I have read all of JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood books. The first 4 started off as paranormal romance. Once book 5 & 6 came around the books were leaning more towards paranormal suspense or urban fanstasy. There is nothing wrong with those kinds of books as long as the reader knows ahead of time. Lover Enshrined should not have been promoted as a romance of any kind. It wasn't romantic.

Phury's story is great if you were looking for story lines about everyone else. The plot was scattered with lots attention spent on build up for her next book. Phury's minor appearences in the book were spent not on building his character but downing him. He was abandoned by his family and left blowing in the wind when he is the one character who has always been there for each of them. His romance came out of nowhere. He didn't even really have a lot of contact with his mate Cormia until mid way through the book and then they fell in love so quickly that it didn't even make sense. It was rushed and forced. None of the book was really dedicated to a build up to Phury's love story. He just didn't get one.

I thought the story lines throughout the book that dealt with all the other brothers was great. All the other characters got great development. We got better insight into these characters and there were some great advancements in what is usually excepted in romance novels. I appreciated that. But all in all I have to give this book a 2.5 rating b/c in the end it was supposed to be a romance novel about Phury and it wasn't I felt bamboozled when I finished the book just because I had set my sights so high because of the books before it and I was disappointed.

Okay, I think it's been said how bad this book is, but let me add my comments. And, I think EBurns and Kristi Ahlers say it all very well, but again let me have my input. This book was awful because it was choppy, dull-verge of plain ol boring-, annoying, un-understandable...because of the choppy writing style, and oh did I say Boring, and broken-up to the point of not being able to get interested in any one particular plot because she kept jumping around. It was like watching gymnastics, too fast and unable to catch any of the skills properly.
I don't think JRWard could have wriiten about more people and circumstances in one book! It was confusing. The romance(which get this, is never my favorite part) was near non-existant. I do, however, like learning about characters and having them bloom (three dimensionally) before my eyes, including their love lives, but there was way too much going on for her to have written anyone in a complete or clear manner. The only thing clear was the Phury was a drug addict. I got that part. I actually liked that part. In the end it went no where really.
I skimmed through a good portion of the Omega stuff...because...who cares. That portion, along with others, such as Quinn, Blay, and John, was written exactly like so many others, no originality at all, except for the gay part, slightly interesting.
And...I do recall in the past that I never truly felt as though jrward was talking through a man's voice, more of how a woman would talk if she were a guy or how a woman thinks a guy talks. I really felt that way in this book with all the 'I am a soo not going there' and all the 'thank you's' from one brother to the other. Men just don't talk that way. It's corny. And I felt her use of pop culture slang was overused to the point of irritance, eg. he rolled a 'fattie', and they drank 'freshies'. Who over the age of 19 talks that way?! Seriously ridiculous.
I'm also getting tired of so many paranormal beings like vamps and werewolves having mates with the most pedestrian smells or body scents! SSpare me, she smelled like jasmine...strawberries and cream...roses! Please, we all have a unique scent, I agree, and I get these beings are supposed to have extra-sensory smell, but as a woman do I have to smell like sweet food or flowers? Am I five years old? How about an earthy-rain scent, something musky maybe...anyhow, that's just a pet peeve with the whole female writer thing. Don't even get me started on the word 'panties'. Apparently we wear 'panties' or 'granny shorts'. Can't a young woman wear something specific like a thong, bikini's or how about this NO underwear. No, we are infantized into 'panties' like a six year old.
So, in the end, and I have to say I read the others and was disappointed with Zsadist's story as well, but looked so forward to Phury's story since the beginning. I thought it could be so good. But don't buy this book unless you want to be disppointed.

The book was good but the romance was not the best. It seemed that JR Ward just skimmed over that part. I just didn't believe it. I really hope she doesn't try and change the direction of the series. I thought she did a great job balancing romance and action in the previous books. I'm just disappointed in the story line.

Not too serious, but incredibly entertaining. It is very easy to get lost in JR Ward's characters and be impatient for the next one.

See my review of the first six books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series under the first in the series, Dark Lover.

I'm not in the disappointed camp at all! After disliking Lover Unbound, I did not have high expections for Lover Enshrined; in fact, Phury has always been the least interesting brother, in my humble opinion. So, I was indeed pleasantly surprised with this entertaining story. As stated in several other reviews, the romance is weak in LEn, but the plot-line is much better than the last book. I love John Matthew and was glad to see so much of his side-story. There's a lot of stuff going on and some surprising twists - I was never bored.

I think JRW does a good job showing how extremely difficult is is (even for a super-hero like Phury) to break away from their addiction. Cormia is there to love and support him, but Phury has to fight the red smoke demons every day of his life.

I'll keep buying and reading.

I really love this series, and particulary I love this book,it's not the tipical romance book but it's excellent and I enjoy every moment I spent reading it.

I had not intended to purchase this book after being so disappointed with the last ghostly romance. J.R. Ward angered my feminine person with her horrible conclusion. In hindsight, though, she told us what she thought of females in romance novels: they have no substance. I expected resignation to the formula so I did not intend on reading the next story. I dreaded a romance with an even-more substance-less (at least the others had actual lives to lose at the end) female who comes from a place where women are nothing more than incubating machines.

