{Book Review} The Beloved by JR Ward

When I was asked to be part of the Blog Tour for the THE BELOVED by JR Ward, it was an immediate yes! Thank you @gallerybooks for this review copy!

If you’ve been here a long time, you’ll know about my obsession with this series, specifically Zsadist. He has been, is, and forever will be my favorite book boyfriend of all time. We romance readers know that phrase or claim is not to be taken lightly. I have a lot of heroes I love but nobody will ever beat Zsadist in my heart.

THE BELOVED tells Nalla’s story, who is Zsadist and Bella’s daughter. It is no surprise that I loved this but I LOVED THIS! It was addicting and emotional and my heart got so incredibly invested in her and Nate’s story. I loved the parallels between her love story and her parents’ love story. The chasm that has been created between them before the book starts BROKE my HEART, I NEEDED them all to communicate and get it together!

This series is lifeblood for me but I think the last few of the series struck a tone of wrapping up so with this time jump and focusing on the next generation feels like the right move. It felt reminiscent of the original books in the best way. I actually would have even wanted this book to be longer to share more scenes of interaction or even flashback scenes.

Also if you know me, it’s a rarity I say I wish a book was longer. Especially a romance. I would have taken so much more of these two characters (and Bitty and LW (!!!!!!!!!)) because I loved them together.

Did I reread Father Mine and Dark Lover after I finished this book? Yes, yes I did. If you love the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, you will absolutely fall in love with Nalla and Nate and the promises to come of what future books hold.

Ok listen. I was so freaking worried after the ending of Lassiter. I had no idea how JRW was going to be able to move this series along. Let’s be real, we were DEVASTATED and shocked and basically left in a fog.

BUT SHE DID IT.

BRILLIANTLY.

I remember always hearing that the BDB kids will get books but I often wondered how that transition would work. I had faith in her that she would figure it out, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it until I read Lassiter. And I love that she did that to us because now this book brought all the old feelings back.

The Beloved was almost like reading about the OG brothers. I loved all their interactions. Seeing LW, Bitty and Nalla all grown up was the best. This new group of friends brought back all the feels.

The last 30 years haven’t been smooth for anyone. While most people don’t realize what happened, the children can sense the difference. And some of them did struggle a bit but I’m so happy things are starting to move forward.

I loved watching Nate and Nalla come together. Even though they’re technically 30+ it was still a young love type of relationship and it made my heart all a flutter. I found myself reading their parts slower so I could bask in their happiness.

I look forward to the next book and who it could be about…

Caldwell and the Blackdagger Brotherhood is back with the "next generation" in The Beloved, the story of Nalla, the daughter of Zsadist and Bella and Nate, an assassin with many scars in his past.

The Beloved picks up right where Lassiter left off, which I loved about this book. The return of Wrath was a huge moment in Lassiter and it deserved more page time, so I'm thrilled we did get to see Wrath's reunion with his fellow brothers. His return was a great way to revisit with the core group of Brothers and their shellans and I'll always want that in any BDB book. But I was also eager to learn more about this next generation and there's plenty of Nalla, Bitty and L.W. (who I think is going to be a huge fan favorite -- I already love him!)

All of the young are now adults. They are all struggling to find themselves and cut the apron strings between them and their parents. None more than Nalla, who's father is the scariest of all the Brothers. Zsadist isn't afraid to threaten any male interested in his daughter and there's all sorts of tensions between Nalla and Bella too! I loved the tension between them all while the deep love between them comes across so well in The Beloved. The conflicts between Nalla and her parents are realistic and a great way to start this next generation series. I loved Nalla alot in this story. She is most definitely her father's daughter and she isn't afraid to show it! The action sequences are terrific and that ending had me cheering!

There weren't any big surprises for me in The Beloved. It was more like a visit with old friends, but there was awesome right-on-time action, plenty of steamy moments between Nate and Nalla that will have you fanning yourself, and enough of the enemy to make you remember why they are hated. I devoured this book in a couple of days, and loved every word. Then went back and read the ending again! Loved it!

Author J. R. Ward has moved us somewhat away from the BDB and we now get to see their offspring. I didn't know how this story would turn out since we are 30 years into the future.

It's time for Zsadist to let Nalla grow and be the adult she is but will he? Nalla is over her dad being the great man he is. She wants to live her life without her over protective dad. It was so good to see Zsadist in his element. It was great to see all. the brothers come back to take care of business as usual.

