The Black Dagger Brotherhood legend becomes even more in depth and complex by continuing on with a spin-off series by J.R.Ward. Set in the same world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, the story branches off and takes us into the next generation of fighters. Today I'm sharing my thoughts on Blood Kiss, book one of the BDL series.
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Format: ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 397
Source: Amazon
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Review Date: January 18, 2016
Rating: 5 bookmarks
Synopsis: 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.
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Format: ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 397
Source: Amazon
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Review Date: January 18, 2016
Rating: 5 bookmarks
Synopsis: 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.
It's near impossible to talk coherently about this book without spoilers, but I'm going to try my best. We were first introduced to Paradise, Craeg, and Payton briefly as minor characters in The Shadows, the most recent book of the BDB series. Blood Kiss picks up exactly at the end of that title. While you don't need to read the previous series to get on board with this one, I do recommend making yourself familiar with the brothers, their mates, and who they are. I found a great summary sheet of sorts that will help you as you are introduced to more and more characters. There's also a helpful character cheat sheet found here.
I especially loved the first third or so of the book when they go through several tests to get into the training program. Lots of students show up on the first night of the program and they are surprised to find that they are in for a trial by fire. While Paradise isn't the strongest, or fastest, she has a will of steel and makes it in on her own merits. She's out to prove that she's just as good as anyone else. She actually surpasses everyone's expectations in spite of her Glymera upbringing. Which she keeps a secret for obvious reasons. That alone will make her an interesting warrior. I wonder how she will transform as the program goes on and she gains experience.
Craeg is almost the opposite of Paradise. He's angry and he's driven toward a single purpose. He won't allow himself any distractions. No matter what the costs, he intends to get revenge for his family that were murdered partially because of the cowardice of a few scared Glymera. He's got problems and he's clearly emotionally unavailable. Can Paradise break through all of that? I'm sure we all know the answer to that question. But how do we get there? Summarizing, it's a journey of persuasion including a little mating bond and some phone sex. That's putting it lightly, but that's the best I can do without total spoilers.
I look forward to seeing what's in store for the members of the training academy's first class. Axe, Boone, Novo, Anslam, Craeg, and Payton along with Paradise make up the group. Which sums up to two women and five men. I think that by the time this group graduates they'll be thick as thieves. It's an interesting mix of people. They are night and day - from all walks of vampire society. I suspect that this series will evolve in the same fashion of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Each book will most likely be dedicated toward a different couple all while keep previous story-lines ongoing in the background.
Speaking of previous story-lines, I absolutely loved that we got a good amount of face time with our BDB characters. Butch, Vishous, Marissa, Doc Jane, Manny, Rhage, Tohr, and many others. They were scattered all through out the book. Loved that. Along with the present plot line, we delve even more into Butch and Marissa's relationship. I developed a new opinion of them. I don't recall Butch being so down on himself with so many hangups. This was a good refresh as its been forever since I read the book focused on them.
For those unfamiliar with Ward, her writing style encompasses lots of slang and cursing. Her books aren't for the faint at heart. If you want roses and candy in your romances, this isn't for you. Blood Kiss is a sexy and fast paced read. In true Ward fashion, she weaves a spectacular lust at first sight driven romance on the back of a heavy urban fantasy plot. The first installment laid the groundwork for many books to come. My one and only issue was that there wasn't a true villain in this installment. Don't get me wrong, they did have to deal with someone who killed a woman doing some pretty nasty things, but it's not the world dominating villain that I'm used to seeing. I'm sure we're set up perfectly for a total bad ass villain in the next book. Hopefully it's someone horrible because they make the best villains. Even with my one issue, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I expect no less from book two.
I'd love to hear from those that have not read previous BDB books to see if you're able to enjoy this book just as much as I did. Have you read Blood Kiss? If not you should!
Before you go , check out a few of my favorite quotes.
“I still think that every time I see you, after I’ve spent some time away from you. Thank God … he’s here."
“Then you are a fool. You are a dumb motherfucking fool.” Except then the guy shrugged. “But hey, that’s good news. It means I might still have a chance with her. And before I have to give you a distemper shot, fuck you. You walk away, it’s on you, asshole—and I promise you, I will make a play for her serious, like.”
Happy Reading,
~Tamara
Craeg is almost the opposite of Paradise. He's angry and he's driven toward a single purpose. He won't allow himself any distractions. No matter what the costs, he intends to get revenge for his family that were murdered partially because of the cowardice of a few scared Glymera. He's got problems and he's clearly emotionally unavailable. Can Paradise break through all of that? I'm sure we all know the answer to that question. But how do we get there? Summarizing, it's a journey of persuasion including a little mating bond and some phone sex. That's putting it lightly, but that's the best I can do without total spoilers.
I look forward to seeing what's in store for the members of the training academy's first class. Axe, Boone, Novo, Anslam, Craeg, and Payton along with Paradise make up the group. Which sums up to two women and five men. I think that by the time this group graduates they'll be thick as thieves. It's an interesting mix of people. They are night and day - from all walks of vampire society. I suspect that this series will evolve in the same fashion of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Each book will most likely be dedicated toward a different couple all while keep previous story-lines ongoing in the background.
Speaking of previous story-lines, I absolutely loved that we got a good amount of face time with our BDB characters. Butch, Vishous, Marissa, Doc Jane, Manny, Rhage, Tohr, and many others. They were scattered all through out the book. Loved that. Along with the present plot line, we delve even more into Butch and Marissa's relationship. I developed a new opinion of them. I don't recall Butch being so down on himself with so many hangups. This was a good refresh as its been forever since I read the book focused on them.
For those unfamiliar with Ward, her writing style encompasses lots of slang and cursing. Her books aren't for the faint at heart. If you want roses and candy in your romances, this isn't for you. Blood Kiss is a sexy and fast paced read. In true Ward fashion, she weaves a spectacular lust at first sight driven romance on the back of a heavy urban fantasy plot. The first installment laid the groundwork for many books to come. My one and only issue was that there wasn't a true villain in this installment. Don't get me wrong, they did have to deal with someone who killed a woman doing some pretty nasty things, but it's not the world dominating villain that I'm used to seeing. I'm sure we're set up perfectly for a total bad ass villain in the next book. Hopefully it's someone horrible because they make the best villains. Even with my one issue, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I expect no less from book two.
I'd love to hear from those that have not read previous BDB books to see if you're able to enjoy this book just as much as I did. Have you read Blood Kiss? If not you should!
Before you go , check out a few of my favorite quotes.
“I still think that every time I see you, after I’ve spent some time away from you. Thank God … he’s here."
“Then you are a fool. You are a dumb motherfucking fool.” Except then the guy shrugged. “But hey, that’s good news. It means I might still have a chance with her. And before I have to give you a distemper shot, fuck you. You walk away, it’s on you, asshole—and I promise you, I will make a play for her serious, like.”
Happy Reading,
~Tamara
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