BUT being a BDB addict, always loving her attention to the alpha males, I felt compelled to buy LE. Much to my surprise, I was rewarded.

In LE J.R. Ward abandons the romance formula to become perhaps the first urban fantasy novel that's about men. While I'd like to see a woman or two rise to the level of importance as all Brotherhood dudes, I like that the main focus is the Dude. While I despise what happens to women in romance novels, I had grown weary of the only other choice for me: typical tough-talking, wanna-be-a-guy females in urban fantasy novels (i.e. Anita Blake...zzzz...). Forget women, I want to read about MEN. I want to lust after the MEN. I want a series I can follow like a soap opera, a story that continues a la Anita Blake without the virutal death of the men I love at the end of the romance.

LE does it. Ward finally is freed of her contracts and can write what she wants. As I read the story, I felt her freedom from formula romance. I liked that Phury didn't suddenly LOVE Cormia. It crept up on him. We end on a cliffhanger. YAY! A story that I can continue reading. I story that promises many more tales that won't end with the HEA (like the end of Zsadist's novel, V's or Butch's). Where are those men I love now? Totally absent. Too often, the HEA kills the soul of the man and the woman. They lose all their character. With LE, the shift to urban fantasy promises to give life to the men (and women) I love. The HEA doesn't have to kill them off.

I cannot wait for the next novel. Yes, yes, YES, on urban fantasy.

The many reviews that have been written say it all. For fans of Ward, which I once was, this book is a huge disappointment. There is no real romance and Phury, the alleged hero, is not likeable in any way except for maybe briefly at the end. Moreover, as most reviewers agree, this installment of the series is filled with subplot after subplot, many of which are also not entertaining. The only redeeming factor is the new Lesser front man (the new bad guy) is interesting. I would recommend reading the first 3 or 4 of the series. Those were excellent! LEn is not worth your time and I don't say that lightly.

As I do not do alot of shopping online, I had questions, order changes and was very nicely surprised. Seller was prompt, patient and very kind. Shipping was quick and product arrived in the condition promised. Would definitely do business again with this seller!

All I've got to say is WOW!!!

This is the story of Phury, Zhadist's twin. The one everyone fell in love with for being so compassionate of others during the last few books. The one everyone was hoping to see his happy ending.

Well, the book definitely delivers, despite all the wishy washy chaos with everyone else. The story almost seemed pretty scattered at points, but it straightened up for the most part. It just took a lot of extra effort to get there. The story almost seemed to be running around a nonexistant force.

The thing that surprised me was that with all the things we THOUGHT we knew about Phury really go deeper than I knew. I was not expecting him to be so miserable inside his head. Or in his own skin, or in the decisions he made for that matter. He was obviously going through something nobody understood. Maybe that's why the storyline seemed to be circling around and around again. J.R. Ward had to PUSH us and Phury toward his conclusion. It was messing with everything he had lined up for the Brotherhood, and the Chosen. He needed a good fixing.

Overall, the book was a fast read. I always love the ACTION, ROMANCE, and DRAMA Ms. Ward brings to her pages.

PS. I'm so glad to see Tohr made it back safe and sound for the time being.

I hated Phury in this book, it was the WORST of the whole series! I will be hard pressed to give her any more of my money. I only write to say that I liked the other characters story development. JM and his friends have a great story line going, and I think if she goes back to the beginning and uses that format, well the next books won't suck quite so bad...do save your money and borrow it from the library.

I think because I've read so many reviews warning that LE was more urban fantasy than paranormal romance, I came out with a more favorable impression than I might have if not warned.

Then again maybe I would have liked it just the same without the warning, because I personally thought it was romantic enough.

Yeah, there was alot of things going on in this one and once again I skimmed much of the "Lesser" parts. (I'll explain later.) Unfortunately, I couldn't skip them all together because they are interwoven into the plot of LE.

But yet I can't say I disliked it, even though it is certainly not the best in the series ...

Phury, Twin of Zsadist (Lover Awakened), is lost. Self sacrificing to the point of madness he simply cannot find peace. For one he's in love with his brother's mate, for another, he's addicted to red smoke. In previous novels, I had a completely different picture of him. Always surround by a haze of smoke he seemed enigmatic, removed and tantalizing. In LE, he's more accessible. Unfortunately he comes off as way more whiney as well. Yeah, bad things happened to him growing up with his twin enslaved, his father an alcoholic and his mother seemingly locked away in depression, but bad things happened to all of his brother's in the Black Dagger Brotherhood. What's ruined him more, however, is his self sacrificing nature- his greatest asset and his greatest flaw.

