Dark Lover- J.R.Ward

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers, like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killed their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

J.R.Ward has grabbed readers by the back of the head and given them the type of vampire hero they've been waiting for. The men of the Black Dagger Brotherhood are dark, dangerous, flawed, sexy, and will kill for their people and their women. Her ability to mix blood thirsty scenes with delicious sex and quick whit is one many authors would love to be able to lay claim to.

Dark Lover is the first of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and it does an excellent job of thrusting the reader into the world of the vampires, and introducing them to Brotherhood and the Lessers, the hunters who stalk them at every turn. Into a world where Wrath is the king of the Vampires, where he's mated to a woman he doesn't love and has never had sex with her but only comes to her for blood. Into a world where vampires need the blood of the opposite sex of their own kind in order to survive, and a world where Wrath has neither time nor patience for humans.

Until he is asked by another member of the Brotherhood to watch over a half breed human/vampire mix and help her through the transition into her vampire life. Asked by a man he respects, a man who then dies in a car bomb set by the Lessers. There's another problem. Beth doesn't know what she is.

The connection between Wrath and Beth is instant. Wrath fights it. She's human. She's the daughter of his best friend. He'll help her through the transition then find another male for her to be with except...

Beth wants him. Not another. Wrath.

Then there is Butch, a local cop. A man who is determined to protect her against the danger her perceives Wrath to be and in turn finds himself thrust head first into the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. A world where he could become a punching bag at the drop of a hat, but if that's the case he's going to give as good as he gets and whilst their cutting off steak, he's going to be grabbing hamburger at every possible chance.

Ms. Ward is an amazing author. Her following has grown since the launch of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and it only takes reading one of her books to realize why. She's talented, amazingly so, with the ability to take characters that are assholes and yet make them likeable heroes. Not just likeable, but outright sexy.

Dark Lover is a must read for vampire fans and a book I seriously wish the producers of Moonlight had taken the time to read.

ISBN 0-451-21695-4