JR Ward - Black Dagger Brotherhood

Black Dagger Brotherhood

The Black Dagger Brotherhood series follows a group of fierce vampire warriors whose sole duty is to protect their dying race.  The series as a whole is highly addictive! Once you start reading you will not put down the series until you are done and anticipating the next book to come out like I am doing now!

The basic concept is that Vampires were created by the Scribe Virgin who is obsessed with creation.  Vampires exist next to humans but have very little interaction with them,  not even for feeding. For blood purposes Male and Female Vampires feed off of each other. The Omega the Scribe Virgins counterpart is jealous that she can create a whole new species and so he creates a fraction called “Lessers” who are turned humans that hunt the Vampires into extinction.  The Brotherhood and the Lessers have been battling for centuries and now the Vampire race is dwindling, so it’s more important than ever for the Brothers to win!

Throughout the books there are fierce battles all while wooing their women.  What I like about these books is they are mostly from the Brothers’ perspective; in a majority of romance novels they are mostly from the woman character’s perspective with glimpses into the male character’s. Since these books are from the male character’s point of view you almost feel like a voyeur into the male mind. Each male is as flawed as he is strong and each find a woman as their perfect counterpart. The brothers have their own lingo and slang and I find myself wanting to mimic it, I want to be cool like them.  The Brothers are complete badasses! 

The only thing with this series that could be an issue is they are all intertwined which on one hand I love, but on the other hand it is hard to skip around. You kind of have to start at the beginning and go from there. I tried skipping one book and it did not work out, too much had happened in the previous book and I was lost so I had to go back and read the book I missed.

Book 1:

Dark Lover - Wrath (King of the Vampires aka. The Blind King) and Beth

Wrath is the reluctant King of the Vampires, for 300 years he has refused to ascend to the throne but instead fight in the never ending war against the Lessers.  Beth is the daughter of Darius one of the Brothers; although she has never met her father and was raised human. Darius asks Wrath as the most pure blooded vampire in existence to help his daughter through her transition to vampire, Wrath refuses.  When Darius is killed in a car bombing, Wrath decides to honor his last wish…

This book is a great beginning to the brotherhood, you meet all the brothers and get all the needed background to carry you through the series and it hooks you right off the bat! Wrath is a conflicted character; he doesn’t want to be king as he is a warrior at heart and knows he is needed in the front lines. Too many of the race is dying! He also feels like he is not worthy of the crown and his birth should not automatically mean that he be the one to rule. He wants a choice. Beth doesn’t even know that she is part vampire let alone who her father is. She is beyond disbelief when she does find out; I mean can you blame her? But she is sure of one thing… Her attraction to Wrath the giant warrior who shows up on her doorstep.  The attraction is sizzling from the moment these two meet. It’s pretty hot! I wish my love life was as steamy! Be warned.. You won’t be able to put this book down once you start!

Book 2:

Lover Eternal - Rhage aka. Hollywood and Mary

Rhage is quite possibly the most beautiful man (hence the nickname Hollywood) you have ever seen, and the most deadly!  Of all the Brothers he is the biggest, strongest and the best fighter they have not including trump card he has in his back pocket.  Rhage you see is cursed, not just with glamorous good looks, but literally cursed! A little over a hundred years ago the Scribe Virgin cursed Rhage with the Beast which is a part of him.  Mary is a human and a fragile one at that. Mary gets mixed up in this whole world when she meets John Mathew who is a pre-trans vampire (that means he has not gone through the transition into full vampire state yet) and he comes by her house. Mary’s neighbor Bella, who Mary does not know is a vampire, sees John and realizes he is a vampire and contacts the Brotherhood.  Rhage sees Mary at the Brotherhood complex and decides he has to have her!

The struggles in this book will tug on your heart strings! I actually cried in this book I felt it so much, which I think is the ultimate compliment to an author.  You really feel these characters deeply.  These two have such intense inner struggles; Rhage in trying to control his inner beast truly coming to terms with who he is and Mary for her very life! You hope that these two can make it work but the odds against them may be too much! 

