Black Dagger Brotherhood

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is an ongoing series of paranormal romance books by author J. R. Ward. The series focuses on a society (the "Black Dagger Brotherhood") of vampire warriors who live together and defend their race against de-souled humans called lessers. The first book in the series was published in 2005.

Ward's Fallen Angels series is set in the same universe, and has some overlap in characters, but little overlap in storylines.

Main characters

The Black Dagger Brotherhood

Wrath, son of Wrath, is also known as the Blind King—the King of the Vampires and last pure-blood vampire in existence. As such, he is a well-known legend to the lessers. When the series started, he was almost blind and not willing to ascend to the throne. He falls in love with Beth, the half-breed daughter of his Brother-in-arms, Darius. His and Beth's story is told in Dark Lover. By the end of Lover Avenged, Wrath is completely blind and relies on a service dog, George, and his shellan (wife), Beth.

Rhage, son of Tohrture, is the strongest and most beautiful of the Brothers. Aptly nicknamed "Hollywood", he is also the most sexual because of his beast. Cursed by the Scribe Virgin, Rhage is possessed by a dark creature known only as the "Beast", making him a danger to everyone, including his Brothers. However, the beast harbors feelings for a human named Mary. Rhage falls in love with her and longs to take Mary as his shellan. Their story is told in Lover Eternal.

Zsadist, son of Ahgony, is the scarred, menacing Brother. Taken as an infant from his family, he is forced into blood and sexual slavery until his twin, Phury, rescues him a century later. He was described as being "ruined, not broken" by all those who knew him prior to his meeting the beautiful, aristocratic vampire Bella. His transformation from tortured soul to Bella's hellren (husband) is told in Lover Awakened. Zsadist and Bella have a young daughter, Nalla. In addition, his eyes, once black as pitch, have regained the same yellow-gold of his twin's, reflecting the change that Bella and Nalla brought about in him.

Butch/Dhestroyer is the only human male ever to be allowed within the Brotherhood. However, he is descended from the line of Wrath, which allows him to be "turned" and subsequently initiated as a Brother. A former homicide detective, Butch was given the nickname "Cop" by the vampires. He lives at the "Pit", a two-bedroom gatehouse connected to the mansion where the King and other Brothers dwell. Friends with all of the warriors, he is especially close to Vishous, who also lives at the Pit. He is the object of an ancient lesser prophecy and has the ability to sense them wherever they are. After absorbing them into himself, he is only able to be healed by Vishous. His story is told in Lover Revealed.

Vishous, son of the Bloodletter, is the most intelligent Brother, and the one who is specially gifted/cursed. Tattooed on his face, genitals (which are scarred because his father tried to castrate him), and one hand, he has the gift of psychometry. His curse is his ability to prognosticate: He sees the future, though not the 'when' of events, so he is plagued by his inability to save those he loves from danger. All of this was inherited from his mother, the Scribe Virgin. Long attracted to both males and females—particularly Butch, his fellow Brother—he eventually falls in love with a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb. Their story is told in Lover Unbound.

Phury, son of Ahgony, is Zsadist's twin brother. He starts out a celibate who cannot truly live because of everything that his biological brother has lost. Phury is extremely loyal to his brother, even shooting off his own leg to save him. His noble nature went so far as to help release Vishous from being "Primale" to the Chosen. He ultimately falls in love with the Chosen Cormia, his First Mate, and has a young, Ahgony, with her. Phury's story is told in Lover Enshrined.

Rehvenge is brother-in-law to Zsadist, half symphath,^[1] and when the series started, owner of a club called ZeroSum. He is also a member of the vampire aristocracy and the "Princeps Leahdyre" of its council. He hides the fact that he is half symphath even from his own sister, Bella. His story is told in Lover Avenged.

Tohrment was disowned by his father and taken in by the Brother Darius in the Old Country. Both he and Darius saved the life of the female who would become Xhex's biological mother. Later on, when Wrath became King, Tohrment took over the leadership of the Brotherhood. He was the steady and calm Brother, ever serious but with a kind heart, until a tragedy took the life of his shellan, Wellesandra, and their unborn son. He disappeared until Lover Enshrined, whereupon he was returned weak and emaciated to the Brotherhood by the fallen angel, Lassiter. Tohrment's story is told in Lover Reborn.

