Lover Unbound
Compelling
Layered
Thrilling

Lover Unbound Black Dagger Brotherhood #5

J. R. Ward2007
The ruthless and brilliant brother Vishous possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time-until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that does not include her...
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Reviews

Photo of Rebecca Hurd
Rebecca Hurd@becca2bz
5 stars
Jul 16, 2024

Ughhh!!!! Ok so this story made me REALLY happy…until it didn’t and J. R. Ward you know what you did to the doc!! I can’t stress enough how much I love these books and the way the author intertwines all of these amazing characters in every single one of them!! Even though this book is mainly about V it dives into other characters and that’s what I find so interesting!!!! I can’t wait to return to the Brotherhood compound and see what other twists come into the Brother’s lives!!!!

Photo of Lover of Romance
Lover of Romance @addictedtoromance
5 stars
Jan 1, 2023

Vishous, is a member of the Brotherhood, having his best friend Butch recently married, he is feeling a bit put out. Vishous is a relentless fighter against the Lessers, he also has a more rough approach to sexual encounters due to the way that he was raised. Having not known his mother, his father was a cruel "son of a bitch" ( to be putting it mildly) who was a bloodletter. Vishous grew up tormented and abused. Presently he discovers that his mother whom he has never known is the Scribe Virgin. At first Vishous is shocked to say the least. Apparently the Scribe Virgin wanted her child to have all the aspects his father had. A fighter, strong, cunning, and ruthless in his fighting. His mother agreed to his father to let him train their son for three centuries. When hearing that his mother agreed to this deal, knowing the cruelites he was forced to bear, he is furious. Then when she tells him that he is to be the Primale and have forty mates, and bear children upon them all, he is stunned. Later, Vishous doesn't know if he can go through with it. One night while fighting a Lesser, he gets a mortal injury, and is taken to a mortal hospital to be treated by Dr. Jane Whitcomb. Jane, is a talented doctor and surgeon and loves her job and being able to save lives. Jane has a high position but wants to be chief of surgery. Knowing that will never happen at her current situation, since the current Chief will most likely be there for another twenty years, she is planning a trip that weekend to head down to South America for a high position as Chief Surgeon. However her plans change, when a certain particular patient is brought in the ER for severe injury to the chest which could be fatal if she doesn't operate soon. So when he is brought in she does, and see notices things such as his heart is different from anything she has ever seen before. When she has him stable, his "brothers" come in and take him along with kidnapping her, at Vishous's insistence. So Jane finds herself taken captive by unknown men where she will treat Vishous until he has fully healed. During this time however, Jane and Vishous connect and find themselves risking everything for what they have found in each other. A desire and a deep abiding love stronger than anything they have ever known. Vishous is at a loss as to what to do, for he has a duty and responsibility to his brotherhood, yet his heart also speaks of another duty, to keep the one he loves by his side for all time. I enjoyed reading Vishous's story, it was definitely an emotional and engaging read that had me on the edge of my seat in suspense. As a reader, we see that Vishous is a tormented being who has been tortured and abused for many years by his father, and is still trying to heal and the effects of the abuse still linger in him. Then he meets Jane who even though being a human and mortal, stirs a passion in him and calms the wild beast. She is the one he loves and trust more than anyone else, and he knows he has to let her go soon and erase her memory of her knowledge of their precious time together. Its basically a scenario of deciding what is more important duty over love. Jane, having been raised in a home where her family never appreciated her and having her parents and sister gone, she is all alone in this world. Then she meets the one man that even though he scares and thrills her at the beginning, she starts to soften toward him, and she knows she is falling for him, madly. This is probably the most emotional book that I have read from J.R. Ward. I truly enjoyed reading most of the story, although the ending was a little weird and not what I expected at all ( definitely will shock you, for it did me) it was a deep and thrilling romance, that either had be crying or laughing, or so intense in its action that had my heart pounding, it sure was a well worth it read!!! J.R. Ward has done it again for me, totally enthralled me in her stories and captivated my heart to the characters.

Photo of Missy Zuber
Missy Zuber @mlz2883
4 stars
Aug 15, 2022

Though Vishous is one of my favourites of the BDB, his story was somewhat of a disappointment. Edit 31 May, 2020: Lover Unbound gets better with each additional reread.

Photo of Dawn Keiser
Dawn Keiser@savi_15
5 stars
Aug 11, 2022

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Vishous! All-time favorite book by far

Photo of Celeste Richardson
Celeste Richardson@cecereadsandsings
3 stars
Aug 11, 2022

I didn't love this one quite as much as some of its predecessors, but I love Vishous enough as a character to overlook that. A good bit of plot setup for future novels happened here. So while it wasn't my favorite, it was important to the overall story. And I was definitely neither bored nor tempted to put the series to the side for a while, so I obviously still enjoyed it plenty.

Photo of Amy Grieve
Amy Grieve@blossomamy
5 stars
Jan 9, 2022

My current little addiction hasn't let me down yet. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a great mix of action and romance that can keep you transfixed to to the page. I really loved this book for everything its worth. V has always been one of those characters on the sidelines and I have always wondered about him and his particular past. So this book kept me enticed with the promise of more and didn't fail to deliver. V has had a difficult and brutal past in warrior camp under the rule of his father The Bloodletter. One of my favourite discoveries is the revelation of who V's mother actually is. I was like WOW! Jane was a great female lead as far as I am concerned. She was smart, brave and pretty. She helped V get over his problems with true intimacy, she helped him deal with his brutal upbringing and in the end she shows V that his gift is not a curse. A great story with a very different ending, but amazing all the same. There was less action in this book than I would have preferred still I liked the break from the whole bunch of Lesser crap.

