I have a love/hate relationship with the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I hate to love it and I love to hate it. And I just love it period. The world has always engrossed me and continues to do so even after all these years. I picked this one up when I couldn’t decide what to read. As always, I was pulled into this amazing world that JRW has created.

Nyx is looking for her sister whom she believes was wrongly convicted of murder. When a chance encounter with a vampire leads Nyx to the infamous glymera’s prison camp, she knows that she has to find her sister. She doesn’t know what to expect or even what her plan is, but she knows that she has to try to save her. She realizes at once that it’s a far deadlier that she thought it would be. After accidentally killing one of the prison camps guards, she finds herself face-to-face with the vampire they call The Jackal.

The Jackal has been in the prison camp for hundreds of years for a crime that he did not commit. While he is a prisoner, he’s not like other prisoners. “Command” as he calls it is the warden of the prison. Nothing happens or goes on that Command doesn’t know about. This book had a lot of action and seemed to never stop. Which makes sense considering that it’s a freaking prison.

To be honest, Nyx was stupid af. A true TSTL heroine. She had no plan when she went in. Like, none. Not one glimmer of what she would do when she arrived, let alone how she would find her sister. The Jackal was a great character though I really wondered what he saw in Nyx. I had a hard time seeing past her stupidity. She did get better toward the end, but it was too little, too late for me. I only finished reading it because I really liked The Jackal. Rhage was also prominent in this book & I enjoyed reading his memories of the past.

As per usual, the “secret” in the book smacked me right in the face at the time it was revealed. I had no idea that it was coming, but it really worked out in the end. Additionally, I will be reading the rest of the series because it’s very compelling.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Earlier this year J.R. Ward brought us another novel in her long-running Black Dagger Brotherhood vampire series, The Sinner; the start of a new offshoot, The Jackal; and now the Christmas-themed A Warm Heart in Winter, which will be published on Tuesday It continues the story of Qhuinn and Blay, who were the subjects of Lover at Last. A holiday gift for her readers, the new novel gives Ward a chance to lovingly catch up on all her BDB characters but also offer the suspense and deep emotions her books are known for as she advances the saga.

Nyx has been looking for the glymera’s prison camp for 50 years. Ever since her sister got sent there for a crime she didn’t commit. But, either no one is talking, or no one knows, that is, until by pure chance she nearly runs over an escapee. Now, armed with the location of the prison, a bag full of ammo and her toothbrush, she is breaking into the prison and doesn’t intend to leave without her sister.

This book. This damn book. I feel very conflicted about it. The release of a J.R.Ward book is something I used to look forward to with unhealthy anticipation. I would book a few days off work to read it; I would load up with snacks and Kleenex to get me through the emotional ups and downs and I would be up until midnight making sure that the book downloaded on my kindle. Nowadays, I don’t get the i-can’t-wait-i-need-it-now rush of anticipation as the books she’s released in the past few years haven’t really done it for me.

So, The Jackal was a chance for a new start, set in the world that I do still love. Ward’s opportunity to get back to what made me fall in love with the original Brothers. Capture that magic again. As you may have guessed from the rating it didn’t quite do that for me. But, I am still conflicted as this book did something that alot of her books, even in the early days, didn’t do. She gave me heroine I Loved, with a capital L. But, let me delve more deeply into some of the points that stuck out for me:

Spin-off Blues

This is a bugbear of mine. If a book is the first of a new series, spin off or not, then you shouldn’t have to read all the author’s other work to understand what is happening in it. Could you read The Jackal without reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood (BDB) series and still enjoy and get the full impact of the story. In my opinion: no. I am going to qualify that by saying that both the hero The Jackal and the heroine, Nyx, are brand new characters we haven’t met before. The issue is, is that it is set in a very well developed world that Ward has excellently fleshed out in the BDB series. In this book, lots of concepts and characters are thrown at the reader without explanation. For example, Nyx is given a dagger with a black blade by her grandfather something we all know is synonymous with the Brotherhood. Nyx is taken back by this, as a reader of BDB we know why, we know what the dagger signify’s, a new reader wouldn’t. Also concepts like the glymera, shellan, pre-trans and all these other aspects of vampire life are dropped without explanation. If, as a virgin to BDB I had read this, I would find this extremely off-putting, I would either be constantly having to refer to the glossary or I would DNF.