In the Lover Unbound, the previous novel in Ward's BDB series, he sacrificed his future by taking up the appointment of Primale to his race from Vishious. This means he will be responsible for repopulating the vamp race created by The Scribe Virgin. They have been decimated, not only through the Lessers, a group of evil zealots whose main goal is to destroy them, but also due to the fact, that the women of their race have a difficult time carrying their babies to full term- or surviving. Add to that the fact that when the males go through a transition to full adulthood many don't survive as well, we have fewer and fewer vamps in Ward's world. As Primale, it's Phury's duty to impregnate not only THE Chosen of the Scribe Virgin but also forty of her sisters. (huh? Wait a minute, are they Fundamentalist Islamics now? ) Of course a kink is thrown into that plan when first, he's not interested in sexing up anyone let alone FORTY (he's made a self-sacrificing vow of celibacy to be kept firmly intact until his twin his rescued and whole again), and then later because ... he discovers his one true mate in the midst of them!

The dude has some serious issues, and I felt that dragged out a bit too much. Perhaps because- in the way I find most annoying in Ward's novels- she hops suddenly from alternating plot thread to plot thread.

Segue to the second major plot in LE: The development of the recently transitioned younger males of the group. John Matthew, Blay and Quinn are back, along with Lash- the brother who seems intent on tormenting the sensitive mute, John. When something happens that brings out the protective side of Quinn, the boys are drawn even closer to The older Brothers and one who was left for dead, arises in a much "Lesser" capacity. Much of this is obviously a set up for later books and though I found it distracting, I did enjoy these bits of the book enough to keep me turning the pages.

The last thing is, of course, what the Lesser's are up too. And it's major. As I said I skimmed it mostly- I really can't get into this part of the series- but I did get through it.

Ward also throws in a bunch of new side characters- or more accurately, old ones are given more depth. Rhevenge, Xhex (how do you pronounce that, anyway?) and their sub-species of the Vamp race, and V's sister, Payne, awakens- (Now SHE intrigues me!) I have no idea where Ward is going next in this series but, as before, just when I swear I'm giving up, I'll more likely then not, follow.

LE is a must read if you are going to continue on in the series.

I think because I've read so many reviews warning that LE was more urban fantasy than paranormal romance, I came out with a more favorable impression than I might have if not warned.

Then again maybe I would have liked it just the same without the warning, because I personally thought it was romantic enough.

Yeah, there was alot of things going on in this one and once again I skimmed much of the "Lesser" parts. (I'll explain later.) Unfortunately, I couldn't skip them all together because they are interwoven into the plot of LE.

But yet I can't say I disliked it ...

Phury, Twin of Zsadist (Lover Awakened), is lost. Self sacrificing to the point of madness he simply cannot find peace. For one he's in love with his brother's mate, for another, he's addicted to red smoke. In previous novels, I had a completely different picture of him. Always surround by a haze of smoke he seemed enigmatic, removed and tantalizing. In LE, he's more accessible. Unfortunately he comes off as way more whiney as well. Yeah, bad things happened to him growing up with his twin enslaved, his father an alcoholic and his mother seemingly locked away in depression, but bad things happened to all of his brother's in the Black Dagger Brotherhood. What's ruined him more, however, is his self sacrificing nature- his greatest asset and his greatest flaw.

In the Lover Unbound, the previous novel in Ward's BDB series, he sacrificed his future by taking up the appointment of Primale to his race from Vishious. This means he will be responsible for repopulating the vamp race created by The Scribe Virgin. They have been decimated, not only through the Lessers, a group of evil zealots whose main goal is to destroy them, but also due to the fact, that the women of their race have a difficult time carrying their babies to full term- or surviving. Add to that the fact that when the males go through a transition to full adulthood many don't survive as well, we have fewer and fewer vamps in Ward's world. As Primale, it's Phury's duty to impregnate not only THE Chosen of the Scribe Virgin but also forty of her sisters. (huh? Wait a minute, are they Fundamentalist Islamics now? ) Of course a kink is thrown into that plan when first, he's not interested in sexing up anyone let alone FORTY (he's made a self-sacrificing vow of celibacy to be kept firmly intact until his twin his rescued and whole again), and then later because ... he discovers his one true mate in the midst of them!

The dude has some serious issues, and I felt that dragged out a bit too much. Perhaps because- in the way I find most annoying in Ward's novels- she hops suddenly from alternating plot thread to plot thread.

Segue to the second major plot in LE: The development of the recently transitioned younger males of the group. John Matthew, Blay and Quinn are back, along with Lash- the brother who seems intent on tormenting the sensitive mute, John. When something happens that brings out the protective side of Quinn, the boys are drawn even closer to The older Brothers and one who was left for dead, arises in a much "Lesser" capacity. Much of this is obviously a set up for later books and though I found it distracting, I did enjoy these bits of the book enough to keep me turning the pages.

The last thing is, of course, what the Lesser's are up too. And it's major. As I said I skimmed it mostly- I really can't get into this part of the series- but I did get through it.

Ward also throws in a bunch of new side characters- or more accurately, old ones are given more depth. Rhevenge, Xhex (how do you pronounce that, anyway?) and their sub-species of the Vamp race, and V's sister, Payne, awakens- (Now SHE intrigues me!) I have no idea where Ward is going next in this series but, as before, just when I swear I'm giving up, I'll more likely then not, follow.

LE is a must read if you are going to continue on in the series.

