has a dragon beast inside him which is released at times of great stress. In order to keep the beast under wraps Rhage has to have sex with women regularly (so THAT'S his excuse!) and get into fights with the lessers, the vampire slayers. He's pretty fed up with life - the seduction of women evidently palls after a while - and he knows he's got 91 years of the curse left before it leaves him.

Mary is a lonely woman who works at a suicide hotline in her spare time and in a law office for her main job. Her mother died four years ago and Mary has recently had leukaemia which is now in remission... or is it?

Mary's discovery of her cancer returning coincides with her meeting a young man who regularly calls the suicide hotline - a man who can't speak but can only use sign language (which Mary understands). Her neighbour Bella (who just happens to be a vampire, unknown to Mary) recognises that this young lad is 'one of them' and contacts the Black Dagger Brotherhood about him.

And thus Mary and Rhage meet. He's instantly attracted to her which of course she doesn't believe, seeing as she's a pretty ordinary looking lass and he's colossally handsome. Their paths continue to cross and Rhage goes against all the advice of his Brothers and continues to be in contact with Mary.

What's good about this book is the continuation of other plot lines and the introduction of the story of Bella and Zsadist which is the focus of the next book. Mary and Rhage's relationship moves slowly as she is so unsure of herself, of him, of her health and of his morals (and rightly so!) Butch the human is still in this book, still mooning unsuccessfully after Marisa, and he adds a little extra to the story.

Overall I very much enjoyed this book - there is character building, interesting plots, the scenes with the Lessers don't quite work for me always but they are few and far between - in fact, the Lessers are pretty weak opponents to the Brotherhood in this series. What was well written was Mary's fears about her illness and what caring for her would do to Rhage in the long run.

My only negative point about this book is that the Scribe Virgin (the Vampires' deity) comes in at the end rather as a "Deus ex Machina" to fix a significant problem in the story and it feels rather cheating and an easy way out. Still that's not a major complaint and it doesn't spoil the book.

Read and enjoy!