I felt so bad for Nate. He felt like he was not needed in the world and why live forever? He would always be around. He needed the calm before the storm and Nallas was that person. Their energy made this story although I needed more of both of them but more of Nalla. I didn't feel she was developed enough for the story.

I loved the stories of the BDB. I really wanted to love their story but I didn't get enough of them. I felt disconnected from these characters.

At the end of the previous book the Warden jumped years ahead in time. I mean how could she possibly top what she had already created with the kids now falling in love? Well ... she did it. I cannot believe that we get to see Nalla, Zsadist's daughter, fall in love first.

I guess we all figured that Zsadist was going to be a protective father, and he has had to be to protect her from the Lessening Society. Like most children she wants to do her own thing and one night she gives into her impatience and heads out into the world. On the one night she leaves safety, she runs into a male, Nate, whose past is darker than her sire's.

Nate has a tortured past, he was a human, but he was cursed with immortality. He has been watched by the Brotherhood, they know that he violated the rule of war and must be dealt with, but everything changes when he fights along side Nalla.

I loved seeing all the kids grown. Its just hard knowing that the last thirty years hasn't been easy for the characters we love. The kids struggled, but they had each other and are starting to move forward. With the way that the vampires in this series age, the characters are still very young and it felt like a young romance. Watching Nalla and Nate fall in love was heartwarming and their story was fun to read. There are so many elements coming back that we have seen over the course of the series but everything is different. I hope that the new turn the series has taken continues and we get more amazing Black Dagger Brotherhood books.

Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review from Gallery Books.

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.



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The Beloved was phenomenal! This was the story I needed it to be and I loved every second. The emotion, the healing, the drama, and the humor were exceptional. After the ending of Lassiter, this was the perfect follow-up. I loved the characters and the evolution of the world, and I’m thrilled about what’s been set up for future stories. This was a fantastic story in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

I loved Nate and Nalla and their journey of coming together. I felt so much for Nate, the pain he was in, and what he was working through. This male was fierce, gone was the young person I knew from before. I loved Bella, she’s a badass in her own right. I felt for her and where she was at with her relationship with her parents because of how protective Zsadist was. Nate and Nalla have their ups and downs and there are obstacles in their way, making for an intense ride getting to their HEA but it was so worth it.

Wrath is back and every time there was a scene with him, I swear I got choked up. There were so many incredible moments that made my heart feel full. I loved Zsadist and seeing how much he’s grown. He’s so strong yet scarred from his past. His love for his daughter is immense and like any parent, he has a hard time letting go. I adored a heart-to-heart he had with Vishous and I am delighted about what has been set up there. There was a large cast of characters and I loved all the mentions of Brothers and fighters. I loved meeting the kids who are now all grown up and getting glimpses of their personalities. I appreciated the time jump because seeing them as adults felt normal. I loved getting to know Bitty and who she might possibly be paired up with. There were some really funny moments as well. The banter between LW and Shuli had me cracking up, reminding me of the Brothers back in the day. It was priceless!

In true J. R. Ward fashion, several storylines and POVs are happening and I loved watching them build and develop, I was always looking forward to who I was going to hear from next. I loved the connections and interactions, all the building layers and working parts and I couldn’t wait for things to intersect. There were action-packed moments that had me holding my breath and emotional ones too, I found it all exciting!

This book consumed me and there was never a time I wanted to put it down. Times have changed, it's been 33 years, the world has changed, the kids have grown, and the original characters have grown too. Plus, there is the war and Lessening Society adding chaos. It all worked for me and I loved the new dynamics. I am beyond excited for more stories and to see how this world will continue to grow. I loved it all!

I couldn’t read this book fast enough! It was everything! I enjoyed getting to see this “new world”, if you will. And seeing the children grown was a lot of fun! Zsadist made sure to let any of the boys around Nalla’s age know that he was watching and they should leave her alone. So she’s grown up under his shadow and she’s tired of it! We see that struggle between them. Meanwhile, Nalla isn’t afraid of Nate like others are and she actually sees him. I enjoyed their encounters and their dance around one another. They balanced each other out and they were good for one another. We learned how things were shifting around the BDB and how things were moving forward. And an interesting take on the Lessers this time as well. I don’t want to ruin this beautiful book, so that’s all I will say other than, GO GRAB YOUR COPY!

