Lover Forbidden

Black Dagger Brotherhood Book #23

By J.R. Ward

ISBN# 9781982179960

Author’s Website: jrward.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Review

Lyric is starting to question her life choices.  All around her, there are people doing important meaningful things with their lives.  And, being a fashion influencer seems frivolous and superficial.  Especially when her manager starts being rude to her friend, Allhan. 

Lyric runs after Allhan to apologize, when a fallen billboard starts coming after her.  A strong stranger saves her from certain death when he shields her from the billboard’s decent. 

Dev is so strong for a human, and handsome too.  And even though a relationship would never work, Lyric can’t help, but be drawn to him.  Her dying grandmother’s encouragement is the last push she needs to see where things go with her savior.

However, things are not what they seem.  And Dev isn’t what he seems to be either.  Lyric thought a relationship with a human was taboo.  However, a relationship with what Dev actually is would be the most forbidden of all.  What is one to do, when they fall in love with the one person they can never have?

I finally caught up on this series when this book released.  So, I was excited to read it while it’s still considered new.  However, I’m sad to admit that I found this book rather disappointing.  I was expecting so much more from a book about Qhuinn’s blooded daughter.  Lyric obviously takes more after her mother personality wise.

There was a lot going on in this book with all the side stories.  The brotherhood is trying to track a traitor, there is Allhan’s transition, and L.W. being the biggest of problem children.  Allhan was the only storyline that really added anything to the main story with Lyric.  I was also surprised with all the guys that had these massive crushes on Lyric, especially knowing she wouldn’t be returning any of their feelings. 

Overall, I found most of this book to be rather dull and boring.  The relationship between Lyric and Dev was so hot and cold that it was obnoxious.  We didn’t get the feel-good new relationship vibes as they kept pushing each other away as soon as things started getting hot and heavy.  And, why is a relationship with a human taboo, there are already a few relationships with humans in this series.  There was one or two chapters toward the end that drew me in and kept me reading, but everything else was so monotonous. 

And, I really wanted to see protective sire Qhuinn losing his absolute shit over everything that went down in this book.  He was just way to tame for my tastes in this novel.

I did truly enjoy Devlin.  I didn’t expect the significance of what or who he was until it was revealed.  It made sense why he was trying to force himself to stay away.  However, he was kind of terrible at it.  Telling Lyric he has to go, that they can’t be together, but hey I’ll meet you tomorrow.  He did this several times.

It felt like all they went through in the end, was for nothing though.  Dev was giving everything he had to rid the world of a big evil.   Yet, that evil is still in the world and he lost a large part of himself for nothing.  A part of him that could have helped protect his female.  And, it also really bothered me that I don’t know what Dev is now.  Is he now a vampire?  A human?  What!?!  Explain it to me damn it!  *stomps foot*