The Beloved

Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book #22

By J.R. Ward

ISBN# 9781982180089

Author’s Website: jrward.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Review

Nate had a rough childhood.  He grew up in a lab where humans used him as a test subject, injecting him with human diseases to try to test their medications on him.  However, vampires do not get human diseases which only made things harder on him.  His mom died trying to escape the lab.  He was rescued shortly before his transition and taken in by Sarah and her hellren, Murhder, which ultimately saved his life.

Nate hasn’t been the same since his crush mated another.  Oh, and when she gave him immortality.  Now, he’s a male with nothing to live for that can’t die.  He’s a loose cannon and the Brotherhood can no longer take the risk having him in their ranks.

His side hustle with a human black-market kingpin, known only as Uncle, will now have to be his full-time job.

Meanwhile, Nalla, is experiencing struggles of her own.  Her parents, Zsadist and Bella, have a beautiful love story.  However, Nalla feels like she’s just a footnote in that story.  She resents both of her parents for putting her last in their family.  And, she’s also upset at her dad for making all the males her age scared to even look at her. 

If that wasn’t bad enough, she just had a big fight with her best friend, Bitty.  Nalla runs off to the club that Bitty had been trying to get her to go to, in order to make up.  When she gets there, Bitty isn’t there.  Nalla is quickly reminded why she hates the club scene.  While there she catches Nate’s eye.  He likes how she’s different from all the other sheep there.  She’s unapologetically herself. 

“Even back about ten years ago, when she’d been making more of an effort to socialize, Nate hadn’t made many appearances–and when he had shown up, he’d always stood back from everyone like he was a judge at the asshole Olympics and it was hard for him to decide who was taking home the gold.”

Nate follows her out of the club to make sure she gets out of the area safely.  However, she’s cornered by lessers instead and he jumps into action.

After that night, Nalla and Nate can’t get each other out of their minds.  And, things slowly start to heat up between the two.  However, Nalla knows that her sire will never accept Nate.  And, if she continues the relationship, she will eventually have to make a choice.  The man she loves, or the father that helped raise her.

I wasn’t sure how this book would be, after the 30-year time jump that happened at the end of the last book, Lassiter.  I wasn’t sure if we’d go back to before the time jump or after.  Well, the answer is after and I think I kind of like it.  The king has just returned, so we got to see the reunions there.  And, the best part for me is that all the kids that have been born or adopted throughout the series are now growing into young adults.  They are starting to find mates of their own and I think it opens the series up to a lot of different options. I also found the story to be more streamlined.  We didn’t have all the tedious side stories to try to keep straight.  We did still have one from a lesser’s point-of-view, but the story did connect and made sense.  Everything else was about the main characters and the Brotherhood, as it should be.  It reminded me a lot of my favorite of the spin-off series, the Black Dagger Legacy.

I have never been a big Nate fan, but I truly enjoyed him in this novel.  He was definitely the tortured hero in this book.  With all he went through in the labs, having his heart broken, and then to be forced to live a life he hated with no possibility of it ever ending. 

If anybody deserved a happily ever, I think it was definitely Nate.

I liked Nalla well enough, but I did find her to be a bit of an immature brat through parts of this book.  Especially where her parents were concerned.

I felt that both Nate and Nalla did a lot of growing up in this book, and I was glad to see it.  It was great to see everyone come together in the end to support the kids.  I especially loved when Daddy Z and his Brothers rode to the rescue, even if one of them did end up needing saving themselves, in the end.   

“Nate burst out of the front door of the cabin. For a split second, Z had to give the male a little respect. The fury on that face was epic, and that huge body was strung with so many weapons, the fucker was like a walking armory.

Gone was the laconic resister who was fucking with shit because he was bored and unconnected and hateful: The vengeance that was clearly threading through every molecule in that body…was exactly what was going through Z’s own veins– and it wasn’t because the guy was protecting two buildings and his rights as a fucking landowner.

Not even close. He was protecting his female.

Zsadist glanced at the barn he knew his daughter was in.

Indeed, something had changed inside of that fighter, something fundamental, and it had woken Nate up to the world. And wasn’t that a path Z himself had walked once, a lifetime ago–”

However, I will never understand Zsadist’s song choice at Nalla’s party.  Tears in Heaven?  I thought it was supposed to be a joyous occasion, Z.  She’s not dead, dude.

I’m not sure about L.W. so far in this story, he comes off as kind of a jerk. They’re trying to make him just like Wrath.  I guess Ward is already giving us a preview of whom his eventual Queen will be though.  Talk about opposites attract.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and can’t believe I finally caught up on the series after being so far behind.  Now I have to wait until September for the next installment, Lover Forbidden.  Waiting is always the worst …  I am excited for Lyric’s story which should give us some Qhuay!