Customer Reviews

Lover Mine (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 8)

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3 star:		(48)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

RATING: 4.5 STARS

Lover Mine picks up a few weeks after Lover Avenged left off, where Xhex has been abducted by Lash, the evil son of the Omega. She is being held in Lash's brownstone bound by a magical spell. She is trapped in a bedroom invisible to all except Lash. She is determined to fight him with everything she has in hopes of finding a way out or until the brotherhood finds her. Lash's purpose for abducting Xhex is vengeance. Xhex killed his lover and he plans to take his revenge on her slowly and painfully. But Xhex puts up a vicious fight and he finds himself falling for her in his sick sadistic way.

John Matthew is hell bent on finding Xhex. He is not sure if she is alive or dead but he is determined to bring her home one way or another. He has never openly shared his feelings for Xhex with others but when he gets Xhex's named tattooed on his back in the old language, his boys Blay and Qhuinn have a good idea of his feelings for her. Still, John Matthew does not ask the brothers for help in finding her, choosing instead to do it his own way, on his own terms.

Qhuinn and Blay have shared a deep bond of friendship since before their transition. But this relationship is complicated by Blay's feelings for Qhuinn that go far beyond friendship. He has come to terms with the fact that he is gay and he is in love with Qhuinn. Qhuinn has always been promiscuous even knowing on some level how hurtful it is for Blay. But, there may be reasons for why Qhuinn behaves the way he does. When Qhuinn's cousin Saxton asks Blay out on a date, Qhuinn's protectiveness toward Blay kicks into high gear, claiming he doesn't want Blay to be hurt by Saxton. In all honestly though, jealously is at the root of his behavior.

Lover Mine has all the goodness we've come to love about the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Strong alpha vampires who live, love and fight hard. Although the focus of the series has moved beyond the actual brotherhood and their journeys to love and into the next generation of fighters, it still maintains that edge that sets it apart from other vampire series. There is much to talk about in this book, however I'll focus on the relationships in this review since I believe that Lover Mine digs a little deeper than some of the earlier books in the series, touching on the intricacies of love and friendship and the ties that bind these delicate yet intensely deep relationships.

John Matthew and Xhex have many obstacles to overcome. First their separation, then their communication issues as well as some serious emotional barriers that must come down. John knows in his heart he is bonded to Xhex and would die to protect and defend her, but Xhex has spent most of her life shielding herself from the kind of love she feels for John. There is a very intense scene where the reader is witness to the depth of Xhex and John Matthew's feelings for each other. Although they are in the same room with each other, John Matthew doesn't know Xhex is with him and has no idea he has just bared his heart and soul to her. In this moment Xhex sees John true and raw and she aches for him but is not able to reach out. I think this is perhaps one of the most moving, emotionally raw scenes I have ever read in a paranormal romance.

The friendship between Blay and Qhuinn is on very shaky ground in Lover Mine, complicated by the romantic feelings Blay has for Qhuinn. This relationship takes on a whole new direction when Qhuinn believes Blay may be ready to move on and explore his sexuality with Saxton, Qhinn's cousin. I found myself deeply disappointed in Qhuinn's behavior, not because he can't return Blay's love, but because of the sometimes selfish way he handles his feelings. However digging deeper into his story, I realize there is so much more to his feelings for Blay and the reasons for his confusing behavior. This storyline is heartbreaking to say the least. I was moved to tears more than once and I truly hope that both Qhuinn and Blay find happiness however it comes to them.

My one real complaint with this book was with the constant interruption to flow of the story. There is a side story having to do with the filming of a paranormal reality show, as well as several flash backs to Darius and Tohr in the 1600's. While the reason for the reality show storyline is eventually revealed, the random insertion of chapters on this storyline was distracting and confusing. Since there were no real clues as to where this storyline was leading, it felt more like a third leg rather than a supporting storyline. While the flashbacks provided some necessary history to key characters, they were slow, and again, popped up at weird places in the book. Just when I would get some good reading momentum going, Ward would slam on the brakes with one of these odd chapters. It all makes sense in the end but I really wished the information could have been presented in a better way.

