Death's Sweet Embrace (Dark Brethren, #2) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Apr 18, 2010 ♥Lynn ♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: vampires, shifters, author-tracey-o-hara, urban-fantasy, read-in-2011, jan-2011, arc, netgalley

Death's Sweet Embrace is book two from Tracey O'Hara's Dark Brethren series. I found book one at a yard sale and fell madly in love with Antoinette and Christian. I was really excited to see what O'Hara had in store for book two.

Kitt Jordan is a snow leopard dealing with the loss of her brother, Dylan (book one). Raven Matokwe, is Kitt's former lover and father of her children. Raven and Kitt is burn for one another as the past is not quite in the past. Students are being stalked and killed by a ...more

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Oct 08, 2010 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it liked it

I'm supporting Aussie Author Month during April and so I am pleased to host Tracey O'Hara on her blog tour for the Australian release of Death's Sweet Embrace.
Death's Sweet Embrace is the second installment in O'Hara's Dark Brethren series, Night's Cold Kiss introduced the series that walks a line between dark urban fantasy and paranormal romance. merging humanity with vampires and shifters. The first book introduces Antoinette and Christian whose relationship develops as they hunt a psychotic s I'm supporting Aussie Author Month during April and so I am pleased to host Tracey O'Hara on her blog tour for the Australian release of Death's Sweet Embrace.
Death's Sweet Embrace is the second installment in O'Hara's Dark Brethren series, Night's Cold Kiss introduced the series that walks a line between dark urban fantasy and paranormal romance. merging humanity with vampires and shifters. The first book introduces Antoinette and Christian whose relationship develops as they hunt a psychotic serial killer and a corrupt politician.
A Death's Sweet Embrace introduces Kit, a Snow Leopard shifter who has joined the Academy as an instructor on parahuman forensic pathology. Her motivation is the enrollment of her twin daughters whom from she has been estranged since their birth after being banished by her Pride. For Kit, things are further complicated by the return of Raven - a wolf shifter, and the father of her twins, and her families antagonism. In addition, Oberon, the head of security and Kit's late brother's partner, hopes to recruit Kit into his elite team of investigators to deal with a ritualistic serial killer on campus and an escalating threat from a society once thought mythical.
A Death's Sweet Embrace maintains story threads that are complex, yet not complicated. O'Hara is still developing story precedents and introducing characters to establish the series in this second book. The foreshadowing, along with the story arcs, compete with both the main and minor plots so it can seem crowded. There are one or two aspects of the plot that don't quite coalesce and I feel that the editing process may have been a little brutal in places resulting in details being left out that can be disconcerting but ultimately has little impact on the main plot resolution. There is plenty of action and violence, the details of the murders can be graphic but it supports the gritty tone of the series. Kit allows O'Hara to develop the Animalian aspect of her world. The Animalian society conforms to the shifter trope (patriarchal societies that are concerned with territory and property as power), though she has created some interesting mythology and I thought the idea of the suits they wear is clever. I thought O'Hara managed to sustain the suspense well, the identity of the killer is a shocking twist in that it is not as cut and dried as you might guess. The pace is varied but well balanced.
I thought Kit was likeable, she comes off as quite weak both physically and emotionally initially (and I still don't understand the back story that led to her separation from her daughters) but reveals hidden depths as the story progresses. Raven is the expected Alpha, his background is interesting but I would have liked to have seen him as a more active participant in the story. The romance between Kit and Raven is anchored in their past so the development of their relationship is believable. While Kit is the protagonist of Death's Sweet Embrace, there is a large supporting cast and the point of view shifts on occasion to illustrate different perspectives. These are smoothly handled and allow insight into the minor plots. Several of the characters from Night's Cold Kiss reappear, Oberon, Antoinette and Christian briefly to name a few. Most of the newly introduced characters are tied directly to Kit's story though I would expect one or two may appear in future installments. More of the mystery of the Dark Brethren is revealed but they are still quite a nebulous group that doesn't have a particularly solid presence at yet.
Death's Sweet Embrace is a gritty yet entertaining read that offers an uncommon blend of mystery, action, horror and romance. O'Hara's Dark Brethren series is unique in the paranormal/fantasy fiction genre and I will be looking forward to the next installment.
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May 15, 2011 Cindy (eclecticfirefly) rated it really liked it

It took me a little while to get back into this series. It's been a couple of months since I read the first one, and I had some trouble remembering the world. This installment focuses on Kitt and Raven.

Kitt is an Animalian. Were to us common folk. She can shift into a snow leopard. Raven is her ex-lover, a wolf shifter. Kitt has been banished from her Pride and there is a hefty price on Raven's head. He is thought to have been responsible for Kitt's brother's murder.

I never really became comple ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Lee rated it really liked it

Good book. I wish Raven could've had more 'page time' but overall, it still worked out in an interesting way. Can't wait for the next book in the series. I'd love to read Oberon's story soon! ...more

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