Lover Unleashed

*Spoilers are clearly marked

I've read all the BDB novels. Some I loved and some I didn't love so much. This one falls into the latter category and then some. I've always thought the BDB lingo was corny, but not too overwhelming - my, how things change.

Nearly every character continuously shortened words. Absolutely became "abso". Obviously became "obvi". You know who else shortens words in that manner due to either laziness or stupidity? Snooki. Yah. Lame-ass, famous-for-being-an-airhead, Jershey Shore Snooki. Sucks when you're reading about big, bad, sexy vamps and all you can think of is lame-ass Snooki. Worse than this, "cocksucking" was used as an adjective by 3 different characters, that I can remember. One of them isn't even a show more Brother, so it can't be explained under "New Brother Slang". It was so frikkin' out-of-place, too.


"I’m also your cocksucking king, so you will do as I command, Vishous.”


Are u cocksucking kidding me?! "I am your COCKSUCKING king"??!! LOOL. C'mon, Ward. You can't be serious. Oh, but she is. I did a search on my ebook copy and came up with 6 instances of the use of "cocksucking" as an adjective. Maybe this didn't bother others as it did me, but I found it to be super-stupid.

If you're reading this review of book #9, you likely know the typical BDB format. Two main characters fall in love and a number of side stories round it out. Thank the Scribe Virgin for the side stories. Otherwise I mighta slipped into the Fade from boredom. The main love story was corny and so farfetched. As you should know, it's Payne's story. Ya know, Payne the badass? She was so lame and the story so contrived. Her love interest was a cocksucking lame-o, also. I couldn't stop rolling my eyes throughout every interaction they had. I nearly had an eye injury from the excessive rolling. The dude is human, but he immediately "thinks" like a brother would. He thinks of her as "his female", nearly right off the bat. He growls when he thinks she's in danger. The human. Growls. Right.

Even more annoying, every-frikkin-body is a male or female of worth. Geez Louise. Brothers would think about how their shellans are females of worth. Then they'd think about how their brothers' shellans were females of worth. Then the shellans would think about how their hellrens are males of worth. Payne's human was a male of worth - both Payne & Vishous thought so. Did I mention that Vishous is a male of worth? It really became laughable. They're all of cocksucking worth! We get it, Ward!!

Lastly, I know these books are Erotica. I'm actually not a fan, but typically the fighting and drama are enough to help me overlook the cheesy sex scenes. This time around, the sex was just beyond silly. There were 3 jerk-off scenes by the time I was 33% into the book. 3. Jerk-off scenes. 3. Blah.

I dunno. It was kind of a train wreck, but surprisingly, I didn't hate the book or want to abandon it. (I was skimming and rushing to finish it, though.) You know what it is? This is book #9. It's familiar. It's like coming home to your corny, dysfunctional family. You roll your eyes and then you roll with the punches. I guess I'm just not ready to give the Brothers up. I must be a cocksucking female of worth, true? show less

As this series has branched out from strictly paranormal romance into a hybrid PR mixed with a healthy dose of urban fantasy I've been kind of unsure if it would all settle into something I liked. However, if this story is anything to go by, I think I'm in full support of the genre mixing! Although I didn't really care as much for the last entry prior to this one, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one. Some subtle changes in writing style which has been progressive over the last few B DB entries are noticeable here, such has her lightening up on the more outrageous dialog (I didn't mind it so much, but many people seemed to have issues with it) and a little more heavy handed endorsement of current trend, most show more particularly when it came to the music mentioned. I don't really think my noting these as a complaint, but more so just a show of the evolution of the series.

I really like that in the last few books she has made a point to make in depth re-visiting of some of her past characters, their lives and relationships. This story certainly wasn't your traditional one hero and heroine storyline, but it showed the ongoing complexities and aftermath of the V, Butch, Jane storyline (sadly, Marissa seemed kind of left out, but maybe having her added in more would simply of been too much). I was glad to see this re-visited, just as I was glad for the refresh on Wrath and Beth in the last volume. Our "main" pairing of Payne and Dr. Manny was also very enjoyable and I liked both characters very much. We didn't see much moving ahead with the Qhuinn/Blay issues, but I was pretty happy and felt satisfied with what we got.

I really do like that in addition to her "traditional" romance plots, this author doesn't shy away from her gay pairings or the more straight, albeit maybe more complicated, bromance subplots. That she gives these relationships a three dimensional treatment instead of just a sideline "looky what I've stuck in there" feel is very impressive.

Overall this volume had a more even feel to me than the last one and I certainly enjoyed these characters much more. I'm looking forward to whatever this author has up her sleeve for the next story in this universe. show less

This book is bittersweet for me: Another superb book by Ward, but I am also sad that I am now caught up in the series and have to wait just like everyone else for the next installment slated for March 2012!

