REVIEW: The Viper by J.R. Ward

In The Viper (Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp #3) by J.R. Ward (9/20), By Kane’s calculations, he’s been incarcerated in the prison camp for at least two centuries for the murder of his shellan–a crime he most certainly did not commit. His plan had been to figure out the truth before he passed into the Fade to be reunited with Cordelhia. But when Kane detonates the collar around his neck to help save his fellow prisoners, he suffers excruciating burns, soothed only by the kind words and gentle touches of nurse Nadya. It seems his death is imminent even after his friends rescue him from the prison. Somehow Kane is granted a miracle and is brought back, whole and hearty, but with something secret lying beneath his skin. He’ll take any help he can get, though, so he and his fellow escapees: Apex, Mayhem, Lucan, and the Jackal, can break Nadya and the other prisoners free.

‘How could Nadya have poured any effort at all into such a hopeless case, he wondered. She had never faltered in her faith in his survival, however. Not once. And she had never left him.’

Nadya knows her connection to Kane might have started with being his caregiver but she understands his pain on a personal level, something she hides underneath her heavy robes. Worried he won’t survive the trek when his fellow prisoners drag him out of the building, Nadya is in for the shock of her lifetime when Kane shows back up a short while later completely healed. But she won’t let him risk his life for hers. She knows her place should be in the prison, helping to heal those who need her assistance. As she gets talked into leaving the camp and heading out to aid others who are hurt, Nadya has a flicker of hope that maybe she and Kane might have some stolen moments together–never imagining that their lives could become intertwined forever.

“Nadya.”
This isn’t possible, she thought as she shifted her eyes to the male. What she saw defied reason. Defied everything that she knew of the way the world functioned. “Kane?” she whispered.

Thrilling action scenes gave way to tender and, at times, bittersweet romance in J.R. Ward’s newest Prison Camp book, The Viper.

“Leave me, you’re free–”
As more bullets hit that metal panel, he shook his head. “As long as you’re in here, I am not free.”

To me, it feels like each of the Black Dagger Brotherhood spinoff novels in the Prison Camp series has been building and building in intensity as the storyline has moved forward. While each installment has had its fair share of fight scenes and romance, The Viper brought everything to a point where there was no backing down–whether it was the escapees, the prison guards, or the BDB Brothers themselves, some would walk away by the end, but many of them would not.

The characters focused on in The Viper were prison escapee Kane and nurse extraordinaire Nadya. Although Apex got his own thread in the storyline as well that I’m hoping we get to see more of in the future. I wasn’t sure what to make of Kane in previous books. He seemed like he had been a rather gentle, kind soul in his life before the prison camp and he certainly was selfless, causing himself harm so the Jackal and Nyx could escape together in book one (The Jackal). Getting Kane’s backstory put it all into perspective. He found himself in a deadly situation here and made the choice to basically be resurrected so he could fight to save Nadya and the rest of the prisoners. In doing so, he changed considerably. But thankfully there was still enough of Kane’s honor, loyalty, and quick thinking left to do what had to be done.

As heartbreaking as her part of the story was, I so loved getting to know more about Nadya. After tragedy and horror struck her life, she became a nurse and gave everything she had to help the prisoners, showing them care and attention when both were so lacking in the camp. Nadya was the perfect counterpart to Kane, in my humble opinion. They each had an inner strength that carried them through their ordeal–which was tested greatly when the truth about betrayals in both of their pasts came out. But they were destined to be together, as the Warden’s fitting ending showed us in the most wonderful way.

QOTD: Are you a fan of spinoff series?

Book Info:

Publication: September 20, 2022 | Gallery Books | Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp #3

In this newest Prison Camp installment, #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward pens a heart-wrenching tale of love and betrayal in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world…

Framed for the grisly murder of his shellan, Kane is condemned to the notorious prison camp—unaware of the dark truth behind his arranged mating. Centuries later, when he is horribly burned while attempting to save others, he prays he’ll finally be reunited in the Fade with his mate…not knowing what revelations await him.

Nadya is a self-taught nurse who does what she can to ease the suffering of the prisoners. When Kane comes under her care, she cannot help but empathize with his condition for very personal reasons—and as the guards take him away one last time, she fears he is facing a terrible death.

After a daring rescue, Kane is offered a treatment that will change his very nature. Choosing life, for the time being, he goes back for the female who took such good care of him—but his duty to Nadya sets him on a collision course with his own past. When long-buried secrets are exposed, his self-destruction is inevitable…unless true love can save his soul.