Lover Unbound

It’s been almost a year since I discovered the Black Dagger Brotherhood and while it’s been awhile since since I read these books, this is still hands down my favorite series…ever. I am totally in love with the Brothers. Most ALL of the Brothers. But Vishous…ohhhh Vishous…how I love you!!! Hands down my favorite character…ever.I was totally shocked at how much I loved this book. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like this or where the author was going to go with V’s bisexual tendencies towards Butch. At the time I hesitated, but being a brother I had to give him more time. When he was completely kinked out in leather with some anonymous leather clad woman chained down to a table, I thought oh boy, not sure I like show more where this is going. But it was still too early to write him off as not my thing. I am so glad I gave him a third chance.This one played out in a way I never saw coming. I absolutely love watching V, dominant, arrogant, beautiful, damaged, definitely intense vampire fall for Jane. I loved the way he just saw her, while barely conscious, and just takes her. She so didn’t seem like his type!And Jane, I really liked Jane. I rarely like the female in romance novels; they are always irritating and whinny. Especially when they find themselves in situations like these. Jane was great. She was a strong, independent, doctor who handled whatever situation as best she could…without whining. I just loved watching the relationship develop between these two. The sexual tension between these two is terrific. When these two explode, they definitely explode. Oh what an explosion! This book had me so up and down, back and forth. I loved it. This is one of the only books that actually made me oooh and ahhh, laugh and cry…out loud! I actually yelled out loud with tears at one point. I’m just not that animated of a person. It was so embarrassing!I highly recommend all the Black Dagger Brotherhood books to everyone. But V’s book if a definite must read. With John Mathew’s book coming out, it might just be time to read them again. show less

Vishous and Jane in their original form! With his six-chamber heart! I have to say I like them here, and also, being a big-time Phury/Cormia fangirl, love all the Phury and Cormia in this one as the stage is set for their book. Vishous and his visions is one of my favorite forms of Vishous, and the Phury who saves Cormia and brings her down to the mansion is a great scene.

Reread 2020: I’m really enjoying this book the second time around even more for lots of reasons. I felt like I could get so many more details with a better understanding of the series as a whole.

1) The world building with Vishous/The Scribe Virgin/The Bloodletter and the Primale obligation. So much detail and so well thought out. I really love finding out so much show more about Vishous’s life and what makes him tick. I’ll admit I pretty much skimmed over all the BDSM parts. But the story parts were really fascinating to me. I love V and Jane together when they are doing their nerdy doctor thing. That’s when I feel like they have chemistry and things click for them as a couple. Their struggle to find a way to be together combined with Jane’s erased memories and what happened at the end was heart-wrenching to read. Admittedly, I skimmed the gruesome flashbacks to the Bloodletter camp. With everything going on in the world at the moment, this wasn’t really a headspace I needed to linger in.

2) The Phury and Cormia set up. Phury had lots to do in this one, from the mind-wiping at the hospital, to his scenes with Cormia. He’s hands down my favorite character, so this was a delight. The added layer of Phury pining for Bella while Butch and V are pining for each other, and Z and Bella are worried for their baby, Phury kind of a satellite that’s completely shut out was just really well done--everyone wanting someone they can’t have made things extra painful.

3) John Matthew—Another of my favorite characters, and I had forgotten all of those great scenes with Zsadist, the nervousness over his transition, the fact that he was the last one to change into an adult vampire and the storyline continuing to deal with the aftermath of his sexual assault. Plus there was him going to the club downtown, the memories of being Darius coming up, and meeting Xhex for the first time! Such great stuff.

