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Stars: 3 / 5
Recommendation: The Black Dagger Brotherhood and the vampires certainly creates a universe that keeps you on the edge. Complex plot weaving and anticipation of future books keeps the reader immersed. Although the next book doesn’t revolve around Rhage and Mary, the cliffhanger this book hands anticipates the next story in the series. Rhage is cursed and Mary is sick. But in the end they live with the curse as Rhage traded that for illness to be cured with the Scribe Virgin. We see how their love survives along with new characters emerging giving way to future books.
Love Eternal is the second book in the long running Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J. R. Ward. The series deals with Vampires and Humans, trying to co-exist and at the same time fight the evils in both species. The first book Dark Lover introduces us to the key members of the Brotherhood along with Humans who would follow in the subsequent books.
We saw Wrath in the first book who is also the Blind King of the Vampire Species apart from being the leader of the Brotherhood and he is mated to a half-breed, Beth Randall, whom he vowed to protect. Females who mate to a vampire are called Shellan, while the men are called Hellren. The remaining Brotherhood we get introduced are – Rhage, Tohrment (and his shellan Wellsie) “Tohr” (Official leader of the Bortherhood since Wrath ascended the throne, expecting his first child), Vishous “V”, Phury (Celibate and has an artificial leg) and Zsadis (Phury’s twin) “Z” (abducted from his family and sold into slavery for 100 or so years before being saved). Havers, a physician is also introduced in the second book. They work together to destroy the lessers (de-souled human whose sole purpose is to kill the Vampires as a member of Lessening Society) who have been slowly working to exterminate the vampires. Naturally the rest of the book centers on this brotherhood but since J. R. Ward has written 23 book in this series before she did a spin-off Black Dagger Legacy, we have to wait and read the remaining books to see. Also we are introduced to the human, Butch O’Neal, the Homicide Detective, a human, in the first book and becomes best friend of the brotherhood, who is attracted to Marissa, a vampire. And also to the Scribe Virgin (a mystical force counselling kings and keeper of vampire archives).
Though I read the first book in 2015, I didn’t pick the series again until 2026 (10 year at least) because there were so many books in my to-read pile that it took me this long to pick the series again. Now that I am upto date with the In Death series by J. D. Robb, it seemed an appropriate time to take up this series while wait for the next book in In Death Series. So now from futuristic world I enter into Vampire world. 🙂
Reference to the incidents that happened in the first book Dark Lover (such as Butch, a human, becoming best friend of brotherhood; his love toward Marissa, a female vampire; Death of Darius, one of the brotherhood member) is seen in this book. This story happens in September, a good two months after the events in Dark Lover. In this book the story revolves around Rhage and Mary Luce. Rhage is the deadliest fighter but the most voracious lover. He suffers from a curse to rot in that for 200 years, of which 91 yrs are remaining. A beast lives inside him for that period and only fights or sex can control it. Mary Luce comes under Rhage’s protection because of her own life-threatening problems and the ongoing war between humans and vampires. But unexpected to both of them, they fall for each other and fight the evils to keep and survive their love.
The author shows multiple plots within the story and also writes each plot in multiple POVs. This leads to new characters as John and Bella get added to the existing characters. Obviously we will see more future books centering on the new characters also.
The romance that J. R. Ward spins between Rhage and Mary is very romantic and erotic, all spun into one tale. Yet, it bothered me that the characters get attracted to each other just because they are mated to each other. There are other series’ by Christine Feehan (Dark Series, Leopard Series, Shadow Series, etc.) that follow similar plot. It bothered me there as well, but I read those series. Same goes with this series as well.
I liked that the characters that are paired with the brotherhood are equally strong. They have to be to face the brotherhood. They are not meek and whiny that would have been a turn-off. The brotherhoods’ constat teasing and comments to each other add the much -needed humor to the otherwise serious series.
This book also gives more insight into the brotherhood that we met in the first book. I am curious to see each bothers’ story unravel in the future books (like V had foresight; Z was a slave and had Mistress to him for 100 yrs before he was saved from slavery, etc.) and get to know the more.
J.R. Ward thanks Sue Grafton, the author of the Alphabet series (A series I have to read from E yet.), as one of the Executive Committee member. She mentioned in her blog that Sue had mentored her. Sue passed away in 2017.
The unique names of the vampires threw me off a bit considering the violent nature of the words. But again, they are brutes of large size and violent only to those who cause harm or threaten their species. Perhaps the names suite them.
There is a glossary of all the Terms and Proper Nouns used in the series at the beginning of each book. Intriguing names such as The Scribe Virgin, The Lessening Society, the Omega, Mr. X, etc.
A few things that I did not appreciate much. The way the females end up having sex with the mates male vampire from the brotherhood even though they hadn’t known the guys, just because nature had made them true mates and they could not do anything but sleep with him. The thought of Marissa being so ruthlessly pushed to become Wrath’s
shellen even though she was not the true one – makes me think how little women meant to them. The idea that a man can have as many as shellans he want at the same time, the very notion made me feel a slight disgrace to womenfolk. May be this flaws might get repaired in future books.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood and the vampires certainly creates a universe that keeps you on the edge. Complex plot weaving and anticipation of future books keeps the reader immersed. Although the next book doesn’t revolve around Rhage and Mary, the cliffhanger this book hands anticipates the next story in the series. Rhage is cursed and Mary is sick. But in the end they live with the curse as Rhage traded that for illness to be cured with the Scribe Virgin. We see how their love survives along with new characters emerging giving way to future books.
Spoiler Alerts:
- Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
- On Pg. 249, Line 14 from bottom, it should be “….in less than…”
- On Pg. 253, Last line, it should be “…the hell out of this…”
- Plot Reveals:
- Vishous runs the security and monitoring systems The Brotherhood. He can vision the future of a person.
- Mary Luce is diagnosed with Leukemia in this book.
- Bella, friend of Mary, has a brother Rehvenge. Zadist has some moves on her. She gets abducted by the lessers in this book. May be a future book between them?
- Wrath and Mary Luce have a cat named Boo.
- Rhage was son of Tohrture
- John Matthew is adopted by Tohr and Wellsie adopt him. He is going thru conversion from human to vampire. He is approx 21 yrs old.
Galavant Reflections 