Laura’s Review of The Chosen (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #15) By J.R. Ward

Synopsis

A scorching forbidden love threatens to tear a rift through the Black Dagger Brotherhood in J. R. Ward’s newest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Xcor, leader of the Band of Bastards, convicted of treason against the Blind King, is facing a brutal interrogation and torturous death at the hands of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Yet after a life marked by cruelty and evil deeds, he accepts his soldier’s fate, his sole regret the loss of a sacred female who was never his: the Chosen Layla.

Layla alone knows the truth that will save Xcor’s life. But revealing his sacrifice and his hidden heritage will expose them both and destroy everything Layla holds dear—even her role of mother to her precious young. Torn between love and loyalty, she must summon the courage to stand up against the only family she has for the only man she will ever love. Yet even if Xcor is somehow granted a reprieve, he and Layla would have to confront a graver challenge: bridging the chasm that divides their worlds without paying the way

for a future of even greater war, desolation, and death.

As a dangerous old enemy returns to Caldwell, and the identity of a new deity is revealed, nothing is certain or safe in the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, not even true love . . . or destinies that have long seemed set in stone.

What I Loved

      I’m not quite sure where to begin, I love every single time I’m thrown back into the dark world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  There are so many elements to every story and each time I begin one I can’t even begin to predict how it’s going to end!  There are no promises in this world of a happily ever after, so reading each book always puts me back on to that emotional roller coaster and I absolutely love it! It’s addicting and enthralling and I can’t get enough of each of these stories and each and every one of the characters.  

        The story opens with Xcor’s birth in the 1700s in the prologue then brings us back to the present with Xcor finally gaining consciousness but still held by the brothers.  Like any other Black Dagger story, the novel changes point of view several times so right away you are sucked in to Layla’s hopelessness, knowing how much she cares for a man she can never be with.  Watching Quinn and Blay together was rewarding in so many ways, because for so long they fought their feelings and watching them finally be settled down and raising their young was amazing.  Yet at the same time, watching it from Layla’s point of view was heartbreaking, making me love her even more and my heart just ached for her. 

        There was so much action and suspense in the beginning that had my jaw on the ground! I loved every single second of it!  So much is going on and not just between Layla and Xcor even though they were the focus of the story.  I love how all these other subplots layer into the book and I was fascinated with all those stories as well.  Also, a new character is introduced in this story that involves Trez and I can’t wait to see where that one will lead, although I have a sneaking suspicion just where it might go.  

Not So Much

        My only complaint is that when it came to the ending it was a little too neat and out of character for a Black Dagger story.  There was this whole happily ever after vibe, that wrapped all the bullshit swirling around Layla and Xcor in a cute little bow that had me scratching my head a little.  It’s not so much a complaint about the ending, its more that it felt inconsistent from the rest of the series for me. 

        Also, usually the ending of the book would signal what character’s story is coming up next and there was none of that.  I’m pretty sure the next story in the series is Assail’s and he was barely in this book at all.  I got why and you will too once you read but there was no ramp up at all for Assail and that struck me as very odd as well.

To Sum It All Up!

        This was the first book in the series where I sat back and seriously questioned how I felt about characters that I have loved in the past.  I don’t want to give away anything and I’m not going to I promise, but my opinions have certainly changed about some of the people living in the mansion.  It’s not a complaint or even a bad thing, it’s part of their story and character development and I absolutely love seeing all these different sides to them.  It shows depth in the plot and how well each character is written.  It’s a true testament to how amazing of an author JR Ward is and how deep into this world I am. 

        A lot happens in the earlier part of the story and then of course there’s tons more action later as well, but when shit hits the fan with my heart was pounding and my jaw was on the floor.  I couldn’t put my kindle down no matter even if that meant I was only going to get three hours of sleep.  Every time I had to put this book down I couldn’t stop thinking about it, even now it’s stayed with me and I can’t wait to see what happens next. 

        Like I said before I truly wasn’t sure how all of this would end for Layla and Xcor because Happily Ever Afters are not guaranteed so I was prepared for some heart ache.  What I wasn’t prepared for was my love for Xcor after all the crap that has gone on around him.  There were parts of this book that were hard for me to read because it was so emotional even now it brings chills to my skin.  I was so enraptured with this book and I just hope if you haven’t started reading The Black Dagger series that you will now because you are truly missing out on something magical.