Trigger Warnings: rape show less

I had read and greatly enjoyed the first four volumes of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, but after seeing many negative ratings and reviews for Lover Unbound, I procrastinated about reading it. Admittedly, it's predecessor, Lover Revealed, had probably been my least favorite of the series thus far, and somehow I allowed all the low ratings to influence me into thinking that Lover Unbound was the worst book in the series to date. Well, after finally reading it, nothing could be further from the truth in my opinion. Lover Unbound is now in a virtual tie with Lover Awakened for my favorite book in the series. I readily admit that for sheer heart-stopping romance and passion, Lover Awakened and some of the other earlier books are show more superior, but for it's well-rounded story and advancement of the overall vampire world, Lover Unbound was absolutely spectacular to me. It is true that the romantic scenes and relationship building between the two main characters of this novel was somewhat scaled back when compared with the previous books in the series, and the love scenes are generally shorter and less descriptive as well. In spite of this though, J.R. Ward managed to create a deep bond between Vishous and Jane in a very short time that was both intellectual and emotional, and which I found to be very beautiful. Even with the more abbreviated scenes, they connected with each other and me as the reader in a way that some characters fail to do when the entire novel is all theirs. It is a very rare occurrence for a story to move me in such a deep and compelling way, but I found myself not just tearing up, but actually crying more than once throughout the book. By the same token, the occasional sharp, sarcastic humor make me smile or even laugh, though this definitely is still a dark read. For it to elicit such emotional responses from me, I know that it was very well-written.

I positively loved V and Jane. They are one of the most perfect, made-for-each-other couples I have ever read in a romance novel. It is probably because I am a geek married to a geek, but I felt connected with both characters on a very personal level. Vishous, like all of his brothers, is a wounded and tortured hero, but in a more extreme way than everyone else except Zsadist. Like Z, he has suffered unconscionable abuse, but at the hands of his own father, because of choices that his mother made. Add to that his absolute genius and his powerful gifts that in many ways are far more like a curse, and he is a truly misunderstood soul. Then, Jane came into his life and understood V in a way that no one else ever had except Butch. Jane is a brilliant woman in her own right who possesses many wonderful gifts as well. She is physically plain, but connected to V on the intellectual and emotional level that he so desperately longed for. It was like she intuitively knew exactly what he needed, as well as when and why. I completely adored Jane, because she was an incredibly confident and cerebral woman with a deeply compassionate side, which is pretty amazing considering how her family treated her growing up. Even though her talents had rightfully earned her a position as chief of the trauma department, she maintained a degree of humility by not thinking it beneath her to care for a patient's more personal needs, such as giving V a sponge bath, and she was always ready with a kind word or a gentle touch. In my opinion, these things made for a wonderful combination, giving Jane status as one of the most perfectly rendered heroines I have ever read. I especially enjoyed V and Jane's lighter moments of sharp-witted banter, but in whatever capacity they were interacting, I found them to be a superbly, ideal couple.

While I would have liked even more scenes with V and Jane, the cast of secondary characters was so fabulous, I can hardly complain. It seems that Ms. Ward is moving in the direction of beginning the development of relationships before those characters become the focus of their own book. Such was the case with Phury and Cormia, who are the hero and heroine of the next book, Lover Enshrined. Phury has always been the controlled gentleman of the Brotherhood, but he has slowly been coming unglued. In spite of that though, he not surprisingly still makes a huge sacrifice for V and the Brotherhood in general. Even though Cormia is first introduced in this story, I have already found her to be endearingly innocent, while also being curious and strong-willed. It will be interesting to watch her hopefully come into her own in the next book. I also enjoyed watching John Matthew grow and change in more ways than one. He had some really wonderful scenes in this story. There is a tentative connection developing between him and Xhex, as well as a deepening of his friendships with Zsadist, and with Qhuinn and Blaylock. It was really nice to see John starting to make connections and build a little confidence, even though he still feels like a freak. It was also interesting to learn a bit more about the history of the Scribe Virgin and the Chosen and their world on the Other Side. I have to admit to never having much of a liking for the Scribe Virgin in previous books and throughout most of Lover Unbound, I liked her even less. She has just always seemed rather selfish to me, but she did begin to redeem herself by the end in my opinion. In addition, all the remaining members of the Brotherhood, most of their shellans and some other secondary characters from past novels in the series make an appearance in some capacity giving this story a very extensive and well-rounded cast.

