Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 4)

Butch and Marissa have no chemistry. The continuation of the storyline was fantastic except Butch and Marissa. I really wanted Butch to explore his feelings for V and Marissa to hook-up with Rhev. Marissa seems too frail to handle the Brotherhood and offers no real support to Butch. He is always comforting and reassuring her when she should be able to offer him strength. V is always looking out for Butch and vice versa. Their unique situation and deep understanding of each other transcends friendship. They get each other on several different levels. More Butch and V

I loved it. Butch is a great character with a lot of heart and it was nice to see him join the brothers. The scene in the tomb with V was touching. BDB is a great series and they are always a fun read.

I'm sorry, but it didn't like this book. I am a major fan of J. R. Ward, I loved book #1, #2, and of course #3. But this one....I found myself flipping through the pages. I could not get into that storyline of Butch "really" being a Vamp, and cousin to Wrath. I thought Marissa was weak and forgettable. I see why Wrath couldn't get into her. This book did pick up around the last few chapters, but for me it was too late. I will continue to be Ms. Ward's fan, but this was not her best.

How awesome was this book?!?!
I have to admit that I never thought much of Butch and was surpriced Ward would give him so much importance so early in her series.
Still, I think it was perfect. A completely unexpected outcome for him and great solution for the Brotherhood!

This was the book I couldn't wait for once I started the series, since I thought Butch and Marissa's interludes were the hottest thing in the first book, even though they only had a few pages in Dark Lover and the two of them never even got close to having actual sex. Butch is the most interesting of the male leads to date, being a human with human vulnerabilities, and a desperate need for acceptance and purpose in his life, a tough outsider who brings in an outsider's slice-of-life perspective. The banter between him and the brothers crackles with offhand humor and the story of his progressive integration into the Brotherhood shines a fresh light on the society.

The openly homoerotic overtones of Butch's relationship with Vishous are an interesting departure from the previous novels and from traditional romantic fiction in general.

Rehvenge develops into a fascinating character in his own right, so his book will be one to watch out for. Meanwhile, one is almost tempted to pity the Omega, who is clearly attracting a very unreliable class of Lesser in recent books.

Having rooted for Butch as the token human in the Brotherhood's circle, I do find it somewhat questionable that in this series (and in paranormal novels in general) being "merely" human is consistently depicted as an inferior state of existence. Does a hero have to be literally superhuman these days to captivate the reader?
Another caveat is that the female characters in the BDB series generally seem to lack the depth and strength of their male counterparts, which is a bit of a shame - but then, some of those heroines are "only" human, so maybe it makes sense after all.