Lover Unbound by JR Ward

[jmc_bks]

How did I *not* love J.R. Ward’s lastest book, Lover Unbound, let me count the ways.

Warning -- SPOILERS ABOUND.

1. The “romance“ – which is supposed to be the primary theme, given that this is labeled as a paranormal romance and marketed as such – sucked.

a. Yay, another hero who recognizes his mate while barely conscious. And she loves him because? Yep, hot sex, but that’s not enough for me to believe in their Twu Wuv. Yeah, no, I didn’t believe they “loved” each other.

b. The ending? Sucked big giant donkey balls. I don’t care what kind of ghost Jane comes back as, she’s fucking dead. Killing the heroine doesn’t belong in romance. And there is no HEA if one of the h/h is a frickin’ ghost.

c. The convenient forgetting of Butch and the disposal of the homosexual overtones of their relationship? An excuse, a sop. I felt like Ward was both pacifying the multitudes who caught the homoerotic tones, and reassuring her homophobic readers that the Good Guys could never be Teh Gays.

d. V’s liking for dominance (and submission) must be rooted in his childhood. Because only someone whose mind is truly messed with could possibly be that deviant (her implication IMO). And Jane’s screwed up childhood with control freak parents explain why she jumps right into the life.

2. There was way too much going on. John Matthew’s change. Phury’s complete wig out, followed by his sacrifice. And Cormia? Blech. I’m almost interested enough in JM and possibly Xhex to keep up on the series...but not quite. And Payne? Gee, how very soap opera for it to be revealed at the end that V has a secret twin.

3. The explosion of the BDB world building and theology to date. Wait, the Scribe Virgin isn’t a virgin? And she isn’t the all powerful being that readers have been led to believe? It’s all her about her Father?

4. And the use of “God” as curse/swear rather than some other vampire deity seemed wrong. (That’s something Robin pointed out to me in the last book and now that it has my attention, the use is really jarring.)

5. In case you missed it earlier, the ending totally sucked. While I didn’t miss the POV of the lessers, the inclusion of them in the end for the killing of Jane? Unforeshadowed and cheap.

6. I noticed a lot of typos in my copy. Along with the messy-ing, the sitches, stillies (WTH? -- do the brothers sit around talking about women's shoes a lot that they have a nickname for stilettos?), and the regular disagreement of nouns and verbs in dialogue, the misspelling was just too much. And the use of “obstacle” as a verb? Uh, awkward – I get that Ward was trying to show the formality of the Directrix’s language, but it just came across to me as clunky and poorly written.

ETA: #7. What about V feeding? In earlier books, a big deal was made out of the brothers feeding from their mates, about how sexual it was, etc. No mention here at all about what V's going to have to do about that. No longer relevant? Am I as reader supposed to take it as read that Rhage's solution will also be V's?


Having said all that, Ward is an engrossing storyteller. Even as all these things were irritating me as I read, I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Weighing that against my general disappointment with LU, it’s not enough. I won’t be buying the next BDB book.

Comments

[menage-a-kat.livejournal.com]

Heh. I noticed "obstacle" as verb, too. I had to look it up to make sure I wasn't just losing track of colloquial English.

The more I think about LU, the more I wonder if most of my problems with the book stem from the way JRW tried to toe the middle line on everything, from V's am-I-gay-or-am-I-not, to the BDSM (how quickly he agrees to bottom considering he supposedly NEVER, EVER gives up control), to the Scribe Virgin being a bitch but with good reason, and so on. Also, I thought most of Phury's story could have been told in his own book, and as for JM and co., I would have preferred to get to know them better when they were a little more mature.

I still have Phury's book on order, but I'm hoping that the reaction from LU will have a positive impact on it. I used to hate the 6-month wait for the next book, but after LU, if JRW were to announce that the next book would be delayed by half a year, I'd actually feel relieved.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to figure out if my increasing dissatisfaction with the series is a function of the writing or just with the fact that it is a series. Maybe my attention span is just not set up for series that last more than 3 or 4 books. [The only exception so far is Robb's In Death series.]

[menage-a-kat.livejournal.com]

Around book 3 or 4 is about the critical point for me usually. But I have to say that Nalini Singh's Psy/Changeling series is still looking good, and I have high hopes for Meljean Brook. I think it's partly the fact that the first two pretty much *have* to be awesome to attract readers, but also because the desire to keep the momentum of a series going can lead to tighter publishing deadlines.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree partially with the whole "I RETURN I R GHOST" thing as fat as V's story goes, it just isn't..plausible. But happy endings FTW?! No one wants their heroine to die. SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read Phury's book yet don't read here!