Rhage Rage

This is linked to my point above. Rhage’s story kind of entwines with this and at the beginning of the book we have snippets from the 1800-1900s from Rhage’s POV. Once again, if you haven’t read BDB having Rhage as the first chapter, a character you know is neither the hero or heroine is just strange. In fact, in the first 40% of the book, we barely see The Jackal, the hero of the story. And, now that I’ve read the book, I understand what Ward was doing, but it felt unnecessary. That connection to Rhage was not needed and if you took it out, no part of the story would have played out any differently. So, what was the point? It only served to really slow down the book with no actual pay off. And, it kills me to say this as Rhage is one of my favourite characters in BDB, I love seeing him on the page, but I felt like it really detracted from getting to know Nyx and The Jackal.

Nyx 4eva

One of my consistent criticisms of this series is the heroines. For me, with the exceptions of Mary, Marissa and Xhex, all of the other heroines are entirely forgettable and even at times interchangeable. Bella, Beth, Ehlena, Layla, Payne…I like them all but I struggled just now to remember their names. So, I was absolutely delighted when Nyx came on page. Finally, a heroine I could fall in love with. She was strong and resourceful, resilient and smart. Maybe a little headstrong, but I kinda liked that too. I know, thus far in my review I’ve been fairly negative and honestly there’s one more negative point to go, but one of the things that kept me reading was Nyx. If you like a strong heroine, she’s your gal.

Insta Love

I am not a hater of insta love, sometimes it works really well especially in the paranormal romance genre where it’s often linked with fated mates. But, for me, I found the evolution of this romance disappointing. It was too fast, they had sex too early. Ward is fantastic at weaving longing and angst and soul deep connection. I know, I’ve read it, she’s made me cry over it, even in her latter books which are by no means my favourite she still weaves her magic. But, there was too much instant gratification, I wanted the build up the anticipation and then burst of passion. But it was sadly lacking in this book. It wasn’t terrible by all means, but I just expected so much more, this book just did not have the emotional impact I was craving.

Final Thoughts

J.R. Ward is a beautiful writer and I love the ebb and flow of her work. She isn’t afraid to use complex and original language and she has a way of saying things that can really nail down a situation or a feeling. She’s a master. This book is no different in that respect. It’s why I will continue to read Ward, even though the romance itself was a little mediocre. So, if you are already a Black Dagger Brotherhood fan, I would recommend reading this, if this is the first time you have encountered J.R. Ward, I would skip this one for now and start with Dark Lover, the first in the original BDB series.

2.5 stars.

I have noticed lately that the recent releases in the BDB series and the spin-off have, unfortunately, been pretty lackluster and boring to me. The Jackal? Pretty lackluster and boring.

When this starts off, Nyx is determined to find this secret prison to find her sister and help her escape. She believes her sister was wrongfully accused of her crime and is determined to get her. What threw me off about this book is that it takes place over only a matter of days. I honestly thought it was all one night until they mentioned that two days had passed. Two days and I'm supposed to believe there's that intense of a bond between the characters Nyx just met? Especially Jackal? I know the mating bond is a thing, but I really struggled with feeling any sort of connection between Nyx and Jackal.

I remember JR Ward talking about how dark this book was back during an event last year, and I had a hard time really feeling for Jackal and the things he went through. In my opinion, Zsadist's book was so much more heart-wrenching because it was written and developed so much better than this book was. Sure it was sad what Jackal went through, but I didn't find myself attached to him or feeling for him. Even his reasoning for needing to stay in the prison felt pretty detached for me and I didn't buy his urgent need to stay.

