Another brillant installment to the series! I am so loving Vishous..my 2nd favorite of the BDB (Zsadist being the 1st) Ward's Vampire world is one of a kind! Keep them coming...!!!

I love this book!!!!! She has done it again, but then again would you expect any less from J.R. Ward?

I was honestly worried that books 4 and 5 in this series would decrease in romantic quality given many of the reviews and criticisms I'd read. I didn't need to worry at all! These two books work together wonderfully to explore the relationship between Butch and V as well as giving them the time and opportunity to find the love that will heal them both. V is similarly tortured as Z was and that internal shame, conflict and sense of self-loathing is one of the things that really got these 2 brothers deep in my heart and hoping they would find the woman who could see the man behind the scars and restore his sense of worth. Jane is the woman who has the brains and bravery to meet V on an equal footing, despite his Dom tendencies. Don't let references to V's BDSM activities scare you off this book, it's really not as graphic as many erotica books dealing in this arena that I've read. It's even pretty tame compared to many romances of that bent. But it's not tame in terms of steamy scenes, it's HOT and completely in character for both hero and heroine. There's also much to be learned in this book about the world Ward has created and several characters' stories are nicely advanced and developed without sacrificing the primary love story between Jane and V. An immensely satisfying read!

First, let me say I am a big fan of the series and definitely recommend reading it. I love all the Brothers but V has been my favorite from the moment he hit the page. That being said, I hate the way this book ended. What a cop out to take such a strong, well-written character and give him a ghost as his HEA. Disappointed doesn't begin to cover it. It was a weak ending and an easy way out. Ward takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride and then tosses them off at the top. The character deserved better. I wish JR would work out her issues with V and come up with a real ending. This one stinks

I was so stunned to find out who Vishous was. OMG! I loved the outcome!
I have to admit that I thought the solution for Jane and V was just too easy but who cares? I love happy endings!

First off, this book contains some of the best elements of all the books to date: the characters of Vishous and Jane are perhaps the strongest pair of leads Ward has yet given her readers -- especially Jane, the first female lead who is a compelling, backbone-owning character in her own right. The BDSM elements of Vishous's character and his relationship with Jane are fascinating (and hot, fwiw), and Ward keeps introducing promising new characters and developing existing ones in each book.

However, I can only underscore the disappointed comments of other reviewers on the ending. The denouement to the imperiled romance between V and Jane is a crock that doesn't make sense even on its own tenuous terms. Unless there is some deeper revelation planned for a future book, the ending of this one is unworthy of what comes before. Not to mention that as things stand, there won't be much of a next generation for the Brotherhood.

I found this book to be the best in the series after Wrath's story. It spoke to me the most. It was darker than the others and the relationship between the main characters (Vishous and Jane) is a bit more unconventional. I liked how JR Ward explored the physical relationship and didn't turn Vishous into to much of a lovey dovey guy.
I do agree that this book should not be your first to read for this series.
Jon was in the book quite a bit, again but I think its possibly JR Ward's way of building interest for him, even though he is in my eyes not enough developed yet to have his own book (even though he kind of is - I won't say more to not give spoilers away)
One thing I am sad about - after reading Lover unbound, I have no real interest in Phury's story. I just cannot see it going anywhere. Please correct me if I am wrong - but his obsession is a bit extreme. Especially knowing that he will live for a couple more centuries. Hmpf.

I LOVED the twists and turns in this book. I couldn't put it down. My husband had to all but pry it from my hands(This book series is the reason why book lights were invented). The characters, as always, are dynamic and I can't help but LMAO. The intrigue, of course, is great especially if you're a BDB fan.

I'm not a spoiler so I will tiptoe around certain specifics. The DOM sex isn't creepy to me because there is love involved. That's the whole point. When you find someone you love and trust, you let yourself go. Love and sacrifice, sex and pain for some, EVERY person and relationship is different. The books say I don't know how many times, it's about balance. What seem like opposites on the outside are just wrapped presents. You never know how a person is on the inside. So for some to criticize because they probably wanted something a little more safe is just lame...but that's just my opinion.

Don't let another person's comments stop you from at least reading this book. You WILL regret it later.

A last word of advice. For those of you who have not started reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by author J.R. Ward, you might want to start with the first book, Dark Lover. It's also a great read and what sparked my interest in the series.

It's hard to talk about this book, both to say what's good about it and what is bad. Ward's books give me a certain amount of frustration in the sense that there is a buried gem of interesting and well-told story surrounded by such drivel. And poorly written drivel at that. This is rather sad, but after this many books, I don't see Ward changing her ways and attempting to mine this goodness. This may be part of her insanity, but I'll get to that.

