The Wolf
Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp, Book #2
By J.R. Ward
ISBN# 9781982179878
Author’s Website: jrward.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
*Beware of spoilers*
Review
Since the Jackal’s escape from the secret prison camp, the Black Dagger Brotherhood has been looking for the camp. By the time they got to it, the prisoners had all been moved. And, now they were on a hunt to find the new location and bring the prison under the King’s control and free those that have been wrongly imprisoned there. The drugs that came from the camp are back on the street and they are the key to uncovering the camp’s new location.
Rio Hernandez-Guerrero is an undercover cop looking to take down the drug kingpin, Mozart, once and for all. She’s getting closer to her goal every day. She finally meets the supplier, Luke. Unfortunately, it all goes to crap and Luke ends up having to save her life –twice! She demands to meet up again the next night to complete their deal. However, when Lucian goes to meet her, she’s nowhere to be found.
Lucian is a wolven vampire hybrid. Something that isn’t supposed to exist. His cousin framed him for a crime he didn’t commit in order to get Lucian out of his hair for good and to keep him from sullying his family name with his tainted blood. Now it’s Lucian’s job to broker a deal to sell the drugs they make at the prison. He does what he must, to stay alive inside the corrupt prison camp.
Lucian eventually finds Rio tied up in a nasty run-down apartment getting ready to be sliced up by some lowlife hitman. There is no stopping Lucian’s wolven side from coming out and dispatching Rio’s would-be murderer. Rio is hurt badly though and he’s forced to take her to the one place he never wants her to be, the prison camp. He must keep her hidden while she’s recovering and then sneak her back to Caldwell once she is well enough.
Is Lucian enough to keep her safe when some of the other prisoners discover her? Can he protect her when the Executioner gets his hands on her?
Lucian and Rio are both interesting characters and strong in their own rights. Of course, I loved Lucian and his need to protect Rio, even though she isn’t his, as he claimed though a good portion of the book. It seems rather unrealistic how Lucian was able to come and go so freely while being incarcerated. Even when at the prison, he seemed to do whatever he wanted.
I did enjoy the prison crew, Apex and Mayhem though and I’m definitely excited to read more from them.
“Why the hell do you care?”
With a shrug, Mayhem replied, “I don’t have anything better to do. And I haven’t been allowed to watch TV for how long? Your drama is going to be my new favorite show.”
There was a lot going on in the Caldwell police department. There is corruption within the department and it becomes clear that Rio can’t trust those she thought she could.
As for the Brotherhood, they felt like sideline characters in this book. Except for a chuckle here and there, they didn’t really bring much to the story. They were looking for the camp and that’s about it.
“All he had to do was empty the lower intestines of a dealer into the guy’s own couch.”
“Your beast come out?” the King said.
“Nah, I sneezed.”
Black brows lifted over the wraparounds. “Really? I didn’t know your nose had that kind of firepower.”
“It doesn’t,” V answered as he took out a hand-rolled. “He had an oopsie.”
I also didn’t care for the ending of this book. I know it was done in a way to leave things for the third prison camp book, but it didn’t feel like we got a happily ever after. Like yeah, they’re running off into the sunset together, but there is just too much unknown left.
