The epic series Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward plows onward in this twenty-third installment: LOVER FORBIDDEN.  Ward continues to focus on the second generation of vampiric Black Dagger Brotherhood fighters in these later books.  I confess I don’t like this second generation nearly as much as I enjoyed the original first generation of warriors and their mates.  Although they are better than the Black Dagger Legacy series, which is like “BDB Lite.” 

Ward’s spinoffs “jumped the shark” for me, both the BDB Prison Camp and the Lair of the Wolven series.  Still, Ward provides her usual mix of over-the-top urban slang and pop references here, along with enough angst to make you hide sobbing in your closet for the weekend.

LOVER FORBIDDEN showcases Lyric, daughter of original BDB fighter Quinn, and Devlin.  I won’t spoil the surprise of Devlin’s background, so be prepared for a “wow!” moment.  Lyric has a brush with sudden death and is rescued by Devlin.  Despite Devlin’s knowledge that he shouldn’t be 'The One' for Lyric, the two are drawn together against all obstacles.  And because this is a J.R. Ward book, there are a metric ton of obstacles.

There is a huge cast of secondary characters to flesh out the storyline.  It’s great to revisit old favorites, and this always increases the complexity of following the plot. Readers new to the series should not start here.  And you know, anytime an author includes a dictionary for an alternate world or species, things are getting complex!  The myriad of additional characters is what I find so compelling about these books.

I am getting so frustrated by L.W. (or Little Wrath, son of Wrath, who is the king of the vampires), though.  He is childish and petulant, which is a volatile mix in such a strong and deadly fighter.  He does move the plot of these later books forward by continuing to make one poor decision after another.   The consequences entangle those around him (duh, dude) and add to the struggles that Ward makes her poor heroes and heroines slog through to get to their happy ending.  Here’s hoping L.W. gets all his baggage sorted out soon, maybe in Ward’s next Black Dagger Brotherhood book?