John Matthew/Tehrror is the reincarnation of Darius. Born mute, John uses American Sign Language and whistling to communicate with others. Before learning he was a pre-trans vampire, he lived alone in the human world. At one point, he was cornered in the hallway of his apartment and raped by an unknown human male. In despair, John turned to a suicide prevention network in Caldwell and met Mary Luce. He followed her home so that he could meet her; during this meeting, Mary's neighbor, Bella, visited and sensed that John was a vampire like her. As introductions ensued, Bella noticed a bracelet John wore which carried his name in the Old Language—the name of a Brother, Tehrror. Bella contacts the Brotherhood, and John learns what he is and that he will soon go through his transition to become an adult male vampire. He was also invited by Tohrment and his expectant mate, Wellesandra, to live with them, among his own kind. Later, he moved into the Brotherhood's mansion and joined the war to utilize his (initially unexplained) skill with weapons and knowledge of lessers. John shares a kinship with Zsadist because of the traumatic similarities in their pasts. He is best friends with Qhuinn and Blay. John's story with Xhex is told in Lover Mine.

Qhuinn is despised by his parents because of his mismatched eyes, seen as defects by the vampire aristocracy. Best friends with Blay and John, he takes great comfort in Blay's family. During training he came to the defense of John Matthew, nearly killing his cousin, Lash, when he pinned John to the wall, bringing back John Matthew's memories of being raped. In order to avoid being put to death, he was dedicated John's ahstrux nohtrum (private guard). Qhuinn resides at the Brotherhood's mansion and has proven himself a fierce warrior in the conflict with the lessers. Following his transition, he starts out a playboy with commitment issues, preferring a steady stream of anonymous sex, but in Lover Mine it becomes clear that he is—and has always been—in love with Blay. Qhuinn and Blay's story is told in Lover At Last.

Blaylock, or "Blay", as he is most often referred to, is an only child who comes from a warm, supportive family. Friends with Qhuinn since childhood, he met John Matthew at the Brotherhood's training facility and became his ally. Blay was the first of the three friends to go through his transition. Like John and Qhuinn, he lives with the Brotherhood and is a proficient soldier in the war against the lessers. In Lover Mine Blay has his first romantic/sexual encounter with another male, Saxton, a lawyer for the race as well as Qhuinn's cousin. Although Blay cares for Saxton deeply, the true love of his life has always been Qhuinn. Blay and Qhuinn's story is told in Lover At Last.

Dr. Manuel "Manny" Manello is Chief of Surgery at St. Francis Hospital and was Jane Whitcomb's old boss and closest friend until her ‘death’. After suffering a paralyzing injury while sparring with Wrath in Lover Unleashed, Payne’s life (as well as her mobility) is in jeopardy. When Doc Jane realizes the damage is too great for her to repair, she goes looking for Manny, as he is a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon. His and Payne's story is told in Lover Unleashed.

The females

Elizabeth "Beth" Randall is the only surviving offspring of Darius and an unknown human woman. Originally a journalist prior to her transition, she is Wrath's beloved shellan and the half-breed Queen of the Vampires. She is also John's sister. Her close relationship with Butch allows him to be taken in by the Brotherhood. She owns a cat, Boo, who gets along with Wrath's dog, George, very well. Beth and Wrath's story is told in Dark Lover.

Mary Madonna Luce is named after the Virgin Mary by her religious mother. Once a secretary in a legal office and a regular volunteer at a suicide hotline, Mary is Rhage's human shellan. Mary's leukemia is relapsing when she first meets Rhage. Her voice immediately attracts him, and her acceptance of his beast makes her unique and fearless. All of the Brothers fear the beast, but it knows Mary and loves her, too. She was healed of cancer after Rhage made a deal with the Scribe Virgin in which he sacrificed a life for a life. Essentially, this meant giving up his life—Mary—in return for her not dying. Soon after Rhage agrees to this, the Scribe Virgin realizes that Mary's previous medical treatments have rendered her infertile, therefore negating the deal. She allows Rhage to be with his human because Mary will never hold "flesh of her own flesh" and thinks that this is sacrifice enough. Mary is also a teacher and confidant of Zsadist, first teaching him to read and write and then helping him overcome his fears about the Mistress who held him captive and what he would tell his daughter once she grows up and inquires about his slave bands and scars.

