JR Ward / Black Dagger Brotherhood

The Black Dagger Brother is the book that started me down the wonderful path of Paranormal Romance. JR Ward knows how to take it to the edge and then push it over. I Love It! She is not afraid to go there, wherever there may need to be for the development of the story or a character. These books are edgy, filled with sexual tension, and the release is always fulfilling.


Here's a great interview with JR Ward where she announces..............................

"Rehvenge’s LOVER AVENGED is up next! He’s a handful let me tell you and his romance is full of surprises and OMG moments... I’m just starting the drafting process now and I have a feeling he’s going to blow the doors off his binding so to speak. But honestly, would you expect anything else
Let’s see... I’ll give you the first line how about that?
"The king must die."
http://romancenoveltv.typepad.com/romance_novel_tv_blog/2008/06/interview---jr.html


Summary
The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a paranormal romance series consisting of six vampire brothers who all live and fight off their enemies together. They stand together to protect their lovers and their species.
Characters

Black Dagger Brotherhood
Wrath is the King of the vampires. He is the last pureblood vampire in existence. Essentially blind, he is the leader who was not willing to ascend the throne. His story is told in Dark Lover.

Rhage is the strongest and most beautiful of the Brothers. Cursed by the vampire's deity, The Scribe Virgin, he is possessed with a dark side that is a danger to everyone. His story is told in Lover Eternal He falls in love with a human named Mary and wishes to take her as his shellan.

Zsadist is the scarred, menacing Brother. Taken as an infant from his family, he's forced into blood slavery until his twin, Phury, rescues him. His story is told in Lover Awakened

Vishous is the most intelligent and the one who is specially gifted. His curse is his ability to prognosticate: he sees the future, though not the 'when' of events so he is tortured by his inability to save those he loves from danger. Tattooed on his face, his privates, and his entire hand, he has the ability of pyschometry. His story is told in Lover Unbound

Tohrment took over leadership of the Brotherhood when Wrath became King. He was the steady and calm brother, until a tragedy changed his life.

Phury is Zsadist's twin brother and a celibate who cannot truly live because of everything his biological brother has lost.Phury is incredibly loyal to his brother, even shooting off his own leg to save his twin. His story is told in Lover Enshrined

Butch/Dehstroyer is the only human to be allowed within the Brotherhood, and Wrath's cousin. This connection to him allows him to be "turned" and he is initiated in the BDB. He lives at the "Pit", a two bedroom house connected to the mansion where the King and other Brothers reside, with Vishous and he is a friend to all the warriors. An ex-homicide detective, he was lovingly given the nickname "Cop" by the vampires. He is the object of an ancient Lesser Prophecy, and has the ability to sense them wherever they are and can absorb them into himself. His story is told in Lover Revealed

Rehvenge is brother-in-law to Zsadist, a symphath, and owner of a local club called ZeroSum. His story is told in Lover Avenged.

John Matthew/Tehrror is the reincarnation of Darius. Before learning of his true identity, John Matthew lived a bleak existence. At one point, he was cornered in the hallway to his apartment and raped by an unknown assailant. Through Mary Luce, John Matthew learned that he would soon go through his transition to become a vampire. He was also invited to live amongst his kind, at which time he lived with Tohrment and his expectant mate, Wellsie, until the third book, where Wellsie is murdered by The Lessening Society.

