Name: Embrace
ISBN: 9781408314814

Jessica Shirvington

Violet Eden has only ever wanted to be with Lincoln. But when he reveals a secret so powerful it could tear them apart, her world spins out of control. Then she meets Phoenix. Intense and beautiful, Violet is helplessly drawn to him.

Embrace

Two Choices: Angel or Exile. Lincoln or Phoenix. The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her eternity. It starts with a whisper: "It's time for you to know who you are..." On her 17th birthday, everything will change for Violet Eden. The boy she loves will betray her. Her enemy will save her. She will have to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice. A centuries old war between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity chooses a new fighter. It's a battle Violet doesn't want, but she lives her life by two rules: don't run and don't quit. If angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden. LINCOLN: He's been Violet's one anchor, her running partner and kickboxing trainer. Only he never told her he's Grigori—part human, part angel—and that he was training her for an ancient battle between Angels and Exiles. PHOENIX: No one knows where his loyalties lie, yet he's the only one there to pick up the pieces and protect her after Lincoln's lies. In a world of dark and light, he is all shades of gray. The Embrace Series: Embrace (Book 1) Entice (Book 2) Emblaze (Book 3) Endless (Book 4) Empower (Book 5) Praise for Embrace: In her YA paranormal romance debut, Jessica Shirvington combines "the badass-action of Vampire Academy, the complex love triangles of Twilight, and the angel mythology of Fallen, taken one step further." —Book Couture "Shirvington's debut is smart, edgy and addictive—and sure to leave readers clamoring for the rest of the series."— Kirkus Reviews, STARRED "One of the best YA novels we've seen in a while. Get ready for a confident, kick-butt, well-defined heroine." — RT Book Reviews

Jess

Read this review on my blog! --&gt; <a href="http://www.gonewiththewords.com/2012/09/review-embrace-by-jessica-shirvington.html" rel="nofollow noopener">Embrace by Jessica Shirvington</a> Embrace is definitely a different take on angels and grigori lore. But there were more things I found irritating than things I liked. For one, our main character, Violet, acted really irrational most of the book. She started out really likeable but certain things happened that ended up making her, at times, completely annoying. DO NOT WORRY THOUGH! There’s a reason for all the crazyness. It’s just that at times I wanted to give up on her because I felt it lasted waaaaay too long. Practically to the end of the book. The main problem is that what may seem obvious to us, isn’t so to her. There are two guys vying for Violet’s affections. One is a no-brainer and the other is more of a you-cannot-be-buying-his-BS type. Lincoln is our no-brainer. Violet loves him. She’s loved him since he walked into her kicking-butt class and asked her to train with him solo. He’s older than her, which was different from other YA books, but he never crossed the line with her, which is another reason why he’s a no-brainer. He has his reasons, and maybe those reasons aren’t going to hold him back much longer. Especially when a certain dark character comes into play. Enter Phoenix. Even his name is dark. I guess Phoenix is supposed to come off as the dark, brooding, sexy type…but to me he was just a creeper. He is also older than Vi, and he has no qualms about taking things way past the line with her. He made it really hard for me to feel anything else for him, especially when he always acted so possessive and angry. So yeah, I didn’t really care for him much. One thing I thought was done well was the intimacy aspect. Sometimes a girl’s first time isn’t perfect, whether it’d be the wrong person, time, or place. And sometimes afterwards, they question why they did it, why they fell into the heat of the moment. It happens! I appreciate Jessica Shirvington for writing something realistic in this. Embrace, despite some of my irritations with some characters, did in fact have me turning the pages non-stop. I was into it! And it was also sometimes funny. Violet and her best friend had some great one liners that had me laughing out loud! So if you’re a fan of angel books, I recommend adding this one to your TBR list. I’m looking forward to continuing the series with Entice, which was just released September 4th!

Violet Eden is dreading her seventeenth birthday dinner. After all, it s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother s death. The one bright spot is that Lincoln will be there. Sexy, mature and aloof, he is Violet s idea of perfection. But why does he seem so reluctant to be anything more than a friend? After he gives her the world s most incredible kiss and then abandons her on her front doorstep Violet is determined to get some answers. But nothing could have prepared her for Lincoln s explanation: he is Grigori part angel and part human and Violet is his eternal partner. Without warning, Violet s world is turned upside down. She never believed in God, let alone angels. But there s no denying the strange changes in her body ... and her feelings for Lincoln. Suddenly, she can t stand to be around him. Luckily, Phoenix, an exiled angel, has come into her life. He s intense and enigmatic, but at least he never lied to her. As Violet gets caught up in an ancient battle between dark and light, she must choose her path. The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her eternity... More information, trailers and chapters samples available at www.violetedenchapters.com.au

Talia Dominguez 

so in this book, Violet is the main protagonist. She is a Grigori and has two hotties trailing behind her, Lincoln and Phoenix. I really liked the beginning where Violet tells us her past and what she does every day. Thorough out the book she finds out she is half-angel(grigori) and ends up being mad with Lincoln for lying to her. Even though Lincoln could not tell her nothing about being a part angel (technically he didnt even lie,he just omitted some info to her) It was not Lincoln's fault!!!  So basically she found a new play toy to be with and I did not like that! :(  That is when Pheonix comes in the story and becomed her "heroe"! blaaah! so romantic (not!!)! 

This book is amazing i cant wait to get my hands on the second book of this series!!:)

laura

** spoiler alert **
           This book was so good. Such a interesting first novel in the series. I loved the whole concept of the novel and how it ended. I loved the triangle that was formed and it really did have my screaming at my book. There was some points i really hated violet for her treatment of link but at the end it made totally sense. I really love violet and link together and am excited to start the next one soon!

Seventeen-year-old Violet Eden's world is turned upside down when she falls for the sexy and aloof Lincoln and discovers he is part angel and part human. As Violet gets caught up in an ancient battle between dark and light, she must choose her path because the wrong decision could cost not only her life but her eternity.

Seventeen-year-old Violet Eden's world is turned upside down when she falls for the sexy and aloof Lincoln and discovers he is part angel and part human. The plot contains profanity, sexual situations, and violence. Book #1

estefania sanchez sanz

Embrace is the first book in the Violet Eden Chapters series written by Jessica Shirvington. There are actually four books published: Embrace, Entice, Emblaze and Endless. In addition to a yet untitled book that will be published in the future. It was first published in 2010 and it is a paranormal book focus on angels.

 Violet Eden doesn’t like her birthday as her mom died giving her birth. She is about to turn seventeen and she has been through a lot, as she was almost raped on her last school by one of her teachers. However, now she has Steph and Lincoln. Lincoln has become her best friend since they met at a personal defense course. She spends all the time with him at his place and she feels something else for him. The day before her birthday her dad gives her a box her mom left for her seventeen birthday. The box has a poem and a letter. The letter advises her about future changes and about believing in the unbelievable.
Next day on her birthday she meets a handsome man who makes Lincoln jealous, and he ends kissing her, a very passionate kiss.
Then she’ll find out Lincoln got near her to prepare her, to train her to be Gregori. As her mother died in the next twelve days of her birth, a part of an angel could enter on her making her Gregori, half angel- half human. However, to fully become one she’ll have to embrace, if she wants. Gregori exist in order to fight against the exiles, angels that had been corrupted by our world. Gregori work of couples and Lincoln is hers. Discovering this will made Violet furious and confused. Nonetheless, she’ll have to choose either to embrace or not.

 I found Embrace an absorbing read. Despite the fact fallen angels are one of the most used topics in YA paranormal books Embrace offers an interesting turn. Being specially interesting the fact of how Gregori are created. It is also interesting that angels in heaven or exiles on earth can be angels of light or angels of the dark.
 The book is fast paced and it really hooked me from cover to cover. However, it was predictable quite often. Moreover, I had some issues with Violet and her stubborn and impulsive character. Nonetheless, I liked how it ended as it kept me wanting for more but it didn’t end with a cliff-hanger.

 Taking everything into account, Embrace was a gripping book with an unbelievable turn on fallen angels. I will recommend it to anyone who enjoys paranormal YA books.

