How to Read the BDB Series
See the best reading order for The Black Dagger Brotherhood, a paranormal romance novel series written by J.R. Ward. What is the correct reading order for the BDB books? As an avid fan for over 15 years, I can definitely tell you. I’ve grouped them into sections so it’s easier to process the list, but this is just my interpretation of how they can be grouped (nothing official).
I’ve updated this with an additional list that includes the Fallen Angels series by J.R. Ward. You don’t need to read that series to stay up to date with the Black Dagger Brotherhood, but it is set in the same world, and there are crossover characters. Full disclosure, I don’t love the Fallen Angels series that much. So I read each book once and that was that. I re-read the Brothers’ books all the time!
Anyway, we start at the beginning…
BDB Reading Order
Dark Lover (Wrath & Beth) 2005
Lover Eternal (Rhage & Mary) 2006
Lover Awakened (Zsadist & Bella) 2006
Lover Revealed (Butch & Marissa) 2007
Lover Unbound (Vishous & Jane) 2007
Lover Enshrined (Phury & Cormia) 2008
Father Mine (Zsadist & Bella) 2008
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide 2008
The Story of Son (The Black Dagger Brotherhood World) (Claire & Michael) (Note – originally published in the romance anthology Dead After Dark in 2008)
Lover Avenged (Rehv & Ehlena) 2009
Lover Mine (John Matthew & Xhex) 2010
Lover Unleashed (Payne & Manny) 2011
Lover Reborn (Tohr & Autumn) 2012
Lover at Last (Blay & Qhuinn) 2013
The King (Wrath & Beth) 2014
The Shadows (Trez & Selena, iAm & maichen) 2015
Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy) (Paradise & Craeg) 2015
The Beast (Rhage & Mary) 2017
Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy) (Axe & Elise) (Rhage & Mary) 2016
The Chosen (Layla & Xcor, Blay & Qhuinn) 2017
Blood Fury (Black Dagger Legacy) (Peyton & Novo, Saxton & Ruhn) 2018
Dearest Ivie (The Black Dagger Brotherhood World) (Ivie & Silas) 2018
The Thief (Assail & Sola) 2018
Prisoner of Night (The Black Dagger Brotherhood World) (Ahmare & Duran) 2019
The Savior (Murhder & Sarah) 2019
Blood Truth (Black Dagger Legacy) (Boone & Helaine) 2019
Where Winter Finds You (A Caldwell Christmas) (Trez & Therese) 2019
The Sinner (Syn & Jo) 2020
The Jackal (The Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp) (Jackal & Nyx) 2020
A Warm Heart in Winter (A Caldwell Christmas) (Blay & Qhuinn) 2020
Lover Unveiled (Sahvage & Mae) 2021
Claimed (The Lair of the Wolven Book 1) (Lydia & Daniel) 2021
The Wolf (The Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp) (Lucan & Rio) 2022
Darius: A Black Dagger Brotherhood Love Story (Darius & Anne) 2022
The Viper (The Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp) (Kane & Nadya) 2022
Forever (The Lair of the Wolven Book 2) (Lydia & Daniel) 2023
Lassiter (Lassiter & Rahvyn) 2023
Mine (The Lair of the Wolven Book 3) (Lydia & Daniel) 2024
A Bloom in Winter (A Black Dagger Brotherhood Holiday Book) (Apex & Callum) 2024
The Beloved (Nalla & Nate) 2025
Lover Forbidden (Lyric & Devlin) 2025
BDB & Fallen Angels Reading Order
Dark Lover (Wrath & Beth) 2005
Lover Eternal (Rhage & Mary) 2006
Lover Awakened (Zsadist & Bella) 2006
Lover Revealed (Butch & Marissa) 2007
Lover Unbound (Vishous & Jane) 2007
Lover Enshrined (Phury & Cormia) 2008
Father Mine (Zsadist & Bella) 2008
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide 2008
The Story of Son (The Black Dagger Brotherhood World) (Claire & Michael) (Note – originally published in the romance anthology Dead After Dark in 2008)
Covet (A Novel of the Fallen Angels) 2009
Lover Avenged (Rehv & Ehlena) 2009
Crave (A Novel of the Fallen Angels) 2010
Lover Mine (John Matthew & Xhex) 2010
Envy (A Novel of the Fallen Angels) 2011
Lover Unleashed (Payne & Manny) 2011
Rapture (A Novel of the Fallen Angels) 2012
Lover Reborn (Tohr & Autumn) 2012
Lover at Last (Blay & Qhuinn) 2013
Possession (A Novel of the Fallen Angels) 2013
The King (Wrath & Beth) 2014
Immortal (A Novel of the Fallen Angels) 2014
The Shadows (Trez & Selena, iAm & maichen) 2015
Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy) (Paradise & Craeg) 2015
The Beast (Rhage & Mary) 2017
Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy) (Axe & Elise) (Rhage & Mary) 2016
The Chosen (Layla & Xcor, Blay & Qhuinn) 2017
Blood Fury (Black Dagger Legacy) (Peyton & Novo, Saxton & Ruhn) 2018
Dearest Ivie (The Black Dagger Brotherhood World) (Ivie & Silas) 2018
The Thief (Assail & Sola) 2018
Prisoner of Night (The Black Dagger Brotherhood World) (Ahmare & Duran) 2019
The Savior (Murhder & Sarah) 2019
Blood Truth (Black Dagger Legacy) (Boone & Helaine) 2019
Where Winter Finds You (A Caldwell Christmas) (Trez & Therese) 2019
The Sinner (Syn & Jo) 2020
The Jackal (The Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp) (Jackal & Nyx) 2020
A Warm Heart in Winter (A Caldwell Christmas) (Blay & Qhuinn) 2020
Lover Unveiled (Sahvage & Mae) 2021
Claimed (The Lair of the Wolven) (Lydia & Daniel) 2021
The Wolf (The Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp) (Lucan & Rio) 2022
Darius: A Black Dagger Brotherhood Love Story (Darius & Anne) 2022
The Viper (The Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp) (Kane & Nadya) 2022
Forever (The Lair of the Wolven Book 2) (Lydia & Daniel) 2023
Lassiter (Lassiter & Rahvyn) 2023
Mine (The Lair of the Wolven Book 3) (Lydia & Daniel) 2024
A Bloom in Winter (A Black Dagger Brotherhood Holiday Book) (Apex & Callum) 2024
The Beloved (Nalla & Nate) 2025
Lover Forbidden (Lyric & Devlin) 2025
Now that you know how the BDB reading order, you can click on any of the links to purchase the books on Amazon! If you’d like to know more about the series, consider these top 5 reasons why fans love J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series:
- The books are incredibly well written
- The characters are relatable
- The love scenes are steamy!
- There’s tons of content to enjoy
- It’s a new take on vampires!
Bonus – there is now a Black Dagger Brotherhood TV series on Passionflix! Enjoy a 7-day free trial on Amazon and see Dark Lover (and more!) turned into a television show.
Learn more about the Black Dagger Brotherhood characters via my BDB family trees!
Please note that I may receive a small commission if you purchase via these Amazon links.
The images below are all affiliate links; I may receive a small commission from any purchases made but this did not influence any of my reviews or content.
Black Dagger Brotherhood World Books & Novellas
Fallen Angels Books
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