The Series
DARK LOVER
Dark Lover is the first of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It tells the story of Wrath - the last purebred vampire left on the planet. The uncrowned king of the vampire species, Wrath lives only to fight in an endless war with the soulless vampire slayers, lessers, who brutally murdered his parents centuries ago. As leader of the Brotherhood, his only solace is in fighting, not looking to the past or future, shunning his duties as King.
Within the vampire world, Wrath is known as the Blind King, due to his extremely poor eyesight, though this does not affect his powers on the battlefield nor his ability to sense the feelings of others around him.
Blaming himself for his parent's death, Wrath has wrapped himself in a cocoon of self-hatred and unfeelingness, but Dark Lover tells of his enlivening. When the lessers kill one of his best fighters, Wrath is left with the responsibility to help the warrior’s half-human daughter, Beth, through her transition - this is a critical moment in a vampire’s life when he or she transforms into an adult. Thereafter, they must drink the blood of the opposite sex to survive and are unable to withstand sunlight. Occurs generally in the mid-twenties. Some vampires do not survive their transitions, males in particular. Prior to their transitions, vampires are physically weak, sexually unaware and unresponsive, and unable to dematerialise.
It is through Beth that Wrath learns to feel, and look toward the future, of his life and of the species as a whole.

LOVER ETERNAL
Lover Eternal is second in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It tells the story of Rhage, the strongest and best fighter of the Brotherhood. He is also considered the most attractive of all the Brothers. His beauty has earned him the nickname 'Hollywood'. However, Rhage was cursed in the early eighteen hundreds, for angering The Scribe Virgin. Due to his continued recklessness and uncontrollability just after his transition, The Scribe Virgin gave him The Beast. Fearsome in its beauty the Beast resembles a huge dragon with massive claws and a jaw filled with sharp fangs.
It was a punishment designed to regulate Rhage's energy and moods. Whenever he gets out of control, the Beast comes out. When this occurs Rhage's eyes turn a brilliant white and his body mutates in a grisly display of tearing and ruptures - letting the Beast emerge. When it is out, Rhage is totally suppressed and he is in no way able to control the Beast, who knows neither friend nor foe. Because of this, Rhage has to keep the Beast from coming out, subduing it through the satiation of a good fight or sex.
Rhage's sexual exploits are the stuff of legend in the Vampire society. It is said that fathers tell their sons the story of Rhage when the time is right. But Rhage does not relish this reputation and is, in fact, eager to cast it off.
In Lover Eternal Rhage meets Mary, a human female who he is unexplainably drawn to. Mary is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage's protection. However, with a life-threatening curse of her own, she is not looking for love and lost faith in miracles long ago. But when Rhage's attraction turns to something more emotional, he has to fight to make Mary his alone.

LOVER AWAKENED
Lover Awakened is the third in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It tells the story of Zsadist, the most lethal of the brothers. A former blood slave who was mercilessly tortured during the first hundred years of his life, Z is the one who has fallen farthest from grace. Lover Awakened tells of his redemption.
As an infant, Zsadist had been taken from his home and forced to serve in the house of a vampire aristocrat while he was pre-transition. Years later, hours after his transition, he found himself tied down, with thick black bands being tattooed into the skin around his wrists and neck (his pulse points). Overnight he had become a blood slave - a male or female vampire who is subjugated to serve the blood needs of another. For a hundred years, Zsadist had to suffer through the horror of being at the mercy of a brutal vampire female, The Mistress. Over time, Zsadist became numb. His canary yellow eyes, similar to that of his twin’s, Phury, grew black and soulless, a reflection of how he felt inside.
Though Phury rescues Zsadist, Z still bears the physical and mental scars from a terrible past. He becomes famous for his sinister deeds, especially where females are concerned. He is considered 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 Lessening Society.
Bella had been instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses; and though he considers himself unworthy of her, she strives to prove her feelings and her belief in him.

LOVER REVEALED
Fourth book in the series. This is the story of Butch. Released 6th March 2007: 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- to engage in the bolster war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, 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, found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love might may not be enough to save him...

LOVER UNBOUND
The fifth book in the series. This is the story of Vishous.Released on 25th September 2007: Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretran growing up in his father's war camp, he was tormented and abused. 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 cannot include her.

LOVER ENSHRINED
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.

