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.

Series:

Black Dagger Legacy

Book 1

Book Type:

Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy

Review: Blood Kiss

J.R. Ward’s Blood Kiss is as exciting, as explosive, as we hoped it would be. Fiercely fun, sexy as hell, and utterly absorbing, Paradise, Craeg and the new recruits command your attention from the very beginning. Blood Kiss — the first installment in the Black Dagger Legacy (a spin-off from the core series) — is rife with suspense, sexiness, action and grit. Think trouble. Volatility. Intense emotions. Exhaustion. And a whole lot of brothers ready to take these young recruits under their wings. Because oh yes, I’m talking everything from bullets and bloody punches, to advice on love and life.

The novel centers around Paradise, daughter of Abalone (the King’s first adviser), and her desire to break beyond the traditions of the glymera. The training center is re-opened and Paradise joins the newest class in hopes to learn from the toughest — the best. In The Shadows, Paradise meets a commoner with whom she connects immediately, despite their brief encounter. And when she collides with Craeg once more, sparks fly wildly. The brooding, closed-off Craeg does everything he can to push Paradise away, as retribution fuels his fight, but before too long, his restraint weakens.

Meanwhile, we see our favorite Boston cop Butch at the helm, hands full with these temperamental new recruits. We gain insight into his life with Marissa, as they wade through some marital woes. Both Marissa and Butch struggle to let go of past demons and present tribulations, each not sharing their feelings with the other. But when a mysterious and tragic death occurs, it forces the issue in a way that threatens to break the beauty of what they have together.

Loyal readers of the Black Dagger Brotherhood will revel in every moment of this tightly written novel. All the brothers and shellans we’ve come to love mixed in with a whole new cast of characters makes the overall series feel fresh and fun. The Warden definitely delivers another adrenaline-pumping page turner.