I listened to the last three audiobooks in the series in quick succession. Because the last two ended on cliff-hangers, I could not wait to find out what happened next!

At the conclusion of Lover Mine, Wrath and Payne were sparring and she appeared to have broken her back. This book picks up right where we left off, and The Scribe Virgin allows Wrath to bring Payne to the “other side” to the Brotherhood's mansion. There was a feeling of excitement for me while listening to this because Wrath (being blind) does not know that Payne show more is the twin sister of Vishous. There is anticipation as Doc Jane is summoned to examine Payne, and she takes one look at Payne’s face and realizes she is looking into the face of someone with the same features as her Hellren, Vishous.

Ahhhhh, Vishous! He is one of my favourite bad boys. He figures prominently in this book because he is Payne’s twin.

**SPOILER WARNING!

Doc Jane soon realizes that the damage to Payne’s spine is beyond the scope of her expertise and that there is only one person that can help Payne: Manuel “Manny” Manello. But how will Doc Jane be able to persuade the doctor to come with her?

The reunion between Doc Jane and Manny is pretty emotional. Let’s not forget that Manny thought that Doc Jane was dead and that he also admitted that he had feelings for her. Well, she did die but not in the way that he thinks she did. And she still lives but not in the “normal” fashion. Understandably, Manny is confused and angry with Jane. However, not one to turn his back in a crisis, he agrees to help Jane.

You know what is coming...Manny takes one look at Payne and feels an instant connection with her, much the same way that Jane felt about Vishous. Payne, too, feels things for Manny that she has never known before. He insists that he can only operate at the hospital and that he wants access to the MRI machines. Vishous relents, and Manny operates on Payne with Jane’s assistance to repair the damage. However, it is uncertain whether she will ever regain the use of her legs. Although Manny’s memory is wiped, he is drawn to Payne’s room and knows that something has happened but he is cursed with searing pain whenever he tries to recall what it is.

Back at the Brotherhood's mansion, Payne is in recovery but making little progress. Payne makes Vishous promise that he will not let her live a life where she is imprisoned in her own body, and Vishous painfully vows he will end her life if that is her desire. Jane does not want Vishous to have to live with that on his conscience for the rest of his life, so she agrees to humanely help Payne end her life with an injection. Meanwhile, Vishous has tracked down Manny and realizes that he may be the only person who can give Payne the will to live. As Manny’s memories come flooding back, he knows he must get to Payne before it is too late. Vishous walks in on Jane holding the needle intended for Payne, and he cannot forgive her for what she was about to do.

The conflict between Vishous and Jane was really heartbreaking. You know what Jane was going to do was wrong, but she was going to do it for the right reason. Wow, Ward really knows how to get you right in the gut! I also like that Ward doesn’t paint the couples as picture-perfect. In Lover Mine, we saw the marital problems between Wrath and Beth. Now, it is Vishous and Jane. Life isn’t all roses, and Ward reminds us that commitment takes hard work. Conflict also generates a reader’s interest, and this is what makes us fall deeper and deeper in love with the BDB!

Manny not only helps Payne to see that her life could still be fulfilling even from a wheelchair, but they discover that there is something about Payne’s feelings for Manny that has a profound effect on her!

Jane's betrayal is the impetus to Vishous' downward spiral, and the only person who can help is Butch. The scene with Butch “breaking” Vishous is utterly raw, and you can feel their pain. I shed quite a few tears. Butch handled his task brilliantly.

This book will be one of my favourites in the BDB series. We get to know Vishous, Butch, and Jane on a deeper level. I enjoyed this parallel sub-story just as much as Payne's and Manny’s story. I love that Ward’s characters are so complex.

A secret regarding Manny is revealed, which affects both Butch and Wrath.

This is the first book that makes no mention of Lash! No doubt he won’t stay away for long and, when he resurfaces, it’s going to be big. The Lessening Society has been inducting hordes of recruits, so that can only mean that a big battle is going to come.

I nearly forgot to mention another sub-story: The Band of Brothers, who come to Caldwell to try to overthrow Wrath as the king. Their plan is to take care of the Lessers and play on the fear of the Glymera and show that they can take care of business better than the Brotherhood. Of course, Xcor has a “score” to settle with Payne because she killed The Bloodletter. Ward introduces an interesting ménage à trois with two members of the Band of Brothers and a prostitute. It was a little shocking as it was something that I totally did not expect to see in a Ward novel, but she pulls it off!

I musn’t neglect to mention Qhuinn and Blay. I like that Ward is giving Qhuinn a bit of a rough time! He so deserves it! It will make him appreciate Blay all the more, and it shows that our boy is growing up a bit. I wonder how long Ward is going to make us wait for Qhuinn to admit his feelings to Blay? And what’s with Qhuinn’s premonition? Will he be mated with Layla?

