Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #1
Pages: 393
Publication Date: 6th September 2005
Format: Ebook
Rating: 5/5
I should have read this book a long time ago! I started it many years ago, but I never made it past the first chapter. I didn't like the atmosphere of the club where the action began, I thought the character names were ridiculous, and the whole thing just didn't really click for me.
Fast-forward to 2018 and I tried again. This time I pushed past the initial issues and allowed myself to get into the story, and the payoff was a new favourite book, and a series I can't wait to continue!
Dark Lover is the first book in the hugely popular Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The Brotherhood is a group of warrior vampires charged with protecting their race from "lessers"--soulless humans whose purpose is to wipe out the vampire race. The book opens with the assassination of brotherhood member, Darius, whose last request was that Wrath, King of the vampires and leader of the Brotherhood, help guide his half-human daughter through her transition. Wrath hates humans but feels honour-bound to carry out his friend's final wish.
Beth is a local newspaper journalist. She grew up an orphan after her mother's death with no idea that her father was not only alive but also a vampire. It is a bit of a shock, then, when the huge, leather-clad Wrath enters her home telling her he's there to protect her.
The raw sexual heat between Beth and Wrath is undeniable, though neither of them expects it. Beth has never felt that much of an attraction to any man and Wrath's only relationship with a woman is purely perfunctory--he uses his Shellan (the vampire equivalent of a wife) to feed, nothing more.
The possessiveness Wrath soon begins to feel towards Beth is tangible. The sex is hot, passionate, and cut through with tenderness as the love connection grows between them. Wrath's transformation from pure warrior to vampire-in-love is just about the most gorgeous thing, and the reaction of the other members of the Brotherhood to Beth and to their relationship is equally adorable.
At first, I wasn't that convinced by Wrath's supposed sexiness-- particularly regarding the long black hair falling from a widow's peak, and all the god damned leather--but his sheer physicality and those light green eyes got to me in the end. I loved Wrath's tortured backstory and that his near-blindness was in no way a vulnerability, and I especially liked the way that his perceived failures as a younger man gave his character some softness-- for the last pureblooded vampire, and a King, he was far from cocky or entitled.
The battle between the Brotherhood and the Lessers that provides the tension and conflict in the story is pacy and danger-filled, and I really enjoyed the subplot romance between Butch (a human police detective, and friend of Beth) and Melissa (Wrath's neglected Shellan). The other members of the Brotherhood each have unique identities with interesting quirks that have me intrigued to read more about them in future books, and the underlying story is definitely compelling enough to carry a series.
Overall, an incredibly sexy and fast-paced read. I look forward to reading the next book soon.
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