Lover Mine: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #8)

by J. R. Ward

Return to the seductive—and dangerous—world of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood as the fever rises in the war between the vampires and slayers…

John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was—or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate...and rescue his one true love.
 

• ISBN10: 0451231554
• ISBN13: 9780451231550
• Publish Date: 30 November 2010 (first published 1 April 2010)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
• Imprint: Signet
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 656
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451231550

Reviews

[scarr]

I am so happy John finally got his own book! He is one of my favorite characters in this series. AND His love story with Xhex is one of my favorites so far.

I loathe all the Lash/Lessening passages. I know they serve as a worthy enemy for the Brotherhood, however I dislike reading anything from their point of views. I would much rather spend more time with the thoughts of Brotherhood and their crew.

I did enjoy the flashbacks with Tohr & Darius - I am curious what else may be in store for Darius's backstory. I wonder if it was always planned to slowly let his info out or if JR Ward realized fans are FANS of Darius (even tho he was given a swift exit in book 1).

[EBookObsessed]

I chugged through the last few BDB books in order to get to this one. I loved John Matthew and wanted him to get his HEA. Although I had to fan myself every time he watched Xhex at the club with such fierce intensity, I am not 100 percent sure I love this love connection. She had treated John badly and used him which started him on a path of self-destruction. All which is unforgivable, but after what she was subjected to with Lash I will give her a bit of a break.

I was happier with Xhex by the end of the story when she stopped being an idiot, but this is still not my dream match for John Matthew.

[littleread1]

I think this might be my favorite so far, though V's book is up there too ... Hmm.

[Angie]

Lash is a super sick bastard! I didn't think I could hate him more, but what he's doing to Xhex is beyond wrong. His depravity is totally interesting though, and while I hate what he does, I'm always eager to see what twisted scheme he comes up with next. His plot this time around it much better than it has been, since he's done whining about being broke, and has focused his attentions on more...brutal tasks. Plus there's the issue of needing a female lesser to feed from when daddy-dearest only approves of male members...

Anyway...Oh, John Matthew, how I love thee! While he appeared to hit rock bottom in the previous book, he's now back in action and 100% focused. He has to get Xhex back or die trying, or avenge her in the case that she is no longer among the living (which of course she is). We've watched him long for her through several books already, and it's about time they get together. For real this time. None of this cold, emotionless none-sense that they've been up to!

And speaking of couples we've observed for multiple books, Quinn and Blay. Those two are driving me mad! My heart is breaking for Blay, and I want to punch Quinn in his nuts. How can he be so thoughtless?! All of their scenes together are positively heartbreaking and full of emotion, even though neither of them will talk about it. They're both utilizing the ignore and hurt strategy. Quinn with his random sex partners, and Blay with his cigarettes. It also killed me how sweet Quinn was with Layla, despite being in Blay's room, with Blay present and knowing how he feels about him! Dang, I have a feeling that when these two finally get together the pages will spontaneously combust!

The one new plot that we get in Love Mine that I wasn't really into was the Paranormal Investigators. They only got a handful of chapters, and they seemed extremely random. I couldn't see how it fit into the larger picture, other than anyone with a strong interest in the paranormal could seriously spell trouble for the vampires. But the ending brings yet another shocking revelation.

This book also includes some excerpts from Darius' diary. The entries focus on a mystery surrounding the disappearance of a glymera female in the 1600s. It was nice to see some of the brothers as young men, but again, it just felt like random scenes stuck in without a real connection to the rest of the book until we got enough hints to understand who the story was truly about. I thought this was a nice way to get one character's past.