4 stars - It was really good

After reading Lassiter’s book, I will admit I was hesitant to read this because I had a lot of issues with bringing back the Lessening Society and Wrath’s 30 year disappearance. But since this is how the story has played out, I decided to see what will happen next and see what the brotherhood’s children are now like since they are all grown up. While I am still not happy with how this has played out, I did enjoy this story because it was reminiscent of the early BDB books, which are my favorite.

Nalla is struggling to live her life under the cage of being Zsadist daughter. We see her push back at both her father and mother about how she felt and basically leave to live at Safe Place for a while. Nalla may be sheltered but we quickly realize she is her fathers daughter. I love seeing her come out of her shell and embrace fighting for what she wants, both physically and verbally. It doesn’t surprise me that Nalla can kickass and doesn’t back down from a fight with who her parents are.

I will be honest, I didn’t remember who Nate was when I started this book. Nate is Sarah and Murhder’s adopted son that they rescued from a human research lab and who was later resurrected by Rahvyn and now cannot die. Nate is now a dangerous and reckless adult who has been outed from the BDB because they can’t rely on him. He struggles under the weight of his childhood and the reality of never being able to die. Nate was a great character who I loved getting to know and he reminded me so much of Zsadist, especially in how he felt alone until he found the right person to love him.

One of the best parts of this book is the character growth from both Nalla and Nate. Nalla starts as a woman who still views her parents through a child's lens and struggles to understand why she was left out sometimes and by the end realizes they are humans who were dealing with a traumatic past and trying to raise a child. Nate goes from unfeeling and just wanting to die, to finding his mate and realizing life is precious and he is grateful he can’t die on her while fighting.

While I still don’t love the progression of this series, I did really enjoy Nate and Nalla’s story, but like I said in the beginning I still have issues that the Lessers were brought back. The war against the Lessening Society is basically back where we were with book one and I am disappointed in that but hopefully we don’t have to go through 20 more books before it ends again. I did enjoy seeing all the reunions with the brothers and Wrath, especially Wrath and Fitz’s reunion. I am still waiting to see more bonding between Wrath and his son though.

Basically, while I am conflicted about this series, I still enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected and will be reading the next one now, especially to see what is going on between Bitty and L.W.

TW: discussions of experimentation, imprisonment, self-harm, suicide, slavery, and death of a parent; PTSD and nightmares; car accident; gun and knife violence and injuries;

It took me a few chapters to refresh and get back into the series groove. This story is based on two slightly known secondary characters from other books and the author does a great job of building the back story while refreshing our memory. But we also see many of our favorites in this one too!

As with the other stories, this book brings darkness and light, balancing it out beautifully. In Lassiter, we suffered through a shocking ending. Without giving anything away, some revelations change the Brotherhood for the better in this book.

As typical, there are many POV’s in the story and we become entangled with each one of them; jumping from Lessors, gore, and evil to developing romances, humor, and family ties. Ward has us on the edge of our seats throughout.

The Beloved is another fabulous addition to the series. Getting to know the up-and-coming Brotherhood members is a perfect way to subtly twist while keeping the story fresh and interesting. Plus, the ending is awesome too! We fall in love with the stories and hate it when they end!

It’s been just about a year since JR Ward’s Lassiter hit readers’ hands with shock and awe (and just a little bit of “what did I just read?”). No fear, The Beloved is here and Ward has delivered on promises across the board. The 33-year gap was handled with Ward’s typical flair and depth of insight to her characters that had me turning pages as fast as I could. For me, I felt the time jump but the story flowed organically. More importantly, Brothers that have taken a back seat more recently filled the pages and it was a wonderful reunion.

Nalla and Nate fit together perfectly and their story reflects her parents’ story, while at the same time feeling fresh and new. I loved both these characters as they matured into adulthood while still carrying the weight of their childhood experiences. Truthfully, I relished the scenes between all the young-now adults-pushing back at their parents as they make their own way in the world. It is so well done and gives readers new insight into the characters we have grown to love over the last 20 years. There is one scene between Zsadist and V that may be my all-time favorite scene in the entire series, yet at the same time the newer fighters are forming their own “bromances” with hilarity and loyalty.

Like all of her BDB books, The Beloved features many different POVs, which move the plot along nicely. The Lessers are back and very different that the ones we first met in Dark Lover. We are treated to reunions that bring a tear to the eye and hints at what to expect next from Ward and the BDB. Honestly, The Beloved has just wet my appetite for more of the Black Dagger Brotherhood!