Originally Published: 08-20-2018
Book Summary
Lover Awakened is the 3rd book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by JR Ward.
This story starts within weeks of book 2, Lover Eternal, with Bella being kidnapped and Zsadist being in a rage because she’s gone.
And this is the book that we get to know Zsadist.
Now, you need to know that this is an emotional story. When we learn about what Zsadist has had to go through, I cried right along with the characters.
Okay, so Zsadist was taken from his family when he was a baby and then sold as a blood slave. He lived not as only a blood slave but also as was subject to the whims of the mistress that bought him.
He was captive for a century. And so all he knew was what he had to endured at the hands of this mistress.
Now, he’s twins to Phury. And Phury never stopped looking for him and finally found him. But not before they both sustained injuries that were permanent.
Phury shot off his leg when it got stuck in the cliff. To get loose, he chose to shoot off his leg in order to get Zsadist away from the mistress.
Zsadist was slashed across his face, from his forehead to his lips. So he’s scary looking and almost emaciated. He chooses to eat from humans instead of vampire women, so he’s smaller than he should be.
Also because of the abuse that he endured, he’s not really stable or sane. His character is described as dangerous and viscous.
JR Ward does a decent job of describing this character and all that he’s had to go through as there are scenes from the past that are in the story too.
But not only is this story about Zsadist, but it’s about the relationship between him and Bella.
She’s a vampire aristocracy so she’s lived a sheltered life, that is until she’s been kidnapped. At the hand of the lesser, who happens to be deranged and unstable, she’s tortured and abused.
But it gives her and Zsadist something more in common to bond them together.
Now the lesser that took her was terrible. He became obsessed with her. We are able to see into this character’s viewpoint during the story.
But Zsadist is riddled with insecurities. He thinks she would be better off with his brother Phury as he’s still clean and pure.
There is a ton of history written in this story. And while the author tells us some of it, there’s a whole lot more behind the words of the story. Especially when it comes to the relationship between Phury and Zsadist.
There is nothing that they wouldn’t do for one another.
So when the lesser kills one of them and then kidnaps another female, he demands that Zsadist come so he can avenge Bella’s death, (she’s not dead though), Phury shaves his beautiful mane of hair and scars himself so he can go in Zsadist’s place.
From this battle, they are both injured and actually come together in some level of peace.
But sadly, Wellie is killed by Mr. O and this causes Tohr to erupt. He explodes and then disappears. And none of them can find him.
So the story is about all of the characters with Zsadist and Bella in the front.
Zsadist had previously made sure that Bella did not want to stay with comments that made her hate him and fear him.
But then she comes to him a couple of months later telling him that she’s with young! And that’s when she finds out that he’s had a plan from the beginning. He wanted to make himself worthy of her.
So by the end of the story, he’s 80lbs heavier and much more healthier and strong. He’s also learning to read!
And after they profess their love for each other, she tells him about the young one. And then they live happily ever after!!
To lead us to the next book, we find out that Vishous gives Butch some of his blood telling him that he needs it to be strong. So that should be interesting when we read book 4, Lover Revealed, when we find out Butch’s story.
