Lassiter

Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book #21

By J.R. Ward

ISBN# 9781982180027

Author’s Website:  jrward.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

*Beware of Spoilers*

Review

Lassiter is broken-hearted.  He had been saving himself for his future love.   However, he couldn’t handle the suffering Devina was causing by possessing Balthazar.  So, he sacrificed it all.  He made a deal with the demon, so Balthazar could be free and be with the mate he loves.  In exchange, Lassiter gave Devina his body to use how she wanted.  And, boy, did she?  Now he feels dirty and used.  Not to mention, the loss of having to give up on his own true love.  He knew that Rahvyn was the one from the moment he met her.  However, knowing the deal he was going to have to make, he had to let her go.  She was too pure and innocent to be touched by the taint he now carries.

However, he learns that Devina conjured the son of the Omega with a love spell from the book.  She had to destroy a love to be able to keep her own love.  Lassiter and Rahvyn were her sacrificial lambs.  Knowing that, if he and Rahvyn actually give in to their love and can make it work, it will keep the demon and Lash apart.  It all gives Lassiter purpose and motivation to be with the woman he loves.

But will she feel the same once she realizes why he’s had a change of heart?

I’ve always enjoyed Lassiter.  His bickering with the brothers, especially V, is always entertaining.  And, he chooses to live his life bright, loud, and in your face.  It makes it hard to take him seriously.  However, under all his flamboyance he has the biggest heart in all of Caldwell.  This is how he found himself sacrificing his own happiness for the vampires he watches over.

I’m glad that he found a reason to give in to what he truly wants.  Although I wish, his mate was a bit more interesting.  She has a tragic past and has some unfathomable powers which make the pair of them make sense.  However, I found her quite tame, being from a simpler time in the past, and I found her terribly boring.  I’ve heard opposites attract, but I thought a mate of Lassiter’s would be a little more fun.  And, honestly, I think he deserved more of a love story than what he got.  With everything happening with the Lessening Society’s reemergence, and all the side stories, I just didn’t feel we got much from this couple.  They took a backseat to everything, despite their characters being present for a majority of the book.

I honestly found Devina and Lash more interesting than Lassiter and Rahvyn.  I really enjoyed the last encounter in the book between Lash and Devina, where he came to ask her on a proper date.  It was rather cute, in spite of them both being pure evil, of course.  And, from events earlier in the book, I’m assuming that pure evil is eventually going to have a child.  If that’s the case maybe Lassiter and Rahvyn will have to have one to in order to balance the scales of good vs. evil.  Plus, you know, how they’re all connected with that spell.

And, hearing the ‘kids’ wanting to learn to fight and protect themselves and the race gave me hope that we could get more of the Black Dagger Legacy books.  That was probably my favorite spin-off, mainly because it quieted down all the side stories and I could just enjoy the two couples it focused on.  I’m not holding my breath on getting more books there, but I sure would enjoy it.

Back to the actual book … The events at the Brotherhood mansion took a wild turn.  And, I’m curious what the next novel will be like, after reading that epilogue.  Will it be in the future?  Or back in the ‘present’ but with the aftereffects of what happened.  Only one way to find out!  On to the next …