The Savior (The Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 17)

I absolutely LOVED Murhder's story. I remember when he was driven crazy by the Xhex's relatives, and I hated that he was left like that, so I was thrilled that he finally got a book to redeem himself. I loved everything about his story and the new characters that were introduced. I loved the pace of the plot, and how it all came together in the end. I loved the reminiscing of old times and all the brothers coming together (and even the females being included in the story). I even loved the hints of what's to come. I'm a bit behind in the series, but I'm as in love with these Brothers today as I was in book 1 and can't wait to read more! :-)

Being kicked out of The Brotherhood, due to losing his mind, and abandoning the Brothers when they needed him. Murhder lives the life of a ghost. A letter sent by a fearful Mahmen, sets him upon a new path. Is this redemption or unspeakable tragedy? Sarah, lives a widows life, without the wedding. Her fiance, died before they could tie the knot. Searching for answers, she stumbles on to a secret, so horrifying, so devastating, she doubts the man she agreed to marry. Yet, feels compelled to save an innocent, unknown. Danger lurks around every corner. One male labeled insane, a Woman looking for answers to questions no one should have to ask, a child in need of a savior. In the end, who is the real Savior? This is my 4th read, one of my all time favorites, in this glorious series!!!

I really like this series. Ward has a way of making her characters seem real. Never thought I would be reading paranormal literature not my normal genre

Maybe a 4.5... for reasons? 17 books in and I never thought I'd fall in love with Murhder... <3I know that some readers have become less enamored by the BDB as the series has progressed, and while I admit that there are still some books that I like better than others, I’m not one of those readers. The Savior cemented that sentiment. A lot of the latter books have brought in new characters while highlighting existing couples. Even though Murhder was a new character in a sense, long time readers have grown to know him at least a little in previous books. The Savior didn’t only center around Murhder and Sarah, but also the new danger attacking vampires around Caldwell and in an interesting twist, Xhex and John Matthew.The Savior turned into a story of forgiveness and redemption and I loved where this story went. There was a little bit of jealousy and drama with Xhex and John Matthew, but it didn’t last long. My heart broke for more than one character in The Savior. Readers got to see a side of Xhex that they haven’t seen much since Lover Mine. They also got to find out the whole story about Murhder’s past, but it took a while to get there. While it’s true that Sarah accepted the world she was unexpectedly thrown into a little too easily, I think her history and her inquisitive mind had a lot to do with that acceptance. She also felt a little bit of guilt about the horrors that her employer had caused, even though she had no clue what was going on right under her nose. That and her attraction to Murhder and his obvious protectiveness gave her a sense of safety.A couple of side notes… While I loved this story, there were still a couple of things that nagged at me. The biggest was how things were wrapped up in the end. There was a big reveal and that reveal was the catalyst for things to just be “fixed”. It just seemed a little less dramatic than I expected it to be given the situation. The other thing was the fact that there was more than one person associated with the Brotherhood that knew about Murhder’s past. I’m thinking that one was protecting the other, which makes sense, but I suppose since my sympathies were geared toward Murhder in The Savior, it made me question it more. Those two things are the only reason that I’m not giving The Savior a full 5 stars. Petty, I know, but it bugged me enough to hold back a little. 😉 The other thing that’s worth noting is that you don’t have to have read any of The Fallen Angels series, but if you have, you’re in for a flash back sort of treat near the end of The Savior.Although Where Winter Finds You is next in the BDB series, since I’ve been playing catch-up I’ve been trying to read the related books/series in timeline order. Which means, next up for me will be the 4th book in the Black Dagger Legacy series, Blood Truth. Stay tuned!