I know from all the low ratings that there are many things which some readers disliked about Lover Unbound, but there was very little that bothered me. Though I am not certain of all the specific complaints, I believe the ending was one of the biggest. I, however, had no real issues with it. While it was certainly not traditional in any way and I admit may take some getting used to even for me, it was definitely a happy one. I imagine that when an author is dealing with vampire/human relationships, there are only so many ways that the issue of a human's much shorter life-span can be addressed, and I thought that the way Ms. Ward approached it in Lover Unbound was a rather creative one. I also thought it was rather ingenious that she dropped subtle clues throughout the story as to where it was leading. The only thing that would have improved the ending for me would have been one more long romantic scene between V and Jane. One other thing that was not quite to my liking was the BDSM element, which simply isn't my cup of tea, but as it did not permeate the entire story and I understood the “why” behind the one scene that was played out more explicitly, I wasn't overly bothered by it. One element that I particularly appreciated was a spiritual/philosophical thread on pre-ordination versus free will, running throughout the story which culminated with some heavier rumination at the end. I really like books that make me think and Lover Unbound, due in part to this thread, certainly accomplished that. I also really enjoyed learning more about the vampire history and the key role that Darius apparently has and will continue to play in it, as well as all the changes that are afoot in the entire vampire world, which seem to be leading to something truly big in the future.

After reading Lover Unbound I find myself in awe of J.R. Ward's writing skills. It has definitely earned a place on my keeper shelf. In my opinion, this book and the Black Dagger Brotherhood series in general is a literary gem. It is apparent to me that Ms. Ward has an incredible imagination and that great thought and care has gone into the creation of each book. Every chapter adds a new piece to the puzzle and the much larger myth that J.R. Ward's fertile mind has created. Each new book seems to be an even greater intellectual feast, which leaves me pondering over this fantasy realm long after the last page has been turned. I can't wait to read the next book, and greatly look forward to seeing where this inventive and riveting story leads. Lover Unbound is book #5 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It is preceded by Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, and Lover Revealed, and is followed by Lover Enshrined with book #7, Lover Avenged due out sometime next year. J. R. Ward also writes contemporary romances under the name Jessica Bird.

Note: Sensitive readers should be forewarned that this book contains strong language, as well as explicit violence that includes torture and explicit sexual content that includes BDSM. show less

Vishous is my favorite of the Brotherhood - I have definitely been looking forward to his book. And, like a lot of people, I was disappointed by the idea (and then the reality) of Jane. She's a competent surgeon, which dictates most of her behavior and explains most of her personality. She's a no-nonsense, career-primary professional who has lived life by-the-books. She's extraordinary, but she's no match for Vishous. She's smart, sure, but that's not enough. It's a beginning.

Readers of the Brotherhood series begin LOVER UNBOUND knowing that Vishous has a strong predilection for S&M and is a pretty hard-core Dom. I think half the problem in LOVER UNBOUND is that Jane isn't a sub - she's the kind of girl who wears the pants in a show more relationship, but she can be stimulated by Vishous's uber-alpha behavior. She also has a very vanilla sexual history, which puts her at a disadvantage. So instead of finding somebody who can shake up V.'s sex-life from the inside (somebody who understands the power & advantages of the submissive role, or who knows how to top from the bottom), J.R. Ward saddles him with this girl who goes along with his games, but never lets him gain any ground. This being the case, it's no wonder that Vishous never really gets to go to town on her.

Jane's relationship with Vishous also suffers because it doesn't have the depth, or reciprocity, of Vishous's relationship with Butch. As a reader, I've watched the friendship between Butch and Vishous evolve, I've seen how important it's been to each man emotionally, and I've seen how elegantly that friendship is reflected in their roles as fighters. There is parity between those two. Jane just can't compete with that, on any level.

Last but not least, LOVER UNBOUND has a very...unexpected...ending. No spoilers here, just the observation that this is a book that will succeed or fail for the reader based on how well he/she likes the end. It turned me off more than it turned me on. show less

I liked this book, but just didn't love it. It is probably more a 3.5 star. I LOVE the series, but the side stories in this one were more interesting than the main one between Dr Jane and Vishous. I found I was speed-reading Jane & V's interaction to get to the other minor stories. Probably not what the author was aiming for!

