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The hotly anticipated thrilling conclusion of the Lair of the Wolven series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward. In this finale, Lydia and Daniel are bracing themselves for his inevitable decline but first, they must go on a rescue mission that will put both their lives in danger.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 23, 2024
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About the author
J.R. Ward
221 books52.4k followersJ.R. Ward is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. She lives in the South her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
January 25, 2024
Oh, where to start. First let me say that I really did enjoy this one. Four stars was my knee-jerk reaction when I finished it and I stand by it, but that does not mean I'm without complaints or lingering questions.
This book, like so many others that JR Ward has put out lately (bombastic side-eye towards Lassiter), has left me conflicted. On the one hand, I still think this whole spin-off series is the best thing she's put out in a while. I have been chasing the high of the suspense and the plot-twist that she delivered in Claimed in all the books she's published since and nothing else has come close for me. On the other hand this series, and specifically this book, are still plagued by the same issues that have been popping up in her writing more and more as of late. I somehow keep walking away with the impression that I have received a mountain of information (much of it a bit repetitive) and yet somehow, it's never enough to actually tie up the whole plot. And don't tell me it's a situation where I need to keep reading because for one, this spin-off series is done as of this book, and for another, she's given me no impression that she'll ever remember to go back for some of this stuff she's thrown out onto the page, both in this series and in the main one.
So let's start with what I still want to know now that I've finished the book, and then go from there (buckle in, we're gonna be here a minute). Warning, I do have to talk about the main BDB series a bit to get it all out there, but nothing too specific if you're caught up to say, The Savior. And obviously I'm going to talk about Claimed and Forever in some detail as well. Anyway. Cue the spoiler blocker in 3, 2, 1:
Okay, if you made it through all that, you get a cookie. Or my eternal gratitude; idk which is worth more to you. I just needed some place to talk through my thoughts on this series. I hope it's clear to everyone that this lengthy commentary comes from a place of love for the world JR Ward has built for her BDB readers - I'd like to think I wouldn't dedicate this much brain space to something I don't have a deep affection for. I just also believe that it's okay to be critical of things that we love on occasion. Anyway, that's all. Byeeeeee.
This book, like so many others that JR Ward has put out lately (bombastic side-eye towards Lassiter), has left me conflicted. On the one hand, I still think this whole spin-off series is the best thing she's put out in a while. I have been chasing the high of the suspense and the plot-twist that she delivered in Claimed in all the books she's published since and nothing else has come close for me. On the other hand this series, and specifically this book, are still plagued by the same issues that have been popping up in her writing more and more as of late. I somehow keep walking away with the impression that I have received a mountain of information (much of it a bit repetitive) and yet somehow, it's never enough to actually tie up the whole plot. And don't tell me it's a situation where I need to keep reading because for one, this spin-off series is done as of this book, and for another, she's given me no impression that she'll ever remember to go back for some of this stuff she's thrown out onto the page, both in this series and in the main one.
So let's start with what I still want to know now that I've finished the book, and then go from there (buckle in, we're gonna be here a minute). Warning, I do have to talk about the main BDB series a bit to get it all out there, but nothing too specific if you're caught up to say, The Savior. And obviously I'm going to talk about Claimed and Forever in some detail as well. Anyway. Cue the spoiler blocker in 3, 2, 1:
Okay, if you made it through all that, you get a cookie. Or my eternal gratitude; idk which is worth more to you. I just needed some place to talk through my thoughts on this series. I hope it's clear to everyone that this lengthy commentary comes from a place of love for the world JR Ward has built for her BDB readers - I'd like to think I wouldn't dedicate this much brain space to something I don't have a deep affection for. I just also believe that it's okay to be critical of things that we love on occasion. Anyway, that's all. Byeeeeee.
February 2, 2024
What. The fuck.
****LOTS OF FUCKING SPOILERS****
Edited to add for myself b/c a day later and I’m still fucking annoyed about this book and trilogy as a whole and I just need to scream into the void. What the fuck was even the point of this whole thing?
The trilogy starts off making it seem like there’s a mystery to be solved and things to be unraveled around the wolven and the mountain and possibly bad guys doing bad guy shit but there’s literally no world building or story related to her being a wolven. She just is one and she changes a few times and that’s that.
The mountain seems to be pretty important but…why? I don’t know. It has some kind of supernatural/spiritual shit going on but you have to just figure that out for yourself, I guess, because we don’t really get into it.
The majority of the second and third book is just a lesson is suffering through watching a loved one die of cancer.
A large amount of page time goes to Hhexs collapsing grid and Blade reflecting and then bonding with Lydia because, sure, why not? The majority of the plot, other than the dying of cancer, is actually completely unrelated to the supposed main characters. No, seriously. It has nothing to do with them. At all. They’re just collateral damage in the most inane way possible.
