Showing posts with label Black Dagger Brotherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black Dagger Brotherhood. Show all posts

Friday 18 February 2011

Guest Review: Dark Lover

Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood - Book 1) by J.R. Ward

Publication Date: September 2005
Publisher: Penguin Group
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampires
ISBN-13: 9780451216953
ISBN:
0451216954

(Received for a guest review on Cherry Mischievous' Blog) Check it out!

Purchase:
Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Books-A-Million, IndieBound
J.R. Ward on the Web: Website, Facebook, Twitter

Excerpt from Dark Lover
Book Trailer: This is a fan made trailer, which I liked a lot!

Synopsis (Book Blurb):
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 who are defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the blind 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 beyond her wildest dreams...

Thoughts:

Wrath is the blind leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a collection of warriors who are charged with protecting the vampire race against vampire slayers. When Darius one of Wrath's closest friends and warriors is killed, Wrath knows that he is probably the only person who can protect and save Darius's daughter. Beth has no idea she's about to go through a change that could end her life without help from another vampire. Beth is a half-breed, her mother human and her father a vampire. It is uncertain if she will survive without the blood of a purebred vampire. Wrath isn't prepared for the feelings he begins to have for Beth and he will stop at nothing to protect her and make her his queen.

I fell in love with J.R. Ward's writing style from the very first page. Sometimes when I first start reading a book it takes me a little while to warm up to to, and then there are some that just grab my attention and I know they are going to be novels that I won't soon forget, Dark Lover was definitely one of these. It was engrossing and hard to put down. I stayed up long into the night reading it and I can't wait to read Lover Eternal the second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

Ward had a very different idea of vampires than I was used to and I thought it was refreshing and interesting. Most of the books I have read portray vampires feeding only on humans. I found it very intriguing that Ward's vampires fed on the blood of the opposite vampire sex. Male vampires feeding on female vampires, etc. The whole vampire world in this book was engaging and I found myself looking forward to the parts of the novel that told more about their world and how it functioned.

Instead of fighting against humans, the vampires were up against vampire slayers or lessors. The dregs of society who have basically given their souls for the opportunity to kill vampires and wreck havoc on the world. Mr. X is one of the leaders of the lessors, but there is a higher power, so to speak, called the Omega. The vampires have a overall leader as well called the Scribe Virgin. All of this was so new and interesting that I just fell in love with the book and the series.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood itself is made up some really cool characters. Wrath the leader and the King is blind. I thought that was a genius move by Ward. He was a big, strong man, but he had this serious vulnerability that made him seem less daunting. He was strong in spite of his disability. He was the ultimate brooding hero. His relationship with Beth was full of heat. The love scenes were well written and not full of a lot of unnecessary stuff. Beth is definitely are great character as well. She holds her own against a supporting cast of warriors. She is determined and fearless.

The other brothers are introduced in this book as well. Rhage has a beast within him that takes over and basically destroys most anything in his path. I can't wait to learn more about him. Vicious is the computer mastermind, but his touch can kill. Each warrior has his own little problem. Phury and Zadist are twin brothers, Phury has taken a vow of celibacy, hard for a vampire, I'm sure and Zadist is full of anger and a little madness from being a slave, but he has the voice of an angel. My favorite was Torhment. He was more laid back than the other brothers and added a lot of strength to the cast. He seemed the most level headed.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this one. It was a wonderful new look at vampires. I can't wait to read more from J. R. Ward. I loved her style and her world building skills. Her backstories for the characters were well done and did not take away from the Wrath and Beth's story. It just gave the book more depth. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves paranormal romance or vampire stories. It's a different perspective on a very popular myth.
Dark Lover is available NOW at your favorite bookseller.

At my blog I would give this 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!



J.R. Ward lives in the South with her incredibly supportive husband and her beloved golden retriever. After graduating from law school, she began working in health care in Boston and spent many years as chief of staff for one of the premier academic medical centres in the nation.

Friday 10 December 2010

Book Review: "Dark Lover" by JR Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1)


 Author: J. R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood

Book #: 1 of 10

Publisher: Signet

ISBN: 0451216954

ISBN-13: 9780451216953

# pages: 416

Wow! Just.. wow. I don’t quite even know where to start with this one. Holy frickin yowsa! I am now an official member of the BDB addicts. I bow to the master, JR Ward. lol

Dark Lover is intense, moving, emotional, exciting, and every other awesome adjective you could think of. JR weaves a web of tales that entangles each of the characters’ stories with each other, all the while giving them a strong story of their own. Wrath and Beth’s love is absolutely amazing, and I have decided to change my name to Beth in hopes that maybe, just maybe, there is another Wrath out there somewhere. Hey, a girl has to have dreams, right? lol

There were so many times throughout this book that I was literally moved to laugh, smile, or cry. A masterpiece in the paranormal world, Dark Lover should be on everyone’s wish list this Christmas, but be sure to have the funds available to run out and get the next book in the series, Lover Eternal! I had to buy it for my nook before I even finished Dark Lover. lol I had to have the reassurance that I could continue on with my warriors. *swoon*

Seriously, though.. This book is phenomenal. Not many authors can tell that many character stories and weave them together with such fluidity. Every character that I was introduced to had their own story to tell, and each story involved at least one of the other characters. Marissa’s story led to Wrath, Wrath’s story led to Beth, Beth’s story led to Butch, and the brothers were right there beside them through it all. Amazing. Go buy this book.

