Picking up a new Black Dagger Brotherhood (BDB) book is like coming home to old friends. You can't help but smile at the familiar faces. Like everyone else, I've been dying for this book and knew that Ward would be facing her biggest challenge yet. Blay and Qhuinn are the Brotherhood's most beloved members so she needed to give fans a book that would satisfy the crazy fantasies that readers have been conjuring up in their minds since Lover Enshrined. I thought Ward reached a good balance and excelled with LOVER AT LAST.

For many, this would mark their first venture into M/M so Ward has the tough challenge of making Qhuinn and Blay's romance one that wouldn't shock people too much and also give enough so that avid M/M readers don't feel cheated. Ward's talent as a writer is fully displayed with this book. Not only does she gift readers with scorching hot sex scenes that rock the chandeliers but provides enough heat and heart that it's just as emotional as it is physical.

Angst is one thing that has followed Qhuinn and Blay for most of their journey so it's not a surprise that Ward would threaten to shatter readers' hearts once again in LOVER AT LAST. I could understand the personal barriers that Qhuinn and Blay would have to overcome on their own before they could accept their feelings for one another. It was just nice knowing that all their pain would lead to a lifetime of bliss. The epilogue is more than enough to make the romantic in me sigh with satisfaction. I was smiling from ear to ear through the entire last chapter, knowing that although this is the final chapter of their book, it is only the beginning of their time together for eternity. What a perfect ending!

That's not all that happens in this book! At almost 600 pages, Ward covers her bases. She takes a lot of time setting up future books in the series. Readers get additional point of views from Trez, Assail, Xcor and a new character named Sola. What surprised me the most though is Layla, whom I didn't like before. Ward accomplished the impossible by making me love her. What Layla goes through in this book is crushing and in some ways inspiring. Her strength shows and I think all women can sympathize with her. Suddenly, I find myself wanting a happily ever after for her too.

Ward exercises her writing skills by penning different POVs of the same scene, creating intricacy and depth in an already well-written series. Not many are able to weave such intricate story-lines and have such memorable characters simultaneously. Only Ward can strike a balance and keep it entertaining.

LOVER AT LAST is everything that rabid BDB fans could want and more! At times, I felt like I had to take a break. LOVER AT LAST is so wholly engrossing and so brilliant that my little heart couldn't handle it all. Ward delivers heart-stopping action and a fiery romance for two fighters who are most deserving while shattering reader's expectations and coming out on top!