lcgerstmann's review against another edition
4.0
Another great installment to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This book (Book #9) however, was very different from the others on many levels: it was the first book where the main vampire character was female (Payne), it had very little to do with the war with their enemies, The Lessening Society, (which was a main focus of the previous books) and it wasn't exclusively about Payne and her story with Manny; it was just as much about her brother Vishous and Jane. So much so, that I wished I had re-read book #5 (Lover Unbound), Vishous's story, prior to reading this book. I also felt that this book was possibly the least dark (except for Phury's story perhaps), which concerning how dark Vishous's background story is, I was surprised. Also unlike previous books, it did not set up a story to be continued in the next book, unless the author is finally going to tackle Qhuinn and Blay, which would be the first same-sex love story for the series.
becs_l's review against another edition
5.0
For me, any book that keeps me reading all day, making me loose track of time, qualifies for 5 stars. However I can see how some people may not like this book as much as the other books in the series.
Lover Unleashed is very much character driven so if the main reason you love the BDB series is because of the characters in it (like me) then you will enjoy this one however if your expecting a lot of action and/or a lot of sexy scenes then you might be disappointed. As a novel in its self, the action side of plot was practically non existent but what kept me reading was the relationship development between the characters especially between Vishous, Jane and Butch. For me, Manny and Payne's relationship, while still fun and sweet to read, took more of sideline to what Vishous was going through.
Lover unleashed is, I hate to use the word, a filler novel in that it introduces us to what is to come in the upcoming novels. Originally J.R. Ward was only going to right a select number of novels (10 if I remember correctly) but she is continuing probably due to the popularity of the series. This change cannot just happen at the beginning of a book so a slow build up must occur.
However, this book has definitely got me excited for what’s to come; especially the plot surrounding Xcor and his gang. We also saw a bit of more of Jose de la Cruz in this one and I'm hoping we also get to see a bit more of him in the upcoming novels.
As the novel is so focused around a select few characters; Vishous, Jane, Butch, Payne, Manny and Qhuinn, then, unfortunately, we don't get to see much of the other brothers and characters as much as I would like [like John :(].
If you a fan of the series (and Vishous) it's a must read but Lover Awakened still sits on the top spot for me.
Lover Unleashed is very much character driven so if the main reason you love the BDB series is because of the characters in it (like me) then you will enjoy this one however if your expecting a lot of action and/or a lot of sexy scenes then you might be disappointed. As a novel in its self, the action side of plot was practically non existent but what kept me reading was the relationship development between the characters especially between Vishous, Jane and Butch. For me, Manny and Payne's relationship, while still fun and sweet to read, took more of sideline to what Vishous was going through.
Lover unleashed is, I hate to use the word, a filler novel in that it introduces us to what is to come in the upcoming novels. Originally J.R. Ward was only going to right a select number of novels (10 if I remember correctly) but she is continuing probably due to the popularity of the series. This change cannot just happen at the beginning of a book so a slow build up must occur.
However, this book has definitely got me excited for what’s to come; especially the plot surrounding Xcor and his gang. We also saw a bit of more of Jose de la Cruz in this one and I'm hoping we also get to see a bit more of him in the upcoming novels.
As the novel is so focused around a select few characters; Vishous, Jane, Butch, Payne, Manny and Qhuinn, then, unfortunately, we don't get to see much of the other brothers and characters as much as I would like [like John :(].
If you a fan of the series (and Vishous) it's a must read but Lover Awakened still sits on the top spot for me.
shelfaddiction's review against another edition
4.0
There are a few plot twist toward the end that are pretty entertaining. I’ll try my best to do this review without revealing them. :-) Payne is really likable. She’s endearing, young at heart and really inexperienced in a lot of ways, yet she is a strong and smart warrior. In this book she was much softer around the edges than I recall in previous books. Almost to the point that you almost forget she is a fighter. It’s probably because of the circumstances resulting from her injury, which have her at a low point. Then when Manny comes into the picture, she is very feminine. But later in the story, we see that warrior side of her again. I didn’t really get a good sense of Manny’s character from the previous book with Jane and V, but I like him. He’s human, but strong. Payne and Manny are good together and clearly there is a reason for that. At some point after drinking blood from him, Payne says to Manuel that he has “strong blood”, that comment instantly got my mind turning, which come to find out, I was thinking along the right track, but sorry, I won’t say!
