Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Review: Blood Kiss by J.R. Ward


Publication Date: December 1st 2015 by Signet
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo 

About the book:

The legacy of the Black Dagger Brotherhood continues in a spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author…

Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, is ready to break free from the restrictive life of an aristocratic female. Her strategy? Join the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center program and learn to fight for herself, think for herself…be herself. It’s a good plan, until everything goes wrong. The schooling is unfathomably difficult, the other recruits feel more like enemies than allies, and it’s very clear that the Brother in charge, Butch O’Neal, a.k.a. the Dhestroyer, is having serious problems in his own life.

And that’s before she falls in love with a fellow classmate. Craeg, a common civilian, is nothing her father would ever want for her, but everything she could ask for in a male. As an act of violence threatens to tear apart the entire program, and the erotic pull between them grows irresistible, Paradise is tested in ways she never anticipated—and left wondering whether she’s strong enough to claim her own power…on the field, and off.
My Thoughts:
Blood Kiss was an exciting start to J.R.Ward’s new spinoff series, Black Dagger Legacy, and we still get our favorite Black Dagger Brothers, as well!

Paradise, the blooded daughter of the advisor to the King would like to break free of the restrictive life she’s used to.  As a daughter of privilege and wealth she’s expected to mate with someone from her own class and have children, but Paradise has other plans.  Enrolling in the Brother’s Warrior academy she wants to train to protect her people from the Lessers and any other threats.  The training is physically and mentally challenging, but Paradise is determined to succeed and excel. She hadn’t planned on finding love, but she can’t keep her mind and body from straying to one of her teammates, Craeg. 

Craeg has enrolled in Warrior’s Academy to train and avenge his father’s murder.  His gorgeous teammate, Paradise, is a distraction he doesn’t need or want. Craeg struggles with the overwhelming pull she has on him and his protective and possessive instincts come raging to life anytime Paradise is around. 

Butch and Marissa love each other, but their relationship is put to the test when a girl is brutally assaulted and ends up at Safe Place, in Marissa’s care.

I was immediately sucked into both of these stories, because really this is two stories unfolding at once:  Craeg and Paradise’s trials and romance as they try to survive the academy training and Butch and Marissa’s marriage mating in crisis.  Both stories were compelling in their own way.  Craeg and Paradise are the younger set. You could put them in the New Adult age range, so I guess J.R. Ward sort of wrote her way into that category with Blood Kiss, but thankfully that’s where all similarities with NA end.  No unnecessary drama or angst; just two people trying to succeed under pressure, all the while fighting a deliciously intense attraction.  Such a wonderful build of sexual tension! They had some roadblocks to navigate; a mystery filled with danger, as well.

I felt Butch and Marissa’s story acutely, because there is never a HEA that you don’t have to work at and every relationship must grow and overcome obstacles.   I enjoyed watching Butch and Marissa work through issues, with all the messy emotions, and come to a deeper level of understanding and connection, because these two really do love each other!

In the past, with the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, I’ve struggled to read the Lesser’s chapters, mostly I just skimmed through them.  So I was thrilled there was no Lesser POV in Blood Kiss!

J.R. Ward’s world of vampire warriors with its rules of feeding, bonding, mating and hierarchy is riveting!  She made a fantasy come to life with real world emotions and trials that anyone could relate to.  I think Blood Kiss will be a thrilling, fresh exploration of the Black Dagger world for established fans, and an enticing start for any new readers.   

4 Suns




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