And Wards complete lack of continuity is just a joke at this point. How many times were we told things that are just completely thrown aside in later books?
We were told Hhexs father abducted and raped her mother, right? And his father was appalled and glad Tohr killed him because…sympath. But now she has a brother who is conveniently also half vampire and apparently a cousin too because now it was a breeding experiment that the sympaths were doing. So when did her father have the brother? And she wasn’t sent to the labs because she was half vampire, it was because she was messing with a vampire.
Oh, and her brother, who she’s been estranged from and who was part of the family who sold her out to the labs, has actually been secretly avenging her for the last 20 years by using humans, who he convinced were part of a super secret military unit, to destroy any labs he can find.
Aaaannnnd, the other half breed cousin has been secretly thwarting his avenging by making cyborgs (yes, fucking cyborgs!) to hinder his efforts and try to kill him because he was disgracing the bloodline by trying to avenge his sister.
And Hhex is randomly killing bad guys in Caldwell (that have nothing to do with this story) but can’t remember so she turns herself in for judgment to Wrath. Which lasts all of five seconds because she’s healed when she finds out what her brothers been doing and forgives him. So why did any of that happen? I don’t know.
I almost forgot about CP and Gus. Probably because they don’t really have a point either. They’re just there. Doing things that have no real impact on the story. Like CP getting pregnant and then immediately having a miscarriage. Or like creating a cure for cancer that nobody actually uses or does anything with. Or like Gus getting kidnapped and tortured. Which would seem like an important plot point but it’s not. It doesn’t even make sense that he would be kidnapped. Why does the cousin, who’s trying to go after Blade, remember, need to kidnap Gus to get codes to the lab? Blades not even there! What does the lab have to do with him? And apparently the mind control (that Blade uses to get into the lab) wasn’t an option for the cousin? I don’t know.
Oh yeah, and there’s a ghostly mountain lady apparition who steers everyone together/onto the right path. Why? What is she? I don’t know.
And a random sheriff who is also something supernatural but he doesn’t really do anything or have any impact to the plot except that he leaves Lydia his house and ‘the mountain’ at the end. Why? What is he? I don’t know. Not important. Just like the vast majority of what happens in this trilogy.
The climax is as quick and anticlimactic as you’d expect from this shit show. Cousin and cyborgs raid the lab, Blade has a scorpion that cures everyone’s cancer, and Hhex and the brothers swoop in to save the day.
This whole thing was just..what. The fuck.
****LOTS OF FUCKING SPOILERS****
Edited to add for myself b/c a day later and I’m still fucking annoyed about this book and trilogy as a whole and I just need to scream into the void. What the fuck was even the point of this whole thing?
The trilogy starts off making it seem like there’s a mystery to be solved and things to be unraveled around the wolven and the mountain and possibly bad guys doing bad guy shit but there’s literally no world building or story related to her being a wolven. She just is one and she changes a few times and that’s that.
The mountain seems to be pretty important but…why? I don’t know. It has some kind of supernatural/spiritual shit going on but you have to just figure that out for yourself, I guess, because we don’t really get into it.
The majority of the second and third book is just a lesson is suffering through watching a loved one die of cancer.
A large amount of page time goes to Hhexs collapsing grid and Blade reflecting and then bonding with Lydia because, sure, why not? The majority of the plot, other than the dying of cancer, is actually completely unrelated to the supposed main characters. No, seriously. It has nothing to do with them. At all. They’re just collateral damage in the most inane way possible.
And Wards complete lack of continuity is just a joke at this point. How many times were we told things that are just completely thrown aside in later books?
We were told Hhexs father abducted and raped her mother, right? And his father was appalled and glad Tohr killed him because…sympath. But now she has a brother who is conveniently also half vampire and apparently a cousin too because now it was a breeding experiment that the sympaths were doing. So when did her father have the brother? And she wasn’t sent to the labs because she was half vampire, it was because she was messing with a vampire.
Oh, and her brother, who she’s been estranged from and who was part of the family who sold her out to the labs, has actually been secretly avenging her for the last 20 years by using humans, who he convinced were part of a super secret military unit, to destroy any labs he can find.
Aaaannnnd, the other half breed cousin has been secretly thwarting his avenging by making cyborgs (yes, fucking cyborgs!) to hinder his efforts and try to kill him because he was disgracing the bloodline by trying to avenge his sister.
And Hhex is randomly killing bad guys in Caldwell (that have nothing to do with this story) but can’t remember so she turns herself in for judgment to Wrath. Which lasts all of five seconds because she’s healed when she finds out what her brothers been doing and forgives him. So why did any of that happen? I don’t know.
I almost forgot about CP and Gus. Probably because they don’t really have a point either. They’re just there. Doing things that have no real impact on the story. Like CP getting pregnant and then immediately having a miscarriage. Or like creating a cure for cancer that nobody actually uses or does anything with. Or like Gus getting kidnapped and tortured. Which would seem like an important plot point but it’s not. It doesn’t even make sense that he would be kidnapped. Why does the cousin, who’s trying to go after Blade, remember, need to kidnap Gus to get codes to the lab? Blades not even there! What does the lab have to do with him? And apparently the mind control (that Blade uses to get into the lab) wasn’t an option for the cousin? I don’t know.
Oh yeah, and there’s a ghostly mountain lady apparition who steers everyone together/onto the right path. Why? What is she? I don’t know.
And a random sheriff who is also something supernatural but he doesn’t really do anything or have any impact to the plot except that he leaves Lydia his house and ‘the mountain’ at the end. Why? What is he? I don’t know. Not important. Just like the vast majority of what happens in this trilogy.
The climax is as quick and anticlimactic as you’d expect from this shit show. Cousin and cyborgs raid the lab, Blade has a scorpion that cures everyone’s cancer, and Hhex and the brothers swoop in to save the day.
This whole thing was just..what. The fuck.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2024
Well, I can't tell you how glad I am that this is over. I am no Squee Girl by any means. My problem/s with this book, well, one of my problems, is the pacing. Dragging out some parts while seriously giving short shrift to other parts is my main complaint.
Unanswered questions? I have many. Too many questions to list. Perhaps this should have been a 4 book mini-series so we could have found out everything.
Cyborgs? Or whatever you want to call them? Yeah, perhaps we have elementary ones in this century, but the way they were shown in this book reminds me SO much of a YA Steampunk series I recently read, the Finishing School Series, by Gail Carriger, or J. D. Robb's In Death series which is set in the future.
Yes, Daniel and Lydia do get their happily ever after, as well as Gus and Cathy. But that was to be expected, wasn't it? After all, these are romances, aren't they?
All in all, I should have stuck with what I said in my review of book 2 and gotten it from the library instead of using my hard-earned cash on it.
So take some really steamy, descriptive sex and add in some YA Steampunk, and you have this book.
Unanswered questions? I have many. Too many questions to list. Perhaps this should have been a 4 book mini-series so we could have found out everything.
Cyborgs? Or whatever you want to call them? Yeah, perhaps we have elementary ones in this century, but the way they were shown in this book reminds me SO much of a YA Steampunk series I recently read, the Finishing School Series, by Gail Carriger, or J. D. Robb's In Death series which is set in the future.
Yes, Daniel and Lydia do get their happily ever after, as well as Gus and Cathy. But that was to be expected, wasn't it? After all, these are romances, aren't they?
All in all, I should have stuck with what I said in my review of book 2 and gotten it from the library instead of using my hard-earned cash on it.
So take some really steamy, descriptive sex and add in some YA Steampunk, and you have this book.
January 26, 2024
A dramatic ending.
Daniel and Lydia are still hoping for some.sort of miracle to cure his cancer. Cathy Phalen has resigned herself that for her.no miracle exists as her pregnancy means her cancer can't be treated. Gus, the oncologist who worked on the new cancer treatment for Cathy's company has been abducted by the same group that attacked the wolves sanctuary, though what the connection is Daniel.has no idea. So, no happy endings here. Then there's Xhex, she's also having issues, she's been blacking out and apparently falling back into old habits while unaware, added to which her emotional grid is disintegrating which for a Sympath is a death sentence.........so there's not a whole lot of happy times to look forward to. Lydia and Daniel are just determined to make the most of whatever time they have left it only they knew who this enemy was and why he was pursuing them.........
Daniel and Lydia are still hoping for some.sort of miracle to cure his cancer. Cathy Phalen has resigned herself that for her.no miracle exists as her pregnancy means her cancer can't be treated. Gus, the oncologist who worked on the new cancer treatment for Cathy's company has been abducted by the same group that attacked the wolves sanctuary, though what the connection is Daniel.has no idea. So, no happy endings here. Then there's Xhex, she's also having issues, she's been blacking out and apparently falling back into old habits while unaware, added to which her emotional grid is disintegrating which for a Sympath is a death sentence.........so there's not a whole lot of happy times to look forward to. Lydia and Daniel are just determined to make the most of whatever time they have left it only they knew who this enemy was and why he was pursuing them.........
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2024
This series within the BDB world isn't my favorite, things seem off somehow to me. Not always explained (like the sheriff and the old lady), which drives me nuts.
I'm glad that things ended up well for Lydia and Daniel, glad for Gus and Cathy too. Both couples seem like they have a bright future. Things were weird for Xhex, very foggy on what was going on there and while part of her was fixed, we never got answers on if she did what she went to Wrath for. then there is Xhex's brother, Blade. Everything about him was odd, I felt like I was scratching my Head anytime he was on the page. Sure he helped with Xhex and saved Daniel at a big sacrifice for himself, but he was odd.
So many things weren't wrapped up, that I feel should have been.
I'm glad that things ended up well for Lydia and Daniel, glad for Gus and Cathy too. Both couples seem like they have a bright future. Things were weird for Xhex, very foggy on what was going on there and while part of her was fixed, we never got answers on if she did what she went to Wrath for. then there is Xhex's brother, Blade. Everything about him was odd, I felt like I was scratching my Head anytime he was on the page. Sure he helped with Xhex and saved Daniel at a big sacrifice for himself, but he was odd.
So many things weren't wrapped up, that I feel should have been.
June 25, 2024
I do not like this trend of publishing one good story into three separate books. This trilogy would have been so much better if it weren't split into three with a bunch of unnecessary bullshit crammed in between.
Read
January 24, 2024Looks like there is something seriously broken in JR Ward’s ability to bring strong emotions and suspense in her series. Like with the very disappointing Lassiter, Mine seems unable to keep the strong pace of the first two episodes. No real development of the Xhex/Blade sitch, all rushed in order to let too many repetitive scenes between Daniel and Lydia, or CP and Gus. Repetitive because the chapters looks like copy/paste. It’s sad really, I had so much pleasure and fun with her series. Time to move on. Maybe be later. With Blade?🤷🏻♀️
Read
December 21, 2024I got the bdb information I needed and absolutely nothing else. There are wolf shifters, apparently. You only meet the one, and learn zero about their society, history, or location. The secret prison camp stories are much more engaging.
January 31, 2024
Not even sure why I keep reading JR Ward. Pretty sure the last book of hers I enjoyed was 4 years ago. Her writing has gotten really convoluted and honestly she should just quit romance. She clearly has no interest in it anymore so she should switch genres and do her latest passion, urban fantasy cuz that’s all she’s been writing.
March 31, 2024
Please J Ward, stop creating these bad stories. This book was bad, it didn't have anything relevant, I'm getting bad memories of a universe that I love so much!
April 2, 2025
3.5/5. I'm glad the wolven story is over. The best part of this is finding out more about the BDB. I guess I'm just so close to them that bringing others in is hard for me to love. I just want my comfortable family back. :)
July 31, 2024
This series could have easily been a true standalone from the BDB. This series is actually my first time reading JR Ward, so the additional characters (of which there were too many) that were from BDB just overcomplicated the story line and confused me.
If you took out Xhex, Blade, and the too many other BDB characters out of the story, there would be almost no change to the story. Any "value" those characters added could have been easily replaced with something unrelated to BDB. Or even just brief cameos from BDB without totally incorporating these characters into the storyline.
Then there's Blade's character... He just shows up, falls madly in love with Lydia at first sight, even though it is repeatedly said that he prefers men. And then he magically has the cure for Daniel's cancer and then peaces out. It's all so... Dumb.
There were a lot of loose ends... And maybe they were supposed to be some "artistic interpretation" or whatever, but way too ambiguous for me.
And as someone who didn't read BDB, the naming of the characters is absolutely ridiculous (and not in a good way). Blade is okay. But Rehvenge, Vishous, Zsadist, Sahvage, Phury... I rolled my eyes so hard I almost passed out.
If you took out Xhex, Blade, and the too many other BDB characters out of the story, there would be almost no change to the story. Any "value" those characters added could have been easily replaced with something unrelated to BDB. Or even just brief cameos from BDB without totally incorporating these characters into the storyline.
Then there's Blade's character... He just shows up, falls madly in love with Lydia at first sight, even though it is repeatedly said that he prefers men. And then he magically has the cure for Daniel's cancer and then peaces out. It's all so... Dumb.
There were a lot of loose ends... And maybe they were supposed to be some "artistic interpretation" or whatever, but way too ambiguous for me.
And as someone who didn't read BDB, the naming of the characters is absolutely ridiculous (and not in a good way). Blade is okay. But Rehvenge, Vishous, Zsadist, Sahvage, Phury... I rolled my eyes so hard I almost passed out.
March 15, 2024
This series has not been my favorite and had lots of ups and downs. First off, it's supposed to be about wolven, but it's focused on just one. We find out more about the wolven in the prison camp series. This was the final book in the series, and while we get our HEA, we are left with some plot holes. One of the many....if Blade was the target, why kidnap Gus and want access to the lab????? I enjoyed the BDB character crossovers and especially meeting Blade. I look forward to seeing him again in this universe. Overall, i had high hopes for this series, and it just wasn't what i had hoped.
April 7, 2024
I'm glad this little mini series is over. It was such a slog. This one had some weird stuff going on with cyborgs and cancer curing scorpions. I don't even know at this point.
The story involving Xhex was worth it, the MC story was lame and the spice was almost non existent and what there was was pretty boring in general and way too full of the MMC whining about his cancer related dick issues. Why is that even in a *romance series* that's been defined by it's spicy elements? Ward, my goodness...
Honestly, lamest werewolf/wolven genre series I have ever read. I don't even know why she bothered with the element at all. I'm 90% convinced this was ghost written.
10/10 narration by jim frangione. He is one of the best in the business and can make any boring book worth finishing.
The story involving Xhex was worth it, the MC story was lame and the spice was almost non existent and what there was was pretty boring in general and way too full of the MMC whining about his cancer related dick issues. Why is that even in a *romance series* that's been defined by it's spicy elements? Ward, my goodness...
Honestly, lamest werewolf/wolven genre series I have ever read. I don't even know why she bothered with the element at all. I'm 90% convinced this was ghost written.
10/10 narration by jim frangione. He is one of the best in the business and can make any boring book worth finishing.
January 26, 2024
That was freaking awesome! I SO needed this. Thank you J.R. Ward for giving me a wonderful book hangover. I’m glad I decided to finish this series in the BDB world. Such a wonderful wrap up.
May 2, 2024
I love JR Ward, but whew this one gave me some whiplash.
January 20, 2025
Time taken to read -
Pages - 478
Publisher - Piatkus
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
In this gripping finale of The Lair of the Wolven series, destiny and desire are at war in the Black Dagger Brotherhood World as a deadly male holds the key to Lydia Susi and Daniel Joseph’s future…
Lydia knows time is running out, Daniel’s terminal diagnosis has doomed her to grief, and she just wants to spend as much time as she can with him. When his doctor goes missing, however, their secret lab’s location is compromised and suddenly she is at war with an enemy she doesn’t understand.
As a former black ops soldier, Daniel is very familiar with the danger they’re in, and he’s determined to keep his beautiful wolven safe. This means he must turn to his former boss—and relying on a sympathy for anything is a worst-case scenario on a good day. But what choice does he have?
With Daniel’s sixth sense telling him there’s more to the kidnapping, he and Lydia must work with their allies to defend the underground facility. Little do they know that the sympathy has something even more valuable to offer them… but at what cost?
My Review
Guys I do enjoy the Blackdagger Brotherhood books and this is The Lair of the Wolven but we do have Blackdagger crossover. If you haven't read the previous two books STOP READING HERE as it will be a spoiler (as is the above blurb). So Daniel is terminal, his doctor has been kidnapped, their enemy is brutal, almost unstoppable but finally something solid Lydia can go head to head with, a physical albeit not human enemy. Daniel isn't the only one who is on a countdown, can the missing doctor save any of them?
I thought this book was a real slow burner and so much sorrow and sadness as Daniel becomes more frail, the disease gets more of a grip. The focus is quite heavy on that, Xhex and her brother are more featured in this one so I did find that interesting because she is such a great character.
I feel this book left us hanging with so many more questions than it answered AND some areas had more time (their issues with intimacy from a physical point of view and their passion) that I felt needed. Feel free to chin me but I so wanted more about Xhex her brother, the experimentation past of Xhex. Does her brother have his own book as maybe I have missed that and why I have so many questions.
Also the Wolven, ok we do get a bit of shapeshifting in this one but not as much as I would expect nor it adding a whole lot. I did like hearing from Lydia whilst she was in Wolf mode as even in movies/books we rarely get that side.
I felt this was almost a foundation building type book rather than a book three finale. Maybe once I have read all of the BlackDagger Brotherhood books stuff will become clearer. I liked this well enough I just find I have so so so many questions, 3/5.
Pages - 478
Publisher - Piatkus
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
In this gripping finale of The Lair of the Wolven series, destiny and desire are at war in the Black Dagger Brotherhood World as a deadly male holds the key to Lydia Susi and Daniel Joseph’s future…
Lydia knows time is running out, Daniel’s terminal diagnosis has doomed her to grief, and she just wants to spend as much time as she can with him. When his doctor goes missing, however, their secret lab’s location is compromised and suddenly she is at war with an enemy she doesn’t understand.
As a former black ops soldier, Daniel is very familiar with the danger they’re in, and he’s determined to keep his beautiful wolven safe. This means he must turn to his former boss—and relying on a sympathy for anything is a worst-case scenario on a good day. But what choice does he have?
With Daniel’s sixth sense telling him there’s more to the kidnapping, he and Lydia must work with their allies to defend the underground facility. Little do they know that the sympathy has something even more valuable to offer them… but at what cost?
My Review
Guys I do enjoy the Blackdagger Brotherhood books and this is The Lair of the Wolven but we do have Blackdagger crossover. If you haven't read the previous two books STOP READING HERE as it will be a spoiler (as is the above blurb). So Daniel is terminal, his doctor has been kidnapped, their enemy is brutal, almost unstoppable but finally something solid Lydia can go head to head with, a physical albeit not human enemy. Daniel isn't the only one who is on a countdown, can the missing doctor save any of them?
I thought this book was a real slow burner and so much sorrow and sadness as Daniel becomes more frail, the disease gets more of a grip. The focus is quite heavy on that, Xhex and her brother are more featured in this one so I did find that interesting because she is such a great character.
I feel this book left us hanging with so many more questions than it answered AND some areas had more time (their issues with intimacy from a physical point of view and their passion) that I felt needed. Feel free to chin me but I so wanted more about Xhex her brother, the experimentation past of Xhex. Does her brother have his own book as maybe I have missed that and why I have so many questions.
Also the Wolven, ok we do get a bit of shapeshifting in this one but not as much as I would expect nor it adding a whole lot. I did like hearing from Lydia whilst she was in Wolf mode as even in movies/books we rarely get that side.
I felt this was almost a foundation building type book rather than a book three finale. Maybe once I have read all of the BlackDagger Brotherhood books stuff will become clearer. I liked this well enough I just find I have so so so many questions, 3/5.
February 15, 2024
*Title: Mine-The Lair of the Wolven Book #3
*Release date: 1/23/24 read: 2/11/24
*Author: J.R. Ward-an auto buy author for me
*Format: audiobook
*Narrator: Jim Frangione-great, has done all books in this series
*Run time: 10:46
*Setting: NY
*Genre: PNR
*Tropes: fated mates, secret pregnancy(not h), vampires, werewolves
*Look out for: miscarriage, terminally ill H, experimentation(not H/h)
*Synopsis: Lydia and Daniel are dealing with his illness hoping for a last minute cure. C.P. Phalen who created Vita 12b is dealing with the same illness. Daniel's doctor Gus St. Clair has gone missing and Lydia and Daniel are trying to find him. Xhex and her sympath powers having deadly problems. I love her morally grey yet fascinating brother Blade. He's a bad boy with a thing for Lydia.
*Characters
* Lydia
* Daniel
* Catherine C.P. Phelan
* Dr. August St. Clair
* Xhex w/ my beloved John Matthew
* Blade
*Review : As the last book in the series, I enjoyed it the most. Ward kept the storylines to a minimum and didn't go too far-okay maybe with the cyborgs, lol. I have rooted for Lydia and Daniel from the start, and am glad things didn't end tragically. I would love to read more about Blade and Xhex's sympath powers.
*Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Spice level- 3/5 🌶️🌶️
*Release date: 1/23/24 read: 2/11/24
*Author: J.R. Ward-an auto buy author for me
*Format: audiobook
*Narrator: Jim Frangione-great, has done all books in this series
*Run time: 10:46
*Setting: NY
*Genre: PNR
*Tropes: fated mates, secret pregnancy(not h), vampires, werewolves
*Look out for: miscarriage, terminally ill H, experimentation(not H/h)
*Synopsis: Lydia and Daniel are dealing with his illness hoping for a last minute cure. C.P. Phalen who created Vita 12b is dealing with the same illness. Daniel's doctor Gus St. Clair has gone missing and Lydia and Daniel are trying to find him. Xhex and her sympath powers having deadly problems. I love her morally grey yet fascinating brother Blade. He's a bad boy with a thing for Lydia.
*Characters
* Lydia
* Daniel
* Catherine C.P. Phelan
* Dr. August St. Clair
* Xhex w/ my beloved John Matthew
* Blade
*Review : As the last book in the series, I enjoyed it the most. Ward kept the storylines to a minimum and didn't go too far-okay maybe with the cyborgs, lol. I have rooted for Lydia and Daniel from the start, and am glad things didn't end tragically. I would love to read more about Blade and Xhex's sympath powers.
*Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Spice level- 3/5 🌶️🌶️
September 8, 2025
Loved it!
Now that was one of the best endings to book series I read to this date. There was a miracle in these pages.. but I won’t go into it. To spoil it for anyone who has not read Mine yet. I truly loved this trilogy inside the BDB world. We got glimpses of them throughout the series which was a treat. I loved seeing John Matthew an Xhex the most. I also loved the thrill of this series. Trying to figure out who the bad guy an all was pretty thrilling and the cyborgs and Wolven and vampires all woven in to amazing fantasy book.
Now that was one of the best endings to book series I read to this date. There was a miracle in these pages.. but I won’t go into it. To spoil it for anyone who has not read Mine yet. I truly loved this trilogy inside the BDB world. We got glimpses of them throughout the series which was a treat. I loved seeing John Matthew an Xhex the most. I also loved the thrill of this series. Trying to figure out who the bad guy an all was pretty thrilling and the cyborgs and Wolven and vampires all woven in to amazing fantasy book.
September 8, 2025
Now that was one of the best endings to book series I read to this date. There was a miracle in these pages.. but I won’t go into it. To spoil it for anyone who has not read Mine yet. I truly loved this trilogy inside the BDB world. We got glimpses of them throughout the series which was a treat. I loved seeing John Matthew an Xhex the most. I also loved the thrill of this series. Trying to figure out who the bad guy an all was pretty thrilling and the cyborgs and Wolven and vampires all woven in to amazing fantasy book.
June 29, 2024
I have pretty complicated thoughts on this. Like as an isolated story, it's not bad...actually is good. I loved Lydia and Daniel overcoming the odds. However, this being a spin-off trilogy of the bigger series complicates things. Where does this fit in the timeline? Cause some significant things happen to some main characters. And there was some really hefty ideas for world-building things here like a big bad pharma guy...and Blade and his place amongst the Sympaths. And why?
Maybe I'm overthinking it cause the story itself is cute and I liked the twists and turns but shoe-horning into the tight world/rules of BDB is tough.
Maybe I'm overthinking it cause the story itself is cute and I liked the twists and turns but shoe-horning into the tight world/rules of BDB is tough.
February 3, 2024
3.5. What felt like an unusually long wait between
Books 2 and 3 may have contributed to this one not working as well for me. I do enjoy the new additions to the black brother daggerhood world and would really like to see the characters and concepts appear again on the larger series. The plot featuring Xhex was interesting and I liked catching glimpses of a couple other long time characters.
Books 2 and 3 may have contributed to this one not working as well for me. I do enjoy the new additions to the black brother daggerhood world and would really like to see the characters and concepts appear again on the larger series. The plot featuring Xhex was interesting and I liked catching glimpses of a couple other long time characters.
September 8, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ maybe it because of the cancer aspect. Maybe it’s because my hormones are super extreme right now because I’m on my period but holy hell this book hit hard, unexpected and just awww 🥰 one of my fave jr ward books.
February 8, 2024
Sad this is over. I feel like I need more. Will we get more of them after the time jump?
June 12, 2024
I enjoyed this (Spoilers)
Lydia and Daniel get their happy ending which they totally deserved. I was rooting for them the whole time.
Gus and Cathy... man.. I wouldn't mind an entire book dedicated to them.
But the REAL stars of the show (for me) were Xhex and Blade. Man. I cried so HARD when they reconciled and then cried even more as Blade left. Just as he and Xhex finally reunited, he leaves. JR, I am telling you NOW: I better get a Blade book. I need loving, silly siblings moments with Xhex and Blade. I BEG.
Lydia and Daniel get their happy ending which they totally deserved. I was rooting for them the whole time.
Gus and Cathy... man.. I wouldn't mind an entire book dedicated to them.
But the REAL stars of the show (for me) were Xhex and Blade. Man. I cried so HARD when they reconciled and then cried even more as Blade left. Just as he and Xhex finally reunited, he leaves. JR, I am telling you NOW: I better get a Blade book. I need loving, silly siblings moments with Xhex and Blade. I BEG.
October 31, 2024
The best book in the series with its fair share of FLAWS and one question unanswered. Full Review coming soon.
March 9, 2025
Slow start to the book, but I really liked the story and action in the second half!
March 19, 2025
I really enjoyed the first book and whoa boy the surprise on who was wolven got me and I couldn’t wait to read more about the wolves. But books 2 & 3 dissolved back into repeated story nonsense with Xhex and her brother Blade. Blah blah blah. nothing new was learned about the Wolven world which was really sad. She had a great opportunity to create something new
September 12, 2024
Glad this series is over. Is it just me or does it seem like someone else is writing for J.R. Ward. This didn't feel anything like how she wrote BDB. 😕
There are so many holes and questions in the whole series. Let's look at a few things:
1) The series is called Lair of the Wolven. You would expect that to mean it would be about wolf shifters. Nope. The storyline has nothing to do with Wolves other than he fact that Lydia is a shifter. That's it. It's not about a wolf lair, pack or even Lydia's life as a wolven.