Really...if I could give this a 3.75, I would.There are so many things I loved about this book.And so many things about this book that are just not up to BDB standards, and the WARDen herself had set those standards pretty dang high.I'm not saying it's not a good book, because it is. It's just somewhere about the 70% mark, the writing gets...rushed...filled with an overabundance of TELL instead of SHOW...and dialogue tags, where before JRW would rarely use a 'dialogue tag' so blatantly. It's like the last 30% of the book wasn't completely finished.So, yeah. Some of what always keeps me excited and coming back for each new book is just not there in THE SAVIOR. I just finished a reread of the first 3 books in the series and skipped to THE THIEF, (because I ran out of time to do an entire series reread), and Murhder's book is definitely lacking the fun Brother banter and Wrath's royal badassness. And Boone groveling?? Nope. (And seriously, I don't believe for a second Boone would EVER try to pull off a lie to the King.)So what did I love? I loved Murhder. He certainly wasn't what I had expected and I'm okay with that. I can totally picture how the Brothers thought he had lost his ever-lovin' mind when he carved up those humans and left them for all the world to see. I can also understand what Wrath and the other Brothers did when they kicked him out. They had to clean up the mess that he offered no explanation for. They had no idea he was avenging Xhex and jumped to the conclusion that he'd gone over the edge.<i> (See, here is where I would've loved some flashback scenes instead of JRW just telling us what happened in the past.) But still...they just kicked him out?? If he was that crazy, why didn't they lock him up? Obviously, he was a danger to humans and they just let him go? What? Did he promise not to kill any more humans and they took him at his word? (Again I say, here is where I would've loved some flashback scenes.) Anyway...I thought Murhder was a worthy male, misunderstood, but still, deep in his heart, he was - is - a savior.I loved Sarah. She's the ultimate science geek. Strong-willed and strong-minded. And like Murhder, she'd spent the last few years focused on what she'd lost and filled the time with her work. And in the end, she too is a savior.I would love to have been in Lassiter's head when he first saw Sarah because I want to know if he had seen her in the Brotherhood's future and knew this human woman would be important to the vampire race.And yes, I loved what Murhder's tear became and how Lassiter used it.Still, there are a few other things I question...First...in THE THIEF V goes up to the sanctuary to talk with Phury about the missing book and who might have taken it. Afterward, V goes into his mom’s quarters and realizes why his bullets worked in eliminating the shadow and the civilian’s bullets had no effect...because the Brotherhoods bullets are dipped in the fountain. THEN... he sticks his hand in the water and the wound he had from the shadow disappears. So...why didn’t V suggest JM go up there and bathe in the fountain??? It’s like JRW totally forgot V had been HEALED BY THE WATER!!! I mean, that’s a BIG EFFING THING TO OVERLOOK!!!Second...also in THE THIEF, in the end, V tells Jane about a female, (Jo Early), out in the human population who is about to go through her transition and that he will pick her up that night. But he never makes it and then Jo is never mentioned in THE SAVIOR. This was also something important, especially since Jo had just posted a video of V and Rhage ghosting into an alley on her 'Damn Stroker' social media page.All-in-all, IMHO, THE SAVIOR isn't the BEST BDB book, but it's still good and I'm sure I'll read it again before the next BDB legacy book comes out.

I really liked the character of Sarah and her strong, intelligent personality. Her and Murdher's story woven into John Matthew and Nate's was truly a great read.

Me gusto mucho mucho, jamas imagine que Murder seria un chocolate envinado.

Como sempre é um prazer ler mais uma história da Black Dagger Brotherhood. J. R. Ward abordou com muita sensibilidade fatos da vida e trouxe valorosas reflexões, ao mesmo tempo em que nos presenteia com mais um volume dessa querida irmandade. Mal posso esperar pela próxima aventura.

