Lover Unleashed

Lover Unleashed
J.R. Ward
489 pgs
NAL Hardcover













Amazon Blurb -

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them? 
*****

Book # 9 in the BDB series this being about Payne twin of Vishous.  Payne’s story takes up where Lover Mine ended, her paralyzed after sparring with Wrath.  Jane goes back to get Dr. Manny Mannelo to try and save her from paralysis.  Of course the two meet and its fireworks on the 4th of July!

The side story here deals with the Bastards, a group of vamps whose leader was the Bloodletter, V and Payne’s father’s, other child Xkor.  He witnessed Payne kill his father 200 some odd years ago, and he vows revenge.  He also wants to over throwWrath.  That it’s taken him so many damn years to finally get on the ball about this is kind of a mystery to me.  I don’t know why the Warden did that.

We also have Qhuinn pining for Blay and not acting on it, deciding to be celibate instead.  Truly this story bores me a bit, I feel nothing for either one of these characters.

Vishous is having a hell of a time with Payne’s arrival and her asking him to kill her if she can’t walk.  He and Jane hit a rocky patch and he turns to his man Butch to work him over, as the only person he truly can trust.  His BDSM fetish is something Jane can’t go into full force and in this instance he needs to be the sub.  Butch does this unhappily, but his love for his friend is more important.  Again, Jane is not my favorite, she is better here, but this is really the one instance where I wish Ward would have let it go.  V and Butch just work for me, and Marissa is a nothing too.  No loss on that front but alas still just a side wish for all of us who like those two together.

Manny is ok, not the greatest character, but workable.  We’ll see how he grows as the series continues I guess.  For the most part, lessers were non-existent which is fine with me, and the small story of a serial killer was just a distraction imho.

The branding is just insane as always, Versace this, Herradura that, Lil’Wayne’s I’m Not A Human Being on the speakers(anyone who’s caught a glimpse of Lil’Wayne with that crazy a$$ grill of his wouldn’t argue that point), blah blah blah, and of course with the verbage, true? And Lord knows no one delivers a love scene like the Warden.  Hhhhmm,well except maybe ch. 32 in One Foot In The Grave from the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost.  Still, I’m hooked like a fish and will read # 10 when it comes, supposedly about Tohr.

4 cannolis