Butch O’Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he’s the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world-to engage in the turf war with the lessers. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who’s way out of his league. And if he can’t have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers.
But fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he’s found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him.
J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, otherwise known as the BDB, is my personal literary version of crack. A paranormal romance series based on a group of sex on a stick, alpha overloaded, vampire race of men who protect their race and humans from a soulless race of minions, called Lessers. They and their boss, the Omega, seek to destroy the vampires and subjugate the humans. From discovering the brotherhood in Dark Lover to finally learning John Matthews’s destiny in Lover Mine. I have laughed, cried, fumed, cursed, and even had a couple of, “What the ???,” moments throughout my adventures with them. Would I spend my last $20 on a BDB book if I had no gas and needed bread and milk? Probably not. But there would be a couple of tense moments thinking about it.
One of my favorite books in the series is Lover Revealed. In here the focus is on the luscious Butch O’Neal. The only human who fights alongside the Brotherhood. It’s his humanity, his normality, when compared to the supernatural awesomeness of the rest of the cast that made him a favorite of mine. From his guilt over his past to his drinking problem, Butch personifies the stereotypical gruff detective with a heart of gold. He’s Harry Bosch, Philip Marlowe, and Mike Hammer all rolled up in one. We first met Butch in Dark Lover when he attempts to help Beth and she tosses him over for Wrath. Yes, I had some issues with her there. Nice normal guy or homicidal vampire who warns you he is no good and you could possibly die by being with him? Choices...choices. Dark Lover is also where Butch first meets Marissa and their turbulent love affair begins.
Marissa, a female vampire, is part of the Brotherhood’s elite society called the Glymeria. Raised to be Wrath’s queen, she ends up being trapped in a name-only marriage when he tosses her over for Beth. But he still uses her for blood. So she’s not good enough to claim but still good enough to drink from? What is with these selfish people? The society believes that because Wrath never claimed her, there must be something wrong with her. Of course, Wrath never addresses any of this, leaving her to believe that everyone’s assumptions are correct. Yes, I have still have problems with Wrath and Beth.
Throughout the series, Ward does an incredible and realistic job of bringing the human Butch into the fold and giving him a way to stay with the Brotherhood forever. We have witnessed a dynamic bromance developing between Butch and Vishous and it’s in here that the pieces fall together and questions are answered. The series has always had a faint of “anything goes” feel to it and this just wets our appetite for more. Watching Butch and Marissa come to terms and act on their feelings for one another evokes an emotional response from the reader. I admit, at times, I was ready to lock the two of them in a room and tell them to just get on with it. But I understood why they were the way they were. Two emotionally damaged people, rejected for who they are by the people who should have loved them unconditionally. I know a lot of readers weren’t fond of Marissa. They felt she was weak and too naive. Lets just admit it now, she ain’t no Xhex. However no one is going to break the chains of their bondage, after hundreds of years of conditioning, in a few days. She goes about it slowly, taking back pieces of her freedom and pride one at a time. Her decisions aren’t always the best but she has her reasons for doing it and she’s honest about them to herself and others. It was in here that I began to like Wrath a little more. He finally realizes just how much pain and embarrassment his actions have caused Marissa.
As Butch and Marissa work towards their HEA, we see more of the Omega’s long game, the intricate vampire society and the prejudices that rule it, and where the members of the Brotherhood are headed. Some of the story is drawn out and some is so over the top your shaking your head wondering how on earth Ward got from point A to point P. Even with their ridiculous “brother-speak” I am a captive in this dark and sexy world. As we all get ready for the release of the eleventh book in the series—Lover Reborn—I find myself steadily rereading all previous ten books in order to be up to date on this series. All in all, I am a true addict of the BDB and see no reason for any 12-step interventions here. You feel?
Tori Benson, Smexybooks and at Twitter.
