Black Dagger Brotherhood — Reading Order
by J.R. Ward
Paranormal romance series following a brotherhood of vampire warriors who protect their race from extinction in a fictional American city.
List updated
What order should you read Black Dagger Brotherhood in?
Read the 24 books in Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward in publication order: 1. Dark Lover (2005) · 2. Lover Eternal (2006) · 3. Lover Awakened (2006) · 4. Lover Revealed (2007) · 5. Lover Unbound (2007) · 6. Lover Enshrined (2008) · 7. Lover Avenged (2009) · 8. Lover Mine (2010) · 9. Lover Unleashed (2011) · 10. Lover Reborn (2012) · … continuing through 24. Lover Enthroned (2026)
About This Series
J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series is the heavyweight champion of paranormal romance. Set in Caldwell, New York, the series follows the Black Dagger Brotherhood — a group of vampire warriors who protect their species from the Lessening Society, soulless humans recruited by a dark god to wipe out vampires. Each book focuses on one Brother finding his mate (his fated romantic partner) while the series-wide conflict escalates.
Start with Dark Lover and continue in publication order. With over twenty main books plus several novellas and companion series, the BDB offers an enormous amount of content.
Ward created the blueprint that countless paranormal romance series have followed: alpha male warriors, fated mates, contemporary urban setting, and a mix of romance and action. But what sets BDB apart is the emotional depth of her characters — each Brother carries genuine trauma and vulnerability beneath the tough exterior, and the romance in each book feels earned rather than formulaic. Ward also pushes boundaries within the genre; later books feature LGBTQ relationships and address addiction, PTSD, and grief with surprising nuance.
Books in Order
Book 1: Dark Lover
J.R. Ward · 2005
Wrath, the last purebred vampire, agrees to help a fallen warrior's half-breed daughter through her transition.
Book 2: Lover Eternal
J.R. Ward · 2006
Rhage, the most powerful of the brotherhood, is cursed with a beast and finds his salvation in a gentle, mortal woman.
Book 3: Lover Awakened
J.R. Ward · 2006
Zsadist, scarred in body and soul, finds unexpected healing through a brave female vampire.
Book 4: Lover Revealed
J.R. Ward · 2007
Former cop Butch O'Neal, the only human in the Brotherhood's inner circle, risks everything for the aristocratic vampire Marissa — and discovers a destiny of his own.
Book 5: Lover Unbound
J.R. Ward · 2007
Vishous, the Brotherhood's brilliant and haunted tactician, is gravely wounded and falls for the human surgeon who saves his life, Dr. Jane Whitcomb.
Book 6: Lover Enshrined
J.R. Ward · 2008
Phury, sworn to celibacy, becomes the Primale of the Chosen and must confront his addiction and his feelings for the Chosen female Cormia.
Book 7: Lover Avenged
J.R. Ward · 2009
Rehvenge, a nightclub owner hiding a dangerous secret about his bloodline, falls for Ehlena, a nurse who sees the man behind the power.
Book 8: Lover Mine
J.R. Ward · 2010
John Matthew, a mute young warrior with a mysterious past, and Xhex, a symphath assassin, are drawn together by a shared quest for revenge.
Book 9: Lover Unleashed
J.R. Ward · 2011
Payne, Vishous's twin sister, is gravely injured, and the human surgeon Manny Manello is brought in to save her.
Book 10: Lover Reborn
J.R. Ward · 2012
Tohrment, shattered by the murder of his mate Wellsie, must learn to let go before her spirit is trapped forever — with help from a female named Autumn.
Book 11: Lover at Last
J.R. Ward · 2013
Qhuinn and Blay, best friends whose feelings for each other have gone unspoken for years, finally confront what is between them.
Book 12: The King
J.R. Ward · 2014
Wrath's right to the throne is challenged by the Band of Bastards as he and Beth face the question of an heir.
Book 13: The Shadows
J.R. Ward · 2015
Trez, a Shadow bound to his people's queen, falls for the Chosen female Selena while his brother iAm fights to free him.
Book 14: The Beast
J.R. Ward · 2016
Rhage, the Brotherhood's most volatile fighter, struggles with a darkness growing inside him as his relationship with Mary is tested.
Book 15: The Chosen
J.R. Ward · 2017
Layla, one of the Chosen, is torn between loyalty to the Brotherhood and her forbidden love for Xcor, leader of the Band of Bastards.
Book 16: The Thief
J.R. Ward · 2018
Assail, a vampire drug dealer battling an addiction of his own, is drawn back into the life of Sola Morte, a human cat burglar.
Book 17: The Savior
J.R. Ward · 2019
Murhder, a Brother driven mad centuries ago, seeks redemption and finds an unexpected ally in Dr. Sarah Watkins, a human researcher.
Book 18: The Sinner
J.R. Ward · 2020
Syn, a Band of Bastards assassin with a dark compulsion, meets Jo Early, a human reporter who may be more than she knows.
Book 19: Lover Unveiled
J.R. Ward · 2021
Sahvage, a warrior who has lived under the radar for centuries, is drawn into Mae's desperate fight against an ancient evil as she tries to reverse a tragedy.
Book 20: Lover Arisen
J.R. Ward · 2022
Possessed by the demon Devina, the thief Balthazar hunts the Book of Spells — and falls for Erika Saunders, a homicide detective investigating strange killings in Caldwell.
Book 21: Lassiter
J.R. Ward · 2023
The fallen angel Lassiter finds love with a mysterious female who could be his destiny — or his utter destruction.
Book 22: The Beloved
J.R. Ward · 2024
Nalla, Zsadist's sheltered daughter, falls for Nate — a male her father will never accept, who has secretly bargained away his own immortality.
Book 23: Lover Forbidden
J.R. Ward · 2025
After a mysterious male saves her life, Lyric falls for Devlin — unaware that his secret could end the war with the Lessening Society, or tear them apart.
Book 24: Lover Enthroned
J.R. Ward · 2026
The twenty-fourth Black Dagger Brotherhood novel, published in September 2026.
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