Embrace (Embrace, 1)

I was anxious to dive into this book after hearing of all the hype from my Australian blogger friends. Unfortunately, I am extremely tired of angel books, so it's understandable that going into Embrace I had to keep reminding myself of all the rave reviews I had heard so that I would not decide against reading it. While a little slow to start, Embrace quickly picked up the pace around page 50. Having now read it, WOW. Those other dull angel stories cannot compare! Jessica Shirvington offers a fresh new take on the celestial beings in this riveting debut.Violet Eden's mother died shortly after giving birth to her. Because of that, she dreads her birthday each year. But this birthday holds more than just the memory of her mother. Violet's life is turned up side down quickly after she turns seventeen. Prior to her birthday, Violet led a normal life. She has a loving father, a great best friend, plans for the future and Lincoln, the guy that she's in love with. After sharing an amazing kiss on her birthday, Lincoln then starts acting weird. Not sure what he feels towards her, Violet confronts him about it but what she discovers is not what she was expecting. Lincoln has been keeping a big secret from her: she is Grigori - half angel, half human - and so is he! Violet must decide whether to embrace her destiny or try to ignore it and lead a somewhat normal life.Violet is a great protagonist! She's erratic and sarcastic but also strong and brave and most importantly isn't afraid to stand her ground. She's has flaws but that's what makes her real and why she's so easy to relate to.The romance in this book... DAMN. The sexual tension between these characters is absolutely shiver inducing. Violet has such fabulous chemistry with both Lincoln and Phoenix. I love Lincoln. He's sweet, has a lot of respect for Violet and is definitely in love with her. It's easy to see how she has fallen for him. But of course, it's the bad boy of the two I found myself infatuated with. Phoenix... mysterious, cocky, dangerous, sexy as hell. Oh, and that little thing he can do? Oh my Lord, major SWOON. He's portrayed as being all bad boyish and in the beginning his intentions might have been a little iffy but the more time he spends with Violet, it's clear that his motives have changed and that he's developed real feelings for her. After some shocking revelations, I think there is a lot that he is holding back so I'm really interested for the real Phoenix to be revealed as the series continues. Bottom line, though I do prefer Phoenix to Lincoln, Embrace truly has one of the best love triangles I have ever read!I felt the sensual scenes were very tastefully executed. I often feel that authors can get carried away where these types of scenes are concerned, some end up writing too much where as some just don't go into nearly enough detail. Jessica Shirvington manages just the right amount of detail without being overly graphic. I feel that she's created a happy medium for everyone, whether you enjoy the steamy scenes or would rather not get too into the gritty details, you'll be pleased.Not only is Embrace beautifully well-written, Jessica Shirvington has created a compelling world filled with multidimensional characters, original lore and an elaborate plot. I found myself eagerly absorbing and able to easily retain the imaginative angel lore. It was exceptionally well thought out and not once came across as preachy. Ms. Shirvington has also managed to make angels sexy, which in my opinion has yet to be done!Embrace stands out from the wide variety of young adult books. Jessica Shirvington is a one-of-a-kind storyteller who's voice grips you and will not let go until you are left on your hands and knees begging for more. She is truly gifted and you can bet that I will read anything this woman writes in the future. Entice, the second installment in The Violet Eden Chapters, is set to come out this September but I'm about ready to fly to Australia to pick myself up a copy now!

This book was an enjoyable read... however I do feel that it followed the sort of structure of other popular supernatural young adult reads available these days, for example Twilight by Stephanie Myer or Halo by Alexandra Adornetto, in the sense that the story revolves around a young teenage girl who has to face the reality of life with supernatural aspects. In saying this, it really does depend on your taste and whether you like these types of books to overlook these similarities. I personally, as a young adult reader, do enjoy these types of books and therefore found this book enjoyable. I enjoyed the characters... however fairly stereotypical as relating to this genre of novel, however the storyline was fairly predictable. *SPOILER ALET* I mean Phoenix being an angel of the dark... I think I automatically assumed this from the beginning and didn't even realise that Vi was under the impression Phoenix was a light angel. In saying this, the character of Vi can come across as occasionally, well... daft. When questioned about Phoenixs intentions and loyalties it never seems to ring any alarm bells in her mind, even when given the story of the garden of Eden and sensing Phoenix's uncomfort she never seems to put the two together. In addition she also decides to break the news of her newfound Grigori status to her friend Steph in the public food court... of all places. I know it does sound like I am going on about the negatives of this book... but the main reason I give it four stars is because it is written like all the other young adult supernatural novels available, packed with mystery, romance, action, betrayal, blah blah blah..... and it is because of the fact I do enjoy these types of books I have given it 4 stars.

