Lover Reborn (2012) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

show spoilers

Summary edit see section history

Characters edit see section history

show spoilers

• Tohrment: "Tohr" - "Tohrment, son of Hharm" - Took over leadership of the Brotherhood when Wrath became King; John Matthew's surrogate father; He was the steady and calm brother, until a tragedy took the life of his shellan, Wellsie and his unborn son; He disappears until Lover Enshrined, returning weak and emaciated; Is still very thin with little muscle tone but he is regaining his strength; Even though he has not regained all of his muscle tone and bulk he is still bigger than an average male; Has thick, cropped black hair with a white stripe and dark blue eyes
• No'One: "Rosalhynda" -A member member of the Chosen who walks with a limp and is seen as imperfect; Always wears a hooded robe that covers her from head to toe; Wears her hair in a heavy braid; Has paper white skin, blonde hair that comes down to her hips and lovely gray eyes
• Wellesandra: "Wellsie" - "Wellesandra, blooded daughter of Relix" - Tohr's shellan; John Matthew's surrogate mother; Was killed by a lesser in "Lover Awakened"; She was pregnant at the time; Had long red hair and sherry brown eyes
• Tohrment II: Tohrment, son of the Black Dagger Brother Tohrment, son of Hharm; Blooded son of the beloved departed Wellesandra; Adopted brother of the soldier Tehrror, son of Darius
• John Matthew: "Tehrror, son of Darius" - Xhex's hellren; Believed to be Darius' son; believed to be Beth's brother; Qhuinn & Blay's best friend; Future Black Dagger Brotherhood member; Is mute; Has blue eyes
• Xhex: John's shellan; Half vampire/half symphath; Symphath assassin; Has pale skin, buzzed-off black hair and gunmetal gray eyes; Is tall with a tight, hard body
• Lassiter: A Fallen Angel; Kind of like a guardian angel to Tohr; Was sent to Tohr by Wellsie; Seriously addicted to bad TV; A massive male with blond-and-black hair and bright white, pupil-less eyes; Has hoops and studs marking his ears, eyebrows, lips and throat; He glows
• Qhuinn: "Qhu­inn, son of Lohst­rong" - John Matthew's ahstrux nohstrum; John & Blay's best friend; Saxton's cousin; Has one blue and one green eye and is color blind, both seen as defects to the vampire aristocracy; Lives with John and the Brothers after his family disowned him; He was a playboy with commitment issues, preferring a steady stream of anonymous sex; Is in love with Blay but won't admit it; Has dark hair and a tattooed tear under his eye
• Blaylock: "Blay" - "Blaylock, son of Rocke" - John Mathew & Quinn's best friend; A soldier in the war against the Omega and the Lessers; Is in love with Qhuinn but is tired of waiting for him; Saxton's lover; Currently he lives with John and the Brothers; Has red hair and blue eyes
• Saxton: "Sax" - "Saxton, son of Tyhm" - Qhuinn's cousin; Blay's first and current lover; Lawyer to the Brotherhood; Has thick, blond wavy hair and gray eyes
• Layla: A Chosen trained as an ehros; Has pale blonde hair and green eyes; She feeds Rhage, Vishous, Qhuinn and Blay
• Darius: "Darius, son of Marklon" - Black Dagger Brotherhood member; Beth's father and assumed to be John Matthew's; Died because of a car bomb set by a lesser
• Butch O'Neal: "Dhestroyer" - "Cop" - Marissa's hellren; The only human to be allowed within the Brotherhood; Is a descended from Wrath's line. This connection to him allows him to be "turned" and he is initiated in the BDB; Has a very close relationship with Vishous; An ex-homicide detective; The object of an ancient Lesser Prophecy, and has the ability to sense lessers wherever they are and can absorb them into himself; Has hazel eyes. Born and raised in Boston.
• Marissa: "Marissa, blooded daughter of Wallen" - Butch's shellan; Havers' sister; Wrath's former promised but not mated shellan; Manager of Safe Place; Has long blonde hair
• Payne: Manny's shellan, Vishous' twin sister; The Scribe Virgin is her birth mother, who imprisoned her for centuries; Has black hair and ice white eyes with a navy blue rim around them; Has a long, lean and strong build; About six feet tall; 305 years old
• Manuel Manello: "Manny" - Payne's hellren; Butch's half-brother; Surgeon to the Brotherhood; Jane's ex-boss; Six feet tall; Has black hair and brown eyes. Still human because he decided not to do the ancestor regression and transition jumpstart, but is part of Wrath's line. Payne's healing power has caused him to regress physically in age.
• Rhage: "Hollywood" - "Rhage, son of Tohrture" - Mary's hellren; most beautiful of the Brothers; Cursed by The Scribe Virgin, he shifts into a vicious dragon when highly agitated; Has a multicolored tattoo of his dragon covering his entire back; Has blond hair and teal eyes
• Mary Luce: Rhage's shellan; She's the only one able to tame the beast in him; A human who was granted an extended life by the Scribe Virgin; Counselor at Safe Place
• Zsadist: "Z" - "Zsadist, son of Ahgony" - Bella's hellren; Nalla's father; Phury's identical twin; The scarred, menacing Brother; Taken as an infant from his family, he was forced into blood slavery until his twin, Phury rescued him;
• Bella: "Bella, blooded daughter of Rempoon" - Zsadist's shellan; Nalla's mother; Rehvenge's half-sister
• Nalla: Zsadist & Bella's daughter
