Embrace the Darkness

Embrace the Darkness
3.5 Stars

After the demise of her previous owners, Shay is placed on the auction block once again and is bought by Viper, a vampire who has been obsessed with the Shallot demon since she saved his skin in the previous book. Unfortunately, another party is also interested in Shay, or more precisely in her blood, and she and Viper soon find themselves on the run from a dangerous foe who will stop at nothing to possess her.

The world building and characterization are still superficial with little detail on the origins of vampires and the nature of their abilities. Nevertheless, the story is well-written with some good action scenes and the romance is satisfying if unoriginal.

Shay is a fiercely independent heroine with show more understandable trust issues but Viper has an abundance of patience and slowly convinces her to place her trust and her love in him. Their relationship is sweet and sexy, and you cannot help rooting for them.

Dante and Abby reprise their roles and it is good to catch up with their HEA, but the most entertaining character is definitely Levet, the undersized gargoyle with feelings of inadequacy - he is simply a laugh-riot.

All in all, not the most original of paranormal romances but the series has enough potential to keep me interested in reading the next one. show less

Great book! Better than the first in the sense that the characters were more relatable, in a sense, than the first couple. The plot was just as interesting and this time around we had the chance to take a peek into the life of a clan chief. Character development I found to be a little lacking concerning Viper, because Shay's was pretty great. Loved Levet!

Embrace The Darkness is the second novel in Alexandra Ivy's Guardians of Eternity paranormal romance series. This novel focuses on Shay's and Viper's relationship, whom were both introduced in the first book of the series, When Darkness Comes. Viper, is the vampire clan chief who is extremely sexy, in love of luxury, and used to getting his own way. He is not prepared for it when he gets more than he bargained for when he purchases Shay from a slave auction. Shay and Viper spend most of the story either running from, or fighting with, the various demons, hellhounds and vampires that have been sent to capture Shay. Reason for the threat? Well apparently Shay has this special blood that not only heals immortals when they are hurt but also show more is an aphrodisiac to vampires. Go figure. Viper is a vampire, Shay's father was hunted and killed by vampires and Shay herself has spent her life hiding from vampires, this is an obstacle that might stand in the way of their relationship. Viper purchased Shay at a slave auction and no matter how nice he is to her - he still owns her and she is still a slave - but this is no barrier to Shay and Viper instantly falling into lust for each other. My problem with the development of the relationship was that it seemed more on the basis of lust and physical matters rather than including the emotional attachment. When the I Love You bomb was dropped I was actually surprised and wondered where it came from. Embrace The Darkness is an enjoyable read, even if the relationship aspect seemed a little rushed. The action and adventure, not to mention my favorite little gargoyle will grab any reader by the "horns" and not let go. I was looking forward to the next book, Darkness Everlasting, however it is not yet out on the nook yet and so unfortunately until I can get to the store, I will be skipping over that one. show less

This is book two of the Guardian of Eternity series. First off - I loved Viper! What a vampire! Shay is a mixture of intelligence and stubborness. She doesn't blindly follow whatever Viper asks. I liked that. The story is a good one - good plot and the characters were interesting. I enjoyed this paranormal read very much.

An improvement over the first novel, the romance here is much more believable. The secondary characters still seem to be almost too big for the story, in that the reader is at times more captivated by their antics than the main plot.

I ended picking this up and reading it simply because I didn't have much to choose from. I had read the first book, and honestly it was terrible. This book although very, very predictible is an improvment. More action and some interesting characters. Less sex/necking scenes, but still the writter tends to put some of them in the worest places. If you are being chased by an evil that want's to kill you, stopping in the bad guys lair to caress and makeout is never a good idea. Escape, run far away and once you are safely away from the bad guys..then you can make out. Not in the middle of a fight.

Lady Shay is the last of her kind. Half human, half Shalott, her blood is a precious aphrodisiac to vampires, who consider it more precious than gold. Though Shalotts are renowned assassins, a curse held over Shay lands her on the slave auction block, where her fate is uncertain...

Viper, the beguiling chief of a deadly vampire clan, can't explain his longing to possess the beautiful Shalott who once saved his life, but now he is free to do anything he wants with her. Strangely, while he desires both Shay's blood and body, he wants her to surrender willingly.

A hidden evil has been stalking Shay since she left the slave market with Viper. It is an evil that endangers the very existence of Viper's kind, and there's no reason he should show more court such danger just to protect a Shalott. But the love he feels for Shay is enough to make him willing to go to hell and back if it means spending an eternity with her in his arms... show less