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Changed line(s) 127 (click to see context) from:
** Again, not technically albinism, but the Shadows get tattoos by using poison that will kill the melanin in their skin.
to:
** Again, not technically albinism, but the Shadows get tattoos by using poison that will kill the melanin in their skin. The more you have, the scarier you are.
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Changed line(s) 20 (click to see context) from:
** Phury and Zsadist's parents, though only inflicted on Phury (emotional abuse, neglect). Instead, they sold Zsadist into slavery.
to:
** Phury and Zsadist's parents, though only inflicted on Phury (emotional abuse, neglect). Instead, they sold Zsadist into slavery.
** [[spoiler: In ''The King'' they force Wrath to choose between Beth and the throne. Beth [[TakeAThirdOption takes a third option]].]]
Changed line(s) 136,137 (click to see context) from:
* HalfHumanHybrid: Beth [[spoiler: Butch]] and [[spoiler: Manny]]. Only Wrath is full-blooded of all the vampires. And since most of the narrative is from the vampire POV, the vampire-''sympath'' hybrids function in the same way.
** A big sticking point for the glymera, who use this as a reason Beth is unworthy to be queen in ''The King.'' Their logic is that any children she has with Wrath, and therefore any heirs to the throne, will be too human.
** A big sticking point for the glymera, who use this as a reason Beth is unworthy to be queen in ''The King.'' Their logic is that any children she has with Wrath, and therefore any heirs to the throne, will be too human.
to:
* HalfHumanHybrid: Beth Beth, [[spoiler: Butch]] and [[spoiler: Manny]]. Only Wrath is full-blooded of all the vampires. And since most of the narrative is from the vampire POV, the vampire-''sympath'' hybrids function in the same way.
** A big sticking point for the glymera, who use this as a reason Beth is unworthy to be queen in ''TheKing.'' King''. Their logic is that any children she has with Wrath, and therefore any heirs to the throne, will be too human.
** A big sticking point for the glymera, who use this as a reason Beth is unworthy to be queen in ''The
Changed line(s) 157 (click to see context) from:
* InterspeciesRomance: Technically, humans, vampires, ''doggen'' and ''sympaths'' are distinct species that only occasionally successfully cross-breed.
to:
* InterspeciesRomance: Technically, humans, vampires, ''doggen'' ''doggen'', and ''sympaths'' are distinct species that only occasionally successfully cross-breed.
** The reason Wrath is so resistant to having children with Beth.
Changed line(s) 175 (click to see context) from:
* LoveTriangle: [[SiblingTriangle Phury/Bella/Zsadist]], Marissa/Rhevenge/Butch.
to:
* LoveTriangle: [[SiblingTriangle Phury/Bella/Zsadist]], Marissa/Rhevenge/Butch.Rhevenge/Marissa/Butch.
Changed line(s) 192 (click to see context) from:
* PanickyExpectantFather: All of the Brothers whose mates become pregnant get like this, to some degree due to the high mortality rate for both the child and the mother.
to:
* PanickyExpectantFather: All of the Brothers whose mates become pregnant get like this, to some degree due to the high mortality rate for both the child and the mother. mother.
** [[spoiler: Wrath, in ''The King''. Justified, as it's stated Beth would have died if not for ghostly intervention.]]
** [[spoiler: Wrath, in ''The King''. Justified, as it's stated Beth would have died if not for ghostly intervention.]]
Changed line(s) 195 (click to see context) from:
* PropertyOfLove: When a male vampire bonds, he becomes the property of his female. So far, the feeling between the vampire males and their females is mutual.
to:
* PropertyOfLove: When a male vampire bonds, he becomes the property of his female. So far, the feeling between the vampire males and their females is mutual.mutual.
**Averted with Xhex, who makes it clear that she's not going to put her life on hold for John's comfort.
**Averted with Xhex, who makes it clear that she's not going to put her life on hold for John's comfort.
Changed line(s) 219 (click to see context) from:
* SemiDivine: Vishous is the son of the Scribe Virgin, the deity vampires pray to in his universe. He also has a twin sister named Payne....
to:
* SemiDivine: Vishous is the son of the Scribe Virgin, the deity vampires pray to in his universe. He also has a twin sister named Payne....Payne.
Changed line(s) 228 (click to see context) from:
* SinisterScythe : Xcor, Throe and the Band of Bastards have them.
to:
* SinisterScythe : SinisterScythe: Xcor, Throe Throe, and the Band of Bastards have them.
** Implied with Wrath's parents. ''The King'' makes it seem as though their relationship and their love for one another was this, as it doomed them to be murdered.
Changed line(s) 252 (click to see context) from:
* TookALevelInBadass: This seems to happen to all vampires upon their transition from pre-trans into full vampires. After the awkward, getting-used-to-new-larger-limbs phase. Especially notable in John Matthew between his transition and ''LoverMine'', owing to the fact that his LoveInterest was kidnapped by his enemy.
to:
* TookALevelInBadass: This seems to happen to all vampires upon their transition from pre-trans into full vampires. After the awkward, getting-used-to-new-larger-limbs phase. Especially notable in John Matthew between his transition and ''LoverMine'', ''Lover Mine'', owing to the fact that his LoveInterest was kidnapped by his enemy.
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Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
* "The King" (Wrath and Beth, Assail and Sola)
to:
* "The King" ''The King'' (Wrath and Beth, Assail and Sola)
Changed line(s) 20,22 (click to see context) from:
** Phury and Zsadist's parents, though only inflicted on Phury (emotional abuse, neglect).
** Vishous' ([[spoiler: and Payne's]]) father, who was abusive in almost every imaginable way. Including castrating his son by tearing off one of his testicles. His mother, alternatively, is also seen as abusive by ignoring her son's childhood plight and trying to force him into an arranged marriage. He spends most of his time acting as though he is unaffected by his childhood, until it all [[spoiler: comes to a head in ''Lover Unleashed'', and his grief over the fact that his parents did not protect him is forced to the surface. He demands to know why his parents hurt him, as he did not ask to be born to them.]]
** Jane's parents, though to a lesser extent. They were seen as cold and emotionally unavailable to their daughter.
** Vishous' ([[spoiler: and Payne's]]) father, who was abusive in almost every imaginable way. Including castrating his son by tearing off one of his testicles. His mother, alternatively, is also seen as abusive by ignoring her son's childhood plight and trying to force him into an arranged marriage. He spends most of his time acting as though he is unaffected by his childhood, until it all [[spoiler: comes to a head in ''Lover Unleashed'', and his grief over the fact that his parents did not protect him is forced to the surface. He demands to know why his parents hurt him, as he did not ask to be born to them.]]
** Jane's parents, though to a lesser extent. They were seen as cold and emotionally unavailable to their daughter.
to:
** Phury and Zsadist's parents, though only inflicted on Phury (emotional abuse, neglect). Instead, they sold Zsadist into slavery.
** Vishous' ([[spoiler: and Payne's]]) father, who was abusive in almost every imaginableway. Including way, including castrating his son by tearing off one of his testicles. His mother, alternatively, is also seen as abusive by ignoring her son's childhood plight and trying to force him into an arranged marriage. He spends most of his time acting as though he is unaffected by his childhood, until it all [[spoiler: comes to a head in ''Lover Unleashed'', and his grief over the fact that his parents did not protect him is forced to the surface. He demands to know why his parents hurt him, as he did not ask to be born to them.]]
** Jane's parents, though to a lesser extent. They were seen as cold and emotionally unavailable to theirdaughter.daughter after the death of Hannah, Jane's younger sister.
** Vishous' ([[spoiler: and Payne's]]) father, who was abusive in almost every imaginable
** Jane's parents, though to a lesser extent. They were seen as cold and emotionally unavailable to their
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
** Saxton's father, who disowned him after Saxton came out.
to:
** Saxton's father, who disowned him after Saxton came out. In ''The King'' we see Thyme forbid Saxton to address him as "Father."
Changed line(s) 30 (click to see context) from:
* ActionGirl: At last! In the latest two books we are given Xhex and Payne.
to:
* ActionGirl: At last! In Xhex.
**Payne is thelatest two books we are given Xhex only vampire allowed to spar with Wrath.
**Sola has a cat burglar vibe going on, andPayne.she's a definite criminal. Then in ''The King'' [[spoiler: we watch her beat a man to death with a chain and then cut off his hand]].
**Payne is the
**Sola has a cat burglar vibe going on, and
Changed line(s) 32 (click to see context) from:
* AfterActionPatchUp: They're warriors, who fight. This happens between several characters. It actually makes up an important part of Vishou's book with him and Jane. Also happens between Rhage and Mary after he offers a rhythe, between Blay and Quinn, and between Marissa and Butch after he gets beat up in Rehv's club.
to:
**Also Payne for Manny, who is a doctor.
* AfterActionPatchUp: They're warriors, who fight. This happens between several characters. It actually makes up an important part ofVishou's Vishous' book with him and Jane. Also happens between Rhage and Mary after he offers a rhythe, between Blay and Quinn, and between Marissa and Butch after he gets beat up in Rehv's club.club.
**An EstablishingCharacterMoment for Beth in ''Dark Lover'', when she helps fix up Rhage after a fight. This endears her not only to Wrath, but also to the Brothers.
* AfterActionPatchUp: They're warriors, who fight. This happens between several characters. It actually makes up an important part of
**An EstablishingCharacterMoment for Beth in ''Dark Lover'', when she helps fix up Rhage after a fight. This endears her not only to Wrath, but also to the Brothers.
Changed line(s) 36 (click to see context) from:
** Also averted with Payne and Manny.
to:
** Also averted inverted with Payne and Manny.
Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* {{Antidisestablishmentarianism}}: (''Lover Eternal'')
to:
* {{Antidisestablishmentarianism}}: (''Lover Eternal'')In ''Lover Eternal'' Rhage really likes to hear Mary talk.
**Zsadist's arc moves him from out-and-out bad guy to this through the healing power of love.
**[[spoiler: Responsible for the attempted assassination of Wrath's mother, Ahna, because they didn't feel she was a suitable candidate for queen.]]
** Wrath's parents. Wrath's father falls in love with Ahna on sight.
** Wrath's first marriage to Marissa.
** Wrath's first marriage to Marissa.
Changed line(s) 57 (click to see context) from:
** Xcor's name seems to be a weird amalgamation of XtremeKoolLetterz until you realize it's a shortened form of 'excoriate' - to severely criticize or to ''flay off skin''.
to:
** Xcor's name seems to be a weird amalgamation of XtremeKoolLetterz until you realize it's a shortened form of 'excoriate' - to severely criticize or to ''flay off skin''.skin''.