• Phury: "Phury, son of Ahgony" - Cormia's hellren; Zsadist's identical twin; Primale to the Chosen; Member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood; Shot off his leg while trying to save his twin from slavery; Is a recovering drug addict; Has beautiful, long multi-colored hair
• Cormia: Phury's shellan; A Chosen
• Vishous: "V" - "Vishous, son of the Bloodletter" - Jane's hellren; Payne's twin brother; Butch's best friend; Most intelligent among the Brothers and the go to tech guy; He has the power of premonition; The Scribe Virgin is his birth mother; Takes away Butch's pain after he "eats" lessers; 305 years old; Has black hair and ice white eyes with a navy blue rim around them; Has a long, lean and strong build at six-foot-six and two hundred fifty pounds; Has tattoos on his left temple, around his left eye, his entire left hand and his genitals-which are scarred since his father tried to castrate him; uses BDSM to deal with his past issues
• Jane Whitcomb: "Doc Jane" - Vishous' shellan; The Brotherhood's surgeon; Helps out at Safe Place; Was killed by a lesser but brought back as a ghost by the Scribe Virgin; Can be corporeal if she concentrates or if V touches her with his 'deadly' hand; Has forest green eyes
• Wrath: "The Blind King" - "Wrath, son of Wrath" - Beth's hellren; King of the vampires and the last pureblood vampire in existence; He is completely blind but still more than capable of fighting and leading the race; Has waist long black hair and bright green eyes he keeps hidden under wraparound sunglasses
• Beth Randall: "Elizabeth, blooded daughter of Darius" - Wrath's shellan; Queen of the Vampires; Darius' daughter; Believed to be John Mathew's sister; Has long black hair
• George: Wrath's Seeing Eye Dog; A golden retriever
• Boo: Beth's black cat
• Rehvenge: "Rehv" - "The Reverend" - "Rehvenge, son of Rempoon" - Ehlena's mate; Bella's half-brother; Half vampire/Half symphath; King of the Symphaths; A member of the vampire aristocracy and the "Princeps Leahdyre" of its council; Uses dopamine to numb his symphath urges which forces him to walk with a cane; Former owner of ZeroSum, the Iron Mask & Sal's Restaurant; Former pimp and drug king of Caldwell; A massive guy with a purple mohawk and violet eyes; Prefers to dress in black pin-striped suits and mink coats
• Ehlena: "Ehlena, blooded daughter of Alyne" - Rehvenge's shellan; The Brotherhood's nurse; Formerly a member of the glymera whose social status was lost along with her fortune; Has blonde hair; Following Montrag's death, family inherited his estate and regained their status.
• Selena: A Chosen; Was a scribe
• Fritz Perlmutter: "Fritzgelder Perlmutter" - The Brotherhood's doggen (member of the servant class among the vampires); Formerly worked for No'One's family.
• Greenly: Doggen in the Brotherhood's mansion
• Havers: "Havers, son of Wallen" - Marissa's younger brother; Doctor of the vampire race
• Trez Latimer: Owner of the Iron Mask and Sal's Restaurant; iAm's twin brother; Formerly one of Rehvenge's bouncers and is fiercely loyal to him; From a mysterious race of beings called Shadows
• iAm Latimer: Owner of Sal's Restaurant; Trez's twin brother; Formerly one of Rehvenge's bouncers and is fiercely loyal to him; From a mysterious race of beings called Shadows; Likes to cook at Sal's
• Carla: Working girl at the Iron Mask
• Beth: Working girl at the Iron Mask
• Lindsay: Working girl at the Iron Mask
• Big Rob: Bouncer at the Iron Mask
• Silent Tom: Bouncer at the Iron Mask
• The Scribe Virgin: "Analisse" - The mother of all vampires; A goddess who was granted one act of creation by her father and used it to create a Race; Vishous & Payne's birth mother; The Omega's sister
• The Maker: The creator of all things including the Scribe Virgin and the Omega. Referred to as 'The Maker' by Lassiter.
• Xcor: "Xcor, son of an unknown sire" - At one time, believed he was the son of the Bloodletter. Leader of the Band of Bastards; Illiterate; Has black hair, dark blue eyes and a cleft lip; His favorite weapon is the scythe
• Throe: "Throe, son of Throe" - Part of Xcor's Band of Bastards; Xcor's lieutenant; Good with computers; Has golden hair and sky blue eyes, previously part of the glymera, willingly joined BoB
• Zypher: One of the Band of Bastards; Is very handsome. Referred to by Tohr as a 'porn star'.
• Syphon: One of the Band of Bastards; Balthazar's cousin
• Balthazar: One of the Band of Bastards; Syphon's cousin
• The Bloodletter: Vishous and Payne's father; A terrible man; Formerly of the Black Dagger Brotherhood; Trained Darius in battle
• The Omega: He is the opposite of the Scribe Virgin; Creator of the lessers; The Scribe Virgin's brother
• Lash: "Lash, son of the Omega" - Half-vampire son of The Omega; Was a trainee with John, Quinn & Blay; He murdered his vampire parents and joined his true father to lead the Lessening Society; Was returned to the Omega when Xhex stabbed him but he was not 'inhaled' by Butch.
• Benloise: Drug supplier. Owns an art gallery as a front for his other business
• Assail: "Assail, son of Assail" - Member of the glymera; Council member; Son of a Brother and a fallen Chosen; Is sinfully handsome with black hair and tan skin. could have been a Brother for his size and stature alone.
• Elan: "Elan, son of Larex" - Member of the glymera; Council member