My only complaint is the ending: The story between Payne & Manny and Vishous & Jane comes full circle and ties up nicely, but the ending felt too rushed for me! I had to check my iPod twice to make sure that a part wasn’t missing!

Ward's prose has me laughing so hard that I'm crying one moment...

Butch, while on the phone with Vishous: “Butch tightened his grip on his cell and wished there were an app that let you reach through a phone and bitch slap someone.”

and sobbing the next...

Vishous to Jane: "You’re the reason I get out of bed every night. And you’re the reason I can’t wait to come home every dawn. Not the war. Not the Brothers. Not even Butch. It’s . . . you.”

Ack! How am I going to make it until March 2012 when the next in the series will be released?? Ward, this is pure and utter torture. Lover Reborn (Book #10) is going to feature Tohr, and I think that Xhex’s mother, No’One, is going to be his love interest! I don’t know how I feel about that! I can’t picture Tohr with anyone but Wellsie. I hope that also means that Xhex and John Matthew will figure prominently in the story. And, if Xhex and John Matthew will play key roles in the book, perhaps Murhder will resurface and make trouble for the two of them?

If you love paranormal romances and you haven’t yet read this series, you must! Go online right now and order the series! Don’t get them one at a time because you won’t want to wait between the books! They are so hard to put down!!

Unlike the last two in the series, there weren't any technical issues with this audiobook. Frangione, as always, is an absolute delight!

MY RATING: 5 stars!! Superb book! I could not put it down!! show less

3.5 stars

I've come to the conclusion that JR Ward is not writing novels... she's writing a soap opera. It's never just about the protagonists in the book, it's about the ensemble. I really want the Qhuay book before anything else and find myself searching for their scenes. There was no real mention of Z (my favorite character) or Revhenge (spelling? I'm too lazy to look it up, but he's another character I enjoyed).

Lots of stuff that's happened in the previous books are mentioned, but never delved into deeper. All kinds of characters are introduced and new plots are opened... and you just sort of have to have faith that they'll be wrapped up in the next books. I'm DYING to see how this all ends, but I am getting weary of all the show more add-on's. I'd like to feel as if they're will be some resolution to the "major" story line soon. The Omega and his son are not mentioned at all... just more new stuff coming out of nowhere.

I had no issues with the romance between Payne and Manny. It did seem to have some inconsistencies with how things were laid out before, but nothing that was off putting. A couple of revelations about Manny, had me shaking my head; and I felt no connection to him, but I really liked Payne. She was really cool. I hope she maintains her strength through the next series of books (if she is in any). Vishous had a starring role in this book... I guess because he's the twin, he gets to share?

Anyway, I quite enjoyed the book, but really because this is my crack and I continue to be a fiend :) show less

Reread 2020: I loved all the great details I got to focus on reading this the second time around. Favorite moments:

-All the Manny and Payne. These are two characters I love separately, and they totally sizzle together. Payne is such a badass, in action and in dialogue. I wish that we got to see her more in later books, and hope that eventually she appears more in the series. She’s completely awesome. Manny is great and they sizzle together in their scenes. Her burning the cuffs off her wrists and slapping the hell out of Xcor at the end? Damn.

-The torture-fest that is Qhuinn pining for Blay. Have to say the guy did it to himself, which didn’t make it any prettier to read, but JR Ward really knows how to write the angst. That show more scene where Saxton and Qhuinn talk and Saxton reveals to his cousin that he’s with Blay right now but doesn’t believe he’s his forever? Absolutely heartbreaking. Especially given that once again, Qhuinn drops the ball. Feel so sorry for Saxton as well. Also some great scenes with Layla.

-BoB. This is the first book where we see them. Trying to pay more attention to these guys the second time around to pick up more nuance. Xcor I liked more than I thought I would. The others in the Band, besides Throe, who I remember liking early on and definitely liked here, came off as a bit intense particularly in that last scene with Payne, but it was only their first appearance. They have room to grow. I believe Zypher was the only one named. I enjoyed Xcor’s last scene with Payne.