To begin, her characters come across with a definite bias. She likes and enjoys the male characters, maybe she even identifies with them, so she spends a good deal of time developing their backstories, giving them flaws, etc. They're sort of interesting. The female characters are interchangeable orifices for the males to penetrate. The best example of this (POSSIBLE SPOILERS) is Cormia, a female Chosen who has never seen a man and who spends her time in the book trembling, waiting to be raped, and then hoping to be raped (END SPOILERS). The female protagonist, Jane, is no better. For a supposedly strong-willed surgeon, she just wants a man to protect her. And to have hot sex with said man.

Storywise, there is some interest. There is development in Vishous' backstory and with the Scribe Virgin's story. There is a sweet twist at the end. That's the good stuff.

What's bad is the outrageous "street" slang in the book that I cannot for a moment take seriously when I look at Ward's photo on the back cover. And the notion that these centuries-old vampires behave like 20-something doofuses, smoke pot, screw constantly, and can barely read, after all this time, does not compute for me. The behavior, thoughts, and dialogue of the Brothers comes across to me as nuts, and contrived. What is Ward thinking? Who told her she was capable of channeling street-smart young punks? Even her dedication page in the front makes me think she, like Laurell K. Hamilton, has tipped off her rocker and believes her own foolish hype. But whatever, as the Brothers might say.

In general, the world is poorly described for me and the plot, like any romance novel, is a barely disguised excuse for the main characters to have sex. But eh, there's something there.

I give the book 2 stars as I feel there is hope for this book, and it isn't the worst thing I've ever read, but the series will never be good.

This is vishous's story. I can not pick a favorite because every one i read has been great! When i read the others i always thought V was a great friend but he can be a great mate as this book proves! I love it! IF YOU ARE INTO THE BDB SERIES THIS IS GREAT~

I started the series in the middle reading about Z first and instantley fell in love. Although the Z & Bella bonding was strong, just like the Wrath & Beth bonding, I felt stronger towards V's & Jane's. V's love for Jane reminds me of Ralph Finnes in "The English Patient". A lot passion and determination no matter the obsticles. I love the BDB series and Lover Unbound is my favorite.

Although this was the one book in the brotherhood series that does not have what I would call a perfect ending, it would be hard to skip reading it if you plan on reading the sequels after this one. There are too many other storylines that would leave you confused otherwise. I wish I could have skipped it though. It had the potential to have a great story, but the ending was just too strange for me, and didn't seem very vampire-like at all. But then again, that's just my opinion. . .

No where near as interesting as the third book.
I think JR Ward peaked there and set a high standard that can't be reached again.

I've read the first five books of this series in a span of three weeks, so everything is still pretty fresh in my brain database.
After Lover Awakened (Zadist's book) I thought "Well now, this will go down as my favorite book of all times" (still is) then I read Lover Revealed (Butch's Book) and although I was not too into the whole Marissa and Butch's reuninon, I was very tentalized with some of the other chatacters,Revhenge (still am ^^) Zhex, even John Mathews (yeah we all know who he is), but especially Vishous. I wanted to read his story as badly as Z's if not more, his tortured soul, his aloofness, his incapability to anything other than cold calculation, and epscially his obsession with his best friend.
Don't get me wrong, the book is great, but I was utterly dissapointed with the lack of development. I was expecting a lot more from a 500+ pages book... A LOT MORE.
And what's worst, I found myself looking forward to the bits and pieces on Phury than in the comings and goings of V and his drama, I hated the ending, yeah I can see the bigger picture and where it's going, but it still felt empty.

I just hope that Phury's tale isn't so rushed and undeveloped, God knows he has been though a lot already ;)

I really enjoyed this installment. The last book was so boring and predictable, I'm happy to report that this one was not.
First there was alot of story about John--I love him so much. His story all around breaks my heart.
Second...there was no lesser story! I really needed a break from all their nonsense for a bit.
Third I liked V more than I thought, I like his history and his transformation. This book actually made me sad at one point. Crazy I know.
I also liked Jane more than any of the other women so far. She stood out the most to me.

What I didn't care for was the end. It was just a little stange. I knew Ward had to twist it around(like the other 4 books...) so that V and Jane were going to be together so I wasn't totally SHOCKED or anything.

And I seem to dislike Phury more and more...I thought his book should have been after Zsadist because he's wearing thin on me.

See my review of the first six books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series under the first in the series, Dark Lover.