** In ''The King'' we have a guy named s'Ex.
** In ''The King'' we have a guy named s'Ex.
**This is a running theme throughout the Brotherhood, but Zsadist is definitely a standout.
Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
* BrainsAndBondage: Vishous, who is well-read and the most intellectual of the brothers, enjoys bondage. When he reveals this to his surgeon ''shellan'', she is highly disturbed. However, after a session in V's "penthouse", she comes around to the idea.
to:
* BrainsAndBondage: Vishous, who is well-read and the most intellectual of the brothers, enjoys bondage. When he reveals this to his surgeon ''shellan'', she is highly disturbed. However, after a session in V's "penthouse", "penthouse," she comes around to the idea.
Changed line(s) 96 (click to see context) from:
* DomesticAbuse: Bella's father (Rehvenge's stepfather) towards their mother. This is the reason Rehvenge kills him.
to:
* DomesticAbuse: Bella's father (Rehvenge's stepfather) towards their mother. This is one of the reason reasons Rehvenge kills him.
**Again, not technically albinism, but the Shadows get tattoos by using poison that will kill the melanin in their skin.
Changed line(s) 125 (click to see context) from:
* HalfHumanHybrid: Beth and [[spoiler: Butch]]. Only Wrath is full-blooded of all the vampires. And since most of the narrative is from the vampire POV, the vampire-''sympath'' hybrids function in the same way.
to:
* HalfHumanHybrid: Beth [[spoiler: Butch]] and [[spoiler: Butch]].Manny]]. Only Wrath is full-blooded of all the vampires. And since most of the narrative is from the vampire POV, the vampire-''sympath'' hybrids function in the same way.way.
** A big sticking point for the glymera, who use this as a reason Beth is unworthy to be queen in ''The King.'' Their logic is that any children she has with Wrath, and therefore any heirs to the throne, will be too human.
** A big sticking point for the glymera, who use this as a reason Beth is unworthy to be queen in ''The King.'' Their logic is that any children she has with Wrath, and therefore any heirs to the throne, will be too human.
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** Xhex and John have a lot of issues with Xhex being in the field. They get better, though.
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** Bella's father and Rehvenge's stepfather. He used to police his eight-year-old daughter's eating habits due to the petrifying fear she'd gain weight. This meant Bella went hungry a lot. Watching Bella pour herself another bowl of cereal is a very emotional moment in Rehvenge's life.
**Saxton's father, who disowned him after Saxton came out.
**Saxton's father, who disowned him after Saxton came out.
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Changed line(s) 3,12 (click to see context) from:
* ''Dark Lover'' (Wrath)
* ''Lover Eternal'' (Rhage)
* ''Lover Awakened'' (Zsadist)
* ''Lover Revealed'' (Butch)
* ''Lover Unbound'' (Vishous)
* ''Lover Enshrined'' (Phury)
* ''Lover Avenged'' (Rehvenge)
* ''Lover Mine'' (John)
* ''Lover Unleashed'' (Payne)
* ''Lover Reborn'' (Tohrment)
* ''Lover Eternal'' (Rhage)
* ''Lover Awakened'' (Zsadist)
* ''Lover Revealed'' (Butch)
* ''Lover Unbound'' (Vishous)
* ''Lover Enshrined'' (Phury)
* ''Lover Avenged'' (Rehvenge)
* ''Lover Mine'' (John)
* ''Lover Unleashed'' (Payne)
* ''Lover Reborn'' (Tohrment)
to:
* ''Dark Lover'' (Wrath)
(Wrath and Beth)
* ''Lover Eternal''(Rhage)
(Rhage and Mary)
* ''Lover Awakened''(Zsadist)
(Zsadist and Bella)
* ''Lover Revealed''(Butch)
(Butch and Marissa)
* ''Lover Unbound''(Vishous)
(Vishous and Jane)
* ''Lover Enshrined''(Phury)
(Phury and Cormia)
* ''Lover Avenged''(Rehvenge)
(Rehvenge and Ehlena)
* ''Lover Mine''(John)
(John Matthew and Xhex)
* ''Lover Unleashed''(Payne)
(Payne and Manny)
* ''Lover Reborn''(Tohrment)(Tohrment and No'one)
* ''Lover Eternal''
* ''Lover Awakened''
* ''Lover Revealed''
* ''Lover Unbound''
* ''Lover Enshrined''
* ''Lover Avenged''
* ''Lover Mine''
* ''Lover Unleashed''
* ''Lover Reborn''
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* "The King" (Wrath and Beth, Assail and Sola)
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YMMV
Changed line(s) 75 (click to see context) from:
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:Rosalhynda]] was prideful about her beauty and her father's high place in society. After being captured and forcibly impregnated, committing suicide and being ressurected as her daughter's maidservant...not so much. In fact she takes to being very servile and takes joy in doing menial tasks that were beneath her before.
to:
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:Rosalhynda]] was prideful about her beauty and her father's high place in society. After being captured and forcibly impregnated, committing suicide and being ressurected resurrected as her daughter's maidservant...not so much. In fact she takes to being very servile and takes joy in doing menial tasks that were beneath her before.
Changed line(s) 83 (click to see context) from:
** Vishous spent his childhood in a warrior camp run by his ruthless warrior father. He dislikes the combat, prefering to read. He is punished for this. When he comes into his empathic powers, he tells his father of his own death. Disturbed, his father has him tattooed as an outcast, and partially castrated.
to:
** Vishous spent his childhood in a warrior camp run by his ruthless warrior father. He dislikes the combat, prefering preferring to read. He is punished for this. When he comes into his empathic powers, he tells his father of his own death. Disturbed, his father has him tattooed as an outcast, and partially castrated.
Deleted line(s) 132,138 (click to see context) :
* HoYay
** Butch and Vishous have continuing {{UST}}, even after both find mates.
** Phury and Rehvenge [[spoiler:kiss in Rehvenge's office]], though it is played more as a dominance thing than actual attraction.
** Recently, Qhuinn and Blay, and Blay and Saxton.
** [[spoiler:V and Butch have skipped way past mere HoYay in Lover Unleashed.]]
** Wrath once kissed Rhage on the forehead, as a token of respect apparently.
** The [[BigBad Omega]] rapes his male recruits as part of their induction into the Lessening Society. At least one of said recruits is implied to enjoy this.
** Butch and Vishous have continuing {{UST}}, even after both find mates.
** Phury and Rehvenge [[spoiler:kiss in Rehvenge's office]], though it is played more as a dominance thing than actual attraction.
** Recently, Qhuinn and Blay, and Blay and Saxton.
** [[spoiler:V and Butch have skipped way past mere HoYay in Lover Unleashed.]]
** Wrath once kissed Rhage on the forehead, as a token of respect apparently.
** The [[BigBad Omega]] rapes his male recruits as part of their induction into the Lessening Society. At least one of said recruits is implied to enjoy this.
Changed line(s) 145 (click to see context) from:
** As of the latest book, Qhuinn has actually gotten his head out his ass and realised that he is in love with his best friend- cue their scheduled HEA in 2013 and many fangirl squeals.
to:
** As of the latest book, Qhuinn has actually gotten his head out his ass and realised realized that he is in love with his best friend- cue their scheduled HEA in 2013 and many fangirl squeals.
Changed line(s) 172 (click to see context) from:
* {{Masquerade}}: Upheld by vampires' ability to erase short term, nontraumatic memories from humans.
to:
* {{Masquerade}}: Upheld by vampires' ability to erase short term, nontraumatic non-traumatic memories from humans.
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Changed line(s) 113 (click to see context) from:
* EvilSmellsSexy: Subverted by the lessers, who give off a smell of baby powder.
to:
* EvilSmellsSexy: EvilSmellsBad: Subverted by the lessers, who give off a smell of baby powder.
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* EvilSmellsSexy: Subverted by the lessers, who give off a smell of baby powder.
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Changed line(s) 53 (click to see context) from:
*** As of ''Lover At Last'', we have Trez, iAm, Assail, Qhuin, and Blaylock (Blay for short), Zypher, Throe, Syphon, and ''Balthazar.''
to:
*** As of ''Lover At Last'', we have Trez, iAm, Assail, Qhuin, and Qhuinn, Blaylock (Blay for short), Zypher, Throe, Syphon, and ''Balthazar.''
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Changed line(s) 51 (click to see context) from:
* {{Awesome McCool Name}}: Oh, man...to the point of {{narm}}. We have [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Rhage, Vishous, Wrath, Zsadist, Phury, Tohrment, Rehvenge, Dehstroyer, Tehrror, Tohrture, Lash, Hharm, Torhture, Ahgony, and Hurt]]. The list goes on and on.
to:
* {{Awesome McCool Name}}: Oh, man...to the point of {{narm}}. We have [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Rhage, Vishous, Wrath, Zsadist, Phury, Tohrment, Rehvenge, Dehstroyer, Tehrror, Tohrture, Lash, Hharm, Torhture, Ahgony, and Hurt]]. The list goes on and on.
Added DiffLines:
*** As of ''Lover At Last'', we have Trez, iAm, Assail, Qhuin, and Blaylock (Blay for short), Zypher, Throe, Syphon, and ''Balthazar.''
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Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* AristocratsAreEvil: The ''glymera'' as a whole. They may not necessarily be out-and-out ''evil'', but you'd be hard-put to find any bunch of people more self-serving, cowardly, head-in-the-sand, hidebound, and obsessed with appearances than the vampire aristocracy. From plotting to kill the king and impose a fake democracy, to treating their own family members like shit for genetic flaws that they had no control over (like Qhuinn) or for perceived or actual behavioral transgressions (like Marissa), these people will make you root for the ''lessers''.
to:
* AristocratsAreEvil: The ''glymera'' as a whole. They may not necessarily be out-and-out ''evil'', but you'd be hard-put to find any bunch of people more self-serving, cowardly, head-in-the-sand, hidebound, and obsessed with appearances than the vampire aristocracy. From plotting to kill the king and impose a fake democracy, to treating their own family members like shit for genetic flaws that they had no control over (like Qhuinn) or for perceived or actual behavioral transgressions (like Marissa), these people will make you root for the ''lessers''.''lessers'' to butcher them all and improve the vampire race's overall level of decency.
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Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* AnythingThatMoves: Rhage was like this before he met Mary, and more recently, Zypher, compared to a Lenihan, a beast known for its sexual prowess.
to:
* AnythingThatMoves: Rhage was like this before he met Mary, and more recently, Zypher, compared to a Lenihan, a beast known for its sexual prowess. prowess.
* AristocratsAreEvil: The ''glymera'' as a whole. They may not necessarily be out-and-out ''evil'', but you'd be hard-put to find any bunch of people more self-serving, cowardly, head-in-the-sand, hidebound, and obsessed with appearances than the vampire aristocracy. From plotting to kill the king and impose a fake democracy, to treating their own family members like shit for genetic flaws that they had no control over (like Qhuinn) or for perceived or actual behavioral transgressions (like Marissa), these people will make you root for the ''lessers''.
