Lover Unbound (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #5)

by J. R. Ward

[Angie]

I was pretty excited to get to Vishous' book, since I wanted to see what goes on in that penthouse of his. It was also interesting to watch him deal (or not) with his feelings toward Butch and his recent mating to Marissa. He wants to be away from the happy couple, but he also can't bare to be away from Butch, so he throws his frustrations into sex with one of his subs. We unfortunately don't get the details, but the aftermath was a bit messy. Aside from his confusion about Butch, Vishous is approaching his 303rd birthday. He gets two huge surprises. First, he meets his mother! Second, he learns his "destiny." He wants nothing to do with either.

What he does want is Jane. She's the surgeon who saved his life after he was shot in the chest while fighting a lesser. I wanted them to get together so badly! Not because I particularly liked Jane (she's a little on the bland side, Plain Jane?), but because V needs someone! As always, what unfolds is an incredibly sexy love story, but this one is also heartbreaking. Unfortunately, I found the conclusion to be quite bizarre. I'm still not sure if I'm happy about it or annoyed. It just felt forced and out of place.

Of course, we've also got some side stories going on which I found equally interesting and entertaining. I've already made my love for John Matthew known in previous reviews, and Lover Unbound is no different. Poor John is nervous that his transition won't come soon, and that he's being left behind. There's also the issue of Lash returning to class...post-transition! I was nervous for John myself! But his two friends, Qhuinn and Blay, have his back. I absolutely adored the devotion those two show toward John. I am most definitely looking forward to John's book.

Then there's Phury. He's also got a case of wanting someone you can't have piled on top of the need to keep an eye on his twin. Phury needs to let loose and live a little. For himself. He's not doing Zsadist any good by torturing himself. He's taking selflessness to the extreme and it's not healthy at all. Finally, we've got Cormia, one of the Chosen. I loved getting to peek into the Other Side to see what it's like. I absolutely love the world Ward has created for her vampires, so any glimpse into their secret world and history is fantastic!

While it's definitely not my favorite of the series so far, Lover Unbound was still a great read. There's a lot of emotion running through each of the storylines, and I'm eager to see where they all go.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.