VISHIOUS - oh god your heart beats, bleeds and sympathizes and all the while it builds, and builds, and then i have to say for as much as I love the whole series, and I enjoyed the book till the very end, just didn't really like how they handled his happily ever after

This book is heart wrenching,suspensful,insightful and erotic. Vishous kicks the eroticism up a notch. I can't believe what happens to him. It's one surprise after another. Wow. Loved it, again.

Lover Unbound picks up directly after Lover Revealed (Butch's Story) in Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood seris and gives us Vishous's story.

V has had a hard time of it. Basically tortured at the hands of his brutal father as a young man 300 yrs ago, he has learned to shut down any sensitive aspects of his nature in order to survive. Because of this, he requires a massive amount of control in the bedroom to receive his pleasure and is conflicted on many levels outside of the bedroom.

He longs for intimacy but doesn't know how to receive or give it. Of course that all changes when he gets shot in a battle with the evil Lessers, the band of brothers who's one goal in life is to destroy the Black Daggar Brotherhood of Vampires that he is a part of.

Literally almost dead, he is brought in to a hospital where Trauma Surgeon Dr. Jane Whitcomb is in charge of saving his life- which she does, quite efficiently.

When V overhears a conversation between Jane and the Chief of Surgeons while supposedly out cold, he makes the decision to keep her. So when the Brother's come in to clean up and take him home, he orders them bring her along.

Jane knows something isn't right with the man who came into her hospital. He has six chambers in his heart for one and seems to have a remarkable ability to recover quickly as well. Still, when she comes too after being kidnapped to the BDB compound, she's sure she's dreaming.

But as things progress, she realizes that this surreal world she's entered is all to real. She fights her captivity of course, but part of her is drawn to the unknown man who she still considers her patient. She knows what her senses are telling her cannot be real, but the scientist in her is curious. And it doesn't take her long to accept all she sees, but not without a bit of a power struggle between she and her captor.

V is of course befuddled. HE'S always needed to be in control in a relationship but this strong willed woman is luring him. Eventually he realizes he knows in his heart she is his, but he also knows that after she is done healing him, he will have to clear her memories and release her. After all, his destiny turned on a dime just before meeting her and how can he reconcile that with what he desires most?

As I said I really liked V & Jane's story.

Still the book is not without its flaws. As must know, V has been in conflict with himself over a previous obsession of his. That being of course his attraction to Butch, the cop cum BDB who quickly became his best friend.

My main issue with the book is V's sudden switching around of sexual preferences. WAY too "easy", imo. And by Sexual preferences I mean both In a bedroom antics way AND an orientation way! In the beginning he's all about being the Dom in the bedroom but with Jane he switches? Just seemed to easy, is all I'm saying.

I also thought that the talk between Butch and V was off. Men just don't talk to each other that way from my experience.

Another thing that bugged me was the breaks in action and switching of scenes so suddenly. If she would have given us V's back story up front instead of flipping to it in the middle of V & Jane's story I woulda have enjoyed this book MUCH more. She usually does this with bits about the Lessers, parts I usually skim to be honest, (and thankfully these dudes were relegated to the background in LU), but even though I was interested in V's backstory - I still found the sudden break annoying.

OH and I think the "h" in the name thing is getting kinda old too. And the brand name dropping. And the stupid Kevin Federline talk. Just- Silly.

The ending? TOTALLY confusing! Yes it made their for some dramatic ROMANTIC scenes, but in the end- it doesn't make sense.

Still, I liked it better than Butch's story and I really, really liked Jane and V together, So 3.8 out of 5 from me!

I am a huge fan of this series, but reading the reviews for this book made me hesitate buying it. My thirst for more of the Brotherhood tipped the scales for this book and downloaded it quickly to my kindle. Boy am I glad I did. This book is by far my favorite. The character development of Z, John, Butch and of course V is outstanding. I felt like I knew them more in this book. Certainly understood them better. I really love the relationship between Z and John. The confusion of V and Butch and of course the twists in plots with V and Phury. If you love this series you must read this book ... love it or hate it you it has to be read.

A brutal slayer of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Vishous is the son of the Bloodletter, the infamous vampire warrior known for his sadistic nature. As a pretrans in his father's war camp, Vishous suffered gravely at the hands of his own father, shaping up the warrior that he has become. Yet centuries of harboring the pain is quickly manifesting its effect. Like a panel of glass with a multitude of cracks, one tap is all it would take for him to break. It appears that the last vestige of hope is lost for him until a fight left him in the care of a human doctor.

