Black Dagger Brotherhood


The Black Dagger Brotherhood is an ongoing series of paranormal romance books by author J. R. Ward. The series focuses on a society of vampire warriors who live together and defend their race against de-souled humans called lessers. The first book in the series was published in 2005.
Ward's Fallen Angels series is set in the same universe, and has some overlap in characters, but little overlap in story lines. It takes place earlier than the main series.
A serial adaptation of these novels was optioned by Passionflix. Season 1 was released in 2025.

Main series

Main books following the brothers.
TitleDateISBN
0Darius September 2023
1Dark LoverSeptember 2005
2Lover EternalMarch 2006
3Lover AwakenedSeptember 2006
4Lover RevealedMarch 2007
5Lover UnboundSeptember 2007
6Lover EnshrinedJune 2008
Father Mine: Zsadist and Bella's Story October 2008
"The Story of Son" December 2008
7Lover AvengedApril 2009
8Lover MineMay 2010
9Lover UnleashedMarch 2011
10Lover RebornMarch 2012
11Lover at LastMarch 2013
12The KingApril 2014
13The ShadowsMarch 2015
14The BeastApril 2016
15The ChosenApril 2017
Dearest Ivie March 2018
16The ThiefApril 2018
Prisoner of Night January 2019
17The SaviorApril 2019
Where Winter Finds You November 2019
18The SinnerMarch 2020
A Warm Heart in Winter December 2020
19Lover UnveiledApril 2021
20Lover ArisenApril 2022
21LassiterApril 2023
22The BelovedApril 2024
A Bloom in Winter November 2024
23Lover ForbiddenSeptember 2025

  • The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide Volume 2.
  • Black Dagger Brotherhood, box set: Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, Lover Unbound, Lover Revealed, ''Lover Enshrined''

    Spin-off series

Black Dagger Legacy Series

A spin-off series that details the trainees. Runs parallel to the main series.
TitleDateISBN
1Blood KissDecember 2015
2Blood VowDecember 2016
3Blood FuryJanuary 2018
4Blood TruthAugust 2019

Prison Camp Series

A spin-off series that follows the inmates of the glymera's secret and notorious prison camp. Runs parallel to the main series.
TitleDateISBN
1The JackalAugust 2020
2The WolfNovember 2021
3The ViperSeptember 2022
4Brother of Fire: Lost Dagger Society 1TBD-

The Lair of the Wolven Series

A spin-off series that follows wolves of the Black Dagger Brotherhood world. Runs parallel to the main series.
TitleDateISBN
1ClaimedJuly 2021
2ForeverMarch 2023
3MineJanuary 2024-

Fallen Angels Series

Series set in the same universe, but takes place in an earlier timeline.
TitleDateISBN
1CovetSeptember 2009
2CraveOctober 2010
3EnvySeptember 2011
4RaptureSeptember 2012
5PossessionOctober 2013
6ImmortalOctober 2014

Suggested reading order

Reading order suggested by J.R. Ward.
  • Darius '
  • Dark Lover '
  • Lover Eternal '
  • Lover Awakened '
  • Lover Revealed '
  • Lover Unbound '
  • Lover Enshrined '
  • Father Mine '
  • Lover Avenged '
  • Lover Mine '
  • Lover Unleashed '
  • Lover Reborn '
  • Lover At Last '
  • The King '
  • The Shadows '
  • The Beast '
  • Blood Kiss '
  • Blood Vow '
  • The Chosen '
  • Dearest Evie '
  • Blood Fury '
  • The Thief '
  • Prisoner of Night '
  • The Savior '
  • Blood Truth '
  • Where Winter Finds You '
  • The Sinner '
  • The Jackal '
  • A Warm Heart in Winter '
  • Lover Unveiled '
  • Claimed '
  • The Wolf '
  • Lover Arisen '
  • The Viper '
  • Forever '
  • Lassiter '
  • Mine '
  • The Beloved '
  • A Bloom in Winter '
  • Lover Forbidden '
''Note: 'Prisoner of Night' is a standalone novella in the same world, but does not cover the Brotherhood. 'Where Winter Finds You' and 'A Warm Winter Heart' novellas cover the Brotherhood.''