J.R. Ward is a New York Times and USAToday Best Selling author of erotic paranormal romance. She lives in the south with her incredibly supportive husband and her beloved golden retriever. After graduating from law school, she began working in healthcare in Boston and spent many years as Chief of Staff of one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation. Writing has always been her passion and her idea of heaven is a whole day of nothing but her computer, her dog and her coffee pot.
JRWard Website
http://www.jrward.com/

JRWard Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/jrwardbdb

Sherrilyn Kenyon / Dark Hunter Novels

The Dark Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of my all time favorites.
The Books are well written, pee in your pants funny and sexy as hell!

Reading Order
Dark-Hunter
1. Fantasy Lover
2. "The Beginning", also in the back of Sins of the Night
3. Dragonswan, reprinted singly by Berkley (2005)
4. Night Pleasures
5. Night Embrace
6. "Phantom Lover", in the anthology Midnight Pleasures
7. Dance with the Devil
8. "A Dark-Hunter Christmas", also in the back of Dance with the Devil
9. Kiss of the Night
10. Night Play
11. "Winter Born", in the anthology Stroke of Midnight
12. Seize the Night
13. Sins of the Night
14. "Second Chances", in Exclusive Dark-Hunter Collectible Booklet , free giveaway. Is included in the Dark-Hunter Companion!
15. Unleash the Night,
16. Dark Side of the Moon
17. "A Hard Day's Night-Searcher", in the anthology My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding
18. "Until Death We Do Part", in the anthology Love At First Bite
19. Fear the Darkness, free e-book
20. The Dream-Hunter
21. Devil May Cry
22. Upon the Midnight Clear
23. Dark-Hunter Companion
24. Dream Chaser

There are many different species and branches who make up the world. But for those who are new to the universe, here's a quick tutorial:

Dark-Hunter: An ancient warrior who sold his/her soul to the Greek goddess Artemis for a single act of vengeance. Now they protect mankind from the Daimons who want to claim our souls.
Apollite: A member of a race cursed by the god Apollo. They cannot be out in daylight and they must live on the blood of each other. At age 27, they die a slow and painful death unless they decide to turn Daimon and prey on human souls.
Daimon: An Apollite who refuses to docilely die over a curse s/he had no part in creating. They feed on human souls and fight the Dark-Hunters.
Were-Hunter: Originally part of the Apollite race, their DNA was magically spliced with animals. Now they are shape-shifters who are embroiled in a war against each other.
Dream-Hunter: They are the gods of sleep who were cursed by the Greek gods to feel no emotion whatsoever. But they carry within them a dark secret that could completely shake the world in which they live. The Oneroi branch are often helpers to the Dark-Hunters.
Charonte: A race of demons who are extremely violent and amoral. They have a very interesting code of ethics.
Squire: A human who is employed by a Dark-Hunter or a human who has skills that make a Dark-Hunter's life a bit easier. They have an entire organization set up and are willing to die or kill to protect the secret of the DH world.
Oracle: One who speaks with the gods. They tend to be really crusty/cranky people.
Chthonian: A race of... well that would be the question. There are only a handful of them left and they are a CRANKY bunch.
Savitar: Yeah... in a class by himself ;) Ditto on Acheron.


The Dark-Hunters are fictional immortal warriors in the Dark-Hunter series who sold their souls to the Greek goddess Artemis for one single act of vengeance after being killed. Afterwards they are bound to protect mankind from the Daimons who want to claim human souls.

Becoming a Dark-Hunter
Whenever a person dies wrongfully, their soul screams out for vengeance. The strongest and angriest of the screams echo through the halls of Olympus, Artemis then offers them a deal. Once the bargain is accepted, the new Dark-Hunter is branded with Artemis's double bow-and-arrow wherever she touches them. They then are allowed their Act of Vengeance.

In exchange of their souls, Artemis allows all new Dark-Hunters to have twenty-four hours to exact revenge on those who wronged them during their human life. Most notably the Dark-Hunters usually go after people who killed them. After the twenty-four-hour period, they belong to her and get sent to Acheron, the leader of the Dark-Hunters.