I was a little nervous to read this book; I had some mixed feeling about the last one in this series, Lover Unbound, and the early reviews for this one made it hard to know what to expect. But by the end of the book, I decided I liked it and thought it was a solid addition to the series.
As the summary states, this was Phury and Cormia's story. But it wasn't just about Phury & Cormia. And it didn't follow the a+b=c storyline typical for a romance novel, either. It seemed like more of a transition book. It wrapped up a few old storylines (Tohrment!) and started some new story arcs. In that way, it reminded me of Charlaine Harris's latest, From Dead to Worse. It wasn't the same ol' predictable, and this gave the story and characters a chance to evolve. (Unlike Fearless Fourteen, which was fun, but rather more of the same.)
It did flip from character to character a lot, and sometimes the screwy spellings drive me nuts, but other than that, it was time well spent. I'll be looking forward to reentering Ward's world with the next book, and seeing what their futures hold.

I did find this book to be really disappointing. I've read the whole series (and a whole lot of others in this category) and this book is definitely one of the worst ones. I don't want to spoil anything. I'll just say in a book that is under the "vampire romance" category on amazon, I don't want anything like real life drudgery that it drags the whole plot down. I of course don't want it to be so incredibly fake that it's bad, but I want it to be enough of a "fantasy" style book that I don't feel like I'm watching an after school special either. The first part of this series was great at that, totally exciting and yet different enough to be compelled into the world the author has created. This story did not even have a world I wanted to be compelled into.

Actually I would give this book 1 star. I would give the series 4 or 5 stars. So that's why I averaged it out to 3 stars. If you absolutely love the series like I do, then obviously you should not skip this book to keep up with the overall plot and just hope the next one is better. If on the other hand you're ambivalent about the series, I wouldn't bother with this book at all.

Okay, I love J.R. Ward, and her first 5 books were aweome, but this one was more about the fighting and war and technicalities, than about the romance, and that's what I love. I still think everyone who loves paranormal romance should read this story, I just hope the next one is more about the romance.

Wow, there was so much to follow in this book. I really liked it, but felt the actual love story between Phury and Cormia got lost. It seemed like a subplot of the story along with all the other characters trama drama. It is an excellent read, though, and if you've read the other books, you're probably caught up in the other characters, so it's nice to have expanded plot lines for everybody. I enjoyed all the new characters that she is developing. And I gotta be honest, I was really feeling the kiss between Blay and Qhuinn. I also thought the new twist with the Omega a great plot move. It's sure to cause a lot of problems for the Brotherhood.

The book was so disappointing. Phury was set up so well in the previous books. Here is a male with a huge physical limitation, an amputee, and the character trait is hardly even mentioned. There are so many voids in the story, where in the previous books they were exploding with vivid imagery. Lover Enshrined was more like "Phury who?" Cormia was down right boring.

How could JR Ward's editor and publisher send this book to print when it is so far off base?

After reading some of the early reviews, I expected to dislike this book but that wasn't the case. Phury was never one of my favorite characters. He gets on my nerves with all the self sacrificing - he almost seems to look for reasons to be miserable. But I thought J.R. Ward did a great job with his story. His emotional growth occurs slowly, but it does happen and I was proud of the way he handled himself by the end. I doubt there will ever be another book in the series I like as much as Lover Awakened, but this story kept me interested and I can't wait for Rhev's book to come out.

I really loved this latest book in the series. I was never a big fan of Phury, but after finally getting the whole story behind who he really is and why he is the way he is, I changed my mind.
There's lots of twists and turns and I liked that. Although the main focus of the book was Phury, the other sub plots were strong and meshed well with the storyline.
It was one of those where I had to keep reading to see how everything was going to work out in the end. It is also high on emotion and revelation...

DISAPPOINTING.

that's all i can say about this book. disappointing from beginning to end for numerous reasons.

1) there was NO romance in this book. i was so looking forward to phury's romance story just because of the way his character was portrayed in the other books of this series. i thought he was special. *tear*
**CORRECTION** there was more romance in the one scene between blay and quinn with their kiss than there was through the whole book with phury and cormia. i thought to myself "at last! some real to goodness passion!" i almost wanted the scene to go on further with B/Q just so i could at lease PRETEND to be reading a romance.

2) druggies are not hot. period.
and i thought phury had gotten over his whole brush with heroine thing in the last book. why bring it up again?

3) what happened to the characters? i've heard over and over from other reviewers that ward seems to have forgotten who her characters were. the series started off so well with the relationship and bonds between the brothers then we get to this book and POOF. gone. they freakin live in the same house and yet there was hardly any interaction between them and when there was, they were STRANGERS! the characters all became bland.

4) cormia is left alone in her room for 5 months??? come on now! at least be somewhat realistic.

5) everything in the book felt like fillers to me. too much going on. can anyone say "overload"? and right when something good would happen, the author would jump to another scene right in the middle of it!
AAAA-nnoying.

omigod. the list could go on and on and on. word of advice: wait to read it until someone tries to pawn it off on you or you find it in your nearest garbage disposal. even the guy on the cover, with his grossly hairy upper lip, was a disappointment.

