Summary: As one of the Embraced, one born with magical powers, the beautiful, innocent Luciana escaped certain death after her father hid her away on the Isle of Moon. Now, nineteen years later, her father has returned with a frightening request. He will be executed unless Luciana returns to the mainland and marries a man feared throughout the land: a terrifying brute known as the Beast.
From the brilliant imagination of Kerrelyn Sparks comes a bold new fantasy romance series in which passion and magic collide. Behold the Embraced...
As one of the Embraced--one born with magical powers--the beautiful, innocent Luciana escaped certain death after her father hid her away on the Isle of Moon. Now, nineteen years later, her father has returned with a frightening request. He will be executed unless Luciana returns to the mainland and marries a man feared throughout the land: a terrifying brute known as the Beast.
Luciana accepts her fate and agrees to wed the Beast--Lord Leo--in order to save her father. Soon she learns that her betrothed is also one of the Embraced. With the ability to wield lightning, Leo's immense power strikes fear into the hearts of men. . .and his mere touch can put an end to a woman's life. But Luciana cannot deny the passion that burns between them. How can she resist the man who scorches her soul and makes her feel intoxicated with desire--even if surrendering to him could destroy them both?
As one of the Embraced, one born with magical powers, the beautiful, innocent Luciana escaped certain death after her father hid her away on the Isle of Moon. Now, nineteen years later, her father has returned with a frightening request. He will be executed unless Luciana returns to the mainland and marries a man feared throughout the land: a terrifying brute known as the Beast.
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Booklist Review
As Sparks starts a delightful new paranormal-romance series, The Embraced, Luciana begins to learn about her mysterious origins when a stranger shows up at the convent where she has been raised. The Duke of Vindalyn turns out to be her father. He has hidden Luciana away because her special powers put her in danger, but now the sister she never knew, Tatiana, must be presented to the king, who decreed she must marry Leo, the Lord Protector, who is superfast and superstrong, can fling electrical shocks, and kills whomever he touches, including, it's rumored, his mother and nanny as a boy. If Tatiana is not presented, the duke will be executed. But Tatiana is dead. Luciana valiantly pretends to be Tatiana to save her father's life, but they are targeted by assassins. Luciana uses her powers to uncover dangerous plots, while, because of their belief in their inability to physically touch, Luciana and Leo's erotic tension ratchets up. Readers will relish Spark's lovingly detailed and memorable tale and look forward to the next.--Herald, Diana Tixier Copyright 2017 Booklist
Kirkus Book Review
Two of a king's pawns have to learn to trust each other in the first installment of a new fantasy romance series.Luciana has grown up on the Isle of Moon believing she was an orphan. She, like other children born when the two moons in the sky align, has special powers; on the island, these children are called the Embraced, but on the mainland they're considered an abomination by priests for the Light, who fear their powers. She is understandably surprised when a man comes to the island claiming to be her father and asking her to return to the mainland in place of her dead twin, who was supposed to marry the Beast of Benwick. Leo, her future husband, is also Embraced but doesn't have to fear those who would have him killed. He gains power from lightninghe kills anyone he touches with his bare hands. Leo and Luciana (posing as Tatiana) must marry or fear violent retaliation from the king. Of course, it doesn't really matter that they're being forced into a relationship, because they're instantly attracted to each other. If only they could actually touch and...other things. While it takes a while for the tone of the novel to match that of the more playful title, this is an entertaining first entry for Sparks' (Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire, 2014, etc.) new series. But with all the intrigue, the spies, and the angst, most of the resolutions happen a little too easily; actions that severely betray characters' trust are brushed away with little more than a shrug. Many subplots are solved swiftly, and what should have been the book's great climax peters out with little excitement, fanfare, or even remark. Fun but anticlimactic. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
TextPublication details: New York, New York : St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2017.Description: 408 pages ; 18 cmISBN: