Reader favorite Angie Sandro returns to the South with a bewitching paranormal New Adult romance perfect for fans of Jennifer Armentrout's Wicked and Cora Carmack's Inspire . . .
Rescued from the brink of death by her cousin Mala, Dena Acker returns to the land of the living with a terrifying gift. Still connected to the darkness that almost claimed her, she can tell when someone's about to die--but there's nothing she can do to save them. Desperate to rid herself of this cursed ability, Dena has only one chance at peace . . . and two very different men willing to rescue her.
For centuries, Ashmael has seen more souls than he can count but he's never been drawn to anyone the way he is to fragile, beautiful Dena. She fills the dark void of his days with light, and he would sacrifice anything - even his immortality - to cross over to her world and ease her suffering. But he can't afford to be discovered by police detective Michael Anders, who is investigating the deaths that surround Dena. While Michael fights his growing attraction to her, the evidence still points to Dena as the killer. Both men have the ability to save Dena from her horrible fate, but which one can she trust with her darkest secrets?
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Angie Sandro was born at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Within six weeks, she began the first of eleven relocations throughout the United States, Spain, and Guam before the age of eighteen.
Friends were left behind. The only constants in her life were her family and the books she shipped wherever she went. Traveling the world inspired her imagination and allowed her to create her own imaginary friends. Visits to her father's family in Louisiana inspired this story.
Angie now lives in Northern California with her husband, two children, and an overweight Labrador.
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net** Dark Embrace is actually the 4th book in the Dark Paradise series by Angie Sandro. I actually had no idea because the cover looks totally different than the previous three covers (which I like a lot better than this one) and the first three books features a character named Mala. All of them featured Mala to my knowledge and Dark Embrace features her cousin Dena. I have not read the first three books in this series, and I was fine reading this one. There were a few moments where I wish I had a little more back story, but Dark Embrace can stand on its' own. It felt more like a companion series rather than a continuation to the Dark Paradise series. But either way, I absolutely loved Dark Embrace!
Dena is a great character. She is stubborn as a mule, but she is caring, compassionate and determined. And I appreciated how skeptical and distrustful she was of people. because holy cow, everyone in this book should not be trusted. Not even her. It is really hard for me to describe Dark Embrace, other than to say it is one fantastic paranormal mystery of a ride. You have this mysterious dark shadow that Dena seems to be the only one to see. And he seems to be kind of obsessed with her. And then you have all the people that seem to die around her. And then you have all the people trying to kill her. And it just keeps building. You learn one thing and three more mysteries and questions pop up.
Angie Sandro did a really fabulous job telling Dena's story. I loved how everything was presented and how all the events unfolded. I so badly wanted something specific to happen in this book and it did. And when it did, I was whooping for joy. I want to see more Dena stories. I hope this is not the end for her. Now that she knows what is going on, I want her to get her romance on. Even though there was plenty of romantic action in this book, which I absolutely loved, I hope that Dena takes a little more time in the next book to enjoy her relationship.
OMG!!! Okay so this is book four of the Dark paradise series but it is the start of a new story arc. The first three were centered around Mala and Landry, this one is all about Dena and can be read as a stand alone but I really recommend to read the first three and get sucked into the drama and mystery of Paradise Louisiana. Angie Sandro weaves a fantastic tale of hoodoo, ghost, zombies, and Death himself.
Dena Acker was brought back from the dead, well technically. Dena was beaten by her father and was brain dead. Her soul trapped in purgatory and continually tortured by her father. Mala brought her back but was determined to keep that little fact from Dena. But Dena has a secret of her own ever since coming back to the land of the living she has been able to see when people are about to die a black fog surrounds them. She learned fast that she could not change it so she just learned to ignore it until one day a lunatic verbally assaults her at work and then after work tries to kill her and almost succeeds if not for the black fog. Dena fought for her life she fought back wounding the mad man. On the verge of passing out she sees a black vortex open up and an entity come from it and kill the mad man. It also saves Dena licking her wounds. Dena is aroused by this man like entity and when she wakes later in the hospital all she can think of was his kiss on her lips and his emerald green eyes.
Detective Michael Anders is in charge of finding who is responsible for burning alive people from the inside, so far his only clue is Dena and he can't decide whether to slap the cuffs on her or kiss her. Dena in a moment of weakness confess to him what she really saw but like she assumed he doesn't believe her. Dena becomes more and more aware of the entity that is killing people, burning them from the inside out, but is it really bad when it is targeting the hit men sent to kill Dena. The more Dena learns about Ashmael, the entity, death the more she becomes confused by her feelings for both Michael and Ashmael. The truth about Mala comes out and like always everything hits the fan at once.
I love this book. Dena so cynical and dark. Angie Sandro does not disappoint with this follow up/ continuation it is intense and sexy and even caught me by surprise.
This is very different from the books I typically review, but I loved the story. There are paranormal/voodoo elements throughout the book but they’re written in a way that, without knowing many of the practices myself, I was easily able to follow along with.
The main characters are phenomenal. They were never what you expected them to be and kept you guessing from the get go. There is some definite heat in this book that took me by surprise, in a good way. The embers were fanned just enough to keep the heat there and then when the heat turned up, BAM! Full flames. And wow…
This is not the first book in the series, and CAN be read standalone with minimal confusion. There are a few parts where you may be a little confused by the characters, but the confusion doesn’t last long. I will be going back to read the other books in this series and I really look forward to the next book! ~ Devlynn, 4 stars
I was so glad to see a continuation of the characters from this dark and sexy world. It was exciting to be with Dena now, and get a furtherance and escalation of the ghosts and demons of this Southern Gothic story. The action is non-stop and you can't help loving the characters. They are hot!
Dark Embrace Dark Paradise, Book #4 By Angie Sandro ISBN13: 9781455562732 Author’s website: http://anjeasandro.blogspot.com/ Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Scott
Review
I’ll be the first to admit that urban fantasy/romance is not really what I’d normally pick up, but with Dark Embrace, that reluctance was overcome by pure joy. A crafty novel with a hint of the supernatural, this book left me wanting more. Angie Sandro is a talented writer who knows when to wrench up the action to the point where the “romance” in the novel almost takes a side street. More Urban Fantasy than romance, I was drawn into the book gasping for air, waiting for it to end.
This is where the problem lies: the ending. The book has an amazing plot and the action is well described. Sandro throws enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. The problem lies in the fact that the book just ends. No character development; no closure – it just ends. Granted, it does give you a preview for Dark Desire, the next book in the series. Still, I felt there could have been some character growth, and some type of closure to allow the book to stand on its own. Without the denouement, the book arcs the action to the climax and then leaves you hanging. While this is a hard part to work around, given word count or page count, but I would have liked the characters more if there was some closure on their part.
Characters in Dark Embrace are fully three dimensional, save for the odd side role, and Angie Sandro shines in developing her two main protagonists: Dena Ackers and Michael Anders. Throughout the novel we see more and more facets of their wonts and desires. Charming in its own way, the characters from Dark Embrace shine with a light that few authors in this genre ignite. Told from Dena’s point of view, the novel cascades about her odd predicaments, and washes the other characters clean and more believable. As the book progresses, and more odd abilities crop up, this urban fantasy/mystery novel takes the characterization to the fore. I had no complaints as to how the characters related to each other. Only a little closure on the characters part, aside from one short paragraph at the end, could have helped this get a 5 star review.
The writing is handled deftly, and the passions and paranormal seem to fit right in. From the police detective, to the men on the sheriff’s team, to the Russian mob, Voodoo priestesses and beyond, Dark Embrace somehow manages to make these myriad elements seamlessly intertwine over the course of the novel with minimal suspension of disbelief. The style is brisk, blunt in places and lavish in others. It reads well and definitely plays the reader along. Overall, it’s a solid novel. The lack of a proper ending is the only fault I could find. As mentioned previously, had there been a three act structure, it would have moved me. Unfortunately, the two acts are all you get; but truth be told, they’re good acts.
Overall, Dark Embrace captures the reader right off the hop. Angie Sandro writes a solid beginning of a perceivably long series. The blend of action, kung foo, gangster, murder and romance are blended well into a reality that’s not far off the reader’s radar. It works in this book, and I would highly recommend it to dark fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, romance and a plethora of others, as the book holds something for everyone. Dark Embrace, whilst lacking an ending, paves the road to new beginnings. Angie Sandro will, given a proper structure, certainly be an author to watch out for.
