Rhage and Mary aren’t really one of my favourite couples but I also liked them a lot more than a lot of the others and I’m a sucker for an update. The rage around book 13 meant I stayed away but I saw this at my local library the other day when I took my kids to pick out a book each and thought I might as well get it and see what was happening. That was book 12 and I read it three years ago. I’ve dropped off these in recent years – I read The King which was about Wrath and Beth. With several young being born into the household in recent times (Wrath and Beth, Zsadist and Bella) and Layla the Chosen pregnant with twins, the issue of them never having their own young has reared its head and Rhage in particular is thinking about it. They still love each other but they don’t feel as connected, as though they’re on the same page as before. A bit of time has passed since their book and both Rhage and Mary feel that there are some troubles in their relationship. Mary is a human but the Scribe Virgin kindly fixed it so they can be together forever, although they will never be able to have children (young, as the vampires call them) of their own. Rhage found his shellan in Mary in the second book. And they’re just the tip of the weird name ice berg. And those names look even more ridiculous when you type them all out like that.

But I do prefer the “original gangster” Brotherhood – Wrath, Rhage, Zsadist, Phury (although not really), Vishous. To be honest, I mostly just read these here and there for the laughs now. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from… After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities-and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world…and Mary’s. But Rhage can’t understand-or control-the panic and insecurity that plague him…Īnd that terrifies him-as well as distances him from his mate. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself…įor Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect-or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power.

After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The beast by jr ward