Lover Enshrined by J. R. Ward

Title: Lover Enshrined
Author: J.R. Ward
Publisher: Signet
ISBN: 978-0-451-22272-5
Pages: 534
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #6
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
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Phury sacrificed himself to save his Brother Vishous and to protect his race. He became the Primale, the male responsible for continuing the Brotherhood's bloodline, and is now obligated to father the sons and daughters who will lead the race in the future. Selected as his first mate is Cormia who is drawn to the responsibility and honour Phury shows. But Phury is reluctant to fulfill his role and as such is putting the future of the entire race in danger.

This is the sixth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series (after Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, Lover Revealed and Lover Unbound) and is the first to disappoint me and end up with four stars.

My main problem with the book is Phury himself. In the previous books he has been presented as the calmer, more stable member of the Brotherhood and this book acts as a brutual view behind the curtain. Phury is basically a drug addict with a hero complex who whines...a lot. He has a voice in his head called the Wizard which motivates him to use drugs, but Phury annoyed me so much with his woe-is-me attitude that I ended up siding with the Wizard at times. I know Phury has been on a downward spiral since Lover Awakened but he really irritated me in this book.

On the other hand, the heroine of the tale Cormia was far better than I expected. Cormia has moved from the Other Side to our world and has spent five months living in the Brotherhood's compound. It is great to see her learn more about our world and to embrace her freedom. Her pleasure at the simplest things, like watching a movie or running around outside, is a great counterpoint to Phury's depression.

The real strength of the book, however, is in the background stories. John, Blay and Qhuinn who have all transitioned recently have their world turned upside down in a single moment and the book has some major twists and revelations for the three. It's hard to say much without giving away major plot points but it changes everything for all three of them. There is also a bit more of a focus on the half-symphaths Rehvenge and Xhex and what they have to do to hide their natures, as well as the introduction of two new kinds of creature - Rehv's bodyguard who is a royal member of s'Hisbe of Shadows and the fallen angel Lassiter.

Phury managed to redeem himself with the ending which also manages to reshape the world of the Brothers, redefining some traditions and introducing a new character - Vishous's twin sister Payne who will most likely shake up the world even further.

All in all, this was a good read but I can't wait for Rehvenge's book Lover Avenged.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 7/10
Ending: 9/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 42/50