The Beloved (Black Dagger Brotherhood 22) by JR Ward-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 9, 2024

Nalla, the blooded daughter of Zsadist, has led a sheltered life. Protected by her father and the Brotherhood, kept away from the deadly war with the Lessening Society, she is chafing against the walls of the very safety that has ensured her survival. One night, she gives in to her restlessness…and finds herself face-to-face with a male whose inner darkness rivals even that of her sire’s horrific origins.

Nate is a fighter with nothing to lose—and nothing to live for. Tortured in a human lab as a young, then cursed with immortality, he is all vengeance and no purpose because he cares for no one—not even himself. The Brotherhood knows this all too well and following Nate’s deliberate violation of the cardinal rule in the war, they declare him a dangerous liability that must be dealt with.

When Nalla and Nate find themselves fighting side by side, daggers aren’t the only things that fly. A sizzling attraction is ignited, though Nalla knows her sire will never accept him—and on his side, Nate has made a secret bargain to end his own immortality. As the enemy closes in, and Nalla realizes she must choose between her mate and her sire, what starts with such passion may well end with eternal sorrow and no chance of a reunion—even in the Fade.

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REVIEW:THE BELOVED is the twenty-second instalment in JR Ward’s adult BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD paranormal, romance series. This is Nalla and Nate’s story line. THE BELOVED can be read as a stand alone but for back story and history, I recommend reading book twenty-one LASSITER, where most of the current story line begins.

NOTE: THE BELOVED is the start of a new series arc focusing on the next/second generation vampires and BDB warriors, although many of the previous BDB warriors make cameo appearances.

Told from numerous omniscient third person perspectives, following several intersecting paths, THE BELOVED advances the series approximately thirty-three years. Nalla, blooded daughter of Zsadist and Bella is struggling with her place in the family. For years the BDB have been pulled back into a war with the Lessening Society, and our heroine feels like an afterthought even though her life and her heart have the protection of the entire BDB. Nalla never expected to fall for Nate, the adopted son of Murhder and Sarah, a young man who spent years tortured and abused, a young man whose back story and suffering was much like her father’s.

Meanwhile, Bitty, has come unto her own, and with it, her own abilities are much more powerful. Able to ‘see’ certain outcomes and possibilities, Bitty is desperate to warn those who are battling themselves, but often times the warning may go unheeded by those involved.

As the Lessening society continues to grow in numbers and powers, their new leader begins to target individual members of the BDB, pushing those, sitting on the fringe, back into the family, where they belong.

THE BELOVED is a another complex and complicated story as many of the previous story line (LASSITER) questions remain unanswered. Several secondary characters who had promising possibilities are no longer mentioned or have disappeared, several had crossed-over from the author’s interconnected Fallen Angel series. The thirty-three year gap reveals a much older second generation, many of whom have had their transformations or about to go into their needings, yet the three decade jump comes with few details or highlights.

THE BELOVED is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control; depression and desperation; family and friendships, relationships and love. The premise is intriguing and intense; the romance is seductive and fated; the characters are determined, dangerous and frenzied but Nalla, Nate, LW and Bitty’s growth comes with the attitude of most teenagers struggling to form their own identities, and in this, I often felt like I was reading a YA story line. Although, now ranging in age from mid-thirties to sixties, the teenage angst is strong and demanding.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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J.R. Ward is the author of over thirty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood. There are more than 15 million copies of Ward’s novels in print worldwide and they have been published in 25 different countries around the world.

After graduating from law school, Ward began working in healthcare in Boston and spent many years as Chief of Staff of one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation. She lives in the south with her incredibly supportive husband and her beloved golden retriever. Writing has always been her passion and her idea of heaven is a whole day of nothing but her computer, her dog and her coffee pot.

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