Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward [Review]

Lover Reborn (Black Dagger Brotherhood #10) by J.R. Ward
Format: hardcover
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date Read: August 30, 2012

Black Dagger Brotherhood
1. Dark Lover
2. Lover Eternal
3. Lover Awakened
4. Lover Revealed
5. Lover Unbound
6. Lover Enshrined
6.5. Father Mine
7. Lover Avenged
8. Lover Mine
9. Lover Unleashed
10. Lover Reborn - Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
11. Lover at Last
12. The King
13. The Shadows
14. The Beast
15. The Chosen
15.5. Dearest Ivie
16. The Thief
16.5. Prisoner of Night
17. The Savior
17.5. Where Winter Finds You
18. The Sinner
18.5. A Warm Heart in Winter
19. Lover Unveiled
20. Lover Arisen
21. Lassiter

J.R. Ward
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Synopsis (Goodreads):

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?

My Thoughts: As a hardcore BDB junkie, part of me wanted to read this book as soon as I got my hands on it and part of me was worried that I'd end up a sodden, weepy mess who needed large quantities of therapy so my life didn't spiral down into an endless sea of emotional pain. It's highly possibly that I expected too much of this book because as much as I loved Tohr's story, I'm not emotionally crippled after reading it. This is a good thing. My therapy hour is getting awfully crowded with all my literary moaning.

Anyway. Tohr's story is sad and emotional and it's a journey that he has to take. Not just to free Wellsie, but because he's locked so deeply in his own grief that he's no longer living. The same could be said for No'One. She's locked in the past, unwilling to live her life as more than a servant. The two of them are pretty screwed up and it takes a whole lot of work to get them to the point where they're on the same wavelength.

I'm still kinda digging Xcor and his Band of Bastards. I *really* want things to work out and get those nasty fighters fighting alongside the Brothers but I sense a long, bumpy ride ahead of them. I did love the whole Xcor/Layla interaction and that Xcor had a bit of a change of heart as far as his Bastards are concerned. I want to know more about Throe and his tragedy. I want I want I want.

One thing that I felt was that there was a lot of set up for the future going one here. The idea of admitting males who don't fit the strict bloodline rules into the Brotherhood could open up a whole lot of doors down the road. Xcor had a fundamental change in his way of thinking that could very well lead to big, big things. I'm excited. EXCITED!

Also... Qhuinn and Blay, I'm ready for you!