I've seen many discussions about the over-the-top slang and branding that Ward does in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It's one of those things about this series that I both love and hate. There are many times I've rolled my eyes while reading, but then on the other hand, it's part of who the brothers are, and what makes them bigger than life. The slang was certainly over the top this time, no doubt about that. It took me a while before I could figure out what the `sitch' was. `Sitch' = situation, duh. The branding was ever present and the reader gets to know who designed so-and-so's suit and what make and model car everyone is driving but it did seem to be toned down just a bit this time. At one point John Matthew snapped his phone shut and I was actually disappointed I didn't know what kind of phone it was. *g*

The scene has been set for the next book in the series, for Payne--daughter of the Scribe Virgin and twin sister to Vishous--and her love interest Manny. While Payne played only a very minor role in this story, and Manny was only mentioned near the end, we are left knowing that the two of them will meet up. J.R. Ward leaves us without much indication of what direction their story may go. Some part of me hopes that this is because she plans to make the relationship between Blay and Qhuinn the stronger storyline in the next book. We'll see.

Lover Mine is one of my favorite books in this series. The relationships and friendships are complicated and at times absolutely heart wrenching. This book offers all that you want and need in a romance novel while still maintaining that special gritty edge that makes the Black Dagger Brotherhood a truly unique series.

***SPOILERS aplenty!
So before I start getting death threats on here, let me just preface this review by saying that I am truly a diehard BDB fan. While Ward is never going to win a Pulitzer, the woman can tell a story like nobody's business. She has managed to create an utterly unique and provocative world in which this series is set, not to mention a DYNAMITE cast of characters. These stories are not your typical warm and fuzzy, formulaic romance novels because she doesn't shy away from putting her characters in some pretty intense situations that really move the reader emotionally. I've thoroughly enjoyed this series, and each year I've looked forward to the next installment. Yes, Lover Enshrined was a minor aberration...but with Lover Avenged I thought Ward was back on track. Then along came Lover Mine... (Sigh)....

What a mess.

Let's start with John Matthew. LOVE his character. I thought he was the best thing since Zsadist, and his character development since way back in book 2 had me captivated. That said, I was certain his story would be nothing short of exceptional. Well, John-boy...you got ROBBED. He's a survivor with a heart of gold, who I thought we would see mature into a man, but in Lover Mine he still seemed juvenile. I also had my doubts about the John/Xhex union, but I thought Ward would pull it off...Not even close. Almost immediately-within the first few chapters-I knew something was amiss. In previous books you can practically see the steam rise off the pages with all the sexual tension Ward manages to generate with her characters. Instead, I was bored. Unlike a lot of the readers (as it now seems), I actually like Xhex. She's a breath of fresh air among an endless expanse of damsel-in-distress. I thought, now here's a girl who can kick some a**. Perhaps the role reversal between the sexes in Lover Mine played a part. Usually it's the male who is conflicted over his feelings for the female, but in Lover Mine Xhex was the one who needed to overcome her issues about love and commitment. It absolutely could have worked if the writing was better. I just didn't see the passion between John and Xhex which is usually in abundance between the central characters.

And while I'm on that train of thought...I didn't get the memo that BDB had suddenly switched over to Urban Fantasy. I honestly feel like I got a bad product here. When I pay for Paranormal Romance, I want some romance, `kay? John and Xhex didn't even have sex until halfway through the book (not counting a tepid dream sequence...*yawn*). Now come on...I'm just gonna say it like it is...a lot of what keeps Ward's readers coming back for more are those erotic sex scenes. You know it. I know it. However, the scenes between John and Xhex barely made me blush (and believe me, it doesn't take much). I thought the sexiest, most passionate scene of the entire book was when Blay and Qhuinn almost got in on. Which leads me to my NEXT criticism...

