Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
Series Name: Black Dagger Brotherhood
Volume Number: 6
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Urban, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Signet/Penguin Group (USA)
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-451-22272-5
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book
Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood’s bloodlines alive. As primale of the Chosen, he is obligated to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive, and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.
As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself. She is drawn to the noble responsibility behind the emotionally scarred male. But Phury has never allowed himself to know pleasure or joy. As the war with the Lessening Society grows grim, tragedy looms over the Brotherhood’s mansion, and Phury must decide between duty and love….
Personal & Info
As with the others, I read this over a year ago, and my notes are essentially nonexistent. I’m doing these regardless to get caught up to the volume I’m currently reading. I will do my best based on skimming and memory. It’s been a while, though, so don’t expect anything amazing.
Content Warnings
I’m just keeping a running list of content warnings that have been in the series so far, from what I can remember. If you’re reading the series, or considering reading the series, and you have sensitivities, you might want to know these. The list so far: abuse, attempted rape, drugs, kidnapping, sexual themes, rape, and violence.
Characters
Phury is the Brother for this book. He’s the final of the original six. After this one the series goes on to include new recruits and/or close friends of the Brotherhood.
Cormia is the love interest for this volume. She was introduced in the previous book, Lover Unbound, as the Chosen intended to be the first mate of the Primale.
Zsadist, because you can’t have a Phury story without Z. Phury had to put up with his trauma crap, now Z has to put up with Phury’s trauma crap.
Rehvenge, because he’s been Phury’s dealer since day one, and his book is after this one.
John Matthew continues his plot building. He has a very obvious crush.
Qhuinn, we get to see deeper into his home life. It’s not pretty.
Lash continues to be a bully.
Story & Thoughts
I like this book, but it definitely has its problems. It attempts to tackle drug addiction as a theme for Phury. He’s been smoking something called red smoke since early on in the series. I specifically recall the earlier books describing red smoke as less dangerous and less potent than marijuana. That information was completely thrown out the window here.
Red smoke is his primary addiction, and is shown to be much worse than marijuana, if you know anything about it. This inconsistency put a damper on the whole book for me. It changed a fact to create drama for the story. Phury is portrayed as a legitimate drug addict despite previous information. It’s used as a means to encourage him to try something harder. If you’re sensitive to drug related stories, this book might not sit well with you.
My notes say I found parts repetitive, but I can’t remember if that’s the drug related parts specifically or not. If it is, then it’s likely referring to relapse sections. Relapses are a realistic thing and all, but they’re not always engaging to read.
John, Qhuinn, Lash, and Blay all have significant story in this volume. I remember looking forward to those sections more than Phury’s.
Sympaths get more in depth coverage in this volume, too. Rehvenge’s book is after this one, so this book covers all the necessary story preparations for that. There’s also a closer look at his staff, like Xhex, Trez, and iAm, who all work at his club. This does not mean his employees are sympaths, it just means they’re relevant to him specifically, because they are his trusted inner circle.