Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington
Release Date – March 6, 2012
Publisher Website – Sourcebook Fire/Raincoast Books
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 367 pages
My Rating- 9/10
**obtained from publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…” 

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her. 

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

You may have read angel books before. This however is not your typical angel novel. Pulse pounding action, steamy scenes and great characters had me turning the pages late into the night.

Violet is a character that has to grow on you. You may not love her at first, but she will win you over by the end of the novel. She makes mistakes, is a little reckless, and you may want to shake her sometimes but she is also strong, determined, and willing to sacrifice herself for others.

There is romance, and somewhat of a triangle emerges. The two guys in Violet's life are Phoenix and Linc. Linc is the guy that has been there for her. Sweet, caring, and Violet feels she can share anything with him. I adored him right from the moment he says this line "'Did you ever think we would be anything other than unbelievable?". Seriously - SWOON!

Phoenix is temptation personified. He pushes Violet’s buttons in all the right ways. I felt him to be a little too aggressive, and was not a fan of certain things he did. However, there is no denying that his chemistry with Violet is sizzling and many will love him. What I love about both of these guys is that they are on pretty equal footing. Each has done sweet things for Violet and each has lied to her for their own reasons.

The strongest aspect of this novel is the story itself. The mythology is detailed and interesting. I am still not 100% sure I fully understand the angel hierarchy and what it means in the story. I am especially curious to learn more about the whole angel of light vs. angel of dark aspect of the story. I hope it’ll be explored more in the next books. The foundation for a rich back story is there and there are many questions still to be answered in Violet’s story. Jessica Shirvington writes in such a way that you immediately want to read more. Her writing has an addictive quality to it that makes you want to continue reading.

Jessica Shirvington has done what I didn’t think possible. She’s turned angels into sexy, seductive, and deadly beings. My heart pounded with the action. I found myself blushing with the steamy scenes and Violet is a heroine you will grow to like. I am very much looking forward to continuing this adventure in the next installments.