-John Matthew giving Qhuinn hell about his haircut and removing his metal. Hilarious scene! show less

WARNING: Do not, I repeat do NOT crack the cover of this book unless you have the time to both begin and finish it! Tuesday morning, March 29, 2011, before I even got out of bed I fired up the Kindle (in the dark) and fumbled around until it was set to page one of this long-awaited novel. I proceeded to rush my 5-year-old through the morning routine and gleefully kicked her and my husband out the door with the warning that I would be reading all day so leave me alone. It took me roughly ten hours to joyfully and excitedly plow through this latest installment of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Lover Unleashed may very well be the best book of the series to date!
At the end of Lover Mine (John Matthew & Xhex’s story) show more devoted readers knew without doubt that the next installment of the series was going to be Payne and Manny’s story. What we didn’t know was how Ward was going to make it work. After all, she’s already done the immortal falls for a human bit in previous Black Dagger novels. Lover Unleashed had the potential to be a repeat plot with different characters. And this is why J.R. Ward is a best-selling author and I am not. In no way, shape, or form did Ward repeat herself with this plot line! In Lover Unleashed Ward finds, as she always does, a new and inventive way to make the impossible possible. Payne and Manny’s story is original in so many ways that it can almost survive as a stand-alone novel rather than being a part of a long-running series. For the first time Ward re-focuses our attention on characters she had previously dealt with as she is telling us a brand new story. What I found most impressive about this novel is Ward’s character development. Payne and Manny are both very simple yet very complicated characters that bind the reader to them from the very beginning. Sorry reader but you are hooked right out of the starting gate with these two, and there is no stopping once you start reading.
As is typical of Ward, these two fated mates face incomprehensible and dare I say impossible challenges such as: 1) Manny being brought into a world he can’t possibly fathom; 2) Manny having to deal with the sort-of-not-really-dead nature of Jane; 3) Vishous wigging out over his past, present and future and 4) for the first time ever, the possibility of a mated pair (V and Doc Jane) separating. I won’t lie, I panicked a little at number four. While spending so much time on Vishous and Jane may seem like Ward is repeating herself, I assure you, she is not. Payne and Manny’s story is intricately linked with the evolution of Vishous and Jane’s story. Ward brilliantly and masterfully weaves the paths of these couples’ lives into a fast-paced and exciting read that will be ridiculously hard for you to put down.
Another first in this novel is the very limited appearances by older and beloved characters such as Rhage, John Matthew, Rehvenge and their respective mates. I was very surprised to discover that the limited appearances didn’t bother me nearly as much as I thought they would; Payne and Manny’s story is simply too engrossing to really notice the loss of the other characters. Yet another first, the role the Lessening
Society plays has been reduced to a secondary role at best. Oh sure, there was some whacking of lessers by the Brotherhood but the Society’s evil, take-over-the-world schemes weren’t at the forefront as they generally are. To be frank, this was a rather unexpected and refreshing change in the series. But, there is also a diabolic point to this last change: Ward is using Lover Unleashed as the platform for the introduction of a new big bad: Xcor and his merry band of bastards, a group who may possibly be more dangerous than the Omega ever dreamed of being. While Xcor and his soldiers certainly cause problems in this novel, Ward really just introduces them to us and gives us just enough information about them to know that they are going to unleash Hell itself on Caldwell in the future! Just as Lover Unleashed is a perilous and thrilling ride, the future of the Black Dagger Brotherhood promises even more! show less

I can only defend my decision to get around to this--I bowed out of the (insane) series halfway through the previous book--because I wanted to read Lover at Last (the m/m one, at last indeed) and I had very little idea what was going on.

Equal parts stupidly compelling and useless filler. I know everyone has the same thing to say about Ward's voice, which is a little bit fun, some of the time, but EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON EARTH says "what's doing?" and, you know, the same way-too-cutesy inability to make a coherent sentence instead of product-placement metaphor.

Oh, the 40-something Extra Badass Love Interest "rocking old-school My Chemical Romance" (you know, from the old-school days of 06) in his time of mental anguish is pretty show more funny.

Anyway, as usual the various plot contrivances--Payne & Glory's conditions, the "solution" to Payne and Manny, why Manny recognizes Butch, and the usual "I have a human life I can't leave! Oh no wait I never fit in there let me just burn all those bridges."

I like reading about V but I honestly don't understand the mad love for this character. He is a sexist psychopath most of the time. I guess that goes for much of the Brotherhood, but man, V is a mess. I refuse to believe the events of this book cured his hundreds of years of psychological issues, although props to Butch anyway. I find it pretty funny how much the other Brothers and (especially) their shellans become nonexistent after getting center stage. I think Ehlena is mentioned like 50 times in this book and doesn't say a word--just a nurse doing nursing things. Oh, and Butch is a major factor, but Marissa is offscreen working pretty much the whole time. We also see a little Wrath, no Beth. Most references to the Brothers are like "everyone was with their mate and having sex or recovering from having sex." The Band of Bastards seem to have a lot more interaction with each other than the great, soooo-devoted Brotherhood.

This is longer than I intended. I hate-read these things because they're that ridiculous, and I want the ridiculous to keep coming. So yeah, I didn't expect a "this is a literary masterwork" response out of myself, but show less