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Laura’s Review of The Beast (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #14) by J.R. Ward

Synopsis

Rhage and Mary return in a new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a series “so popular, I don’t think there’s a reader today who hasn’t at least heard of [it]” (USA Today).

Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself…

For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect—or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand—or control—the panic and insecurity that plague him…

And that terrifies him—as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities—and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world...and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from... 

What I Loved

I was so ready and so freaking happy to jump back into the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, this is a series I hope truly never ends because I cannot get enough of it!  There isn’t a character I don’t absolutely love with all my heart and to get back around to Rhage and Mary again and to see how far they have come in their relationship made the experience all the better.  I fell in love with them in Lover Eternal, so it was so great to see how their relationship has progressed and grown as time has moved on in The Beast.

        I love how dedicated Rhage is to Mary and how no matter how good looking Hollywood is and how many women fall at his feet he only has eyes for his Mary.  It endears him so much to me and makes the experience of reading this book so much sweeter. 

Almost from the beginning of the story Rhage has my heart pounding out of my chest and tears in my eyes, but of course Mary comes to rescue!  His near death experience starts to change things for both of them and I loved watching them go through this next phase in their life together.  It was something that was either going to make them stronger or break them completely and you’re going to have read the book to find out what the outcome is!

          Of course Rhage and Mary isn’t the only story that takes place, we finally get some progression with Assail’s story as well which I absolutely NEEDED!  I miss that man so freaking much and to finally get some sort of turning point for his character was very rewarding for me.  Big things happen for Layla as well and it looks like the next book will finally center around her and Xcor’s relationship which I cannot wait for!

Not So Much

          I literally have no complaints about this book because I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood so much!  There is one huge thing that happens for the Vampire race as whole, that is lightly touched upon and I wish was delved into more.  I’m hoping this means that eventually we will get answers maybe from Vishous or Wrath because it was huge!

To Sum It All Up!

          Overall another amazing book to add to a glorious series!  When it comes to details and emotions this series never falls short of conveying that perfectly to the reader.  J.R. Ward has painted this urban fantastical world of Vampires and Lessers so perfectly I can’t get enough of it.  Rhage and Mary are one of my favorite couples in this series and I’m so happy to finally rejoin them on their journey together. 

          This book was filled with a lot of ups and downs, there are times when I had literal tears in my eyes while other times I was laughing out loud.  I don’t want to give anything away but there is this one scene that involves water that had me cracking up for hours! While there were other times had my jaw on the floor and my heart pounding because the scenes were so intense.  The chemistry between Rhage and Mary has certainly not dwindled from when their relationship has first started and I really enjoyed whenever the two of them would be alone together! I loved that although Rhage is warrior who goes and fights for his race every night Mary is the hero in this story.  She’s a strong female lead who holds her own amongst vampires every single day and I love her for it!

         I can’t wait for next book in this series so we can finally see what happens to Layla and Xcor and hopefully see if they get their happy ending too.  As I said before Assail does have a turning point in this story and I’m excited to see where this leads him as well, hopefully we will see some of that path in this next story as well.  There is so much of the Black Dagger Brotherhood that I love I cannot simply fit it into one review but I will say if you haven’t started reading this series, START RIGHT NOW!!! You will not regret it I promise!

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Laura’s Review of Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy, #1) by J.R. Ward

Synopsis

The legacy of the Black Dagger Brotherhood continues in a spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author…

Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, is ready to break free from the restrictive life of an aristocratic female. Her strategy? Join the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center program and learn to fight for herself, think for herself…be herself. It’s a good plan, until everything goes wrong. The schooling is unfathomably difficult, the other recruits feel more like enemies than allies, and it’s very clear that the Brother in charge, Butch O’Neal, a.k.a. the Dhestroyer, is having serious problems in his own life.

And that’s before she falls in love with a fellow classmate. Craeg, a common civilian, is nothing her father would ever want for her, but everything she could ask for in a male. As an act of violence threatens to tear apart the entire program, and the erotic pull between them grows irresistible, Paradise is tested in ways she never anticipated—and left wondering whether she’s strong enough to claim her own power…on the field, and off.