I was so much more intrigued by the relationship between Blay and Qhuinn than the 2 main characters. Ward did a fantastic job with this storyline (and it's the only reason why I gave LM as many as 3 stars). It was heartbreaking, intense, and angst-ridden--everything John and Xhex fell short of. But I will be sorely disappointed if after all this buildup the two of them don't end up together. It's like going through the whole Butch/V thing again, accept this time it will be so much more of a letdown if Blay is subjected to a mediocre HEA with Saxton, and Qhuinn ends up with Lame Layla. I understand that no publisher is going to print a BDB book in which the main relationship is focused on 2 men due to target audience expectations. But as a side story? Come on...we're all adults. Now I'm not trying to start a social/political debate here, but I think we can handle a little peak into what would go down between 2 dudes. Male-on-male certainly isn't my thing, but you gotta love it when 2 characters who are crazy about each other finally get together (I mean, I'm not into BDSM either, but that didn't stop me from enjoying V and Doc Jane's story). Unfortunately.....if it does happen between Blay and Qhuinn, I anticipate that all we're going to get is the old fade-to-black routine that we got in Lover Mine when Blay and Saxton hooked-up....which is pretty unfortunate.

I don't mind the brand name references and the urban lingo as much as other people seem to. Come on guys? Yea, it's annoying, but she's been writing like this since the first book so she's not going to stop anytime soon. It's part of the tone of this series. Although, with regard to all the "proper" language...I must say that after reading the word "verily" several dozen times I wanted to stab something.

Yes, the story jumped around a bit much. Murhder's storyline? sorta cheesy. The Darius/Tohr backstory? mehh... But for the love of God could we nix the lesser subplots. Isn't one of the elementary rules of writing that if a scene doesn't advance the overall plotline or add to character development in some significant way, it needs to be axed? I skimmed over Lash's storyline and missed NOTHING. Why not toss all the lesser scenes and add some storylines/interactions with the other brothers? Speaking of brothers (aside from Tohr)...where were they? I miss you guys. In Lover Avenged we got a great story involving Wrath, but in Lover Mine the brothers seemed to be an afterthought. Also, there was hardly any funny banter between the brothers, which Ward usually writes SO well. And the shellans? Um, hello? Where are the shellans?! Yes we got some Doc Jane, but all the rest? I'm starting to think they're skulking in the shadows or locked up in their rooms twiddling their thumbs. Not even Beth was in this book except in the background, John's SISTER? Anyway, I digress....... It seems that Ward needs to bring it back to the Brotherhood. Isn't that what this series is supposed to be about anyway? So why wasn't John initiated? That just struck me as odd. Maybe she'll initiate John, Blay, and Qhuinn together?

I'm hoping this is just a blip on the BDB radar. I'm certainly not backing out yet. Much to our disappointment, an author's quality of writing tends to diminish this far into a series due to publishing deadlines or just running out of inspiring storyline.... However, I truly believe there's still some great stuff here, especially with characters that seem to leap off the page and intrigue us to the point where we're thinking about the story days after reading. Don't let us down, Ms. Ward.

Where to begin.

I wanted to enjoy this book. I really did. I like John Mathew from the previous books, and though Xhex isn't my favorite of the females, I did find her intriguing enough to want to learn her story.

Lover Mine isn't a novel as much as it is an exercise in connecting slang, meandering subplots, and preludes to forthcoming volumes in the series into something semi-cogent. It felt disjointed, unevenly paced, and contrived. Why?

-Xhex appears to have undergone a personality transplant; abduction or not, she's re-imagined in a way that doesn't seem credible to her previous appearances.

-The Mhurder (sp?) subplot fell flat in its attempt to create compelling reasons for wanting to learn more about him. Silly, uninteresting, and bizarre (A compassionate, abolitionist "ghost" who has sex with his B&B guests to actually bring couples closer together, and skulks around his mansion a la Boo Radley? Okeydokey...)