Dr Jane Whitticomb is one of the best in her field. But no years of study and medical practice could prepare her for the physical anomaly that she discovers about her patient. And as she thought about how "the Cardiology Department is going to go nuts over this" while at the same time threatening her strange patient "You die on me and I'm going to be really ticked off", fate was weaving the web of their destiny which will alter both their lives forever.

Just when he thought his visions have dried up, Vishous knew only one thing as he looked at his savior - MINE. And for reasons he could not explain, he knew that Jane was coming with him no matter what. But can V avoid the destiny that his mommy dearest had planned for him - that of the Primale who will mate with the Chosen to breed a whole new army of warriors?

Before I write about V and Jane together, allow me to deviate for a moment. It is impossible to write about him without touching the subject of his relationship with Butch. After reading Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 4), I knew that Vishous was floundering helplessly into destruction. Watching Butch with Marissa and living in such close proximity with them was killing him. Reading about this pain did make me wonder about his sexuality and the extent of his feelings for Butch. Ward has answered those questions (and then some more) in this book. Learning about his childhood has helped me understand about his "phobia" with intimacy and why he felt that way about Butch. After thinking about it, I am in agreement with Butch that V's feelings for him were a result of him "caring about someone for the first time".

Now as for what happens between V and Jane, I initially had mixed feelings about the whole thing. Their story is almost bittersweet and gloomy in the end. I did like the fact that Jane has the strength of character needed to be able to deal with V's character, while V did his best to be the man for her to the point of sacrificing his own desire and needs to keep her safe. My gripe, however, was Jane's destiny. Although I admit that after giving it much thought, I believe that Ward has other plans for these two and I will wait for it to unfold in future books.

LOVER UNBOUND proves what a gutsy author J.R. Ward is. While other authors would have opted for a sweet ending to appease the reader, Ward bravely defies expectations and opted for the most unexpected twist - one that left me initially disappointed, yet now hopeful for the future. This may be the least of my favorite in the series but I am looking forward to reading Phury's story, Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 6)

I HAVE READ THIS SERIES FROM THE VERY BEGINNING AND ITS ALWAYS A PLEASURE AND A TREAT TO GET TO GO BACK TO THIS WORLD OF THE BLACKDAGGER BROTHERHOOD!VISHOUS'S[I LOVE THESE NAMES]STORY IS ABSORBING,EROTIC AND THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS ARE FASCINATING AS THEY EVOLVE AND GROW.THIS IS ANOTHER EXCELLENT STORY IN THE BDB SERIES AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT!!!

Great read although alittle disappointed with the ending. Gives the impression the reader is running out of ideas....

So I began reading JR Ward with Dark Lover: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (The Black Dagger Brotherhood), and I was hooked. I liked the characters and the set up for the vampire culture. It was also a great romance with a strong heroine, I love Beth.
Anyway, the love continued with Rhage and especially with Zsadist.
However, Butch's book left me with something to be desired. So I was really looking forward to Vishous' book. Ms. Ward had set it up to be great.
Therefore, it is with much regret that I feel that I can only give V's book 2 stars.
Jane just doesn't seem like a strong enough heroine for a vampire, let alone someone as strong as V.
And I really didn't like how dark JR went with all the S&M, it really took away from me being able to still like V so much and then the whole thing with Butch, I am sorry that was too much for me!
Then the last straw was the ending with Jane, seriously she thought this would be the best way to end the book?
I agree with the review that the problem with the vampires is that they are dwindling and Ward has them all pairing off with characters that can't have children, what?
Anyway, here is to hoping that the rest of the books will get better. I want to see the great storyline and emotion return that was in Wrath's and Zsadist's (Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 3)) books.

before reading this book I read many of the bad reveiw about it. I thought the book was extremly imaginative and entertaining. and I loved the ending, it was an enervative move on J.R. Ward part and it leaves the door open to many more enjoyable stories. this is an author that can think outside the box.

My only regret is that I read the reviews first, which spoiled the ending for me and made me think I wouldn't enjoy this book as much as the preceding titles. I'm not gonna let that happen again!

V's story was a bit different than the first 4 books, but that's what keeps this series interesting. I totally understood why V fell in love with Jane, and I think she made an awesome mate for him. I loved reading about their time together, but I also enjoyed what was going on with the other characters in the story. Yeah, the ending was a little weird, but it was still a happy one. And as far as I'm concerned, every story should have a happy ending, cuz real life already has enough unhappy ones.

