GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Sheep Book Review: Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward | I Smell Sheep

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Sheep Book Review: Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward


Lover Reborn, by PNR author J.R. Ward, is the tenth book in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. With the grief-stricken Thorment facing the past and trying to find love after loss, Lover Reborn takes the reader on one heck of a journey!

Plot:
Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment has been unrecognizable from the vampire leader he once was. Physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair, he has been brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel. Now, fighting once again with ruthless vengeance, he is unprepared to face a new kind of tragedy.

When Tohr begins to see his beloved in his dreams—trapped in a cold, isolated netherworld far from the peace and tranquillity of the Fade—he turns to the angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. But because Lassiter tells him 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?

Spanning the course of a year, Ward takes the reader on a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and inner demons. With the loss of his shellan Tohr has been stuck in a major rut, unable to break the chains holding him in the past. But with his lost love's soul on the line he’s got to get a grip and try to set her free from the In Between where she’s currently fading away to nothing. Such a man of worth and a beloved character, plus being smexy as all get out only adds to his overall appeal. An alpha without needing to be caveman about it, I've been pulling for this hero for a long time now.

I had no clue how this book was going to turn out. Was Tohr going to remain the man I knew him to be or would he change so drastically he would take on a totally new persona? Yes and no to both of those, because while he does make some major leaps and bounds in both the good and bad columns I was totally entranced and completely engaged in this epic story. Having personally lost someone very dear to my heart I was feeling this male's pain page by page, even when he was being a complete idiot and major jackoff. (Still love you though!)

No’One is our female lead, cast away in a prison of her own making this woman has to face her painful past and the daughter, Xhex, she left behind. Torn to shreds both emotionally and physically, this gal's one bleeding heart-o-pain with a side serving of suffering thrown in for giggles. But underneath all the sorrow and suffering is a woman who just wants to find peace and happiness. She didn’t grab me at first and I am still not sure if she was the right person to join up on the Tohr-needs-a-makeover bus but by the end I was comfortable with her.

John and Xhex have some major portions of this book dedicated to them as well. Picking up only a few weeks after Lover Mine the newly bonded pair hit some major relationship bumps that could possibly tear the two apart for good. But issues about sex and equality bring some much needed light to an area that’s been ignored in previous stories. The men folk aren’t the only ones who can kick ass and take names. But can a bonded male accept, truly accept, when his woman’s on the battlefield?

It’s been said by some folks (Sharon) that the BDB is turning into a soap opera of sorts. And I say, yeah ok, so what? I grew up watching Days of Our Lives and I love that show to this day. The drama keeps things interesting and the plot twists bring everything back around in the end. The BDB is such an amazing body of work it doesn’t really matter, when a writer can deliver this many solid hits and keep things spicy yet believable than it’s a job well done in my book.

Tons of plot-building with side characters like Blay and Quinn which will only add to the anticipation of their dedicated storyline. Layla and the Band of Bastards take off in new directions and our fun-loving Maury watching Angel Lassiter adds to plot in the best way he knows how. I don’t know how much longer this series can sustain but I’ve booked my life-long ticket and intend to enjoy the ride!

Getting 4 and 1/2 V and Z back tattooed sheep
KD

11 comments:

  1. I finished this the other day. I enjoyed this one so much more than the last book. It felt like the writing quality was back to the early books. I get tired of some of the "drama" too, but for me it doesn't distract from the overall story because there is so much else going on. Can't wait for Q & B's book next year!!

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    1. Yeah, the last book was Payne right? It was ok...not anything near what others have been. This one got more on track with what I've come to know/love about Ward. :)

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  2. lol, while this is one of my all time favorite series and the one I recommend to anyone wanting to try PNR I am getting a little nervous. This one seems to be heading into soap opera territory. She has some of the best dialogue writing and emotional impact stories, but I like how the older books focused on one couple for the most part and they got their HEA. It seems like now there are more stories going on in one book and not a lot of resolution, hence the soap opera tag.
    I have been waiting for the Blay and Qhuinn book since they first appeared!

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    1. Well you will have to wait a little longer since the boys wont get there day till 2013. Yes its got a soap feel but I still love it and eat them up!

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  3. For me part of the fun of a long running series is the interconnections and things that get soap opera like. Hey we all need a little dishing of the dirt now and then and when there is action to go along, well sure, you betcha, doncha know :) Thanks for sharing today.

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    1. Aside from the drama these books have some of the best male friendships I have ever read. I love it and I wish we could have more of this type of bonding between the men. It's awesome!

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  4. I love that the characters are all through out the series now, and if Sharon wasn't so tough, I'd consider a grudge match for dissing the series! But since she can probably kick my butt with both hands and feet tied up, I will just agree to whatever she says :)

    I am going to try to get this book this week, but my schedule is so booked I don't have time to read it. Luckily I can read reviews and get the idea of whats going on so I don't feel too left out! Love this review, thanks Katie!

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  5. I have been a fan of BDB for years. For me, Payne's book, while sometimes confusing because it didn't blend with previous books, was like a "slice of life" and I felt as though Thor's book was the same. If every book that the WARDen writes is boy meets girl and HEA then it becomes a cookie cutter romance. I have invested time and emotions in these fellas and darn it!... I want to know more about their lives not just one couple at a time overcoming obstacles. So, I say... Rock On with the drama and throw in a book or two like the old days and before I take my last breath I will read the final book in the series! LOL

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    1. I totally feel you on this one. I think I'm just so invested at this point that trying to stop reading this series would be like chopping off a hand. lol If it's soap opera ridden from here on out...well so be it! :)

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  6. In going into Lover Reborn, I wanted to keep in mind something that JR Ward alluded to in the BDB companion book, that Tohrment's book was to be the conclusion of the original ten- part series, and in a lot of ways, it is

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    1. I guess it is...all the original brother's have gotten their story. Blay and Qhuay are coming, but there aren't brothers...

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