Danielle H.

A reread for me. I binge read it in a few hours...on to book 2! Below is my review from the first time around.

~~~~

So this book: I really liked it, didn’t LOVE it, but liked it enough to give it 4 stars. 

I really liked the plot of the story more than I thought I would; it was more dynamic than most other plots. Ploblems would happen, then, they would get solved and a new problem would surface. The story did revolve around one particular problem, but it didn’t suffocate the story; meaning, there was still room for other little complications to pop up here and there. Towards the end, you discover some slightly shocking secrets. Of course, if you’re perceptive enough, you can probably have it figured out before Violet does, because I’m sorry, but at times that girl was just a tad on the slow side…

LOVE TRIANGLE! For the love of all things holy, WHY? I mean, I knew there would be one; I tend not to be surprised anymore by them because it seems there can’t be a single YA book in which the protagonist is happy with the guy right in front of her :/ Seriously, I loved Lincoln from the first time he was introduced. I can understand why Violet was mad at him for not telling her his big secret, but it’s not like he really had a choice. He wanted to tell her, but wasn’t allowed. I just felt like she was a little too hard on him about that. I mean, she has to right to be mad for a while, but she was just plain mean and hateful at times and he was nothing but sweet. I wanted to slap her across the face sometimes. Phoenix was okay, sort of cocky, but not a bad guy. Well, that’s not true…I sort of want to say something here but it would be giving away too much so I’m going to move on before I say something that might ruin the book for you guys.

Overall, the writing was done very well. For the most part, I was caught up in the book, except at some points where I lost a bit of interest; luckily, my attention was never lost for long. I was iffy at first with reading an angel novel. I’ve read some which I really liked, and others that I just hated. I refuse to buy into that whole, “Angels-Are-The-New-Vampires” ideal because for one, it’s just plain stupid! Two, even if angels are the so-called “next-big-thing”, I’m entitled to my own opinion and don’t feel as though pop culture can tell me what I should or should not be reading. So now that that rant is done lol, I would recommend this book to angel lovers, but mainly just to those looking for a good paranormal read. It has the romance, suspense, mystery, and action, so basically something for everyone. I look forward to the next book.

Farah Khaled 

RANT REVIEW 

Well this book was really bad.

It started out really good, I couldn't even put it down for almost 3 hours and then you reach 60% of the book, and you think,  what the heck is happening? 

I was looking for an angel book, and found this book. And since it has been on my TBR for 4 years now, and i decided to read it.  And I wish I didn't. 

For the first time in a long time, I hated the main character. Violet was a selfish, whiney, and not to mention dumb and made TONS of bad choices. For a character that we were told more that once she was the savior, the one who will save everyone and the strongest gal in the whole world, you won't think she's stupid, right? Nope you're wrong. 

Bad choice, after bad choice. I face palmed myself so many times and rolled my eyes even more. I even put the book down more than once, took a deep breath, took a break and continued reading. That's how bad she is.

And can we please talk about the love triangle? First with Pheonix, the bad boy who just after one look at Violet and he can't stay away from her (literally he's always with her, at her apartment, with her friends, to go out to eat, to her dad's company partyetc.) and wants to protect her. There was no chemistry and I'm meant to believe that you fit together like two pieces of a puzzle? Was I reading a different book? 

“I swear to you, he’ll never hurt you again. You’re… I’ll never let him near you,’ he whispered.”

 My dude, you just met her 24 hours ago, let's take it easy. 

Not to mention he has hair the color of an opal. How can one have opal colored hair? HOW? SOMEONE EXPLAIN PLEASE. 

And Lincoln, ah naive Lincoln. Well, I also didn't like him. He was a really weak love interest, and has the characteristics of a chalkboard. He also has some serious anger and possession issues, but at least he maintains some semi-normal qualities compared to our creepy friend Pheonix. And hey, at least he's less annoying than Violet.

And lastly, where the heck is her dad??? He only appears when needed for the plot and woop he's gone. As far as I know, she doesn't live alone. She's a 17 year old with guys in her apartment with her all the time.

*sigh* I'm having a headache. I will stop or this rant review will go on forever.