I feel really bad for V and Jane in this story. V has tons of past demons to deal with and pushes things to the limit to work through it. Butch also really gets a lot to deal with concerning V. Vishous is really too much for a lot of people to handle. Too damaged. Butch went through a the kind of fiasco with V that would traumatize anyone. Luckily, that was enough to get V to change his frame of mind. Finally he understands he can’t self medicate himself with pain. OMG, it’s awful. He needed a therapist. If he wanted anything more, he would be dead. I still don’t really care for that borderline dynamic between Butch and V. No matter what, it’s always there. Yes, they both love their mates, but their “friendship”…it’s always on the boarder of going too far. Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with a man/man couple. BUT I do have an issue with it when they are both mated to other people! That’s a no-no! I can’t believe their mates are actually okay with the type of relationship they have. Totally crazy, but if you’ve read other books in this series, you’d expect nothing less.
Also in this book Qhuinn also deals with some of his own hang ups. I actually acknowledges that he loves Blay?!?! What?! I don’t think readers thought that would ever happen. Qhuinn has been so much in denial for several books now. Even once he realizes how he feels he still acts like an idiot. He basically starves himself to death and works out like mad to try to block out his feelings. John stops the madness, then Saxton all but tells him that Blay still cares about him and what does he do? Not the right thing. All men in this series are pretty bone headed when it comes to relationships, despite sexual orientation.
Side note: Why do most of the brothers think that self abuse will help them solve their issues? Hmm…interesting to think about the rationale behind that.
As usual Wrath shows up there and there in the book in his “Kingly” way. Pretty much all of the pairs were mentioned in some way or another. John/Xhex, Wrath/Beth, Butch/ Marissa, Rhage and Mary. Those getting very small cameos, otherwise briefly mentioned, are Phury/Cormia, Revenge/Elhena and Z/Bella/Nalla.
There are also some new vamps in the story line. “Band of Bastards” Ward calls them. They almost seem like a clan of old world villains, I’m not yet sure quite yet if they are or not. Their leader, Xcor, just seems kind of crazy and by his description he is scary looking! His second, Throe is clearly indebted to Xcor, but I’m not sure how long that will last. It’s pretty clear that Throe is serious about taking out human bad guys, especially since he seems to be getting vindication for his sister whom was a victim centuries ago. Xcor has a “score” to settle regarding the murder of his father, Bloodletter. We already know that Payne and V share the same father, but what’s the twist? I’m not going to tell! Read the book. Besides Bloodletter’s “you killed my father” situation, he is also clearly out for Wrath’s thrown.
In addition to all of the supernatural stuff going on, there is also a human serial killer running around Caldwell. Detectives De la Cruz (Butch’s old partner) and his new partner Thomas aka Veck are finding butchered bodies and they are in pursuit of the serial killer. Veck is an interesting character, apparently his father is a convicted serial killer now on death row. He’s got some issues and that puts him in an hot spot at the end of the book.
In the end, I was pleased that.- 1. V stepped up and helps Payne win over Wrath when it came to she and Manny being together. 2. V seemed to have gotten over the emotional hump of his past and it seems downhill from here. 3. Even thought this book was described as basically Payne and Manny book, it was filled with so much story on the others, mainly V and Jane, and Qhuinn. I felt that there was enough time dedicated to Payne and Manny that even though the story was focused almost evenly on other story lines, I didn’t feel slighted. 3. A new story line was added with the introduction of Veck. He seems like an interesting character.
What I could have done without was the weird ways Ward shortened words, like instead of environment, she uses “environs”, and she does the same thing to several other words. Probably because the old vampire language is different than current vernacular? Who knows. Just random and a little odd. Yes, it’s the same writing style as Ward’s previous books, but after I had such a long break from them, it took me a minute to get back into the grove of all the slang and terminology.
Bottom line, Ward delivers exactly what you would expect. A great story, strong characters, good sub plots and some “hot” scenes. If you’ve invested time reading the previous 8 books, check this one out for sure! I’m eager to read the next book. It’s out next week!
I feel really bad for V and Jane in this story. V has tons of past demons to deal with and pushes things to the limit to work through it. Butch also really gets a lot to deal with concerning V. Vishous is really too much for a lot of people to handle. Too damaged. Butch went through a the kind of fiasco with V that would traumatize anyone. Luckily, that was enough to get V to change his frame of mind. Finally he understands he can’t self medicate himself with pain. OMG, it’s awful. He needed a therapist. If he wanted anything more, he would be dead. I still don’t really care for that borderline dynamic between Butch and V. No matter what, it’s always there. Yes, they both love their mates, but their “friendship”…it’s always on the boarder of going too far. Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with a man/man couple. BUT I do have an issue with it when they are both mated to other people! That’s a no-no! I can’t believe their mates are actually okay with the type of relationship they have. Totally crazy, but if you’ve read other books in this series, you’d expect nothing less.
