Published: March 24, 2020
I seriously hope that you have read this book already. It was so freaking good and nothing I write can honestly do justice to how much I enjoyed this book but I will try. This book has what any Black Dagger Brotherhood fan has been waiting for and that is the end to the war with the lessers only to see it twist into a new war. The main couple in this book is Syn and Jo Early, who we had seen in other books and have been building up to her role in the larger universe. The importance of this book cannot be over stated because we learn that not only are the Omega and the Scribe Virgin twins but they were created by the Creator whom the vampire society does not believe in. Only now Devina and Lassiter have shown up also created by the Creator so pick up the war. Devina plays a larger role in this book and even has some interactions with Butch that make me worry about him and Marissa but she comes out on top really at the end as the newest baddest bad in town. Only now everyone is her target.
I want to start this really with Butch. We find out that all of these books have taken place in a three year time period. I had no clue that it was that short. Definitely feel like it should have been at least five if not ten years. But he is so close to the end of the war with the lessers that he just wants to have his final showdown with the Omega. He doesn’t think that he will win but he wants to take the Omega out with him. So in true suicidal fashion he goes after the Omega not once but twice on his own and almost dies both times. And while V is there with him for the after effects of sucking in lessers we don’t see a ton of him in the book. I do wish we would have had more interaction with Butch and Marissa. As his shellan, you would think that she would have wanted to talk to him more or at least be around him more since she knew that the chances of him coming out alive were slim. The fact that she wasn’t around much kinda grated on me.
As stated the main couple is Syn and Jo. Syn has an evil inside him thanks to the fists of his sire and that evil needs to come out and play in blood every now and then. In order to sate those needs he agrees to become a hit man for a mob boss in the area. When his first hit shows up killed sloppily and he didn’t do it he is given the job if going after the reporter who is digging into the kill. This reporter just happens to be Jo. Syn can’t hurt the woman and since she is so close to her transition he knows that someone needs to protect her. What he doesn’t expect from himself is the fact that he needs to protect her. He has bonded with her in scary short period of time and he will protect her even from himself if needed. I found the relationship between Jo and Syn to be really sweet. I was told that it would be a sweeter romance than others and the author didn’t lie. He was always very gentle with her and even though he couldn’t find release he made sure that she did.
Finally, we learned about the common heritage of Butch, Manny, and Jo. All three of them share a father which means they are all of Wrath’s bloodline. I’m wondering if this means that Manny will ever go through the change in order to be with Payne forever. Since Butch survived it there is a good chance that Manny would as well. Though that is just speculation. The BDB world took a turn in this book and I think it’s very fitting that the next book will be going back to the original set of titles (i.e. Lover whatever) and will deal with a Brother who we haven’t met before. Additionally, there is a spin off (like the Legacy books) coming out about the vampires in the penal colony. The Jackal releases in August I believe and he is Rhage’s half brother so there are lots and lots of good things on the horizon!
—“The voice that exploded out of the house was the kind of thing that made James Earl Jones sound like a soprano and turned Gordon Ramsey into a grief counselor.” -Syn about Xcor, pg. 31—
Bookishly Romantic 