Lover Reborn (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #10) in CASTING CALL: CHARACTERS WELCOMED

Mar 09, 2012 Jessi Overton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: jr-ward

OMG...OMG...OMG!!! I'm blown away by this book. With this one you will laugh, you will want to cry, & will rediscover everything you ever loved about the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I believe that this is the best book in the series and I most definitely can't wait for the BDB vs BoB showdown that's coming. And for all of us who loved Wellsie and who were upset about her not coming back to Tohr in some form DON'T BE!!!! J.R. Ward wrote this story in a way that honors Tohr & Wellsie but also makes ...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Ann has a dirty mouth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paranormal

Okay, here is my short, spoiler free review: I loved it! I liked it way more than Lover Unleashed, and to me the feel of the book was very similar to Lover Avenged and Lover Mine. These were some of my favorite books in the series, so if you didn't like them you may want to adjust your expectations accordingly.

Now, on to the spoilers... Also cut for length since this is a long one.
(view spoiler) Okay, here is my short, spoiler free review: I loved it! I liked it way more than Lover Unleashed, and to me the feel of the book was very similar to Lover Avenged and Lover Mine. These were some of my favorite books in the series, so if you didn't like them you may want to adjust your expectations accordingly.

Now, on to the spoilers... Also cut for length since this is a long one.
(view spoiler)

Some concluding thoughts- I still hate the Doggen, I have nearly no interest in Rhage and Mary adopting a baby since they are my least favorite couple in the entire book, and I need to read the new book, like yesterday. These things are like crack and one whole year is really too long to wait!

My thoughts before reading the book are under this spoiler cut.
(view spoiler)[
Okay, Pre-reading update 3-26. I don't normally buy hardcovers, but my BFF Ashley was kind enough to provide this for my Birthday. Thanks buddy! You are a female of worth! Also, in a remarkable display of maturity, I will not be calling off work to read this.

Okay, when I was a kid writing book reports, you would always have to write a bit about what you expect to read in the book. I am guessing that this book will be very busy and have a whole ton of story lines in it like the last book instead of the more pure romance style of the first 4. I am predicting that this will make a lot of people on goodreads write angry rants about how Ward has lost her mojo and they hate her. I don't really care though, because at least more people care about Tohr than Payne and Manny. Don't get me wrong, they were OK, just extremely peripheral characters to the main group, and a lot of their book was setup for the next leg of the series.

As for Tohr, like many people, I was upset to think about him being with someone besides Wellsie. However, the more I thought about it, the more I think that he deserves a second chance. I mean, if I unexpectedly kick the bucket, I would want Harold to get remarried. He said that he wouldn't because he would be too worn out to deal with another woman bitching at him after his epic revenge spree, but I really hope that he would find happiness again. Also, he would starve to death and not know how to wash his laundry without another woman looking after him, but members of the BDB have the doggen and don't need to worry about that. We don't really know a lot about No'One other than the fact that she is kind of a Debbie Downer, but hopefully she will perk up and get over it.

A lot of people complained that we had that whole ghost hunting thing with Muhrder in Lover Mine and then nothing really came of it in the book after that. I think it was put off so that John Matthew and Xhex can have their fight and makeup cycle as a parallel romance to their parents. A lot of people think this is creepy, but I think it is kind of cute. Hopefully everyone will help out with each other's HEA's. God knows that in real life this things never work out smoothly, and Xhex is 10 lbs of crazy in a 5 lb bag, which is one of the reasons Lover Mine is one of my fav books. Hopefully they will be able to get everything back on track and Muhrder will not mess things up too much. A lot of people have speculated on Layla x Muhrder, but I don't think they will be a couple- I think she will be with a member of the Band of Bastards. <--- This is the sort of speculation that may make me look like an idiot later, so write it in your diaries.

Speaking of the Band of Bastards, I am very excited to see more of them. Esp Xcor. He has several of my favorite characteristics for romance heroes, such as being ugly, taciturn and ambitious. Frankly, Wrath has not done that great of a job of being King in my opinion, and hopefully some competition will make him step up his game. Don't get me wrong, he is a great romance character, but that whole "chosing not to be king for 200 years" think will come back to haunt him. Also, since the vampires are so obsessed with blood/ breeding, I like the idea of a badass dude who doesn't even know who his parents are taking over and kicking ass. I am less interested in Throe and the others, but I believe his book won't be for a while and he has time to grow on me.

