Finished Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward. This is the fifth and latest book in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Warning: This posts contains some spoilers, so if you haven’t read the book, you might want to skip this post.

This book is about Vishous, a vampire haunted by his past and unwanted destiny to become the Primale — the warrior who will take 40 wives and ensure the continuation of the vampire race. One night after Vishous is shot and left for dead, he’s taken to a human hospital where he meets Dr. Jane Whitcomb. Vishous is immediately attracted to Jane and has his fellow vamps kidnap her when they spring him from the hospital.

I liked a lot of things about this book. Nobody makes messed up characters more likable than Ward, and I’m always amazed how she can juggle so many plotlines — and make them all interesting,  engaging, and give everyone a unique voice. In addition to Vishous and Jane, we also get to see a lot of other vamps — like Phury, Cormia, and John Matthew. Some folks complained this book was a little light on the main romance between Vishous and Jane, but I like the continuing stories and setups for new couples.

But there were also a lot of things I didn’t like about the book. Ward writes alpha male characters well, but I’m just not a fan of them in general. I don’t like the possessiveness and jealousy that seems to define alpha male behavior. (My agent says I write alpha female characters. But that’s a post for another time). For example, Vishous wants to kill a human doctor who’s interested in Jane the second he sees the doctor. Not cool. 

Then, there’s Jane. I understand she’s a doctor and has sworn an oath to save lives. But if a six-foot-something vampire and his friends kidnapped me, I’d be looking for weapons — not saving their lives, no matter what they promised me. (Jane does get a razor at one point, but Vishous almost immediately takes it away from her). And I don’t think I’d be daydreaming about macking on said vampire, no matter how hot he was. At least, not at first. 😉

And the ending. Lots of reviewers have talked about the ending. Some love it. Some think it’s a copout. Basically, Jane gets shot by a lesser (bad guy) and dies. But the Scribe Virgin (vampire goddess) brings her back to life and makes her a ghost, so she and Vishous can live happily ever after.

So the question is why doesn’t the Scribe Virgin do the same for Tohrment, a vampire who lost his wife in a previous book? I think the answer is supposed to be because Vishous is the Scribe Virgin’s son, and she owes him for making his life so miserable. But that’s really just my own interpretation.

What about you? What did you think of the ending of Lover Unbound?

Also, something I always think about when I read Ward is one of her primary world-building rules — that vampires can’t turn humans into vampires. You’re either born a vamp or not (unless you’re like Butch and are really half-vamp anyway, but just didn’t go through your transition). As a writer, this seems limiting to me. I always wonder how she’s going to pull off the next vampire-human romance, without having the Scribe Virgin make everything okay in the last chapter. Maybe it’s just me.

So, I’m going split decision on this one. Thumbs up to the overall writing and continuing character storylines. Thumbs down to the Vishous-Jane romance and the ending. 

Up next: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs.

Gah! Somewhere along the way, I’ve messed up by book review numbers. My computer database says this is the 860th book I’ve read. My blog says 859. So, I’m going with the database and changing this number accordingly.

Anyway, finished Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker. This is his latest Jesse Stone novel, about a police chief in Paradise, Massachusetts who struggles with his drinking problem and relationship with his ex-wife, Jenn.

In this one, Wilsow “Crow” Cromartie comes back to Paradise to track down a runaway girl and her mother. Crow got the best of Jesse ten years ago, when he escaped from Paradise with millions. The begins with Crow paying Jesse a courtesy visit to let him know he’s back in town. Crow finds the girl easily enough, but decides not to take her home to Florida to her father, who’s a notorious gangster. People die, and Jesse starts investigating.

I always enjoy reading Parker’s novels for his dialogue. No one does snappy dialogue better than he does. But I’m disappointed with this book. It was pretty light on plot and suspense, and Crow was featured almost as much as Jesse. I just didn’t get the feeling this book was about Jesse and how he reacts to events, but more of a build-up to the shoot-out scene at the end.

Also, there’s Jesse’s relationship with Jenn. I just don’t get it. No matter what she does (even sleep with other men), he always loves her and wants her back. Jesse is such a strong man, I don’t understand why he thinks he needs her. He really needs to move on, or Parker needs to resolve it one way or the other. 

I had high hopes a couple of books ago that Jesse would settle down with Sunny Randall (the main character in another Parker series), and that Parker would continue to write books from both their points of view, showing how their relationship is progressing. But doesn’t look like it’s going to happen now. 

Ah, well. Thumbs down.

Up next: Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward.