Violet Eden is Grigori – part angel, part human. Her destiny is to protect humans from the vengence of exiled angels. Knowing who to trust is key but, when Grigori reinforcements arrive, it becomes clear everyone is hiding something. Even Lincoln. The only thing Violet does know: Phoenix’s hold over her is more dangerous than ever.
The race to find the one thing that could tilt the balance of power brings them all to the sacred mountains of Jordan, where Violet’s power will be pushed to the extreme. And the ultimate betrayal exposed. (Goodreads summary)
Violet. Entice finds Violet Eden still shaken from her experiences in the desert – the trials that turned her from being merely human to accepting her destiny as a Grigori, the part-angel protectors of humans and hunters of exiled angels. However, though she’s accepted what she is, it quickly becomes clear that Violet hasn’t wholeheartedly embraced the Grigori side of her nature yet, and she fears the lost part of herself that she was forced to kill in order to become what she was created to be. She’s trying to understand herself now that her whole world has been completely turned on its head. What part of herself did she lose? Her humanity? And who made her? Why is she different from other Grigori? For what purpose was she made?
Boys! Ugh… On top of this identity crisis she’s silently battling Vi must also deal with the tatters of her love life. Moving past her mistake with a guy who used and manipulated her, moving past her mistake that hurt the guy she truly loves but can never have. After Phoenix’s loyalties were revealed in the last book, Violet is angry and hurt from the deception, feeling foolish and naïve, and tries to focus on just being Lincoln’s platonic Grigori partner. Which is harder than she thought it’d be, especially since he seems more distant than ever, hanging out a ton with Griffin’s gorgeous partner Magda, and purposefully keeping Vi in the dark. Just when she thinks it can’t get any worse, Phoenix is back with his own agenda, and unfortunately Vi’s got to admit that they still have some kind of strange connection. Her relationships with both Phoenix and Lincoln were the big draw for me in the first book – both have very interesting dynamics. It’s kind of a love triangle, but… not. It’s terribly dramatic and all kinds of interesting.
Hello. You’re new. One of my favorite things about Entice is that Jessica introduces several new characters… the main ones being Salvatore, Zoe and Spence. Part of the contingent from the Academy in New York, these three are Violet’s peers – fellow trainees. All outfitted with their own cool angelic powers, these three have scene-stealing personalities that lend a lot of color to the story. From the quiet, sweet Salvatore who only speaks Italian, to the spitfire Zoe who’s perpetually annoyed with practically everyone, to the impetuous, fun-loving Spence whose biggest fear is being left out of a good fight. The characterization of these three is just done very well.
She’s got your back. Steph = I love her. Can she be my best friend? I’d love to see her take an even larger role later on in the series. She keeps Vi grounded. She knows Vi the best. She helps Vi put things into perspective. She dispenses advice or space as needed. She rocks.
The dealio. So why’s Phoenix back? Oh… only to get his hands on the legendary Scriptures. And if Phoenix gets his hands on the Scriptures, he’ll have a distinct advantage with which to carry on the exiles’ plan to wipe out all Grigori… and Violet and her friends aren’t about to let that happen.
The story was extremely fast-paced, but a bit weirdly paced at the same time – it lagged a little in the middle, felt a little muddled in spots, and went places I wasn’t expecting (i.e. – in a “Oh-ok-I-guess-this-is-happening-now” type of way). Despite that though, I still sped through the book, Entice definitely holding my interest.
Hmm. There were a few other minor things I just can’t shake, like once in awhile feeling a little emotionally distanced from Violet or events of the story. I think just more emotional development would’ve been nice, perhaps, because I felt in a couple instances that I just wasn’t feeling the depth of emotion I should be feeling. Maybe I have a heart of stone… but I get embarrassingly teary-eyed during Hallmark commercials, so probably not. Also, Griffin, Nyla & Rudy are slighly cardboard-ish parental stand-ins, and certain minor plot points feeling a tad contrived.
Despite this, it’s still a novel I enjoyed, still a very interesting take on angels, still a highly compelling romance, still raises very interesting questions that I’d love to know the answer to.
Overall. On to Emblaze!
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Author: Jessica Shirvington Title: Entice Series: Embrace (Book #2) Published: September 4th 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire Format: Hardcover, 464 pages; Kindle; Nook Website: www.jessicashirvington.com Source: Review copy provided by publisher My rating: 
A little bit about Jessica…
Jessica Shirvington is the author of THE VIOLET EDEN CHAPTERS also known as THE EMBRACE SERIES. An entrepreneur, author, and mother living in Sydney, Australia, Jessica is also a 2011 finalist for Cosmopolitan’s annual Fun, Fearless Female Award. She’s also one of the lucky few who met the love of her life at age seventeen: Matt Shirvington, a former Olympian and current sports broadcaster for FOXTEL and Sky News. Married for almost eleven years with two beautiful daughters, Sienna and Winter, Jessica knows her early age romance and its longevity has definitely contributed to how she tackles relationships in her YA novels. Previously, she founded a coffee distribution company, Stella Imports, in London, and before that was involved in the management of restaurants Fuel Bistro and MG Garage in Sydney. Jessica is now a full-time novelist and living her dream.
