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Review
5 huge stars and ALL HAIL THE KING!
I was so excited to learn that JR Ward was going to bring us more Wrath – I freakin’ love that vamp! Since he ascended to the throne we have seen him struggle to adjust to the new demands on him – his resistance to giving up his life as a Warrior to instead deal with politics, fighting against the snobby glymera who want control for themselves, barely escaping attempts on his life and threats to his throne, losing his eyesight completely, and learning how to balance all of that with his relationship with Beth. And finally, in this book, we get some resolution for one of our most beloved Brothers.
Wrath and Beth’s love story is pretty freaking epic. And in this book that just gets reinforced. Earlier in the series we’ve seen them reach the end of the honeymoon period and settle into real life, and that continues here. They have conflict and fight just like any other couple, but there is no doubting their deep love for each other, and although there is some stupidness, it’s very minor and at no stage made me angry or frustrated with them. They are in a very difficult situation, and I thought the way they handled everything was fantastic. And, of course, the progression of their story was absolutely sensational!
Wrath proves his love for his Shellan over and over again, and his absolute commitment to her is amazing. And Beth’s love, support, and strength for her man and all that he has to face just adds to her awesomeness.
“I’m not strong enough for this,” he whispered in her ear—like he didn’t want anyone to hear that coming out of his mouth. Ever.
Running her hands up his powerful back, she held him just as hard. “But I am.
Their scenes together are amazing, with lots of passion and romance, and then the whole climax to their story absolutely melted me. I sobbed happy tears during Wrath and Beth’s big moment. And with the whole household involved in such an epic moment, with special attention paid to particular dynamics, I thought that whole scene was just GOLD! Followed by Wrath showing his swoony side.
“You have given me something … I didn’t even know I needed. It’s the greatest gift I will ever receive–it’s, like, completing me already in places I wasn’t aware were empty. And yet … in spite of all that? I don’t love you one bit more. You are as important to me as you’ve always been … I was wholly bonded to you before this, and will be after this–and forevermore.”
“You’re going to make me cry again.”
“So cry. And let me take care of you. I got this.”
SWOOOOOOOOOOOON! You’ve gotta love him!
As always in the BDB books, there are a lot of other storylines going on simultaneously.
I really enjoyed Layla’s story. With Qhuinn and Blay now all loved-up and blissfully happy, there is more of a focus on Layla herself, her pregnancy, and wow, I’m loving that one! The emotion in that particular little storyline had me tearing up, and the future direction of her story – which is pointing very firmly towards Xcor.
Speaking of which, Xcor does feature in this story, but very much in terms of his relationship with Layla. The Band of Brothers do play a part, but it’s minimal – as is the Lesser involvement, thank God!
There is a fantastic set up for both Trez and iAm. There are lots of surprises revealed about the two Shadow brothers, and I’m more than halfway in love with both of them already! I’m stoked that their story is up next.
I am loving Assail and Sola’s story, and with the way that ended, I can only hope that we get some continuation for them later in the series.
And, of course, there is a fair bit of time spent in the mansion with the rest of the ‘family’, which I LOVED! The original Brothers, the new boys, all of their shellans, and even little Nalla, are such an incredible family, and this is really reinforced in this book. I love the different personalities and the incredible dynamics that exist between them – fighting or loving, it’s all awesome!
There is some JM perspective, which I missed in the last book. I love JM! And his relationship with Beth is so special! I love that the readers know about the special link between the two of them, even though they don’t. Their moments together are gorgeous.
And even Lassiter is still hanging around, and has some fantastic moments. He had me laughing out loud on several occasions.
Rhage shook his head. “Do you have balls? Or are angels born sac-less?”
Lassiter smiled slyly. “I do all right. Back in the Old Country, I used to chime noon and midnight.”
Ward’s writing is fantastic, and gets you straight back into the BDB world, continuing on with her very own original slang, pop culture references, and all of the little nuances that go into creating her unique characters. You feel me?
I loved every moment of this book, and can’t wait for more to come!
5 huge stars.
Check out our Black Dagger Brotherhood page for more info on the series.