HOOOOLY mackerel, this book was awesome!!! I've been meaning to get to this book for awhile now, and boy am I glad I decided to finally pick it up! I flew through this story because I couldn't put it down, and Shirvington has definitely impressed me with an angel story that is original, exciting, sexy, and fun all wrapped into one!Violet's character won me over easily, she was strong but tentative, and I loved that she got her strength not just from the sweet guy she was swooning over but also her own battles in her life. She had been through so much and carried so much guilt over her mother, fear from the event that tore her life apart, and uncertainty over whether or not her feelings would ever be returned by Lincoln. She was tough and brave through all of it, so when the discovery of who she truly is was thrown in her face, she feels betrayed by Lincoln and confused. Just when she thought she had it all figured out, everything is turned upside down again and she's forced to deal with the aftermath. So I couldn't blame her for turning to the unbelievably sexy and forthcoming Phoenix...I mean, HOT DAMN, that boy was just WHEW!! I was disappointed when Lincoln was suddenly gone from the story for so long, but that was when I just fell head over heels for Phoenix and was shouting "pick the bad boy, pick the bad boy!!"!! And OMG, there is some serious steaminess between him and Violet, and my heart was racing big time! *biting knuckles* I loved a certain scene in the woods that I won't go into detail about!!!The story behind Embrace really had me captivated from the start. Violet was completely clueless to what she was, and we get to see her struggle with the revelation and how she grows with the help of the Grigori and Phoenix. The exiled angels were a constant threat to all of the Grigori, and there were twists that revealed how much Violet still had to learn. I was so upset over what happens after some revelations towards the end of the book, but with a love triangle there's always bound to be some heartbreak. =( *******SPOILER ALERT******I was so wanting Violet to just forgive Phoenix, even after all he'd done, because they were so amazing together!! Lincoln seems more like the older brother most of the time, but Phoenix was just plain sexy. I'm upset he's being left behind so heartlessly, but I'm guessing it's to pave the way for him to play the bad guy down the road...Can't wait to get my hands on the sequel when it's available in the US!!

Omg what a gem of a read. I love everything about this book.

I didn't expect much when I picked up this book. I couldn't even remember why it was on my TBR pile in the first place. But when I read it, I quickly realized that I would really enjoy this book very much. And I did...I've read people complaining about the insta-love thing going on but, ehm, I couldn't find that one, honestly. I thought it was different and new that Lincoln and Violet knew each other already at the beginning of the book. They have their rituals, meet on a daily basis and Violet is secretly in love with him. Lincoln is sort of her personal trainer and has been for some months now.I loved Lincoln! I think he exuded so much calmness, strength and support that I wished I knew a man like him. His love for Violet was rather quiet most of the times because he had to keep it back but then sometimes passion erupted between them. Absolutely perfect! I don't quite understand why Grigori partners can't also be lovers but I'm sure I will soon.Then she finds out that he's lied to her the whole time. The training was a preparation for her Grigori training because she will become one of them when she embraces her powers after her seventeenth birthday. Violet feels deeply betrayed and is very angry at Linc. Then, there is Phoenix. There's also no insta-love going on. She's very suspicious of him in the beginning and only slowly warms up to him. The attraction and the lust going on between them is amplified by Phoenix' own powers.I know many reviewers don't like Violet and I understand that it's hard to like her. She is indeed struggling with her fate and falling from lust to anger in seconds. But in the end, we get to know the reason for that. And Violet hates herself for her behavior just as much as the reader does. So, I forgave her after all.Thus said, I think Embrace is a great book. The writing is perfect, reminded me of the other great YA books that I like (Hunger Games, and so on). The plot is full of suspense, emotions and keeps you on the edge. I can't wait to read Entice, the sequel to this first book in the Violet Eden Chapters series. I'm sure there will be lots of unexpected developments.

Jessica Shirvington gehört zu meinen absoluten Lieblingsschriftstellern! Ichkann das Buch zu 100% weiterempfehlen. Toller Schreibstil, schöne Geschichte. Es wird nicht langweilig.

Totally different to my usual range of Australia authors, however it was a really good read and will read further books by Jessica Shirvington

I read real stories in real time so this would be a good book for some it was not suited to my taste.