Wellesandra "Wellsie" is the shellan of Tohrment and the blooded daughter of the Princeps Relix. Resigned to the danger her hellren faced in the war, Wellsie chose to support him the best she could and went on to help other shellans (Beth most prominently) do the same. Level-headed, steadfast, and kind, Wellsie and Tohr were happily married for almost 200 years. Wellsie is noted to be pregnant with their first child in Dark Lover, causing Tohr to worry constantly. She and Tohr take in John Mathew before his transition and come to see him as a surrogate son. Tragically, Wellsie, her unborn son, and her cousin, Sarelle, are slaughtered by the lesser Mr. O in Lover Awakened.

Bella is from an aristocratic family and was Mary's neighbor until she was captured by a deadly lesser named David. She is Rehvenge's younger sister and Zsadist's shellan. They have a daughter, Nalla, whom for the first few months after her birth Zsadist avoided touching for fear of his past tainting her. The three finally become a family in the novella "Father Mine".

Marissa is the "great beauty of the species". For over 300 years, she was the Shellan of Wrath, the Vampire King. Their match, however, was a loveless one and ended when Wrath fell in love with Beth. Marissa, for her part, was attracted to Butch from the moment they met. Her brother, Havers, evicted her from their house after discovering she harbored feelings for a human. When Butch is later transformed into a vampire, Marissa becomes his shellan. She helps run "Safe Place", a shelter for battered females and children.

Dr. Jane Whitcomb is a brilliant trauma surgeon who operates on Vishous after he is shot in the chest. She also helps "V" manage issues connected with his troubled past. After Jane is shot and killed by a lesser, Vishous attempts to bring her back by using his blood and the heart of a lesser but is stopped by his mother, the Scribe Virgin, who turns Jane's body into ash. Later on, after mustering up her deeply buried maternal side, the Scribe Virgin decides to sacrifice her love (her birds), in return for Vishous' (Jane). Jane then returns to him in a new form that allows her to go from corporeal to non-corporeal at will, enabling Vishous to touch her through his curse. She is the Brotherhood's private surgeon.

Cormia was chosen as First Mate to Phury the Primale in Lover Enshrined. Once Phury decided to mate with her only, she and the Primale became "parents" to the rest of the Chosen, whom the Scribe Virgin granted free-will to choose their mates and futures under Phury's supervision. Cormia and Phury also become parents to the young, Ahgony ("Aggie").

Ehlena works as a nurse at Haver's clinic until she's fired for giving Rehvenge non-prescribed antibiotics. At first she keeps her distance from the male, but soon his pursuit of her changes her mind. When he destroys his life in Caldwell by exposing his history and occupation to her, it disgusts her to the point that she leaves him. He then fakes his own death and moves to the symphath colony. However, once she finds out that her lover is still alive, she asks for help from Xhex and the Brotherhood. Currently, Ehlena works with Jane and the Brothers as their nurse and is Rehvenge's shellan.

Xhex is an ultra tough, hard-core female. She is another half-symphath who works as a bodyguard/bouncer/co-manager at ZeroSum. She is very close to Rehvenge and protects him with her life. It greatly pains her that he has to repay the Sympath Princess over a mistake she made twenty-five years ago. She was once involved with the Brother Murhder and experiences much guilt over his having gone insane. Xhex was captured by Lash in the sympath colony to replace his previous captive, the Sympath Princess. She becomes John Matthew's shellan after the events of Lover Mine take place. Her full name was revealed to be "Xhexania", meaning "beloved one" in the Old Language, a name given to her by Darius.

Payne is Vishous' fraternal twin sister. She is the daughter of the Scribe Virgin and the Bloodletter. Although female, she is a warrior like her brother and father. She was kept in a state of suspended animation in the chamber of the Scribe Virgin for many decades because her mother felt that she was too much like her father and therefore a danger to herself and everyone around her. However, when the Scribe Virgin grants the Chosen free-will in Lover Enshrined, she feels that her daughter deserves the same freedom and awakens her. Regardless, due to her mother having put her in such a state to begin with, Payne bears nothing but hatred and resentment for her. Payne's story is told in Lover Unleashed.

Autumn was a member of the glymera who named herself No'One when she served her sisters on the Other Side in the Scribe Virgin's sanctuary. She is described as having a prominent limp and is always clad in white robes which completely cover her body. She is friends with Payne and the Chosen Layla, and is revealed in Lover Mine to be Xhex's birth mother, Rosalhynda. She commits suicide after Xhex is born because she can't live with the pain surrounding her child's conception but is granted life anew so that she can serve the Chosen as atonement. After the events of Lover Mine take place, she is appointed as Payne's personal servant in the human world. She is named "Autumn" by Tohrment in Lover Reborn and is Tohrment's shellan.