* AristocratsAreEvil: The ''glymera'' as a whole. They may not necessarily be out-and-out ''evil'', but you'd be hard-put to find any bunch of people more self-serving, cowardly, head-in-the-sand, hidebound, and obsessed with appearances than the vampire aristocracy. From plotting to kill the king and impose a fake democracy, to treating their own family members like shit for genetic flaws that they had no control over (like Qhuinn) or for perceived or actual behavioral transgressions (like Marissa), these people will make you root for the ''lessers''.
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Changed line(s) 245,246 (click to see context) from:
* WillTheyOrWontThey?: It drives the plot of the couple featured in the book, but that is pretty much cut and dry, since they're romance novels with a fairly predictable formula. The real "Will They, Won't They?" couple would probably be Quinn and Blaylock.
** Eventually, [[spoiler: TheyDo it just takes them a looooong time.]]
** Eventually, [[spoiler: TheyDo it just takes them a looooong time.]]
to:
* WillTheyOrWontThey?: WillTheyOrWontThey: It drives the plot of the couple featured in the book, but that is pretty much cut and dry, since they're romance novels with a fairly predictable formula. The real "Will They, Won't They?" couple would probably be Quinn Qhuinn and Blaylock.
** Eventually, [[spoiler:TheyDo TheyDo; it just takes them a looooong time.]]
** Eventually, [[spoiler:
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Changed line(s) 233 (click to see context) from:
* TearsofBlood: Xhex and Rhevenge do this in place of normal tears. A sympath trait, apparently.
to:
* TearsofBlood: TearsOfBlood: Xhex and Rhevenge do this in place of normal tears. A sympath trait, apparently.
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Changed line(s) 200 (click to see context) from:
* RapeandRevenge: Happens twice. Zsadist gets revenge on his rapist by killing her and taking her skull, though it was not planned. Xhex gets revenge on her rapist, Lash, by killing him.
to:
* RapeandRevenge: RapeAndRevenge: Happens twice. Zsadist gets revenge on his rapist by killing her and taking her skull, though it was not planned. Xhex gets revenge on her rapist, Lash, by killing him.
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Changed line(s) 181 (click to see context) from:
* ParalyzingFearofSexuality: Zsadist has this as a result of his time being used a sex slave.
to:
* ParalyzingFearofSexuality: ParalyzingFearOfSexuality: Zsadist has this as a result of his time being used a sex slave.
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Changed line(s) 118 (click to see context) from:
* HairofGoldHeartOfGold: Marissa IS this trope. Beautiful? Check. Kind? Check. Innocent? Check. She gets past the naive stage pretty damn fast though.
to:
* HairofGoldHeartOfGold: HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Marissa IS this trope. Beautiful? Check. Kind? Check. Innocent? Check. She gets past the naive stage pretty damn fast though.
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Changed line(s) 29 (click to see context) from:
* AfterActionPatchUp: They're warriors, who fight. This happens between several characters. It actually makes up an important part of Vishou's book with him and Jane. Also happens between Rhage and Mary after he offers a rhythe, between Blay and Quinn, and between Marissa and Butch after he gets beat up in Rhev's club.
to:
* AfterActionPatchUp: They're warriors, who fight. This happens between several characters. It actually makes up an important part of Vishou's book with him and Jane. Also happens between Rhage and Mary after he offers a rhythe, between Blay and Quinn, and between Marissa and Butch after he gets beat up in Rhev's Rehv's club.
Changed line(s) 91 (click to see context) from:
* DomesticAbuse: Bellas' father (Rhevenge's stepfather) towards their mother. This is the reason Rhevenge kills him.
to:
* DomesticAbuse: Bellas' Bella's father (Rhevenge's (Rehvenge's stepfather) towards their mother. This is the reason Rhevenge Rehvenge kills him.
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Changed line(s) 66 (click to see context) from:
* BlackEyesofCrazy: Piss Zsadist off and his yellow eyes turn black.
to:
* BlackEyesofCrazy: BlackEyesOfCrazy: Piss Zsadist off and his yellow eyes turn black.
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Changed line(s) 62 (click to see context) from:
* BigBrotherInstinct: All of the Brothers have this with John Matthew.
to:
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* ArousedByTheirVoice: Mary's voice is so appealing John calls the suicide hotline every night just to hear her talk, and Rhage is so attracted to her voice he practically assaults her on their first meeting, trying to get her talk to him.
Deleted line(s) 49 (click to see context) :
* AudioErotica: Mary's voice is so appealing John calls the suicide hotline every night just to hear her talk, and Rhage is so attracted to her voice he practically assaults her on their first meeting, trying to get her talk to him.
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** There's also [[spoiler: another vampire-like society out there]] that completely flips this on its head; women seem to be in charge of almost everything with any men in positions of power being religious leaders or those with positions that must answer to women. [[spoiler: The society is ruled by a queen whose consort]] must live in total isolation in the Palace grounds, with the only visitors being servants and family. One of the characters lives in terror of this fate.
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* HospitalGurneyScene: More and more in recent books, as the war with the Lessers heats up.
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* SelfSurgery: Rhage used to do this all the time before Jane came along. As he put it, 'When you can use your large intestine as a belt loop, that's how you know you've hit the pros!'
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* InstantDramaJustAddTracheotomy: In Lover Reborn, Tohrment has to do this to [[spoiler: Wrath after he's shot in the throat and bleeding out.]] In the back of a moving car, with a pocketknife and a straw, no less!
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* OddNameOut: Among the Brothers there is Tohrment, Wrath, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, Phury, and... Darius. [[spoiler:Guess who dies...]]
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: One woman was killed by ''lessers'' and was stuck in limbo for awhile before the Scribe Virgin brought her back as a ghost. She's transparent in appearance, but can become corporeal if she tries. To her ''hellren'', she is always solid.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're a separate species from humans, to start -- you're born a vampire, you don't get "turned." Unless you have some vampire DNA...
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: One woman was killed by ''lessers'' and was stuck in limbo for awhile before the Scribe Virgin brought her back as a ghost. She's transparent in appearance, but can become corporeal if she tries. To her ''hellren'', she is always solid.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're a separate species from humans, to start -- you're born a vampire, you don't get "turned." Unless you have some vampire DNA...
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* PsychicAssistedSuicide: [[spoiler:Assail]] seems to have the ability to do this.
* OddNameOut: Among the Brothers there is Tohrment, Wrath, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, Phury, and... Darius. [[spoiler:Guess who dies...]]
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: One woman was killed by ''lessers'' and was stuck in limbo for awhile before the Scribe Virgin brought her back as a ghost. She's transparent in appearance, but can become corporeal if she tries. To her ''hellren'', she is always solid.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're a separate species from humans, to start -- you're born a vampire, you don't get "turned." Unless you have some vampire DNA...
* OddNameOut: Among the Brothers there is Tohrment, Wrath, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, Phury, and... Darius. [[spoiler:Guess who dies...]]
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: One woman was killed by ''lessers'' and was stuck in limbo for awhile before the Scribe Virgin brought her back as a ghost. She's transparent in appearance, but can become corporeal if she tries. To her ''hellren'', she is always solid.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're a separate species from humans, to start -- you're born a vampire, you don't get "turned." Unless you have some vampire DNA...
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* PsychicAssistedSuicide: [[spoiler:Assail]] seems to have the ability to do this.
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* DatingCatwoman: [[Spoiler: Xcor and Layla become this to each other- whilst neither is a villain, per se, they're closer to this than anything else, what with him trying to kill her king and all.]]
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* DatingCatwoman: [[Spoiler: Xcor and Layla become this to each other- whilst neither is a villain, per se, they're closer to this than anything else, what with him trying to kill her king and all.]]
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** [[Spoiler: Throe/Layla/Xcor]] is also resolved, with the first guy moving on. Unfortunately, the latter two are on [[spoiler: opposite sides of a civil war.]]
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** [[Spoiler: Throe/Layla/Xcor]] is [[spoiler:Throe/Layla/Xcor]] also resolved, seems to have resolved itself, with the first guy moving on. Unfortunately, the latter two are on [[spoiler: opposite [[spoiler:opposite sides of a civil war.]]
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* OddNameOut: Among the Brothers there is Tohrment, Wrath, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, Phury, and... Darius. [[Spoiler: guess who dies...]]
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* OddNameOut: Among the Brothers there is Tohrment, Wrath, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, Phury, and... Darius. [[Spoiler: guess [[spoiler:Guess who dies...]]
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** In the later books, Blay's unrequited love for Qhuinn, which may not be all that unrequited.
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** In the later books, Blay's unrequited love for Qhuinn, which may not be isn't all that unrequited.unrequited, Qhuinn's just incredibly emotionally repressed.
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* DatingCatwoman: [[Spoiler: Xcor and Layla become this to each other- whilst neither is a villain, per se, they're closer to this than anything else, what with him trying to kill her king and all.]]
**[[Spoiler: Throe/Layla/Xcor]] is also resolved, with the first guy moving on. Unfortunately, the latter two are on [[spoiler: opposite sides of a civil war.]]
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* OddNameOut: Among the Brothers there is Tohrment, Wrath, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, Phury, and... Darius.
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* OddNameOut: Among the Brothers there is Tohrment, Wrath, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, Phury, and... Darius. [[Spoiler: guess who dies...]]
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* RoyalBlood: Wrath is the king of all vampires.
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* RoyalBlood: Wrath is the king of all vampires.vampires, Butch is his cousin, and Rehvenge becomes King of the Sympaths.
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**Subverted in Lover At Last- turns out he's only cool with it because he's mentally repressed to the point that he's convinced himself that that sleeping with men doesn't mean he's not straight. When the truth is pointed out to him, he enters a HeroicBSOD.
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A series of [[VampireFiction paranormal]] {{romance novel}}s written by J.R. Ward which follow the lives of the titular Brotherhood: the vampire race's [[BadassArmy most powerful warriors and protectors]]. Each book focuses on a different brother as he battles the de-souled human vampire hunters called ''lessers'', and his [[UnresolvedSexualTension inconvenient growing attraction to a beautiful woman]].
* ''Dark Lover'' (Wrath)
* ''Lover Eternal'' (Rhage)
* ''Lover Awakened'' (Zsadist)
* ''Lover Revealed'' (Butch)
* ''Lover Unbound'' (Vishous)
* ''Lover Enshrined'' (Phury)
* ''Lover Avenged'' (Rehvenge)
* ''Lover Mine'' (John)
* ''Lover Unleashed'' (Payne)
* ''Lover Reborn'' (Tohrment)
* ''Lover At Last '' (Qhuinn and Blaylock)
Unmarked spoilers lay beyond. '''You have been warned.'''
