LOVER ETERNAL

Author: J.R. Ward ISBN: 0451218043 3/2006 PARANORMAL Publisher: NAL/SIGNET ECLIPSE

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover—for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him. Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: Plus!

Wow! I am completely blown away by LOVER ETERNAL. This is my top pick read for 2006, and even though it's only March, I have a hard time believing that I will find anything else as perfect as this novel. Every emotion I possess was felt while reading this one, and not since Kenyon launched her Dark Hunter series have I felt so enraptured by some seriously scarred heroes.

It's been quite some time since I have read anything so moving and deep that I had to blink back tears to keep reading. I was angry, bitter, and shocked at some of the things I feel were unjust in this book, but I just couldn't put it down. To me, that is a sign of a gifted writer/storyteller—pushing a reader away just enough to keep them coming back for more. Well, that and the fact that I just knew there would be a happy ending. There had to be!

Most readers of my reviews know I don't usually get all mushy about stuff, so, of course I must make reference to the action-packed, dark sided parts of this Black Dagger Brotherhood Novel and not dwell too long on the love story part. LOVER ETERNAL is mean and rough and in no way loses the edge the first book, DARK LOVER, has. With unbelievably demented bad guys who are under the control of a mysterious evil that I cannot fathom, it gave me chills and kept me on pins and needles.

If you have a real fetish for paranormals like I do, LOVER ETERNAL should be the next book in your to-be-read pile. Heck, even if you don't read paranormals, there is plenty here to entertain and enthrall you. Though I have said this about a hand-full of other books, this one is as close to perfect as you can get. From the writing to the setting, from the characters to the plot, it's a tale that leaves your fingertips tingling from emotion and you won't soon forget it.

Shannon Johnson