Where to begin....this book completely missed the mark. I honestly thought that Lover Unbound was just a fluke and J.R. would get back to the kind writing that everyone fell in love with. Wrong! This book was a total disaster; from the inconsistent character developments, major plot holes, shocking lack of romance (remember this is SUPOSSED to be a romance)... everything was just a mess. I must say this is one of the most boring reads ever. Everyone was so bland and diluted compared to the people we were introduced to in the beginning of the series. They seemed to be cardboard cut outs of their original selves. I also didn't like the fact that you had to sift through EVERYONE else's storylines to get to Phury and Cormia's. I mean, I thought this book was supposed to be about them...right? They were scarcely in it at all, and when they were it was a total snooze fest.

I didn't hate this book at all. I was very pleasantly suprised to find myself enjoying this book after all the negative reviews. First, I really felt Phury's pain. Drug addicted, kind hearted Phury. J. R. Ward took us on a journey of the ultimate caregiver's torment, insecurities and strengths. Not only did I find myself rooting for Phury, I found myself feeling complete sadness for the "brother's" who had to administer tough love to their brother and friend. There was a perfectly slow love story for Phury and Cormia. He's an addict...he has demons...he's afraid and he's a brother. Of course it had to be written very deliberately. I also liked the side stories of John Matthew and friends. 4 stars, rather than 5 because it wasn't solely about Phury. I thought he may have deserved more, but again, J.R. Ward wrote another winner as far as I am concerned.

I was so excited when this book came out but this one took me almost three days to read where her others only took 1 day. I could not get into this book as there were multiple story lines going on and trying to understand Phury was frustrating. I hope the next book improves, or I might be inclined to pass.

I loved this book as I have enjoyed the whole series. Can't wait for her to write the next book in series. Book is a black dagger brotherhood, page turner you don't want to put down. A great paranormal romance.

I love every thing about this book.... Every book From the Black dagger Brotherhood is a must have true...

I loved and re-read every single one of The BDB series 1-5. As with all of JR Ward's fans, I loved the characters, the background, and the storylines of her books. She has such a unique and clever writing style. I waited for her 6th book with anticipation. However, with Lover Enshrined, I felt as though another author was assigned Phury & Cormia's history/romance/relationship.
The rest of the book involved John M. and his buddies, and Lash, The Omega, Rehvenge, and Zhex. These chapters had JR Ward's signature touch. Actually, almost all of the book was about every other character except Phury and Cormia. I thought Phury would be one of my favorite characters (being the twin of Zsadist, my absolute favorite character) and I couldn't wait to read about him and the person who would be his shellan. But after going through the few chapters that had their names, I found their storyline tepid and uninteresting. I've read Harlequins that had more heat and more sex.
Was their story written by a "ghostwriter"? Or if JR Ward did write the story, was there a censor editor at work there? You see I want to blame everyone else. I really don't want to blame JR Ward. All 5 books in the BDB series are smokin' hot but number 6, Lover Enshrined, (supposedly) about Phury and Cormia is a dud. I hope that JR Ward re-writes the entire book and it gets re-released someday. Can we have a Phury and Cormia that are passionate and interesting?
And going into another tangent: I've read blogs about the possible characters JR Ward will be devoting her future storylines.
I can't imagine what kind of book the character, John Matthews, will have since he has been detailed in 5 of the 6 books. I don't think he should have his own book at this point, since his whole story seems to be unraveling between the pages of the series.
And I really think that a full story about Zhex is unnecessary; I can't get the picture of a steroid muscled female wrestler out of my head. The thought of JR Ward devoting a book about Zhex's story makes me plead "Please go back and re-write Lover Enshrined instead!!!"

UNFORTUNATELY, J.R. WARD IS GETTING A LITTLE BIT ODD. THE LAST TWO BOOKS HAVE BEEN REALLY STRANGE. THE BEST BOOKS WERE THE STORIES ABOUT WRATH, RHAGE, BUTCH, AND ZADIST. I THINK THAT SHE DID POOR VISCHOUS REALLY WRONG AND PHURY IS JUST KIND OF BORING.

I was very disappointed in this book. It did not live up to the intense romance as the other books. It seemed that the author literally had to pull a story out of thin air for Phury. All she managed to come up with was a story of a struggling drug addict. I struggled through this book with only the few scenes with John and his friends, Rev and others providing me with some exciting reading. Otherwise this was a poor showing on the author's part.

Little disappointed,lower standard than set by the previous books. Very Little romance, but a good filler novel to set up for the next book.

The romance worked fine for me, and there was so much going on that I couldn't put the book down. My 21 year old son,who has read all the other BDB books, read it in a day and absolutely loved it.

My suggestion, read it. I cried at the end of the book. Phury did get his HEA.

I like the first four book of the serie the #5 was a little wear but I past it. But the six Oh my God was real bad I just put it in the trash it was really disturbing. It was to depressing and to much gay stuff. Not good I think she lost her way in writting this book. I do not know if I am going to buy her next book I am scare to lose $8.00 more dolar is sad because the others books was great. I hope she come back front that ugly place she is writthing this last book.

