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J.R. Ward The Black Dagger Brotherhood Novels 1-4 (2011)

by J.R. Ward(Favorite Author)

4.7 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1101531320 (ISBN13: 9781101531327)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Signet Book

review 1: So I’m late to the party on this series--being a Fan of the Fang, some Twitterfriends turned me on to it and I am OVERJOYED! I cheated and got the first 4 books on download--no it doesn’t save you money, but it’s SO worth having the next one right there at the ready when you finish the previous one! I know a series ‘has’ me when I stay up until the wee hours because I just can’t put the damned thing down--this one did it for me! It’s rare in this day and age to come up with a new and unique take on the mythology of vampires, but the author has done an epic job of that, and you don’t even have to resort to googling terminology. There’s a glossary at the beginning of each book that is built on in successive books--SWEET! It’s a tale of a super-secret... more gang (hence The Black Dagger Brotherhood) of linebacker-size, leather-clad, avenging brother (by birth or by bloodline) biker-type dudes, each with their own personalities, idiosyncracies, paranoias, gifts, curses, and might I add mates? Who like to chill out listening to rap and hacking computers! NOTE TO SELF: I must discover the author’s obsession with the letter ‘H’. She creatively uses it in the terminology and names throughout. Lemme give you an example with some of the Brother’s names: Tohrment, Rhage, Vishous, the twins (lol) Phury and Zsadist, Dhestroyer, are you catching the drift? We also have a full complement of enemies and bad guys (yeah, the leather dudes are the Good Guys, lol!) both on Earth and in a ‘temporal’ plane (as in other-worldly). Paranormal (and might I add, erotic) romance, emotional, gut-wrenching, and heart-wrenching to read. Book 1 is Dark Lover, centering on Wrath, the last purebred vampire left on Earth, struggling with his birthright, and out to avhenge (lol ‘H’) his brother’s murder. A brother that left in Wrath’s charge the unwilling and unwanted protection of his clueless to her ancestry half-breed daughter, Beth. Of course, the then unmated Wrath is inexplicably sexually attracted to her, and we’re taught the intricacies of bonding, mating, and it brings a whole new meaning to the words ‘marking your territory’! Book 2, Lover Eternal, centers on Rhage, the panty-dropping gorgeous one of the bunch, who carries a ‘beast’ inside courtesy of a century-long curse. A curse that also robs him of his ability to feel and love. The heroine of this particular tale is the human (yes, cross-species is in this one!) Mary, who’s already been through one life-threatening bought of leukemia (you KNOW where this one is headed). Their struggle to find and save each other from their respective ‘curses’ will have you asking for a box of Puffs, please! Vishous has seen Rhage’s future (one of his ‘gifts’), and Mary doesn’t seem to fit, unless…In Lover Awakened (Book 3), we get REALLY kinky, just so you know! Zsadist is the most fearsome (even to his Brothers) one in the bunch, scarred physically and emotionally beyond belief. His story is detailed in all it’s sordid past, but I don’t wanna spoil it for you, just to say he has some really deeply ingrained sexual and emotional dysfunctions, a twin brother Phury who sacrificed a limb and his own emotional manhood to save Z from a century of living hell, and an unholy and self-denying attraction to the courageous and aristocratically beautiful Bella (don’t wince, I know you are!). To complicate matters, as twins, BOTH brothers are drawn to Bella--she only has eyes for (dot, dot, dot). This one in particular is really emotional, raw, and gripping. Are you seeing a pattern here? Each of the novels revolves around a central character and mate, as you learn about the other Brothers, friends, enemies, and families. But pay attention, because one of those secondary and ‘lesser’ (you will TOTALLY get why I put that in quotes after your read the books) characters may take center stage in the next novel! As is with Book 4, Lover Revealed--up to this point, on the periphery of The Brotherhood has been Butch, the disgraced human cop that the Brothers took in because he knew too much, but also fit right in with this cast of miscreants. With nothing to ‘go back’ to, Butch has become part of the gang, and struck up and odd and close personal relationship with one of the Brothers in particular, Vishous. They were like two peas in a pod from the get-go, and Butch and the gang find out exactly why Butch fits in so well in this installment. He pines for ages for Wrath’s cast-off match, Marissa. Born to aristocracy, matched to Wrath in a loveless 300-year union, he never ‘bonded’ with her, disgracing her aristocratic lineage. Butch and Marissa will have you yelling at the page they are SO ENRAGING with their self-denial! The Big Bad comes along in this one (The Omega, he‘s been there all along, but really has a central role in this one), nabbing Butch for info on the Brotherhood, and bringing about what ultimately has Butch, Marissa, and the entire Brotherhood closer than they ever were before! Also throw in the mix getting close to the reasons behind Vishous’ attachment to the human cop, his slow descent into near madness and changing of his gifts/curses, and, well, you just gotta read it for yourself, but I was in tears by the end! The series (thus-far) is frankly erotic, vehemently violent, emotionally sentimental--ALL the good adjectives! There’s lots omitted from this review (especially the scathingly brilliant comments I made before I accidentally deleted the first draft before saving), but if you love paranormal romance, this is the series for you! I’ve already downloaded the next 4 in the series, and I hope it’s endless! You will be drawn in to this blended family of courageous misfit warriors trying to save their race!
review 2: Better written than 50 Shades of Grey, but still requiring extensive grammatical attention (the author never met a full sentence that she liked), these books still warrant a read. The stories and characters are mesmerizing. You'll almost feel addicted. Don't start reading if you don't have time to keep going. Hot level: 8/10 (whereas 50 was a 12)Also, if you don't believe that good prevails over evil, and nothing is better than the love of a good woman, don't bother. less

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