Lover Mine Advanced Review *J.R. Ward*

Beware… potential spoilers…

Lover Mine is the eighth installment of J.R.Ward's very popular and addicting (utter crack) Black Dagger Brotherhood series about a group of vampire men who are the ultimate fighting warriors. They're constantly on call to defend against the evil Omega that not only longs to 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 been going on for centuries.

Lover Mine occurs four weeks after the events of Lover Avenged. The Omega's son, Lash, 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. 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 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 stashed her away right under the noses of the Brothers. But because Lash has placed an invisible spell on Xhex, where no one can see or hear her, including a force field keeping her prison in a room, she can't escape.

Lash has made Xhex his sexual plaything, and because Xhex has been through hell in back already through the decades, she won't go down without a fight. Because of her strong nature, Lash becomes obsessed with Xhex, where through sexual torture and rape he falls in love with her. He also wants her to be the first female lesser and the mother of his offspring.

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. And then he will walk alongside Xhex into battle where they will finish off Lash for good or die trying.

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, she takes the time to reflect, goes through the motions of recovery, and then decides on a course of revenge. 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. The scene where he finds a room covered in dried blood and Xhex is invisible and standing right next to him, pleading for him to save her, where he can't see or hear her will bring tears to your eyes:

"Reaching out, he picked up one of the pillows and held it gently. Bringing it to his nose, he inhaled… and caught a stronger version of what he dreamed of every night: Xhex's scent.

His knees weakened and he went down like a stone through still water, collapsing by the side of the mattress. Burying his face into the softness, he drew her into him, her fragrance lingering like a memory, at once tangible and elusive…
John's face grew wet and he felt something drip off his chin, but he didn't give a shit. He was consumed with the thought that he'd come so close to saving her… but just not arrived soon enough.

The sob that breached his throat actually made a sound."

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, the redheaded 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 smooth, sophisticated and, "a slut, a very classy, very elegant slut" as Qhuinn calls him. 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, and is more than willing to give him anything he desires. The scene where Blaylock basically says "goodbye" to the unaware Qhuinn stopped my breath.

The way Ward has written Qhuinn and Blay, or what her fans fondly call Qhuay, will have you panting for the next book to know how things will be resolved. I've said this before, but Ward can really write incredible male friendships and she takes it up a notch, especially when she now has two men who desire each other, much like her straight couples. This steamy exchange proves that Ward can write a hot MM gay love scene as well as her straight ones:

"Say the word, Qhuinn. Do it and I'll spend the night with you… Better yet," Blay drawled, "why don't you just kiss me-"

Blay was whipped around and shoved hard against the dresser, the chest of drawers slamming against the wall with a thunder. As cologne bottles rattled and a brush hit the floor, Qhuinn forced his lips down hard on Blay's, his fingers biting into Blay's throat."

"… With fumbling hands, Blay yanked his shirt out from the slacks and went for his own fly."

Lover Mine seems to have this big undertone of being forced or being forceful, such as the way Lash forced himself on Xhex, John pushes those around him to find Xhex, Xhex forcing herself to stay strong and finally with the tension between Qhuinn and Blaylock. There are a lot of heavy actions and reactions from these characters and the way they handle things.

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). (April 27th, NAL)

Final Grade: B

Other Lover Mine reviews:
Fiction Vixen
Smexy Books
Writings of a Wicked Book Addict

Side Note: If you still haven't ordered your copy of Lover Mine, Amazon is selling it for the low price of $9.99!