Reviewed by: Rabid Reads 
 Even though Lover Eternal and Dark Lover are both Black Dagger Brotherhood books they couldn't have been more different. The first installment was hot and intense while as this one is more subdued and a lot less naughty. I'd expected more action in the bedroom especially considering Rhage's reputation for being a ladies man. I think Mary's plight, as admirable as it is, was a bit of a downer for me. I enjoyed Zhadist and Bella a lot more than the two stars of this book. A close second was probably Butch with John Matthews coming in third. Rhage and Mary didn't even make the top three... 
 I think one of the reasons that I struggled so much with this novel had a lot to do with Mary and her fight against cancer. This aspect of the story hit a little too close to home for me seeing how she has the same name as my mother who passed away from cancer a few years ago. Not the author's fault but probably a good explanation as to why I preferred the scenes without Mary Luce. On the flip side, I also transformed into her biggest cheerleader. I held my breath for the entire novel hoping that Rhage would give her the gift of eternal life. At least someone should be able to get their happily ever after! 
 I was a little frustrated by how long Rhage kept Mary in the dark regarding his curse. They could have avoided so many misunderstandings if he'd have just come clean from the get-go. Although, who's to say how she would have taken the news. Getting ripped out of her life and thrown into a house full of vampires is already stressful enough. Leaning about Rhage's curse could have been the straw that broke the camel's back. But, he had to tell her at some point in time; best to be up front about it from the start in my opinion. 
 Zhadist and Bella were by far my favorite part of Lover Eternal. Fortunately for me, they're front and center in the next installment. Yay! Butch is quickly becoming my favorite character in this series and he's human! Weird. I normally go for the tall, dark and preternatural type. He's just awesome! I hope the brothers decide to keep him around for the long haul. 
 Lover Eternal progressed at a much slower pace than its predecessor. When I hit the halfway mark I found myself wondering when the "good stuff" was going to kick in. It got marginally better after this point and I was happy with the ending but this book was no Dark Lover that's for sure! Reviewers keep raving about how hot this series is but this novel was only lukewarm for me. Yes, there are one or two really sizzling scenes but other than that there's not much nookie action. 
 I'm glad that Lover Eternal is the second book in this series. Had it been the first, I'm not sure I'd have been as gung ho to continue reading it. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the read but it just didn't live up to the expectations I had after finishing the first novel. Oh well. I'm sure that Zhadist and Bella will make it up to me in Lover Awakened.