Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed on 3/31/2011 + 2527 more book reviews

This is the fourth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood. It was a decent book, but not my favorite in the series so far. I did enjoy that the plot was more filled out and seems to be leading up to something bigger. I listened to this on audio book and although the guy reading is sounds a little too dramatic for my tastes; he does a decent job overall.

This book tells the story of Butch and Marissa. When Butch is captured by the Lessers and horribly wounded he ends up in Haver's clinic where only Marissa can help him fight to stay alive. Things are complicated by Butch being a human and by some strange powers Butch has gained from his stay with the Lessers. The story of John Mathews continues throughout this book as well. We also learn more about Rehvenge and a lot more about Vishous and his past.

It was great to finally get the story between Butch and Marissa; this is a story that started developing in the second book and kind of stalled in the third book. This book had more plot development than previous books and I really enjoyed that. Based on this book it looks like Ward is finally developing a set-up for an epic battle between the Lessers and the Brotherhood. It was nice to have a plot that is actually a big part of the story rather than just a vehicle for the romance.

I also really enjoyed watching both Marissa and Butch grow as characters. They change a lot throughout the book and it was fun to witness this growth; especially in Marissa's case. The back story for Vishous was wonderful too and his powers were intriguing to learn about. Butch developing these strange powers and the way they tie in with the Lesser prophecy made this a more interesting read than the previous books.

There was one major thing about this book that drove me crazy and that was Butch and Marissa being on again and off again so many times. They went through the "I love you" "I hate you" cycle a couple too many times. It got to the point where it wasn't generating tension between the characters; it was just eye-rolling and obnoxious. It seemed like for some reason Ward drew the story out way longer than it needed to be.

Overall a solid addition to the series. I really enjoyed having a fuller plot and including this Lesser prophecy in things makes this more of an urban fantasy type of book as opposed to a pure romance; I thought this was wonderful. The constant on again, off again between Marissa and Butch got old and was too repetitive; but it was good to finally read the story between them. Vishous's story was also a very interesting part of this book. I can't wait to see if the war between the Lessers and the Brotherhood escalates in the next book, Lover Unbound.

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