I also have no idea how any of the BDB guys, especially Wrath, had no idea this prison existed. Didn't Rhage know it was being built? I've read some other reviews and have to agree that there were some plot holes that just weren't fleshed out. That along with some characters that fell flat for me, I was definitely left not satisfied with this book.

Face paced and intriguing beginning to this spin off series. I think I’m gonna love where these books are headed.

Now I knew a little bit of what it was about, but not the official blurb, so some of this was a nice surprise. But even with what I knew, there was still a bit that shocked me.

From the moment I picked this book up I felt drawn into the story. Nyx was kick a$$ character! She was ready for anything and everything. Except the Jackal. She was a very determined female and once she had her mind made up there was no changing it. I was rooting for her the entire time.

With the then and now chapters I was crazy curious about the Jackal. He had a bit of mystery surrounding him. He was a strong and fierce male and I loved the way he responded to Nyx. These two together were a strong unit.

The side characters have me really hoping for the future books. I would like to see what happens next in this world and how it merges with the regular BDB world.

I'm sorry, but this book just didn't work for me. I was excited to have it on my shelf, but I just couldn't get through it. It didn't feel like a JR Ward book, and I'm not sure if it was me or the book, but it just didn't work for me.

To say I struggled with this book would be an understatement. I have heard about the Black Dagger Brotherhood series for ages and I thought reading the first book in a spin off series would give me an idea of whether or not to go and read the rest.

I probably won't.

For me this was more violent than I usually like. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not all about hearts and flowers where vampires are concerned but this was just not my cup of tea, so to speak.

I could totally see this being done for tv and I think this story might even, dare I say it, work better there, than on print. The characters, Nyx and Jack really needed something more to bring them to life for me. I never felt truly invested in either of them.

Nyx goes off, half cocked to find her sister who was imprisoned for murder. Jack is imprisoned for something he didn't do. The backstory on Jack is by far the most interesting part of the book for me than anything about Nyx.

The time spent in the prison looking for Janelle felt like forever when it was only a few days. That made the instant love between the two main characters feel outrageous, but they are vampires, so anything is possible, right?

There definitely were a few interesting plot twists involving Janelle and also involving Jack, which felt sort of contrived for me, because as the story was going on, something had to happen or it would just keep plodding along with no direction. I wish the twist would have given more oomph to the story, but it only gave a small "wow" before it fizzled.

I was hoping for something great with this book, but it really was a mediocre read for me.

The Jackal is the first in a new spin off set in the BDB world but featuring new characters! The prisoners have been imprisoned for YEARS (sometimes hundreds of years) with no hope of ever being free. No one knows the secret, underground location of the prison, but Nyx is determined to save her sister.

Jackal (Jack) isn't what you expect from a prisoner. There are a lot of people in the prison who have lost their souls. Jack isn't one of them, and it makes the reader want to learn more about him. Nyx is a dynamic character as well. She feels very strongly that her sister is innocent of the crime she was convicted of, but her grandfather says he knows the truth.

The prison camp is a metaphor for the greed of the ruling class. The people imprisoned ofter were sent there because of who they are, not what they did. The guards and "The Command" are vicious and ruthless. Jack takes on a mission of exposing The Command and taking them down for their cruelty.

Fans of Rhage will LOVE his cameos in the story. Ward takes us WAY back in Rhage's story-when Darius was still alive, and long before he met Mary.

Finally, The Jackal gives us a new species in the BDB world: Wolvin! I'm intrigued with this new species and curious as what Ward will do with their "history" and place in the world. She has created the BDB world to be unique amongst other vampire stories, and I'm excited for her take on shifters! Also, while The Jackal is long at 365 pages, its relatively short compared to many of Ward's books!

This was unfortunately a struggle for me to read. I have been a huge fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series for the longest time but the latest books have been a letdown. But when I heard the author was writing a new spinoff series, focused on the Prison Camp that's been mentioned throughout the series, I was still excited to see what she would come up with. Sadly, the heroine Nyx ruined the story for me. Her stubbornness, which was borderline stupidity, grated on my nerves constantly. The Jackal, who I couldn't wait to meet as he is Rhage's half brother, and Rhage is my favorite BDB brother, was a bit of a letdown. There was nothing special about him that made him stand out in the series or as a hero. As much as I wish I could've loved this more, this book was a huge disappointment.