After seeing some of the negative reviews of this book, I went into reading it with a bit of trepidation. A lot of people seemed upset with the romance and felt that too many plot lines muddled the story. Upon finishing LU, my first response is that I do understand why readers seeking primarily romance might be disappointed. And yeah there was a lot going on with the other characters (this wasn't just about V's love life), but of all the books so far, this one and Lover Awakened are my favorites.

--- WARNING SPOILERS ---

Vishous's bisexuality and S&M tendancies make him a flat-out unconventional romance hero and it's possible some readers were put off by these character traits. I'll admit that I didn't get the same warm fuzzies during his romance scenes that I did from the previous books. But that still didn't detract from the story for me in any way. I loved that JR Ward was willing to delve into tricky territory and thought she handled the subject matter very well. In fact, I thought the treatment of V's S&M proclivities was pretty tame.

In addition to appreciating the complexity of the issues surrounding the love story, I really liked Jane's character. She was better developed in my opinion than some of the other women in the previous books. One thing I've felt in reading this series is that the guys are written brilliantly - their humor, interaction, personalities - but the women aren't quite as developed or compelling. I liked Jane's personality and her ability to banter with V the way Butch does. She's tough, but also vulnerable.

Of all the books in this series, this one made me laugh the most. I loved the dialog - between V and Jane, V and Butch, Z and Phury... I have pages dogeared just so I can go back and re-read sections that were particularly funny.

And the final thing that I really loved about this book was that it hardly focused on the Omega and Lessers. Although that's a necessary part of the storyline, I tend to skip/skim those sections because I just don't find them as interesting as what's going on in the brotherhood. Unlike the previous books, I didn't skip any sections this time. The focus was all on V, Phury, the Scribe Virgin, the Chosen and John.

All in all, I thought this was a fantastic book. Funny, tender, unconventional, and the ending was very sweet. While I don't begrudge those who weren't happy with this book, I have to politely disagree. For me, this was a winner all the way around.

So I just read LU out of order. Actually was afraid to read the book becasue of all the people who were dissatisfied with it. I thought it was good. IT is not your typical romance novel. So if you are looking for a boy meets girl HEA. This would probably is not the book for you. I am noting going in to the whole book, read it yourself and decide for yourself. I would also stay away from the reviews until after you completed the book so you are not influenced one way or another.

All I can say about phury's book....is where the romance? This is a paranormal romance book right?! JR Ward books appear to not really focusing on the couples story. I mean we didn't even get to find out much about the heroin's history. Who were her parents..? How did she become chosen and why was she chosen? Oh yeah she was forced to be chosen, but why? What was so unique about her, what seperated her apart than other females? And Phury relationship with his Chosen Mate seemed secondary to the whole novel. Where was the tension that builds up between the two main characters? Cetainly, not in her novel....
I can I was more interested in the sub-plots to the story than the actual couple relationship. Finally for Phury to be kicked out of the BDB. Comon on thats cruel! He should have allowed to redeem himself, for he had the most re-deeming qualities of all the Brothers. The Brothers should have banded around him as one. JR Ward should have treated him better and put more substance into his relationsip with his mate. Oh well...I will continue to read , in hopes that JR Ward will find that spark agin as she did in the first book. I have FAITH!

Lover Unbound was one of the most emotional of the whole series. At first I wondered if Ward had lost her touch, this one seemed I don't know kind of "blah". As you journey further into V's life, you are in awe over how things came to be with him. There were surprises and moments when I was so sad I could have torn the pages from the book. All in all I have to say a great read, but I was sad at the end and the way it all closed.

I had mixed emotions about this one and because I made the mistake of reading the reviews FIRST and that put me off from reading this book. With Lover Enshrined (book #6) coming out, I decided it was time to read this one. I'm glad I did! This book was exceptionally well written. And I enjoyed how the author used humor in words when the subject was anything but funny.

This was a dark book, but the romance was wonderful. I thought the author did a terrific job handling the immortality issue with the characters. I cried my eyes out toward the end. For me, this was well worth the read. This one is not one I would ever want to re-read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I "feel" the Other Side is going to get a big time change and it's about time.

I had mixed emotions about this one and because I made the mistake of reading the reviews FIRST, I put off reading this book. With Lover Enshrined (book #6) coming out, I decided it was time to read this one. I'm glad I did! This book was exceptionally well written. The author uses many proper nouns to describe scenes that had me laughing, i.e., pinned to the wall like a velvet Elvis, went all Jose Conseco with the baseball bat. Loved it!

This was a dark book, but the romance was wonderful. I thought the author did a terrific job handling the immortality issue with the characters. I cried my eyes out toward the end. For me, this was well worth the read. This one is not one I would ever want to re-read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I "feel" the Other Side is going to get a big time change and it's about time.

