Several years ago, I was collaborating with the divine Rachel Hyland on a roundup of vampire-themed romances, and she suggested that I cover a series I had never heard of before. It was about a society of vampire warriors who roamed the streets of their New York town by night, protecting their kind from enemies, listening to rap music at top volume, flinging macho slang at one another, and making rambunctious love to their women. The author -- of whom I had likewise never heard -- had obviously gone to some trouble to create a highly detailed mythology on behalf of her creations. She had also given them some unique and creative names, which I found oddly hilarious:

Wrath? Seriously? And Rhage. With an h. As in Hee!

But I decided that before I snarked on this series too hard, I should at least give it a chance, so I picked up a copy of Volume 1 and sat down to read.

Well. Suffice it to say I’m not laughing any more. (Much. Although I do confess to having experienced a moment of pure delight upon learning that learning that Tohrment’s father was named “Hharm.”) J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series is -- silly names and all -- a hot, wild, exhilarating ride on the back of a tornado, combining action, adventure, and plenty of steam… and it all started with Dark Lover, re-released in hardcover this month.

Since Dark Lover was published, Ward’s canvas has grown broader, the plots have grown more preposterous, the sex has grown more explicit, and her legion of fans has just grown. So it seems like an appropriate time to celebrate this iconic series by revisiting Dark Lover and talking about how Ward’s vampires won me -- and countless others -- over.

Wrath fan art made by Leigh Ann Baird of paperchase.com

Dark Lover is the story of a young reporter named Beth whose life is transformed one night when a six-foot-nine-inch wall of muscle named Wrath materializes in her apartment. Beth doesn’t realize it, but she’s half vampire -- the daughter of vampire royalty, in fact -- and she’s about to go through her transition, after which nothing will ever be the same for her again. She resists the news, but finds Wrath harder to resist. Scorching-hot sex turns into a deep, unbreakable bond between the two, giving Wrath the peace that has eluded him for centuries and Beth the family that she thought she would never have.

It’s through Beth and Wrath that we readers are introduced to the rest of Brotherhood: charming Rhage, steadfast Tohrment, brilliant but tormented Vishous, and emotionally damaged twins Zsadist and Phury. They’re joined by human Butch, who has more in common with Wrath than first appears (apart from their mutual interest in Beth, even). Other Brothers, friends, and assorted hangers-on follow, each with his or her own personality, set of baggage, and story arc.

So far, so good… but what really makes the BDB special?

First, romance! Beth and Wrath are reluctant lovers -- he thinks she’s a (tempting) distraction from his real work, and she thinks he’s a bossy (delicious) jerkwad who feeds her a lot of vampire crap and takes off, leaving emotional and sometimes physical chaos in his wake. Naturally, they can’t keep their hands off each other. But it’s not the sex that makes Beth and Wrath’s story so compulsively readable. (Although, let’s face it, the sex doesn’t hurt.) No, it’s the sweetness. After hundreds of years of contract marriage to Marissa, who’s nice enough but doesn’t really get him, Wrath has finally found a woman with whom he can let down his guard and be vulnerable:

“You’re blind, aren’t you?” His lips curled back, but not in a smile. “Worried that I might not be able to take care of you now?” She wasn’t surprised by his hostility. She imagined a man like him would hate any weakness he had. “No, I’m not worried about that at all. But I would still like to see your eyes.” …Slowly, he lifted his lids. Beth gasped. His irises were the most extraordinary color. A luminescent pale green, so pale they were almost white…Then she noticed his pupils. They were all wrong. Tiny, unfocused pinpricks of black. She caressed his face. “Your eyes are beautiful.” “Useless.” “Beautiful.”

Second, it’s been pointed out before, but in the BDB books, it’s often the woman who makes the Brother. Ward has created some awesome heroines, and Beth is first among equals in a long line of take-no-shit women with whom the Brothers partner. Here, she brooks no nonsense from her new husband when she decides to see what happens when, having gone through her transition, she exposes herself to sunlight -- an act that would kill a full-blooded vampire:

“You’re going nowhere,” he growled, his massive body throwing off all kinds of aggression. “I forbid you to leave this room.” Beth closed her mouth slowly. Forbid me? He forbids me? We’re going to have to nip this one right in the bud, she thought, sticking her finger in his face. “Back off, Wrath, and wipe that word from your vocabulary when you’re speaking with me. We may be married, but I’m not going to be ordered around like a child by you. Are we clear on this?”

The groundwork for several later storylines is also laid down in Dark Lover. For example, we witness the genesis of Vishous and Butch’s epic bromance:

“I’m happy to take you on, asshole,” Butch said. “I’ll probably end up losing, but I fight dirty, so I’ll make you hurt while you kill me.” Then he eyed the guy’s hat. “Though I hate clocking the shit out of another Red Sox fan.” …The vampire snorted. “I don’t like humans.” “Yeah, well, I’m not too crazy about you bloodsuckers.” Another stretch of silence. The guy stroked his goatee. “What do you call twenty guys watching the World Series?” “The New York Yankees,” Butch replied. The vampire laughed in a loud burst, whipped the baseball cap off his head, and slapped it on his thigh. Just like that, the tension was broken.

