J.R. Ward's The King (#12 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood)

The King by J.R. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Zsadist has been and will always be my favourite of the Brothers but Wrath and Beth were my favourite couple from the beginning. They really are two halves of a whole! In the world of PNR, J.R. Ward is totally in a league of her own when it comes to depth and heart. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a must read series (if you’re one of the few who haven’t dived in already) and this book reminded me of why I fell so deeply in love with her work two years ago.

In this instalment, Wrath and Beth are tested like they’ve never been before and boy, do they show what they are made of. Power hungry aristocrats are determined to remove him from this throne and they have Beth’s half-breed status as an excuse to do it. To add further drama, Beth is hell-bent on having a child but Wrath is too terrified of losing her in childbirth to even consider getting her pregnant. When she goes into her Needing, it’s out of the proverbial frying pan and into the fire… what will they do?

Some readers have complained that there were too many sub-plots in this book but at no time did I ever lose interest or feel that the stories were dragging. For me, each of them added something of value overall. First, we’re introduced to Wrath’s parents through flashbacks and we see how his father responds when faced with a dangerous situation. I think he’d be proud of the man his son became.

I wasn’t impressed by Trez’s behaviour in Lover At Last but he’s definitely matured. As he ‘grows up’ through bonding with his Chosen Selena and we get to know him a little better, I found myself finally warming up to him. He has some tough decisions ahead of him but for his sake, I hope he makes the right ones.

We also have the budding Assail/Sola romance. Caught up in organized crime and drug addiction, he’s obviously not in the right place for a relationship so he’s going to have to get his act together if he wants to be with her. She’s a tough woman and I felt that she acted wisely in handling the junk she was faced with. You go, girl!

Yes, I’ve joined Team Xcor. I was really surprised by how much I came to care for the guy… who comes to the realization that Layla is more important to him than his ambitions. Oh Layla, Layla… if you’re ever caught seeing him, it will not be pretty. What was she thinking?! Still, I can’t wait to see where the Warden takes them.

5/5 stars

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