#1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward is heating things up this winter with a holiday novel featuring some of her most iconic Black Dagger Brothers.
When Trez lost his beloved to a tragic death (The Shadows, Black Dagger Brotherhood #13), his soul was crushed and his destiny seemed relegated to suffering. But when he meets a mysterious female, he becomes convinced his true love has been reincarnated. Is he right? Or has his grief created a disastrous delusion?
Therese has come to Caldwell to escape a rift with her bloodline. The revelation that she was adopted and not born into her family shakes the foundations of her identity, and she is determined to make it on her own. Her attraction to Trez is not what she’s looking for, except the sexy Shadow proves to be undeniable.
Has fate provided a grieving widower with a second chance…or is Trez too blinded by the past to see the present for what it really is? In this sensual, arresting book full of the themes of redemption and self-discovery, two lost souls find themselves at a crossroads where the heart is the only compass that can be trusted…but that may require a courage that neither of them possesses.
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Sexual Content - 4/5
4/5
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Violence - 2/5
2/5
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Language - 4/5
4/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 1/5
1/5
Summary
Ever since J. R. Ward broke my heart over four years ago with the agonizing ending of The Shadows, the first book to chronicle Trez and iAm’s story, I’ve been waiting for a better ending for poor, beleaguered Trez. I’m not sure if Ms. Ward had it planned this way from the start of their journey or if the fan outcry was too great for her to ignore, but whatever the case, I’m so glad that she finally wrote the HEA ending that Trez and Selena’s story always deserved. Thanks to Lassiter taking over as the vampire race’s new deity, he’s able to alter certain events. Since the fallen angel is all about true love and HEAs, I guess he decided to right this terrible wrong. I couldn’t be happier about that, and how better to make it all happen than in the form of a Christmas miracle?
Three months after Selena’s death, Trez is still walking around in a haze. His twin iAm, as well as the Brotherhood and their allies, are all watching out for his well-being, constantly worried that he might try to off himself, which is a very real possibility that he’s considered several times. The only thing that’s partially keeping him afloat is Terese, the new waitress at iAm’s restaurant, who is a dead-ringer for Selena. In his head, he knows she’s not his beloved shellan, but she looks so much like her, he can’t seem to stay away. He feels very protective toward her, too, and wants nothing more than to persuade her to leave the horrid slum housing where she’s living, but Terese is an independent female who wants to make it on her own. After a near-fatal shooting at Trez’s nightclub, in which Terese was very nearly caught in the crossfire, Xhex uses her syphath powers to read her emotional grid and finds a striking similarity to that of her hellren, John Matthew, which makes her believe that Terese is indeed another version of Selena. When she shares this information with Trez, he naturally runs with it and plunges headlong into a relationship with her, but when the family who raised her shows up in Caldwell, he can no longer ignore how unlikely it is that she’s his mate reincarnated. I’ve loved Trez since The Shadows, so when Ms. Ward made the controversial decision to kill off Selena, I wasn’t sure what I wanted for him in the future. All I knew is that he needed to have an HEA and this one was all I could have hoped for him. He’s so broken in the beginning of the story that I wanted to wrap him up in my arms and love on him. It was wonderful to see him gradually find healing for his battered heart and most of all to find his beloved again.
Terese left her family in Michigan and moved to Caldwell when she discovered that she was adopted. It was such a major blow to find out that she wasn’t actually related to the people she’d grown up with that she felt betrayed in the worst possible way. She’s been living in Caldwell and working at Sal’s Restaurant ever since, while studiously ignoring anyone from back home who might be trying to contact her, and trying to process all that’s happened in her life. She’s felt drawn to Trez ever since first meeting him, so it’s an easy step for her to fall into a romantic relationship with him. He’s a sweet and attentive lover, but she knows that there’s something big in his past that he hasn’t shared with her and that was very emotional for him. I like how she’s there for Trez when his feeling begin spilling over. However, when the full truth comes out, she feels betrayed all over again, like Trez was just using her as a substitute for his dead shellan. Terese is enough like Selena to be recognizable, but at the same time, she’s her own person. Deep down, she still cares for her family in spite of them keeping secrets about her origins, and I enjoyed her interactions with them when they arrived. If I recall correctly, Selena was always a smart female, but it shows in a different way now with Terese having a civil engineering degree that she will hopefully be able to put to good use for the race in the future. When the two sides of Selena/Terese integrate it’s a very cool moment.
I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this couple. They were great in the beginning and they’re still great together in this story. They were clearly made for one another and I’m happy to see them reunited. Where Winter Finds You is mostly all about Trez and Terese and their individual internal angst, but there is a life-threatening moment at the end to keep the tension high. The scenes where Trez’s emotions spill over were tear-jerker moments for me, but deep down, I knew all would be well this time. I loved all the sightings of the various Brotherhood members, as well as iAm and maichen and their happy little announcement. I very much look forward to (hopefully) seeing more of the Shadow brothers and their mates in future installments. But for now, my heart has finally been healed, and I’m once again happy and content, knowing that one of my favorite BDB couples has found their way back to each other.
Review provided by The Hope Chest Reviews