Paradise

What I Loved

Craeg

        Each time I begin a Black Dagger book I realize how much I miss and love these characters and this book was no different.  I cannot get enough of these dudes and the more I get the more I want!  It’s so great to see a new generation of vampires getting into the fight against the Omega and the Lessers while at the same time still getting the originals thrown into the mix. 

        It was so wonderful to see Butch and Marissa making a life for themselves and visit their relationship again.  Marissa’s story captivated me from the very first book and I immediately wanted her to have a happy ending so it was great to see her love for Butch grow into a relationship. Meeting these two again farther down the road made this story all the more endearing.

Butch

           Also, I love that we get to see this new generation of fighters being introduced and them having their own stories and lives.  Paradise was someone I liked from the Black Dagger Brotherhood series so it was great for her story to be the first one in this spin off series.  Craeg and Paradise’s chemistry was evident the very first time they lay eyes on each other and I loved watching them fall in love.  I especially loved that Paradise was the strong female in this situation who stepped in physically as well as emotionally when everyone around her didn’t think she would succeed. 

Not So Much

Marissa

        I really have no complaints about this book, J.R. Ward does such an amazing job at painting this fantasy world filled with love, families and traditions.  All of those details and back stories just add more and more to the story rather than take away from it.  My only complaint is that I need to find out what is going to happen with Assail and Marisol.  I need more Assail in my life and he isn’t in this story at all.

To Sum It All Up!

         Overall J.R. Ward has created another beautiful story while at the same time introducing us to a new generation of fighters.  Paradise is a character that is easy to relate to even if she’s a vampire and part of the aristocracy.  The challenges thrown at her she faces each with bravery and strength and that’s what I admired most about her.  She proves over and over again why she is a force to be reckon with and I can’t wait to see how she blossoms in this new role in her life.  Craeg is an intriguing character from the very beginning and it was cute to watch him stumble through his feelings for this new female in his life.  I love that Paradise was the one to put him in his place and stood up to him time and time again.  Of course he is the knight in shining armor at the end which just made me love him even more.  The chemistry between these two sizzles and the underneath the sheets scenes were pretty hot and steamy which I loved.  

            Also it was wonderful to see Marissa and Butch re-establish their relationship coming out at the end stronger from where they started.  Like I said before I really liked Marissa from the very beginning so to see her become stronger and find her place in this world makes her experiences all the more appealing.   I love that it’s not just Paradise who took on a strong female lead, Marissa does as well.  The love between Butch and Marissa is apparent from the very beginning and it just grows as the story moves along.  I can’t wait for The Beast which is the next book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and for whatever story comes out next in this series.  The brotherhood has a special place in my heart and each book just solidifies that for me more and more.

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Laura’s Review of The Shadows (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #13) by J.R. Ward

Synopsis

Trez

          Two brothers bound by more than blood fight to change a brutal destiny in the heart-wrenching new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward.

         Trez “Latimer” doesn’t really exist. And not just because the identity was created so that a Shadow could function in the underbelly of the human world. Sold by his parents to the Queen of the S’Hsibe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer in Caldwell, NY for years- all the while on the run from a destiny of sexual servitude. He’s never had anyone he could totally rely on... except for his brother, iAm.

iAm

           iAm’s sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing- and he knows he’s failed. It’s not until the Chosen Serena enters Trez’s life that the male begins to turn things around... but by then it’s too late. The pledge to mate the Queen’s daughter comes due and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.

         Trapped between his heart and a fate he never volunteered for, Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others- or forever leave behind the female he’s in love with. But then an unimaginable tragedy strikes and changes everything. Staring out over an emotional abyss, Trez must find a reason to go on or risk losing himself and his soul forever. And iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice... 

Selena

What I Loved

       

Catra/ maichen

         I’ve cried in the past, reading books in this series but I have never been so completely and totally gutted like I have after reading this one.  I was a little hesitant reading The Shadows because Trez and iAm just never really intrigued me like many of the other characters have in this series, but I was excited to get my hands on another Black Dagger story.  I wasn’t expecting to become so engrossed in Trez and Selena’s happiness, clamoring to find out how all this was going to end.  I also wasn’t expecting to fall so much in love with Trez and iAm and feel so invested in their happiness as well.  But I was instantly sucked in and thrown back into this world and I loved every minute of it.