I am so picky when it comes to my paranormal romance books. JR Ward has always been one of my favorites when it come to PNR. The BDB series was one of the first ones that hooked me and never let go. Lately though, it does seem like I have to take each book as it's own story and not a part of the series. It's just a feeling but it's there. I do enjoy these books a lot, but it's not the same.

The Jackal was different that what I expected, but in a good way. I enjoyed all the characters, new and old. The storyline, chemistry, and everything else was good. The die hard BDB fans might have to suspend that hope that it will feel like the old books and embrace the new normal for the BDB world. It disappoints me too but as long as I don't go into the books hoping for that I do really enjoy each one that has released lately.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this Prison Camp spin off will take us. I am excited about the new characters that we met here in The Jackal. New and old fans should give this one a go!

Well, J.R. Ward has done it again! THIS BOOK!!!!! OH. MY. GOSH. I couldn't put it down! I was on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed how this book took the reader back in time as well as what was happening currently with Nyx and Jack. I enjoyed the intense chemistry between Nyx and Jack, despite the danger surrounding them. The draw between them was palpable through the pages. The danger was intense and the things that unfolded were unexpected! I couldn't read this book fast enough and I loved how different it was. While the BDB weren't the main focus, I liked getting glimpses into those that were shown to the reader. It was intense, real (yes, I know there aren't vampires, but J.R. really makes the reader feel like these characters are real and it could happen!), raw and I loved every minute of it!

The Jackal
Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp #1
J.R. Ward


Book 1 in the Warden’s brand new Black Dagger Brotherhood spinoff Prison Camp series, The Jackal, is marvelous told in two time-lines present day and a century ago. JR tells the story of The Jackal, his association with the brother Darius and the brother Rhage (Hollywood) and how he ends up imprisoned in 1914 for something he doesn’t do, and Nyx, a civilian female whose search for her sister leads her into danger and a dangerous love. Ward’s storytelling is masterful, her dialogue is the same in your face narrative fans will find in all her BDB books, her characters are irreverent and all larger than life and she’s giving readers more bang for their buck delivering some OMG jaw-dropping revelations. Her audience will find compassion for her likeable couple and will be rooting them on in the face of all their seemingly insurmountable challenges. BDB fans will love this series’ world-building and will have no trouble understanding the Vampire speak unique to Ward’s series and the excellent Vampire glossary provided at the beginning will help new fans understand this truly one-of-a-kind world. Although the Warden is also one of-a-kind fan’s of Gena Showalter and Sherrilyn Kenyon will find this unputdownable!

Narration:
As always Jim Frangione is the only voice of Ward’s BDB series and as always with a clear voice and perfect intonation he does an amazing job bringing this tale to audio listeners.

Series set up:
For centuries the notorious prison run by the ruling class, the glymera, housed the Vampires sentenced to crimes against the species and located deep underground in a secret location they thought they had everything under control that is until the lessening society’s raids wiped out almost all of the ruling class three years ago. With the glymera no longer in charge and the King outlawing their council the prisoners should have been under the rule of the King and the Black Dagger Brotherhood unfortunately for them that secret location kept that from happening, and more unfortunate for them the unscrupulous prison warden, The Command took this opportunity to turn the prison into an illicit for profit enterprise until one night all hell broke lose when a female infiltrated the once thought impenetrable prison walls.