-John Matthew goes through some of the worst turmoil anyone can probably experience regarding a lover...and his sister doesn't once reach out to him that we can see. Where was Beth?

-Tohr's parents arranged his marriage to Wellsie, with whom he fell instantly in love, but now we learn his dad was a jackhole. Hmm. Guess it's possible but, again, feels like Ward conveniently, and clumsily, disrupts a plot point to triage the story. Didn't feel natural.

-Now, I may need another reader to chime in here and correct/confirm this for me. When John tells Xhex about his rape and she asks who else knows, I don't believe he mentions Wrath in the list he recites. This could be forgiven except that John's telling Wrath about it is the whole reason Qhuinn got off for slicing Slash's throat. That's kind of a big part of the story, isn't it? The detail itself doesn't bother me as much as what it likely (if I'm right) indicates does: Ward's attention to detail is getting sloppy, and has been for a few books now.

-Every other word doesn't automatically become slang because you cut off or diminuitize the last two syllables ("sitch?" "stillies?"). I know she has a personal love of rap and slang that I can certainly appreciate, but loving hip-hop and being just straight-up inarticulate don't need to go hand-in-hand (especially not when I'm paying nearly $30 for your book).

That leads to my other problem with LM and, in general this series.

Ward cribs heavily from hip-hop and, to some extent, African-American culture, yet does a pitiable job of including *any* people of color prominently in her books (And no, the Shadows don't count as they have only been portrayed only on the fringes of the BDB world. They've been around much longer than Saxton and hell, even Saxton got his own plot before they have). This really bothers me. The slang, music, and mannerisms are so borrowed from rap culture that I'm surprised Ward doesn't include Jay-Z, 50 Cent, T.I., et al, in her acknowledgments. It's one thing to be inspired by a culture and weave elements of it into your work, and another thing to blatantly mimic its mores and not have some representation of the people it comes from, or of any other kinds of people for that matter. In the beginning it enhanced the story but now I feel like it's become Ward's way to announce how down she's with it, yo, and implement a ready-made, street cred-worthy version of masculinity that, frankly, cuts down on her work of having to make you believe how "hard" the Brothers are (Because every guy who likes rap is automatically tough, isn't he?).

According to Ward (and I'm paraphrasing here--read her message boards for the exact quote), the Brothers don't view race or sexual preference in the same way as humans, meaning that they don't possess the same prejudices or predispositions to hateful behavior re: those two categories. It seems incongruous, then, that there are no people of different ethnic backgrounds that feature heavily in these stories. Ward has said she "downloads" the stories mentally as they come to her from the Brothers themselves, and is only reporting what she's told. Riiight. That's not at all a convenient way to avoid having to answer (and possibly face) some serious issues at the heart of your characterizations and fictional world structure/view.

I don't know if I'll return to the BDB after this. I like Tohr a lot, and would very much like to read his story. But it feels like the bigger the author gets, the lower in quality the books become. It's inevitable, I guess. The Stephanie Plum series has taken a similar turn for the worse, and so have a few others in that vein (I'm hanging onto Diana Gabaldon by a thread).

My gripes aside, I think that Ward is generally a talented writer, and incredibly imaginative to have come up with a world that, even if I have problems with it, makes me write a diatribe about it on Amazon. Maybe after reading some of the feedback, she'll take it into consideration. I wouldn't mind seeing her get back into finer form and expand the purview of her world to more aptly reflect the tenets she says it exists by.

(Here I go, knowing full well I'll get 'unhelpful' votes just because you guys don't agree with me!!)

Okay, there's agony and drama and then there's ridiculous. Lover Mine is ridiculous. It's melodrama now.

This was so disjointed, so crazy with all the 'stop before the big revelation of major stuff' endings to scenes. In the past I could overlook the faults because I was having so much fun, but now it's not fun - it's very hard work. What genre is this supposed to be? Whose story is this supposed to be? It's a mess.

