The King

J.R. Ward

Apr 2014 · Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 12 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

J.R. Ward's # 1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood continues as a royal bloodline is compromised by a grave threat to the throne.

Long live the King…

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle--with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything--and everyone--at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response--or the distance it creates between them.

The question is, will true love win out... or tortured legacy take over?

Ratings and reviews

I feel like Ms. Ward is getting desperate. She crammed in so many story lines in this one book. And if you are an avid BDB fan...like I was..you'll notice a lot of the same story lines.

But it lacks any real action. Great on the politics and the relationship between Wrath and Beth. But I really missed the action and the other Brothers. I hope that the next installment will get back on track now that we've gotten this part out of the way.

The King takes us back to the very first couple in The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Wrath and Beth. I really loved these two, and I was excited to see an entire book revisiting their relationship and showing that there's still life after the initial HEA. And that life isn't always roses. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on with no end in sight and the Band of Bastards has taken a toll on the king himself. When Wrath makes the announcement that he wants no children to follow him into this life, it comes at a time when Beth was deciding that children were something she desperately wanted to have. I feel like this was one of the most "real" issues faced in the series so far. I imagine many married couples end up on opposite sides of the having kids coin for various reasons. It made them seem like like fictional characters or more like a couple that could be living right next door (minus the whole everyone is out to kill them part). Both seek their friends and family for advice - some of which was quite on point and some of it was quite hilarious. There's a lot to consider before bringing a child into the world, and I think Ward did an excellent job of highlighting that part of the relationship between Wrath and Beth.

About the author

J. R. Ward is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. She lives in the South with her family.