In Lover Unveiled (Black Dagger Brotherhood #19) J.R. Ward , Sahvage should have known better than to 
step foot in Caldwell, having already heard that the Black Dagger Brotherhood calls it their home. They’re tied to his past in the Old Country, a history he’s left behind as he travels with no particular destination in mind after his quest fizzled out years ago. One underground fight in town later and Sahvage has a new mission: to keep beautiful vampire Mae safe. And to stop the evil that she invited (without knowing) on Caldwell. Drawn to her as he has been to no other before, Sahvage knows they have no future together. He won’t be able to stay in one location. But he is certainly willing to risk his life to make sure Mae remains safe–and for the chance of spending any time possible with the lovely female.
‘She was a civilian; he was a bloodthirsty rogue fighter with no home, no bloodline, and no identity anymore. And yet he needed this like he was suffocating and she was his air.’
Mae is completely at her wit’s end. She thought she had known grief and tragedy before, but the latest events in her life have left her with few choices how to go on. In her despair, she makes some decisions that were probably not as well-thought out as normal. But Mae is stuck on her path now. When Sahvage steps in to assist, she’s not sure she can trust the beastly underground fighter. Although he proves himself pretty quickly. She’s banking on them being able to win their battle against whatever darkness threatens them by pooling their resources together. But Mae has seen the haunted look in Sahvage’s eyes. And as much as she’d like to explore what is between them–once they finish her mission, of course–she’s not sure she’ll be enough to keep the vampire in Caldwell before he goes rogue again.
‘Just the fact that he accepted her as she was? That was enough.
Getting out her car key, she thought about what that kiss had felt like.
And decided…well, maybe the whole acceptance thing wasn’t *quite* enough.’
So. Much. Goodness. Lover Unveiled was an epic–and rather dark–tale that was an important part of the ongoing Black Dagger Brotherhood story arc. It paired up a slow burn romance with all of the exciting fight scenes we expect from J.R. Ward, along with the latest drama in our favorite characters’ lives.
‘The world stopped as two broken people became whole again. Through the magic of not being alone.’
Fans of the BDB series already know that it’s tough to review any of these books because pretty much anything is a spoiler. What I can tell you is that Lover Unveiled answered some questions (the coffins!!) as well as planted the seeds for upcoming installments in the most interesting of ways. And even with the Brothers having succeeded at destroying many of the threats that had been hanging over them for so long, there was new cause for concern and even more evil settling in unfortunately.
Mae and Sahvage were a rather unlikely pair at first. She was in a desperate bid to save someone close to her, while he was merely existing day to day and place to place since losing the last of his relatives. Both of their backgrounds were quite sad, stark, and heavy. There was a darkness to the overall story because of it, but out of all honesty, it worked. Sahvage and Mae’s actions made sense. As did their avoidance of a relationship at first. But I think in contrast, their bickering and teasing back and forth was a source of humor that lightened things up considerably.
I did like how Ward brought in so many POVs, meaning there were many different threads woven together to create a very involved, complicated situation for everyone. There was a bit of teamwork involved to keep Mae safe as well as the rest of the Brothers and their loved ones. So that wonderful sense of community and family I love about the Brotherhood was present and accounted for.
Lover Unveiled will take readers by storm and prove once again that J.R. Ward can do no wrong. It will leave your mind reeling from all the new details learned as well as leave you wanting more time with this family of Brothers. Highly recommended.
Book Info:
Publication: Published April 20, 2021 | by Gallery Books | Black Dagger Brotherhood #19
Meet Sahvage: a powerful MMA fighter with a buried secret that could change the world of Caldwell forever…
Sahvage has been living under the radar for centuries-and he has every intention of staying ‘dead and buried.’ But when a civilian female sucks him into her dangerous battle with an evil as ancient as time, his protective side overrides his common sense.
Mae has lost everything, and desperation sets her on a collision course with fate. Determined to reverse a tragedy, she goes where mortals should fear to tread- and comes face to face with the Brotherhood’s new enemy. She also discovers a love she never expected to find with Sahvage, but there can be no future for them.
Knowing they will part, the two band together to fight against what Mae unknowingly unleashed- as the Brotherhood closes in to reclaim one of their damned, and the evil vows to destroy them all…