Quotes edit see section history

• “The quick and the dead are all the same. Everyone's just looking for home.”

  Lassiter

• “Uh-huh, uh-huh, ohhhh, yeeeeeeeaaaah, who's your daddy...”

  Rhage

• “My name's Lassiter, and I'll tell you all you need to know about me. I'm an angel first and a sinner second, and I'm not here for long. I'll never hurt you, but I'm prepared to make you pretty goddamn uncomfortable if I have to, to get my job done. I like sunsets and long walks on the beach, but my perfect female no longer exists. Oh, and my favorite hobby is annoying the shit out of people. Guess I'm just bred to want to get a rise out of folks—probably the whole resurrection thing.”

  Lassiter

• “His slut of a cousin. His cocks***ing, suit wearing, Monte Blanc up-the-a$$ cousin, Saxton The Magnificent, was standing next to the Queen, looking like a combination of Cary Grant and some model in a goddamn cologne ad. Not that Qhuinn was bitter. Because the guy was sharing Blay's bed. Nah. Nope. Not at all. The cocks***ker.”

  Qhuinn

• “Text me when you want to see me again, he signed. I'm giving you your space, but know this: I will wait forever for you.”

  John Matthew

• “She knew earth. She knew the Sanctuary. But this... was heaven.”

  No'One

• “He was her home. He was where she belonged.”

• “In the center was a tiny handprint in red paint.”

• “Sure. Fine. Dandy. Whatever.”