----
!!This series provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents:
** Phury and Zsadist's parents, though only inflicted on Phury (emotional abuse, neglect).
** Vishous' ([[spoiler: and Payne's]]) father, who was abusive in almost every imaginable way. Including castrating his son by tearing off one of his testicles. His mother, alternatively, is also seen as abusive by ignoring her son's childhood plight and trying to force him into an arranged marriage. He spends most of his time acting as though he is unaffected by his childhood, until it all [[spoiler: comes to a head in ''Lover Unleashed'', and his grief over the fact that his parents did not protect him is forced to the surface. He demands to know why his parents hurt him, as he did not ask to be born to them.]]
** Jane's parents, though to a lesser extent. They were seen as cold and emotionally unavailable to their daughter.
** Butch's father [[spoiler: who really isn't]] was physically and emotionally abusive, even blaming him for the death of his sister.
** Qhuinn's father, because Qhuinn is born with heterochromatic eyes. After Qhuinn's transition they expected it to be magically cured. When it isn't, Qhuinn's dad decides he's going to punch Qhuinn in the face. He is excluded from family events with decreasing amounts of subtlety, eventually being disowned entirely.
* AchillesHeel:
** Sharp pointy object in the chest of a Lesser and ''POOF''!
** Sunlight is this to pureblood vampires. Half-breeds range in tolerance.
* ActionGirl: At last! In the latest two books we are given Xhex and Payne.
* ActionGirlfriend: Xhex, which given the extremely protective nature of bonded males, creates rifts between her and John.
* AfterActionPatchUp: They're warriors, who fight. This happens between several characters. It actually makes up an important part of Vishou's book with him and Jane. Also happens between Rhage and Mary after he offers a rhythe, between Blay and Quinn, and between Marissa and Butch after he gets beat up in Rhev's club.
* AlliterativeName: Manuel "Manny" Manello. And [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal arguably]], '''''R'''''ehvenge, son of '''''R'''''empoon, also qualifies.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: All the canon couples. You know it's bad when the 'softest' guy in the bunch is an alcoholic ex-cop fired for police brutality.
** Inverted with Xhex and John. He's damn near a saint compared to the rest of the brotherhood, and she's a maneating assassin with no qualms about killing for revenge or money.
** Also averted with Payne and Manny.
* AlienBlood: Pureblooded sympaths sport blue blood, even after the stuff's been exposed to the air. Half-breeds like Rehvenge and Xhex have normal-looking blood but it tastes slightly different to other vampires.
* AliensInCardiff: The obvious headquarters for a secret society of vampire warriors is...[[CreatorProvincialism Caldwell, NY]]. This is occasionally {{lampshade}}d.
* ALoveToDismember: Zsadist's relationship with the skull of his mistress, who held him in sexual slavery for over a century.
* AMatchMadeInStockholm: Vishous and Jane. It's even lampshaded by Jane at various points in the novel.
--> '''Jane''': (''after beginning to trust V'') Gimme an S! A T! An O! A C! Followed by a K-H-O-L-M! What's it spell? HEAD FUCK.
** And again:
--> '''Jane''': (''thinking'') Stop it. Do not feel safe with him. The Stockholm Syndrome is not your friend."
* {{Antidisestablishmentarianism}}: (''Lover Eternal'')
* AntiHero: All of them, but especially former nice guy Phury, who by the time we get to know him better is [[spoiler: a drug addict, who hears voices in his head, and whose hobby is torture.]]
* AnythingThatMoves: Rhage was like this before he met Mary, and more recently, Zypher, compared to a Lenihan, a beast known for its sexual prowess.
* ArrangedMarriage: Vishous ''almost'' is subjected to this; Phury takes his place and [[spoiler: falls in love with the Chosen he is mated to, Cormia.]]
** Tohrment and Wellsie had one of these. Luckily, they fell in love all the same.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Marissa, in the middle of extreme character development, quips about her eventful night.
--> ''Well, wasn't this the night for firsts. Arson. Sex. Pants.''
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Rehvenge and the ''sympath'' colony.
* AudioErotica: Mary's voice is so appealing John calls the suicide hotline every night just to hear her talk, and Rhage is so attracted to her voice he practically assaults her on their first meeting, trying to get her talk to him.
* {{Awesome McCool Name}}: Oh, man...to the point of {{narm}}. We have [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Rhage, Vishous, Wrath, Zsadist, Phury, Tohrment, Rehvenge, Dehstroyer, Tehrror, Tohrture, Lash, Hharm, Torhture, Ahgony, and Hurt]]. The list goes on and on.
** There's even a one-shot human tattoo artist named ''R.I.P.''.
** Xcor's name seems to be a weird amalgamation of XtremeKoolLetterz until you realize it's a shortened form of 'excoriate' - to severely criticize or to ''flay off skin''.
* BadassInDistress: At least once a book. Usually the protagonist of said book, but not always.
* BadassNormal: Butch, at first
* BashBrothers: The Brotherhood itself.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Phury while detoxing from drugs; he is fighting an internal battle against the reasons why he took the drugs in the first place. His LoveInterest, Cormia, helps him from the outside.
* BeastAndBeauty: Zsadist and Bella
* BetterAsFriends: Phury and Bella, though it was really only Phury who had the romantic feelings.
* BigBrotherInstinct:
** Rehvenge and Bella are a textbook example.
** Phury and Zsadist; ironically, Phury is the younger twin.
* BigBrotherInstinct: All of the Brothers have this with John Matthew.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed: Zsadist's *ahem* ''hardware'' is treated in this way. He is repeatedly described as being "enormous" below the belt or otherwise regarded by others with a sense of envy and/or awe.
* BiTheWay: Qhuinn. Other male characters may {{angst}} about their {{UST}} (''cough cough'' Vishous ''cough''), but Qhuinn is cool with the door swinging both ways.
* BlackEyesofCrazy: Piss Zsadist off and his yellow eyes turn black.
* BlindMistake: Shortly after Wrath's vision finally fails completely he makes lots of these, dropping and breaking things and even falling down the stairs at one point.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Lash.
* BloodKnight: All the brothers, but especially Zsadist.
* BoyishShortHair: Xhex has this; to John she is 'deliciously androgynous'.
* BrainsAndBondage: Vishous, who is well-read and the most intellectual of the brothers, enjoys bondage. When he reveals this to his surgeon ''shellan'', she is highly disturbed. However, after a session in V's "penthouse", she comes around to the idea.
* BreakTheBadass: Zsadist completely loses his shit over having to whip Rhage--presumably flashing back to his own abuse.
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:Rosalhynda]] was prideful about her beauty and her father's high place in society. After being captured and forcibly impregnated, committing suicide and being ressurected as her daughter's maidservant...not so much. In fact she takes to being very servile and takes joy in doing menial tasks that were beneath her before.
* CelibateHero: Phury
* CoolShades: Wrath, though out of necessity, not by choice
* CowboyCop: Butch
* CursedWithAwesome: Rhage's alter-ego is a fire-breathing dragon that likes to devour lessers whole, and can use its wings to fly.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: EVERYONE. But a few stand out.
** Zsadist is the biggest one. To sum up: stolen as an infant, enslaved, raped, beaten, gang raped, beaten and raped some more for a couple hundred years before being horribly mutilated in the course of his rescue and reunion with his brother. Oh, and his parents are dead.
** John Matthew was abandoned as a baby, raised in an orphanage and then sent out into the world at 16, with no idea what or who he is. As a young adult, he is [[spoiler: raped by a large man in the hallway of his apartment complex.]]
** Vishous spent his childhood in a warrior camp run by his ruthless warrior father. He dislikes the combat, prefering to read. He is punished for this. When he comes into his empathic powers, he tells his father of his own death. Disturbed, his father has him tattooed as an outcast, and partially castrated.
** Butch grew up emotionally and physically abused by his father [[spoiler: who wasn't his biological father, and knew it]], and was blamed by his entire family for the rape and murder of his older sister, Janie. It's pretty obvious throughout the books that this has messed him up a bit psychologically.
* DeadpanSnarker: Surprisingly, ingenue-waif Marissa becomes a bit of a FirstPersonSmartass.
* DeathByChildbirth: Extremely common as pregnancy is very risky for vampires. Bella is noted to have a very shaky pregnancy and much time is spent by all characters hoping against this.
* DeathSeeker: Most of the brothers at some point or another, but much of Butch's character arc involves overcoming his death wish. With Marissa's help, of course.
* DefiledForever: Zsadist initially believes this of himself, to the point of not wanting to touch his daughter because she'll "get it on her."
* DefrostingIceQueen: Xhex and John.
* DirectLinetotheAuthor: See LiteraryAgentHypothesis.
* DistaffCounterpart and SpearCounterpart: Payne & Vishous and Doc Jane & Manny.
* DomesticAbuse: Bellas' father (Rhevenge's stepfather) towards their mother. This is the reason Rhevenge kills him.
* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: Mr. O obsesses on Bella because she looks like an idealized version of his deceased girlfriend.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: ''Highly'' averted with Zsadist. His past as a sex slave is written very darkly, and he suffers a great deal of psychological damage as a result. Nobody faults him for killing his "Mistress" and keeping her skull. A little out of the ordinary for a series that portrays males as "macho" and always concerned with looking "weak" in front of their mates. In fact, Zsadist is probably one of the most staunch observers of these gender rules (likely stemming from his abuse), but shows just how seriously these issues are taken when he tells John Matthew that his own rape was ''not'' his fault.
* {{Dystopia}}: Vampire society is deeply patriarchal and has very rigid gender roles. Their religious beliefs can be crazy and cruel. And the general social fabric is decayed.
* EloquentInMyNativeTongue: In a weird version, the Brothers talk like gangsters in English and Shakespeare in the Old Language.
-->'''Rhage''': ''I am barren of words, my female. For any sounds from my mouth are unworthy of your hearing.''
-->'''Mary''': What did you say?
-->'''Rhage''': I like being here with you too.
* TheEmpath: Vampires can smell emotions.
** Vishous can go a step farther and read minds (and see the future)
** Sympaths can both read emotional "grids" and influence them.
** The Shadow Brothers are something between the two.
* EnemyWithin: Rhage and his tattooed "friend".
** Also, Phury and his Wizard.
* EmergencyTransformation: Done three times, with Mary (human-turned-immortal and cancer-free) Butch (human-turned-vampire), and Jane, (human-turned-tangible-ghost.)
* EroticDream: Manny has one about Payne after having his memory wiped in ''Lover Unleashed''. Jane had one about Vishous after her memory was wiped.
* ErmineCapeEffect: Subverted. Wrath only puts on ceremonial robes for...well, ceremonies.
* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: It's a series of erotic novels. This one is a given.
* MrFanservice: A group of enormous men chiseled like Greek gods who are [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex skilled lovers]] and can [[BodyguardCrush pulverize anything attempting to harm their woman]]... with some HoYay to boot.
* EvilAlbino: While not technically having albinism, the ''lessers'' gradually lose all pigmentation in their bodies.
* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: When John finds out where Xhex is being held, and why, his vision reds out and his claws extend. He comes to himself hunched over on the floor which is now slick with lesser blood---the lesser's severed head sitting on the countertop staring at him in horror.
