Book Review: Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood #9) by J. R. Ward

Another book down in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series! My original goal was to get caught up with the series by the end of the year. It might happen, it might not. Either way, I'm enjoying every single one. :-)

Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood #9) by J. R. Ward

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.

4 out of 5 stars

Lover Unleashed was awesome! I loved all the characters and the way the world keeps building and building. I was excited while reading and can't wait to see what happens next.

I really liked Payne. She was a strong woman although a bit naive in the beginning. I liked seeing her grow and really come into her own. She's so caring and sweet. Manny was great! I liked that he was tough and could hold his own in the midst of all the chaos. I love how he was tied into everything and how his connection to the vampire world was revealed. There's some push and pull between Payne and Manny, seriously great chemistry, plus a lot of emotion and heat. Their story had excellent development and l Ioved them coming together.

I was super excited that new characters were introduced and cannot wait to find out what will happen with the Band of Bastards. I am so intrigued by their leader Xcor. I loved the development of Qhuinn and what's going on with him and the foreshadowing happening for his story. I also really enjoyed previous characters being brought back to the forefront. There are just so many great connections. I always feel pulled in and consumed.

Just like the other stories in the series, Lover Unleashed is filled with multiple POVs and complex characters. There's a lot of drama and detail that pull you in and I enjoyed them all. That being said, Vishous's storyline was pretty intense and all-consuming, and sometimes I felt it overshadowed Payne and Manny. Overall, I liked it and liked how it played out, it just felt V heavy at times. Also, this story was more emotionally drama heavy than fighting heavy this time around. It was kind of a nice change though I did miss all the Lesser action.

So excited for what's to come! Black Dagger Brotherhood forever!