RETRO REVIEW: Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward

photo source: myrecurringdream

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Lover Revealed
by J.R. Ward

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Pages: 455 (paperback)

Publication: March 2007

(Signet)

Goodreads Summary: Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world-to engage in the turf war with the lessers. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. And if he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers.

But fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him.

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Review: Lover Revealed is the fourth book in J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Picking up one month after Lover Awakened, (see review HERE) this book tells the story of Brian “Butch” O'Neal, the human who has been taken in by the vampires.

Butch is a former Caldwell police officer who was a frenemy to Beth Randall. If you’ve read the earlier books in the series *wonders how there is anyone left that I haven’t convinced, coerced or blackmailed to read these books* then you know how Butch comes to be living among the vampires, something unheard of as secrecy from humans is paramount to the species survival.

Shortly after his immersion in the vampire world Butch meets Marissa, a beautiful female member of the glymera and Wrath’s former shellan. Butch falls hard for Marissa... I’m talking love at first sight, the world shifted and gravity changed to tie him to her kind of love, BtCers... and she seemed just as fascinated by him.

But months have passed and Butch hasn’t seen or heard from Marissa. He constantly finds himself sitting on the sidelines in the Vampires’ war with the Lessening Society. He is living in a house that isn’t his, eating food that he doesn’t pay for... and generally feeling like a useless piece of flesh.

Meanwhile Marissa is going about her daily routine: running her brother, Havers’, home; helping out in his clinic; attending council meetings... and slowly withering away. The glymera is very unforgiving and have formed their own opinions about why she and Wrath did not mate. Of course in their eyes, the fault lies with her. Holding her head high and behaving every inch a lady, Marissa’s spirit is being crushed under the constant weight of the disapproving stares of her brother and her peers.

Then fate intervenes, bringing Butch and Marissa back together. Events unfold which show them the truth of the past months absence and allow them to admit that they care for each other. But what does an unemployed alcoholic cop who is hanging on the fringes of society have to offer a female of worth like Marissa? And what does a female who has known nothing other than quiet comfort and privilege have to offer a hardass former homicide cop?

*pulls on full body armor and takes a deep breath before continuing*

This is my one of my least favorite books of the series. And it has nothing to do with the characters.

I love the cop and think he is a fabulous addition to the BDB world. He brings much to the game and his relationship with V is absolutely fab on so many levels. He is a true male of worth who, despite some mistakes in his past, is genuinely a good person who puts others before himself. And he gets many gold stars from me for his stand on hitting women and his method of handling the guys who do.

I am among the few who actually like and respect Marissa. *says it louder* Her spunk impresses the hell out of me. She was raised in a very confining bubble, yet finds ways to slip out of it and be more than society deems she is supposed to be. And when Havers pulls an “asshat of the century” move, she not only stands on her own two feet, she kicks ass and takes names... and his is at the top of the list. *whispers* I found that scene particularly satisfying.

Having said that... and wanting it abundantly clear that I really do love the characters... this book did almost nothing for me. I didn’t like that Butch, who had until this point been so dogged and determined, was suddenly a sodden, depressed mess. I didn’t like that Marissa, who had found the strength of will to stand up to Wrath, was incapable of calling Butch on his BS when he was being a jerk. I feel like these two got short changed, that the very characteristics which I like most about them were used to underscore their weaknesses. While some might see that as brilliant, I saw it as frustrating and not true to the characters. And don’t even get me started on what happens when Butch says the word “baby.” *UGH*

It was good to go back to this world and see where these characters were at in their lives, to see the changes in them from the last book to this one. Lover Revealed has Ward’s trademark quick, sharp dialogue and her uniquely entertaining if not grammatically correct style. And once again, this book contains smoking hot sex, so read it with an ice cold bottle of water handy. Oh, and BtCers? Butch will teach you all you never knew you didn’t know about french kissing. *winks*

Rating: 3 stars