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

Vishous is one of the more complex members of the Black Dagger Brotherhood in my opinion. They all struggle with their inner demons but this vamp has more on his plate than most which helped transform this book into an intense emotional read for me. As expected, Lover Unbound is overflowing with Ward's trademark wit, sex and violence but the ending was... disappointing. I loved 480 out of the 502 pages of this book but those final chapters really put a damper on the overall experience for me.

A lot happens in this installment where the other characters are concerned. John Matthews comes into his own, Phury decides that it's about time he got laid and some of the new recruits start playing lager roles. Lover show more Unbound contributes a great deal to this series' overall advancement. As a result, I found that the main love story was scaled back in comparison to previous books and the sex scenes are shorter and less detailed. The focus was more on creating a lasting emotional bond between V and Jane rather than a scorching physical one.

Vishous has a lot of skeletons in his closet. He was abused by his father, is plagued by visions of the future, has a killer left hand, suffers from a serious case of BDSM, has mutilated "equipment" and has doubts about his sexual orientation. And you thought you had problems! Just when you think he's reached his crap threshold, the Scribe Virgin drops bomb after bomb on V's head. I was surprised that he didn't spontaneously combust on the spot! I enjoyed watching him tackle one emotional hurdle after the next. For such a rough and tough guy he sure does wear his heart on his sleeve. I liked how Ward addresses his displaced feelings for Butch; I thought she handled this tricky subject beautifully from both perspectives. There was a few heart wrenching moments as well namely when one of his premonitions comes true right in front of his eyes and there's not a damn thing he can do to stop it. It's one of those "oh shit" moments where everything slows down and you see the bad thing coming but you're powerless to prevent it. You don't realize what a double-edged sword V's gift really is until this moment.

Jane's a worthy addition to the female cast of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and one of the strongest heroines to date. She's intelligent, practical and able to tackle any challenge. I liked how V has to make exceptions for her instead of the other way around. However, I felt that Jane's role was somehow diminished by the way Ward forces their happily-ever-after ending. I understand that there are only so many options available for the Brotherhood's human mates but I think that there were better choices at hand than the one J.R. made. Personally, I wouldn't mind it if one of them stays mortal, sure they only get 50 years together but it's also kinda romantic and might make them treasure their time together more.

I struggled with rating this installment because 90% of it is spectacular but it's that other 10% that made this one tricky. However, I can't in good conscience penalize a book too harshly over such a small part. Lover Unbound sets Phury and Cormia's story up perfectly for book 6. I can't wait to see what he's like in the sack! show less

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other—six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Now, the cold heart of a cunning predator will be warmed against its will… Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous, son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretrans growing up in his father's war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain show more and taste true pleasure for the first time- until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that cannot include her... Here in book five, we have the brother Vishous and his story. I wasn't expecting some of this, but wasn't disappointed. I love the fact that they never leave us hanging without some insight to the other brothers from the previous books as well. Another scared brother with some shocking twists. I think this book was the most surprising to me so far and I couldn't wait to read more. You know it's great when you read one book right after another.

From what I understand, this book created a lot of controversy... I have read some reviews, and I've seen posts crying out for JR Ward to re-write this book. That Vishous was cheated out of a mate...they hate/or hate that Jane ended up like she did.I am not one of those people. I really loved this book. Yes, it is not the easy happily ever after that we are used to, but dang...it was still good.

Plus, I know that everything happens for a purpose with this series...there is a REASON that it ended the way it did. (I am really trying hard to spoil anything...lol)

I thought Vishous and Jane were a very compelling couple. Honestly, I really never cared for Vishous before. He was not my favorite Brother (I have a thing for Rhage, Wrath and Phury...oh hell I love them all)...and his obvious feelings for Butch in the previous novels didn't really give me the impression he was going to find a female mate that would be suitable for him.

Personally, after reading this book I found that Vishous is probably the most tortured, misunderstood brother to date. The things he endured and the scars he bares because the the cruelty that was unleashed on him was unbearable...no wonder he was so untrusting of others.
Jane was perfect for him. She is smart, sarcastic and sees Vishous as he is. I really loved them together, and once again the character development was well thought out. They both changed, they grew together and I loved how their relationship developed.
I love this book and this series :P show less