J.R. Ward Books in Order
J.R. Ward has written 61 books, published between 2002 and 2026. The first book is Leaping Hearts (As:Jessica Bird) (2002) and the newest is Lover Enthroned (2026). Publication order is the reading order below. 31 of the 61 books listed here are in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, which has its own page: Black Dagger Brotherhood books in order.
J.R. Ward is the pen name of Jessica Bird.
- Books
- 61
- Published
- 2002–2026
- Confirmed
- 61 of 61 titles
- Pages on record
- 12,716 in 27 of 61 books
Paranormal romance built on vampires, angels and the deadly sins is J.R. Ward's territory. Ward began as Jessica Bird with Leaping Hearts (2002) and Heart of Gold (2003), then started the Black Dagger Brotherhood with Dark Lover (2005), continuing through Lover Eternal and Lover Awakened (2006) and Lover Revealed (2007). 61 catalogued books also take in Black Dagger Legacy, Prison Camp, Fallen Angels, Lair Of The Wolven, Firefighters and the Bourbon Kings. Lover Enthroned is the most recent title.
How many J.R. Ward books are there?
J.R. Ward has 61 books, released between 2002 and 2026. They include 10 separate series.
J.R. Ward Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 61 J.R. Ward books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 12002–3/4
- 220033723/4
- 32005–4/4
- 420064494/4
- 520064484/4
- 62007–3/4
- 720075094/4
- 8The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's GuideBlack Dagger Brotherhood Companion #12008 · 478 pages · confirmed 3/420084783/4
- 92008–3/4
- 1020085424/4
- 112008–4/4
- 122009–3/4
- 1320095274/4
- 142010–3/4
- 152010–4/4
- 1620114643/4
- 1720114894/4
- 1820125023/4
- 1920125724/4
- 2020135643/4
- 212013–4/4
- 2220143883/4
- 2320145734/4
- 2420154123/4
- 2520154243/4
- 2620155764/4
- 272016–3/4
- 2820164153/4
- 2920165084/4
- 3020173933/4
- 3120175214/4
- 322018–3/4
- 332018–3/4
- 3420184083/4
- 352018–3/4
- 362018–3/4
- 372018–3/4
- 382018–4/4
- 3920184544/4
- 402019–3/4
- 412019–4/4
- 422019–4/4
- 432019–4/4
- 442020–3/4
- 452020–4/4
- 4620204484/4
- 472021–3/4
- 4820213683/4
- 492021–4/4
- 502022–3/4
- 5120225124/4
- 522022–4/4
- 5320234003/4
- 542023–4/4
- 552024–3/4
- 562024–4/4
- 572024–4/4
- 58The Black Dagger Brotherhood: 20th Anniversary Insider's GuideBlack Dagger Brotherhood Companion #22025 · confirmed 3/42025–3/4
- 592025–4/4
- 602026–3/4
- 612026–3/4
J.R. Ward series and characters in order
The character linked below has its own reading-order page.
J.R. Ward books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.
Black Dagger Brotherhood books in order
31 books by J.R. Ward- 1. Dark Lover
- 2. Lover Eternal
- 3. Lover Awakened
- 4. Lover Revealed
- 5. Lover Unbound
- 6. Lover Enshrined
- 7. Father Mine
- 8. Lover Avenged
- 9. Lover Mine
- 10. Lover Unleashed
- 11. Lover Reborn
- 12. Lover at Last
- and 19 more in the table above
Fallen Angels in order
6 booksBlack Dagger Legacy in order
4 books- 1. Blood Kiss
- 2. Blood Vow
- 3. Blood Fury
- 4. Blood Truth
J.R. Ward Standalone Novels
3 books3 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Bourbon Kings in order
3 booksWedding From Hell in order
3 booksBlack Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp in order
3 books- 1. The Jackal
- 2. The Wolf
- 3. The Viper
Lair Of The Wolven in order
3 booksBlack Dagger Brotherhood Companion in order
2 booksFirefighters in order
2 booksKingdoms of the Compass in order
1 bookJ.R. Ward Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the J.R. Ward books run from Leaping Hearts (As:Jessica Bird) (2002) to Lover Enthroned (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for J.R. Ward in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read J.R. Ward books in order?
You only need to read J.R. Ward books in order within each series: the books listed here span 10 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
What order should you read J.R. Ward books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with Dark Lover (2005), the first Black Dagger Brotherhood book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Leaping Hearts (As:Jessica Bird) (2002).
What is the newest J.R. Ward book?
Lover Enthroned (2026) is the newest J.R. Ward book released so far.
Is there a new J.R. Ward book coming?
No next J.R. Ward book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Printable J.R. Ward Books in Order Checklist
A printable checklist of all 61 books in publication order is on the J.R. Ward reading checklist, with a tick box beside each title.
J.R. Ward at a glance
- Still publishing
- J.R. Ward published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- J.R. Ward books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 12,716 pages across the 27 of 61 books with a recorded length, a median of 464 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most J.R. Ward books, 30 of 61, were published in the 2010s.
- Corroboration
- 29 of the 61 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
What the J.R. Ward books are about
35 of the 61 J.R. Ward books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: vampires is tagged on 23 of 35. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Vampires 23 of 35 books
- Black Dagger Brotherhood series 16 of 35 books
- Paranormal romance 16 of 35 books
- Fantasy 10 of 35 books
- Angels 6 of 35 books
- Romance 5 of 35 books
- Paranormal fiction 4 of 35 books
- Bourbon whiskey 3 of 35 books
- Deadly sins 3 of 35 books
- Family life 3 of 35 books