Blood Kiss by J.R. Ward

Blood Kiss-300Narrated by Jim Frangione

Fans of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series won’t want to miss Blood Kiss, the first book in a spin off series called Black Dagger Legacy. This first installment delivers everything I’ve come to expect in a Black Dagger book: a bit of political intrigue, quite a few super steamy moments, phenomenal world building, and the voice of narrator Jim Frangione to bring the whole thing to life.

If you’ve never read a Black Dagger book, Blood Kiss isn’t a good place to start. Instead, I’d recommend beginning with Dark Lover, the book that began it all. Otherwise, certain plot elements and character relationships won’t make a lot of sense.

Paradise is the beautiful only daughter of King Wrath’s first advisor. Ever since the raids brought on by the Lessening Society, Paradise has longed to break free from the numerous restrictions society has placed upon her. She decides to join the training program sponsored by the Black Dagger Brotherhood, figuring it will be helpful to know some self-defense. She also hopes to learn more about who she is as a person rather than what society has dubbed a female of worth. Her father isn’t super thrilled with the idea, but Paradise convinces him to give her a chance. Of course, she hides a lot of the grittier aspects of the training from him, knowing he would refuse to let her join if he knew the full truth.

On the first night of training, Paradise is reunited with Craeg, a civilian she met several months earlier and someone she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about ever since. She feels drawn to him in ways she can’t explain. He possesses countless qualities her father would find undesirable, and yet, Paradise can’t seem to keep her distance from him.

For his part, Craeg knows the training program is the one way he can avenge the deaths of those he loved most. He hates all aristocrats, thinking them shallow and selfish. Paradise decides not to tell any of her fellow trainees who she really is, even going so far as to swear those who know her to secrecy. Craeg thinks she’s a commoner like himself, and, despite all his best intentions, finds himself attracted to the beautiful, confident woman. What will happen when he learns the truth about her identity? Will they overcome all odds to claim their HEA?

Craeg and Paradise are the main characters in Blood Kiss. However, we also see quite a bit of Butch AKA The Destroyer and his mate Marisa. Not only is Butch in charge of the training program, but he and Marisa are attempting to find out who beat a female so badly that she died of her injuries. I enjoyed catching up with those two, as they played only very small roles in the most recent Brotherhood books.

Jim Frangione did his usual excellent job with this book. There are quite a few male characters who are very close in age. Luckily, Mr. Frangione does a wonderful job making each of them distinct. I loved the Boston accent he gave Butch. It was very authentic and fit the character to a tee. Mr. Frangione also creates very believable female characters. He has a very deep, melodious voice, one I wouldn’t expect to sound especially feminine. However, he is able to soften it just enough to convey a hint of femininity. He captures the emotions of the various characters very well, allowing the listener to be fully immersed in the story.

I have to add that Paradise got on my nerves more frequently than I would have liked. She’s obsessed with doing what she believes is the right thing. In many ways, this is a laudable goal, but there are times when there’s just too much of it, causing me to grow quite frustrated by her behavior. It just doesn’t seem necessary or realistic.

Both sex and violence are prevalent in Blood Kiss. If you object to either of these, this isn’t the book for you. However, if you love hot vampires on a mission, definitely give J.R. Ward’s writing a try.

Shannon


Narration: A-

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: For your burning ears only

Violence Rating: Graphic

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Blood Kiss was provided to AudioGals by Penguin Audio for a review.

 

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