I am so pleasantly surprised by this book. I have been waiting for Murhder's book ever since his character was first mentioned and it has taken so long. When I finally heard the announcement for his book, it gave me the excitement for this series I haven't had since The King was released.What can I say about Murhder? He's sooo lovable. I was not expecting his character to be so...tender. And I mean this is the most positive way - he is sensitive without being sappy. He can hold his own but he's not afraid to let his guard down, like V, for example. He'll let you into his head without making it a battle of wills because he's comfortable admitting to his faults. I should mention I was expecting Murhder's personality to be more sarcastic, for some reason, and perhaps even snarky and arrogant. But he's far from it. He's level-headed and calm, easy to like and a great change from the rest of the Brothers who can be a bit more overtly 'macho'. Murdher is a loner and a bit of a martyr but I won't spoil why that is. If his personality is similar to anyone else's in the series, I would say a mixture of Phury and Xcor. He's pretty introverted and he's not as dominant or aggressive as Wrath or Z.Dr. Sarah Watkins isn't the most interesting female protagonist but she's certainly a step up from Doc Jane, who is so, so dull. Sarah knows what she wants, she doesn't have a chip on her shoulder and you want her to have a happy ending because the world is going to the dogs around her and none of it is her fault. She's useful, she's intelligent and she's not overbearing with her academic knowledge. Since the BDB series has been so full of perfectly proportioned, amazingly beautiful, always polite, and frankly irritating 'Chosen' as of late, I was so happy to see another 'regular' woman join the cast. She's similar to Mary in personality, but she's got more to give in terms of dialogue and plot.Overall, I felt from page one like Ward was back. The Ward I fell in love with from the first few instalments of BDB. She's actually invested in Murhder's tale and you can tell. I loved every minute of this book and it has made me excited for more. BDB is a series I truly never want to end because the characters are so lively. That being said, it would be nice to see some more female vampires instead of human females making up the majority of the cast because it's disappointing to keep reading about couples who have to source their blood from elsewhere!Also, I was starting to feel like the series was becoming a little too 'baby-obsessed' and it was distracting us from being able to focus on the couples. The initial reason BDB came to be as it is.More things I liked: You get to see a more emotionally open side of Xhex for once. Rhage is still Rhage lol and Wrath is back to being his authoritative self - the way he should be, instead of the kind of male whose authority was being repeatedly flaunted and side-swept in The Chosen. Tohr is still a pretentious...male, but he's getting more tolerable and quick to admit his faults and mistakes, which I like. Also, we got to see John's personality starting to mature. He's not just Tohr's surrogate son, he's a male who needs to take responsibility for his choices and thoughts.Things I didn't like as much: The whole lessers and antagonists side of the story is still pretty slow to develop but if you've made it this far through the series, you will know that already, and I hope, have accepted it. I read these books for the heroes, not the hero/antagonist conflicts, so do with that information what you will.I was also a little perturbed by the way Murhder was treated by his fellow Brothers. I won't spoil why but the wrap up felt a little...quick, considering they were almost repeatedly telling Murhder to be quiet and keep his thoughts to himself. So their reconciliation seemed very falsely quick.And I got tired of hearing Ward tell us how 'insane' Murhder is after what happened to him. Let's be real...he's not insane. As a writer, if you can't show that, you can only tell us, it's not very effective. We never really see any evidence of Murhder being 'out of control' or unaware of what he is doing, which would be evidence of his insanity. The only times during the series I have felt characters are being clearly 'crazy' is Throe and his obsession with that cursed book he owns and Assail when he was dealing with the hallucinations from trying to combat his cocaine addiction. Murhder is a loner and a martyr, but the word 'insane' repeatedly jarred me every time I saw it come up. If his actions make him insane, so do the actions of Z, or Xhex or even Phury etc.Despite those tiny nit-picks, I am excited to see what happens next. I hope that Ward continues to breathe life into the main cast. With her writing other stories and focusing on the trainees, I was starting to feel like those initial people we fell in love with were being forgotten but this book was fantastic from start to finish.

I have followed the BDB since the very beginning,Her latter 2 books I thought were not at all up to her standards,but this one definitely is.I loved it.But please take warnings publishers and Authors you are all overprising yourselves.With the economy the way it is I have dropped several authors I was with from the start.Especially when their books are not even up to 3 stars.Just one thing ,how can the scull used in the Brotherhood ceremony be the original founder of the species when the Scribe Virgin started the Brotherhood with the Bloodletter and V and Payne were born from it.Surely that would make the Bloodletter the original male Vampire ???

It felt a long time coming but finally we meet Murhder with the black and red locks, who isn't insane just broken but none of the brothers see this. It's been 20 years and he has come to ask the king for help in finding a female he left behind in the laboratory he found her in. He was injured and crazed but never forgot her, she tracked him down and made him promise on her deathbed to rescue her son.He meets Sarah during the rescue, she has already got the boy out, he realises she is his mate, but cannot do anything about it as she is human.Does he get his HEA, read and find out, watch out for Lassiter as he truly comes into his own.