Tuesday, April 5, 2016

The Beast by J.R. Ward


Title: The Beast 
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #14
Author: J.R. Ward 
Publisher: NAL
Release Date: April 5, 2016



Rhage and Mary return in a new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a series “so popular, I don’t think there’s a reader today who hasn’t at least heard of [it]” (USA Today).

Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself…

For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect—or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand—or control—the panic and insecurity that plague him…

And that terrifies him—as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities—and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world...and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from..






I love being back in the BDB world and going back to Rhage and Mary who are one of my favorite couples in the BDB world. I love how loving and attentive Rhage can be towards Mary. He'll do anything for her. I also appreciated that in The Beast, Mary and Rhage have a much better communication than Wrath and Beth did in The King.

The BDB is a unique series. JR Ward has created a perfect combination of romance, action and intrigue. You know pretty much where the story is heading but there are always surprises. New characters have a way of popping out. This time we get Bitty. I thought she was a little standoffish at first but I was wrong.  I loved her relationship with Rhage. They bonded from the very first time they hung out together.  I guess it helps that Rhage does behave like a little kid at times.



The brotherhood keeps on expanding and I'm happy the mansion has so many rooms because, by the end of the series, there is going to be a small city living there. 

Some of the side stories are still developing. Assail confuses me. He's still thinking about Marisol but is not doing anything to get her back. He does need to kick out the coke addiction. It's getting old. 

Xcor and Layla, I'm frustrated, to say the least. She never did anything to help him. I was expecting some big scene about it. Xcor would do anything for her but I felt like she was too scared to open her mouth and reveal the truth about her feelings.

I wonder if Jo is heading to be Lassiter's HEA? We shall see...

Overall, this book reminded me why I fell in love with the BDB. It had all the right ingredients to keep my interest. Even the ending was sweet. 

I'm glad she keeps on writing more books. 

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.




I read the first 3 books in this series a while ago, and I remembered really enjoying those books. I specifically remembered the book about Rhage and Mary, because they were my favorite couple from this series. When I saw that this book was focused on them, I knew I had to read it. I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to follow what was happening in the book, but Ward did a good job at catching me up. She provided the necessary information without overwhelming me with information. It was a little hard to keep track of all the couples at first, but I was able to catch on pretty quickly.



This book had a lot going on. There was action, romance, humor, mystery, and more. Ward was able to smoothly weave all of these aspects together. I will say that some of the chapters that didn't focus on Rhage and Mary bored me a little bit. I just wanted to read about Rhage and Mary! I was so tempted to skim the chapters that didn't involve them. I know that sounds bad, but it's the truth. I wanted to get my fill of Rhage and Mary. The chapters focused on them were great. This book made me remember why I love Rhage and Mary so much. They are absolutely fantastic together, and Rhage is soooooo swoon worthy.



There was a new character (maybe just new for me), Bitty. Bitty was adorable. I loved her character. She was a great addition to this series. Her relationship with Rhage and Mary was so cute. I liked seeing Bitty bond with them. Their dynamic made my heart so happy!



Overall, this was an exciting and addictive read. I think fans of this series will really enjoy this book! If you love Rhage and Mary as much as I do, then you definitely need to pick this book up!




4 / 5 Fangs

*This book was given to me in exchange for a honest review. * 


I am a huge fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. After hearing so much hype about the series I decided I needed to jump on the bandwagon, so a couple years ago I had a reading marathon of every book that was out. Since then I have kept up to date on them because they are like my crack! There are so many characters and love stories entwined with such a creative plot. We first got Rhage and Mary's story in Lover Eternal which published ten whole years ago, so needless to say it was time for an update on what has been happening with them in the time that so many other couples were getting their happy endings.

This story starts off with a bang! It had me biting my nails in the very first chapter! The Brotherhood is still in a war with the Lessening Society and it seems like they can't send them back to the Omega fast enough. We see from the beginning that not all is well with Rhage and Mary. I love Rhage so much! Their story is such a great love story and I hate to see them hurting. My heart goes out to them instantly! We see them slowly trying to work through some of the issues that have been causing a break in their relationship. 

Through all that we are still getting more of some of the characters that are hopefully going to be getting their own books in the future like Xcor, Layla, Assail, Lassiter, and a new character as well! I am hoping the new character will be a love interest but we will just have to wait and see. Of course we also get more of all of the brothers we know and love! I love how much they LOVE each other! They are such a tight unit, like they couldn't survive if one of them was missing. The way they play, and bicker, and support each other gives me butterflies in my stomach.

I will give fair warning that you should have tissues nearby because this one is a tear jerker. Rhage is absolutely perfect in every way. He was so sweet and caring with Mary even through all of his struggles. When he was finally able to talk about it with her my heart broke a little, but at the same   time reading all of the sweet Rhage and Mary moments gave my the tingles. Major tingles! It's safe to say that I am very impatiently waiting for next book in this series. It first started with just the brothers, now we have shellans, and young! I am so invested in these characters  and I will forever be a fan. They are each perfect in their own way. J.R. Ward has without a doubt earned my complete and utter devotion! 

5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.



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