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A review by idratherbereading542
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
4.0
Read Count: 2
- Main Couple: Vishous(vampire)/Jane(human then ghost)
- POVs Included: (will add later)
- Book Playlist (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series Playlist)
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UPDATED REVIEW 5/4/2022:
UPDATED RATING (4 STARS)
So this is my second time reading this book. I’m doing a re-read of the series (first read them about 12 years ago).
I liked V’s book a lot more than Butch’s. Unfortunately Butch’s book was ruined by Marissa. But thankfully no such problems with this one. There were some things I didn’t like about the book but for the most part it was a pretty good read!
So let’s get to it. First of all I LOVE LOVE LOVED Vishous. I do not remember liking him as much the last time I read the book, but this time I did. A lot. Not as much as Zsadist, but definitely my second favorite of the Brothers so far. He’s extremely intelligent and I love his no-nonsense personality. He just doesn’t care what others think of him and I love that about him.
But I did feel so incredibly bad for him and his (mostly) unrequited lover love for Butch. I honestly am not the biggest fan of that whole teasing story line. It was hypothesized by Butch a bit in this book that his feelings were more to do with Butch being the first person V really connected with. Yeah, okay. But there were still a lot of vibes going on that were strange because Ward just teased us about this more than a friendship relationship between them. Would’ve rather it never been a thing at all.
But then came Jane, and I’m a big fan of Jane. Big fan. She’s incredibly smart, kind, and snarky in a fun (good) way. Her and V are honestly the most compatible of all the pairings because they have a lot in common in terms of personality, interests, and even their abusive/neglectful parents. They fit really well together.
I can’t say I’m a fan of the VERY instant “Mine” (claiming their mate) business because it’s SO very inconsistent throughout these books. Is it an instinct? If so why does it happen so quickly for some Brothers and not so much for others? With V it was so quick he hasn’t even TALKED to or even SEEN Jane (only smelled/heard her talking while he was still in the hospital). It has to be one way or the other. Either this mate business is fated and they all feel like that (like how Kresley Cole writes her lykaes and vampires in the Immortals After Dark series) or it isn’t a thing at all. It can’t be both at the same time. Ya know?
I also am so over the vampire/human combos. I’ve said this before but I LOVE how this world was created so that the vampires feed off of the opposite sex of their race instead of humans. I love that it’s an intimate experience like sex between a couple. But that can’t happen if they are paired with a human. It complicates things because now one of them has to feed from someone else (like Rhage and now Vishous, I guess) and that just feels like an incomplete pairing to me.
Plus, hello, I think most of us read vampire romances because we want to see some bite action! ;) And that’s not happening so much for these kinds of pairings. So I’m hoping we will get more vampire/vampire pairings in the future books.
Which brings me to another issue with all the human/vampire pairings and how this one worked out. I know Ward loves her deus ex machina’s in order to bring humans into the fold of the Brotherhood, and for the most part I actually don’t mind them. Something HAS to happen to keep these pairings from being so bittersweet. I also don’t mind deus ex machina’s in paranormal books because reality doesn’t work quite the same and there’s more give in what’s possible there. But despite having one here to bring V and Jane into the HEA fold, this one felt a little bittersweet for me. I’m glad they can still touch each other and stuff, but it just feels not as HEA as, say, Rhage and Mary’s. I’m still left feeling a little sad with how things turned out. I don’t think I like ghost romances all that much. So I just wasn’t a big fan of the way it turned out (aside from them actually being able to kind of sort of be together, which is good of course).
All of that being said, I still loved the book and I loved the romance between Jane and Vishous. It might have been quick to start but it did feel like they made a real connection and V is super sexy yum yum. lol
A few other things I loved about the book:
- The genuine friendship and loyalty between Quinn, Blay, and John. I have read ahead so I know what happens with these three down the road in the series. But even at this point they are loyal and real friends to each other. How Quinn and Blay protect John before his transition made my heart swell for them both.
- Which brings me to loving that…. Yay John’s transitioned! So happy to see that. Love that he finally made it and still love him even with all his emo baggage. ;)
- Zsadist is still amazing. His healing and growth is my favorite thing and seeing him grow to be a mentor to John warms my heart so very much.
- The scene where Wrath makes everyone take the night off from fighting to have a little R & R by… playing Monopoly! Hahaha Family game night at the Brotherhood mansion! And their reactions were great. I have so much love for this gang. They have such a family vibe going on that I love beyond measure (it’s my favorite thing about the series).
