Hello everyone!
It's book talk time again, and I was SO stoked for the release of this one, you can't even imagine. As luck would also have it, I didn't have to wait that long before I got my hands on a copy, because normally it takes almost forever for a book to get to my country after it gets released worldwide. It is what it is, but sometimes, like right now, and especially because I've become a bit more profficient with the whole electronic book thing, I can get to books faster this way.
I am, of course, talking about the next novel in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by author JR Ward, titled 'The Beast'.
I've been in love with these vampires from the moment a good friend of mine sort of coerced me into reading the books to begin with (thank you, Kelly!), because I was initially hesitant over the whole bloodsucker thing. I mean, I was just getting out of the Vampire Academy high and all, so I thught, do I want to spoil the vampires for myself?
Man, would I have made a mistake to turn this series down. I started reading when the first eleven books were out, and that was right before The King was published, but since then, I've probably reread them a couple of times already. In fact, I'm rereading them now, for kicks and giggles.
Now, as Ward is someone I've read a lot, there have been other blog posts which have found their way onto this site, and I will be linking them down bellow in order of appearance. There's a lot more background infotmation on the book series in them too since this is one in a series of many, I'll probably be doing them from the first book up soon though. It might be a nice project.
Basically, in a nutshell, however: Ward's vampires feed only from the opposite sex of their own race, not on humans, and they have an elite band of warriors, the Brotherhood, who protect them from their arch enemies, the Lessers (who are basically undead reeking of baby powder who hate vampires and kill them). As the books move on, we deal ith the hierarchy within the brotherhood, the King's ascenscion, the Brothers all finding mates, and now we're moving into the territory of children.
We already covered some of that back when Bella, mate of the brother Zsadist, whose book is number three, got pregnant, and then there was another vampire female who is currently pregnant with twins, not to mention the first ever, Wellsie, who unfortunately got killed. The Queen was also delivered of a healthy son.
So that's where we're at when Rhage and Mary's book starts again. Rhage is who we meet in the second of the series as a whole, in Lover Eternal, where he basically saves Mary from cancer by offering to keep his curse - a Godzilla-like beast - so she can become immortal and follow him when he passes. But the two of them are both dealing with certain issues when we get into the book - he, the fact that Mary can't have children and he's realizing maybe he wants them, she, with the passing of a female and orphaning of a young girl who is now alone in the world.
The good thing about these issues is that the two of them talk them out and nothing silly like her trying to leave him or anything happens. The bad news is that the issues are still there, so they have to be resolved somehow, right? Right. So what happens, inevitably, is that Mary and Rhage adopt Bitty, the little girl, much to the delight of yours truly.
One of the other plotlines in this book - there are a few, be aware - is a continuation of Layla's story. Layla is pregnant with twins, and worrying about Xcor, who is a sworn enemy of the King, and who ended up getting clobbered and dragged in for interrogation, only he's out cold for most of the book because of a potential seizure or something. In any event, Layla goes into premature labor, and they almost lose the little girl, but Payne manages to bring her back to life; they name her Lyric, and the boy is named Rhampage with permission from the King.
Then we have the Scribe Virgin suddenly disappearing and leaving the lot of them to their own devices, although she did say there will be a successor to her position - I'm wondering who that'll be. Xcor? Layla? Who the hell knows ... Then again Xcor has now been revealed as Tohr's half-brother, so maybe it won't be him.
And of course, we have Assail, who is quickly becoming a favourite of mine because he's so diabolical. He was initially against the King, but is now working for the lot of them and goes to infiltrate the aristocratic ranks to find out what they're cooking up against Wrath; he has his own issues, namely with coke addiction, but he proves himself when he saves a blood slave, and ends up going in for a detox and rehab.
I think I covered it all. Whew! That was a whole lot of storylines. I need to reread it after I go through the rest of the books again, just t have everything in order, it's been a while so I think I forgot a few details. But I loved it, if only because the brothers are back, and I can't wait to see what shenanigans they get up to next. You know Rhage is going to be ALL over the place, big time.
xx
*image not mine
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