Dark Lover by J.R. Ward (Book 1 of The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)

This book is considered Fantasy, Vampires, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural, Slightly Erotic, Adult

Trigger Warning: 

This book deals with death, war, explosions, vampires, and sexual assault. 

"You've won the evolutionary lotter: You're a vampire."

Wrath, the last purebred vampire on the planet, the would-be king of the race if only he would embrace his heritage. But Wrath has a different title that he prefers: leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Fueled by his hatred for humans and a growing society of "Lessers", sworn enemies to the vampire world, Wrath's main focus is to avenge his parents. 

Darius, son of Marklon, is a warrior in the Brotherhood. Darius is a three-hundred-year-old-plus ladies' man and has many sons whom he has lost in battle. One of his only remaining children is Beth Randal. Beth's mother was special to Darius, even though she was human. From afar, he has kept track of Beth and her life. He had hoped that she would live a normal, happy, human life. But Darius is growing concerned as she ages closer to her transition. 

Darius knows that if his daughter goes into her transition, her human blood may cause complications. Some full-blood vampires don't survive the transition. So he goes to Wrath, the purest blood of the race and begs him to watch over his daughter and help her through her transition if needed. At first, Wrath refuses; he hates humans, and he has better things to do than babysit one. But after a car bomb, placed by a member of the Lessening Society, kills Darius, Wrath feels obligated to honour his last request. 

The Review

This book was recommended to me years ago. And at the time, I was skeptacle. I wasn't really a fantasy girl. I wasn't into vampires. The closest I had ever gotten to fantasy was Harry Potter, and the closest I had gotten to vampires was Twilight. But I was into romance, and so I gave it a try. 

I fell in love with these vampires. Wrath is just a tall drink of water, bad boy, the typical kind of "I can change him" main character. And Beth is a spitfire! You think a woman who was approached by this huge man and told all this stuff would crumble to pieces, but she is so strong and handles everything her way. 

I also love meeting the other vampires. Vishous is my favourite by far. But I think they all are so lovable. They all bring something new to the table and their stories are interesting if not heartbreaking. When I originally read Dark Lover I could not wait to get my hands on the next one. 

SPOILER ALERT

I think the relationship between Wrath and Beth is beautiful. It starts with him hating humans, and the thought of him being with a half-human is absurd. In fact, if Darius hadn't begged him to take care of her. . . Wrath probably wouldn't have given Beth the time of day. But something changes as he watches her and gets closer to her. And I think that's a beautiful sort of enemy to lovers thing before that was even a "thing". 

By the end, to see the way not only Wrath accepts her, but the whole brotherhood accepts her as their Queen, it is really something. I loved it! And when they decide to all live together and unite together, that just seems to be the cherry on top. 

I borrowed this book from a friend originally. 

 

Rating and Recommendation

I originally gave this book five stars; looking back, I still feel that way. I still love Wrath and Beth and all the other brothers. I think that it's a great twist on vampires, and each has their own unique personality, which makes the entire world fun. The addition of Butch is also a wonderful little treat. I think getting a glimpse at these rough and tough warriors is a nice twist on traditional vampire stories, also. We don't really get to see them putting their abilities (be it mental or physical) to use. 

I ran out and bought this book after reading it. I also bought every other book that was out at the time, and I continued to buy each book as they came out, until the series got away from the original brothers. 

Conclusion

These books are a bit dated now, but I think anyone who enjoys a good romance story and is open-minded to the vampire stuff will love this book. It hits a lot of different elements, so I think a wide range of people can find something they like in it. Along with the love story, we also have vampires (enough said), and the war with the Lessening Society in the background. And of course, all kinds of fun drama here and there. 

You can find Dark Lover in its respective mediums below: 

The Black Dagger Brotherhood has been adapted into a television series by PassionFlix. Dark Lover was represented in the first season, out now. Season two will be released later this year. 

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