Lover Revealed

By: J.R. Ward

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world - to engage in the turf war with the lessers. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. And if he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers.

But fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him.

Keep chilled: listen to more titles in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

©2007 Jessica Bird (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Impassioned, dramatic and delivers a great story

Butch has been one of my favorite characters of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series since he was introduced. What attracted me the most about him was the fact that he is the only human out of the bunch and yet he still manages to hold his own in the vampire world. This alone makes him the most badass of them all in my opinion! His story is different from those of the brothers in many respects but it’s just as riveting and heartbreaking. Plus, it’s about Marissa too who’s a phenomenal character in her own right. Lover Revealed will make you weep, seethe with anger and then weep some more. It’s a killer ride but the ending makes it all worth while.

Lover Awakened is a hard act to follow but Ward still manages to deliver a solid fourth installment. I particularly enjoyed the friendship between V and Butch in Lover Revealed. It’s not easy to convey brotherly love without having their manhood take a slight hit but this book succeeded. The level of devotion and honesty that comes through in this novel is breath taking. The characters try to play it down with some manly joking which made the emotional elements both moving and funny at the same time. Butch puts up a strong front but on the inside he’s really quite vulnerable. I liked reading about his personal conflicts and his struggle to find a place to belong within the brotherhood.

Marissa is just as troubled as Butch but because she’s a female her emotions are always close to the surface and sometimes make her appear weak. I found that she grew a lot as a character in this book. She finally takes charge of her life and even pulls a few ballsy moves that really impressed me. Oh, and she finally gets laid! Anyone who’s capable of remaining a virgin for over three centuries deserves some credit. As a result, in true Black Dagger Brotherhood fashion, Lover Revealed is as scorching hot as its predecessors. Needless to say that after Marissa discovers what all the fuss is about she is hooked! The fact that she’s getting it on with Butch doesn’t hurt either.

This was my first audio book experience with a male narrator. It definitely took some getting used to and I found the female dialogue a little comical at times but overall Frangione does an excellent job. He has a great tone and accurately portrays the badass attitude that’s prevalent throughout this series. Jim also reads the action-y chapters with enthusiasm and the sex scenes with heat.

The ending sort of wraps up Butch’s humanity “problem” with a nice, neat bow but I think that it was fitting and that he deserves his happily ever after just as much as any of the brothers do. Lover Revealed is impassioned, dramatic and delivers a great story. Lover Awakened retains its top seat among my favorites in this series but all bets are off because Vishous is up next in Lover Unbound!

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Hmmm... Streeeeeetch!

Any additional comments?

My least favorite of the series, but still a worthy listen. My main issue with this book is that up until now, the world Ward has created, and the laws within that world have been established. This book seems to stretch those laws - a lot! I mean, we are reading fiction, so not everything needs to be plausible in real life, but in the world of the books, this book forces the reader to be flexible with what the author wants us to believe. I get why she did it - but... (this is where I have to let it go and give the author authority over her own story).

Having said that, good book! I love, love, love the interaction between Beth and Marissa. So nice to see an author who doesn't make female characters either man-hating BFFs or so catty you want to kill them both. Wards women are beautifully written with true wisdom and stength of character. Both Butch and Marissa are learning how to be who they really are. And like most people, they screw it up along the way. They have a slow start, they fumble the ball a lot - they struggle to understand each other - the first time they have sex, well ... This book is more "human", which in itself made it an interesting read compared the first 3 books.

And of course, as we move through the series the plot thickens and the "big bad" is getting bigger and badder. I can't wait to get to Vs story!!! Jim - I luv ya Jim. (for complete review of Jim, see my previous reviews).

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

My Favorite

Since Butch O'Niel is my favorite character, I have to give this a 5 star rating, after all, I flip through the other BDB books looking for glimpses of his character, but I really wish it was narrated by someone who could capture the characters better and make them more believable. I don't like Jim Frangione.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Butch's Story

Finally!! It took Marissa's brother kicking her out for her to get some backbone. YEAH!! Watching her growth and development was truly satisfying. Learning more about Butch's back ground finally answered some questions about his affinity with/for the Brotherhood. This book sowed seeds for further development, I can't wait for John's story. Will Torhment finally return? Keeping my fingers crossed for him.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Best Listening in a long time

My co-worker should have prewarned me about the brotherhood books...I read each one, got the cd's and then had to download them on my i-touch...I can't count how many times I have listened to them...each time I heard something new...These are some of the best reading I have done in a long time...