Nontemporal beings

The Scribe Virgin is the vampire's deity, a mystical force and creator of the vampire race. She acts as counselor to the King, keeper of the vampire archives, and dispenser of privileges. She exists in a nontemporal realm and possesses great powers. Her true name is revealed in Dark Lover to be Analisse.

Lassiter is a fallen angel who has taken to staying with the Brotherhood. He rescued Tohrment from death and now fights alongside the Brothers. He is described as having long blonde and black-streaked hair and a vast array of piercings on his face, ears, nose and mouth, as well as emitting an otherworldly white light from his entire body, much like the Scribe Virgin (although a comparison between the two has not been made canonically). His background—only hinted at—is the reason for the Brothers' initial hatred and distrust of him. Unlike them, Lassiter displays a number of metrosexual characteristics (such as watching Oprah and Maury religiously).

The Omega is the lessers' counterpart to the Scribe Virgin. He is a malevolent, shadowy figure who has targeted the vampires for extinction out of resentment toward the Scribe Virgin for her ability to create life. He also exists in a nontemporal realm, Dhund (the vampiric equivalent of "Hell") and has extensive powers. The Omega is also the brother of the Scribe Virgin. After the events of Lover Enshrined, it is shown that he can circumvent time and space to a certain degree, as he was able to impregnate a female vampire in order to sire a child. He is hinted to be gay and displays a fickle, unstable nature.

Lash is the half-vampire son of the Omega. After nearly being killed by his cousin, Qhuinn, for brutally assaulting John in a fight, Lash's true legacy was revealed to him by the Omega. He murdered his vampire parents and joined—though still somewhat confused—his true father to lead the Lessening Society. He began to transform into a creature similar to the Omega, but was ultimately killed at the end of Lover Mine.

Vishous may qualify as a nontemporal being as he is the son of the Scribe Virgin. Likewise, Payne could also be considered a nontemporal being, as his twin.

The Moors are twin brothers Trez and iAm—the Shadows—who worked for Rehvenge at ZeroSum. After ZeroSum was no longer, Trez started running the Iron Mask and iAm started running Sal's Italian restaurant. Trez is Rehv's best friend and has a tendency to be quick-tempered. iAm is the more quiet of the two and is considered a hard-ass (Phury maintains that he is the one you need to watch out for). Both Trez and iAm are notoriously private with their emotions. They have blue blood, are able to move about undetected by Sympaths, and can disappear. The brothers are Princes of their race and were raised in a matriarchal society. Also, according to s'Hisbe tradition, Shadows skin their enemies alive, send the strips to their relatives, then spit-roast their carcasses and chew the meat from their bones.

Other characters

Layla is a beautiful strawberry blonde Chosen with light green eyes. She is nonjudgemental and nurturing of others. She is also fully trained as an ehros, meaning that she was taught the erotic arts. Because Rhage can't feed from Mary, he reaches out to the Directrix and requests a Chosen to feed from. Over time, Layla comes to terms with the necessity of Rhage feeding from her, a third party. In addition to Rhage, Vishous, John Matthew, Qhuinn, and Blay all feed from Layla without sex. When Layla goes into her needing, she asks Qhuinn to service her, even though neither one is in love with the other. Layla's taboo—and therefore secret—love is Xcor.

The Band of Bastards are an anti-Brotherhood group of lesser-killing vampires, so named because their bloodline or birth defects made them ineligible for the Brotherhood. At this time there are six bastards, including their leader, Xcor. Second in command is Throe, with Zypher and three cousins, Syphon, Balthazar and one called Syn.

Xcor has a cleft palate and a lean, angular face with black hair and dark blue eyes that repels people. His mother was rumoured to have had him taken out of the birthing room because she couldn’t stand the sight of him. He wanted someone to claim him and the Bloodletter did so because of Xcor’s usefulness as a warrior. The Bloodletter once kicked Xcor out of the warrior camp, but Xcor was determined to stay. The only way back in was to bear enough pain to satisfy and impress the sadistic Bloodletter.

Xcor moves from the Old World to Caldwell, New York, to seek vengeance on behalf of the Bloodletter. He also plans to dethrone Wrath and thereby rule the race. These ambitions thwart him from pursuing a relationship Layla, with whom he has fallen irrevocably in love. After which, Layla has found that Tohr is Xcor's half brother.