Also in this book Qhuinn also deals with some of his own hang ups. I actually acknowledges that he loves Blay?!?! What?! I don’t think readers thought that would ever happen. Qhuinn has been so much in denial for several books now. Even once he realizes how he feels he still acts like an idiot. He basically starves himself to death and works out like mad to try to block out his feelings. John stops the madness, then Saxton all but tells him that Blay still cares about him and what does he do? Not the right thing. All men in this series are pretty bone headed when it comes to relationships, despite sexual orientation.
Side note: Why do most of the brothers think that self abuse will help them solve their issues? Hmm…interesting to think about the rationale behind that.
As usual Wrath shows up there and there in the book in his “Kingly” way. Pretty much all of the pairs were mentioned in some way or another. John/Xhex, Wrath/Beth, Butch/ Marissa, Rhage and Mary. Those getting very small cameos, otherwise briefly mentioned, are Phury/Cormia, Revenge/Elhena and Z/Bella/Nalla.
There are also some new vamps in the story line. “Band of Bastards” Ward calls them. They almost seem like a clan of old world villains, I’m not yet sure quite yet if they are or not. Their leader, Xcor, just seems kind of crazy and by his description he is scary looking! His second, Throe is clearly indebted to Xcor, but I’m not sure how long that will last. It’s pretty clear that Throe is serious about taking out human bad guys, especially since he seems to be getting vindication for his sister whom was a victim centuries ago. Xcor has a “score” to settle regarding the murder of his father, Bloodletter. We already know that Payne and V share the same father, but what’s the twist? I’m not going to tell! Read the book. Besides Bloodletter’s “you killed my father” situation, he is also clearly out for Wrath’s thrown.
In addition to all of the supernatural stuff going on, there is also a human serial killer running around Caldwell. Detectives De la Cruz (Butch’s old partner) and his new partner Thomas aka Veck are finding butchered bodies and they are in pursuit of the serial killer. Veck is an interesting character, apparently his father is a convicted serial killer now on death row. He’s got some issues and that puts him in an hot spot at the end of the book.
In the end, I was pleased that.- 1. V stepped up and helps Payne win over Wrath when it came to she and Manny being together. 2. V seemed to have gotten over the emotional hump of his past and it seems downhill from here. 3. Even thought this book was described as basically Payne and Manny book, it was filled with so much story on the others, mainly V and Jane, and Qhuinn. I felt that there was enough time dedicated to Payne and Manny that even though the story was focused almost evenly on other story lines, I didn’t feel slighted. 3. A new story line was added with the introduction of Veck. He seems like an interesting character.
What I could have done without was the weird ways Ward shortened words, like instead of environment, she uses “environs”, and she does the same thing to several other words. Probably because the old vampire language is different than current vernacular? Who knows. Just random and a little odd. Yes, it’s the same writing style as Ward’s previous books, but after I had such a long break from them, it took me a minute to get back into the grove of all the slang and terminology.
Bottom line, Ward delivers exactly what you would expect. A great story, strong characters, good sub plots and some “hot” scenes. If you’ve invested time reading the previous 8 books, check this one out for sure! I’m eager to read the next book. It’s out next week!
kimberly_b's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this latest BDB book, but I didn't love it as much as some of the others. Although Manny and Payne's relationship was the main focus of the story, there was a lot of V and Jane. So much so that it became distracting. I expected Payne to be a bit more of a wild card than she was, but I really liked the way Ward developed her character. Manny was awesome too. I loved that I didn't have to read anything from a lesser's POV in this one! Overall, LU was a solid BDB book, but nothing mind blowing for me. However, I can't wait to read Book 10, because I'm dying to read Tohr's story. I hope Ward can wrap up the loose ends (especially Qhuay) well in the final book without making it rushed. We'll see :)
danicamidlil's review against another edition
4.0
Come on Ward! Where is the Blay/Qhuinn book? I know it would be a little unorthodox to have a gay pair be the focus of a main stream romance series, but YOU can do it! If Anyone could pull it off, it's you! It would be such a wonderful book! PLEASE write it!
Okay, after reading this book, I'm guessing that the next book will be about Qhuinn and Blaylock's relationship so I am still hopeful.
Okay, after reading this book, I'm guessing that the next book will be about Qhuinn and Blaylock's relationship so I am still hopeful.
msmiz95's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - It was a wild ride - felt like going 100 miles an hour on an expressway and everything was going to fast.
nicola949's review against another edition
5.0
Still really loving this series and enjoyed the story of Payne and Manny. I love how Manny was able to hold his own against the brothers.
The writing style continues to impress with humour, romance, action, drama and a fast pace.
However I find myself now reading this series mainly to see what happens with Qhuinn and Blaylock, desperate for them to have their happy ever after! Like many people I am eagerly awaiting the release of Lover at Last on 26 March 2013 (I think this is the most expensive kindle book I have ever pre-ordered but it will be so worth it!)
