REVIEW: Blood Truth by J.R. Ward

Sammy’s review of Blood Truth (The Black Dagger Legacy, Book 4) by J.R. Ward
Paranormal Romance published by Gallery Books 13 August 19

I just finished listening to Blood Fury, which is Book 3 in this spin-off series, and, OMG, I loved that book hard. It’s definitely going on my best-of books of all time. I loved everything about that story. I was looking forward to see how Boone would play out, considering how things left off in The Savior. Boone had to go to Wrath and tell him his father was about to do something against the King’s laws. If you read The Savior, you would also know how things turned out. In Blood Truth, it picks right up where The Savior ended. If you haven’t read The Savior, there will be spoilers going forward in this review. Unfortunately, there is no way around that.

The book starts off before the shit hits the fan. We find out that Boone and a vampire from the Glymera were supposed to be mated. Rochelle asks to speak with Boone about terminating the arrangement. They are both on the same page. For Boone, he doesn’t want a loveless mating like his parents, and for Rochelle, she is in love with someone else. In order to protect Rochelle, Boone takes all the blame. What Boone doesn’t know is how his white-knight complex is going to come back and bite him in the ass.

Helania has been haunting a club that serves as a place where humans can role play, party, have sex, and what-have-you. She’s been trying to figure out who murdered her sister. While at the club she notices two real vampires that are getting hot and heavy out on the floor of the club. Everyone who attends the club wears black capes and masks. She watches the male vampire haul the female off downstairs. An hour later she decides to check on the female vamp and finds her dead – hung from a meat hook, her neck sliced and bleeding out. She calls the brotherhood for help.

Boone, meanwhile, is out of rotation due to the fact he was 1) injured from being stabbed by a lessor and 2) the death of his father. Butch has been called in to check out the murder site and takes pity on Boone to help him out. The recent killing is No. 3. Caldwell has a serial killer out there and he or she is killing human and vampire women in the same horrendous way. What you will come to find out is the vampire who left down the steps with the female is Syn. Let’s talk about Syn for a second. He  is Zsadist 2.0. That male has some serious issues and he’s very scary. Waaaay scarier that Zsadist. He gave me the creeps and in the same breath was sexy as hell.

Boone and Butch are trying to get in touch with the caller and she is not answering her cell. Boone catches her scent and follows her out of the club. Helania is wary, but eventually Boone and Butch convince her to trust them. Boone is immediately smitten with her. From her amber eyes to her long blonde-red locks. Helania and Boone text and call each other and they start to form a bond. Meanwhile, Boone is dealing with his father’s death and the fade ceremony. Boone is also experiencing something strange inside his head. Almost like he is two people. He’s been acting strange and doing some messed up things out in the field. Similar to what Syn suffers from. I am going to tell you upfront this part of the story really annoys me. There is no deep diving into what is really going on with Boone.

Butch and Boone are working the case and Boone and Helania decide to take their relationship further. Helania is shy and unsure of herself. Her older sister always took care of her and for the past eight months, Helania has closed herself off to the world, only going to the club to figure out who killed her sister and also looking out for other females. She feels like she failed, and I love the communication between the two. I would also like to mention that something big happens to Helania and it’s huge.

The relationship between Boone and his father is not good. His father has a better relationship with his vampire butler. What we find out is that Boone’s mahmen suddenly died and she was replaced with a new mahmen a few months later. Things are downright glacial between Boone and his father’s butler. Two days after the fade ceremony, Boone and Marquist (the butler) are in front of Wrath and Saxton to read the will. His father left everything to Marquist and the will was changed the day that Boone called off his arranged marriage. Wrath decrees that Boone will remain in the house for two weeks to let things settle. Boone is in doesn’t care mode and screw everything. We also find out that Boone thinks his mahmen was murdered, and that’s another thread through this book where things were said but went nowhere. This also annoys me.

Things between Boone and Helania are moving full speed ahead. They are beautiful together. The sex is hot. He’s a bonded male for sure! Something BIG happens and Helania finds herself at the compound with Doc Jane. While she is there, she meets with Butch to go over the progression of the case. When she leaves the office, she catches the scent of the vampire that was in the club with the dead female. She starts to yell that it’s him – Butch, V, and a bunch of the other brothers come out of their hidey-holes to check things out. She is screaming that SYN was the vampire that was with the dead girl. Things move pretty quickly from here. Syn’s cousin is well aware what Syn does in his off time and it’s not looking good. All the wandering threads start to come together and, let me tell you, dear reader, it’s a damned doozy.

I left out a lot in this review. The suspense is well done. There are twists and turns. There are things that are unanswered. By the end of the book, I was on the edge of my seat and wanting more. Syn’s book is going to be wild. His background is just as bad as Zsadist’s, and we were only given a few insights into who this male is, and he’s a scary vampire. Boone and Helania have the sweetest, most loving ending. I really love these two. I probably would have loved this book more if certain aspects of it weren’t ignored or glossed over. Otherwise, it was a great installment into the BDB world. If you’re new to the spin-off series, the first book, Blood Kiss, is on sale for $2.99.

Grade: B-

Summary:

As a trainee in the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s program, Boone has triumphed as a soldier and now fights side by side with the Brothers. Following his sire’s unexpected death, he is taken off rotation against his protests—and he finds himself working with Butch O’Neal, former homicide cop, to catch a serial killer: Someone is targeting females of the species at a live action role play club. When the Brotherhood is called in to help, Boone insists on being a part of the effort—and the last thing he expects is to meet an enticing, mysterious female…who changes his life forever.

Ever since her sister was murdered at the club, Helania has been committed to finding the killer, no matter the danger she faces. When she crosses paths with Boone, she doesn’t know whether to trust him or not—and then she has no choice. As she herself becomes a target, and someone close to the Brotherhood is identified as the prime suspect, the two must work to together to solve the mystery…before it’s too late. Will a madman come between the lovers or will true love and goodness triumph over a very mortal evil?

No excerpt available.

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