The mystery of the world they live in has been revealed to the point - and convoluted to the point - that it is no longer fun. There are all these strange dimensions, strange creatures, crazy rules, weird turnabouts that it's kind of silly. There's just too much going on.

Then there's the over the top language JR Ward used. `C!!ks!!!ing tissue'?! `Goddamned sheet'?! 'True'?! It used to sound sort of tough. Now there's so much of it it's obvious she's trying too hard! And if I read the term 'emotional grid' one more time I was going to scream!

Don't get me wrong - I was a JR Ward fangirl like many others. I am a member of her crazy-scary messageboard, and I have at least one copy of every book. I'm aware many people think she's redeemed herself here, but I cannot agree with that.

I never wanted to read issue-laden, mute John Matthew's story. Many series in many genres have a Mary Sue or Gary Stu who take over all the books. John Matthew is the Black Dagger Brotherhood's offending character. I don't care about an adolescent's evolution - hence reading the ADULT vampire series rather than sparkly fairy Twilight books. And superman Xhex never did anything for me. That said, I was willing to overlook it if this book was good. Instead I found so much pain and terror and grief and distress - just because the author could write it - that I couldn't find a way to connect with the characters.

I see the beginning of the series as a separate entity to the other part. What happens now is comedic, in a sick, sad way. It's a pity it turned out like this.

I have loved this series from the moment I stumbled across it. After reading Vishous' story, I was so intrigued by the rest of the brothers that I immediately went out and bought all of the other books to get caught up. This one was such a disappointment, although I think it's been going downhill since Phury's story. (I didn't like Phury's story, but that may be because I'm not into martyrdom and can't stand wallowing in self-pity.) I barely even remember Rehvenge's story.

Like many of the reviewers, I have really enjoyed John Matthew's story up to this point. However, this book didn't even feel like it was a BDB book. It felt like some second rate spin-off from the original series. The writing and the flow was so different from the original books that I just didn't get it. Below are some of my major complaints:

1) The thing that draws you in the most about the series is that this is about the Brothers and their fight to save their race. In all of the previous books, while the focus of each book was on particular one warrior, all of the brothers were characters in the story and played a part in the current tale. This book was all about the trio and the brothers didn't even show up until 2/3 of the way through... and even then some of them just barely got a mention. (Did Phury's name ever show up or was he always just referred to as the Primale?)

2) The book was very choppy and the extra scenes didn't even make sense. Who cares about the ghost at the bed and breakfast? What does that have to do with anything? Also, while the other books did have flashbacks to the past, they were always relevant to the current scene and transitioned into very nicely as a memory. The historical jaunts back in time with Darius and Tohr just popped in out of nowhere.

3) The most intriguing part of this book was the relationship with Blay and Qhuinn. This was more like the old JR Ward... the tension between them building at every scene... to the point where you knew it was just going to erupt. And then... poof... Blay decides to take a lover, they close the door and that's that. WHAT? It felt like the author looked up and said, "Oh, I've met my page quota... better wrap this up." Also, since when does a sex scene happen behind closed doors in these books? (A little too noncommercial for you, Ward? God, I hate sellouts.)

4) The whole theme behind this book was how alone both John and Xhex were throughout their lives, how perfect for each other they were because of their not fitting in and not belonging to anyone. Then suddenly in the last three pages of the book, we find out that John has a sister. Huh? Even I had to back up and remember that Beth was Darius' daughter. So where has she been the last two years or was that conveniently forgotten? Anyone reading this book without reading the previous books would be VERY confused.

5) The John Matthew in this book was very different from the one I've reading about in prior books. He was always hyper sensitive to how others were feeling around him (regardless of what situation he was personally dealing with). Why is he now blind to the tension between his two best-friends who are with him constantly? Not the same character.