Nyx and her sister Posey hit what they first think is a deer on their way home from shopping only to discover it’s the badly broken body of a pre-trans that apparently escaped from the same prison their older sister, Janelle is imprisoned within. With this new information and a possible way inside Nyx is determined to break into the prison and get her sister out. Only when she gains access she runs into a male prisoner from a different era that’s just as determined to keep her out of harms way because of her fairer sex.
For more than a century The Jackal has been incarcerated for crimes he didn’t commit, he’s done all he can to keep alive although sometimes he wonders why he doesn’t just give up. Then he’s confronted by a small in stature female with grit who cusses like a sailor looking for her sister and there’s nothing he can do to talk her out of it. So he does the only thing he can, he helps her.

The Jackal by JR Ward is a great start to a new BDB spin off series. Author JR Ward delivers another story enhancing our favorite world.

I loved the backstory we get about the camp and loved reading about Rhage and Darius in the past. Their connection and loyalty stays true to the brotherhood our OG BDB share.

Though it was a little too insta-love for me, I did enjoy the relationship between Nyx and the Jackal. Corruption, power, abuse are rampant in the camp. Nyc is determined to complete her quest despite the odds against her. The Jackal feels a oral urge to help and protect her, regardless of the repercussions. The premise is engaging.

We also meet a new breed of character that has been a long time coming and I’m excited!!

Secrets, lies, and danger made this story intriguing. It did lag a little for me at times. But, a good story and solid start to the spinoff. JR Ward continues to develop and build the BDB world while staying true to the characters we love.

For some reason, I get behind on Ward's books then read them out of order. Something that I hate doing but it will sound good and I want to read it so...

So when I saw that this one started up a new offshoot of her series I thought I'd give it a try. Boy was I glad that I did. I really enjoy The Jackal and loved him. He's a new character that's been introduced to us but he has ties with the brothers. I'm not going to share with who read it for yourself and find out.

Not only do we have new characters to love with also got flashbacks to some of those we already love past. At times the plot gets a bit busy but that's how Ward rolls. Once or twice I thought, what! but then as I read on I got it.

I also really enjoy Nyx and her quest to free her sister. I think you'll really enjoy her as a character. Both of them are perfect together even though at times you have to wonder if they'd work. In the end, they do and I hope we see more of them.

The one thing I really love about Ward is her ability to paint a picture in her writing. You feel like you are there with them every step of the way. It really makes for a great story. I can't wait for the next book in her Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp series.

JR Ward's latest addition to her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Entitled <i>The Jackal</i> is one that starts as a family fragmented series of beginnings.
The first of which being Rhage's present-day father daughter evening at the Brotherhood mansion with his daughter.
Which then morphs into Nyx and Posie'e run in with what they thought to be a deer. In their car on a dark road. On their way to the farmhouse they shared with their grandfather.

Only the deer was far more than that.
And the secret that he would unknowingly set free into the world. As he lay feverish, and struggling to overcome his injuries. With Posie keeping an ever vigilant watch. Is one that serves to unearth old secrets. Thought long buried. Call to mind old memories; thought long forgotten. And send Nyx on a mission destined to change everything that she, Rhage, her family, and the Black Dagger Brotherhood ever thought they knew about love, life, family, and what loyalty really means.

And now the good part.
The review.
The aforementioned story fragments do come together.
But it does take quite a bit of convenient roaming by Nyx. Inside the prison.
Into which she finds a very convenient entrance.
And is very conveniently discovered by just the right man...uh...vampire.
Did I also mention that all of this convenience also included guns and knives?
That's right!
Our girl is able to find her way into a centuries old supernatural prison. Find the one male that won't kill or rape her on sight. That male being The Jackal, or Jack. And manage to keep all of her weapons.

Say it with me now?
WT absolute F?

And Oh yeah...
She's there to find her sister. Who she believes was falsely accused of murdering her former employer.
All of which is truly well and good.
At least until.we get to the private hot spring and wild animal sex that By a and Jack manage to have while on the run in one incident. And injured in others.
But I digress.

In true J.R. Ward fashion, you can expect mouth watering delicious sex. A male with a tragic past doing the best he can to redeem himself. While saving or redeeming the woman who turns out to be his mate. From her equally tragic present.

But in this case there is prison, family, surprises, sisters, torture, and more. As well as crazy looping plotlines that have to be read to be believed. And let's not forget the secrets, secrets, and more secrets.
This is truly a one sitting wonder that one just had to keep reading from the first word.
Well done J.R.
On what promises to be a wonderful spin off.

THE JACKAL is the first instalment in JR Ward’s contemporary, adult PRISON CAMP: BLACK DAGGER LEGACY paranormal, romance series-a companion / spin off to the author’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This is vampire Jackal ‘Jack’, and Nyxanlis ‘Nyx’ story line. THE JACKAL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Several of the characters cross-over from the original series for cohesion and familiarity.

Told from several third person perspectives following two timelines and two intersecting paths THE JACKAL focuses on the atrocities of the glymera prison, thought to have been disbanded and disarmed. Nyxanlis aka ‘Nyx’ has been desperate to free her sister Janelle, who was sentenced to the subterranean prison fifty years earlier for the murder of a man for which she had worked. Sneaking into the prison was easy but Nyx never expected to find herself falling in love with a vampire, a prisoner who called himself The Jackal, a man whose own life sentence was questionable and wrong. Working together alongside several vampires and wolven, Nyx and Jack would go in search of information regarding Nyx’s sister only to find themselves facing a potential death sentence when their adventure is discovered.

Meanwhile, the author takes the reader back a century where we get our fist glimpse into the life of the man known as The Jackal, and his initial encounter and association with the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Following a fight with the lessers, an injured Rhage finds himself recovering at the home of one of the Glymera, where he will meet a man, whose face is familiar, but a man who will be falsely accused of a crime against a female vampire. One hundred years will pass before Rhage will get a chance to meet his half-brother, for the second time.

THE JACKAL is a story that focuses on the heart breaking, and unethical conditions of a vampire prison where ‘The Command’ controls with an iron fist. Most of the prisoners has been sentenced for who they are, and not what they have done but at one time the rich and powerful thought they controlled the world of the vampire, and in doing so, sentenced anyone and everyone who got in their way.

JR Ward, once again, pulls the reader into the world of the vampire-a different world than what we have seen with her Black Dagger Brotherhood. The prison camp shows the underbelly of corruption , power and control by the wealthy Glymera, an underbelly I would have thought the BDB should have had some idea still existed. The premise is engaging and captivating-there is a bit of a twist to the story line premise; the characters are energetic and dynamic; the romance is a case of insta-lust to love, a fated relationship that quickly develops in the face of potential discovery and loss.


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While this is not the first story of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, it was easy to catch up and get to know the characters.

The book opens with a glossary. Luckily, most of the book was understandable through context clues, and referencing the glossary wasn’t usually necessary. Most of the characters in the story are vampires. While that can mean different things for different book series, the most important part of these vampires is that they live a really long time.

Nyx and her sister Posie unexpectedly receive a clue to where their sister Janelle may be serving her prison sentence - for the last 50 years. Nyx is initially convinced Janelle was wrongly convicted, and with the new information she makes it her goal to break into the prison and help her sister to escape. As soon as she gets into the prison, another inmate known as The Jackal (who has been in the prison for longer than a century) starts helping her, to both of their surprise.

Although the plot could have been confusing, the book was well written and engaging. Nyx and The Jackal had a little help from a few other inmates that The Jackal trusted, but their odds never seemed good. Despite it all, the reader couldn’t help but want things to turn out well for Nyx, The Jackal, and true love.

While this book was the first in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp series, it was actually the fifth book in the Black Dagger Legacy. The other books may be worth checking into as well. Overall, I’d give The Jackal 4 out of 5 stars on its own. I’d recommend it to paranormal fans, and those who have previously enjoyed the books in the overlapping series. Please keep it to adults, though. Nyx and The Jackal somehow found plenty of private time during their life or death experiences.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about The Black Dagger Brotherhood books, so I was really excited to read The Jackal, and I was not disappointed! This book had classic qualities that make a great fantasy novel; vampires, action, romance, and some mystery.