Lover Mine is another great addition to the series. It's focus on vengeance and healing was exciting, suspenseful, heartbreaking and beautiful. We also get a lot more of the romance than the previous two books, but this one is also quite a bit longer.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[ellieroth]

Si, sí! por fin lo pude terminar!! Me ha gustado mucho, pero da rabia no poder darse el tiempo necesario para leer.
Amo a Xhex, esa mujer y yo somos iguales, jo, la misma personalidad de mierda jajaja ojalá encuentre a mi John

[RoXXie]

What a book!!! Great, just great. Do you believe in second chances? I didn't. But I guess I have to reconsider the fact of second chances. Because this book is about second chances in all kinda life situations; the love between John and Xhex, the father-son relationship between Thor and John. And as an extra to all this, we get a little peek to Eliahu Rathboone (aka Murdher???).
Let's not forget about Blay and Quinn. There little dance around each other is a little bit too much, for my opinion. But all in one, I loved reading this book. And I can't wait to read more of the Brotherhood and who will be there next big enemy, now that Lash was sent back to his father.

[Stephanie]

This review was originally posted on Once Upon a Chapter



The battle between good and evil rages on in the newest installment of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Lover Mine is John Matthew and Xhex's story. In previous books, these two have shared intense fellings for each other but did not establish a permanent relationship. At the end of Lover Avenged Xhex was kidnapped by Lash when the Brotherhoods stormed the sympath colony to save Rhevenge. Lash is the ForeLesser and bad boy son of the Omega.

Lover Mine by JR Ward picks up right where Lover Avenged left off. John is fervently looking for Xhex. His hope is to find her alive, but being out in the field with the Brotherhood, John realizes he very well just may be searching for a body. John seeks out Trez and iAm to try and get any information that may help locate Xhex. The Shadows have information about a drug meeting between Lash and Caldwell's biggest importer. From this meeting John and the Brothers are able to track Mr. D (Lash's second in command) back to a non-descript brownstone. It's obvious that Xhex had been kept here, but because of Lash's spell, no one can see that she's still there and they leave without her.

There are also several secondary story lines that weave into the main story. Depending on what kind of reader you are, this will either distract from or enhance the main story. For me, it made it better and did not detract from the main story at all.

Stephanie's Thoughts: My interest in this series has been heightened again because of Lover Mine. There are so many questions that I would like to have answered and so many happily ever afters I still want to see. I took my time reading this book so I could savor it. The writing is superb and flows well. New elements were added to the series, conflicts resolved and yet there are still things that hold my interest. I cannot wait for the next book. Lover Mine is an amazing story and Ward is such a talented author. I've heard several people say that after the last couple of books, they were giving up on the series. To those people, please read Lover Mine before you make that decision. In the end Lover Mine really adds to the continuing saga of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and will have a place on my keeper shelf.

Lisa's Thoughts: Ward definitely scored again with Lover Mine. Her writing is still as gritty, clever and irresistible as it was in book one and she show no signs of slowing down. Ward's world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood has beautifully flawed characters that you cannot help but ache for, hoping they achieve some form of happiness. The fight against the Lessers still rages on, and this book delivers the same action packed adventure Ward fans have come to expect from the Brothers. While danger and destruction are around every corner, you have moments of pure bliss woven into the story that would take your breath away. My problems with the book were few, but I felt she had one too many story lines going on throughout the book. I know they all serve a purpose, but sometimes it's a little overwhelming trying to keep them all straight. Still, that doesn't mean I was any less ecstatic with this latest installment and cannot wait for the next one. Fans of Ward's previous novels will not be disappointed.

[mitabird]

Re-read: 5/22/13

3.5 stars

[Melanie]

I did love this book. It was a great read. I did think that there were too many different stories going on in this book. Blay/Quinn, John/Xhex, Thor/Darius, Payne/No'One/Virgin Scribe, the deal in South Carolina and of course Lash. I think it could have been a little shorter, but I loved the story of John Matthew and Xhex. The ending was a little sappy, not that that is a bad thing. Sappy is good sometimes, it just through me off with Xhex (or maybe that made it seem even more sappy). As always with BDB, I am on pins and needles waiting for the next book. I am also extremely interested in who the next book will be mostly about.