Honestly, when I first started Lover Awakened, I was a little nervous. Z was always really intense, and maybe just a little scary. But I shouldn’t have been nervous. Z was amazing and now I want him all for myself.
A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion and terror his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society.
Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for each other begins to overtake them, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past and find a future with her….
Z started out just as intense and scary in Lover Awakened, yet finally being able to see through his eyes and learn exactly how horrific his past was, made him less scary. In fact, I would go as far as to say Z is a total sweetheart. His heart was always in the right place, he just didn’t really know how to explain his thoughts/feelings/ideas in a way that didn’t sound menacing.
Bella had her own hosts of demons to deal with after being abducted and held for so long by the lesser, O. Though it wasn’t nearly the horror that Z went through, it was still enough for her to forge that bond with Z – they were both survivors. Together they were explosive. Whether they were having melt-your-clothes-off-hot sex or fighting, the chemistry between them was burning up the pages.
The plot, like every other BDB book, was a perfect blend of love and violence with a ton of emotional context. Lover Awakened was such an emotional book that I empathized with almost every character. I mean, at one point, I even felt bad for O, the lesser! I mean, if he wasn’t a psychotic murderer I really would have felt bad for him. But he was a psychotic murderer so I did want Z to rip him to shreds the entire time.
Z’s twin brother, Phury, also had a big role in Lover Awakened. I really liked him in the other two books, but in Lover Awakened when we get to see how he really feels about Z, he sounded like a whiny bitch. Someone needed to knock some sense into him. I’m not looking forward to reading his book, if that’s how he’s going to act the whole time.
Lover Awakened is hands down the best BDB book. I want my own Z now, damnit!
Read Order:
Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined
Lover Avenged
Lover Mine
Lover Unleashed
Lover Reborn
Father Mine: Zsadist and Bella’s Story
This story is my favorite of the series (so far).
Z and Bella are two of my favorite characters in the BDB books and Phury is my least favorite but it’s impossible for me to choose a favorite book. Love ’em or hate ’em all the characters are well written and (within their universe) believable.
Ms. Ward’s books have parts and/or story lines that are fabulous and some that are so-so but I will say that BDB is my Favorite Series!