Edible Quote: Anders and Dena “Usually it doesn’t take this much work for me to charm a woman.” My voice comes out as breathless whisper. “Is that what you’re trying to do?” “If you have to ask, then I need to work harder.” His finger trails down my neck, and I swear I almost do an old-fashioned swoon right into his oh-so-very muscular arms. (31% kindle eARC)
Dark Embrace is a swoon worthy mystery with a bewitchingly Southern Gothic feel. It’s an edge-of-your-seat roller coaster ride of emotions, murder, and mayhem readers won’t see coming until long after they’ve been sucked into the novel. Being that this is my fist encounter with the author, I didn’t know what to expect from her writing. The blurb was enough to capture my attention and I hadn’t read a decent Gothic novel in a long time. Needless to say, after I read the first chapter, I knew I would read more of her work – if not all of her previous novels. Sandro ensnared me right from the start and I’m still enraptured by her words, I cannot get enough. The grit and edge, sarcasm and snark, and edible scenes. I want it all.
Dark Embrace centers around a young woman named Dena who was brought back to life by her cousin, Mala. Since her return, Dena’s been able to feel the pull of death and see his “presence” when others cannot. However, it seems every time she see’s the boy, she’s attacked and to make matters worse, blamed for her attackers murders. Now, Anders, a detective, is on her case. And the attraction they both feel cannot be ignored.
This book is hot…
Yes, it’s hot and you can feel the steam coming from the pages. The dynamic between the characters was one of my favorite parts of the story. I loved every moment she was around “death, the almost primal need they had for each other, and their uncontrollable desire. But … yes there is a but … Anders, yum. I couldn’t help but want to see him win Dena too. The mystery surrounding Dena was another one of my favorite parts. Not to give too much away, but I was guessing throughout the entire novel. Heck I changed my mind about the culprit so many times! Gosh, it was exciting and so unpredictable!
Overall, if you like snark, carnal appetites, and good mysteries in your novels, then I highly recommend reading Dark Embrace and adding Angie Sandro to your list of authors to watch! However, I must suggest that parents read this one before their teenagers due to the type of content in the novel and strong violence. But for everyone else, it’s a MUST READ!
This is very different from the books I typically review, but I loved the story. There are paranormal/voodoo elements throughout the book but they’re written in a way that, without knowing many of the practices myself, I was easily able to follow along with.
The main characters are phenomenal. They were never what you expected them to be and kept you guessing from the get go. There is some definite heat in this book that took me by surprise, in a good way. The embers were fanned just enough to keep the heat there and then when the heat turned up, BAM! Full flames. And wow…
This is not the first book in the series, and CAN be read standalone with minimal confusion. There are a few parts where you may be a little confused by the characters, but the confusion doesn’t last long. I will be going back to read the other books in this series and I really look forward to the next book! ~ Devlynn, 4 stars
Angie Sandro has done it again! She has brought the bayous of Louisiana into our homes. She has brought magic to our lives. Enriching us with a way of life that is mostly passed down to scare kids into doing what they are told. She introduced us to Dena in Dark Redemption. But now we are pulled into her life feet first. What is it like to be pulled from death's clutches? How is a person supposed to cope when things start going all hinky? But most of all, what is a girl to do when she is torn between a sexy detective with whom she has a strange connection, and a dark cloud that has connected itself to her emotionally?
To see the rest of my review visit my blog at www.bookreviewbycharlotte.blogspot.com Would you like a chance at winning an e-book copy of Dark Embrace? Instructions are on my blog. The contest runs through 7/21/15. No purchase necessary.
The premise drew me in on this one. The first chapter hooked me, but then things slowed down. I got bogged down toward the middle where there seemed to be too much filler and scenes that didn't move the story forward. The action picked up toward the end of the novel and I got a sense of the Louisiana swamp I was promised, so yay. I'm not crazy about cliff-hanger endings, but I liked the characters enough to take a look at the next book.
This one was 2.5 stars for me. I rounded up to 3. I'm not a fan of present tense because I think it's difficult for authors to make it feel seamless and I found it jarring here, so my reading was likely biased in that regard. I've seen many rave reviews, so hopefully I'm in the minority here.
I received a copy of this for free through Goodreads First Reads
Overall this was a good story, however I was confused a lot of the way through. I think I need to go back and read the other books, because it was a very intriguing story.