Ultra Meital Reviews: Father Mine (Black Dagger Brotherhood #6.5) [Zsadist, Bella & Nalla] by J.R. Ward

I'm "returning to myself" this week, returning to my reading. I had SUCH intense two weeks all I did was work and sleep and then this weekend I became sick.. So this week I promised myself less work, more relaxation which naturally means more time to read.

I have one more review to write before I do my March Recap and to tell you the truth I read maybe half of what I planned on reading.. so I really hope April will be better in this sense.

Zsadist is my absolute favorite character in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and it's quite obvious why, he is the ultimate tormented warrior but he is also a lot more than that. He has a tender side that probably Bella is the only one who sees on a regular basis. But we saw him display his tenderness to a few other characters during the the series like with JM and we also saw that though he always behaves as though he is a soulless bastard - that he is surely not! As he was wrongly accused of accepting Havers offer to off Wrath. Even when he refuses to thank his brother for saving his life he is there for him when his addiction is getting worse, he may not say the "proper" words but he knows what to say to his brother. Yes, he mistreated Phury when he asked him over and over again to beat him but I think it's obvious that he was in a very dark place at the time.

So here we are in Z's novella after Nalla is born and he is struggling with his inner demons when it comes to her. His nightmares return in which Nalla is present to his torture and abuse and Bella is starting to lose hope as she feels he is getting back to how he was before they met. She doesn't know what happens in his nightmares she only guesses they are from his past and since he doesn't talk to her about it, and since he refuses to hold their baby girl she realizes she is unwilling to accept Z being an absent father. On a desperate act she decided to leave, letting him know she loves him and she always will but she is won't accept the situation as it is.

Bella doesn't leave Z because just as she was packing to go, Z was hurt in a fight against the Lessers and he is brought back to the compound needing her blood. On his sick bed they finally talk and she realizes what's on his mind and why he behaves as he does. From this point on we see the both of them expressing how they feel about the new situation they are in, including how Bella is so invested in being a mother she might want Z to be her man and desire her but since he just want to give her time with the baby he puts aside his needs (making her wrongly think he isn't interested in her).

This novella was beautiful. Heart breakingly Beautiful. There are a few scenes where your hear break for Z but what is so beautiful is how Bella affect him and how she knows to bring the best in him, how to help him deal with his past.

A MUST READ for all Z's fans :)

Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 91 pages, 6 April 2014 / On GoodReads

ABOUT THE MCs

Zsadist
Son of Ahgony, is the scarred, menacing Brother. Taken as an infant from his family, he is forced into blood and sexual slavery until his twin, Phury, rescues him a century later. He was described as being "ruined, not broken" by all those who knew him prior to his meeting the beautiful, aristocratic vampire Bella. His transformation from tortured soul to Bella's hellren (husband) is told in Lover Awakened (BDB #3). Zsadist and Bella have a young daughter, Nalla (told in a short novella "Father Mine" BDB #6.5). In addition, his eyes, once black as pitch, have regained the same yellow-gold of his twin's, reflecting the change that Bella and Nalla brought about in him.

Bella
Born to an aristocratic family and was Mary's neighbor until she was captured by a deadly lesser named David. She is Rehvenge's younger sister and Zsadist's shellan, their story is told in Lover Awakened (BDB #3). They have a daughter, Nalla, whom for the first few months after her birth Zsadist avoided touching for fear of his past tainting her. The three finally become a family in the novella "Father Mine" (BDB #6.5).

ABOUT THIS SERIES

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a Paranormal Romance by J. R. Ward. This was actually the first PNR I've read. I've been a HUGE vampire fan most of my life, but I used to read Fantasy and Urban Fantasy. When I fell upon this series I've realized adding the romance "bit" is the best thing ever!

This series have been one of my most favorite for a long while. I really liked the way Ward built the world of the Brotherhood and in general the "Breed". They have been living besides humans but they are not a threat as they feast from their mate (partner) and anyhow human blood isn't potent enough for them. They mostly act human but as expected they have special abilities and animalistic behaviors.

The series follows the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a contingent of vampire warriors in charge of protecting the "Breed" (Vampires) against their mortal enemies the "Lessening Society" which are a group of ex-humans transformed into soulless being with the sole purpose of harming the vampire race. The head of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath, is also the King of the race but he was trying to run away from his duties leaving in his stead a group of vampire aristocrats called the Glymera.

My main issue with this series comes from the longgggg novels with many POVs and sub-plots. Sometimes it feels like everything is happening while there is nothing to actually move the plot. I guess it's very character driven and there is a lot of shenanigans between the "Brothers" which makes this read a fun one. This is a series to anyone looking for an action packed novel with tender romance and a lot of "bro" attitude. In each book one of the brothers gets his own HEA. There are interesting coupling, not what you'd expect (or the men themselves expected) but each woman helps her Breed male find his own happiness as they are all damages in their own way.

I've been a huge fan of the series till the 13th novel - "The Shadows", it has been a breaking point for me, because it was different (and many reading complained about it) but also because I somehow felt I've had enough. I still highly recommend this series, It's one of the best in the genre IMO.

If you love these kinds of series I'd also recommend "Midnight Breed" by Lara Adrian. There is a few similarities (mainly in the first books) bit it takes a totally different turn. I actually enjoy it a bit more than this one.

YEP, RECOMMENDED!

Books:
1. Dark Lover [Wrath & Beth] (published 6 September 2005) ★★★½
2. Lover Eternal [Rhage & Marry] (published 7 March 2006) ★★★★½
3. Lover Awakened [Zsadist & Bella] (published 5 September 2006) ★★★★★
4. Lover Revealed [Butch & Marissa] (published 6 Match 2007) ★★★★½
5. Lover Unbound [Vishous & Jane] (published 25 September 2007) ★★★★
6. Lover Enshrined [Phury & Cromia] (published 3 June 2008) ★★
--- An Insider's Guide (Including "Father Mine") (published 7 October 2008 ) ★★★★
6.5 Father Mine [Zsadist, Bella & Nalla] (published 7 October 2008) ★★★★★
7. Lover Avenged [Rehvenge & Ehlena] (published 28 April 2009) ★★★★★
8. Lover Mine [John Mathew & Xhex] (published 27 April 2010) ★★★★★
9. Lover Unleashed [Payne & Manny] (published 29 March 2011) ★★★★½
10. Lover Reborn [Thor & Autumn] (published 27 March 2012) ★
11. Lover At Last [Quinn & Blaylock] (published 26 March 2013) ★★★★½
12. The King [Wrath & Beth revisited] (published 1 April 2014) ★★★½
13. The Shadows [Trez & Selena / iAm & Maichen] (published 31 March 2015) ★★★