Tag Archives: Zsadist

Literary Review: The BDB An Insider’s Guide by JR Ward

After JR Ward completed the first six books in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series she took a “break” to write “An Insider’s Guide”, this includes not only a few interviews with the Brothers from BDB but also tips and notes as she wrote through the first six novels in the series.

  • Kicks and Giggles
  • The Brothers on the Board
  • Slices of Life from the Board
  • Question and Answer with JR
  • Time Line of the Brotherhood
  • Table of Abbreviations
  • The Old Language
  • The Brothers Interview JR
  • In Memoriam
  • Excerpt from Lover Avenged

    • Father Mine: A Novella of Zsadist and Bella and Nalla
    The novella caught my attention first, well considering it was the first thing in the guide is that really a surprised? For anyone that remembered Lover Awakened, between the end of the primary story and the Epilogue there was a period of time that was skipped. While snippets of this ends up being filled in over the course of the following three books (Lover Revealed, Lover Unbound and Lover Enshrined)… the piece that is missing is the period of time between the birth of Nalla and what happens in the Epilogue of Lover Awakened.

    What this novella does is not only fill in that missing piece of the timeline but ties it all back to what was already written in the epilogue and continuing for a moment thereafter. Although the novella focuses on how Zsadist comes to terms further with his past as a blood slave and how to approach his newborn daughter with that news… there are a few snippets here and there that ties in with a few of the other Brothers in the Brotherhood.

    When I first read / listened to Lover Awakened to the end, I felt that Zsadist had quite a bit story left in his, particularly when it came to his daughter. So I was rather pleased when I read this novella and realized that JR Ward did exactly just that and developed more of Zsadist healing period and confronting the demons when it came to his daughter. Now Lover Awakened made a lot more sense to me.

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    Literary Review: Lover Enshrined (Book 6) by J R Ward

    The joy of siblings… Phury has spent his entire life utterly and completely devoted to his twin brother, Zsadist believing him to be scarred beyond redemption. Even when Zsadist found his mate in Bella, Phury constantly worried over the chance and possibility that Zsadist would fall off the deep end… But what ended up happening was that it became apparent over time that it would be Phury who would not only fall over the deep end, but would be left to his own devices when everyone who cared about him gave up on him.

    But before moving on you could find out more about Phury’s backstory at Book Thingo: Black Dagger Brotherhood Cheat Sheet Part 6
    – Black Dagger Brotherhood: Phury, son of Ahgony
    – The Primale and the Chosen
    – Layla
    – Selena

    Well known as to be the more handsome of the two brothers, Phury felt a sense of devotion to the point of celibacy believing that as long as he felt that Zsadist was in danger of being a danger to everyone around him, Phury could not enjoy himself or live his own life. Granted spending over a century searching for his lost twin brother could do that to a guy… and feeling like Zsadist was the shadow over their family’s memory that they all but forgotten about the son that was still alive and around could do that to a guy (in the more extreme of situations).

    With his fantastic mane of multicoloured hair, Phury should have been in Hollywood’s league with the ladies, but he’d stuck with his vow of celibacy. There was room for one and only one love in his life, and it had been slowly killing him for years. ― J.R. Ward, Dark Lover

    So this novel became the growth and revelation to Phury as he continued to fall deeper and deeper into his own world to the point that everyone around him lost faith in him. In fact the only being that had any faith (outwardly) in Phury is the soft spoken and ethereal Cormia… his first mate from “The Chosen”.

    Available Summary:

    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.

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    Literary Review: Lover Awakened (Book 3) by J R Ward

    Title: Lover Awakened
    Author: J R Ward
    Series: Book Three
    Format: Audiobook

    The third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series focuses on the darkest Brother of group: Zsadist. With a past that others could never conjure up in a million years and a devil may care attitude on his life and future, Zsadist appears to be the Brother for whom everyone seemed to believe redemption doesn’t exist.

    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 is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

    Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, 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…

    When I listened to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series for the first time, Zsadist’s story was the one that I couldn’t listen to all the way through. There was just so much going on that I simply couldn’t stomach it. It wasn’t until I was listening to the series the second way through that I was able to listen through the book all the way through and I was glad that I did.
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    Literary Review: Lover Eternal (Book 2) by J R Ward

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    Title: Lover Eternal
    Author: J R Ward
    Series: Book Two
    Format: Audiobook

    The one thing I enjoy about the series – even though this is just the second book – is that you get a quick recap / cut to the chase with what happened in the previous book. Also, if the first book was used to introduce the mythology and background to the reader then the second book onwards lays the ground work for future books in the series for ever as long as needed. The relationship between the hero and heroine was a fairly cookie cut two people meet and eventually fall in love this particular book the hero worked hard to win over the heroine.

    Available summary:

    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…

    After a book that had quite a bit of action, this particular book was fairly low key in comparison. Sure there were a couple of action sequences here and there, but it focused more on the couple and their budding relationship as well as filling out some of the other characters in preparation of future books. Here you start to see the seeds of characters like John Matthew, Tohrment and Wellsie, Bella, Zsadist and Phury just being planted and nurtured for the future. This book also delves a bit more into the Lessening Society and the Lessers moving back and forth between the two societies. If anything, even though the primary story is between Rhage and Mary Luce it wasn’t the only storyline that was given special treatment here.

    Rhage’s background and story can be found in more detail at Book Thingo’s Cheat Sheet below.
    Book Thingo: Black Dagger Brotherhood Cheat Sheet Part 2
    – Black Dagger Brotherhood: Rhage, son of Tohrture
    – Reproduction and the Needing
    – Tohrture

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