J.R. Ward

J.R. Ward

J.R. Ward also writes as: Jessica Bird and Jessica Ward.

Upcoming J.R. Ward Books

September 29th, 2026: Lover Enthroned (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #32)

Crown of War and Shadow (Kingdoms of the Compass, #1) was the most recently released book by J.R. Ward, on February 17th, 2026.

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J.R. Ward Stats: The highest rated book by J.R. Ward on Book Notification is Darius, the 26th novel in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The second-highest rated book is The Sinner (Black Dagger Brotherhood #22).

The most read book by J.R. Ward on Book Notification is Dark Lover, the first novel in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The second most read book is Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood #2).

Below is a complete list of J.R. Ward books in publication and chronological order, broken down by series. The most popular series by J.R. Ward is the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series.

List of Black Dagger Brotherhood Books in Publication Order

A secret band of vampire warriors defends their race against slayers.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8.1
Dark Lover
2005
Go
2
8.3
Lover Eternal
2006
Go
3
9
Lover Awakened
2006
Go
4
8.6
Lover Revealed
2007
Go
5
8.6
Lover Unbound
2007
Go
6
8.4
Lover Enshrined
2008
Go
7
9.1
Father Mine
2008
Go
8
8.9
Lover Avenged
2009
Go
9
9
Lover Mine
2010
Go
10
8.3
Lover Unleashed
2011
Go
11
9
Lover Reborn
2012
Go
12
8.2
Lover at Last
2013
Go
13
8.5
The King
2014
Go
14
8.4
The Shadows
2015
Go
15
8.9
The Beast
2016
Go
16
8.8
The Chosen
2017
Go
17
8
Dearest Ivie
2018
Go
18
8.5
The Thief
2018
Go
19
7.4
Prisoner of Night
2019
Go
20
8.7
The Savior
2019
Go
21
8.4
Where Winter Finds You
2019
Go
22
9.1
The Sinner
2020
Go
23
7.7
A Warm Heart in Winter
2020
Go
24
8
Lover Unveiled
2021
Go
25
8
Lover Arisen
2022
Go
26
9.2
Darius
2022
Go
27
7.5
Lassiter
2023
Go
28
10
Darius (Non-Audiobook Edition)
2023
Go
29
7.3
The Beloved
2024
Go
30
10
A Bloom in Winter
2024
Go
31
10
Lover Forbidden
2025
Go
32
Lover Enthroned
2026
Go

List of Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp Books in Publication Order

An underground prison camp in a world of vampires, where prisoners and rescuers find love amid great danger.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8.3
The Jackal
2020
Go
2
8
The Wolf
2021
Go
3
8.7
The Viper
2022
Go

List of Black Dagger Legacy Books in Publication Order

Trainees in a Brotherhood program learn to fight while finding love and facing deadly threats in a paranormal world of vampires.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8.5
Blood Kiss
2015
Go
2
8.8
Blood Vow
2016
Go
3
8.7
Blood Fury
2018
Go
4
8.7
Blood Truth
2019
Go

List of Black Dagger Brotherhood Companion Books in Publication Order

Lore and world-building guides for the Black Dagger Brotherhood novels.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
6
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide
2008
Go
2
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: 20th Anniversary Insider's Guide
2025
Go

List of Fallen Angels Books in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8.2
Covet
2009
Go
2
8
Crave
2010
Go
3
8
Envy
2011
Go
4
8.3
Rapture
2012
Go
5
7.5
Possession
2013
Go
6
7.5
Immortal
2014
Go

List of Firefighters Books in Publication Order

A former firefighter, now an arson investigator, hunts a killer with a firefighter.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
6
The Wedding from Hell
2018
Go
2
8.3
Consumed
2018
Go

List of Kingdoms of the Compass Books in Publication Order

An outcast with a curse and a mercenary cross the Badlands to save their world from demons.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
Crown of War and Shadow
2026
Go

List of Lair Of The Wolven Books in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
6
Claimed
2021
Go
2
9
Forever
2023
Go
3
8
Mine
2024
Go

List of The Bourbon Kings Books in Publication Order

A Southern dynasty struggles with family secrets, murder, and scandal as their bourbon empire faces collapse.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
6
The Bourbon Kings
2015
Go
2
9.3
The Angels' Share
2016
Go
3
8
Devil's Cut
2017
Go

List of The Wedding From Hell Books in Publication Order

Arson investigator Anne Ashburn and firefighter Danny Maguire's explosive attraction ignites amidst wedding disasters and a hunt for a serial arsonist.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
6
The Rehearsal Dinner
2018
Go
2
7.3
The Reception
2018
Go
3
6
Exclusive Excerpt of Consumed
2018
Go

List of Non-Fiction Books in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8
An Insider's Guide
2008
Go

List of Standalone Novels in Publication Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
6
Leaping Hearts ( As: Jessica Bird)
2002
Go
2
7
Heart of Gold ( As: Jessica Bird)
2003
Go
3
8
The Story of Son
2008
Go

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J.R. Ward

J.R. Ward (Jessica Rowley Pell Bird) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

J.R. Ward is known for writing in the Horror and Sci-Fi genres.