2) The series dragged on for too long and nothing made sense. There were at least 4 or 5 story arcs that had nothing to do with each other. Well maybe the arcs with Xhex and Blade but that's it.
3) Speaking of Xhex and Blade. There was so much promise in their storylines but both fell a little flat. Xhex's grid was crumbling and all she had to do to fix it was forgive Blade. And just like that she's all better. Sooooo we're just going to forget about the vamps she supposedly killed? We're not going to find out if she really did it or what Wrath's decision is about her possible actions? And Blade...just gets the short end of the stick? Everyone else gets their HEA but he has to walk away empty-handed because his mate is in love with someone else. Lydia and Daniel were together before Blade bonded with her. And once that happened I thought it would be about her being torn between who she really wanted. Nope. She didn't like him from go and that never wavered so why even put Blade through that. Seems rather cruel even for a sympath.
4) The most confusing arc was Blade/Kurling/Gus. It just didn't make sense why Kurling kidnapped Gus to flush Blade out. There was not connection between them. Blade could care less about Gus. It would've made more sense for him to have kidnapped Lydia.
In the end, the only character I actually felt for was Blade cause he really did get a raw deal. I hope he appears in another book (a well written book) and finally gets his HEA. I also hope J.R. Ward goes back to her writing formula that made BDB so popular. This new formula is not it.
There are so many holes and questions in the whole series. Let's look at a few things:
1) The series is called Lair of the Wolven. You would expect that to mean it would be about wolf shifters. Nope. The storyline has nothing to do with Wolves other than he fact that Lydia is a shifter. That's it. It's not about a wolf lair, pack or even Lydia's life as a wolven.
2) The series dragged on for too long and nothing made sense. There were at least 4 or 5 story arcs that had nothing to do with each other. Well maybe the arcs with Xhex and Blade but that's it.
3) Speaking of Xhex and Blade. There was so much promise in their storylines but both fell a little flat. Xhex's grid was crumbling and all she had to do to fix it was forgive Blade. And just like that she's all better. Sooooo we're just going to forget about the vamps she supposedly killed? We're not going to find out if she really did it or what Wrath's decision is about her possible actions? And Blade...just gets the short end of the stick? Everyone else gets their HEA but he has to walk away empty-handed because his mate is in love with someone else. Lydia and Daniel were together before Blade bonded with her. And once that happened I thought it would be about her being torn between who she really wanted. Nope. She didn't like him from go and that never wavered so why even put Blade through that. Seems rather cruel even for a sympath.
4) The most confusing arc was Blade/Kurling/Gus. It just didn't make sense why Kurling kidnapped Gus to flush Blade out. There was not connection between them. Blade could care less about Gus. It would've made more sense for him to have kidnapped Lydia.
In the end, the only character I actually felt for was Blade cause he really did get a raw deal. I hope he appears in another book (a well written book) and finally gets his HEA. I also hope J.R. Ward goes back to her writing formula that made BDB so popular. This new formula is not it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2024
*** Minor spoilers ahead ***
This book is all about girl power! Lydia, Cathy, Xhex... all badass women. I found that pretty cool even though it started to feel a bit forced near the ending. Which took a really unnecessary long time to come. As I wrote on my review of the previous book, there was absolutely no need for this series to be a trilogy! If you edit the amount of room descriptions and the environment and the clothes and the smells you might end up with less than 50% of the size of this book. Everything is overly described to the point that you go through pages of absolutely nothing happening at all but the descriptions of all the aforementioned. It was exhausting! And it's not like there was nothing else in the plot to be explored. I mean, why not give us some more background on Eastwind? Or reveal what in fact the "entity" is? Or transform the epilogue into the last chapter and write an epilogue further in the future? Honestly? It didn't even feel as an epilogue.
It's all pretty sad because Ward truly is a great writer and this series really had a great potential but it looks like the desire for more sells ($$$$) ended up ruining all.
This book is all about girl power! Lydia, Cathy, Xhex... all badass women. I found that pretty cool even though it started to feel a bit forced near the ending. Which took a really unnecessary long time to come. As I wrote on my review of the previous book, there was absolutely no need for this series to be a trilogy! If you edit the amount of room descriptions and the environment and the clothes and the smells you might end up with less than 50% of the size of this book. Everything is overly described to the point that you go through pages of absolutely nothing happening at all but the descriptions of all the aforementioned. It was exhausting! And it's not like there was nothing else in the plot to be explored. I mean, why not give us some more background on Eastwind? Or reveal what in fact the "entity" is? Or transform the epilogue into the last chapter and write an epilogue further in the future? Honestly? It didn't even feel as an epilogue.
It's all pretty sad because Ward truly is a great writer and this series really had a great potential but it looks like the desire for more sells ($$$$) ended up ruining all.
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