Trully different. Full of action and adventure. Superbly written. Could not put it down until I finished the book.

I'm reading these books out of order, and tried this one first. And WOW! First, Ward's writing is fantastic. I was drawn in immediately felt like I was really there in the middle of the action. If you're new like me, dropping in the middle was no problem. Although I will warn you, you may be spending a lot of money gobbling up the rest of her books.

I really liked Jane as a character. She was smart and compassionate. As for Vischous, the man's childhood was an agony, and Ward did a very good job of explaining why he became what he became. The end, and what he was willing to do, was to die for.

The snippet of the new book was UNFAIR! Now I'm clamoring to read Cormia's story.

My favourite series ever is the Black Dagger Brotherhood, so far I have loved all of the books except for this one. This story felt stupid, V's mate becomes a ghost?... People can walk through her?... They have sex? Come on! I thought this was just so stupid I was laughing. Even though the books are about Vampires and what's more unrealistic than vampires? But thats not why this series is so popular, the way JR Ward writes is so real, you become caught up in the emotions and lives of the characters, it feels like you know them. Unfortunately, this book just ruined it for me. I have pre-ordered the lastest one and I hope it is an improvement over this one.

I enjoyed the other reviews. IMHO - I thought Jane was a good counterpoint/compliment/addition to Vishous. Jane's intelligence and exceptional medical skill do not preclude a biting wit and "colorful" vocabulary - in fact Ward goes so far as to have Jane explain that wit is a sign of intelligence - this language and biting wit is not exclusive of the nature of her personality. Jane is not a one dimensional character - she has a healthy skepticism of convention and the well ordered we only have to look at the painful, emotionally barren environment she was subjected to growing up. Additionally, I don't find Jane's reaction to finding herself among vampires was unreasonable - I thought she was overwhelmed, she was numbed by it! True she was not hysterical, however that is not a reaction that would be expected of her personality type. Jane is a successful trauma surgeon and a speciality in genetic research - the vary nature of trauma surgery requires quick analytical thinking and the skill to take another's life into your hands - not for the faint of heart! Additionally, the nature genetic research or indeed any researcher requires a fascination of the unknown, which this situation certainly is. Jane finds herself, as a scientist totally fascinated with the nature of the physiology of vampires, healing, etc, Personally, I was able to get my mind around their emotional, and sexual relationship. When I reflect on the nature of his horrific life experiences, his high intellectual level, and resulting psychological make-up she is an embodiment of the food for his life - she indeed "feeds" his soul. I think her quick/clear thinking intelligence and understanding of the effects of essential social and emotional nurturing deprivation in a person's life allows for a relatively rapid paced development personal relationship. There is certainly no hysterical, emotionalism - I think they are just too intelligent for it. Look at her intuitive understanding of the nature and emotional/physical attraction between Vishous and cop, or for that matter the dominant/pain driven sexual needs in Vishous. Obviously, I could expound for even greater length on this.... Anyway I think they "work" together and their situation is well paced.

The intriguing parallel lives of the other vampires are well paced, naturally interwoven and enhanced, along with introduction of new characters - I give it 5 stars.

Very few authors are as talented as JR Ward....let me repeat myself....JR Ward is AMAZING!

The Black Dagger Brotherhood series is what got me hooked on paranormal romance, but let me be honest...I think this is the BEST romance series ever regardless of type (historical, contemporary, midevil, western..you name it!) You MUST read this series, but you MUST read them in order. Any deviation from the chronological order of things will cheat you out of the beauty of the series. Now on to my review.

Lover Unbound is an emotional read. Not quite as emotional as Lover Awakened (my personal favorite), but is definitely a close second. Vishous has a past filled with torture..at the hands of his own father. He is a tough one. We've come to know bits and pieces about him like his sexual deviancy, his love for Butch, his special "gifts" and "weapons", and his intelligence.

Jane is the HUMAN surgeon who saves his life, and to whom Vishous recognizes as his mate. She matches him toe to toe, and has quite a mouth and a backbone on her. The attraction is intense, and I believe that the love scenes involving these two are the most erotic and sensual of the entire series....(which is saying a lot)!

However there is a problem...(isn't there always :)! Vishous is a vampire and Jane is human...this doesn't work so well (ie. Rhage and Mary). Vampires can't be sustained on human blood, live forever, can't go out during the day ect.....see the problem. Both Vishous and Jane realize this, but they love eachother and want to make it work. Jane knows that being mortal means that she will age and eventually die. Despite this, she tries to balance her life as a surgeon and her status as "shellan" to Vishous.