- V bringing The Scribe Virgin (aka Mom) the bird after her sacrifice. So sweet!!! Love that small gesture of forgiveness and thanks that will mean the world to her.
Some other things on my mind about the book:
- There were no lesser POVs in this one. Which was unusual, but I can’t say that I missed them. I don’t HATE their POVs but I could do without them too.
- Sometimes Ward does this weird thing where she will break up a love scene with other POVs. Please stop. If I’m getting all into reading their love scene and then another POV breaks it up, it totally ruins it. I’d rather have it just fade to black and not continue at all if she’s going to do that (but would prefer it to be fully played out before moving on). Same would be if it were breaking up another type of highly emotional scene. Sometimes I get the semi-cliffhanger type change. But not for love scenes. It just doesn’t work for those and it makes no sense to break them up like this. I hate it.
- I feel so bad for poor Phury now. His book is next thankfully. I don’t remember much about it so hopefully it’s good. I was a little confused with Bella’s relationship with him in this book. Does she even realize how he feels about her? It seems like she strings him along and taunts him, which I don’t like. Just leave the poor guy alone to get over you. Her presence around him does not help, no matter how well her intentions. I love her character in general, but I don’t love her pestering Phury and (inadvertently) continuously reminding him of his yearning for her.
Overall the book was great. Not a fan of how Ward setup Jane’s ending, but I am happy they are together. Still loving these books, the world, and these big warrior guys who have even bigger hearts. :)
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ORIGINAL REVIEW (9/29/2010):
ORIGINAL RATING (3 STARS)
In this fifth book, we get to learn about V's backstory and falling in love with Jane. Overall, I liked this book a lot, but there were some things I didn't like.
After reading some of the other reviews, some people said it seems like V, being how numb he is to love, fell in love too fast. Well, as far as that goes, I have to disagree. It's apparent throughout the previous books that vampire warrior falling in love is far different than human falling in love. The primary thing is that whenever they meet their mates, from the very first time, the word "Mine" runs involuntarily through their mind. It's as if it's an instinct telling them that this woman is their perfect mate. I think it's really quite romantic. Anyways, so because of this, I think it opens doors to how quickly they fall in love, or bond as they call it. It seems quick for most of them, even if they fight it at first. So I'm okay with this part.
I loved how this book opened up with Jane learning her future husband's name, that was pretty cool. I thought it was interesting how Ward played that out and didn't open that up right after she met V.
I liked how in these books now, it's very apparent that Ward knows where the future books are heading. She's getting very good at overlapping the stories so that it runs right into the next novel. I really like that with the books, it makes me want to get right into the next one.
I also liked how she's putting God into the books too. All along, it's been blurry as to what exactly The Scribe Virgin is. While it's still not completely clear, we learn some important things about her; one of which being that she is not the highest power, and that even she is answering to the most powerful being of all. I like that Ward is taking it in that direction. I think, perhaps, she's doing that because of the spin-off series she has now about fallen angels. I think she was foreshadowing that a bit in this book, but I like it though.
The absolute thing I hated most about this book was how it ended. (WARNING...MAJOR SPOILER BELOW, DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK YET).....
........
I do not like that she brought Jane back from the dead as a ghost. It just feels wrong. Don't get me wrong, I wanted Jane and V to be happily ever after, but this was the only way? She's literally transparent now and the only reason V can touch her is because of his gift/curse (depending on who you're talking to). They say that the sex and everything is still great and "normal", but how could it be? He's having sex with a dead chick, a ghost who is literally see through. I suppose if she came back as a solid and looked human it would be different, but this is just weird. I think V is getting jipped a bit with this. How weird would it be to be making love to....nothing; a faint shadow of the woman you once loved (or still do I suppose). It just seems like it would look very strange and feel very strange. That whole thing just doesn't sit right with me.
Speaking of sex, there was barely any in this book. While that's not the only reason I read them, I do enjoy them in these books and it was disappointing. It seems like we'd get some more love scenes in Vishous' story, considering how he's portrayed in the past. But not really, only a couple that were nice, but could have been more detailed. I feel like Ward is running out of steam on those, but I miss them and hope there will be more in the future books.
Overall, I love this series, I really do. But a couple major things in this book just didn't sit right with me and disappointed me, so that's why I didn't rate it as high as I did with previous books in the series. I missed the love scenes and I don't like the way this ended were the two primary reasons I gave this a three.
I look forward to Phury's story next though, so we'll see how the story of the Brotherhood plays out in the next book...
- Main Couple: Vishous(vampire)/Jane(human then ghost)
- POVs Included: (will add later)
- Book Playlist (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series Playlist)
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UPDATED REVIEW 5/4/2022:
UPDATED RATING (4 STARS)
So this is my second time reading this book. I’m doing a re-read of the series (first read them about 12 years ago).
I liked V’s book a lot more than Butch’s. Unfortunately Butch’s book was ruined by Marissa. But thankfully no such problems with this one. There were some things I didn’t like about the book but for the most part it was a pretty good read!
So let’s get to it. First of all I LOVE LOVE LOVED Vishous. I do not remember liking him as much the last time I read the book, but this time I did. A lot. Not as much as Zsadist, but definitely my second favorite of the Brothers so far. He’s extremely intelligent and I love his no-nonsense personality. He just doesn’t care what others think of him and I love that about him.
But I did feel so incredibly bad for him and his (mostly) unrequited lover love for Butch. I honestly am not the biggest fan of that whole teasing story line. It was hypothesized by Butch a bit in this book that his feelings were more to do with Butch being the first person V really connected with. Yeah, okay. But there were still a lot of vibes going on that were strange because Ward just teased us about this more than a friendship relationship between them. Would’ve rather it never been a thing at all.
But then came Jane, and I’m a big fan of Jane. Big fan. She’s incredibly smart, kind, and snarky in a fun (good) way. Her and V are honestly the most compatible of all the pairings because they have a lot in common in terms of personality, interests, and even their abusive/neglectful parents. They fit really well together.
I can’t say I’m a fan of the VERY instant “Mine” (claiming their mate) business because it’s SO very inconsistent throughout these books. Is it an instinct? If so why does it happen so quickly for some Brothers and not so much for others? With V it was so quick he hasn’t even TALKED to or even SEEN Jane (only smelled/heard her talking while he was still in the hospital). It has to be one way or the other. Either this mate business is fated and they all feel like that (like how Kresley Cole writes her lykaes and vampires in the Immortals After Dark series) or it isn’t a thing at all. It can’t be both at the same time. Ya know?
I also am so over the vampire/human combos. I’ve said this before but I LOVE how this world was created so that the vampires feed off of the opposite sex of their race instead of humans. I love that it’s an intimate experience like sex between a couple. But that can’t happen if they are paired with a human. It complicates things because now one of them has to feed from someone else (like Rhage and now Vishous, I guess) and that just feels like an incomplete pairing to me.
Plus, hello, I think most of us read vampire romances because we want to see some bite action! ;) And that’s not happening so much for these kinds of pairings. So I’m hoping we will get more vampire/vampire pairings in the future books.
Which brings me to another issue with all the human/vampire pairings and how this one worked out. I know Ward loves her deus ex machina’s in order to bring humans into the fold of the Brotherhood, and for the most part I actually don’t mind them. Something HAS to happen to keep these pairings from being so bittersweet. I also don’t mind deus ex machina’s in paranormal books because reality doesn’t work quite the same and there’s more give in what’s possible there. But despite having one here to bring V and Jane into the HEA fold, this one felt a little bittersweet for me. I’m glad they can still touch each other and stuff, but it just feels not as HEA as, say, Rhage and Mary’s. I’m still left feeling a little sad with how things turned out. I don’t think I like ghost romances all that much. So I just wasn’t a big fan of the way it turned out (aside from them actually being able to kind of sort of be together, which is good of course).
All of that being said, I still loved the book and I loved the romance between Jane and Vishous. It might have been quick to start but it did feel like they made a real connection and V is super sexy yum yum. lol
A few other things I loved about the book:
- The genuine friendship and loyalty between Quinn, Blay, and John. I have read ahead so I know what happens with these three down the road in the series. But even at this point they are loyal and real friends to each other. How Quinn and Blay protect John before his transition made my heart swell for them both.
- Which brings me to loving that…. Yay John’s transitioned! So happy to see that. Love that he finally made it and still love him even with all his emo baggage. ;)
- Zsadist is still amazing. His healing and growth is my favorite thing and seeing him grow to be a mentor to John warms my heart so very much.
- The scene where Wrath makes everyone take the night off from fighting to have a little R & R by… playing Monopoly! Hahaha Family game night at the Brotherhood mansion! And their reactions were great. I have so much love for this gang. They have such a family vibe going on that I love beyond measure (it’s my favorite thing about the series).
