BDB Reading Order: The Black Dagger Brotherhood Book Series

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) (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) (Lydia & Daniel) 2023

Lassiter (Lassiter & Rahvyn) 2023


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) (Lydia & Daniel) 2023

Lassiter (Lassiter & Rahvyn) 2023


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:

  1. The books are incredibly well written
  2. The characters are relatable
  3. The love scenes are steamy!
  4. There’s tons of content to enjoy
  5. It’s a new take on vampires!

Bonus – there have been talks of making this series into a TV show or movie. Get ahead of the game now by meeting the BDB characters and learning about the Black Dagger Brotherhood world before it hits the mainstream…

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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