Review by Krystle : Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

Lover Avenged

J.R. Ward

Okay so I know I said that Butch was my favorite from the BDB... But that was before I read about Rehv............HE is my favorite now, half Sympath-half Vampire, with his mo-hawk, amethyst colored eyes, and don't mess with me attitude.

It's no secret that the last two books weren't my favorite, I was kind of hesitant to start this one since I had such high hopes for V and Phury, but Ward knocked it out of the park with Rehv's story. He and Ehlena are so sweet together.

Ehlena

Works as a nurse at Havers's Clinic and takes care of her elderly father. She and her family were once a part of the Glymera until scandal had them disowned. Rehv is a regular patient at the clinic and all of the nurses are pretty much scared to death and uncomfortable around him so they draw straws on who treats him. With Ehlena being late for work the night he came to be treated, she went ahead and volunteered to see him. Said it would make up for her late arrival.

Rehv came in for his usual – antivenin for scorpions the Sympath Princess liked to use on their monthly “activities” and his dopamine. While he was being examined, Ehlena noticed that his arm had a blood infection (Sepsis) from all of his non-sterile injection sites. With him being the macho man that he is, he kept that from Havers and just took the antivenin and dopamine. Later on Ehlena realized this and got in touch with Rehv, just to make sure that he get his arm treated. Or so she kept telling herself. The phone call that they had was so cute. It was like they were teenagers sneaking on the phone in the middle of the night. I loved it. But he still refused her help with the infection in his arm.

Now the second phone call that they have, changes everything between them.. After she has a breakdown in an ambulance from delivering a male civilian vampire to his family after he was brutally murdered by the lessers, she realizes that life is too short. So she reaches out to him again.

Rehvenge

Rehv's had a rough life. Highest part of the aristocracy, living with a secret about what he is. The monthly visits from his sister, the Sympath Princess are really wearing him down. She's both completely in love with Rehv and blackmailing him for sex/rubies in exchange on her keeping what he is quiet. From the way the author describes how they look, it sounds pretty hideous. Pretty much androgynous, no wonder poor Lash was confused as to why he thought he was having feelings for a man when he was meeting up with the “Sympath King”, and it turned out to be the Princess the entire time. I loved that LOL..

All Sympaths are sociopaths, and full Sympaths can go out in the sunlight (that was pretty neat). None of this pertains to Rehv tho since he's not a full Sympath. And the kicker is that the males have a little extra something going on with their “man-parts”. So if he and Ehlena were to get down to it, the cat would be out of the bag so to speak and she'd find out that he's not just a Vampire. Defintely creates a damper in their relationship..

He's the best brother in the world, loves Bella with all of his heart and would do anything for her and her daughter Nalla.. Wasn't his fault that his mother was raped by a Sympath, making him an outcast. He got his revenge when he got older tho. On his father and his step-father....

*Swoon he is my favorite!*

What else is happening with the BDB......

Wrath and Beth

Again you have a lot going on with all of the other characters, it was a pretty emotional book. Especially with what's happening with Wrath and Beth. He's not being truthful with her or the brotherhood about his fighting, and then halfway thru the book he loses his sight completely :( . Not too sure how I feel about this, I know I wasn't happy when I first read it. Only because he's suck a bad-ass fighter, and it's what he loves to do still! Even if he is The King, he still has his brothers' backs.. Love that concept about him.. When Mary brought him his seeing eye dog George, a golden retriever (which the author has lol) it was really cute. I knew Wrath would love him. How could you not love a dog? :)

John Matthew and Xhex

These two are a nuclear bomb waiting to go off.. So much tension between these them. After John thinks that Tohr is leaving him and the brothers again, he'd had enough of that emotional rollercoaster and went to Xhex, not wanting to go back to the mansion. She told him to go and stay at her basement apartment, it's quiet and no one will find him there.. Then something happens between them and little innocent John boy who wore his heart on his sleeve, is no more.