* FirstKiss: Zsadist and Vishous receive theirs over the course of the series. And John, though that's a little more understandable.
* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampires
* FunetikAksent: When Butch imitates his father's [[{{Southies}} South Boston]] accent, it's rendered phonetically. Ditto Mr. D's Texan twang.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Subverted. Their eyes glow only in the presence of their mates or people they love.
* GodsHandsAreTied: Miracles from the Scribe Virgin don't come free, and the price does not seem to be negotiable even for her. For Darius' reincarnation he willingly sacrificed [[spoiler:his voice]], but in order to grant Vishous' prayer for Jane, the goddess herself gave up her beloved songbirds.
* GoodScarsEvilScars
* HairofGoldHeartOfGold: Marissa IS this trope. Beautiful? Check. Kind? Check. Innocent? Check. She gets past the naive stage pretty damn fast though.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Beth and [[spoiler: Butch]]. Only Wrath is full-blooded of all the vampires. And since most of the narrative is from the vampire POV, the vampire-''sympath'' hybrids function in the same way.
* HappilyMarried: Most of the mated main couples, though Beth and Wrath hit a rocky spot in ''Lover Avenged''. So do V and Jane in the latest book.
* HappinessInSlavery: The ''doggen'', a subspecies of vampires able to withstand sunlight.
* HandicappedBadass: Phury. And later Wrath, when he loses his sight completely.
* HandSignals: John Matthew, being born without working vocal chords, communicates by way of a pen and paper, using American Sign Language, or by a whistling system.
* HaremSeeker: The most notable would be Rhage, before falling in love with Mary. Vishous to a lesser extent before his own book.
* HeartbrokenBadass: At least once a book.
* HellBentForLeather
* HemoErotic: A vampire's feeding usually entails sex too.
* HoYay
** Butch and Vishous have continuing {{UST}}, even after both find mates.
** Phury and Rehvenge [[spoiler:kiss in Rehvenge's office]], though it is played more as a dominance thing than actual attraction.
** Recently, Qhuinn and Blay, and Blay and Saxton.
** [[spoiler:V and Butch have skipped way past mere HoYay in Lover Unleashed.]]
** Wrath once kissed Rhage on the forehead, as a token of respect apparently.
** The [[BigBad Omega]] rapes his male recruits as part of their induction into the Lessening Society. At least one of said recruits is implied to enjoy this.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: It's always noted just how large male vampires are, but how large they are in comparison to their female lovers is mentioned a lot. Averted with Payne and Manny, and Xhex and John.
* HurtingHero: Rhage in his book mentions how thanks to his Beast he needs the constant sex he has, in order to keep himself under control enough to not attack his friends, and how it was just emotionless, connectionless grinding to him--he feared he neither deserved nor was capable of truly loving someone or being loved.
* IAmXSonOfY: All the males are referred to this way on formal occasions.
* TheIngenue: Marissa
* IfItsYouItsOkay: While each are in their very happy relationships, WordOfGod states that Butch is this towards [[HoYay V.]]
* IncompatibleOrientation: Initially between V and Butch, with V coveting Butch who was in love with Marissa. Recently, it's been Quinn and Blaylock with Blay covering Quinn who doesn't seem to know what the hell he wants.
** As of the latest book, Qhuinn has actually gotten his head out his ass and realised that he is in love with his best friend- cue their scheduled HEA in 2013 and many fangirl squeals.
* IntimateHealing: [[spoiler: Manny finds that sexual arousal is the way to heal Payne's paralysis in ''Lover Unleashed''. He even makes reference to the Marvine Gaye song "Sexual Healing"]] Vishous also does this with Butch, after the latter sucks up a lesser. To the point that Jane initially assumes Vishous is gay.
* InterspeciesRomance: Technically, humans, vampires, ''doggen'' and ''sympaths'' are distinct species that only occasionally successfully cross-breed.
* ImmortalProcreationClause: Vampires are only fertile once every decade, and pregnancy is very highly likely to result in miscarriage or death of the mother in childbirth. As Tohrment puts it, 'It's a goddamn shellan-robber'.
* ItsPersonal: This is pretty much how all the males react if someone hurts their female, but it is especially apparent in ''Lover Mine'', when John finds out that Xhex had been raped by Lash. It's personal because he, too, had been raped, though by a stranger, as a pre-trans. John's drive to kill Lash goes from a 10 to a 20 on a scale of 1-10, and even his friends remark that by raping Xhex, Lash had signed his own death warrant.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Zsadist and Bella, near the end of ''Lover Awakened''. Butch and Doc Jane for V in Lover Unleashed.
* JamesBondage: When [[spoiler:Rehvenge]] is taken by the ''sympaths''.
* KnifeNut: Vishous
* KryptoniteFactor: Called a "pyrocant", this can be an external factor such as a relationship, or or internal such as an addiction.
* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: Ward has always spoken of the books as being dictated to her by the characters, and not written by her.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: With rare exception, the whole Brotherhood, Wrath in particular (he can sit on the ends of his hair without much trouble.)
* LongLostRelative:
** Phury and Zsadist, though long before the series starts.
** John and Beth count as this too, though in a strange way.
** Also Wrath, Butch and Manny.
* LongRunningBookSeries: Eleven so far.
* LoveAtFirstSight: That's pretty much how male vampire bonding works.
* LoveRedeems
* LoveDodecahedron: Overlapping love triangles, bordering on DatingDoSiDo. In their introduction, Quinn and Blay had some UST. This evolved over the course of several books into Quinn/Blay/Saxton and Layla/Quinn/Blay. As of ''Lover Unleashed'' Layla/Qhuinn is no longer part of the equation...Er, maybe. On the heels of their conversation in ''Lover Unleashed'' Qhuinn remembers the vision he had when he was briefly dead, [[spoiler:of a little girl who looks like Layla, but has mismatched eyes]]... Poor Layla: she's now in [[spoiler:Throe/Layla/Xcor]] and while she and Qhuinn have been resolved ([[spoiler: TheyDo, but it's expressly platonic, for procreation only]]) she's in a hell of a muddle.
* LoveTriangle: [[SiblingTriangle Phury/Bella/Zsadist]], Marissa/Rhevenge/Butch.
* LukeIAmYourFather
** [[spoiler: The Scribe Virgin]] informs Vishous that she's his mother.
** [[spoiler: Xhex's]] mother is a member of The Chosen.
* ManlyGay: Pretty much all the gay or bisexual characters. The closest to come to flamboyant is Saxton, and he's still portrayed as pretty manly.
* MasochismTango: Part of Mr. O's backstory is a mutually abusive relationship with his girlfriend.
* {{Masquerade}}: Upheld by vampires' ability to erase short term, nontraumatic memories from humans.
* {{Mooks}}: The unnamed ''lessers'' fit this trope to a T, being about as disposable as used tissues.
* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Although most of the male characters have been around the block a few thousand times, their love interests are either virgins or women with limited and/or previously only unsatisfactory experiences.
** Xhex is an aversion. It is mentioned that she had an affair with Rehvenge and a liaison with Butch; and ''Lover Mine'' revealed she was once happily mated to a brother named Muhrder ([[{{Narm}} yes, Muhrder]]), before he found out about her ''sympath'' half.
** Bella gender flips this; in her case, it was Zsadist who was sexually inexperienced (outside of his abuse) and it's Bella who teaches him.
** Phury also gender flips this, though Cormia was also a virgin.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Subverted. Most of the scariest names belong to the good guys.
* NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization: Lash uses this to taunt John Matthew with, having raped his LoveInterest Xhex while holding her in captivity. When Xhex vehemently denies that the sex was consensual, John Matthew is reminded of his own rape and mops the floor with Lash.
* PanickyExpectantFather: All of the Brothers whose mates become pregnant get like this, to some degree due to the high mortality rate for both the child and the mother.
* ParalyzingFearofSexuality: Zsadist has this as a result of his time being used a sex slave.
* PolarOppositeTwins: Zsadist and Phury. Although they're not so different as the story continues...
* PropertyOfLove: When a male vampire bonds, he becomes the property of his female. So far, the feeling between the vampire males and their females is mutual.
* PromotionToParent: Rehvenge towards Bella, after the death of her father.
* PsychicAssistedSuicide: [[spoiler:Assail]] seems to have the ability to do this.
* OddNameOut: Among the Brothers there is Tohrment, Wrath, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, Phury, and... Darius.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: One woman was killed by ''lessers'' and was stuck in limbo for awhile before the Scribe Virgin brought her back as a ghost. She's transparent in appearance, but can become corporeal if she tries. To her ''hellren'', she is always solid.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're a separate species from humans, to start -- you're born a vampire, you don't get "turned." Unless you have some vampire DNA...
* PainfulTransformation: Rhage, when his beast comes out (and the aftermath)
** And also the transition to becoming a fully-fledged vampire.
** And the rare transformation from human to vampire.
*** Also the transformation from human to lesser.
* ParanormalRomance
* {{Patronymic}}
* ProductPlacement: Holy Scribe Virgin, everyone in the series is a brand whore.
** Particularly {{egregious}} offenders are Butch and Vishous (who wear Gucci and Louis Vuitton), and John Matthew and Qhuinn (who are strictly into Affliction t-shirts and Abercrombie and Fitch jeans).
*** What about Phury? He was the one who got Butch started on his clothing fetish! He favors Dior, Tom Ford and Armani.
** Not to mention specific brands of alcohol, cigarettes, shoes, ties...
** There is even a mention of a specific brand of cat food in ''Dark Lover''.
* PurpleIsPowerful : Rehvenge has amethyst eyes. [[spoiler:He later becomes king of the sympaths.]]
* RagsToRoyalty: Butch finds out about two-thirds of the way through his book that he is of Wrath's bloodline.
* RapeAsDrama: Treated with remarkable sensitivity in a series otherwise very tongue-in-cheek. Ward showcases almost every form of it, from coercion to physical force, and in every gender combination. In all cases the trauma is taken seriously, and each character responds and copes in their own way.
* RapeandRevenge: Happens twice. Zsadist gets revenge on his rapist by killing her and taking her skull, though it was not planned. Xhex gets revenge on her rapist, Lash, by killing him.
* RapeIsTheNewDeadParents: And four of the major characters get both!
* ReallyGetsAround: Rhage is the biggest one, before meeting Mary. Vishous, as well, before meeting Jane.
* RoyalBlood: Wrath is the king of all vampires.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Wrath maintains (secretly) an active role in the war with the lessers, and Rehvenge goes to meet with the colony every so often to keep the peace.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: If a vampire has had your blood, he (or she) can find you forever, no matter where you are or how far you run.
* SecretWar: By unspoken agreement, vampires and lessers will stop fighting and move the battle to a less human-populated location. As it's explained, having human cops poking around is bad news for both species.
