Lisa T Bergren
2012
Oh. My. Goodness. If you're a new reader, you may have missed my head-over-heels, gushing fall into love with Lisa Bergren's River of Time series. You can catch my reviews for the first three books here: Waterfall, Cascade and Torrent. If you have not read these, you really should (and as soon as possible), because the story is ah-mazing. I'm going to try very, very hard to keep this review of Bourne spoiler-free for you, because the River of Time journey is totally one you need to make for yourself.
For those who have read all the books, Bourne is a novella - Lisa's calling it "River of Time #3.1" - that picks up literally where Torrent ends. As in, the day after The Battle. As a novella, it's shorter - roughly a third of the novels' length - and it covers a shorter period of time, just a few days. Those days however, are intense. Things are still uneasy between Florenze and Sienna, and since Castello Forelli is on the front-lines, there's always potential for danger. Especially when the She-Wolves are victorious again. But the tension in the Castello is more than just the threat from the North, it comes from within. The bond of brotherhood existing between Marcello, Luca and Lord Greco is strained. Everyone is trying to navigate the new place they find themselves in, while also handling their haunting pasts.
Bourne is told in alternating perspective from Gabi and Lia, as their stories - their places in medieval Italia - begin to take slightly different paths. This allows for a more dynamic and detailed story overall, as well as allowing Bergren to get into the characters themselves. As Gabi and Lia adjust to their new situations, and the ongoing border war, they do a lot of thinking about themselves and those around them. And we get to see it all, and in the process learn more about these brave Italian hearts that have captured our imagination. I loved getting to see Lia's side of things, and watch as she becomes ever more comfortable in her role as a She-Wolf. (I'm pretty sure Luca has something to do with that). As with each of the novels, Bourne ended too soon - and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment, breathlessly waiting to see what happens next!
eARC provided by author for review.
If you want to read Bourne, it's available at these retailers (ebook only):
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Bourne-
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Smashwords (all kinds of formats): http://www.smashwords.com/
Thanks for being a She-Wolf among book reviewers!
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