The romance between Axe and Elise is everything I’ve come to expect from this author. Sure, she represents everything he hates about aristocrats, but he can’t quite manage to hate her, no matter how much he might want to. First off, aristocrats pay really well, and second, it will give him ample opportunity to be near Elise. Working as Elise’s bodyguard isn’t exactly his dream job, but he figures it’s worth it for a couple of reasons.

She knows her family is shaken by the brutal murder of her cousin, but she is also sure she can’t stop living just to keep them comfortable.Īs a sort of compromise, Elise’s father allows her to continue with her studies as long as she is guarded at all times. Her father has found out that she’s been sneaking out to finish up her PhD program and is threatening to petition the king to keep her under his control and his roof for the rest of her days.

It’s obvious she’s an aristocrat, and Axe hates everything about the aristocratic lifestyle, but he can’t take his eyes off her.Įlise is chafing against the constraints of vampire society. While at the popular club chosen for this meal, Axe catches site of one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen. If you’re thinking vampires usually don’t eat normal food, you would be correct, but Ward has altered vampire mythology just a bit to make ingesting food, drinks, and recreational drugs part of the vamp lifestyle. One night, Axe is persuaded to go out for a meal with the rest of the recruits. He gets along well enough with most of his fellow trainees, but makes it clear he’s not there to make friends. He’s a solitary guy, training hard by night and returning to the run-down cottage he calls home during the day. Axe continues to train as one of the new recruits of the Brotherhood’s training program, developed to strengthen the vampire forces against members of the Lessening Society. I’m guessing this is nearly a year after the events in Blood Kiss, but this is never clearly spelled out. We pick things up with Blood Vow a few months after the epilogue of The Beast. Narrator Jim Frangione narrates all the books, adding a wonderful sense of continuity to the series. To fully appreciate the magnitude of Ward’s writing, I recommend going back to where it all began with Dark Lover. This would not be a good place to jump into the series as it hinges heavily on events that took place in Blood Kiss, book 1 in this series, as well as The Beast, the 14th installment in Black Dagger Brotherhood. It’s paranormal romance with rich world building and characters you can’t help but root for. Ward’s Black Dagger Legacy series, a spin-off to her hugely popular Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

Blood Vow by J.R. Ward