* SemiDivine: Vishous is the son of the Scribe Virgin, the deity vampires pray to in his universe. He also has a twin sister named Payne....
* SeparatedAtBirth: Phury and Zsadist were separated as infants; their nanny kidnapped Zsadist to be sold into slavery. Phury takes it upon himself to find his twin (who is the favored first-born twin), and takes a vow of celibacy after he finds him.
* SexEqualsLove: Averted.
* SexSlave: Zsadist was one, as well as a blood slave.
* SharpDressedMan: Phury and Butch. Each, in their interviews, mentions having multiple closets and favoring high-class designer clothes.
* ShowerOfLove: Used a few times in the series, notable between Manny and Payne in ''Lover Unleashed'' and a non-sexual but romantic example between Xhex and John in ''Lover Mine''.
* SiblingTeam: Phury and Zsadist
* SingleTargetSexuality: Once a brother 'bonds' with a female, formally or informally, it is virtually impossible for them to do anything without the female's approval.
** In the later books, Blay's unrequited love for Qhuinn, which may not be all that unrequited.
* SinisterScythe : Xcor, Throe and the Band of Bastards have them.
* SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality: Vampires are a highly patriarchal society. Bonded males are highly protective of their mates, which in terms of the Brothers means they stay safely in the mansion, away from the fighting. Most of the women are fine with this (or mostly fine), but [[spoiler: Xhex]] takes major issue with it. [[spoiler: Xhex and John spend most of the latest book separated over this issue. She wants to fight, but John's protective instinct means he keeps babying her in the middle of battle and putting himself in harm's way. Xhex, being highly independent and a skilled fighter, naturally gets pissed off.]]
* SlidingScaleOfVampireFriendliness: Pretty solidly in the friendly end of the scale.
* SmellsSexy: The bonding scent is used as a warning to other males and an aphrodisiac to the female who inspires it.
* SocialDarwinist: The entire Primale/Chosen breeding program. Also [[spoiler: the Scribe Virgin's reason for choosing the Bloodletter to father her children.]]
* SoulJar: The ceramic jars of the lessers that hold their hearts.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Payne nicely demonstrates the trope in ''Lover Unleashed''.
--> And if you try to dissuade me by the fact that I have not lived long enough to judge, I say unto you...fuck off.
* TheSociopath: All ''sympaths'' are believed to be this, since they tend to have a total lack of morals and empathy. Half-breeds [[spoiler: like Xhex and Rehvenge]] ''can'' subvert this, though they have to constantly battle their SuperpoweredEvilSide throughout their lives.
* TheSpeechless: John Matthew, who was born without vocal chords. He alternately uses pen and paper and sign language to communicate with those around him.
* SueDonym: When Rhage tries to pass as human with Mary, he takes his nickname (Hollywood) and makes it Hal E Wood.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Let's see, there's Vishous, Butch, John, Wrath, Rehv....
* TotallyRadical: Younger John, Quinn and Blay's slang is a little anachronistic.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Arguably [[spoiler: Wellsie, along with Tohr's unborn son, who were murdered by a Lesser in ''Lover Awakened.'']]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The Brothers names are [[AwesomeMcCoolName cool words]] with an extra "H" or "S" thrown in.
* TearsofBlood: Xhex and Rhevenge do this in place of normal tears. A sympath trait, apparently.
* TitleDrop: Done in Lover Mine, page 482. Also somewhat done in Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, and Lover Enshrined.
* TheDandy: Throe is outright stated to have been this before he fell in with the Band of Bastards.
* TheSpartanWay: The Bloodletter's war camp where Vishous and Darius trained.
* TheUnFavorite:
** Phury was the second-born twin, which signifies a curse upon his family. After his twin is kidnapped, Phury is alternatively ignored and abused by his parents. He mentions that they did not notice when he left to find Zsadist, and that he did not attend their funerals.
** Butch is the un-favorite of his father, being cast aside and beaten as a child. He also blames Butch for the murder of Butch's older sister.
* TookALevelInBadass: This seems to happen to all vampires upon their transition from pre-trans into full vampires. After the awkward, getting-used-to-new-larger-limbs phase. Especially notable in John Matthew between his transition and ''LoverMine'', owing to the fact that his LoveInterest was kidnapped by his enemy.
* VampiresAreSexGods: Kind of the whole point of the series.
* VampiresOwnNightClubs: Just ask Rehvenge, owner first of ZeroSum, and then of The Iron Mask.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Havers.
* WhoNamesTheirKidDude
* WillTheyOrWontThey?: It drives the plot of the couple featured in the book, but that is pretty much cut and dry, since they're romance novels with a fairly predictable formula. The real "Will They, Won't They?" couple would probably be Quinn and Blaylock.
** Eventually, [[spoiler: TheyDo it just takes them a looooong time.]]
* WomenPreferStrongMen: This series IS this trope. And shamelessly so.
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Payne and the Chosen throw around a lot of "verily"s, along with the occasional "thine" (used ungrammatically) and reversed verb-noun order. It is also seen in the flashbacks.
----
* ''Dark Lover'' (Wrath)
* ''Lover Eternal'' (Rhage)
* ''Lover Awakened'' (Zsadist)
* ''Lover Revealed'' (Butch)
* ''Lover Unbound'' (Vishous)
* ''Lover Enshrined'' (Phury)
* ''Lover Avenged'' (Rehvenge)
* ''Lover Mine'' (John)
* ''Lover Unleashed'' (Payne)
* ''Lover Reborn'' (Tohrment)
* ''Lover At Last '' (Qhuinn and Blaylock)
Unmarked spoilers lay beyond. '''You have been warned.'''
----
!!This series provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents:
** Phury and Zsadist's parents, though only inflicted on Phury (emotional abuse, neglect).
** Vishous' ([[spoiler: and Payne's]]) father, who was abusive in almost every imaginable way. Including castrating his son by tearing off one of his testicles. His mother, alternatively, is also seen as abusive by ignoring her son's childhood plight and trying to force him into an arranged marriage. He spends most of his time acting as though he is unaffected by his childhood, until it all [[spoiler: comes to a head in ''Lover Unleashed'', and his grief over the fact that his parents did not protect him is forced to the surface. He demands to know why his parents hurt him, as he did not ask to be born to them.]]
** Jane's parents, though to a lesser extent. They were seen as cold and emotionally unavailable to their daughter.
** Butch's father [[spoiler: who really isn't]] was physically and emotionally abusive, even blaming him for the death of his sister.
** Qhuinn's father, because Qhuinn is born with heterochromatic eyes. After Qhuinn's transition they expected it to be magically cured. When it isn't, Qhuinn's dad decides he's going to punch Qhuinn in the face. He is excluded from family events with decreasing amounts of subtlety, eventually being disowned entirely.
* AchillesHeel:
** Sharp pointy object in the chest of a Lesser and ''POOF''!
** Sunlight is this to pureblood vampires. Half-breeds range in tolerance.
* ActionGirl: At last! In the latest two books we are given Xhex and Payne.
* ActionGirlfriend: Xhex, which given the extremely protective nature of bonded males, creates rifts between her and John.
* AfterActionPatchUp: They're warriors, who fight. This happens between several characters. It actually makes up an important part of Vishou's book with him and Jane. Also happens between Rhage and Mary after he offers a rhythe, between Blay and Quinn, and between Marissa and Butch after he gets beat up in Rhev's club.
* AlliterativeName: Manuel "Manny" Manello. And [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal arguably]], '''''R'''''ehvenge, son of '''''R'''''empoon, also qualifies.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: All the canon couples. You know it's bad when the 'softest' guy in the bunch is an alcoholic ex-cop fired for police brutality.
** Inverted with Xhex and John. He's damn near a saint compared to the rest of the brotherhood, and she's a maneating assassin with no qualms about killing for revenge or money.
** Also averted with Payne and Manny.
* AlienBlood: Pureblooded sympaths sport blue blood, even after the stuff's been exposed to the air. Half-breeds like Rehvenge and Xhex have normal-looking blood but it tastes slightly different to other vampires.
* AliensInCardiff: The obvious headquarters for a secret society of vampire warriors is...[[CreatorProvincialism Caldwell, NY]]. This is occasionally {{lampshade}}d.
* ALoveToDismember: Zsadist's relationship with the skull of his mistress, who held him in sexual slavery for over a century.
* AMatchMadeInStockholm: Vishous and Jane. It's even lampshaded by Jane at various points in the novel.
--> '''Jane''': (''after beginning to trust V'') Gimme an S! A T! An O! A C! Followed by a K-H-O-L-M! What's it spell? HEAD FUCK.
** And again:
--> '''Jane''': (''thinking'') Stop it. Do not feel safe with him. The Stockholm Syndrome is not your friend."
* {{Antidisestablishmentarianism}}: (''Lover Eternal'')
* AntiHero: All of them, but especially former nice guy Phury, who by the time we get to know him better is [[spoiler: a drug addict, who hears voices in his head, and whose hobby is torture.]]
* AnythingThatMoves: Rhage was like this before he met Mary, and more recently, Zypher, compared to a Lenihan, a beast known for its sexual prowess.
* ArrangedMarriage: Vishous ''almost'' is subjected to this; Phury takes his place and [[spoiler: falls in love with the Chosen he is mated to, Cormia.]]
** Tohrment and Wellsie had one of these. Luckily, they fell in love all the same.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Marissa, in the middle of extreme character development, quips about her eventful night.
--> ''Well, wasn't this the night for firsts. Arson. Sex. Pants.''
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Rehvenge and the ''sympath'' colony.
* AudioErotica: Mary's voice is so appealing John calls the suicide hotline every night just to hear her talk, and Rhage is so attracted to her voice he practically assaults her on their first meeting, trying to get her talk to him.
* {{Awesome McCool Name}}: Oh, man...to the point of {{narm}}. We have [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Rhage, Vishous, Wrath, Zsadist, Phury, Tohrment, Rehvenge, Dehstroyer, Tehrror, Tohrture, Lash, Hharm, Torhture, Ahgony, and Hurt]]. The list goes on and on.
** There's even a one-shot human tattoo artist named ''R.I.P.''.
** Xcor's name seems to be a weird amalgamation of XtremeKoolLetterz until you realize it's a shortened form of 'excoriate' - to severely criticize or to ''flay off skin''.
* BadassInDistress: At least once a book. Usually the protagonist of said book, but not always.
* BadassNormal: Butch, at first
* BashBrothers: The Brotherhood itself.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Phury while detoxing from drugs; he is fighting an internal battle against the reasons why he took the drugs in the first place. His LoveInterest, Cormia, helps him from the outside.
* BeastAndBeauty: Zsadist and Bella
* BetterAsFriends: Phury and Bella, though it was really only Phury who had the romantic feelings.