Photo of Jade Flynn
Jade Flynn@jadeflynn
3 stars
Nov 20, 2021

'Lover Unbound', for me is on par with 'Lover Awakened' (Z's story). This book made me laugh, it made me cry and it certainly made me angry. But it will make you stand in awe at the writing ability of the very talented J. R. Ward. This is an exceptional story for an exceptional brother. Next up in 'Lover Enshrined' is Phury!

Photo of Amanda J
Amanda J @librarianonbreak
3 stars
Nov 17, 2021

better than the last one; but not as good as the first 3

Photo of Lisa W.
Lisa W.@babeinlibrary
5 stars
Nov 17, 2021

So far my 2nd favorite book in the series...Hands down! This book took me farther than I ever imagined. Where do I start? First thing first. Thank you for not tarnishing the relationship that Vishous and Butch have. This book could have broken them apart or changed their dynamic but yet and still they are the same. I've always enjoyed their bro-mance which lives on. Secondly, I loved Vishous' use of mine. His possessiveness is the most extreme due to his alpha male ways. When he first used the word in the hospital bed, I knew his love would run deep. He made the ultimate sacrifices when it came to her on several occasions. Case in point, his efforts to give her up so that she would be safe and have a fulfilled life. Fortunately those efforts were to no avail. Other than Butch and Beth there were no competing rivalries when it comes to males. Manuello's role in this book was intriguing. Not simply because he was marginally close to holding Jane's heart. The interesting part was to find out that he would be a brother one day. Of course I had to be nosey figure out how. Lets just say it was foreshadowed in this book but in the most subtle way. Speaking of foreshadowing let me just say I am dying to read Xhex and John Matthew's book. AHHHHHHHH!! Like no offense to Phury, but I could care less about him and Cormia. I need to she how John and Xhex wind up taking it to the next level. Its mind blowing but somewhat cliche. She is the ying to his yang, or so it seems. Where he is youthful and skiddish she is experience and powerful. His special ability is that prior to his reincarnation he was a great warrior. Her special ability is that she is a sympath. They both have their fair share of intrigue to keep me going. Oh and lets talk about intrigue. Ward has taken this book to the next level with the bondage and dominance. Yeah buddy! I was not expecting this to occur in the least bit. This single scene took the story to another level. He bared his soul to her and gave her something could have broken him if her heart wasn't in the right place. Lastly lets discuss Vishous and his parents. Mind blown. Oh and the fact that he has a sister that's basically been frozen and captive by her mother. :-0 . I have no clue why I never put 1+1 with his glowing hand. I mean come one. I feel like I was railroaded. I can't wait to see what his sister is like. Hopefully she will be more accepting of this information than Vishous but I highly doubt it. Guess I'll have to wait and see.

Photo of celeste
celeste@corcordium
5 stars
Nov 12, 2021

I will be forever salty that V and Butch never happened, but what can I say? I also love Jane. Out of all the shellans, she's definitely one of my favorites, so I am kind of okay with how things turned out between them, even if my heart will always belong to V & Butch. These books are like crack to me, I can't get enough of them 😅 Onto the next one, which will definitely make me an emotional fucking mess because of Phury.

Photo of Brandie States
Brandie States@roxxyreads
5 stars
Sep 27, 2021

I admit, I was super excited to dive into this book. I absolutely LOVE the character Vishous, and I couldn't wait to dive deeper into his mind! This book did not disappoint!!! So many twists and turns, and even more action packed...this book is a winner!

Photo of Ela
Ela@ela_m
5 stars
Sep 3, 2024
Photo of Lulu
Lulu@lulu-reads
3.5 stars
Sep 18, 2022
Photo of Haleigh Marshall
Haleigh Marshall@marshalh20
3.5 stars
Jun 9, 2022
Photo of Selea Cooper
Selea Cooper@seleas_lib
3 stars
Apr 18, 2022
Photo of Briana
Briana@brianalouisebooks
4.5 stars
Apr 3, 2022
+3
Photo of Deborah Hayes
Deborah Hayes@readbythemoon
4 stars
Mar 27, 2022
Photo of Kellie Davis
Kellie Davis@kelliedavis
5 stars
Jul 8, 2024
Photo of Vicky  Nuñez
Vicky Nuñez @vicky21
2 stars
Mar 25, 2024
Photo of Tifani Dyson
Tifani Dyson@tifanichanel
5 stars
Jan 10, 2024
Photo of Matilda
Matilda@ladypearl
3 stars
Jan 10, 2024
Photo of Moxie Minion
Moxie Minion@moxie
3 stars
Jan 9, 2024
Photo of Deborah Mabilde
Deborah Mabilde@mabildedeborah
3 stars
Jan 7, 2024
Photo of Gwyn Dill
Gwyn Dill@gwyndill
3 stars
Dec 30, 2023

Highlights

Photo of Haleigh Marshall
Haleigh Marshall@marshalh20

Dedicated to: You I got you wrong in the beginning and you have my apologies. It's just so like you that you stepped in anyway, and saved not only him, but also me in this endeavor

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