My Rating: 5/5 !

Monday 31 May 2010

WINNER: MAY LOVE

Our MAY LOVE winner is.... (((drum roll)))

Amanda of Story Wings


Congratulations to our winner!! And thank you to everyone who entered the contest!! If you didn't win this time, there are more contests here, so make sure you grab your chance to win... it could be you on our next winner announcement :)

Sunday 2 May 2010

MAY LOVE


I was racking my brain as to what to do for May. What I wanted was to give you, my dear readers, something really really good... something that I would want for myself... and I thought... geesh! It's a no brainer! I'd give you John Matthew!! So, fill in the form and grab yourself the chance to bag John for free ;)

To Enter: Register HERE.

Rules:
  • Open only to Cherry Mischievous followers (via Google Friend Connect) and/or to CherryD community members. Because the main reason I am hosting this contest in the first place is to reward my readers, therefore this contest is for followers only :)
      • Not yet a follower? Just click the "FOLLOW" button on the sidebar on the left. Easy peasy!
      • You do not have to be a CherryD member if you are already a Cherry Mischievous follower to enter this contest. But being a CherryD member as well, will gain you 5 extra entry credits. Extra entry credits will increase your chances of winning.
  • This contest is open internationally where Book Depository ships to. Please check here if your country is one of them before entering the contest to avoid disappointment.
  • Please note that the book will be purchased by us to be sent directly to winner from Book Depository. Your book therefore may not have the same cover art as the pic with this post. This post used stock photo from the internet. Cherry Mischievous will not also be responsible for the condition of the book when it gets to the winner since that is the responsibility of the bookseller entirely and out of our control. Please also note that cover in this post may not be the same as the one that you will get.
  • A participant of this contest gets one extra entry credit every time he/she spreads the word about this contest after verification of the url address given in the form. However, only one extra entry will be credited per site. Like for example, you can tweet as many times as you like but that will count only as one extra entry credit. Although we do appreciate it if you tweet multiple times about this contest!
  • Contest ends on the 30th of May 2010.
  • The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward is not for under 18s. Therefore, you have to be 18 or over to enter this contest.
  • Please note that comments here, although very much appreciated, will not enter you in the contest. You will have to fill out the form.
  • Questions? Ask! michivus101-maylove [at] yahoo [dot] com.
  • Please read the blog's Disclaimer as it forms part of the contest rules.

Friday 26 June 2009

LOVER AVENGED

Acknowledgements:
A big "thank you" to VampFanGirl of Lovin Me Some Romance for sending me an autographed copy of Lover Avenged by JR Ward!!!!

Warning: Spoilers alert!!! Don't read further if you do not want to read spoilers.

My Review:
This book was better than Lover Enshrined. Still not up to JR Ward's old quality. Or, it could be that the Black Dagger Brotherhood (BDB) series has worn off a little of it's novelty on me. At least there was no embarassing sissy soprano singing...

It hasn't really been fully explained why Rehvenge shouldn't kill the sympath Princess... It looked to me like it would have been so much simpler if Rehvenge killed her and a whole lot more sensible. But then I guess we wouldn't have a book...

Still worth reading. If for nothing else, then, for better appreciation of the next book in the series. In the hopes that the next book would be better...

Rating: 3 cherries out of 5


Genre: urban fantasy

Excerpt:
Caldwell, NY, has long been the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It’s also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and notorious nightclub that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he’s approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King, and leader of the Brotherhood. Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a member. Because he’s a sympath, his identity is a deadly secret- the revelation of which will result in his banishment to a colony for sociopaths. And as plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll against Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in a darkening world- Elhena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him- and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

Excerpt was taken from the author's website at: http://www.jrward.com/index-books.html on 26/06/2009.

Buy Link:

Tuesday 14 October 2008

DARK LOVER

Dark Lover by JR Ward

My Take On This Book:
I've read this book a long time ago, so this is a retrospective reivew. This used to be my most favouritest of all time vampire series until they released Lover Enshrined. Dark Lover is the first of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (BDB) by JR Ward. If you love hero vampires and romance then you would love this series! However this particular book is not so fantastic. Don't get me wrong, it is a good read, but, it is not the best book in the series. Dark Lover is not the worst either. The greatest endorsement that I could say for this book is that it is the start of the Black Dagger Brotherhood! Overall, this book is just a 3.5 out of 5.

JR Ward has a website where you can get BDB candy at : http://www.jrward.com/. Miss Ward is also in MySpace at : http://www.myspace.com/jrwardbdb.

Cherry's Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


Caption At The Back Reads:
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deathly 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 their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebreed vampire left on the planet, 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 - orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead...

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frightens her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both...