J.R. Ward is the author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series which currently consists of 32 novels. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series started in 2005 with the novel Dark Lover. The most recently released novel in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series was Lover Forbidden which was released in 2025. There is an upcoming novel for the Black Dagger Brotherhood series titled Lover Enthroned which is being released on September 29th, 2026.

J.R. Ward has also written the Fallen Angels series which has 6 books including Covet and Crave.

J.R. Ward: Awards & Accolades

Ward's books have won multiple awards, Lover Mine won the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2010. Lover Unleashed won the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2011. Lover at Last won the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2013.

J.R. Ward books have also been nominated for multiple awards, Lover Reborn was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2012. The King was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2014. The Shadows was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2015. The Beast was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2016. Blood Vow was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2017. The Thief was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2018. The Savior was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Romance, in 2019.

J.R. Ward: Lists & Other Mentions

  • Lover at Last has made several lists including:
    1. New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2013.
    2. Barnes & Noble: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2013.
    3. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2013.
  • The King was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2014.
  • The Chosen was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2017.
  • The Thief was a New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2018.
  • Lover Reborn was a Barnes & Noble: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2012.
  • Dark Lover was a New York Public Library: 50 All-Time Favorite Romance Books Selection in 2022.

The Dark Lover Series was listed on Audible's The Top 100 Book Series of All Time list in 2024.

Related Authors

Fans of J.R. Ward also enjoy these authors:

  1. Justin Cronin, author of The Passage Series.
  2. Octavia E. Butler, author of: Kindred.
  3. Arthur C. Clarke, author of the Space Odyssey Series.
  4. Alastair Reynolds, author of the Revelation Space Series.
  5. M.R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts Series.
  6. Steven Konkoly, author of the Ryan Decker Series.
  7. Sarah Gailey, author of: The Echo Wife.
  8. Jonathan Maberry, author of the Joe Ledger Series.
  9. Richard Matheson, author of: I Am Legend / The Omega Man.
  10. Rick Yancey, author of the Fifth Wave Series.

J.R. Ward: F.A.Q

Where was J.R. Ward Born?

J.R. Ward was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA and is American.

What book awards has J.R. Ward won?

Lover Mine: Goodreads Awards Best Romance (2010).
Lover Unleashed: Goodreads Awards Best Romance (2011).
Lover at Last: Goodreads Awards Best Romance (2013).

What was the first book J.R. Ward wrote?

The first book written by J.R. Ward was Dark Lover, published in 2005.

What was the most recent book J.R. Ward wrote?

Her most recently released work was Crown of War and Shadow on February 17th, 2026.

What is the most popular book by J.R. Ward?

Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular J.R. Ward book is Dark Lover. Here are her most popular books:
  1. Dark Lover (8.1)
  2. Lover Eternal (8.35)
  3. Lover Awakened (9)
  4. Lover Unbound (8.58)
  5. Lover Enshrined (8.4)

What genres does J.R. Ward Write?

J.R. Ward primarily writes in the Horror and Sci-Fi genres. Her work includes sub-genres such as Dystopian / Utopian, Apocalyptic / Post-Apocalyptic, and Near-Future Sci Fi.

Are there upcoming new books by J.R. Ward?

J.R. Ward has a new book coming out on September 29th, 2026 called Lover Enthroned.

Click and we will keep you updated on this via e-mail, and about any new books J.R. Ward announces in the future.

How many books has J.R. Ward written?

J.R. Ward has written 61 books across 14 series.
  • 32 books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series
  • 3 books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp Series
  • 4 books in the Black Dagger Legacy Series
  • 2 books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Companion Series
  • 6 books in the Fallen Angels Series
  • 2 books in the Firefighters Series
  • 1 book in the Kingdoms of the Compass Series
  • 3 books in the Lair Of The Wolven Series
  • 3 books in The Bourbon Kings Series
  • 3 books in The Wedding From Hell Series
  • 1 Non-Fiction Books
  • 1 Standalone Novels

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