Review--E-ARC Death's Sweet Embrace by Tracey O'Hara

After thousands of years of secret conflict, humans and parahumans have reached an uneasy truce. But unspeakable evil now threatens to shatter the tenuous peace.

Teenaged shapeshifters are being slaughtered by a twisted, sadistic serial killer who rips their still-beating hearts from their paralyzed bodies. A task force must be formed to halt the madness—a union of avengers including the vampiric Aeternus, Christian Laroque and Antoinette Petrescu, as well as Kitt Jordan and Raven Matokwe, members of enemy Animalian tribes…and forbidden lovers.

A centuries-old blood feud has divided their peoples—pitting wolf against snow leopard in a battle to the death—and if their passion is discovered it will doom them both. But past hostilities must be put aside in light of the scourge that is now upon them. For the killer they seek is but the first sign of a blossoming terror rising up from their long-buried pasts: the all-consuming nightmare of The Dark Brethren.

Death's Sweet Embrace is the highly anticipated book in Tracey O'Hara's Dark Brethern series. I was excited to read this book early through NetGalley and it did not disappoint!

As you can tell from the BOC, this is a slightly different novel, Antoinette is not the main character while she is there throughout the novel. The point of view is multiple third person, so it's hard to say who the main character really is, I would say it's Kitt, the female Animalian from the Animalian couple described in the BOC. Raven is the other and her lover.

Some things that were a little complicated was the history about the Animalians. There were some past events that get explained along the way, yet at times I kept feeling like I was missing something, like the info was supposed to be already know, and yet I didn't know it. This didn't take away from the story though as there was a connection between Antoinette and another mentioned character who might have been in Night's Cold Kiss, yet I can't recall since it's been a few months since I last read it.

Overall Death's Sweet Embrace was a very exciting read! Kitt is drawn into a murder investigation a little unwilling, but complies and soon discovers that her lover, Raven is helping out as well when he should be in hiding since her father has put on bounty on his head for a past murder, one that he may or may not have committed. Kitt is also in exile from her pack for the decisions she has made and she longs to return to her Pride and her daughters. A small reprieve she has is that her daughters attend the school where she is teaching.

While trying to work the case with Oberon, Antoinette and the others, Kitt has to fight her attraction to Raven for getting back together would be too dangerous especially when her father's people start watching her.

Filled with action, suspense, intrigue, and a bit of romance, Death's Sweet Embrace is an incredibly GREAT read that I highly recommend. Vampires are seen a little differently here, much like they were in the first book, and there are other supernatural creatures involved so it makes for a fun flavorful read. I am really looking forward to the next book, as now knowing that there was a narrator shift, I am wondering who we will see next and what other connections will be made.

Overall I give the book 4.5/5 stars!