Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward [Review]

Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood #9) by J.R. Ward
Format: hardcover
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date Read: April 5, 2012

Black Dagger Brotherhood
1. Dark Lover
2. Lover Eternal
3. Lover Awakened
4. Lover Revealed
5. Lover Unbound
6. Lover Enshrined
6.5. Father Mine
7. Lover Avenged
8. Lover Mine
9. Lover Unleashed - Paperback | Kindle
10. Lover Reborn
11. Lover at Last
12. The King
13. The Shadows
14. The Beast
15. The Chosen
15.5. Dearest Ivie
16. The Thief
16.5. Prisoner of Night
17. The Savior
17.5. Where Winter Finds You
18. The Sinner
18.5. A Warm Heart in Winter
19. Lover Unveiled
20. Lover Arisen
21. Lassiter

J.R. Ward
| Website | Facebook | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either.

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.

My Thoughts: Standard disclaimer: I'm a hardcore BDB junkie. As in, I've read several of the books (Z's and Rehv's) more times than I'm comfortable admitting to. *shoves Rehv's book back under my pillow and attempts to look innocent*

As much as I liked Payne and Manny's story, this book was more about V's and Doc Jane's issues for me. Seeing V attempt to find his way out of the emotional wasteland of his past was something I'd been wanting without knowing I wanted it. I give J.R. Ward a big, fat thumbs up for making those Brothers work on their relationships after their books end.

I really like the new direction the series took with this book. Instead of focusing exclusively on the Brothers' fight with the Lessers, we're given a whole new kettle of fish with the appearance of Xcor and his band of bastards. Flat out, I like Xcor. I don't know if J.R. Ward meant to make him such a sympathetic character but I was angry for him when the Bloodletter's lies were revealed. Xcor might be a bit of a dick, but he has something that called to me and made me want to know more about him. And Throe. Oh, Throe. *pets him* I have my suspicions about who he is, but I'll wait until I read Lover Reborn before I say anything.

All in all, while I'm glad Manny and Payne got together, this book was less about their romance and more about progressing the overall story arc. I would have loved to see more of some of the Brothers (I'm looking at you, Z and Rehv), but I can see how the cast of characters is getting so big at this point that not everyone is able to put in an appearance. Still, I am satisfied with what we got. *cough*And I blame all this glowing satisfaction on the Bastards. Those warriors know how to treat a girl right!*cough*

As an aside, I'm glad I held off starting Envy (Fallen Angels #3) until I had read this book since I got to meet Veck and see the events that led to the opening scene in his book.

Next up (or at least when I feel like my emotional overload button won't go off at the drop of  a hat): Lover Reborn.