Lover Mine

Lover Mine
J.R. Ward
656 pgs.
Signet












Amazon Blurb -

New or casual readers of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series will be lost in its eighth installment (after 2009's Lover Avenged), but Ward's fans love her soap opera storytelling and are happy to forgive unpronounceable names and occasionally overeager tough talk (at a solemn wedding, [the bridegroom] was smiling like a motherfucker). Newly made vampire John Matthew vows to free his mate, the symphath Xhexania, from Lash, a paranoid coke addict who's transmuting into a nontemporal entity like his vampire-killer father, the Omega. Once freed, Xhexania joins the Brothers in battling the Omega, but refuses to acknowledge her emotional connection to John. Meanwhile, sexually promiscuous Qhuinn, shockingly jealous of his cousin Saxton's new lover, wonders whether he should have seduced Saxton when he had the chance. Complicated subplots and tortured heroes abound, but attentive readers will love putting it all together.
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Well I gotta say, the Warden has done it again.  She makes you happy you took the time to get to know the brothers.  She doesn’t always hit it outta the park, Butch and Phury’s, especially Phury’s story was less than good, but this one was worth the time.  Not too much of my favorite brother V, John Matthew is the star here, with Blay and Qhuinn’s story riding the sideline.

Lash and the Lessers are the root of what’s wrong.  Taking Xhex at the end of Rhev’s book, this picks up from there.  Lash has shielded Xhex so that she cannot be seen by anyone, even if they’re standing right next to her.  What he’s done to her for the past four weeks is nothing less than brutality.  John Matthew is devastated and heartbroken.  He’s on a mission to get her back, just hoping she isn’t dead.

We also have a couple of back stories taking place.  We learn more about Tohr and Darius’ relationship as we are brought to the past and the two embark on a quest to rescue one of the glymera family’s daughters who’s been kidnapped.  A television show about paranormal incidents is the next bit of mystery and didn’t quite fit in and you don’t get it till the end.  Gregg and Holly the producer and host are in South Carolina staying at a bed and breakfast supposedly haunted by Eliahu Rathboone, the former plantations’ owner.  Payne, the Scribe Virgins daughter and Vishous’ twin, becomes a bit clearer as well.

The Brothers are just very small shots, as they battle the Lessers,  Wrath, the Blind King continues his sparring sessions with Payne, you really barely catch sight of the girls but for Doc Jane, who I still don’t like.  She’s their personal physician and she cares for all of them when they get injured.  I wish there was a bit more of them. We meet Saxton, Qhuinn’s cousin, and Blay’s sorta love interest, and I don’t like him either.  He comes off very smarmy to me.  I would find it a major turn off, but I think Blay is just so lonely he doesn’t care anymore.  I feel bad for both Qhuinn and Blay.  Qhuinn loves Blay, but he won’t act on it and Blay, well, he’s hopelessly stuck on him and just coming to terms with the fact that it’s not to be.

Of course, Ward is the reigning Queen of branding!!  Herradura this, Escalades and Hummers that, Jay Zee blasting on the player, only the Warden can get away with it.  Some of the lingo is just corny, true, but you can deal ya feeling me ;)  It was good, not her best, there was a bit too much going on at once, but I still enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next, which was previewed at the end titled, Lover Unleashed and is Payne’s story.  I’ll give it 3 ½ cuz I just love the Brothers.

3 ½ cannolis