"Lover Enshrined" By J.R. Ward

Continuing with my Black Dagger Brotherhood theme, I read Lover Enshrined, which is book six in the series, and Phury’s story. Phury, in my opinion, is the brother that has gone through the biggest personal transformation. He has gone from being Zsadist’s keeper and resident celibate to being a masochist and the Primale of the Chosen. (In layman’s terms, the Primale is the equivalent of a stud, responsible for ensuring the future of the vampire race. On top of the changes, he is also still struggling with his own personal demon -- crippling addiction.

In the last installment of the series, Phury went to the other side and brought back with him the Chosen Cormia. Cormia was to be his first mate, however, five months have since passed, and the two have yet to seal the deal. The reasons for this are varied but basically boil down to a lack of understanding and communication between the two of them (you have to love it when the scenarios portrayed in fiction are true to life). Unwilling to be a failure in his endeavor as Primale (but equally unwilling to sully the pure Cormia) Phury returns to the other side to choose a different first mate. Of course, by this time, Cormia realizes that she has fallen in love. She also knows that the Primale cannot be mated to a single female. Choosing solitude over watching the man she loves be with others, Cormia returns to the other side and request to become a Sequestered Scribe.

All the while, there are many and varied sub-plots clamoring for your attention. Honestly, that was my biggest complaint about this installment. While I love John Matthew (his innocence and chivalry are so endearing) and company, it almost felt as though this book had two competing (rather than complimentary) story lines. It kind of jumped around a bit, which was distracting. If you had started reading this series by picking up book five, you could have easily kept up. Not so with book six. There was just too much going on to follow had you not read all that had come before.

All in all, Lover Enshrined was a very good read. And a must read if you are planning on reading book seven, Lover Avenged. Skip this volume, and you will be sooo lost. Three and a half stars.