Author site | EMBRACE site | Facebook | Goodreads
The Giveaway…
ONE (1) lucky follower will win a paperback ARC copy of ENTICE by Jessica Shirvington (US/CAN ONLY)
Please fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter. This is mandatory. Comments alone will not be counted as your mandatory entry. Rules and conditions are listed below the Rafflecopter form.
Happy Reading!
I love this series! I think the angel mythology is wholly new and much darker than other angel books – it fits perfectly. I’m happy to see Vi has lots of awesome new friends and that she realized her mistake with the wrong guy. I love LIncoln:)
Great review:)
Teehee… I love Lincoln too. And yes, the mythology is very interesting in this series.
Have you read this one yet?
Haven’t read Entice but I loved Embrace! I love that it’s completely different from other angle books and I really like Vi:) She’s a great main character and I like that she’s becoming stronger
The first book was fantastic and I’ve been really excited to read Entice. Angel books normally have a similar pattern and flow but I love that the VE series seems to stand out a little more than the others and I loveee that the characters are going to exotic locations! Aghh!! I’m just super thrilled read the next one!
I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t tell AT ALL 😉 I know you’ve been waiting for this for a while so I hope you get your hands on it soon and that you enjoy it immensely!
Loved the trailer!!! Cannot wait for book 2 😀
YAY!
Well, best of luck in the giveaway then!
I literally have Embrace on my nightstand and I just started it! I didn’t really read thru the summary for Entice bc I’m OCD about stuff like future book blurbs ruining the current book for me. But I’m so excited to get finished with this one…its pretty good and I’m not even that far in.
Understood, and yay!
I hope you enjoy Embrace!
That cover looks amazing. I hadn’t heard about this series, but unfortunately, I’m not looking for another angel series right now. If I change my mind, I’ll definitely pick this one.
Yeah, it’s pretty. And yeah, I don’t really read all that many angel books either, but this one’s interesting
i put all the book on my wish list wow they are great cover and i would lobe to read and blog on them for you wow they sound so great did you use the same one to design your books
How do you feel about the covers? 😀
How do I feel about the covers…? Well, I like this one a lot. I wish it had more continuity with the first one. I feel like they’re very different from each other. And actually my favorite cover from this series is actually the ARC version of Embrace… lol. It’s so pretty! It’s a lot like this: http://sites.sourcebooks.com/images/embrace/wallpaper/EmbraceGirl1920x1080.jpg
I have not gotten to read the book but would love to I love the cover Thanks for the giveaway
Sure! Good luck, Crystal!
Love the cover. Seems dark! Can’t wait to dive in. thanks so much!
It’s a bit on the dark side
Good luck, Heather!
Love the cover and the video!
They are pretty cool
Thanks for stoppin’ in, Candy!
I’m definitely “enticed” by this book! To be part angel and part human must be a struggle. And I love the cover design! I want to win!! Thanks for the giveaway!
Oooo…. nice. 😉 lol Thanks for droppin’ in, Zara, and best of luck in the giveaway!
I’ve had this one on my wishlist since I first saw the cover and read the blurb. Thanks for the giveaway!
Awesome! Well, I hope it lives up to your expectations!
Good luck, Lisa!
I am so excited for this book! Thank you so much for the giveaway
Yay! Good luck, Jami!
A drama filled love triangle is always a positive. I’m curious to find out about her lost humanity and creator. And btw, beautiful cover.
It is a cool cover and yes, I do like the drama. 😉 Hope you get a chance to pick it up soon. Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the giveaway!
I really love angel books! I can’t wait to read it!
Yay! Thanks for stopping by!
I am so excited to read this book! I loved Embrace!! Thanks Jessica for such a wonderful series. Stop by my blog anytime.
http://www.walkingonbookshelves.blogspot.com
Thanks Jeannette!
Loved the trailer! The music draws you in and gets you excited for it!
It’s true. It does!
Thanks for stopping by, Kelly! 
I can not wait to get my hands on this book! The wait has been complete TORTURE!
Well I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed Embrace!
I absolutely adored Embrace. I went into it not expecting to have the reaction to it that I did. It was a very smart, well written story and I was completely engrossed. I can’t wait for Entice. I have no doubt that it will be amazing. Afterwards I might just have to buy book 3 and spend the money because I don’t think I will be able to wait. Oh, and Lincoln, All. The. Way!
LOL… you mean get it from fishpond.com? I think the fourth book just released too within the last couple weeks! So you could get both if you can’t wait 😉
And yes, Team Lincoln. 😀
Fishpond.com, it is! I think I have you to thank for that. I have already used it once. My plan has been to wait until Entice releases and buy it. Read it and then hold out for as long as I possibly can (which will be about 7 minutes) then go ahead and order the final two. I just don’t think I can wait two years to see how this series plays out. Mostly to see if team Lincoln wins!
Entice IS out!
It came out on the 4th? Yeah, the 4th.
http://www.amazon.com/Entice-Embrace-Jessica-Shirvington/dp/1402268432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347282203&sr=8-1&keywords=entice
There you go. No need to ship it from AUS, unless you really, really want to. lol 😉
Wonderful review! I adore you lot for doing all these reviews and giveaways!
Aw shucks… thank you!
The relationships in this book sound intriguing, I haven’t heard of this series, then again I don’t really have much interest in angel books. I love the way the new characters sound and the cover is gorgeous!
I’m not typically one for angel books either, but this series does have some very intriguing elements to it. And yes, the cover is gorgeous