Monday, April 16, 2018

THE THIEF (BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD #16)

New enemies rise from the shadows in the next novel of the New York Times bestselling paranormal romance series the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Having allied themselves with the Band of Bastards, the Brotherhood is committed now more than ever to eradicating the Lessening Society. Recovering from their most recent battle against the last of the lessers, the Brotherhood comes to realize that the fight against their enemies is far from over. 

Throe, Xcor’s former second in command, is using an ancient tome to summon a new army engineered by a force more dangerous and evil than the Omega. 

And now the brothers of the Black Dagger Brotherhood will be tested both at home and on the battlefield.

Release Date: April 10, 2018
Ballantine Books
Black Dagger Brotherhood #16
Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy



Liza's Review:

I was so not excited when Ward announce that The Thief would be about Assail and Sola. I liked Sola, but she was so whiny when she left Assail, and I just didn't love Assail in other books. However, Ward did an amazing job with this story, as I not only liked it, but ended up really loving it. I have to say Sola's grandmother is one of my most favorite characters pretty much ever. She cracked me up so much and I loved how she helped Sola and Assail finally get to see one another again, so they could finally admit their love for one another. 

We also got to spend lots of time with V and Jane in this book. I really haven't felt like they were much of a couple in the last few books, but almost more like roommates. I wanted to kick V's butt as the story started and totally got Jane being so angry with him. Their romance has never been my absolute favorite of the original books, because I've never felt like we got their entire story. I felt like we finally got to see their romance deserve the HEA like the other couples. I want to imagine all the characters never have any issues after they are mated, yet much like any married couple they still have to work to make everything work. I think seeing V and Jane finally work on their relationship made me fall back in love with them as a couple.

Ward had revealed much about the Scribe Virgin at the last Q&A, so I didn't have any surprises there, plus I had suspected the truth for several years and loved seeing the SV in a whole new light. We also finally got time with Murhder and it was well worth the wait!!! I can't wait to see what Ward does with his character in future books!

While I've loved the storyline of the Lessers, I was intrigued by the new "shadows" that were created. I knew Throe was behind everything, and even have a really good idea how he came to have the book that helped him create the "shadows", so it will be interesting to see what happens in future books between the BDB and Throe and his creations. 

I've read every single book in the BDB series and have to say I loved that The Thief had the feel of the early books in the series. There was so much focus on the relationship between the couples that I found myself pulled into the story better than in the later books that have focused more on the battles. I felt like The Thief had the perfect balance between moving forward in the BDB world and keeping the romance as a strong focus in the story. I also loved the amount of time spent between the brothers themselves. That too was limited in some of the books, and I think it is very important for them to have their time together in each book to keep the brotherhood feel to the books. 

Honestly, The Thief has ended up being one of my favorite books in the series, especially of the books released in the last few years. Ward did an amazing job and has me pretty excited about the future of the series. 

Rating: 4.5 Stars (A-)

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