Review: Lover at Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood #11) – J. R. Ward

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is finally back - and Lover at Last is the story of Blay and Qhuinn. The two vampires have been best friends since before their transition, and they've done it all togehter. That is, until Blay laid his heart bare to Qhuinn, only to get it tossed back in his face when Qhuinn told him he only saw himself as mating with a female to have a normal family.

Lover at Last is the tale of Blay and Qhuinn, who have been friends since childhood. When they went to their transitions at the same time, and Qhuinn was disowned by his family, Blay was the one who was there for him. Their relationship is pretty problematic at the beginning of the story, as Blay is seeing Qhuinn’s cousin, Saxon, and Qhuinn has helped Layla through her first needing. The brooding friends are both jealous, but they are unable to talk about their feelings. Blay thinks Qhuinn is a lost cause, especially now that the Chosen has been with him. Qhuinn is sure that Blay will stay with Saxon forever, and that there is no more chances for him and Blay to get back together.

The main storyline in Lover at Last is about Qhuinn and Blay working through their issues, as they start to get to know each other and trust each other again. I was really amazed at how hard Blay was on Qhuinn, he would give no leeway at all – almost to the point of not wanting to think about all they had been through together in the past.

There are two secondary plotlines in Lover at Last as well, one has to do with the Band of Bastards, and their quest to take over not only the Brotherhood, but also to overturn the king – at all costs! That is, until Xhor realizes how he truly feels about Layla, and decides he needs to keep her safe more than he needs to eradicate the Brotherhood. The other plotline is about Assail and a mysterious woman he catches spying on him. Of course, their mutual attraction is very strong, and I have a feeling we will see more of them in a future book, even if things looked quite bleak for Marisol toward the end of Lover at Last.

Qhuinn has so many things to deal with in Lover at Last it’s almost a miracle he is still standing in the end. He has to deal with a lot of things from his past, the way his family treated him, how they died, and also how he wasn’t the only casualty in his father’s machinations. Qhuinn also needs to think about who he is, and where he wants his life to go, because if he doesn’t decide quickly, it will be too late for him and Blay, or it might already be!

When Saxton and Blay break up, Qhuinn has no idea at first, and thinks that Saxton is cheating on Blay – of course, to help Blay out he proposes that they get together – kinda sorta to get back at Saxton, but mostly because he really wants to be with Blay but doesn’t have the courage to tell him that. I also really loved Blay’s parents – they are the antithesis of Qhuinn’s late family, so accepting and loving it almost teared me up to read about them.

The humor is, as always, very present in Lover at Last. I laughed out loud in several instances, and I had to admire Ms. Ward’s ability to use comic relief in some very serious situations without actually taking the serious out of it. The writing brought me right into the mansion, the club, the woods and even on a very wild plane ride, it really felt as if I was a part of the cast of characters.

If you have never read a book in the Black Dagger Broderhood – but love hot vampires who aren’t afraid to show their feelings – and where you get all hot and bothered while reading, you should pick up Dark Lover first. Even if the books in the series all have one completed storyline and plot, I think it’s easier to follow the larger plots if you read the books in order. And you really wouldn’t want to miss out on how any of these vampires find love, and how they deal with it! If you’re wondering if Lover at Last is as good as the other books in the series, the answer is a resounding YES! I loved it, Blay and Qhuinn are both hot, and I was unable to keep clicking ‘next page’ to see what would happen next.

Some quotes to get your appetite going:

There was a part of Blay that recognized this was dangerous territory. Sex was one thing – and hard enough to handle, fuck him very much. This quiet space? Was potentially devastating.

But God… to be able to be seen with your mate in public, show your love for them, have your relationship respected by everyone else? Heterosexual couples took that for granted because they never knew anything different.

About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.

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