* BigBrotherInstinct:
** Rehvenge and Bella are a textbook example.
** Phury and Zsadist; ironically, Phury is the younger twin.
* BigBrotherInstinct: All of the Brothers have this with John Matthew.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed: Zsadist's *ahem* ''hardware'' is treated in this way. He is repeatedly described as being "enormous" below the belt or otherwise regarded by others with a sense of envy and/or awe.
* BiTheWay: Qhuinn. Other male characters may {{angst}} about their {{UST}} (''cough cough'' Vishous ''cough''), but Qhuinn is cool with the door swinging both ways.
* BlackEyesofCrazy: Piss Zsadist off and his yellow eyes turn black.
* BlindMistake: Shortly after Wrath's vision finally fails completely he makes lots of these, dropping and breaking things and even falling down the stairs at one point.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Lash.
* BloodKnight: All the brothers, but especially Zsadist.
* BoyishShortHair: Xhex has this; to John she is 'deliciously androgynous'.
* BrainsAndBondage: Vishous, who is well-read and the most intellectual of the brothers, enjoys bondage. When he reveals this to his surgeon ''shellan'', she is highly disturbed. However, after a session in V's "penthouse", she comes around to the idea.
* BreakTheBadass: Zsadist completely loses his shit over having to whip Rhage--presumably flashing back to his own abuse.
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:Rosalhynda]] was prideful about her beauty and her father's high place in society. After being captured and forcibly impregnated, committing suicide and being ressurected as her daughter's maidservant...not so much. In fact she takes to being very servile and takes joy in doing menial tasks that were beneath her before.
* CelibateHero: Phury
* CoolShades: Wrath, though out of necessity, not by choice
* CowboyCop: Butch
* CursedWithAwesome: Rhage's alter-ego is a fire-breathing dragon that likes to devour lessers whole, and can use its wings to fly.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: EVERYONE. But a few stand out.
** Zsadist is the biggest one. To sum up: stolen as an infant, enslaved, raped, beaten, gang raped, beaten and raped some more for a couple hundred years before being horribly mutilated in the course of his rescue and reunion with his brother. Oh, and his parents are dead.
** John Matthew was abandoned as a baby, raised in an orphanage and then sent out into the world at 16, with no idea what or who he is. As a young adult, he is [[spoiler: raped by a large man in the hallway of his apartment complex.]]
** Vishous spent his childhood in a warrior camp run by his ruthless warrior father. He dislikes the combat, prefering to read. He is punished for this. When he comes into his empathic powers, he tells his father of his own death. Disturbed, his father has him tattooed as an outcast, and partially castrated.
** Butch grew up emotionally and physically abused by his father [[spoiler: who wasn't his biological father, and knew it]], and was blamed by his entire family for the rape and murder of his older sister, Janie. It's pretty obvious throughout the books that this has messed him up a bit psychologically.
* DeadpanSnarker: Surprisingly, ingenue-waif Marissa becomes a bit of a FirstPersonSmartass.
* DeathByChildbirth: Extremely common as pregnancy is very risky for vampires. Bella is noted to have a very shaky pregnancy and much time is spent by all characters hoping against this.
* DeathSeeker: Most of the brothers at some point or another, but much of Butch's character arc involves overcoming his death wish. With Marissa's help, of course.
* DefiledForever: Zsadist initially believes this of himself, to the point of not wanting to touch his daughter because she'll "get it on her."
* DefrostingIceQueen: Xhex and John.
* DirectLinetotheAuthor: See LiteraryAgentHypothesis.
* DistaffCounterpart and SpearCounterpart: Payne & Vishous and Doc Jane & Manny.
* DomesticAbuse: Bellas' father (Rhevenge's stepfather) towards their mother. This is the reason Rhevenge kills him.
* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: Mr. O obsesses on Bella because she looks like an idealized version of his deceased girlfriend.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: ''Highly'' averted with Zsadist. His past as a sex slave is written very darkly, and he suffers a great deal of psychological damage as a result. Nobody faults him for killing his "Mistress" and keeping her skull. A little out of the ordinary for a series that portrays males as "macho" and always concerned with looking "weak" in front of their mates. In fact, Zsadist is probably one of the most staunch observers of these gender rules (likely stemming from his abuse), but shows just how seriously these issues are taken when he tells John Matthew that his own rape was ''not'' his fault.
* {{Dystopia}}: Vampire society is deeply patriarchal and has very rigid gender roles. Their religious beliefs can be crazy and cruel. And the general social fabric is decayed.
* EloquentInMyNativeTongue: In a weird version, the Brothers talk like gangsters in English and Shakespeare in the Old Language.
-->'''Rhage''': ''I am barren of words, my female. For any sounds from my mouth are unworthy of your hearing.''
-->'''Mary''': What did you say?
-->'''Rhage''': I like being here with you too.
* TheEmpath: Vampires can smell emotions.
** Vishous can go a step farther and read minds (and see the future)
** Sympaths can both read emotional "grids" and influence them.
** The Shadow Brothers are something between the two.
* EnemyWithin: Rhage and his tattooed "friend".
** Also, Phury and his Wizard.
* EmergencyTransformation: Done three times, with Mary (human-turned-immortal and cancer-free) Butch (human-turned-vampire), and Jane, (human-turned-tangible-ghost.)
* EroticDream: Manny has one about Payne after having his memory wiped in ''Lover Unleashed''. Jane had one about Vishous after her memory was wiped.
* ErmineCapeEffect: Subverted. Wrath only puts on ceremonial robes for...well, ceremonies.
* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: It's a series of erotic novels. This one is a given.
* MrFanservice: A group of enormous men chiseled like Greek gods who are [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex skilled lovers]] and can [[BodyguardCrush pulverize anything attempting to harm their woman]]... with some HoYay to boot.
* EvilAlbino: While not technically having albinism, the ''lessers'' gradually lose all pigmentation in their bodies.
* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: When John finds out where Xhex is being held, and why, his vision reds out and his claws extend. He comes to himself hunched over on the floor which is now slick with lesser blood---the lesser's severed head sitting on the countertop staring at him in horror.
* FirstKiss: Zsadist and Vishous receive theirs over the course of the series. And John, though that's a little more understandable.
* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampires
* FunetikAksent: When Butch imitates his father's [[{{Southies}} South Boston]] accent, it's rendered phonetically. Ditto Mr. D's Texan twang.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Subverted. Their eyes glow only in the presence of their mates or people they love.
* GodsHandsAreTied: Miracles from the Scribe Virgin don't come free, and the price does not seem to be negotiable even for her. For Darius' reincarnation he willingly sacrificed [[spoiler:his voice]], but in order to grant Vishous' prayer for Jane, the goddess herself gave up her beloved songbirds.
* GoodScarsEvilScars
* HairofGoldHeartOfGold: Marissa IS this trope. Beautiful? Check. Kind? Check. Innocent? Check. She gets past the naive stage pretty damn fast though.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Beth and [[spoiler: Butch]]. Only Wrath is full-blooded of all the vampires. And since most of the narrative is from the vampire POV, the vampire-''sympath'' hybrids function in the same way.
* HappilyMarried: Most of the mated main couples, though Beth and Wrath hit a rocky spot in ''Lover Avenged''. So do V and Jane in the latest book.
* HappinessInSlavery: The ''doggen'', a subspecies of vampires able to withstand sunlight.
* HandicappedBadass: Phury. And later Wrath, when he loses his sight completely.
* HandSignals: John Matthew, being born without working vocal chords, communicates by way of a pen and paper, using American Sign Language, or by a whistling system.
* HaremSeeker: The most notable would be Rhage, before falling in love with Mary. Vishous to a lesser extent before his own book.
* HeartbrokenBadass: At least once a book.
* HellBentForLeather
* HemoErotic: A vampire's feeding usually entails sex too.
* HoYay
** Butch and Vishous have continuing {{UST}}, even after both find mates.
** Phury and Rehvenge [[spoiler:kiss in Rehvenge's office]], though it is played more as a dominance thing than actual attraction.
** Recently, Qhuinn and Blay, and Blay and Saxton.
** [[spoiler:V and Butch have skipped way past mere HoYay in Lover Unleashed.]]
** Wrath once kissed Rhage on the forehead, as a token of respect apparently.
** The [[BigBad Omega]] rapes his male recruits as part of their induction into the Lessening Society. At least one of said recruits is implied to enjoy this.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: It's always noted just how large male vampires are, but how large they are in comparison to their female lovers is mentioned a lot. Averted with Payne and Manny, and Xhex and John.
* HurtingHero: Rhage in his book mentions how thanks to his Beast he needs the constant sex he has, in order to keep himself under control enough to not attack his friends, and how it was just emotionless, connectionless grinding to him--he feared he neither deserved nor was capable of truly loving someone or being loved.
* IAmXSonOfY: All the males are referred to this way on formal occasions.
* TheIngenue: Marissa
* IfItsYouItsOkay: While each are in their very happy relationships, WordOfGod states that Butch is this towards [[HoYay V.]]
* IncompatibleOrientation: Initially between V and Butch, with V coveting Butch who was in love with Marissa. Recently, it's been Quinn and Blaylock with Blay covering Quinn who doesn't seem to know what the hell he wants.
** As of the latest book, Qhuinn has actually gotten his head out his ass and realised that he is in love with his best friend- cue their scheduled HEA in 2013 and many fangirl squeals.
* IntimateHealing: [[spoiler: Manny finds that sexual arousal is the way to heal Payne's paralysis in ''Lover Unleashed''. He even makes reference to the Marvine Gaye song "Sexual Healing"]] Vishous also does this with Butch, after the latter sucks up a lesser. To the point that Jane initially assumes Vishous is gay.
* InterspeciesRomance: Technically, humans, vampires, ''doggen'' and ''sympaths'' are distinct species that only occasionally successfully cross-breed.
* ImmortalProcreationClause: Vampires are only fertile once every decade, and pregnancy is very highly likely to result in miscarriage or death of the mother in childbirth. As Tohrment puts it, 'It's a goddamn shellan-robber'.
* ItsPersonal: This is pretty much how all the males react if someone hurts their female, but it is especially apparent in ''Lover Mine'', when John finds out that Xhex had been raped by Lash. It's personal because he, too, had been raped, though by a stranger, as a pre-trans. John's drive to kill Lash goes from a 10 to a 20 on a scale of 1-10, and even his friends remark that by raping Xhex, Lash had signed his own death warrant.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Zsadist and Bella, near the end of ''Lover Awakened''. Butch and Doc Jane for V in Lover Unleashed.
* JamesBondage: When [[spoiler:Rehvenge]] is taken by the ''sympaths''.
* KnifeNut: Vishous
* KryptoniteFactor: Called a "pyrocant", this can be an external factor such as a relationship, or or internal such as an addiction.
* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: Ward has always spoken of the books as being dictated to her by the characters, and not written by her.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: With rare exception, the whole Brotherhood, Wrath in particular (he can sit on the ends of his hair without much trouble.)
