Lover Revealed - J.R. Ward

Butch O'Neal made his first appearance in Dark Lover, the first of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. He's one of the few human's who knows about the vampire race, and a rare friend to the Brotherhood. In the first book he appears as a police officer who befriends and tries to protect Beth before, during and after her transition from human into vampire.

Since then he's fought along side the brothers, but never as a full member of them. As a human being it would be impossible for him to fight, as an equal, at their side, but it hasn't prevented him from doing his best. But when all hell breaks loose and he's captured by the Lessening society, the Brotherhood all but tear the city apart trying to find him.

Butch is one of those rare human's with vampire blood. At first its presumed it's a distant connection, but a turnabout at the end of the book reveals there's far more to it than that. (But as I'm not going to post complete spoilers you'll have to read the book to find out just what's going on)

Butch also has two people who love him. Not just as friends, but something more. The first is V, the male vampire who lives in the Pit (the coach house set up on the estate). V is a member of the brothers and Ms. Ward has teased her readers with the hint of more potentially happening between V and Butch. (A hint she then squashed after Lover Unbound was released). That will they, won't they, just how far does it go, connection between V and Butch builds to breaking point in Revealed and the following novel, Unbound.

The banter between the two men comes straight out of a Marine or Seals bar. They connect on so many levels that the dialogue blends seamlessly. Creating such an intense male bond between two characters is a skill that is to be admired and Ward does it better than anyone else I've read.

The other love connection comes from Marissa. Marissa, like Butch, makes her appearance in Dark Lover. Originally the mate of Wrath, though that was never consummated, she walks away from Wrath when the King of the Vampires chooses his half female Beth as Queen and mate. Marissa and Butch have been attracted to each other since their first meeting, but other forces, including Marissa's brother, have conspired to keep them apart. In this book she grows a backbone, and it was about time. The way Ms. Ward handles the shift in character from the expected behavior of the Vampire elite, to a woman who is willing to take risks not just for herself, but for others, is masterfully handled.

The struggle in this book to handle the change from human, to vampire, to overcome the damage done by the Lessers, and to claim his true mate, all combine into a must read book. The very first time I read Lover Revealed I tore through the book in a day, barely able to put it down long enough to eat, and re-reading it has confirmed my first impression.

Ms. Ward is a master storyteller whose work should not be missed by any vampire fan.

ISBN 978-0-451-41235-5