Bookish friends, I really love this series, but this book Gah! I didn't love it and I didn't hate it...

Unfortunately I think the most recent novels in this world have jumped the shark. It’s a pity because the building plotlines was once so engaging.

J.R Ward can not go wrong. She's done it again.
Immersed in this world the reader forgets about everything except the vampires and their enemies.
The complicated characters suck you in and keep you reading.
Love this author, and love this series.

From the minute I stumbled across the Blackdagger Brotherhood, I have been hooked.

An offshoot of the BDB - let me at it! I mean, who wouldn't want more characters from that world?

Another amazing addition to the series I cannot wait for more

The story was a different read for this reader, but needed to be read in series order.

To be reviewed on Goodreads and my blog soon. Love revisiting these characters after all these years.

Book two in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series spin off (think of it as the next generation) brings us an interesting new couple with Axe the warrior and Elise the aristocrat making their debut.

Axe is in training to join the ranks of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a skilled group of fighters tasked with protecting their kind from the Lessening Society and their team of assassins. Tired of being poor, Axe is not letting himself be distracted from his goals and does not see a relationship figuring into his life anytime soon. Who on earth would want him anyway?

Elise is annoyed to high hell when her father assigns her a bodyguard. Her over protective parent has just found out that Elise has been sneaking out at night to attend college and he is mighty unhappy that his treasured daughter has been actively putting herself at such risk. Elise’s family has suffered a terrible loss recently and it has been weighing heavily on all of them.

Elise though still sees a good education as her key to escaping and making something of a life for herself away from forced seclusion and her father’s annoying rules. Elise’s life as a rich vampire’s daughter is a luxurious one sure but very restrictive. Axe decides to take his new job of protecting Elise very very seriously and the sparks fly from the very first meeting.

The included sauce is not over the top and does a great job at turning up the heat. These are novels pitched at women’s fantasies after all; the steamy scenes help to tap admirably into the market of female romance readers wanting something a little more graphic. The sometimes juvenile humour is a welcome inclusion and may even get a smile out of you as you read. Ridiculous levels of blood and torture never work within this genre and the Brotherhood books do not go overboard with the slayings. The inclusion of drug use into Axe’s backstory irks somewhat as its unnecessary – you can have a damaged hero without him being a drug user - but it is refreshing not to have the leading man not be one of the elite; he is instead a trainee.

What makes J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood novels stand out is that they have an unexpected sweetness that makes us want to go “aww” at the big bad blood sucking guys. The superhot vampires all have embarrassing taste in music and take arrested development to a whole other level etc but there are loving hearts behind the fangs and slabs of muscle. Ward has created a memorable cast of characters with this (extended) series and is expert at teasing us into the next novel with her inclusive plot threads.

There is a new breed of warrior and they are fierce and loyal but still have so much to learn. Axe wants to be the best, he wants to be a better person that gets to have happiness even though he doesn't think that he deserves it. Can he put his past behind him and become the man that he is meant to be before he loses himself all together?
Elise just wants to be able to live her life without having to answer to her father all the time and since her cousin's death things have become even harder at home, she wants to finish her doctorate so that she can help other vampires with their problems. Just when she thought all was lost, her father hires Axe as her bodyguard and do the sparks fly. But can they make it work as they are both so different. Axe is nothing and Elise is a upper class vampire that doesn't know about the harsh world but that is about to change as well. But do they really have a chance together or will secrets tear them apart for good?
The brothers have their own issues, Rhage & Mary could lose their new daughter and that is tearing them apart but they have the family around them and they can get through this. But will it stop Rhage from getting himself killed, Axe was able to save him but next time he might be alone and then Mary would lose him as well. It was great to see the other brothers and to see what else has happened. I was lucky enough to receive a copy in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley & the publishing house

Dark Vow, (Black Dagger Legacy #2)

The amazing J.R. Ward is back with the second instalment of the Black Dagger Legacy and all I will say is wow.

How the author has added another layer to the Black Dagger world in the Legacy series and seamlessly weaved it with the original series is just one of the reasons why I love both series and forever will.

This book picks up off after monumental events in The Beast and continues to interweave the two series with the story of the trainees and their lives, this time around with Axe and his future shellan, Elise.

This unlikely pairing of Axe being a rough, tough, ex junkie & current sex addict and Elise, a member of the Glymera shouldn't work but they do and the attraction and spark jump off the page from their first meeting. You will be clinging to the page to see what happens next and to see how fast year another male can fall and fall hard.

It also continues the Rhage and Mary storyline started in the beast and will have you grabbing for the tissues more than once before you dissolve into giggles thanks to the truly spectacular Lassiter, or Rhage, or any of the Brothers really. Brace yourself to fall head over heels for the fallen angel (if you haven't already that is).

That said, you will not find spoilers here, even though the book is out and has been for a little while, because after all the years of reading this series I know the best way to read it, is to read it spoiler free.

While this is part of not one but two series, you could totally pick it up and not get lost. Okay it might suck you into the Brotherhood's world, but you won't be sorry it did. I fell down that hole a lot time ago with the first book Dark Lover and I haven't looked back.

What I will say is this, I love this series hard core. And this is hands down another awesome addition to a unforgettable series. It felt like coming home visiting with the Brothers and Shellan's we know so well and the trainees we are getting to know, plus the uber awesome Lassiter of course.

If you love paranormal vampire series, then do not miss this series. If you want to completely fall down the rabbit hole, then dive into both series, just read it.