Embrace the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy

AIvy-Embrace the DarknessHere we are with book number two in Alexandra Ivy’s Guardian of the Eternity series, Embrace the Darkness.  I did enjoy this book more than When Darkness Comes (here’s my review).  This go round its hunky vampire Viper and the last known, although half blood, Shalott, Shay.  An enemy and a slave.

Is He Her Mortal Enemy

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. . .

Or The Man Who Will Risk All. . .

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.

To Save Her Life?

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 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. . .

I’ve come to a realization that I am not a fan of books with demons.  I think it’s from all the ‘thou shall not speak of demons’ talk I had growing up that has tarnished my view of them. *grin* But I found I can get passed such issues if I overlook that little word.  In Embrace the Darkness, I had to do that, many times a page, to get through the book.  As long as I ignored that word, I enjoyed the story very much.

The vampires of Alexandra Ivy are sex crazed studs.  Nothing wrong with that, right girls?  I can handle some teasing and foreplay if you will, but in the midst of battle or on the run from danger…well to me it’s a bit annoying.  I want battle.  I want on the run, on the edge of your seat danger until you hide from the boogey man.  Having a man pawing at the girl or having heart to heart conversations with a bad guy running at you seconds from swinging his sword makes me roll my eyes and skip the scene.  However I get why they happen and what they show/teach you about the characters.  You see them coming to terms with their situation.  You see them realizing the connection between each other.  You see them realizing their own power and strength.  And obviously some hair tingling nooky cause they know at any second they can get caught so why not?

I have to say I liked Viper, although his narcissism at times made me wanna smack him.  I liked him in the previous book, When Darkness Comes, liked his ornery attitude and swagger of hotness.  He’s just as powerful and captivating in Embrace the Darkness.  There’s something about a big strong, egotistical brat falling hard for a girl that makes me all warm and bubbly inside.  It’s a warped girl thing to want to turn a hardened heart into a mushy poet.  Thankfully we have books that do this for us, makes it so much easier, mwuahaha.  Truthfully I thought Shay was this haggard little creepy woman in When Darkness Comes so when she wasn’t anything of the sort this time, I was a bit confused.  Obviously I didn’t pay attention to her last time.  Shay is a typical character.  She’s strong and distant due to an abusive past.  She has few friends; well she has one, a small French gargoyle named Levet.  Somehow she’s owned and slightly attracted by a vampire who is a sworn enemy of Shalotts.  It’s a story of seeing the enemy in a new light kind of thing. Viper shows her that not all enemies are created equal.  I’m not sure what Shay shows Viper, his character doesn’t change much while their relationship is growing.  Other than his devotion and obsession with her takes on a more permanent role, one he hadn’t foreseen.   But they work well for each other.  I believed in them.

The theme of this book is much like the last one.  The girl is in trouble from some unknown bad guy; the guy must protect her and find a solution to save her life.   Again her life holds everyone’s fate.  The characters and situations are different, but it’s still the same recipe.  Not that that’s a complaint.  It’s a series, that’s how they work.  But I’m looking forward to a book in this series that is different, one that I’m not guessing what’s going to happen next, because its predecessor already showed me the way.

Embrace the Darkness is one of those books that fall into the love/hate category for me.  I’d recommend it for sure, it’s a good read. But it’s rather predictable and lacking enough extra oomph to separate it from the previous book.  Still, I am curious to read the rest of the series, to see who Alexandra Ivy brings on stage next.

Read Order:
When Darkness Comes
Embrace The Darkness
Darkness Everlasting
Darkness Revealed
Darkness Unleashed
Beyond The Darkness
Devoured by Darkness
Bound By Darkness
Taken by Darkness (in Yours For Eternity)
Fear The Darkness

Also reviewed by: Kathy Takes on Books, Paranormal Romance, Maryse’s Book Blog, Rom Fan Reviews, Vampire Romance Books

About Nikki R 120 Articles
SAHM of 2, happily married bookworm, blogger and aspiring author. If I could read/write all day, every day, I would. Luckily I have a very understanding, and patient, husband who lets me get away with it as much as possible. Now if only the kids would understand my obsession, and the house would clean itself, then I'd be all set.