Dark Lover by J.R. Ward [Review]

Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood #1) by J.R. Ward
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date Read: January 7, 2011

Black Dagger Brotherhood
1. Dark Lover - Paperback | Kindle
2. Lover Eternal
3. Lover Awakened
4. Lover Revealed
5. Lover Unbound
6. Lover Enshrined
6.5. Father Mine
7. Lover Avenged
8. Lover Mine
9. Lover Unleashed
10. Lover Reborn
11. Lover at Last
12. The King
13. The Shadows
14. The Beast
15. The Chosen
15.5. Dearest Ivie
16. The Thief
16.5. Prisoner of Night
17. The Savior
17.5. Where Winter Finds You
18. The Sinner
18.5. A Warm Heart in Winter
19. Lover Unveiled
20. Lover Arisen
21. Lassiter

J.R. Ward
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Synopsis (via Goodreads):

The only purebred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed - orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead...

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both...

My Thoughts: Whoa.  I'm tempted to leave this review at that but then I wouldn't get to wax poetic about how fabulous J.R. Ward's characters are.  And I really want to wax poetic about them right now.

I think one of the biggest strengths in J.R. Ward's writing lies in the flawed, interesting, incredibly captivating characters she creates.  In no way are these men perfect.  Every one of the Brothers has something about them that could be characterized as a weakness.  Wrath is nearly blind, for Pete's sake.  He doesn't let this slow him down in the least and he's one of the baddest and best of the warriors in the bunch but he's still nearly blind.  He's also proud and arrogant and he doesn't want to take up the mantle of leadership that he should have claimed centuries ago.  And that's what makes him so interesting.  These books aren't just about two people meeting, falling in love, boning like bunnies, and fighting some bad guys.  Oh, no.  They're about finding the strength to be more.  These books twist those characters up in knots and force them to become stronger because of it.

While I truly, truly thought that Wrath and Beth's story was great I was so in love with the other members of the Brotherhood that it's ridiculous.  Every last one of those guys has me wrapped around their fingers.  It's almost embarrassing how quickly I was under their spell.  I'm going to say that bodes well for the rest of the series.  Don't you think?

Since I'm horribly excited to get to the next book, I'm just going to go on record as saying: Whoa.  Just, whoa.