I thought that in some ways this was one of the best books in the series so far. It seemed less fluffy somehow and more dedicated to actually telling a story. Not that the others have been bad but this one centered a lot less on the romance part and more on some of the more interesting subplots that have emerged since the series began.
The Lessoning Society with it's all powerful Omega character took a very interesting turn in this book. One that might just take it out of the sort of bungling state that it's been in and actually make it a real threat. Also whole "Chosen" idea has now taken a more active role in the series I think. At least it was set up in this book to become more interesting then having an "other side" where women wait around to be food and sex partners. The problem up until know is that they talk about the Chosen as food and sex partners but it seems that no one ever uses them much.
The main point of the story was about Phury and his new role as "Primale" and we won't discuss how stupid that name is. Anyway, the story is supposed to be about that but it mainly focuses on his addiction to drugs and why he's become the person he is. Lots of soul searching in this one.
As I said I think it's one of the better books because it covers some really interesting ground that before now had just seemed sort of thrown in. The biggest problem I had with it was that there is a character in that I really don't remember and yet I feel like I should, like he's come up before. One of the best things is that the author toned down a lot of the hip hop language and there is no references to rap to be found. I have nothing against rap but the author uses her references about as well as Celine Dion sings "Shook Me All Night Long" which makes me shudder.
I am interested to see where the series is going after this since she has used up all of the original brothers now. I wonder if she's making all these changes in an effort to keep the series going or to wrap it up.

Ward has promised stories on the Black Dagger Brotherhood and she has kept her word. We started reading Wraths's story and feel in love with the blind kind and his brothers. Moving on through the lives and love stories of Rhage, Zhadist, Butch, V, and now Phury's turn in Lover Enshrined. These books were meant to be read in that order, otherwise you'll miss so much information and not really know what is being referenced.

LE was not as immediately plunged into romantics as the other stories were, however, Phury's love story started way back in the 3rd book with Bella and Z. His love has been spread out and finally here we get a chance to see in more detail how he's dealing with his situation as an addict, 2nd twin, and being in love with the wrong (brother's beautiful pregnant mate) vamp. He's taken the responsiblity to be the Primale since V's story showing us once again that he's a male of worth, just how Cormia (his first chosen mate) see's him. I'm not spoiling the story ... please read without fear, it's not completely a romance like the others yet still has it's great moments. Another great story in the BDB series.

Ward is opening up to many more character's in the book and mostly because Phury is the last of the original brothers we started reading about and the new plot with John and all his friends has to be included if we want to keep reading about their lives and the 'new generation' of brothers. Ward does get in to lots of detail about all the side characters, new characters, and gives you a few ideas as to what we can expect next assuming that even more characters will appear along the way. If you feel in love with the BDB and each of it's prominent brothers, I'm sure we'll be able to keep falling in love with all the new additions. This book has really paved the way...

I just finished the book and I loved every minute of it.

1. first of all it is a whole lot better than "Lover Unbound" so it deserves a higher rating. It should at least have a four star rating.

2. I loved Phury's tragedy and redemption.

3. I loved all of the twists and surprises. I can't say too much without revealing spoilers, however, I am happy with how she is picking up some of the storylines from the other books :) and tying them together to give the series a more unified direction

4. I love all of the action

5. I loved the romance. there is a lot of blatant romance and a lot of subtle romance that makes you yearn for more.

6. I think Cormia was believable and easy to like.

7. It is a very well written book and I can't wait for the next full novel.

8. There were many times it caused me to laugh out loud

9. Thank you for another excellent read J.R. Ward

The book on a whole is interesting and well written. I truely liked the story line(s)- maybe too many story lines. But to call this a romance - no way. The main characters (Phury & Cormia) do not take up enough space in the text to classify this as romance. What a shame, there certainly was the opportunity to create a solid foundation between these characters. They simply got lost in the shuffle. This one is not a keeper.

When I first read this book following it's release, I immediately put it back on my shelf when I was done and decided to reread it in a month before reviewing it. I wanted to be fair to the book and not just vent my disappointment.. Well, I'm still disappointed.=/

All authors have the right to write the way they want to, to change their series, to change their characters at will - and it's up to readers whether or not they still want to buy the books. At this point, I'm pretty sure I won't buy another J.R. Ward book because.. honestly, there are far better Urban Fantasy authors out there whose series I'm already hooked on. This series started out as paranormal romance and a few of the books were true standouts in the genre (Lover Awakened, Lover Eternal) but it's clear that although this book was categorized as a romance, there is very little of that in it. Much more like Urban Fantasy IMHO.

Ward established Phury early on in the series, but I feel like the character as revealed through this story bears only a passing resemblance. Much of his internal dialogue and motivations felt weak to me and I didn't buy the sudden revelation of him being in love with Cormia or vice versa, really which was a crying shame. There was a lot of vulnerability in Phury, but it didn't have to make him weak. Sadly, I don't think enough of the book was devoted to the main couple at all and what was there felt rushed. There were the smallest hints of passion between them, but it seemed like they were gone before they even got going. You know there's something wrong when there are pages of detail (and tons of heat) devoted to a sex scene between a series character and a villian, but the scenes between the hero and heroine are rushed through and awkwardly phrased by comparison. Definitely lacking sizzle or emotion with few exceptions.

