Lover Reborn opens 15 months after the death of Tohr's bonded ma
Lover Reborn opens 15 months after the death of Tohr's bonded mate of 200 years, Wellesandra (Wellsie), with Tohr still suffering greatly. To kick start his reluctant relationship with No'One (Xhex's mother who committed suicide but was reanimated by the Scribe Virgin about 300 years earlier and who has spent these years wallowing in self-hatred), Ward puts Tohr on a timetable by trapping Wellsie "In Between" and has the angel Lassiter tell Tohr that he needs to fall in love to free her and his unborn child. The book is really all about Tohr's pain and he spends a lot of it being cruel to No'One. There is not much in the way of actual romance and No'One herself seems quite intentionally the blandest female of the series, the polar opposite of Wellsie, and one who readily acknowledges that what Tohr had with Wellsie was a once in a lifetime love. As the story progresses, Tohr isn't in love with No'One and then suddenly . . . he is! In a rushed ending, he gives away Wellsie's things, sells their house, apologizes to No'One, and invites her to Wellsie's Fade Ceremony. Tohr's feelings of profound grief and No'One's self-hatred which were pretty well done to this point, are both put aside from almost one page to the next as if it were as simple as deciding not to feel that way any more and ultimately made the rushed "I love you's" at the end unconvincing. Turns out it was Tohr who was actually holding Wellsie back by refusing to let go, so she and his unborn son are now able to move on to the Fade.
Ward's world building has always had issues with clarity and now crumble in a rushed conclusion falling back on deus ex machina plot devices, as No'One herself has apparently also been trapped In Between but is saved just moments after Wellsie has moved on to the Fade with a sacrifice by Lassiter that is not revealed. If there was ever a story that truly needed the world building to be clearly explained, this was it. There should have been a good reason for No'One to receive her life back, not just that she forgave herself and was available for Lassiter to save. But no explanations are forthcoming and even though Ward must have surely known for years how some readers would react to a solution that lacked some sense of fairness, the bottom line appears to be that No'One (a resurrected suicide) gets to live while Wellsie (a murder victim) has to stay dead because that was their destiny. Though most readers are certainly aware that life isn't fair, they should be forgiven if they would prefer a bit more fun and escapism in their fictional vampire romance novels.
In Lover Reborn, Ward moves further into urban fantasy with multiple storylines, more emotional pain and much less romance. Since it isn't possible for Tohr to bond again, there is no bonding scent, no "mine" moment, and the ending is more along the lines of happy-for-now, with Wellsie awaiting Tohr in the Fade. Though nobody expects rainbows and unicorns from Ward, it doesn't seem too much to hope for more joy and escapism, especially since so many other characters have been allowed to cheat death including No'One (renamed "Autumn"). The message that you can recover from tragedy and find a measure of happiness is fine, but didn't resonate given the ultimately unconvincing Tohr/No'One relationship, along with the distraction of the contrived plot and truly poor world building. Most definitely not a romance with a couple that should both be heading to therapy instead of mating. 1 star.
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