The ending kind of bothered me...emphasis on "kind of". In order for these two to get their HEA, I knew something would have to give. Ward's answer to the question is VERY unique and unexpected, but as someone who wanted Vishous to "get the girl", I can understand and accept the necessity for the ending. I wish she had been a "pre-trans"...then this book would've been perfect.

After finishing this book, the only thing I'm thinking is "I want more"! Thank goodness Lover Enshrined is next. I hope John and Rehvenge get their stories! I love these vamps!

I love this series. I can't say I was happy with the ending to lover unbound, but you have to appreciate the fact that JR Ward is an author who takes risks. Her stories are unique and emotion-evoking. I love all the characters. I love that we get to see who these men are and how they became the men that they are. Most novels only focus on the heroine's perspective. And I'm sorry but JR Ward's world is a dark and harsh place, if you want cream-puff romance novels where the heros and heroines are perfect and they raise perfect babies then read Julie Garwood (no offense to JG). Let me get off my soapbox now.
V and Jane are both strong characters with their own personal demons. And as for V and Butch, you can't help who you love. To quote Jacqueline Carey "Love as thou wilt."
5 stars for originality, for being a risk-taker, and for exploring the varied feelings of love that people can feel.

We love all of the Brotherhood of the Black Daggers novels.
This is no exception. The same action, suspense, and romance
are artfully woven throughout the book. Remember V's character has been alluded to in several of the past books. We know he goes in for S & M. People should not be surprised by this. In this book much was explained. V's childhood and past experiences explain his present orientation to love as well as his talents.

First of all I loved Vishous (V) as a character. We get to know him better and better through each of the previous books in the series and by the time you get to this one you are SO ready to read how he will end up happy. He did, but not like I would have wanted for him. He deserved a much stronger heroine than he got. Maybe J.R will kill her off *again* and he can find another, maybe one of Butch's sisters, if you get my drift. I like there was less of the lessers. They bacame tiresome after 4 books, though they are a necessary evil.

The story was packed with emotion and as always the love scenes rocked, and I would have given it 5 stars if the heroine was more to my liking.

Given that, this is a must read for those you enjoy the series.

I liked the book, despites all the haters out there. I was happy that V found his mate and that he didn't have to pin for Butch. The bromance wouldn't have been bothered me if Butch didn't have a mate already...but he did and V does so...I am happy... The outcome of his mate could have been better, but hey, he sees her, she sees him, they can do it like bunnies anytime they want. Good enough for me. It's a good book, although I would have wanted more V/ Jane and less of the minor characters.

This book is awesome like all the other books in the series. It's not as good as Lover awakened which happens to be my fav., but Lover Unbound is definetly is something you simply have to read if your into Vamopire Romance Novels.

Maybe my expectations were low because of all the complaining I've seen on the forum, but I really liked this book a lot.

I thought Jane was the perfect mate for Vishous. Her personality fit his perfectly with the perfect amount of toughness and nurturing. I loved that his first draw to her was simply because of his vision, but he quickly became attracted as well and then fell headlong in love even though he knew he'd have to give her up.

I also liked the Scribe Virgin part of the story and found it to be moving and frustrating (in the way it should have been).

Many people were disappointed that Butch and Vishous didn't get together but I haven't been at all. I think Ward has presented a transcendent relationship of two men who love each other as soul mates of the warrior variety and that doesn't always have to equal sex. It's a much more complex and challenging relationship to write about and I have to give her kudos for going for it.

John Matthew's story is a consistently touching addition. His is such an interesting thread and his relationship with Zsadist is just perfect.

I'm looking forward to Phury's book when it comes out in June and seeing how some of the new character set ups from this book will play out in future installments.

The good: I was really interested in V. and the back story did offer surprises.

The bad: The thing I just could not get past was Dr. Whitcomb's "voice". She didn't sound right when I read her. Her wording had none of the elegance or breeding that the author took pains to make sure we knew about.

The ugly: I understand that mystical magnetism brings them together but their first intimacy just rang so false that their whole romance was an uphill battle from there.

This was by far the worst of the five I have read.
If I had it to do over I would not have bought this book.

After reading the series back to back over the last week, book 5 is without a doubt the weakest romance IMHO. If your new to the series then please don't start here, you'll be completely out of the loop. The Black Dagger Brotherhood books are best if they're read in order. Too much information will be missed if you start here and you'll regret it later.

