--- description: Find out why 'Lover Awakened' made the list. title: 'Lover Awakened' Is on TIME’s List of the 50 Best Romance Novels image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0879419f561669c5/698a5945b21a9c070950a455/Lover-Awakened-J.R.-Ward.png?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Aug 01, 2024 # Lover Awakened ## Video: Romance Authors Share Their Cringiest Tropes [Watch (HLS stream): Romance Authors Share Their Cringiest Tropes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WJbhFIWL.m3u8) (0:46)  _Published 2024-07-30. Romance Authors Share Their Cringiest Tropes_ by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/) ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer  _Lover Awakened_ is the 2006 third installment of J.R. Ward’s erotic, paranormal romance series _Black Dagger Brotherhood_, which follows a society of vampire warriors. The fiercest of them all is Zsadist, whose edge stems from a traumatic childhood. But he softens when he rescues Bella, an aristocratic vampire who was kidnapped by the Lessening Society, a group of undead humans trying to eradicate vampires. Bella and Zsadist fall for one another, but their relationship is tested as Zsadist becomes hell bent on seeking revenge on Bella’s abductors. Ward’s prowess at crafting romantic heroes is on full display here as the two vampires must find a way to move past Zsadist’s traumatic past so they can build a new future together. **Buy Now:** _Lover Awakened_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780451219367 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3LkvQEI "undefined") These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. Lover Awakened: Best Romance Books ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996645/lover-awakened/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996645/lover-awakened/"},"headline":"Lover Awakened","datePublished":"2024-08-01T12:17:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:34:18.743Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996645/lover-awakened/","keywords":["Books","E-Commerce","list","Special Project"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0879419f561669c5/698a5945b21a9c070950a455/Lover-Awakened-J.R.-Ward.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. Waxman","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/"}],"creator":"Olivia B. Waxman","articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0879419f561669c5/698a5945b21a9c070950a455/Lover-Awakened-J.R.-Ward.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996645/lover-awakened/","name":"Lover Awakened"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Romance Authors Share Their Cringiest Tropes","description":"Romance Authors Share Their Cringiest Tropes","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WJbhFIWL/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-07-30T10:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WJbhFIWL.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996645/lover-awakened/","duration":"PT46S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996645/lover-awakened/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```