I have always liked to read stories that are off of the normal realm. Vampires, shifters, demons and other things that go bump in the night are right down my alley. When I discovered J. R. Ward's wonderful Black Dagger Brotherhood, I fell in love with her world. This book, Dark Lover, is the first book in the series, and I have read it many times since the book literally jumped off the shelf at the bookstore and screamed "Buy Me!! Take Me Home! Read Me!" I did all three and never regretted it.
The Brotherhood is composed of vampires, fighting the good fight to protect human and vampire alike from the attention of the evil lessers. This was a novel approach for me the first time I read it-the vampire as the good guy, the hero. Granted Wrath is very much the tortured hero, believing he will never find his shellan, that one woman who will complete him. He doesn't expect to, he expects to continue being the warrior that he is. But he does have some big challenges, and he is trying to hide them, even from his brethren in the Brotherhood. You see, not only is Wrath their king, and the only pure blood vampire left on the planet, he is also slowly going blind. When Darius, one of the brothers, asks Wrath to look out for his half-breed daughter should something happen to him, all of the brothers think it is a bad idea. Darius is worried what might happen, between the war with the lessers, and the chance that Beth may become vampire once she reaches enters her transition. Beth Randall doesn't even realize that vampires exist, and has never met the man who is her father. When Darius is killed shortly after discussing his request to Wrath that he protect Beth and if necessary help her with her transition, Wrath is shocked by the attraction he feels for Beth. Can Beth survive the transition, with Wrath's help? Will she accept all that is offered?
Ms. Wards characters are without a doubt the hottest group of men, or vampires, to grace the pages of any book. All of them are larger than life, but none more than the hero of Dark Lover. Wrath is a giant among men, strong and determined to not get sidetracked in his mission to lead the war against the lessers. Polite vampire society realizes the need for men like Wrath, but they don't have to accept them into their homes. Beth Randall is a strong and resourceful woman, a reporter for the local paper in Caldwell, New York. She wants to take on the big stories, but her boss has other ideas. He wants to keep her on the back pages, while he flirts with her at every chance. The sparks that develop between these Beth and Wrath are nothing short of volcanic, and once Beth understands the full scope of her feelings nothing will get between her and her goals. The detail that Ms. Ward puts into her stories is marvelous-she has created a language unique to her people, and even offers us, the readers, a glossary of terms so that we can better understand the action and learn who is who in the scheme of things. This is one very good and extremely hot book, and I recommend it to those who want to take a walk on the wild side. You will not regret it, I promise.
