by J.R. Ward
Synopsis
The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago. But when his most trusted fighter is killed—orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate—Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world.
Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger—one that threatens to consume them both...
Review
Dark Lover is the first book in Brotherhood series, and it concerns Beth who is your average woman who happens to come in contact with the neighborhood master (purebred) vampire, Wrath. There is a whole...background to these books so hopefully I do it justice without telling you everything (that's part of the fun!).
As far as I understand, the series continues this way. As someone who absolutely loves learning about characters, their backgrounds, fears, loves, etc., I LOVED this arrangement. I've heard people give Ward flack for the names of each member, and I was also surprised at how simple each name came to be. However, Ward does not skimp on each member's backgrounds. They are often horrible and excruciatingly sad. What's lovely, however, is how the women of these stories also have their backgrounds that helped shaped them, and their joining is one of two individuals. This isn't one where the female disappears and it's all about the male. I appreciated that.
There is a lot of information about the Brotherhood, and characters from previous books show up (another major plus!) in later stories. It was easy for me to keep up with the characters, and personal stories because I grew to love each of these vampires and the women who help them. Well, as much as one can love a fictional vampire. Ha.
Also, just learned that Lover Awakened is, at least in some ways, based on Beauty and the Beast (Bella, anyone?) - and I love Beauty and the Beast :D