Lover Forbidden

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Synopsis

As a social media influencer, Lyric has become disillusioned with her job, feeling like she's not doing anything meaningful with her life, and that's especially true in light of her grandmahmen and namesake nearing the end of her life. Her determination to do something that matters is only exacerbated when she experiences a brush with death. A billboard almost falls on top of her, but she's saved in the nick of time by Devlin, a handsome human construction worker. Unable to stop thinking about her mysterious rescuer, Lyric seeks him out, and finds herself instantly drawn to him. Even though it's dangerous for vampires and humans to mix, she can't stop seeing him, telling herself that it's only a short-term thing, but the passion that ignites between them feels like something more. When she finds out the truth about Dev's background, though, she'll have to decide if she can forgive him for the lie of omission or if it's really over for them.

Devlin is a loner from a troubled background, who works the night shift at a construction site. On one such night, he witnesses a billboard detach from a rooftop in high winds and it's heading straight for a beautiful blond woman on the street. Dev springs into action, rescuing Lyric just before she would have been crushed by it. Although he can't seem to stop thinking of her afterward, he knows that he shouldn't be getting involved with anyone right now, but when she seeks him out to return a jacket he gave her in the aftermath of the accident, he can't resist spending more time with her. However, Dev is harboring a huge secret that once revealed could not only end their relationship but also have far-reaching repercussions within the vampire world. Meanwhile, the Black Dagger Brotherhood find themselves hunting a glymera traitor who is plotting against the throne, and L. W. is hell-bent on going after Lash even if it endangers his own life.

Review

Lover Forbidden is the twenty-third book in J. R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Our heroine is Lyric, blooded daughter of Qhuinn and Layla, and step-daughter of Blay and Xcor. She's built a career as a social media influencer with her own clothing line and a bevy of fans, but with her grandmahmen and namesake nearing the end of her life, it's made Lyric think more about what she's actually doing with her own life. It all seems meaningless and she's ready to quit everything in search of something to do that will actually make a difference. Lyric's determination to do just that is only solidified when she has a brush with death from a billboard nearly falling on top of her. However, she's rescued by Devlin, a handsome construction worker, just in the nick of time. Lyric finds herself drawn to Dev, even though dating a human comes with its own risks, but she just can't seem to stay away. Dev has spent most of his life as a loner, but Lyric makes him long for something he thinks he can't have. Keeping their relationship on the down low, they continue to see one another, until Lyric discovers Dev's secret, something so big it could not only end their romance, but it could have farther-reaching repercussions for the entire vampire world. Meanwhile the glymera's plot to overthrow the king continues apace, as they take drastic measures to ensure their success, while elsewhere, L. W. has decided to go after Lash even if it means sacrificing himself to save the vampire race.

Until the next-gen stories started with the previous book, The Beloved, the last time we saw Lyric she was still an infant. In the past thirty years, she's grown into a beautiful young woman with a kind heart and strong family connections. She loves all four of her parents, as well as her twin brother, Rhampage, and her grandparents (Blay's parents), but her grandmahmen has reached the final stage of her life and has been rapidly declining. This has really made Lyric start thinking about her own life and how she's not exactly doing anything truly important. When the billboard nearly falls on her head, she's even more determined to make some serious changes. However, her brush with death was also her first meeting with Devlin, the handsome human construction worker who saved her life. She can't seem to stop thinking about him and continues to be drawn back into his orbit. She knows the risks of being with a human, but tries to tell herself it's just a short-term thing until she can't deny her feelings anymore. But when Dev's secret comes out, it could ruin everything and put more lives in danger. Lyric is a likable heroine, a very nice, kind person, which I would fully expect given who her parents are. She may not be doing anything particularly meaningful in the beginning, but after her epiphany, she sets out to change that and goes through a great deal of growth throughout the story. She ends up making a huge difference in several people's lives, even to the point of saving lives herself, and becoming the glue that holds her family together. The reveal of Dev's secret sends her reeling, but in the end, she finds forgiveness after Dev's actions on her behalf.

Devlin comes from an unstable background that's pretty much unlike anything anyone else in the series has dealt with, and which has driven him to become a loner. He works the night-shift in construction and just happened to be on hand when the billboard went flying off the top of a building in high winds, headed straight for a young woman. Dev doesn't hesitate to step in, saving Lyric's life, but although he finds her attractive, he doesn't believe they'll ever see each other again. He can't stop thinking about her, though, so when she shows up at his apartment to return a jacket he gave her in the aftermath of the accident, he can't resist seeing where things go, even though he intends to leave Caldwell soon. However, Dev is keeping a huge secret that he knows could completely change the way Lyric sees him, but before he has a chance to tell her himself, it comes out in the worst possible way, putting lives in danger. Even though Lyric says she doesn't want to see him again, Dev's love for her makes him choose to risk his life to take action to help her. While I liked Dev and thought he was a nice guy, I felt that he was somewhat underdeveloped as a character. I admit that I'm not sure how else J. R. Ward could have written his character and still maintained his secret for as long as she did, but it did leave me feeling a little disconnected from him. Even when his backstory came out, there wasn't much information given to speak to his motives or as to why he was so different from his parents, who are horrible people, beyond the apple simply falling far from the proverbial tree. I'm glad that he did though, and in the end, he more than proved where his true loyalties lay.

As with all the BDB books, Lover Forbidden gives us a number of other characters' perspectives. I think the main younger gen's POV was Shuli's, as he and L. W. are getting along like oil and water after Shuli was appointed as L. W.'s ahstrux nohtrum. Shuli is kind of spinning his wheels, playing the man-whore and sleepwalking through life in the tortured way that several of the other male characters in the series have. For his part, L. W. doesn't think he needs a babysitter and tends to blow Shuli off a lot. In the beginning, he's a huge jerk, but as the story progresses, we discover new depths to his character. He's crazy about Bitty, but ends up hurting her feelings because he doesn't think he's good enough for her. Despite all that, these two are clearly destined for each other and I can't wait for their story. L. W. also has a major chip on his shoulder about his dad being gone for thirty years, even though it wasn't Wrath's fault, and he and Wrath aren't getting along. Then he decides to risk his life and take matters into his own hands by going after Lash with Shuli and Rhamp as his backup. Among the OG brothers, we get Wrath's POV as he tries to navigate a relationship with the son he hasn't seen since infancy. We also get a little from Vishous as he tries to help his foster son, Allhan, through his transition (Daddy Vishous? Yes, please!;-)), and in the process we learn more about this whiz kid's heartbreaking backstory. Can't wait for his book either. Last but not least, we have Qhuinn who feels rather helpless as he watches his mate, Blay, sitting death vigil for his mahmen, and then has to deal with his daughter nearly getting killed. We also get perspectives from the glymera villains, Whestmoral, and his right-hand, Conrahd, as they continue plotting to overthrow Wrath and take drastic steps to do so.

Overall, Lover Forbidden was a good read. I liked Lyric and Dev. Lyric goes through a strong character arc, as she works to make changes in her life and finds opportunities to help others. While Dev could have been better developed, I like how things ended up for him. Their relationship likewise could have been stronger. It's very much an insta-love, which I'm not opposed to if the emotional connection is there, but it's not as deep as I would have liked. I'm not sure I could pinpoint how or why these two fell in love, but I'm willing to accept that they did, and their sharing of a piece of themselves with each other helped with that. Where the romance had some weaknesses, the rest of the story helped to make up for it. I loved learning more about Allhan, L. W., and Shuli, all of whom will make great heroes in their own right as the series continues. L. W.'s friction with his dad and Bitty makes things intriguing while waiting for his book, as does his plotting behind the Brotherhoods' backs to kill Lash. I'll be very interested in seeing where all this goes. Then there's the vigil for Blay's mahmen, which is by turns heartwarming and heartbreaking. The glymera's plot against Wrath is still developing, so I look forward to seeing where that goes as well. Although the book didn't end quite the way I thought it would given the events that run up to it, I grudgingly admit that if it had gone the way I was thinking, it probably wouldn't have left much in the way of conflict for future stories in the series. I will say that I was a bit surprised that Devina finally did the right thing for once, but whether she's truly changed remains to be seen. Even though Lover Forbidden had a few weaknesses, I was still thrilled to be inhabiting the BDB world again and look forward to seeing what comes next for these beloved characters.

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J. R. Ward