August 1, 2023
Before Wrath and Beth's romance launched Ward's extensive Black Dagger Brotherhood series, there was Darius. In this prequel, readers meet the brooding but sensitive vampire whose chance encounter with a human woman changes both of their lives forever and sets the ongoing legacy of the brotherhood into motion. On a twisting, dark, wooded road, Darius speeds along until his BMW is smashed in the branches of a tree and a woman lies motionless on the ground. Anne had sprinted into the road, escaping from an abusive boyfriend, just as Darius turned the corner. She recovers from the trauma, and he levels a grave warning at her ex, who turns out to be even more dangerous than Anne knew. Despite an initial desire to put it behind her, Anne cannot resist the pull toward Darius, and he knows he has found his mate. Full of drama, intrigue, and steamy restraint, Darius will be a satisfying deep dive for series fans and will pique interest about the brotherhood for new readers.
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September 1, 2023
The Black Dagger Brotherhood series returns to the 1980s. The year is 1981, and Darius leads his brethren in what was once an elite vampire fighting squad. Their king, Wrath, refuses to take the throne, preferring to fight as a regular soldier. As the eldest member of the brotherhood, Darius feels responsible for the weakened state of both his king and the brotherhood. While out driving one night, Darius accidentally hits a human woman, Anne Wurster, who's stumbled into the road after a narrow escape from her abusive boyfriend. Darius arranges to pay her medical bills, intending for that to be the end of their interaction--but even though he knows it's strictly forbidden for humans to know anything about his world, he finds it impossible to stay away from her. They enjoy a brief affair before Anne discovers he's a vampire and runs away, keeping her pregnancy a secret. This book operates as a tragic series prequel, with Anne's and Darius' fates having been established in the first book of series. Their daughter, Beth, was destined to become Wrath's mate and Queen of the Vampires, but neither of her parents were part of her life. Longtime fans of the series are likely to enjoy this story. Ward is known for her fearless embrace of pop culture, and this novel delights in reminding readers of the touchstones of the '80s, name-dropping stores, music, actors, and movies of the time (though there's an occasional anachronism, like a reference to Miami Vice several years before it aired). Compared to the frenetic latter books of the series, which are jammed with multiple narrating characters and long, ongoing plotlines, this novel is calm and almost mellow. There are brief appearances from beloved characters, and some convenient rewriting of series lore, but Darius and Anne's tragic love affair remains front and center. A book designed to please diehard series fans.
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