6) Everything seemed to wrap up in the last three pages of the book. I hate when authors do that. That's not story telling, that's meeting a deadline or running out of room or something equally non-talented.

I think Ward has been listening to her own hype too much. She's lost sight of the story of the BDB and is now just turning out a product. I suspect it's now become a plan to introduce new characters so she can keep the money churning in. Well, this was probably the last book I will read from her so she won't be getting my money anymore.

I debated for awhile whether or not to take a chance on this book. I started out loving the BDB series. Now? Not so much. It is with great sadness that must say that with this BDB book, I'M DONE. I'm not exactly sure if my taste in writing has changed or if the writing really has gotten worse. I spent the first several chapters thinking, "where the hell was the editor?" The world building has completely fallen apart, rules set up in early books change now on a page by page basis.

Hard core fans may still love the book and continue on, but I just can't do it. I won't be spending any more money on poor writing and sloppy story telling. I sincerely regret buying this book (especially since I bought the Kindle version and I can't donate it to the used book store).

Note to JR Ward: not every noun has to come with a swear word in front of it!! Seriously, it doesn't sound cool, tough or otherwise, especially when coming out of the mouth of mega-butch Xhex while she lies in a hospital bed.

These books are starting to sound like a wannabe gangsta teenager is writing them. The language is over the top, the characters are trying oh so hard to be oh so cool and oh so tough. And now we're not even following the men of the story. We're following the Brotherhood `Padawans' and it's so not what I want to be reading about.

The story is so crazy now. There are too many erroneous storylines, so many extra parts that detract from the plot rather than add to it.

I LOVED this series when it was about vampires living in a dark world within our society. Now it's become a general fantasy where sexual perversions abound. JR Ward has tried so hard to be oh so original in recent books that the series has me thinking `crazy' instead of `cool'. We've got the ridiculously backwards Chosen with their medieval speech patterns and their infuriating submission (it's been eight books, when are things going to change?!). We've got all these bizarre species who detract from rather than add to the plot. We've got alternate dimensions galore, and now we've got reality shows.

I know most dissenting fans dropped off somewhere around Lover Unbound, and so the vast majority of readers now are going to dish out those five star reviews because in their eyes Ward can do no wrong.

But surely I'm not the only one who misses the days where the MEN of the series were out there doing what vampires do, fighting for their freedom. This series has turned into something utterly ridiculous, and I just can't forgive every crazy turn the writer takes.

This is apparently John Matthew/Gary Stu/Brotherhood Baby and Xhex/Xena/He-Man's book. That is, of course, a story that appears occasionally, alongside stories of a thousand other minor characters, another dimension, a reality show, and an overdose of swearing about inanimate objects.

Don't get me wrong, I know what it is to be a fangirl. I loved books 1-4. I wanted Rhage or Butch or Wrath to come and find me and make me their shellan. I thought Zsadist had some appeal...I guess. And then suddenly my lovely vampire stories started involving penile barbs, BDSM, alternate dimensions where virgins waft around speaking in a crazy, made-up formal language and are tied down to be raped for the good of the race. We discovered there are all these crazy species involving sympaths - whatever in the world they're supposed to be. One of our heroines turned into a ghost. People started using scorpions for sex. Fallen angels arrived on the scene.
And I realised the Black Dagger Brotherhood had morphed into The Craziest Bloody Saga You'll Ever Read.

John Matthew was a scrawny little runt when we met him. He is mute, confused and SO TRAUMATISED. He gets together with the butchest heroine who ever lived, who, by this book, is also SO TRAUMATISED. Once they get back together they go through more incidents that make even more TRAUMATISED.

HOWEVER...!!!

