Embraced by Blood by Laurie London
Sweetblood, Book 2
HQN
Paranormal, Suspense
ISBN: 978-0373775866
Reviewed by Miranda




Alfonso Serrano is an outcast.  He has been undercover amidst the evil Darkbloods striving to bring down the organization from within.  Now that his term as a spy is over Alfonso is still living in the dark away from everyone he knows.  There is only one person that could bring him out of the dark, the woman he’s always wanted but knew he could never have.

Lily DeGraff is a tracker for the side of good.  She wields her talent to track the valuable Sweetbloods so the guardians can protect them from the Darkbloods who would drain them.  It is her tracking talent that has put her in danger.  There are some new Darkbloods in town looking to make a name for themselves and they want to use Lily to do their dirty work.

At one time Lily would have hung the moon on Alfonso, but he let her think he was dead and left her behind.  Alfonso is back to protect Lily from the danger that’s coming her way but he may be bringing some danger of his own.  As Lily and Alfonso fight their enemies they fight the heat that is growing between them as well.

Embraced by Blood is good from the first drop to the last!  Alfonso and Lily set this Sweetblood book on fire.  The chemistry between these two is out of this world and what make it even better are the emotions that lie underneath these strong characters.  Alfonso and Lily have history some good and some bad, but one thing remains and that’s their undeniable attraction to each other.  Alfonso’s character is dark; he’s done some bad things in the name of good and he feels he should be punished.  It’s his penance that keeps him from embracing the happiness around him.  I thoroughly enjoyed Lily’s staunch attitude towards Alfonso.  Yes, she wants him but she’s not going to put up with his behavior.  Watching these two dance around each other and their issues combined with the excellent plot make Embraced by Blood a hell of a good read!

Embraced by Blood is the second book in the Sweetblood series.  I don’t feel it’s absolutely a requirement to read the first book before this one but I do think that having read the first one enhanced my enjoyment of Embraced by Blood.  For instance I became attached to more than the main characters in the first book.  Therefore, I was so excited to read more about them.  Laurie London has developed lovable characters that will leave you dying for more.  Not only are the characters wonderful but Ms. London’s descriptive writing places you right in the middle of the action.  The climax of this story is at a very haunting locale.  I don’t want to give anything away but Ms. London’s description of the place definitely made me feel like I was there.

Embraced by Blood is an enticingly seductive read that will leave you enthralled!  I cannot wait for the next Sweetblood novel.  I love being surprised and Ms. London keeps them coming!  I’m sure I will devour it as I did Embraced by Blood.