  Lassiter

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Caldwell, New York: "Caldie" - City where the action takes place
• Manhattan: "New York City"
• The Other Side: Realm of the Scribe Virgin
• The Fade: Nontemporal realm where the dead reunite with their loved ones and pass eternity.
• The In Between: Purgatory; The Maker's territory
• Dhunhd: Hell
• The Great Camp: Home of the symphaths
• The Iron Mask: Goth nightclub in Caldwell; Owned by Trez; Was Rehvenge's second club
• Sal's Restaurant: Italian restaurant in Caldwell; Owned by iAm
• The Sanctuary: Where all the Chosen used to live on the Other Side
• Temple of the Sequestered Scribes
• ZeroSum: Was Rehvenge's first nightclub; Had a Eurotrash kind of vibe
• London, England
• Benloise Art Gallery
• Screamer's
• Safe Place: A shelter for abused females and children

Organizations edit see section history

• Black Dagger Brotherhood: "BDB" - Highly trained vampire warriors who protect their species against the Lessening Society. As a result of selective breeding within the race, Brothers possess immense physical and mental strength, as well as rapid healing capabilities. They are not siblings for the most part, and are inducted into the Brotherhood upon nomination by the Brothers. Aggressive, self-reliant, and secretive by nature, they exist apart from civilians, having little contact with members of other classes except when they need to feed. They are subjects of legend and the object of reverence within the vampire world. They may be killed only by the most serious of wounds, e.g., a gunshot or stab to the heart, etc.
• Lessening Society: Order of slayers convened by the Omega for the purpose of eradicating the vampire species. (Group of undead trying to rid the world of Vampires.)
• Band of Bastards: "B.o.B." - The opposite of the Brotherhood in every way.
• Caldwell Police Department: "CPD"

