~REVIEW of J.R Ward's LOVER UNBOUND~

 ~AWESOME, WITH AN UNCONVENTIONAL ENDING~

-Lover Unbound (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #5)
 

Opening Line: "I am so not feeling all this cowhide"

 

Book 5 in JR Wards sexy Black Dagger Brotherhood series is all about Vishous and "Doc" Jane. It's another great addition and I really enjoyed witnessing V let his guard down and fall in love. I found him to be surprisingly considerate and gentle especially for someone who's into sadomasochism. His falling for Jane is believable and makes sense as she's his intellectual equal and he respects her for it. She's also one of the few (human or Vampire) able to put Vishous in his place. Their story is erotic, suspenseful and ultimately heartbreaking, with revelations and surprises galore. I would suggest however that newbie's read this series in order, to get the full affect and intricate back story.

LOVER UNBOUND sees everyone from previous books returning and there's a lot of growth involved within the story as a whole. As usual JR has several distinct plotlines running simultaneously and a host of secondary returning characters who continue to grow and evolve.

As we begin Vishous is having dirty thoughts about his roommate. Even though he's disgusted with himself he can't seem to stop wanting what he can't have, and watching Butch all lovey-dovey with his wife Marissa is driving him crazy. Good thing he has his S &M outfitted Penthouse and a list of females eager to be bound and dominated. Its while at his `love nest' that the Scribe Virgin makes an appearance blowing his mind with some life changing news and demanding that V become `Primale' (basically he must marry a harem of chosen females and propagate the declining vampire race) Not really V's cup of tea but that's the least of his problems as that very night sees him getting shot in the chest and taken to a human hospital where he's operated on by trauma surgeon Jane Whitcomb. Jane is a no nonsense woman; strong, brilliant and forthright she's also head of the department and has an interest in genetics, so when Jane see's V's unusual heart and characteristic Vampire traits she's more than intrigued.

Interestingly all the brothers `feel' V's injury and know instinctively that something is wrong. When they eventually find him the boys have to extract V from the hospital and cover up any evidence that he was ever there. This is a great scene as Phury, Rhage and Butch short out video monitors and alarms, fitz computer files and `scrub' nurses minds. To make things even more complicated V insists on kidnapping Jane so she can continue to care for him back at the mansion.

And... back at the mansion; Wrath is livid that Jane has been brought into the Brotherhood's world. Only allowing her to stay until V has recovered then she must be `scrubbed' and released. Butch is sick from inhaling Lessers and after Jane witness's a healing session she assumes V and Butch are a couple. This doesn't bode well for V who keeps thinking "mine" whenever he looks at her. Luckily he's able to perform certain acts in her dreams (nice.) Bella is having some complications with the pregnancy which in turn is making Zsadist a little crazy. John Mathew, Blay, Quinn and Lash continue their training and wait for `the change.' We are introduced to Cormina and JR gives us a fascinating look into the Scribe Virgins world. The Lessers remain relatively quiet throughout our story until towards the end and then, wow! We also get flashbacks of Vishous in his father's war camp and discover why he got his tattoos. V's darker sexual tendencies are also explored and in a very touching scene he and Butch talk about their feelings for each other.

Phury again plays a major role as we are set up brilliantly for the next book (LOVER ENSHRINED) He's having some major issues with anger management and feelings towards his twin's wife which is causing him to overindulge in `red smoke'. Ultimately Phury sacrifices again for the good of others.

This great book was a re-read for me and as you can tell a lot happens. Unfortunately I still had a hard time with the ending, it just doesn't sit right even knowing the outcome. All I will say is that its an untraditional HEA and you'd better have some Kleenex handy. The closing chapters do however contain one of my favourite scenes from the entire series and once you've read the hot chocolate scene you`ll know what I mean...Sigh

Highly recommended for fans of the sexy yet troubled Black Dagger Brotherhood.