After training with Acheron is over, the Dark-Hunters are assigned a location somewhere in the world. Then the Dark-Hunter spends the rest of eternity fighting with Daimons and other evil.

Artemis pays them well for their services and provides them with human helpers known as Squires.

Dark-Hunter Code
Honor Artemis. Drink no blood. Harm no human or Apollite. Never touch a Squire. Speak with no family or friends who knew you before you died. Let no Daimon escape alive. Never speak of what you are. You walk alone. Keep your bow mark hidden.

Becoming free
The only way for a Dark-Hunter to be freed from Artemis's service is to find the one true soul who loves him or her enough to pass Artemis's test. That person must take the medallion that contains the Dark-Hunter's soul and hold it to the double bow-and-arrow mark until Dark-Hunter's soul returns. However the task is more difficult than it sounds, as the medallion becomes as hot as lava during the process and permanently scars the holder's hand. If the holder can't maintain his or her grip and the medallion is dropped, the Dark-Hunter's soul is lost forever. This traps the Dark-Hunter into a very painful existence known as a Shade, the same as if the Dark Hunter died. However, if the lover succeeds, the Dark-Hunter is once again a mortal with a soul, restarting life at the age they were when they first died.

Weaknesses
They can be killed by:
Sunlight
Beheading
Total dismemberment
Piercing the double-bow-and-arrow mark, as revealed in Dance With The Devil, can also kill a Dark-Hunter, but Acheron keeps this a secret from them to protect them.
They also have a weakness to bright, halogen lights, which harm their sensitive eyes. Even Acheron succumbs to this weakness.

Appearances
While still containing the looks they lived with as a human, the Dark-Hunters gained fangs and light-sensitive eyes like the Daimons which they kill. Each Dark-Hunter also has a double-bow-and-arrow mark. Artemis is notorious for mostly choosing tall, handsome men and tall, beautiful women to be Dark Hunters.