Nyx was a great female lead, strong, determined, and just generally bad-ass, I found her extremely likable.  Jack was broody and complex, and I loved how we slowly got to learn about his past and why he ended up in prison. 

The story was fast-paced and exciting, broken up by the flashbacks in Rhage’s point of view. Rhage’s flashbacks, while offering insight about Jack’s past, also kept the reader from getting tired of Nyx and Jack’s only setting being the prison. Overall, if you enjoyed any of the other Black Dagger Brotherhood books, anything by J. R. Ward, or dark fantasy romances, The Jackal is probably a book for you!

OMG! We get to read about Rhage half-brother in The Jackal. It’s a total surprise that Rhage has a half-brother. It’s out of nowhere but it’s a wonderful surprise though. I won't go into too much detail because it will spoil the plot line but I will say some things. Expect a lot of cuteness whenever Rhage interacts with his half-brother. Because there is no lost love between them. Trust me. Plus, we get to read about adorable moments of Rhage's half-brother being an uncle to the cuteness girl. But pay attention to details though cause you might get confused of the plot line. Just pay attention, you will get it. It’s a good read.

THE JACKAL, book one of the Prison Camp series from JR Ward, is set in the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and takes readers underground, introducing a world of incarcerated vampires that not many know exists. I’ve had such a strange reaction to THE JACKAL, equally bored at times and believing that The Jackal (yes, that’s the character’s name as well as the name of the book) and Nyx’s story was a book that I’ve didn’t know I needed to read.

In a nutshell THE JACKAL is one female’s foray into a hidden prison camp for vampires (and at least one other species). Nyx’s sister was wrongly convicted of murder 50 years ago and Nyx is determined to find the prison and save her sister. She stumbles into The Jackal shortly after she arrives and the story rolls out from there.

I love the spinoffs Ward gives her readers. As the original BDB series turned into Urban Fantasy (which I LOVE) it felt, at times, that romance was sort of a secondary trope rather than primary. Ward has given her fans much-loved novellas and the Legacy series, which reminded readers of the early BDB books. The Prison Camp series looks like it’s going down that same road as The Jackal and Nyx falling in love drives the story, for the most part, though there’s plenty of action to love.

Full transparency: the first half of the book was a little boring and a little frustrating. There are more questions than answers (how do the prisoners feed, why isn’t anyone wondering where their criminal loved one is, what are wolvens) and it felt like we got a lot of The Jackal and Nyx wandering around the camp. There’re some flashback scenes from Rhage’s point of view and we see how he met The Jackal, which is important later in the story. We’re also given some precious moments with Darius. But, overall, I found it easy to put the book down in the first 50%.

Then THE JACKAL exploded into every type of JR Ward goodness I look for when I read her books. Seriously, when I said earlier that THE JACKAL was the book I needed to read in the series, I meant it. There were things that just rolled into place for me and I even found myself tearing up towards the end. More importantly, I could not put the book down. One minute I was ho-humming the next I was telling my husband to stop bothering me so I could finish.

Nyx is a badass female right up there with Xhex and Payne. She’s determined and loyal and doesn’t abide by any sort of misogyny. Even The Jackal, who has been underground for a century and is unfamiliar with modern day females, doesn’t stand a chance against her when she arrives in the underground prison set on finding her sister. Antiquated ideas about women aside, The Jackal is a great addition to the BDB heroes. Between the flashbacks and current day chapters we meet a male that is honorable, smart, sexy, and someone you’d want in your corner. His chemistry with Nyx is off the charts. He’s also a victim of the hierarchy of the camp, a revelation that spurs the second half of the book, leaving me on the edge of my seat.

There’s so much I want to gush about but I don’t want to spoil ANYTHING. As the book races to its conclusion readers are gifted with revelations that change everything. When I turned the last page, I stood in awe at how Ward brought everything together without resorting to unnecessary drama. The Jackal and Nyx’s love story stands as one of my favorites and just thinking of all that was left up in the air leaves me already impatient for book 2.