Assail, son of Assail, is the size of a Brother, has darker hair than Vishous’ black, and looks like a dangerous, sensual vampire. He speaks with a high-class Old Language accent and enjoys Cuban cigars.

Many impressions of Assail come from Xcor. Assail, in Xcor's eyes, is the son of the greatest Brother who ever lived and could have been either a warrior or a Brother himself, except that he allowed his mother’s plans to keep him from fulfilling his potential, leading Xcor to mistakenly perceive him as weak. Assail gives the impression of being an indolent aristocrat, but his windows are bulletproof (and threaded with steel to prevent unwanted visitors materializing directly into his home), as are his vehicles. He’s removed the trees that would provide cover for intruders and is familiar with handling firearms. When Xcor watches him convince the drug dealers who tried to rob him to kill themselves, he recognizes a potential threat.

Assail breaks into the drug trade by setting up meetings with middle-management dealers and coaxing them to turn their own guns on themselves before taking over their operations. His product is marked with the Old Language symbol for death. Presently, he has almost solidified his hold on the human drug trade, leaving only the art and drug dealer Benloise.

Murhder/Eliahu Rathboone is a reclusive vampire who lives/pretends to be a ghost in a Civil War mansion/plantation located 20 miles outside of Charleston, South Carolina. He was first mentioned in Lover Avenged and appeared mainly in a side story in chapters 9, 23, 26, 31, 37, 42, and 57 of Lover Mine. He was once in a relationship with Xhex, but when he found out she was half Symphath, he went insane and left the Brotherhood. Until chapter 73 of Lover Mine, Xhex had believed he was dead. She also thought that "terrorizing humans actually did sound right up his alley."

Boo is Beth's cat. When Beth was living on her own before her transition, Boo was her only companion.

George is Wrath's service dog. When Beth and Mary first introduce George to Wrath, he is against the idea of having a service dog, but George quickly becomes a very important member of the family.

Unlike many "typical" cats and dogs, Boo and George get along wonderfully.

Nalla is Zsadist and Bella's daughter.

Lyric is the biological daughter to Qhuinn and Layla, and the adopted daughter of Blaylock. She is named after Blay's mother and is twin to Rhampage.

Rhampage is the biological son of Layla and Qhuinn and the adopted son of Blaylock. He is twin to Lyric and was named by Wrath.

Bitty is the adopted daughter of Mary and Rhage.

Marckus is a former Blood slave that was taken in by Assail and his cousins after Assail found him in Throe's Lover's Hellren's basement. Assail and his cousins, along with Zsadist, burnt the house to the ground.

Wrath/L.W. is Beth and Wrath's son.

The series

Book 1: Dark Lover

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other—six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood. The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed—leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate—Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead, a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

Book 2: Lover Eternal

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He’s the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover—for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage’s protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. Her faith in miracles was lost years ago. But when Rhage’s intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves.

Book 3: Lover Awakened

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion and terror his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for each other begins to overtake them, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past and find a future with her.

Book 4: Lover Revealed

Butch O’Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex–homicide cop, he’s the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world. He’s got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who is way out of his league. If he can’t have Marissa, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers.

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he’s found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him.

Book 5: Lover Unbound

The ruthless and brilliant brother Vishous possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time-until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that does not include her.

Book 6: Lover Enshrined

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other—six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. And now, a dutiful twin must choose between two lives.

Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood's bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.

As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself- she sees the emotionally scarred male behind all his noble responsibility. But while the war with the Lessening Society grows more grim, and tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, Phury must decide between duty and love.

Book 7: Lover Avenged

Rehvenge, as a half-breed symphath, is used to living in the shadows and hiding his true identity. As a club owner and a dealer on the black market, he's also used to handling the roughest nightwalkers around—including the members of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. He's kept his distance from the Brotherhood as his dark secret could make things complicated on both sides—but now, as head of the vampire aristocracy, he's an ally that Wrath, the Blind King, desperately needs. Rehv's secret is about to get out, though, which will land him in the hands of his deadly enemies—and test the mettle of his female, turning her from a civilian into a vigilante.

