Ivy Black is a slave who is offered as a sacrifice to the terrifying race known as the Ajax. She is found by a cast out of his tribe, Dredd, a lonely warrior, who longs for redemption. Unbelievable he has found the answer to his prayers: his fated mate. If only she would understand that. Ivy is drawn to this warrior, but she is not about to be the one his DARKNESS EMBRACED. She wants to be free.

When she escapes with cunning a maddened Dredd begins a journey to find her. He travels the realm fighting in arenas and in each village searches for Ivy. She found a new life but can't forget that strong warrior. Then one day the tournament fighters come to her village and the elite gladiators called the Beasts are among them. Dredd is one of them.

DARKNESS EMBRACED is in a word fascinating. The characters are all varied and alive with personalities that you would find in any modern world. The emotions of the storyline flowed well and the reader will be unable to look away. Ivy was a slave girl for a noble people when she had been chosen to be sacrificed to the Ajax. The Ajax are fanged giants that Ivy's owners (they were called ShadowBorn) fear. It turned out to be lucky that Ivy was chosen and Dredd found her, or things would have been bad for the lovely maiden. Ivy is a strong woman, tough yet tender, a bit naïve but also worldly and wise. I guess she is a captivating combination of girl and woman. She felt bad about how she left Dredd but she wanted to be free. Dredd has no choice but to search the world and find her, she is after all his mate. When he does find her she still has to choose what she wants to do ... go with her heart or be free.

Those who seek a happily ever after storyline will be pleased with her choice but the twists and turns author Trish Arcangelo puts her lovers through might have you worried. DARKNESS EMBRACED is Ms. Arcangelo's first novel and I certainly hope she has more up her sleeve.

Book Summary

Sold into slavery as a child, Ivy Black has known little but pain in her life. Offered as a sacrifice to the terrifying race known as the Ajax, she’s found by the fiercest one of them all. Betrayed and cast out by his tribe, Dredd is a lonely warrior longing for redemption. Now he’s found the answer to his prayers: his fated mate. If only she understood that.

Though Ivy is drawn to the feral warrior, she resists him, the need for freedom stronger than her desire. When she escapes, a maddened Dredd begins a brutal journey to find her. He becomes one of an elite group of gladiators called Beasts. Dredd travels the realm, fighting in the arenas and searching for Ivy. She’s found a new life but can’t forget the strong warrior and his sensual touch.

Then one day Dredd arrives in her village for a tournament…

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