That's another thing - the author really built this up (much like Lover Unbound) to be something that it wasn't. The book itself managed to further the plot that drives the whole series in clever and interesting ways, while leaving important characters by the wayside, quickly abandoned for "the bigger picture".. But it was an anti-climax compared to the hype that J.R. Ward had given in on her online forum. When I got to the end of the book, I wasn't sad that I'd finished it as I was with some of her earlier books. Instead, I was sad that the more recent installments seem rushed and uneven. It's not the same series I got hooked on anymore, and I'm not sure I'll be lining up to buy the next book.

It was awful. A drug addict and a door mat do "it" after 100 pages of total disregard for character development. The rest was filler and side stories. Don't care, don't want to read anymore. Uninterested. She completely went off the deep end with this one and I don't think I will read another of her books. I was a total fan the first books were AWESOME. My feelings have shifted from really disappointed to complete apathy. Didn't even finish reading. Will never shell out another dime.

I disagree with all of the above reviews. I LOVED this book just as much as all the others and I have read them all at least three times. You can't go wrong purchasing this book and keeping it to read again and again. While true the entire focus isn't on Phury and Cormia - it's more than enough about their part of the story. It also gives you a LOT more insight about some of the main/other characters that you never knew before (such a surprise about Lash - never saw that one coming) and that is a very good thing. I can't wait to see which character she will write about next. So come on #7!!

The sad thing is I was a fan. The first three books the author could write no wrong. Some where along the way, she started writing like she was on bad street dope. I don't know what direction this author is taking and I don't care anymore. The fact that she continues to write confused garble is proof that she just wants to get paid and further proof that people will spend money on anything, even this. I've e-mailed her. She's sorry that I didn't like this book and the previous mind purging tripe. Well she doesn't have to worry about me, because I'm done.

First of all let me just say that I enjoyed reading this book very, very much. I found it to be as good as the previous Brotherhood books. I was actually shocked to see how many low reviews this book received.

J.R. Ward obviously knows that in order to be a successful writer it helps to have a good, working formula, i.e. boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy rescues girl, boy and girl find eternal love. However, a good formula by itself is not enough. One of the reasons I shy away from romance novels in general is that many of them seem to be interchangeable; same story, just a change of names, dates and locations. The great thing about the Brotherhood books is that there is this ongoing, ever expanding storyline of the battle against the Lessers and the ultimate survival of the Vampire race.

Yes, I really enjoyed reading about each of the brothers falling in love and overcoming their personal handicaps whether they be physical, mental, real or imagined. Yes, I was looking forward to Phury's story which is the central romance in this book Lover Enshrined. Was I disappointed? Not in the least. Because Phury's story is not told in just this one book. True fans will remember the previous books and know that Phury's story is actually one of the longest running. From Lover Awakened to Lover Unbound we have been reading about Phury and it is simply that in the final pages of Lover Enshrined we finally see him happy.

Were there a lot of subplots in this story? Absolutely! Did they take away from the overall story? Only if you are reading these books solely for the sex and romance. Think about this; if J.R. Ward had not added the subplots there would not be any more characters to write about. Now we can look forward to learning more about Rehvenge, Xhex and John Matthew. We'll hear more about Phury and his success or failures with the Chosen. Will they find mates? Will they become pregnant? And what about Lash and Qhuinn's brother? What will happen with Tohrment? And I can't wait to learn more about the fallen angel Lassiter.

J.R. Ward makes it very clear in this book that for the Vampires to survive as a race there has to be changes. I think that is also true for her Brotherhood series. For her to keep writing in this universe, there has to be changes. And she has made Lover Enshrined a great pivotal point in the series. I realize that some may feel that Phury and Cormia were not given enough page time but if you think about it, their romance actually began in the previous book. And maybe to some it seemed just a little too easy of a solution for Cormia and Phury but sometimes that's really just how life is. Big problems have simple solutions. I think the author makes it very clear that Phury's battle to stay drug free will be ongoing and that his and Cormia's story is not really over.

I am impressed by the continued high quality of writing and the way that J.R. Ward deals with such touchy issues as drug abuse and homosexuality. I am looking forward to the next novel in this series and I highly recommend all of her Brotherhood books including Lover Enshrined.

This latest book in the series was difficult to get into. I had a hard time relating to or even liking the main characters. It was definately not on the same level as the previous books that once I started I found hard to put down.

When I first read JR Ward I was thrilled to find a smart funny new writer, an excellent well developed world AND ROMANCE. The 1st 4 books were amazing, the 5th was just ok and annoyed me with the ending. This book read like it was a weekly series in a magazine. Too many subplots around the heroine and hero and little connecting Cormia and Phury (when they appeared in the book). Phury was not hot, not enticing and his weakness (drug addiction) and how he overcame it was not even convincing. There could have been a real story there if Cormia was was even part of it. Cormia was a dishtowel. NO excitement there. How sad that what was once a brilliant series has degenerated into merely stories about the vampire world. The other brothers were not themselves-none of them. The interactions and conversations were not the easy flow of other books, and it was so odd to see how they viewed Phury. They cut him loose before they even did ANYTHING. Come on JR, please reread the earlier books and reviews and see what drew us all in. I will read the next in hope JR recovers, but I must say if that is as poor an effort as this one, then I am totally done.

