A review by allingoodtime
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but the parts in this series that deal with the Omega and the forelessers are not my thing. I don’t mind them as the foil for the Brotherhood and the vampire race, but when the narrative is from their POV I could care less and find myself skimming. Well hallelujah! This book has none of that. There are some tussles with the forelessers that are extremely important, but they never take over the story. Although there is a reason for this, I’m hoping the stories will continue this way even once the forelessers regroup.

We all know there was something more going on between Vishous (aka V) and Butch than friendship. At least on one side. This is dealt with a little more in this story than it had been previously, and the characters actually express the words. There is still some homophobic language when dealing with them, but it’s heading in the right direction when it comes to how we look at and talk about relationships that aren’t cishet. Yay!

I’ve gotta give it to the author, more than once she has found a way to incorporate a human into the world of the vampires without it feeling forced or out of the scope of the world that’s already been built. There is a LOT that happens with V in this book. Not only does the reader get his background throughout this book, but V himself learns things about his past he never knew. It throws him for a loop and kicks off a series of events that kept me turning the pages.

As for V’s mate, talk about a strong FMC. I love Jane and her kind heart and strong will. The peeks into her upbringing were riveting. I wish we would have gotten a bit more of that to understand her parents. But at the very least it helped to understand her and her motivations.

With as much oppression as there was in this story, with characters being forced into scenarios they neither asked for nor wanted, there were a lot of parts that made me laugh. I just love when an alpha falls hard and doesn’t understand what is happening. It was especially funny to me since V had fallen in love with Butch but was now presented with this other person that brought out his possessive side. Jane and V are amazing together and end up exactly what the other needs. V has never given up control when it comes to his sex life and he finds the freedom to do so with Jane while she finds the freedom of letting him take the lead, too.

This is also a big book for John in many ways. He’s moving right along and I adore the way Z looks out for him both physically and emotionally. John has a lot from his past to work on and while I’m chomping at the bit for his full story to be told, I know he still has a long way to go. I’m trying not to spoil things for myself by looking ahead to see which book will be his. I need to let myself watch the story unfold as the author intended. 
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