* LongLostRelative:
** Phury and Zsadist, though long before the series starts.
** John and Beth count as this too, though in a strange way.
** Also Wrath, Butch and Manny.
* LongRunningBookSeries: Eleven so far.
* LoveAtFirstSight: That's pretty much how male vampire bonding works.
* LoveRedeems
* LoveDodecahedron: Overlapping love triangles, bordering on DatingDoSiDo. In their introduction, Quinn and Blay had some UST. This evolved over the course of several books into Quinn/Blay/Saxton and Layla/Quinn/Blay. As of ''Lover Unleashed'' Layla/Qhuinn is no longer part of the equation...Er, maybe. On the heels of their conversation in ''Lover Unleashed'' Qhuinn remembers the vision he had when he was briefly dead, [[spoiler:of a little girl who looks like Layla, but has mismatched eyes]]... Poor Layla: she's now in [[spoiler:Throe/Layla/Xcor]] and while she and Qhuinn have been resolved ([[spoiler: TheyDo, but it's expressly platonic, for procreation only]]) she's in a hell of a muddle.
* LoveTriangle: [[SiblingTriangle Phury/Bella/Zsadist]], Marissa/Rhevenge/Butch.
* LukeIAmYourFather
** [[spoiler: The Scribe Virgin]] informs Vishous that she's his mother.
** [[spoiler: Xhex's]] mother is a member of The Chosen.
* ManlyGay: Pretty much all the gay or bisexual characters. The closest to come to flamboyant is Saxton, and he's still portrayed as pretty manly.
* MasochismTango: Part of Mr. O's backstory is a mutually abusive relationship with his girlfriend.
* {{Masquerade}}: Upheld by vampires' ability to erase short term, nontraumatic memories from humans.
* {{Mooks}}: The unnamed ''lessers'' fit this trope to a T, being about as disposable as used tissues.
* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Although most of the male characters have been around the block a few thousand times, their love interests are either virgins or women with limited and/or previously only unsatisfactory experiences.
** Xhex is an aversion. It is mentioned that she had an affair with Rehvenge and a liaison with Butch; and ''Lover Mine'' revealed she was once happily mated to a brother named Muhrder ([[{{Narm}} yes, Muhrder]]), before he found out about her ''sympath'' half.
** Bella gender flips this; in her case, it was Zsadist who was sexually inexperienced (outside of his abuse) and it's Bella who teaches him.
** Phury also gender flips this, though Cormia was also a virgin.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Subverted. Most of the scariest names belong to the good guys.
* NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization: Lash uses this to taunt John Matthew with, having raped his LoveInterest Xhex while holding her in captivity. When Xhex vehemently denies that the sex was consensual, John Matthew is reminded of his own rape and mops the floor with Lash.
* PanickyExpectantFather: All of the Brothers whose mates become pregnant get like this, to some degree due to the high mortality rate for both the child and the mother.
* ParalyzingFearofSexuality: Zsadist has this as a result of his time being used a sex slave.
* PolarOppositeTwins: Zsadist and Phury. Although they're not so different as the story continues...
* PropertyOfLove: When a male vampire bonds, he becomes the property of his female. So far, the feeling between the vampire males and their females is mutual.
* PromotionToParent: Rehvenge towards Bella, after the death of her father.
* PsychicAssistedSuicide: [[spoiler:Assail]] seems to have the ability to do this.
* OddNameOut: Among the Brothers there is Tohrment, Wrath, Rhage, Vishous, Zsadist, Phury, and... Darius.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: One woman was killed by ''lessers'' and was stuck in limbo for awhile before the Scribe Virgin brought her back as a ghost. She's transparent in appearance, but can become corporeal if she tries. To her ''hellren'', she is always solid.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're a separate species from humans, to start -- you're born a vampire, you don't get "turned." Unless you have some vampire DNA...
* PainfulTransformation: Rhage, when his beast comes out (and the aftermath)
** And also the transition to becoming a fully-fledged vampire.
** And the rare transformation from human to vampire.
*** Also the transformation from human to lesser.
* ParanormalRomance
* {{Patronymic}}
* ProductPlacement: Holy Scribe Virgin, everyone in the series is a brand whore.
** Particularly {{egregious}} offenders are Butch and Vishous (who wear Gucci and Louis Vuitton), and John Matthew and Qhuinn (who are strictly into Affliction t-shirts and Abercrombie and Fitch jeans).
*** What about Phury? He was the one who got Butch started on his clothing fetish! He favors Dior, Tom Ford and Armani.
** Not to mention specific brands of alcohol, cigarettes, shoes, ties...
** There is even a mention of a specific brand of cat food in ''Dark Lover''.
* PurpleIsPowerful : Rehvenge has amethyst eyes. [[spoiler:He later becomes king of the sympaths.]]
* RagsToRoyalty: Butch finds out about two-thirds of the way through his book that he is of Wrath's bloodline.
* RapeAsDrama: Treated with remarkable sensitivity in a series otherwise very tongue-in-cheek. Ward showcases almost every form of it, from coercion to physical force, and in every gender combination. In all cases the trauma is taken seriously, and each character responds and copes in their own way.
* RapeandRevenge: Happens twice. Zsadist gets revenge on his rapist by killing her and taking her skull, though it was not planned. Xhex gets revenge on her rapist, Lash, by killing him.
* RapeIsTheNewDeadParents: And four of the major characters get both!
* ReallyGetsAround: Rhage is the biggest one, before meeting Mary. Vishous, as well, before meeting Jane.
* RoyalBlood: Wrath is the king of all vampires.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Wrath maintains (secretly) an active role in the war with the lessers, and Rehvenge goes to meet with the colony every so often to keep the peace.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: If a vampire has had your blood, he (or she) can find you forever, no matter where you are or how far you run.
* SecretWar: By unspoken agreement, vampires and lessers will stop fighting and move the battle to a less human-populated location. As it's explained, having human cops poking around is bad news for both species.
* SemiDivine: Vishous is the son of the Scribe Virgin, the deity vampires pray to in his universe. He also has a twin sister named Payne....
* SeparatedAtBirth: Phury and Zsadist were separated as infants; their nanny kidnapped Zsadist to be sold into slavery. Phury takes it upon himself to find his twin (who is the favored first-born twin), and takes a vow of celibacy after he finds him.
* SexEqualsLove: Averted.
* SexSlave: Zsadist was one, as well as a blood slave.
* SharpDressedMan: Phury and Butch. Each, in their interviews, mentions having multiple closets and favoring high-class designer clothes.
* ShowerOfLove: Used a few times in the series, notable between Manny and Payne in ''Lover Unleashed'' and a non-sexual but romantic example between Xhex and John in ''Lover Mine''.
* SiblingTeam: Phury and Zsadist
* SingleTargetSexuality: Once a brother 'bonds' with a female, formally or informally, it is virtually impossible for them to do anything without the female's approval.
** In the later books, Blay's unrequited love for Qhuinn, which may not be all that unrequited.
* SinisterScythe : Xcor, Throe and the Band of Bastards have them.
* SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality: Vampires are a highly patriarchal society. Bonded males are highly protective of their mates, which in terms of the Brothers means they stay safely in the mansion, away from the fighting. Most of the women are fine with this (or mostly fine), but [[spoiler: Xhex]] takes major issue with it. [[spoiler: Xhex and John spend most of the latest book separated over this issue. She wants to fight, but John's protective instinct means he keeps babying her in the middle of battle and putting himself in harm's way. Xhex, being highly independent and a skilled fighter, naturally gets pissed off.]]
* SlidingScaleOfVampireFriendliness: Pretty solidly in the friendly end of the scale.
* SmellsSexy: The bonding scent is used as a warning to other males and an aphrodisiac to the female who inspires it.
* SocialDarwinist: The entire Primale/Chosen breeding program. Also [[spoiler: the Scribe Virgin's reason for choosing the Bloodletter to father her children.]]
* SoulJar: The ceramic jars of the lessers that hold their hearts.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Payne nicely demonstrates the trope in ''Lover Unleashed''.
--> And if you try to dissuade me by the fact that I have not lived long enough to judge, I say unto you...fuck off.
* TheSociopath: All ''sympaths'' are believed to be this, since they tend to have a total lack of morals and empathy. Half-breeds [[spoiler: like Xhex and Rehvenge]] ''can'' subvert this, though they have to constantly battle their SuperpoweredEvilSide throughout their lives.
* TheSpeechless: John Matthew, who was born without vocal chords. He alternately uses pen and paper and sign language to communicate with those around him.
* SueDonym: When Rhage tries to pass as human with Mary, he takes his nickname (Hollywood) and makes it Hal E Wood.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Let's see, there's Vishous, Butch, John, Wrath, Rehv....
* TotallyRadical: Younger John, Quinn and Blay's slang is a little anachronistic.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Arguably [[spoiler: Wellsie, along with Tohr's unborn son, who were murdered by a Lesser in ''Lover Awakened.'']]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The Brothers names are [[AwesomeMcCoolName cool words]] with an extra "H" or "S" thrown in.
* TearsofBlood: Xhex and Rhevenge do this in place of normal tears. A sympath trait, apparently.
* TitleDrop: Done in Lover Mine, page 482. Also somewhat done in Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, and Lover Enshrined.
* TheDandy: Throe is outright stated to have been this before he fell in with the Band of Bastards.
* TheSpartanWay: The Bloodletter's war camp where Vishous and Darius trained.
* TheUnFavorite:
** Phury was the second-born twin, which signifies a curse upon his family. After his twin is kidnapped, Phury is alternatively ignored and abused by his parents. He mentions that they did not notice when he left to find Zsadist, and that he did not attend their funerals.
** Butch is the un-favorite of his father, being cast aside and beaten as a child. He also blames Butch for the murder of Butch's older sister.
* TookALevelInBadass: This seems to happen to all vampires upon their transition from pre-trans into full vampires. After the awkward, getting-used-to-new-larger-limbs phase. Especially notable in John Matthew between his transition and ''LoverMine'', owing to the fact that his LoveInterest was kidnapped by his enemy.
* VampiresAreSexGods: Kind of the whole point of the series.
* VampiresOwnNightClubs: Just ask Rehvenge, owner first of ZeroSum, and then of The Iron Mask.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Havers.
* WhoNamesTheirKidDude
* WillTheyOrWontThey?: It drives the plot of the couple featured in the book, but that is pretty much cut and dry, since they're romance novels with a fairly predictable formula. The real "Will They, Won't They?" couple would probably be Quinn and Blaylock.
** Eventually, [[spoiler: TheyDo it just takes them a looooong time.]]
* WomenPreferStrongMen: This series IS this trope. And shamelessly so.
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Payne and the Chosen throw around a lot of "verily"s, along with the occasional "thine" (used ungrammatically) and reversed verb-noun order. It is also seen in the flashbacks.
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