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Ahstrux Nohtrum: Private guard with license to kill who is granted his or her position by the king.
• Ahvenge: To commit an act of mortal retribution, carried out typically by a male loved one.
• Blood Slave: Male or female vampire who has been subjugated to serve the blood needs of another. The practice of keeping blood slaves has recently been outlawed.
• The Chosen: Female vampires who have been bred to serve the Scribe Virgin. They are considered members of the aristocracy, though they are spiritually rather than temporally focused. They have little or no interaction with males, but can be mated to Brothers at the Scribe Virgin's direction to propagate their class. Some have the ability to prognosticate. In the past, they were used to meet the blood needs of unmated members of the Brotherhood, and that practice has been reinstated by the Brothers.
• Chrih: Symbol of honorable death in the Old Language.
• Cohntehst: Conflict between two males competing for the right to be a female’s mate.
• Dhunhd: Hell
• Doggen: Member of the servant class within the vampire world. Doggen have old, conservative traditions about service to their superiors, following a formal code of dress and behavior. They are able to go out during the day, but they age relatively quickly. Life expectancy is approximately five hundred years.
• Ehros: A Chosen trained in the matter of sexual arts.
• Exhile Dhoble: The evil or cursed twin, the one born second.
• The Fade: Nontemporal realm where the dead reunite with their loved ones and pass eternity.
• First Family: The King and Queen of the vampires, and any children they may have.
• Ghardian: Custodian of an individual. There are varying degrees of ghardians, with the most powerful being that of a sehcluded female.
• Glymera: The social core of the aristocracy, roughly equivalent to Regency England's ton.
• Hellren: Male vampire who has been mated to a female. Males may take more than one female as a mate.
• Leahdyre: A person of power and influence.
• Leelan: A term of endearment loosely translated as 'dearest one'.
• Lesser: De-souled human who targets vampires for extermination as a member of the Lessening Society. Lessers must be stabbed through the chest in order to be killed; otherwise they are ageless. They do not eat or drink and are impotent. Over time, their hair, skin, and irises lose pigmentation until they are blond, blushless, and pale-eyed. They smell like baby powder. Inducted into the society by the Omega, they retain a ceramic jar thereafter into which their heart was placed after it was removed.
• Lewlhen: Gift
• Lheage: A term of respect used by a sexual submissive to refer to her dominant.
• Lhenihan: A mythic beast renowned for its sexual prowess. In modern slang, it refers to a male of preternatural size and sexual stamina.
• Lys: Torture tool used to remove the eyes.
• Mahmen: Mother. Used both as an identifier and a term of affection.
• Mhis: The masking of a given physical environment; the creation of a field of illusion.
• Nalla (f), Nallum (m): Beloved
• Needing Period: Female vampire's time of fertility, generally lasting for two days and accompanied by intense sexual cravings. Occurs approximately five years after a female's transition and then once a decade thereafter. All males respond to some degree if they are around a female in her need. It can be a dangerous time, with conflicts and fights breaking out between competing males, particularly if the female is not mated.
• Newling: Virgin
• The Omega: Malevolent, mystical figure who has targeted the vampires for extinction out of resentment directed towards the Scribe Virgin. Exists in a nontemporal realm and has extensive powers, though not the power of creation.
• Phearsom: Term referring to the potency of a male's sexual organs. Literal translation something close to "worthy of entering a female".
• Princeps: Highest level of vampire aristocracy, second only to the members of the First Family or the Scribe Virgin's Chosen. Must be born to the title; it may not be conferred.
• Pyrocant: Refers to a critical weakness in an individual. The weakness can be internal, such as an addiction, or external, such as a lover.
• Rahlman: Savior
• Rythe: Ritual manner of assuaging honor granted by one who has offended another. If accepted, the offended chooses a weapon and strikes the offender, who presents him- or herself- without defenses.
• The Scribe Virgin: Mystical force who is counselor to the King as well as the keeper of vampire archives and the dispenser of privileges. Exist in a nontemporal realm and has extensive powers. Capable of a single act of creation, which she expended to bring the vampires into existence.
• Sehclusion: Status conferred by the King upon a female of the aristocracy as a result of a petition by the female's family. Places the female under the sole direction of her ghardian, typically the eldest male in her household. Her ghardian then has the legal right to determine all manner of her life, restricting at will any and all interactions she has with the world.
• Shellan: Female vampire who has been mated to a male. Females generally do not take more than one mate due to the highly territorial nature of bonded males.
• Sympath: Subspecies within the vampire race characterized by the ability and desire to manipulate emotions in others (for the purposes of an energy exchange), among other traits. Historically, they have been discriminated against and, during certain eras, hunted by vampires. They are near extinction.
• The Tomb: Sacred vault of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Used as a ceremonial site as well as a storage facility for the jars of lessers. Ceremonies performed there include inductions, funerals, and disciplinary actions against Brothers. No one may enter except for members of the Brotherhood, the Scribe Virgin, or candidates for induction.
• Trahyner: Word used between males of mutual respect and affection. Translated loosely to "beloved friend".
• Transition: Critical moment in a vampire's life when he or she transforms into an adult. Thereafter, he or she must drink the blood of the opposite sex to survive and is unable to withstand sunlight. Occurs generally in the mid-twenties. Some vampires do not survive their transitions, males in particular. Prior to their transitions, vampires are physically weak, sexually unaware and unresponsive, and unable to dematerialize.
• Vampire: Member of a species separate from that of homo sapiens. Vampires must drink the blood of the opposite sex to survive. Human blood will keep them alive, though the strength does not last long. Following their transitions, which occur in their mid-twenties, they are unable to go out into the sunlight and must feed from the vein regularly. Vampires cannot "convert" humans through a bite or transfer of blood, though they are in a rare cases able to breed with other species. Vampires can dematerialize at will, though they must be able to calm themselves and concentrate to do so and may not carry anything heavy with them. They are able to strip the memories of humans, provided such memories are short term. Some vampires are able to read minds. Life expectancy is upward of a thousand years, or in some cases even longer.
• Wahlker: An individual who has died and returned to the living from the Fade. They are accorded great respect and are revered for their travails.
• Whard: Equivalent of a godfather or godmother to an individual.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by Lover Unleashed, and followed by Lover at Last.

Preceded by Lover Unleashed, and followed by Lover at Last.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. J. R. Ward (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PS3623.A73227 L694 2012
• Dewey: 813.6

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Profanity. Sexual content. Violence

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Romance › Vampires
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Urban
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Dark
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Series

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• J.R. Ward: Author's Website

More Books Like This edit see section history

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history