The writing style continues to impress with humour, romance, action, drama and a fast pace.
However I find myself now reading this series mainly to see what happens with Qhuinn and Blaylock, desperate for them to have their happy ever after! Like many people I am eagerly awaiting the release of Lover at Last on 26 March 2013 (I think this is the most expensive kindle book I have ever pre-ordered but it will be so worth it!)
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great BDB book, but there was almost too much happening in it! I don't know why, but that was almost a bad thing. Vishous dealing with his past was excellent, and Manny and Payne's love story was great. I understand why Xhor and his Bastards had to be introduced as well, but then, there was also the human police, with Cruz and the new guy Veck. It was a lot to keep track of, it could almost have been two books.
Then, there alos was the whole Blay, Saxton Qhuinn triangle going on, with a little touch of Layla thrown in the mix. I really wish Qhuinn would just get his act together and let Blay know that he truly loves him, true?
I did love it though, but the fact that there were so many things happening at once took a little bit away from my pleasure. And even though we got to see most of the brothers, there was too little of Z, and we only got to see a child once. It would have made sense to see more of them as well, since a lot of the story happened within the Brotherhood castle.
I guess this book was kind of an in-between book, where things needed to be laid out for future books.
Then, there alos was the whole Blay, Saxton Qhuinn triangle going on, with a little touch of Layla thrown in the mix. I really wish Qhuinn would just get his act together and let Blay know that he truly loves him, true?
I did love it though, but the fact that there were so many things happening at once took a little bit away from my pleasure. And even though we got to see most of the brothers, there was too little of Z, and we only got to see a child once. It would have made sense to see more of them as well, since a lot of the story happened within the Brotherhood castle.
I guess this book was kind of an in-between book, where things needed to be laid out for future books.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
3.0
I am not really feeling this book, true?
This is my least favourite of the BDB books so far I'm afraid. It had too many subplots, not enough time devoted to our main couple Manny and Payne, and it lacked the lighter moments that Ward usually provides in her otherwise dark world.
As a paranormal romance, I'm expecting a certain amount of time devoted to our star couple. All the former books have been clearly "Wrath and Beth's story", or "Zsadist and Bella's Story" (my two favourites incidentally), with a side story usually featuring the head of the Lessening society. But this one was more like "Manny, Payne, Jane, Vishous, Butch, Quinn, Xcor, Throe, Jose and Veck's story"... It was just too much! I feel like this was a "setting up" book, and we're being prepared for the next big storyline to come. Which is fine, I guess. But it didn't make me enjoy the book any more.
So much of what we are used to was missing, too. Where were the Omega and the Scribe Virgin? Where was the leader of the Lessers? And I didn't even get a song from Zsadist!...tsk tsk
There were a few bits I did enjoy, however. I did like the Manny and Payne bits; she certainly deserves her freedom after centuries spent with Mother dearest, so it was nice to see her discovering the world and falling for handy Manny. And although I don't like all the BDSM stuff associated with V, I was glad he was able to get over what happened to him a bit more, with the help of his boy, Butch.
So all in all, it could have been much better for me. I will still be reading the next one, of course. Everyone is allowed a bump in the road, and I think this is Ward's.
This is my least favourite of the BDB books so far I'm afraid. It had too many subplots, not enough time devoted to our main couple Manny and Payne, and it lacked the lighter moments that Ward usually provides in her otherwise dark world.
As a paranormal romance, I'm expecting a certain amount of time devoted to our star couple. All the former books have been clearly "Wrath and Beth's story", or "Zsadist and Bella's Story" (my two favourites incidentally), with a side story usually featuring the head of the Lessening society. But this one was more like "Manny, Payne, Jane, Vishous, Butch, Quinn, Xcor, Throe, Jose and Veck's story"... It was just too much! I feel like this was a "setting up" book, and we're being prepared for the next big storyline to come. Which is fine, I guess. But it didn't make me enjoy the book any more.
So much of what we are used to was missing, too. Where were the Omega and the Scribe Virgin? Where was the leader of the Lessers? And I didn't even get a song from Zsadist!...tsk tsk
There were a few bits I did enjoy, however. I did like the Manny and Payne bits; she certainly deserves her freedom after centuries spent with Mother dearest, so it was nice to see her discovering the world and falling for handy Manny. And although I don't like all the BDSM stuff associated with V, I was glad he was able to get over what happened to him a bit more, with the help of his boy, Butch.
So all in all, it could have been much better for me. I will still be reading the next one, of course. Everyone is allowed a bump in the road, and I think this is Ward's.