Bourne by Lisa Bergren (Review)--A great addition to the River of Time series

Cover of Bourne with Lord Greco

Usually as an author adds on to a series, the books seem to get less and less exciting.  The first book is usually the amazing one and after that the author appears to be trying too hard.  Bourne is number 3.1 in the River of Time Series by Lisa Bergren (being just a novella, hence the 0.1) and it is Bergren's best work yet!  I'm not the only reader who feels this way.  I've read rave reviews by many other readers on Goodreads and by bloggers who have posted reviews on their blogs and all have been saying that they feel Bourne is truly the best of the series.  It seems to be unanimous all around, with many readers even saying Bourne is one of their favorite books of all time!

Having loved all three of the previous books in the River of Time series--Waterfall, Cascade and Torrent (click here to read my review of them)--I have been eager to read Bourne.  I was a little worried that Bourne might not live up to all the hype, but I love it just as much as all of the other die-hard fans!

Readers should definitely read the other three books first before they read Bourne as Bourne picks up where Torrent left off.  Bourne has a lot of back story from the other three novels. 

BOURNE SUMMARY: (from www.lisabergren.com)
In this e-novella, River of Time #3.1, the dramatic tale about the Betarrinis and Forellis continues, picking up directly after where Torrent left off… The battle is done at the front, but the battle is only beginning back at Castello Forelli. Marcello fights for his life; Lord Greco fights to find his place; and Lia fights for love.

Lia

In the beginning, the men of the series are returning from battle.  They aren't completely safe as they return, though.  Marcello has been deeply wounded and many others are as well.  Lord Greco is dealing with conflicting feelings and has almost tried to kill himself in battle.  They then face even greater danger from the enemy as the enemy now targets the rest of the secret brotherhood that Marcello, Luca, and Lord Greco are all a part of.  Thus begins an exciting and breath-taking adventure that Gabi and Lia get swept up into as well!  Can they save the rest of the brotherhood that is scattered across the countryside before the enemy gets to them?

This novella also has a lot more intense scenes and introspection (if that's even possible for a River of Time book!) than the previous ones. Because the men are returning from the fighting, we see a lot of the aftermath of war close-up, deal with more loss, and deep anguish. The medieval times weren't pretty and Lisa Bergren does a wonderful job of displaying that realistically and also showing how the Betarrini's come to terms with how to live their lives in a way that is pleasing to God in the midst of all of that. They learn to cherish life and live it to the fullest.

Luca

I love how Bergren shifts the story between Lia and Gabi's point of view.  I feel I got to know Lia a lot more in this story and that she has a lot more of a voice.  I especially enjoyed the romantic scenes between Lia and Luca!!!  They are so sweet and I love that their relationship is fleshed out more as well!


These are just some of the many things I love about this great book!  I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

Clean content:  There is a lot of violence, but I wouldn't say it is too graphic for a young adult to handle.  Also, read above for more on the subject of Bergren realistically portraying medieval times.  This is a clean read.

To learn more about this awesome book and the River of Time Series, visit Lisa Bergren's website, follow her on Twitter, and "like" her River of Time Series Fan Page.

*I want to thank Lisa Bergren for the complimentary pdf copy of this novella for review.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own.