When Tohr's mate died I was HEARTBROKEN I HATED it. I didn't want her to DIE but she did and it sucked. Now if JR develops some magical way for her to return I'd be stoked simply because everyone loves a happy ending and if you don't..well..you suck. The only reason I'd be willing to continue to read is to find out what happens to John Matthew, Qhuinn and Blaye. Will Qhuinn and Blaye finally hook up and be happy gays?! They kissed in Phury's book so maybe! I wanna know what happened with JM and the hot hot Xhex, I want a book soley about them and Qhunn and Blaye. Few mentions about the brothers but I want JM's book!

[(Anonymous)]

I'm just starting this series. I've finished DL and LE and I really liked both of them. Bummed to hear you didn't like it.

Mollie
http://biblioharlot.wordpress.com
(the openID NEVER works for me GAR!)

Hi, Mollie.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

If you check out Menage a Kat or Paperback Reader, you'll find links to some reviews that were happier than mine. My dissatisfaction boils down to two things mostly: distraction from the main love story by the inclusion of all of the other secondary storylines and new characters, and the ending. I'm sorry but a ghost for a partner/lover just doesn't work for me as an HEA or even an HFN.

[jperceval.livejournal.com]

OK, you're like the third person in my "readers I trust" who said similar things about LU. Maybe now I can quit JRW, b/c I have no desire to read this book whatsoever, based on everyone's comments.

You have my gratitude!

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there are other readers out there who are happier.

AngieW seemed to like it: http://nicemommy-evileditor.com/blog/?p=1093

HelenKay Dimon thought it worked on a couple of levels but not as a romance. http://www.paperbackreader.net/2007/09/lover_unbound_by_jr_ward.html

[dancechica1821.livejournal.com]

My disappointment with the series began with Lover Awakened. I haven't bought another BDB book since. I've only read the review Jane wrote at Dear Author, but based on that, and this one, I know for sure I won't be picking up anymore in the series. Personally, I think the whole ghost thing sounds ridiculous.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I liked Lover Awakened, mostly because I liked Bella. But I haven't been thrilled with the two books since. I'll probably check out the future BDB books from the library...without being in a great rush to read them.

[sarahf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm on page 88 and the stupid-ass language is REALLY getting to me this time. And the whole BDSM is because of his childhood trauma thing is awful, horrible. And the gay thing...yech. And am I the only one who DOESN'T give two flying fucks about JM? I must be, because everyone else seems to eat up the storyline. What I've seen of Cormia so far, I actually like. Taken in context of the world-building, I think she actually does have some spirit, but we'll see. The excerpt did not thrill me.

This is why I don't like long, successful paranormal series: the world-building explosion. Like, crappy world-building is okay until we hit the NYT best-seller lists, and then we have to really get our groove on and change everything? Hell now. I don't read these stories for the world-building. That article about Nora Roberts' vampire trilogy does a fabulous job of talking about what holds a paranormal romance together is still the romance, and Ward seems to have lost sight of this in this book.

I'm still hooked, at least for one more paperback (Phury), but then the book after that (Rehv? JM?) is in hardcover and that's going to be a hard sell for me.

I think I'm going to write a TMT post on the book and that article above and talk about paranormal world-building. Hrm. Ideas sparking....like I don't have enough to do.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to that article on NR's paranormals. I agree -- Ward seems to have lost the romance in the paranormal.

I like JM and enjoyed his POV in LU, but if pressed would admit that his storyline contributed nothing at all to the V/Jane story. I want to know how his/Darius's reincarnation worked. Biology/physiology quibble: I don't understand how he can moan if he doesn't have a voice box -- the sound of a moan originates the same way as words do, it just isn't articulated the same way words are. Did I miss something?

[dogzzz2002.livejournal.com]

Ooops. Reading the comments brought up the spoilers and now I'm afraid to read the book. Ghosts suck. I don't read romances with ghosts because uh, shouldn't they be on another plane? Okay, I will read the book. I'll be back!

CindyS

[(Anonymous)]

Really interesting to read all the different takes on this one. I liked it better than you, but I have a feeling that that's indicative of the fact that I'm growing increasingly less invested in this series. I was like, well, that didn't work, shrugged and kept plowing on. I think Phury's book will be make or break for me. Didn't like the Primale/Cormia thing.

Great point about the SV's omniscience and the V feeding issue. Hadn't even thought of that. That's the kind of change that drives me nuts. Perhaps Layla the walking bloodbank will just feed him also.

Devon