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Oh Butch the Destroyer

I love this series. In the beginning of this book I disliked Marissa she was too naïve I mean she is over 300 years old and a virgin who had never worn pants I am so glad she grew a backbone. Butch has been in love with Marissa since the first time he met her she was Wraths shellan who he had never taken. Butch touches something deep inside her and only her feelings of unworthiness combined with her fear that if she feeds from Butch she will kill him, keep her from falling into the arms of the human who has touched her in these unknown ways. Her relationship with her brother has fallen apart because of her feelings for a human. Her brother is a doctor and has placed Marissa on a pedestal he in unable to forgive her when she falls in love with a human. Butch runs into a situation where he chooses to save a pre-transition vampire from the lessers who are attacking him. He is captured and tortured by the lessers. When the Omega finds out who Butch is he inserts an evil part of himself into Butch. Now only Marissa, the Brotherhood and the Scribe Virgin may be able to save him. But even with the changes in his body he is determined to fight and serve the ones he trusts and loves. Butch as it turns out is a cousin to Wrath therefore he can turn into a vampire hear is where the story gets weird he is part lesser and part vampire. Vishous was in this book a great deal and helps Butch with the change We also discover why there is the special bond between Butch and the brother Vishous. I felt for Vishous who saw Butch as 'his', not in a sexual way, but in a brotherly love kind of way. Though he is happy for Butch, he can't help but feel more lonely than ever. It was also good to see John Matthews and the other pre-transition warriors, become friends and allowing for this series to go beyond the main brotherhood characters I also liked that John stood up for himself against Lash, but John seems so lost and I was glad that Wrath stepped in to help him. I am looking forward to reading the next book about V and his BDSM.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Lover Revealed Strars

Butch is my underdog, there are others but I always had a thing for our fair Butch since we first met him. It was like he needed the Brotherhood as much as the Brotherhood needed Butch.

When Marissa and Butch first meet in book 1 I was head over heels in love with these two.
Not only do we see their budding relationship grow but throughout this book, we see so much struggle. And the feeling of not worthy or inadequacy, that broke my heart each time.

Watching Marissa suffer from self-worth was really hard, you have this incredibly amazing vampire who doesn't even know her own worth. How crushing is that? Butch see her in a way she would never have looked at her self.
I love how she comes into her own. The knocking on the table scene with Rev and Havers AWESOME!

Watching Butch go through so many changes in this book was remarkable. I can't even it was just a great read. I want more more more.

So I will leave you with a few of my favorite quotes.

Z - "That's a big one."
"That cop is big V, cop is really big."
"V he's really big."
I think he means he is really big.... lmfao

V- "No more man scarping for you."

Butch- "Ya, I had my chassis overhauled and I run much better now"

Rev- "Hot damn girl you are the s ** t."

Love the narration I can't think of Jim as anyone other than the Brothers now. :)

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

7 of 10 people found this review helpful

Horrible.

I wish I had known that I had the option to "return" this shortly after purchasing. Oh well. It could've been worse - it could've been 50 shades of gray.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not my fave

I really thought I would like butch and marissa's story but I got quickly fed up with the misinterpretations and self depreciation it got old fast. They deserved to lose out on each other after all that. I seriously quit rooting for them before half the book was done.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fantastic As Usual

As like all the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, there exists around the town of Caldwell, NY the secret band of brother vampire warriors who are the defenders of their race in a life and death battle with the Lessors - a group of soulless once human beings that have been turned into pure evil by the most evil of them all - the Omega. Their goal is to wipe out the vampire race and the Brotherhood which is intent on holding the lessors at bay. Each of the books so far has highlighted each of the Vampire Warrior brothers. Book 4 - LOVER REVEALED is the story of Butch O’Neal - the human who was befriended and allowed into the inner sanctum of the Brotherhood, loved and trusted and treated almost as if her were born of the vampire strain. This is Butch’s amazing story and revelations.

*** A fighter by nature, Butch made his living as an ex-homicide cop so he knew how to fight, nothing as compared to the men he now called ‘brothers’ but he could hold his own if the brothers’ were less magical and strong as powers inherent in their bloodlines gave them. Butch was more or less adopted and became best friends with Vishous who plays an important and vital spot in Butch’s story as does Marissa, a full-blooded aristocratic vampire, who is far beyond Butch’s reach and his love interest.

In LOVER REVEALED, many things come to light which push this story forward and make it one of the more exciting edge-of-the-seat volumes in this series. In this, our favorite ‘cop’ Butch gets caught by the Lesser’s and not only is he tortured, but something is done to him by the Omega that makes Butch a walking time-bomb - but for which side? And who ultimately will be able to save him - Vishous or Marissa?

The skill and artistry Ms. Ward has for creating unbelievably tense situations that turn and twist all over the place as she tells the stories of these fabulous vampires is simply awesome! She continues to dazzle and enthrall me with each layer of loyalty, bravery, and yes, humanity for these amazing warriors have for each other and their kind. Ward simply covers all the bases, consistently adding in more and more layers of revelations about each of characters lives and hinting at even more to come.

Bottom line: In LOVER REVEALED, J.R. Ward delivers in spades another fabulous volume to this a totally captivating series that has me completely entranced! WOW!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful