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

'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- part 1' giveaway!!!!

'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1' GIVEAWAY BABY!!!!

That's right you vampy lovers the Twilight Saga continues November 18th with a wedding to remember! *throws rice in the air* Bella and Edward are tying the knot and getting a little hot and heavy on Esme Isle. (Brown chicken, brown cow!) So to celebrate the event we decided to do a little romantic giveaway.

I'm going to open a second prize pack for International followers which will have some fun Sheep swag items.

Check out all the goodies below!

Prize Pack (For US Only)

5 Books

Nora Roberts- Worth the Risk

Nora Roberts- Night Tale: Night Shade and Night Moves

Nora Roberts- Night Tale: Nightshade and Night Smoke

J.R. Ward- An Unforgettable Lady

Alexandra Hawkins- Till Dawn with the Devil

'I love Vampires' sticky note pad

Ring Pop

'Lotto for Lovers' game

Rose petal bath soap

In the comments make sure to enter ALL the info listed below and followers of our blog will get double entries!

1. Your Email Address

2. Are you US or International?

3. If you could go anywhere, real or fantasy, for your honeymoon where would you go?

Contest ends November 6th at midnight.

Good luck!

And don't forget to enter the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop going until the 31st! Enter HERE.

Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward

Lover Unleashed by author J.R. Ward is the ninth book in The Black Dagger Brotherhood series. After the previous book, Lover Mine, told the story of John and Xhex, I didn't think the series could get any better. However, I do have major mixed feelings about Lover Unleashed. I liked the book but also felt it was nowhere near as good as Lover Mine. Here's why....

Storyline:

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother. A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for Payne on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war either.

When Payne suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although Manuel never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.

I thoroughly enjoy how Ward writes, I love the way she gives each character a set of their own internal battles giving them incredible depth. Although each character has their own demons, when the team of Vampire Brothers have to fight they work like a well oiled machine. Some of the best male friendships that I have ever read, which you just don't get that often in books. These vampire bros are tight and I love it. The characters deal with jealously, drugs, rage, humor, handicaps and relationship issues.

The aspect of this, story which bugged me the most was how Payne changed as a character. In previous books Payne was a kick butt fighter, but now she's relegated mainly to the sidelines. Granted, she is recovering from a severe body injury but even after being fully healed I didn't get to read about her going back to the battle-lusty vamp that she was at times. Kinda missed that...

I hate to compare this book to Lover Enshrined (book 6) because that was the worst of the series. I like to pass over that story as I am reading the series over and over, otherwise the black hole taints the rest. Never happened in my mind. ;) While Payne and Manny seriously lacked that "umph" for me, I did enjoy reading about the side stories. Almost more then the main couple.

On the positive side we get to hear more about Vishous and Jane, these two are one of my favorite book couples. No relationship is going to be happy-go-lucky 100% of the time, and Vishous and Jane definitely go through a rough patch. While it was hard to read about their struggles, Lover Unleashed does bring a reward at the ending. Relying on the people you love can be hard, opening those old wounds can twist you up inside. When severe emotional scars run this deep, you're bound to have set backs on the road to recovery. And temporary fixes, no matter how short term, are never the long term solution to a problem. But Butch, Larissa and Jane are V's solid anchor during all this and I liked that the author touched on this subject.

The book for the most part is 1/2 Payne and Manny and the other V and Jane, with a little bit of plot building with a new boring enemy. I mean the Lessers where coming to a dead end anyway so I get why she is creating the new threat. But. Is it time for the series to end? Maybe. I just don't see how this can get any better. It feels like the same stuff being rewashed but still coming out all messy. In the end a good read but lacking that usual sparkle that her other books create.

Getting 3 and 1/2 Brotherhood Sheep
KD

Crave, much better then the first book.

Crave by author J.R. Ward is the second novel in her Fallen Angels series. The first novel, Covet, was too slow for me, but this book is MUCH better!

I am a HUGE fan of Ward. I LOVE her vampire series, Black Dagger Brotherhood. (V, come rescue me anytime my man) I almost gave up on this series but I wanted to give it one more try. I am glad I did. The book did drag a bit in areas, but it was leaps and bounds better then the first one.

Book Description:

Seven deadly sins. Seven souls that must be saved. One more no-holds- barred battle between a fallen angel with a hardened heart and a demon with everything to lose.

Isaac Rothe is a black ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her can only lead to trouble-and that's before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil.

It's angles vs. demons in a game whose outcome decides the fate of humanity. Can good triumph in the end? Thats what we are waiting to find out. There were strange rules placed on the game they are playing, I found it a little difficult to understand. It's never clearly written what qualifies as "cheating". :(

Sexy men fighting for the good of mankind. I love it. Action and adventure round out the story. I could have used a little more in the romance department and maybe a bit less focus on the side characters. But, thats just me and my addiction. lol

Overall the book is above average, with still a little more to be desired in up coming books.

Getting 3 and 1/2 sheep. :)

KD

Covet, WARNING: this is NOT a vampire book

Covet, the first book in J.R. Wards The Fallen Angels series is about....you guessed it angels. I picked this book up after reading her amazing Black Dagger Brotherhood books (review on those coming soon). A very talented author who quickly rose to the top of my reading list, that is until I read this book....

Not only are angels lame compared to vampires (its true and you know it), the powers they posses are pitiful. And wings. What wings? These angels ride Harley's, and thats kind of cool but I would rather fly then drive thank you very much! Come on no wings? Thats like being into vampires that sparkle and don't burn in the sun! (oh wait....I like those so forget that last part)

I had issues with the plot in this story, first word that pops to mind would be "lame". The book moved along at a snail's pace, it took forever to get to an end and when it came I was left wondering why she even wrote this book.

The good side for me was that she did mention some previous people and places from her other series. She mixed in some old with all the new, maybe to help the reader cope or maybe she is like me and just likes to continue stories with past characters. Either way that was cool, but if thats the only thing that saved this book it was far too little.

I could get into men with wings, given its done by the right author. Feathers? Yeah I would love to find them in my hair. (take me to the blue room!) ;)

Bring it on, don't make a half a** attempt and expect me to dig it. Cause I wont.

Giving this book away to anyone who wants it...until then it will remain as my door stop. :)

KD