~REVIEW of J.R Ward's LOVER ENSHRINED~

~Phury's love story gets lost in the shuffle~

Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #6)


Opening Line: "The Wizard had returned."

In Book 6 of Ward’s awesome Black Dagger Brotherhood series we finally get Phury’s story… sort of. Unfortunately for him (and us) with this instalment Ward switches from the romance genre to urban fantasy and consequently Phury’s love story gets lost in the shuffle. Sure he still gets the girl in the Chosen Cormina and we still get a few awww moments but Phury’s terribly overshadowed by sub-plots and many, many alternate POV’s, never truly getting his chance to shine.

LOVER ENSHRINED see’s everyone from previous books returning and theres a lot of growth involved within the story as a whole. As usual Ward has several distinct plotlines running simultaneously and a host of secondary characters who continue to develop and grow. John Mathew, Blay, Quinn and Lash all take on huge roles here, evolving into very interesting main characters who captured and held my interest, often stealing the spotlight. Wrath as our foul mouthed King is wonderful and Zsadist will make your heart break all over again as he deals with his twin’s struggles and Bella’s dicey pregnancy. Vishous and Butch are barely mentioned and I found myself missing their banter. Xhex gets some major character development as does Rehvenge who has been set up brilliantly for LOVER AVENGED.

There are also some fantastic action scenes and those Lessers are back with a new leader who’s nastier than ever. Ward builds the suspense throughout here, introducing new characters and making me cry as old ones finally return. And even though this is a departure from the rest of her series there’s still plenty to love and fans won’t be disappointed, much. Its obvious Ward’s heading in a new direction I just hope she doesn’t stray too far.

Phury's character has always been a tragedy, continually sacrificing himself for the good of others. He's given up hundreds of years (and a leg) to save his twin Zsadist, remained celibate for centuries (although that's just changed) and most recently gave up his independence and future when he stepped in for V and became Primale of the Chosen. You could say he has a hero complex. He's also been pathetically in love with his twin's wife for at least 3 books now. This little predicament has filled him with such guilt and self disgust that the wizard and his red smoke have now taken up permanent residence.

This book is a tough journey for Phury as he succumbs to addiction and faces the consequences. It was heartbreaking watching him destroy himself and his Brothers having no choice but to let him hit bottom and ultimately let him go. There are some great scenes here with an exasperated King and a disgusted Zsadist. We also get many interactions from the other side with Cormina, the Chosen and the Scribe Virgin as Phury struggles to fulfill the role of Primale. Through it all Phury still manages to have perfect, flowing, multi-coloured hair, how does he do it? Cheers