          There were so many things to love but what stood out for me other than the obvious was that we got to see more Rhage and Mary again.  They haven’t been active characters in a lot of the books so I missed them a lot.  It totally put a smile on my face to see how their relationship has grown and progressed over the years and how they’ve made a life for each other. 

          I think what I loved most about this book was the overall message of family. As each story develops another member is added to this group, to see them all in one scene was overwhelming. So many of these books have showed how each person has each other’s back, but I don’t think it has ever been driven home so much until you read The Shadows.  To know that there are all these people who have your back, who will protect you and lift you up was so amazing to see and so touching.  The Shadows not only made me fall in love with Trez and iAm, but each and every single character that lives in that mansion.

Not So Much

          Since this is a 5 star review this will only be a couple of sentences.  I really have nothing negative to say about this story.  Obviously there was a lot of progression with Trez and iAm’s storyline but some of the other story lines have kind of stalled, like Assail and Marisol’s story.  I’m hoping that those might be the center storylines in the future though so it’s not completely a negative.

To Sum It All Up!

          I don’t think a book has just completely devastated me before like this story did.  My heart shattered at a certain point and left me with a huge book hangover, so much so I couldn’t fall asleep afterwards.  This is not your typical love story like many of the other ones in the Black Dagger Brotherhood, so the reader should be prepared for that. I understand why this upset people but I can’t knock an author for following through where he or she felt the storyline should go. 

Even with all the tears I shed, I still laughed at times (thanks Lassiter) and smiled at others.  There’s some pretty amazing love scenes and I’m not just talking about ones that involved sex, there were many that just expressed utter and deep devotion that I loved.  Like I said before The Shadows really brought the meaning of family home for me and even though this was a story I wasn’t exactly looking forward to I will always cherish it.  I can’t wait to see what happens next, I will say I’m especially anxious for Xcor and Layla’s story and I think I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Assail so I can’t wait for his story either.  Be prepared for heart break and get your tissue boxes ready, but I hope like me this story leaves you with a smile on your face. 

Laura’s Review of The King (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #12) by J.R. Ward

Basic Summary

            Long live the King…

            After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle-with the help of his beloved mate.  But the crown sets heavily on his head.  As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything—and everyone—at risk.

            Beth Randall through she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it.  But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response—or the distance it creates between them.

            The question is, will true love win out… or tortured legacy take over?

First Impressions

             

             The prologue starts out in the Old Country in the 17^th century and we get to not only meet Wrath’s parents we get to experience the first time they met and how they both instantly fell in love with one another.  Wrath tends to hold his parent’s relationship and the rule he had over the vampires as kind of a golden age where everyone listened to him and loved him and never questioned him.  It’s nice to see that in some aspects this might be true but in other’s Wrath is very much like his father with making decisions that break apart from tradition and started to bring their society into a more modern way of thinking.  Before Wrath’s father Wrath the Queen never slept in the same bed as the king and he many women he could choose from, but the King did away with this because he was so in love with his mate Anha, as Wrath is in love with Beth. 

            We very quickly get down to the nitty gritty in the beginning meeting up again with the Band of Bastards and the glymera trying to usurp the King and following through with their plans. We also get right back into bed with Assail and Marisol and my heart is pounding in my chest praying that Assail finds her in time because I just totally love them together.  I wasn’t sure how I felt about Assail at first because he is a cunning business with no loyalty to any but himself but I really like him in this book and I just love him and Marisol together!  I’m about 36% of the way through and I will probably be up all night reading this book it’s so freaking good!

What I Loved

        

         

            I love that we get to meet Wrath’s parents and the book goes back to their story throughout this book.  I think we all tend to see the past as the “good old days” when everything was so much better, and as Wrath thinks about how loved his father was and how peaceful things were back then it’s kind of nice to see that, that wasn’t true at all.  I don’t want to give too much away but reading what Wrath and Anha were up against before Wrath was born, makes me feel that Wrath can overcome all the things are going up against him every day.  I don’t know if that was J.R. Ward’s purpose but to me in a way it was almost comforting to see Wrath’s father and mother struggle in some way with their followers because it made me realize that this Wrath wasn’t the first to have problems.  Many things aspect of Wrath and Beth’s relationship kind of mirrored Wrath and Anha’s and in many ways the present Wrath brought things around full circle, when I realized that I totally had tears in my eyes.