And speaking of Butch, he meets Wrath’s wife, Marissa -- not the most popular shellan among readers, but she’s never bugged me:

“Butch?” He glanced back at her. “Yeah, baby?” Her eyes flashed, and she licked her lips. “I want more of you.” Butch stopped breathing. And wondered if she was thinking about his blood. Looking into her beautiful face…he imagined that instead of kissing him, she was sinking those pearly white fangs of hers deep into his neck. He could think of no better way to go than in her arms. “Whatever you want of me,” he murmured, “you can have.”

It’s several volumes in before Butch and Marissa are able to seal the deal. But even the very next book (Lover Eternal) is foreshadowed on the very last page Rhage laments “All I want is one good female.” And he finds one!

But my favorite scene in the book exemplifies the things I like best about the BDB: the unity, the power, the barely controlled menace -- and the absolute love and respect they have for the woman who will become their queen. Beth has just spent the night with Wrath, and meets the rest of the brothers over breakfast:

There was a loud scraping noise as five chairs slid backward. The men rose as a unit. And started coming for her… And then the knives came out. With a metallic whoosh, five black daggers were unsheathed. She backed up frantically, hands in front of herself. She slammed into a wall and was about to scream for Wrath when the men dropped down on bended knees in a circle around her. In a single movement, as if they’d been choreographed, they buried the daggers into the floor at her feet and bowed their heads. The great whoomp of sound as steel met wood seemed both a pledge and a battle cry… “Umm. Thank you,” she said. The men’s heads lifted. Etched into the harsh planes of their faces was total reverence. Even the scarred one had a respectful expression. And then Wrath came in…He smiled. “Hey, they like you.”

Oh, Wrath. Oh, Beth. Of course they do. And so do we.

Sidebar! Fans Only: Who’s Your Favorite Couple?

BDB fans are passionate about their favorites – and why should we here at Geek Speak be any exception? Here is one reader’s priority-ordered catalogue of couples. Note that Tohrment and Wellsie aren’t included here because… well, you know.

For more on Tohr, talk to us in six months after Lover Reborn comes out… although in the meantime, you can feast your eyes on the cover art to the right and answer the question that is currently tohrmenting me: to wit, when did Casper Van Dien join the Brotherhood?

Without further ado:

1. Rehvenge and Ehlena: I never expected to care one way or the other about these two, but secretly psychic Rehv (Mohawk, penis-hook, and all) and sweet but no-nonsense nurse Ehlena quickly became my favorites. The fact that “their” book -- Lover Avenged -- is the most tightly-plotted and fast-paced installment in the series certainly didn’t hurt, either.

2. Wrath and Beth: See above. I do love me some Blind King and his take-no-shit shellan.

3. Rhage and Mary: Ah, Rhage, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love that you’re so handsome and charming that your friends call you “Hollywood.” I love that you turn into a dragon (literally) when you’re feeling perturbed. I love that your name is “Rhage” with an H. Human Mary couldn’t possibly hope to stack up against such an explosion of awesome, and she doesn’t. She comes pretty close, though.

4. Butch and the Much-Maligned Marissa: Marissa has sort of an unfortunate reputation among BDB fans (weak-willed, wimpy, manipulative, the list goes on), but I kind of respect her. Consider: She was married to Wrath for centuries, and was beautiful, aristocratic, supportive, kind, and loving. In return, Wrath ignored her and refused to touch her. That would do a number on anyone, and it’s to her credit that she’s come as far as she has (running a women’s shelter, no less). Wrath is lucky that his newly-empowered ex didn’t feed him his own balls in a pie. Someone with less class than Marissa probably would have.

5. Zsadist and Bella, or, Vampires Who Need To Get Over Themselves And Their Tedious Psychic Pain, Part I: Look at me! Despite my exceedingly silly first name, or perhaps because of it, I like to skulk around and scare people and feed on human prostitutes and be really rude whenever the opportunity arises, which is ALL THE TIME. It’s understandable, because I was an abused child. The ladies find my darkness alluring. I don’t really give a fuck. (Bella, OTOH, is lovely.)

6. Vishous and Jane, or, Vampires Who Need To Get Over Themselves And Their Tedious Psychic Pain, Part II: Look at me! Despite my exceedingly silly first name, or perhaps because of it, I am urbane and amusing, but I also like S&M and am into some really kinky shit whenever the opportunity arises, which is ALL THE TIME. It’s understandable, because I was an abused child. The ladies find my darkness alluring. Do I really give a fuck? (Jane, OTOH, is eminently forgettable.)

7. Manny and Black Dagger Sister Payne: These two are… fine. Points given for Payne, who kicks ass; points taken away for the too-on-pointness of MAN-uel “MAN-ny” MAN-ello.

8. Xhex and John Matthew: The incongruity of a psychic super-fighter-vampire who is basically called “Sex” being yoked to a mute vampire called “John Matthew” is…noteworthy. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much the only interesting thing about these two.

9. Qhuinn (AKA Qwhine) and Blaylock: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Will you emo ghey night creatures just fish or cut bait, already?

10. Phury and Cormia: …zzzz. HUH WHAT!!! Did somebody just say… oh, yeah, him. And her. (yawn) Why don’t you just excuse me while I….(zzzzzzzz)

-- Kate Nagy