If this is the story you want to read, you'd better be prepared to do a lot of skim reading. Because there are ten thousand and one other big stories going on here, stories the naughty blurb didn't warn us about. Stories I certainly did not enjoy reading.
I love an author who's brave enough to see an end in sight for a series they write. JR Ward apparently doesn't want to finish this. I wanted to read about the original six finding their way. If those books were good, I would have been happy to read a loosely connected series that followed on from that. Instead we got four books in the original style and genre, and then another four (and some side books about the angels who wear leather and stuff) about this crazy, unfortunately and unintentionally hilarious universe that somehow exists right there alongside our society.

I didn't sign on for ludicrous tales of virgins spouting words like `verily' and `mayhap', nor for a species explosion of the Star Wars kind. What a pity Ward didn't realise she was onto a good thing when she was writing about vampires and all their sexiness.

Lover Mine is the eighth installment of J.R.Ward's very popular and addicting Black Dagger Brotherhood series about a group of vampire men who are the ultimate fighting warriors for their people. They are constantly on call to defend against the evil Omega. The Omega wants to not only destroy the vampire community, but also take over the world. There is an on-going war between the Omega and its band of soldier's called Lessers (The Omega steals their souls, rips out their hearts and changed them into almost zombie like creatures) and the Brothers that has continued on for centuries.

Lover Mine occurs four weeks after the events of Lover Avenged. The Omega's son, Lash, who was once a normal vampire, now controls the Lessers, as well the majority of the drug trafficking in Caldwell. Lash has been manipulated by the Omega and hates the Brothers with a passion. His hatred against one vampire who works along side the Brothers is John Matthew, a mute orphan who is the reincarnation of a deceased Brother, Darius, who was killed in the first book. Lash was a big bully before he went over to the dark side and his mission is to make John Matthew, as well as John's bodyguard, Qhuinn and his friend Blaylock suffer.

Lash has figured out a way to destroy John Matthew. Lash was almost taken down, but escaped, and has stolen something very special to John. Xhex is a half vampire, half sympath, who once was the head bouncer at a night club that John used to go to. John fell head over heels in love with Xhex, although she has given John all indication she wasn't interested. There are reasons why Xhex keeps John at arms length. Lash kidnapped Xhex and has placed an invisible spell on her, where no one can see or hear her, including a force field keeping her prison in a room, she can't escape.

John is on a mission to find Xhex. He won't rest until she is safe in his arms, or at least finds her body. He is a walking time bomb, a bundle of explosive rage because Lash has stolen his woman. He is finished with being the nice guy and has no regard for his safety, even if it means his own death. And when he finally finds Xhex, everything he thought and felt for her all comes crashing down around him. The John Xhex knew is no longer the sweet, confused boy who had a bad crush on her. He is now a man with needs, but has deep insight on what Xhex has suffered from Lash. He will help her forgive herself and recover while he confronts his own past.

There is a great turn of events in Lover Mine that many Ward fans will stand up and cheer for. First, we have a great love story between John Matthew and Xhex. This is a woman who is worthy of being a Brother and spits in the face of danger. Although she has gone through horrible abuses at the hand of true deranged psychopath.Xhex is a true female of worth and John Matthew is the perfect man to stand beside her. John Matthew's suffering is so palatable, especially when he thinks Xhex has been abused and killed. There are many of these heart wrenching internal thoughts and emotions of John's. Even when Xhex and John come together intimately, it is still very hard for both because they are both damaged. But their physical attraction is acted upon in such a way that is pure poetry and is very emotional and hot.

Not only do we have this primary relationship, but there is a secondary one that almost overrides the first. This is the one between the bi-sexual, very sexually active Qhuinn and his friendship with his best friend, Blaylock. Blaylock is so far gone over Qhuinn, even more so that John was ever with Xhex. Blay would give anything to be with Qhuinn, and wants nothing more than to be his mate and bond with him. But Qhuinn has emotional and psychological issues. He is very much attracted to Blaylock, and is very jealous when Blaylock begins a relationship with Qhuinn's cousin Saxton, who is the total opposite of Qhuinn. Saxton is out in the open with his homosexuality, while Qhuinn, who does long for Blaylock, wants the traditional straight lifestyle. And because of that, he rips apart his close bond with Blaylock. Because of Qhuinn's treatment, not only does Blaylock suffer, but also Layla, an idealistic and pure soul, who wants to belong to a male much like Qhuinn, is more than willing to give him anything he desires. The way Ward has written Qhuinn and Blay will have you panting for the next book to know how things will be resolved.