      I also kind of loved how this book brought you back to the beginning of it all, revisiting some old hang outs and remembering why I fell in love with this series in the first place, and at the same time seeing how many things have changed since Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1).  There is a really endearing part of the book that deals with Zsadist and his daughter Nalla that almost had me crying just remembering where he used to be versus where he is now just made the scene very touching. 

      Some very hot sex scenes in this book which thank you for much for J.R. Ward, to not only include them sprinkled throughout but to throw them in there, in the very beginning as well!  That was a nice treat for me to read!  Can’t go wrong with a good sex scene or two (or five) and there definitely a lot of very hot ones in this book.   It’s so great to remember why Beth fell in love with Wrath, and to remember what she was like before he came into her life when she still thought she was a human and a journalist. 

      When I first introduced to Sola I wasn’t really sure if I liked her or how I felt about this whole side story with her and Assail but as the books have gone on and you learn more about her I really started to like her.  She definitely shined through in this book and I absolutely love her and Assail together, and Assail himself has quickly become one of my favorite characters in this series. 

       

Not So Much

               

                A lot of drama that has been occurring in the past couple of books finally came to their climax and were resolved in this book, but not for everything.  I’m kind of over this whole John Matthew being Darius reincarnated thing and no one knowing it.  We met John Matthew in book 2, Lover Eternal, and since then he’s been having these seizures and visions of the past and we learned more about Darius and that’s wonderful  and all, but let’s wrap this up shall we?  This is book twelve and there is no end in sight.  I’m ready for somebody to figure all this out and move on!  It’s a storyline that has dragged on for far too long and I’m ready for it to end. 

            Also as much I loved learning more about iAm and Trez and their culture but I for some reason cannot become emotionally invested in their stories.  For some reason when the book would go to either one of their point of views I got kind of bored and wanted to skip over it.  I’m glad some of their crap was resolved but there are still a lot of questions and issues up in the air and I fear that this storyline will go on forever as well.  I don’t want to become uninterested in this series but if there is a book that deals with mostly them I don’t know if I’m going to be excited to read it.

            I wish I would’ve seen more of the supporting characters that have been left out so long in this story.  This is a constant con for me in the series because so many of the past characters kind of all by the wayside while others are prevalent in other stories.  Mary for example is barely mentioned since Lover Eternal and I would really enjoy reading a storyline that involved her and Rhage.  The same can be said for Qhuinn and Blaylock because for so many of the past books Qhuinn at least been such a central character and it was weird for him to not even have a line in this one.  I get you can’t include everyone in every single book but I don’t want to forget about people completely, I feel like there is no real balance when it comes to which characters are in which 

stories. 

This Book Was…

                Truly amazing! This book truly had a lot of touching moments in and at times my heart just absolutely broke, while at other times I couldn’t stop smiling wanted to celebrate all the wonderful things that were happening.  There are a lot of love stories in this book that have yet to be resolved and I cannot freaking wait to see how some of them are going to play out.

            I have absolutely fallen in love Marisol and Assail’s story and I swear at times they two of them had me smiling and blushing and other times I was just heartbroken from them.  At the end of the book there is a scene with Marisol that had my heart pounding one second and breaking the very next.  I cannot wait to see if things stay the same for them or will it all change for them eventually. 

            It was great to be reminded of the past, while at the same time realizing how far a lot of these characters have come and how many things have changed in their lives.  Especially when it comes to the Brotherhood, and to see and experience how their family has expanded and grown so much to now include so many different kinds of people.  I have totally fallen in love with Wrath and Beth all over again by the time I was done with this book and by the end I seriously had chills to see just how amazing the two of them are together.  Also to see Wrath become his own type of King rather than trying to emulate his father, he finally realizes what it means for him personally to be King and not struggle to recreate the past.   Obviously like every other time I finish reading these books I cannot wait to see what will happen next with these people; bring me book 13 right now!