Dark Lover is the first of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R.Ward. The Black Dagger Brotherhood, are the elite of the vampire world in Caldwell, New York. Wrath, Darius, Rhage, Phury, Zsadist, Vishous, and Tohrment (yes, the names are a bit gimmicky) are dedicated to defending civilian vampires from an organisation of de-souled humans, the lessers, who are intent on slaying all vampires.

When Darius is murdered, he leaves behind a half-human daughter, journalist Beth Randall, who is unaware of her parentage, her heritage and the fact that she is soon due to transform into a vampire herself. Much as he would like to avoid any involvement with her, Wrath has promised to look after her, but once he meets her, he finds his priorities changing.

Add to the mix a human cop who is half in love with Beth, a female vampire who has been Wrath’s blood source for years and a vampire doctor who is trying to find an artificial blood source, and you have an interesting situation. In this different, modern take on vampires, Ward has created an alternate world on which to base her series. Part Mills & Boon, part paranormal/fantasy, this novel has enough plot and character to make it strangely compelling.

While the males are, in places, a bit stereotypical, there’s a nice camaraderie between them and the heroine is a strong character; there’s plenty of romance and a few hot sex scenes. This paranormal romance tells Wrath’s story. A further seven books in the series concentrate on the other Brotherhood members, and I look forward to reading each one.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Group