Now back to Lover Unbound. All through her books Ward has been slowly revealing the nature of the Brother called Vishous. I couldn't wait to find out things like; what's up with that hand? How did he get those tattoos? What do they mean? What happened to his visions? What is the deal with him and his *special* preferences at the penthouse? And most importantly How-Oh-How is this *thing* with Butch going to go down? And I'm happy to report that all these things were answered to my complete satisfaction.

My problem lies with the romance. I simply do not like Jane. She is a one dimensional and completely unbelievable character. I'm sorry, highly educated people do not talk like they should have their mouths scrubbed out with soap daily. Victims of kidnapping do not remain totally calm. And if I found out that vampires were for real? -I would FREAK OUT (oh no, but not miss Jane!). Miss Jane would be thinking sexual thoughts immediately and acting out them in less than a day. WHAT!?!? Come on! 500+ pages and you'd think that there is enough space for Ward to make Jane a bit more, well normal would be a good word.

My other problem was the lessers. WHERE ARE THEY? They just are completely nonexistent in this book! All of the great action of the previous books is completely missing in LU. I want to read more about Mr. A, B, C or whatever. We don't get a chance to get inside their heads or learn more about the society. That was disappointing.

And then there is the end. Unlike some, the ending didn't really bother me too much. Ward seems like she's just taking a new direction and I say give her time to go with it.

Fortunately, Ward does an admirable job continuing to flesh out great characters like John (his part is major). Some of he others mentioned (besides the brothers and their shellans) include Blaylock, Qhuinn, Rehvenge, Xhex (lol! -does anyone else think of her as a short haired Xena Warrior Princess?), Cormia, Bloodletter and Payne (no spoilers on these last three ;))

So, despite my disappointment with the romance, I recommend reading this book to those who've enjoyed the series, even if its just to catch up on the other characters. Though you might want to grab this one at the library instead.

I will admit, I was a little afraid to read this one after reading all the reviews, because I Soooo didn't want to dislike it, especially since I love these stories almost more than CHOCOLATE !
This story was a bit different in a couple ways from the others, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It does give some good background into V's early life, & it is not for the faint of heart. I liked how Jane was not afraid to 'boss' everyone around, when it came to medical care, which is why V started to love her, because she is so strong & self-assured, no 'soft' woman for him. Not to mention how she deals with his dark sexual practices. Overall, I did love this book & read it in about 3 days & even skipped dinner one of those evenings, so I could read. So don't be afraid to get this one - it is still classic Ward.

I had been eagerly awaiting V's book since Zsadist's book. I love JR Ward's writing but I was a little disappointed in V's story. It seemed that the development between the two main characters was forced. It was very sudden and it wasn't clear what made them fall for each other, other than fate or lust. V has had such an awful tortured past so I was rooting for him to get his HEA. Everything doesn't always end with a perfect and beautiful happy bow unpon it in the land of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and it just adds to the stories. I liked the continued development of all the others and was happy to see more of Butch and V's relationship.
I eagerly anticipate Phury's book Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 6) coming out this summer.

The book is awesome. To put it really simply. The romance is moving and the plot pulls you in from page one. You also don't get the point of view from any lessers in this book which is really a relief to me because I hated when I had to read about the lessers. You get a lot of point of view changes though. I was okay with it but I guess sometimes it could get on your nerves. I really liked all of the characters in the book, but sometimes I did have to wonder who's story I was reading about in this book. It didn't bother me but I can see where it could make someone dislike the book.
That not the reason why I gave the book four stars though. Because like I said that didn't bug me. No. What bugs me is the ending. And not for the reasons that one would think. I'm okay with the ending... but only because when I was reading other people's reviews they were all ranting about the ending and I just had to find out what happened in the end before I read the book. The ending is shocking and a bit hard to swallow and when I found out what happened I spent a lot of time getting used to the idea before I even opened the book. I really think that I would have hated the book had I now known before hand what happened to the characters. I'm not thrilled with what happens but I swallow it and I dealt with it.
My advice. Find out what happens first before you read the book if you don't like REALLY BIG Surprises.

Not every book can end the way we want it. Ward lets us see more than a perfect world were everything comes easy. Instead we see life like it is for us. Not everyone can have everything they want in life, but these guys find love that most of us crave. V is happy, or well blessed, be glad that he didnt take Butch for Marissa. HEHEHE

Great Book, great series, best of everything

I too have to say that the ending of this book was not great. However, I still loved the book. I wanted V to have his happily ever after and this allowed it to happen. I am so glad that I finally read this series. I can't wait for the next installment.