The Shadows

J.R. Ward

Mar 2015 · Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 13 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Two brothers bound by more than blood fight to change a brutal destiny in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
 
Sold by his parents to the Queen of the s’Hisbe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer for years. On the run from a destiny of sexual servitude, he’s never been able to rely on anyone...except for his brother, iAm.
 
iAm’s sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing—and he knows he’s failed. It’s not until the Chosen Selena enters Trez’s life that the male begins to turn things around...but by then, it’s too late. The pledge to mate the Queen’s daughter comes due, and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.
 
Now Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others—or abandon the female he loves. When tragedy strikes and changes everything, iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice...

Ratings and reviews

WOW! Just…WOW! J.R. Ward breaks our hearts in this amazingly brilliant installment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series! I admit I did read the spoilers post that J.R. Ward posted on release day that gave away the ending of the book and the explanation of why she did it and why she wrote the book the way she did. J.R. Ward's Spoiler Post I applaud her, and any other author for standing by their work and writing the story that is, rather than changing the story to please the reader. I’m sure every author would love to please every reader, but it’s just not possible. I admire anyone who’s ever written a book, regardless of whether I liked it or not. J.R. Ward knew she would make a lot of readers angry and she wanted them to know the why of how THE SHADOWS went down. However, this reader abso-freakin’-lutely LOVED it! For one, because Ms. Ward is one of my very favorite authors and I would read anything she wrote, up to and including her grocery shopping list! And two, because life isn’t always wrapped up into a perfectly formed happily ever after. Granted, that’s why many of us read romance books; to escape the pain of reality in order to fulfill our needs of love and happiness, through fictional characters. Trez and Selena’s story is not wrapped up with a nice pink bow. It is not all sunshines and rainbows. It is a brutally honest testament to the strength and power of real love. Now, I like the Shadows—Trez and iAm—but I wasn’t too vested in Trez or Selena’s characters before THE SHADOWS. So I wasn’t too angry at the book’s outcome, especially since I had a heads up from the author’s spoiler blog post. I did ball like a baby though on several occasions as well as laugh out loud many, many times. I felt the book exceeded my expectations and I was very happy with its outcome…except for Xcor and Layla’s relationship. I am ALL for the Xcor/Layla train to finally arrive but the WARDen (J.R. Ward) is really putting my emotions through the ringer with this one. (view spoiler) As with all of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, there are several other storylines happening at the same time. I loved them all! It’s hard to write about EVERY character in the BDB world so the WARDen does what she can. We are treated to Rhage’s point of view as well as Paradise, daughter of Abalone, the First Advisor to the King. Assail also gets a little page time as well as points of view from Xcor, Layla, s’Ex, iAm, maichen, Throe, Mr C. aka the Forelesser and Luchas, Qhuinn’s brother. We are also treated to a brief appearance by the Scribe Virgin and a few new characters that I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of in BLOOD KISS—the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Legacy series that will be out this December, focused around the reopening of the training program—Peyton, blooded son of Peythone and Craeg, six feet, seven inches of sexy civilian vampire whose lineage is a complete mystery. Sola, Assail’s human love interest, and Saxton are noticeably absent from the book. There is a lot of sadness in this book, but there are also A LOT of funny parts. From Lassiter doing a Magic Mike-style dance against a foosball table to Rhage’s crazy commentary and physically aggressive pat-down techniques and Xhex’s female bonding skills, it was quite a riot! The comic relief was also a great balance to the serious aspect of the story. I highly recommend this or any books by J.R. Ward. She is a fascinating storyteller and ALWAYS leaves you wanting for more!

Buy this series. It's one series you will want to read over and over. This is one of the best writers. You'll get mad, happy, sad, pissy, crazy about the next chapter. J. R. Ward has figured out how to write a book that the reader feels like they are part of the story. You care about the people and what's happening in their lives. Be raedy to lol, cry, get mad, want to get even. Yes, buy them, read them, share them. Love them as I do.

I didn't realize how much I'd grown to love these characters. This installment doesn't tie up in a nice little bow, but it's just another reason why this series resonates with me so much. Life isn't perfect and everyone doesn't get the happily ever forever. A great addition to the series.

About the author

J. R. Ward is the author of more than thirty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series. She is also the author of the Black Dagger Legacy series and the Bourbon Kings series. There are more than fifteen million copies of her novels in print worldwide, and they have been published in twenty-six different countries around the world. She lives in the South with her family.