Claimed

J.R. Ward

Jul 2021 · Lair of the Wolven Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

A heart-pounding new series set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, about a scientist fighting to save the gray wolves—and getting caught in a deadly trap herself...

Lydia Susi is passionate about protecting wolves in their natural habitat. When a hotel chain develops a tract of land next to the preserve, Lydia is one of the most vocal opponents of the project—and becomes a target.

One night, a shadowy figure threatens Lydia’s life in the forest, and a new hire at the Wolf Study Project comes from out of nowhere to save her. Daniel Joseph is both mysterious, and someone she intrinsically wants to trust. But is he hiding something?

As the stakes get higher, and one of Lydia’s colleagues is murdered, she must decide how far she will go to protect the wolves. Then a shocking revelation about Daniel challenges Lydia’s reality in ways she could never have predicted. Some fates demand courage, while others require even more, with no guarantees. Is she destined to have true love...or will a soul-shattering loss ruin her forever?

Ratings and reviews

"One step at a time. Cut the impossible into pieces" I was so sure I knew who was what and behind what deeds Crackling Crackers was I wrong - that doesn't happen often I am usually pretty good with puzzles Lydia, our heroine, is heck bent on protecting her wolves and proving the hotel is responsible for the recent rash of poisonings. She keeps hitting walls each way she turns and just for chits and giggles the universe has decided to upend everything at the wolf sanctuary. Daniel is just passing through and needs work - nothing long-term - just enough to get him by until the urge to move on calls on him. He has his reasons for drifting - Nothing has ever called to him for permanence though like the fiercely sweet Lydia But fate has other plans for him Doesn't hurt to indulge a little though I am excited to see where this new series takes us - I am a big fan of the paranormal genre and Ward's writing. I was a touch disappointed that this first episode was so heavy with foundation building and character introduction. The story was solid but I wanted more when it came to our couple. I felt like I had more questions than answers - yes I get that it was probably intended to read that way. Definitely a me thing. This ends on a bit of a to be continued quick note - the story does interconnect with the sympaths mainly Xhex for a couple of scenes. I think her past may be part of Daniel's future... IDK

CLAIMED is the first instalment in JR Ward’s contemporary, adult LAIR OF THE WOLVEN paranormal, urban fantasy series-a spin off set in the author’s Black Dagger Brotherhood world. This is drifter/handyman Daniel Joseph, and scientist/wolf behaviorist Lydia Susi’s storyline. CLAIMED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the BDB series is revealed where necessary. NOTE: The Wolven are first introduced in JR Ward’s LOVER UNLEASHED, and first appear in THE JACKAL. Told from third person perspective following two intersecting paths CLAIMED focuses on the search for the truth. Someone is poisoning the wolves at the wolf reserve in and around Walters, Upstate New York, and scientist Lydia Susi is desperate to uncover the truth. With the construction of a new hotel on the edge of the wolf preserve, Lydia is determined to prove the people responsible are the same people connected to the chain of hotels. Daniel Joseph, a new handyman at the Wolf Study Project (WSP) has caught the attention of our story line heroine but someone else has targeted our heroine in the process. As the number of bodies connected to the WSP begin to pile up, Lydia is determined to prove the guilty party is part of the hotel chain, and responsible for poisoning the animals she loves. What ensues is the slow building romance and relationship between Daniel and Lydia, and the fall-out as something more sinister is working behind the scenes to take down our story line couple, and the wolves in the Wolf Study Project. Meanwhile, Xhex, beloved shellan of the Black Dagger Brother John Matthew begins to relive the nightmares of her time at the Sympath colony, a time that is about to come full-circle. Unable to get a straight answer from her brother, she is sent on a mission that will bring her up close and personal with an experiment she thought was long forgotten. JM, Blay, Rehvenge and Vishous make a cameo appearance CLAIMED is a slow building and twisted story of secrets and lies; of power and control; of specieism, experiments, betrayal and mistrust. JR Ward pulls the reader into an imaginative and dramatic tale of intrigue, murder, and the supernatural. The romance takes a back seat to the story line premise as the author will not be focusing on one couple per book but a continuing saga of events. CLAIMED ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Wow!!! This is not at all what I was expecting. You think you know Ward’s writing but this is different , fresh and shocking. I’ve been a fan since the first BBD book and some are way better than others. This book is in a whole different category. We’ve had hints of this coming for a long time and it did not disappoint one bit. Lydia Susi is all about protecting her wolves but a lot of strange things have been happening. Her grandfather taught her well. She sees things others don’t. If you wanted your future to come to you, you went alone into the forest in the veil, during that sacred transition of night into morning. Daniel Joseph is a drifter. When he comes to the Wolf Institute for a job there attraction is immediate but forbidden. He’s a mystery she wants to solve. Reality is like a coin. It has a front and a back, and you can only see one side at a time.” We do get glimpses of the Brothers that weave right into the storyline. This is gonna be a great series. A little bit slow at the start but not for long. The ending just makes me want the next book now.

About the author

J.R. Ward is the author of more than sixty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series. There are more than twenty million copies of her novels in print worldwide, and they have been published in twenty-seven different countries. She lives in the south with her family.