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Book Review of Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Bk 1)

Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Bk 1)
reviewed on + 929 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


I was introduced to J.R. Ward after reading Lara Adrian and the reviews in her books mentioned how Adrian pretty much redid Ward's Brotherhood world. It peaked my curiosity and I wasn't disappointed. The first page was a glossary of terms and I thought it would be daunting, but really it was okay. So don't be intimidated by that.

The plot was good but you have to be patient because Ward jumped around a lot. The parts of the lesser was actually a little dull for me but they were short. (I also wondered what they called other lessers with the same initial in their last name. Does the second Mr. O become Mr. O2?) The world reminded me a lot of Gena Showalter's Dark series (not sure which one was first) but I think Showalter does humor better than Ward. Ward's scenes were amusing but I don't think they were laughed out loud funny.

I loved the characters, especially Wrath being the blind king. Doesn't quite explain why his sight kept getting worse though while Beth's sight got better after her transition. I didn't think I would like Beth because I usually dislike journalist characters but she was so cool and everything she did made sense. I really got to like Butch and can't wait to read his story.

Things that bother me about the series (personal taste, so minor) is the alternate spelling of the names. Don't know why but it just seemed pretentious. Also, if I met a guy named Rhage or Wrath or any of those things I would definitely make fun of them. Everyone almost seemed like those were normal names for your kids. Also sometimes her writing style seemed a little too detailed but not enough to remove too much from the story. Unsure what I thought about Darius storyline at the end, can't decide if I like it or not. It is slightly too much like soap operas when they run out of plot.

There is a lot of cussing in it but surprisingly the sex and violent scenes were rather discreet.

Really glad I got turned on to this series and I would recommend the book, but I still prefer Showalter. Ward is definitely way better than Lara Adrian though.