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Lover Awakened
Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 3

I Picked Up This Book Because: #BDBBuddyRead #BDBBookClub

Media Type:Audiobook
Source:Everand
Dates Read: 8/26/24 - 8/30/24
Stars: 4

The Characters:

Zsadist:
Bella:
Butch, Wrath, Beth, John Matthew, Thor, Wellsie, Phury, Vishous

The Story:

Of all the stories in the brotherhood this is the one I looked forward to rereading the least. Zsadist story (and others) is complex, heartbreaking and in the end joyful. it seems I had completely forgotten the climax of this book so I was on edge waiting for the outcome. I once again must express my love for John Matthew. He’s my favorite. ( )

We all know, that there is tragedy in memories. In memories hidden behind unseen cages deep inside our soul. No matter what happened to us, and no matter how much those memories are about to eat us alive, we still need to focus on the locks only special persons in our lives have a key to. Bella is Zsadist's key. His key to love, joy, luck and happiness after all. And he knows it, deep inside of him. But does Bella has a chance to put the key in the lock and turn so the cage can jump open. Will Zsadist be able to overcome his past?
This book is a true masterpiece of emotions. ( )

Depressing ( )

In the third Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Bella has survived mental and physical torture for the past six weeks at the hands of a lesser. When the brotherhood finally rescues her, she’s lost and confused, and only feels safe around Zsadist, the vampire warrior whom she’s dreamed about for so long.
Zsadist is the most tormented of the brothers. After a century of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as a blood slave, he believes himself to be unworthy and dirty. He doesn’t trust easily. He’s loyal to the brotherhood, but he’s not friends with any of the brothers. He’s cruel, rude, and able to kill without blinking an eye. Until Bella.
Z’s twin, Phury, is racked with guilt. He’s constantly worrying about his brother, and he’s so stressed he’s turned to drugs to help him level out. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Z, even give up Bella, the woman he cares about.
This is an amazing story, and I can see why it’s a fan favorite. I cried a few times. Bella and Zsadist are wonderful, broken characters. Z keeps his pain bottled up inside. He only feels anger and hatred, no other emotions. Bella breaks through his walls and forces him to grow as a person and find his humanity. It was beautiful and heart wrenching.
In the previous two books, I couldn’t relate to the brothers as a whole. In this book, I finally saw them as a family unit and realized how deep their emotions are for one another.
Several different plot lines run alongside the main romance, which feature: Butch, John, Phury, Rehvenge, and Mr. O (the villain). Butch and Marissa’s story is up next. I’m a big Butch fan, but I’m not so crazy about Marissa.
I knew it was coming (I’ve researched this series before reading it), but I was shocked with how Tohr lost Wellsie. The aftermath and Tohr’s breakdown will surely be hard to read in later books.
I didn’t like Bella’s brother, Rehvenge. He’s a drug-dealing pimp who traffics women and drugs through his nightclub, and he wants to keep Bella under house arrest to protect her. I don’t mind overprotective brothers, but I don’t like double standards, especially those that are so extreme. After all, those “whores,” as Rehv calls them, are somebody else’s daughter and possible sister. Hopefully, he’ll find a way to redeem himself.
There are some unusual word choices and phrases. For example: the word “boot,” as in shoe, is never used. Instead, it’s “shitkicker.” I can see the warriors using that because they sometimes talk like gangstas, but vampire civilians and humans use it, too, so it feels awkward to me.
Anyway, I absolutely loved this story. It’s my favorite so far in the series.
5 Stars
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