- V bringing The Scribe Virgin (aka Mom) the bird after her sacrifice. So sweet!!! Love that small gesture of forgiveness and thanks that will mean the world to her.
Some other things on my mind about the book:
- There were no lesser POVs in this one. Which was unusual, but I can’t say that I missed them. I don’t HATE their POVs but I could do without them too.
- Sometimes Ward does this weird thing where she will break up a love scene with other POVs. Please stop. If I’m getting all into reading their love scene and then another POV breaks it up, it totally ruins it. I’d rather have it just fade to black and not continue at all if she’s going to do that (but would prefer it to be fully played out before moving on). Same would be if it were breaking up another type of highly emotional scene. Sometimes I get the semi-cliffhanger type change. But not for love scenes. It just doesn’t work for those and it makes no sense to break them up like this. I hate it.
- I feel so bad for poor Phury now. His book is next thankfully. I don’t remember much about it so hopefully it’s good. I was a little confused with Bella’s relationship with him in this book. Does she even realize how he feels about her? It seems like she strings him along and taunts him, which I don’t like. Just leave the poor guy alone to get over you. Her presence around him does not help, no matter how well her intentions. I love her character in general, but I don’t love her pestering Phury and (inadvertently) continuously reminding him of his yearning for her.
Overall the book was great. Not a fan of how Ward setup Jane’s ending, but I am happy they are together. Still loving these books, the world, and these big warrior guys who have even bigger hearts. :)
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ORIGINAL REVIEW (9/29/2010):
ORIGINAL RATING (3 STARS)
In this fifth book, we get to learn about V's backstory and falling in love with Jane. Overall, I liked this book a lot, but there were some things I didn't like.
After reading some of the other reviews, some people said it seems like V, being how numb he is to love, fell in love too fast. Well, as far as that goes, I have to disagree. It's apparent throughout the previous books that vampire warrior falling in love is far different than human falling in love. The primary thing is that whenever they meet their mates, from the very first time, the word "Mine" runs involuntarily through their mind. It's as if it's an instinct telling them that this woman is their perfect mate. I think it's really quite romantic. Anyways, so because of this, I think it opens doors to how quickly they fall in love, or bond as they call it. It seems quick for most of them, even if they fight it at first. So I'm okay with this part.
I loved how this book opened up with Jane learning her future husband's name, that was pretty cool. I thought it was interesting how Ward played that out and didn't open that up right after she met V.
I liked how in these books now, it's very apparent that Ward knows where the future books are heading. She's getting very good at overlapping the stories so that it runs right into the next novel. I really like that with the books, it makes me want to get right into the next one.
I also liked how she's putting God into the books too. All along, it's been blurry as to what exactly The Scribe Virgin is. While it's still not completely clear, we learn some important things about her; one of which being that she is not the highest power, and that even she is answering to the most powerful being of all. I like that Ward is taking it in that direction. I think, perhaps, she's doing that because of the spin-off series she has now about fallen angels. I think she was foreshadowing that a bit in this book, but I like it though.
The absolute thing I hated most about this book was how it ended. (WARNING...MAJOR SPOILER BELOW, DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK YET).....
........
I do not like that she brought Jane back from the dead as a ghost. It just feels wrong. Don't get me wrong, I wanted Jane and V to be happily ever after, but this was the only way? She's literally transparent now and the only reason V can touch her is because of his gift/curse (depending on who you're talking to). They say that the sex and everything is still great and "normal", but how could it be? He's having sex with a dead chick, a ghost who is literally see through. I suppose if she came back as a solid and looked human it would be different, but this is just weird. I think V is getting jipped a bit with this. How weird would it be to be making love to....nothing; a faint shadow of the woman you once loved (or still do I suppose). It just seems like it would look very strange and feel very strange. That whole thing just doesn't sit right with me.
Speaking of sex, there was barely any in this book. While that's not the only reason I read them, I do enjoy them in these books and it was disappointing. It seems like we'd get some more love scenes in Vishous' story, considering how he's portrayed in the past. But not really, only a couple that were nice, but could have been more detailed. I feel like Ward is running out of steam on those, but I miss them and hope there will be more in the future books.
Overall, I love this series, I really do. But a couple major things in this book just didn't sit right with me and disappointed me, so that's why I didn't rate it as high as I did with previous books in the series. I missed the love scenes and I don't like the way this ended were the two primary reasons I gave this a three.
I look forward to Phury's story next though, so we'll see how the story of the Brotherhood plays out in the next book...