Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #4) by J.R. Ward

Lover Revealed (J.R. Ward)

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. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have Marissa, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

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. But even her love may not be enough to save him...

MY REVIEW

Butch and Marissa

"Marissa. I am called Marissa."
"Butch." He touched his broad chest. "Er... Brian. O'Neal. People call me Butch, though."
He stuck his hand out. Then retracted it, rubbed it vigorously on his pant leg, and offered it again.
She lost her nerve. Touching him was too much, and she took a step back.
He dropped his hand slowly, not looking at all surprised that she'd rejected him.
And still, he stared.
(From Dark Lover)

Butch and Marissa met in the first book of the series.
Butch fell in lust with her straight away. Marissa was mostly curious about Butch, but she was not allowed to touch because she belonged to the King. If she expressed any interest, Butch would have been skinned alive. That’s what she thought.

On the other hand, Wrath did not really care for Marissa’s love interests. He hated that he depended on her for feeding and had already started falling in love with Beth.

A few books later Wrath is happily mated to Beth and Butch has quit trying being a better person for Marissa. It is about time for aristocratic, sheltered Marissa to pursue her happiness and fight for it.

Butch and Marissa have to overcome many complications before they mate.
- First of all Butch is human and Marissa is vampire.
-Secondly Marissa is part of the vampires’ aristocracy, while Butch is just a poor cop.
-Thirdly, Marissa’s family , i.e. her brother Havers, is not really happy that Marissa is no longer the King’s mate.

I have to admit that I don’t like Marissa. I think she is a very weak and annoying character and basically in this book and all the following books she tries to prove herself all the time.
Maybe the problem is that I have always imagined Butch as Vishous’ mate. These two have been always the opposite sides of the same coin.
Apparently Ward wanted the same thing (as she has mentioned), but those years it was hard for the fans to accept a relationship between two males.

Butch is one of the strongest characters in the series. He knows what he wants and he does not hesitate to almost die in order to achieve it.