Known Dark-Hunters
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
*Acheron- The first Dark Hunter ever made. Once in love with Artemis, he is now bound to her by the events of the past and must obey her. He is the protector of the Dark Hunters and suffers greatly for them, even though most of them resent him. He has to bargain with Artemis to gain the souls of Dark Hunters to set them free - often resulting in his torment at her hands. The last of the Atlanteans, Acheron is the son of Apollymi, the Atlantean goddess of Destruction and thus is a god in his own right, not just a powerful Dark hunter. His 'true' form is said to have blue skin with a marbled appearance. He also has two scars that only appear in this form, one being a hand print on his chest, like someone held him down whilst the other scar was inflicted, a slash across his throat. The few that are able to see this form are warned not to look at the hand print scar.
*Alexion- Helper of Acheron, was born Ias. One of the first Dark-Hunters after Acheron, he was killed by his wifes lover and the true father of the three children he had raised. He was turned to a shade when Acheron mistakenly thought his wife would hold the burning amulet to his bow and arrow mark, but instead she dropped it. Said wife is now a statue outside Alexions room in Katoteros, where he resides with Dangereuse (Sins of the night). Acheron brought him out of Shadedom and now Alexion feeds from Acherons blood everyonce in awhile(in a glass, not from the neck). As helper of Ash, he goes to earth whenever they run into troubles with roage Dark Hunters and 'Judges' them.
*Arien
*Belle- Deceased. Murdered by Daimons.
*Blade
*Cael- A Dark Hunter married to an Apollite, meaning that he will have to watch his wife die at
the age of 27.
*Corbin
*Dangereuse- A rare short female Dark Hunter that Artemis obviously took a liking to. She died in a battle and became a shade. She currently resides with Alexion in Katoteros.
*Diana
*Diego
*Dragon
*Hawke
*Kassim
*Kell
*Kyrian- His story is told in Night Pleasures. Kyrian was a prince of Macedonia before he was betrayed by his wife Theone and killed by the Romans. Kyrian is one of the few Dark Hunters to regain their soul.
*Nick- Friend to Acheron during his life, Nick unintentionally slept with Simi, Acheron's demonic 'daughter' and companion. Enraged upon finding out, Acheron damned Nick with his words. Later that same night, Nick's mother was murdered and Nick killed himself in order to claim vengeance. Due to the circumstance of his death, Artemis, whom he had summoned seconds beforehand, was unable to grant him revenge, but she did make him a Dark Hunter. He now harbors a deep hatred and resentment for Acheron for what he did to him. It is alluded to that he will play a crucial part in Acheron's potential future downfall and the plot against him.
*Phobos
*Ravyn- A rare Were-Hunter/Dark Hunter, Ravyn is a Arcadian, a human that can take animal form. His story is told in The Dark Side of the Moon, where he falls in love with Susan, a woman who is allergic to cats, which happens to be Ravyn's Arcadian side. His family dis-owned him, because his mate turned and let in enemies, while the males were out hunting, to kill the woman and childer and in turn killed all the male were-hunters bonded to the females.
*Renegade
*Retta- Wife of Velkan Danesti and the daughter of Vlad Tepes, followed her husband into being a Dark Hunter.
*Samia
*Sin- Aka Nana. Once a god, his powers were taken from him by Katra Agrotera, Artemis's and Acheron's daughter. He doesnt hunt Daimons like other dark hunters: He hunts Gallu Demons instead. He has an extream dis-like for Artemis, because he thinks she took his power. He falls in love with Katra in ' the Devil May Cry', but soon finds out she took his power. He tries to forget her, but soon she is attacked and the only way to save her is to bond himself to her.
*Talon- A Celt warrior that angered a god, Talon was forced to watch his sister die in an attempt to appease the god, as well as suffer his own death to the same end. Nevertheless, Talon became a Dark Hunter and spent his days in solitude and torment over his sister's death and his wife's death in childbirth. He has a unique ability to take other's wounds into himself, a form of healing due to the Dark Hunter's tolerance to wounds. His story is told in Night Embrace.
*Valerius- A Roman Dark Hunter, he is unusual because Artemis is a Greek goddess. He is also thusly hated by the other Dark Hunters due to his birthright as a Roman and the prejudice that comes with it. His grandfather murdered Kyrian and Valerius' resemblance to him is torment for the other Dark Hunter, fueling his hatred. Valerius is also the half brother of Zarek, who likewise hates him for the way he was treated and would torment Valerius when he was a Dark Hunter and Zarek had the powers of a god. Due to the way he is seen, Valerius adopted a cold and aloof personality as would be befitting his Roman heritage. His story is told in Seize the Night where he falls in love with Tabitha.
*Velkan- Wife of Retta, was born of a king and a witch and magickally combined their souls at their marrige not long before he was killed and became a dark hunter, brigning her into immortality with him. *Sundown- American Dark Hunter, once an outlaw.
*Xander
*Wulf
*Zarek- Once a Roman slave, Zarek became a ferocious and feral Dark Hunter who spurned all kindness and civil contact. Barely controllable, Artemis long wished for his destruction, and it was only Acheron's intervention that kept that from coming about. He is a half brother to Valerius and mistakenly blames him for many things that he suffered in his past as a slave. His story is told in Dance with the Devil. Astrid is sent down to choose if Zarek is worth saving. She soon falls in love with him, because she sees who he really is. Zarek becomes a Demi-God and is fond of throwing lightning bolts at Valerius.
*Zoe- An Amazon Dark Hunter. She hates men, to the point as prefering women as her intimate partners.

Find out more about Sherrilyn Kenyon here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherrilyn_Kenyon

Visit Acheron on Myspace:
http://myspace.com/acheronp

The Dark-Hunter website:
http://www.dailyinquisitor.com/hunter/