Book 3:

Lover Awakened – Zsadist and Bella

Zsadist is a scared soul with a scared body and face to match, stolen as a baby he ends up being bound as a blood slave, tortured in every way imaginable for 100 years!  After 100 years of torture Zsadist has little hope that he will ever find any measure of happiness and his twin Phury is starting to feel the same way.  He is a loose canyon that the Brothers live in constant fear that one day soon he may do something unforgivable.  Bella is a female vampire who is taken captive by a Lesser. When Zsadist finds her, he brings her back to the Brotherhood compound.  Bella see’s something in Zsadist that no one else, including Zsadist sees.  She relentlessly pursues him, which concerns the hell out of the Brotherhood, Zsadist and especially Phury who has of all things developed feelings for Bella.

I love how Zsadist character is written! You can sense where his mind is, from his struggle to deal with the torture he experienced to his feelings for Bella.  When Bella is taken, Zsadist is out of his head with worry and rage only a single goal in mind - to find her and get her back! Bella has so much compassion and patience with Zsadist even as he pushes her away again and again; she just knows he’s the one for her.  Twins connected by blood and a new found love for the same woman, this is a love triangle that will have you turning the page all night!  

Book 4:

Lover Revealed - Butch aka. Dhestroyer and Marrisa  

Butch has always been an outside observer of life; never truly fitting in anywhere.  He is a human living among vampires because he knows too much.  His own family wants nothing to do with him, he was kicked off the police force and his best and only friends are vampires from the Brotherhood who won’t let him fight alongside them. He knows his life is crap but yet he still yearns for Marrisa a vampire of the aristocratic class and too good for him!  Marrisa feels that she is defective, why else does no man want her; why else would she be shunned from her own class of vampires. Even her own brother has had it with her.  Butch wants two things: 1. To belong somewhere 2. To be good enough for Marrisa.  But as long as he is human he doesn’t see how either of those things would be possible. 

More than anything you can feel Butch’s desire to be good for the one woman he could ever love, his life has been shit and you can defiantly feel for him.  Who hasn’t wanted someone they felt was just out of their reach but can’t help themselves anyway?  His struggle with his inner demons and desire to belong somewhere is completely believable and relatable.  Marissa is a beauty beyond comparison but feels completely inadequate.  What women hasn’t felt this way once or twice on the outside you may look perfect but on the inside you struggle with self esteem and feelings of inadequacy?  Her loneliness is haunting but through the book she learns a lot about herself and what she is capable of... By the end of the book you have a whole new woman, she struggles to get there but you are rooting for her the whole way through her journey to a strong beautiful woman!

Book 5:

Lover Unbound – Vishous and Jane

Vishous is probably the most complicated of the Brothers cursed/blessed with a glowing hand, visions of the future (he knows the what not the when) and can read minds with disturbing clarity at least he could up until recently when his visions and mind reading abilities just left him leaving him oddly shaken.  Jane is a talented surgeon who longs to run her own shop not just the ER.  The death of her little sister when she was young strongly affected her as an adult and her career path.  Vishous meets Jane when he is shot and taken to a human hospital; Jane is the surgeon who saved his life.  When the Brothers come to get Vishous back they take Jane with them to make sure he heals properly.

To be honest I was kind of disappointed with this book, it was still a good book don’t get me wrong. I flew right through it and was entertained, but Vishous is one of my favorite Brothers and with his abilities I felt like this book could have gone in so many different intriguing directions.  You do find out about Vishous’s past and his surprising lineage which will have your raising your eyebrows in shock!  Jane as a character kind of left me flat, she didn’t seem to have much character development but she is still worthy of my Vishous.  Overall the book was good, concentrating a lot on the past but I felt like it could have been better, I was left wanting more of Vishous. Let me know what you think of this book. Do you agree? Disagree?

Book 6:

Lover Enshrined – Phury and Cormia  

Phury put himself on the sidelines of life years ago, feeling overwhelming guilt over what happened to his twin brother Zsadist for the first 100 years of his life.  Phury couldn’t start living until his brother did, now that Zsadist has found a mate and some measure of happiness Phury now feels guilt for desiring his own twin brother’s mate.  Phury has offered himself up as the Primale to the Chosen, so now he is to go from celibate to the “stallion” of the Chosen.  Cormia is the first of the Chosen offered up to Phury, she is terrified of this prospect, she has heard such awful things about the act itself and of the Brother Phury.  Phury realizes that Cormia is so terrified and takes her to the Brotherhood Compound so she can get used to him. Never having lived on the “other side” Cormia is overwhelmed by the new world and slowly she starts getting overwhelmed by her feeling for Phury.  Phury is in agony struggling with his guilt over how his twin turned out (if only he had gotten to him sooner) and his persistent feelings for Bella as well as his new duties as the Primale.  Little by little the Chosen Cormia starts replacing Bella in his vision adding to his conflicting feelings.  Cormia is forced to live on the otherside where everything is different, she doesn’t know what is expected in this new world and is utterly alone and doesn’t feel like she belongs, yet she doesn’t seem to fit in with the other Chosen as well.  She finds herself caring more and more for Phury but she can tell he has lingering feelings towards Bella which is like a knife in the heart.  Can these two work out their struggles and come together or will Phury reject Cormia and the rest of the Chosen?

You cannot miss this book! So much happens in this book not just with Phury but with all the reoccurring characters.  Someone beloved may even return causing an uproar!  If you miss this book you will be lost for the following books. It is a hotbed of action and you won’t be able to put it down!

Book 7:

Lover Avenged - Rehvenge aka. The Reverend and Ehlena

Rehvenge has a life altering secret that he has been living with his whole life. If his secret gets out his very life and the life of another will be drastically altered if not ended completely.   For the last 25 years Rehvenge has been doing what he needs to do to make sure his secret does not get out and blackmail is expensive in more than one way.  Ehlena is a nurse at Havers clinic where Rehvenge often frequents, all the other nurses avoid him drawing straws to see who will attend to him; Ehlena finds Rehvenge as intriguing as she does disturbing.  When Rehvenge asks Ehlena for a date she flat out refuses him, she has a sick father and does not have time for any man let alone a force like Rehvenge.  When concern over his health has Ehlena reconsidering meeting him she finally agrees and finds herself draw to the man. 

Rehvenge struggle with reconciling his growing feelings for Ehlena and everything he has to do to keep his secret well… a secret.  Rehvenge knows he has to stay away from Ehlena , just who he is , is a danger to her and if she ever found out his secret she will hate him forever and may be put in a dangerous position.  Ehlena feels guilty for even considering a relationship when her life is in such tatters, her father is ill and needs constant care and she doesn’t believe she should even be considering a man.  After Ehlena finds out Rehvenge’s secret and he disappears will she forgive him and go and get her man? Or is she too betrayed to forgive him?

Book 8:

Lover Mine - John Matthew aka. Tehrror aka. Darius and Xhex

John Matthew’s life has not been an easy one, seemingly dragged through life rather than living it.  He was born in a bus station bathroom found by a janitor and given to an orphanage where he was always an outsider; he went through several foster homes and finally left at 16 to make his own way. He barely scraps by as a dishwasher living in the worst part of town; an area that only people with nowhere else to go, are.  John had no idea what he was until he met Mary and Bella and was brought into his new life and just when things start looking up the only parents he has known, leave him; one involuntary by death (Wellsie) and Tohrment taking off in his grief.  Xhex is head of security for Rehvenge and sidelines as an assassin; she is hard as nails life has made her that way.  She has been abducted and tortured before now she is abduction number two when the Lesser Lash takes her captive.   John has been in love with Xhex since the moment he saw her as a pre-trans, when Xhex is taken captive he believes her dead but won’t give up his search!  Xhex knows she messed up with John not being able to handle his feeling for her, but thoughts of him are all that is getting her through this torture. 

John is such an endearing character, maybe because you watch him from the beginning; it’s like watching him grow up.  You really feel for him as one thing after another happens to him but he always survives through it with a certain measure of innocence remaining intact.  Most people would have crumbled and turned hard but John seemed to keep hope and that small amount of innocence, when he loses that your heart breaks for him!  Xhex has never belonged and life has made her hard, but she is drawn to John, she can’t let herself, she has done this once before and because of whom she is it ended badly and she can’t do that to John.  Xhex is my favorite female of the series. She is a warrior at heart and does not let anyone mess with her. You have to respect that.  This book has three story lines running through it which actually transitions well and adds some surprising twists. You will not get bored with this book!  I’ve probably read it 4 times already!

Book 9:

Lover Unleashed – Manny and Payne

Other Brothers and their mates:

Tohrment/Wellsie – Featured in other books

Qhuinn/Blaylock - Featured in other books

Blaylock/Qhuinn - Featured in other books