I liked this book, it was a vast improvement over V's story. I was disappointed that Phury got kicked out of the Brotherhood and it kinda looks permanent with him setting up house with the Chosen. I do think that John is getting way too much space in the books though. Just give him his own book and story and be done with it. He's getting more space now then the actual Brotherhood guys. Ok, we know who John really is, so let's get on with it and be done with it! Although I'm thinking he and his friends will be the "next generation" of the Brotherhood and perhaps "hook up" with the Chosen who have come to "this side". All in all though I thought it was a really good book and am puzzled why some reviewers couldn't even finish it. Maybe I'm just easier entertained. I read the book in two days.

So much happens in this book. Wow! The first half of the book is wrought with conflict and despair. Hang on. The last half wraps many of the problems up quit nicely. Love this series.

I was so excited about Phury's book, I mean he is the twin to Z which was one of the best books I have ever read. This wasn't any where near that one. Yes its sad Phury has to pimp himself out to the 40 virgins which he doesn't want to. There was so much that she could of gone into detail about Phury and Z and even his relationship with Cormia. This story was way more about John Mathew, Qhinn, and Blaylock. Yes it was an interesting story but it is not THEIR story. This is supposed to be about Phury and ALL of his issues.
It makes me crazy when an author starts out in romance then starts going in a diffrent direction. If she want's to do that don't say this is a romance book. It had some nice moments with Phury and Cormia, but I wanted more. This could of been such a great "romance book", which is what I thought I was buying.

Phury is a member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a secret, elite group of vampires that fight the equally secret, but evil, Lessening Society. His twin brother, Zsadist is mated to Bella, who Phury thinks he also wants. Phury sacrifices his own future happiness to help his twin. When another of the Brotherhood needs his help, he again sacrifices himself and becomes the Primale, responsible for impregnating the 40 Chosen to help win the war against the Lessers.

Cormia is First Mate, the representative of the Chosen. She is called to mate with the Primale to complete the union between him and the rest of her sisters. At first, she is fearful of being the First Mate, but as her affection for Phury grows, so too does the hurt that he does not seem to want her.

I am a huge fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and was thrilled to receive an ARC for LOVER ENSHRINED. After shrieking my surprise at receiving an advanced copy, I settled right down to read it (to the neglect of my poor children) and finished it nine hours later. I wanted to know what was going to happen so badly that waiting was just out of the question. Was I in for a treat! I was completely engrossed. The story-telling, the surprises, the tragedy, the camaraderie, the love affair. Although the book is over 500 pages, the ending came much too soon.

This book was so blasted good!! Ms. Ward is the most clever, gritty, and original writer of romance that I have had the pleasure to read. She paints a picture with words that is brilliant; the reader will visualize the scene without it having to be described. One of the best lines in the whole book was " it was already wet-obvious that he wasn't sporting Depends". I just love the way she writes!

Fan's of the BDB may be worried that the romance in LOVER ENSHRINED would not live up to the beginning of the series after Jane and Vishous. They need not be concerned - I absolutely loved the story-line and budding relationship between Phury and Cormia!

Cormia seemed like a bland, listless character in LOVER UNBOUND, too reserved and self-sacrificing, but she really grows into herself and become a vibrant, textured, love-able character. She blossoms in this book, still gentle and looking out for the 'greater good', but also with deep emotions and a passionate nature. She is a much stronger character than I had hoped to see.

I also love the depth that we get to see inside Phury's head and what he was thinking in this book. The things the wizard (what Phury calls the voice in his head) said to him ring true and I think every reader will be able to relate to them. The reasoning behind Phury's self-loathing, self-destructive nature, hero complex, and drug use is slowly revealed and made my heart weep for him. His insecurity with Cormia, and the way he tries to be gallant with her, but can't, is priceless. They have several tender exchanges and towards the end of the book, the heat between them is explosive.

I was also drawn a little deeper into the lives of John Matthew and Rehvenge; I can't wait to read more about them as the series continues. One of the many surprises in LOVER ENSHRINED is the shift in the war between the Lessening Society and the Brotherhood, but you'll have to read that for yourself. LOVER ENSHRINED is an exceptional, exciting read that I was unable to put down until I had finished the very last sentence on the very last page! And now that I have finished, I am ready to go back and read it all over again.

[...]

1st, let me say, I loved the previous novels, and waited impatiently for Phury's story...but I couldn't finish this one. Neither Phury nor Cormia's characters kept me engaged, and even when I skipped ahead (a technique for those slow moving, but basically good books), I couldn't finish this one. I agree with other reviewers, there was no feeling, no romance that felt any kind of real in this one, unlike the other stories...and for me, the rest wasn't enough to overcome that.

I just started this book and already I am disappointed. Maybe it is just me but it sure seems like the "biker/bada*s chat is way over done. I didn't mind it in the other books but it just seems like way to much in this one. Every other sentence is phrased that way. I am also very disappointed in Phury, I sure don't remember him being such a loser/drug addict/whinner.

Cat (who may want her money back)