Speaking of bastards, what the heck happened to Butch/Manny's father? The Scribe Virgin said for you guys to go find him at the end of book 4! Good thing that even though the vampires have an irritating micromanaging deity, they never listen to her.

Also, here is something else that will cause me to get flammed- Qhuinn and Blay, get over it. Your drama has started to irriate me. Qhuinn is so immature, he has treated both Blaylock and Layla very poorly, and I don't care if he finds love or is eaten by a giant snake. I am guessing the giant snake thing won't happen in this book though.

Also, this is also very tangential, but I hate the doggen. I want to be like Hermione Granger and start some sort of S.P.E.W.esque organization to liberate them. No one could enjoy cleaning that much. If they like vacuuming up dog hair so much they can come to my house- I have enough to make at least 3 new dogs.

Anyways, I would try to post updates as I go through the book, but I plan on just reading, and not eating or blinking or anything else once I start this one. Cheers and I will update you all ASAP!

First update on this book- If any parents or inlaws or trusted adult buddies are reading Goodreads today, this would be a lovely gift for a spring dirty thirty b-day present. Hint Hint. ;)

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Apr 30, 2012 Jenevieve rated it liked it

The 10th book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This one follows Tohrment as he tries to move past the death of his shellan so that she and their unborn son can be released from the InBetween (their version of Purgatory but one where you can only stay for so long before losing yourself and staying forever) and into the Fade (their version of Heaven). The Lessers are barely any part of this story but instead the secondary storyline follows Xcor and his Band of Bastards who seek to dethrone The 10th book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This one follows Tohrment as he tries to move past the death of his shellan so that she and their unborn son can be released from the InBetween (their version of Purgatory but one where you can only stay for so long before losing yourself and staying forever) and into the Fade (their version of Heaven). The Lessers are barely any part of this story but instead the secondary storyline follows Xcor and his Band of Bastards who seek to dethrone Wrath.

I approve of the way the new romance was handled in being incredibly respectful of Tohrment's previous mate. It was about him not ceasing to love her but rather finally being able to know that he could love her but still move on with his life. It took time, heartbreak, anger, hurt, and everything else for him to do that and I appreciate that it wasn't just swept under the rug but rather made the central theme.

I liked seeing the conflict between Xhex and John. If that had turned out HEA I think it damages those characters. I'm not sure I like what is going on with the Qhuinn, Layla, Blay, Saxton, and possibly Xcor thing tho. Qhuinn and Layla trying to have a baby just seems icky especially since they are both in love with other people. I'd love to see Qhuinn and Blay get a story but unfortunately I don't see that ever happening. While Ms. Ward isn't afraid to have homosexual characters in her books which I'm happy to see, I doubt she will risk upsetting her target audience by doing a book solely about a M/M relationship and thus their relationship seems doomed to stay in the background, unfolding slowly over several books, but never getting the spotlight.

It's nice to have a new plot device coming but unfortunately, it looks like the main reason for it is because she needed more males to continue the series. She'd run out of her main male characters so she brought in a fresh infusion of character simply so she can continue the series. It's now a cashcow and has less to do with resolving anything or true world building and everything to do with continuing to find new characters to pair up.

Which leads to my main complaint with this one as with the previous ones. What do Autumn and Tohr actually have in common other than great sex and tortured pasts? Hobbies? Interests? It's frustrating that Ms. Ward can create such a rich world with wonderful backstory on everyone but yet the characters have no interests outside of killing lessers, sex, drinking, and watching tv. Really?! I think it's a shame that she has only once shown any part of a true relationship being built on anything other than mutual attraction or inner turmoil. The world is rich enough to keep me interested enough to read but while I buy tons of books each year, I check hers out of the library because I cant' bring myself to pay money for something that could so obviously be better and that the author is so clearly capable of making better but chooses not to. ...more

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