Book 8: Lover Mine

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other—vampire warriors, defenders of their race. John Matthew has been through his vampire transition and taken to the life of the Brotherhood with a vengeance, but he still can't shake the nightmare of his past and is unsure of his future as a warrior hero. He's made a promise to honor the Brotherhood and their fight with the slayers at all costs, until the love of his life is kidnapped and he is forced to make a choice that could change his life and the Brotherhood's forever.

Book 9: Lover Unleashed

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion.

With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

Book 10: Lover Reborn

Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment has been unrecognizable from the vampire leader he once was. Physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair, he has been brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel. Now, fighting once again with ruthless vengeance, he is unprepared to face a new kind of tragedy.

When Tohr begins to see his beloved in his dreams—trapped in a cold, isolated netherworld far from the peace and tranquillity of the Fade—he turns to the angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. But because Lassiter tells him he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed.

Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past and a very hot, passion-filled future but can his heart let go and set all of them free?

Book 11: Lover at Last

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another.

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: it seems Qhuinn has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young. It’s hard for Blay to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. And Qhuinn needs to come to terms with some dark things before he can move forward.

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together finally become one.

Book 12: The King

The Black Dagger Brotherhood continues as a royal bloodline is compromised by a grave threat to the throne.

Long live the King

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle—with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything—and everyone—at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response—or the distance it creates between them.

The question is, will true love win out or tortured legacy take over?

Book 13: The Shadows

Release date: 3/31/15^[2]

Two brothers bound by more than blood, fight to change a brutal destiny in the heart-wrenching new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward.

Trez “Latimer” doesn't really exist. And not just because the identity was created so that a Shadow could function in the underbelly of the human world. Sold by his parents to the Queen of the S’Hisbe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer in Caldwell, NY for years- all the while on the run from a destiny of sexual servitude. He’s never had anyone he could totally rely on... except for his brother, iAm.

iAm's sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing- and he knows he’s failed. It’s not until the Chosen Selena enters Trez's life that the male begins to turn things around... but by then it’s too late. The pledge to mate the Queen’s daughter comes due and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.

Trapped between his heart and a fate he never volunteered for, Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others- or forever leave behind the female he’s in love with. But then an unimaginable tragedy strikes and changes everything. Staring out over an emotional abyss, Trez must find a reason to go on or risk losing himself and his soul forever. And iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice...

Book 14: The Beast

Mary, Rhage and Bitty's book.

Book 15: Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy Series #1)

Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, meets Craeg, a common civilian, meet in the Brotherhood's training program as the Brother's recruit for the war with the Lessening society.

Book 16: Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy Series #2)

Axe, a recruit in the Brotherhood's training program, accepts an assignment as a bodyguard for an aristocratic female, Elise.

Book 17: The Chosen

Xcor, leader of the Band of Bastards, convicted of treason against the Blind King, is facing a brutal interrogation and torturous death at the hands of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Yet after a life marked by cruelty and evil deeds, he accepts his soldier’s fate, his sole regret the loss of a sacred female who was never his: the Chosen Layla. Layla alone knows the truth that will save Xcor’s life. But revealing his sacrifice and his hidden heritage will expose them both and destroy everything Layla holds dear—even her role of mother to her precious young. Torn between love and loyalty, she must summon the courage to stand up against the only family she has for the only man she will ever love. Yet even if Xcor is somehow granted a reprieve, he and Layla would have to confront a graver challenge: bridging the chasm that divides their worlds without paving the way for a future of even greater war, desolation, and death. As a dangerous old enemy returns to Caldwell, and the identity of a new deity is revealed, nothing is certain or safe in the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, not even true love . . . or destinies that have long seemed set in stone.

ISBNs

The Black Dagger Brotherhood

1. Dark Lover ISBN 978-0-451-21695-3
2. Lover Eternal ISBN 978-0451218049
3. Lover Awakened ISBN 978-0451219367
4. Lover Revealed ISBN 978-0451412355
5. Lover Unbound ISBN 978-0-451-22235-0
6. Lover Enshrined ISBN 978-0-451-22272-5
7. Lover Avenged ISBN 978-0-451-22585-6
8. Lover Mine ISBN 978-0451229854
9. Lover Unleashed ISBN 978-0451233165
10. Lover Reborn ISBN 978-0451235848
11. Lover at Last ISBN 978-0-451-23935-8
12. The King ISBN 978-0-451-41705-3
13. The Shadows
14. The Beast
15. Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy Series #1)
16. Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy Series #2)

References

External links

• J. R. Ward's Official Site
• BDB/Fallen Angels Readers' Forum