The Thief

Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book #16

By J.R. Ward

ISBN#  9780349409214

Author’s Website:  http://www.jrward.com/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

It’s been months since Assail was taken into The Black Dagger Brotherhood’s medical facility to undergo detox for his cocaine addiction.  Nobody expected the severe psychosis that hit him and now he is comatose with no brain activity.  The time has come that they must admit that they can’t help him.  They have let his cousins know so that they can help him onto the Fade.  However, the twins have one card left to play.  Assail’s last chance at survival.  They go to his mate, Marisol, and implore her to come and see him.  She doesn’t know that they are vampires or that Assail is her bonded mate, so Ehric tells her that he’s dying from cancer, a human disease.  She refuses to go to him, but after they leave her grandmother is insistent they go see him.

Once there, Marisol is horrified at what she sees.  Assail is a shell of the man he once was.  Her heart breaks and she is determined to spend all the time with him that she can and pledges to stay until the end.

Assail was letting himself die, his soul had left his body, until he sees Marisol.  He will do anything to be with her, even come back to the world of the living.

Assail heals quickly and his body is going back to what it once was, but can Marisol handle the truth of what Assail is?  Or will her denial of him finally lead to his true death?

Meanwhile, Jane and Vishous are having problems in their own relationship.  They are both so focused on their jobs that they hardly have time to see each other at all.  It leads Vishous to think about straying, but can he go through with it?  Once betrayal has entered the relationship, is there any going back to fix it?

Also, a new enemy has been revealed.  Throe’s shadows have been unleashed, attacking innocent civilians and even bringing them back zombie-style after their death.  The brotherhood must find a way to combat them and save their race from this newest form of evil.

This was another good read in the series.  Once I got into the meat of the story, I didn’t want to put it down.

You would think I would have been more upset about V wanting to cheat on Jane, but I really wasn’t bothered by it at all.  I chided him thinking you can never go back, but wasn’t truly upset.  Most likely because I never cared for the whole Jane is a ghost storyline.  I always felt he deserved and needed more.

And, it is about time that Assail gets some peace.  He’s been yelling through the halls of the brotherhood compound for how many books now?  I’m glad that seeing his mate is able to bring him back from insanity.  However, Marisol made me mad how easily she was willing to throw it away over something he can’t control.

And, it’s about time the Murhder storyline gets going!  He was brought up so many books ago I lost count and I was starting to think that Ward gave up on him altogether.  But when I finally give up, it’s upon us!  I’m interested to see how it all unfolds.

As usual for this series, there is a lot going on, but not too much in this one that you can’t keep up.  I felt that Vishous and Jane really took the spotlight in this book, even when I think the focus should have been more on Assail and Marisol, especially considering the title of the book.  I would have liked to have seen more sappy happy scenes at the end of this book featuring the couple.  I have a good feeling what Assail’s new job will be.

I love how Assail and his cousins are with Marisol’s grandmother.  They are so cute with her.  Hopefully the twins will eventually get mates of their own, they would make good husbands and dads, I’m sure!

I’m a little sad to see Throe becoming more evil with each book as I hope that there is some kind of redemption in the future for him.

I enjoyed this novel and will go back to waiting for the next release as I can never read them fast enough!