The slang used was a bit too ridiculous such as "hang a louie" (seriously, who says that?) and the non stop mention of someone's emotional grid on their faces. There are two other subplots that took away from the action and really became more of an annoyance. A new character is introduced in such a way that is beyond cheesy and didn't really bring anything welcoming to the story. This deals with two humans who work for a ghost hunter type reality show and their interaction with a horny ghostly specter. There are also flashbacks set in the 17th century with Darius and how he and Tohr are connected to a very important character. This character has a very pat ending that also didn't wow me, as well as the character of Payne, who is the Scribe Virgin's daughter. The way things end with her should have you anxious for the next book. But the main reason I want to read onward is for the Qhuinn/Layla/Blaylock/Sexton dynamic.

J.R. Ward is still one of the most amazing storytellers I have ever read. Most will definitely enjoy Lover Mine. I just wish she would keep a more concentrated effort on main events, rather than a few side ones that take away from the impact of the story. Lover Mine has on the edge of your seat action, smoldering love scenes and a few angles she explores; where I'm very interested in reading further to see the outcomes (this main concern is how much intimacy she will show her readers, if and when Qhuinn and Blaylock have their HEA together).

Katiebabs

This is one of the most frustrating books I've read in a long time, and it's all down to the way the story - or rather, stories - are told. Who is this book supposed to be about? John/Darius and Xhex? Darius and Tohr? Blay and Quinn? Lash? Other minor characters, including Chosen and lost Brothers? I couldn't decide, and it feels as if Ward couldn't either. Has Ward's editor taken leave of absence? Didn't someone read this and tell her that she needed to make up her mind what story she's telling and *stick to it*?

I don't have a problem with more than one storyline in a book - in fact, I prefer complex, well-worked novels, such as Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series - but this was well over the top.

In the end, it was difficult to identify with any particular element of the book, and any time I did start to invest in a particular storyline Ward would interrupt it and switch to something else, and then take so long to return to that storyline that I'd lost the thread and often lost interest. That made the book doubly frustrating - and then even more frustrating is that some very important threads weren't even resolved. I'm not talking about storylines that are clearly intended to carry on into later books (though, honestly, she's dragged out Quinn and Blay's relationship more than long enough already and it's about time we got some closure there - and I just hope she's not jerking readers around the way she did with Vishous and Butch, which ended in a complete cop-out, no pun intended), but one in particular which should have ended in this book - that of John's true origin, which has been dangling since the very first book in the series.

Far too much time is spent in this book on detailed - too detailed - descriptions of fights and brutality. I don't want to read about Lash's perverted and sadistic murders, thank you very much. Nor do I want page after page of his meetings with drug dealers. BORING - especially when that page-count could have been given over to much more interesting content. As other readers have commented, where were the women in this book? It seems as if, once they marry, they become as much shadows as Jane (who, ironically, is the only female character, other than Xhex, who got to play any kind of significant role). Beth is John's sister, or so they believe, so why is it Z and Tohr comforting him and not her?

In the end, John's story is disappointing, frustrating and unfinished. The most interesting storyline here is Blay and Quinn's, and it's jerked around and interrupted so much (and unfinished) as to leave readers unsatisfied. As such, I was also more irritated by the idiotic and juvenile street slang than before - and wondering how the heck Tohr managed to switch so completely from formal, Tudor-style English to this appalling rapper venacular.

If the next instalment is equally as disappointing, I'll be leaving this series behind, as I already have Kenyon's Dark-Hunters.