Tags
4 stars, angels, black dagger brotherhood, favourite, guardian angel, J.R.Ward, lover reborn, paranormal romance, tohr, urban fantasy, vampires
Title: Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood #10)
Format: hardcover
Published: March 27, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Romance, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Angels
Sensuality Rating: Hot!
Synopsis (from Goodreads): In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. The city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.
Now back in the Brotherhood – and unrecognisable as the vampire leader he once was – Tohrment is physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair. When he begins to see his beloved in his dreams – trapped in a cold, isolating netherworld – Tohr turns to a self-serving fallen angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. When he’s told he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed . . .
Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past, and a very hot, passion-filled future . . . but can his heart let go and set all of them free?
Review:
After the Lessening Society violently kills Tohrment’s bonded mate and unborn child, he is a shell of the vampire he once was – physically and emotionally. After his guardian angel Lassiter informs him that if he doesn’t move on then his beloved Wellsie will fade away to nothing and be lost forever in a cold in-between world, Tohr knows he has to do something… but how does he move on from the love of his life?
No’One, hooded figure with a limp, has a history with Tohr. After being kidnapped and impregnated by a Sympath, Tohr and Darius were the ones who stood by her during her pregnancy and the ones who placed her daughter, Xhex, with a foster family. Now, after reappearing back in her daughter’s life, No’One is willing to do anything to try to help the broken warrior who saved her once upon a time all those years ago – no matter the cost to herself…
Before I started reading this book, I knew it was going to be hard for Ms. Ward to convince me that Tohr belonged with anyone other than his dear Wellsie. I loved the relationship they shared in the early books of this series and with the state that Tohr has been in since returning with Lassiter, I was unconvinced that he was going to be able to find a happily ever after that I’d be satisfied with. And remarkably, I was impressed with how Ms. Ward managed to do it. By the time the novel was finished I was behind Tohr and No’One as a couple. Things didn’t run smoothly for them – they did have a lot to overcome – and for the most part I was satisfied with their romantic journey. The only major issue I did have was the timing of everything. Despite this book spanning a year, it still just felt too soon. Tohr was with Wellsie for over two hundred years and was head-over-heels in love with her for that entire time. And now, less than two years after her death, Tohr has to move on. I understand that he was motivated by saving Wellsie but… his feelings are just too strong and the time too short for me to feel properly satisfied by Tohr starting a new relationship with Some’One else (wink wink).
That said, I really enjoyed how the relationship between No’One and Tohr developed. It’s not the traditional journey that most of the couples have made in the previous Black Dagger Brotherhood books. This is no overwhelming love at first sight. Tohr’s behaviour towards No’One borders on cruel at the start. And despite her being a bit of a doormat to everyone initially, she does manage to stand up for herself. She is a worthy match for Tohr.
As with most Black Dagger Brotherhood books there is so much more going on than just the storyline. In this book we also get to see John Matthew and Xhex again and re-visit their relationship. Whoever thought that life ran smoothly after falling in love and having a bonding ceremony obviously never read any JR. Ward. I really enjoyed this storyline. I’m not a huge JM and Xhex fan but I loved that they had martial issues – the course of true love never did run smoothly. The issues that they had before their mating still exist and I like that these things weren’t ignored. I love the realism that this couple provide. Their arguments and problems are plausible and well written.
The Band of Bastards (BoB) are the villains of this particular story – and they’re fantastic at what they do. I found them so much more likeable than the Lesser plots of previous books. There’s some emotional depth to these newer characters and the fact that they’re not purely evil causes me to want them happy endings – even if they’re a thorn in the Brotherhood’s side at the moment. A lot happens regarding them in this book and a lot of framework is laid for the future. I can’t wait to see where Ms. Ward takes them.
Qhuinn and Blaylock have been one of my favourite pairings for a very long time now and I am thrilled! to see that the next book (BDB #11) is going to be all about them! I loved all the Qhuinn, Blay and Saxton interactions in this book. They are three males of worth who I love. I enjoyed the Blay and Saxton interactions and even though I’m cheering for a Qhuinn/Blay HEA (happily ever after) I loved Saxton with Blay. I don’t want to spoil too much so I’m not going to say too much more about their weird little love triangle (a square when you add Layla into things) but it’s one of the more interesting relationships in the series and I enjoyed how things developed in this latest instalment of the series.
This is my favourite series and whilst there were things in this book that I didn’t love, I completely enjoyed reading it. The characters are brilliant – they’re extremely well-rounded and three-dimensional – and the plot lines are interesting and surprising. I didn’t find myself bored or guessing all the endings within the first few chapters. This book was a huge improvement on Lover Unleashed and I’m incredibly excited about the eleventh book in the story – Qhuinn and Blay’s HEA.
Rating:
4 out of 5
Purchase book at:
Book Depository (paperback) / Amazon (kindle version) / FishPond (Hardcover)