Embrace of the Damned (Brotherhood of the Damned) [Mass Market Paperback]

Anya Bast (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 2012 | Series: Brotherhood of the Damned (Book 1)

A damned Viking warrior.

Centuries ago Broder Calderson committed murder. As punishment, he was given over to the dominion of Loki, the Trickster God, made part of the Brotherhood of the Damned and condemned to an immortal life of battle against the Blight, blood-drinkers from Hel.

A mysterious woman he can't resist.

One thousand years to the day he was damned, Loki allows him a woman as reward for his good service and repentance of his crimes. Once Broder sees Jessamine Hamilton, he is overcome with need. But Jessa is no ordinary woman, and the truth of who--and what--she is could have dangerous consequences.

A tormented man she can't deny.

Though a future together is impossible, the warrior's touch ignites an irresistible passion in Jessa. But every heated kiss pushes them closer to destruction. Forced to return to the brutality of his Viking past to protect her, will Broder surrender forever to his darkest impulses?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A tormented warrior and the woman who awakens his desires.... With vivid storytelling, [Bast] brings readers into the world of the Brotherhood of the Damned with its immortal warriors and blood-sucking demons. This novel grips you from the start." -- 4 stars, RT Book Reviews

 "You can't miss with Anya."

(A Romance Review )

About the Author

Anya Bast is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous works of romantic fiction, mostly paranormal and mostly scorching hot. She lives in the Kentucky countryside with her husband, daughter, eight cats, a dog, and an odd assortment of rescued animals. Somewhat reclusive by nature, she can be drawn out with a bottle of nice red wine, classic movies, or good music. When she’s not writing, she can be found trying to grow organic vegetables, shopping in thrift stores for that perfect piece of clothing, or dreaming about travel to some faraway country. Anya loves to hear from readers. 

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425247961
• ISBN-13: 978-0425247969
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,001,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anya Bast is the author of numerous works of romantic fiction, mostly all paranormal and mostly all scorching hot. She lives in the country with her husband, daughter, eight cats, a dog, and an odd assortment of rescued animals.

Somewhat reclusive by nature, she can be drawn out with a good bottle of red wine, classic movies, or good music. When she's not writing, she can be found trying to grow organic vegetables, shopping in thrift stores for that perfect piece of clothing, or dreaming about travel to some faraway country.

She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Elemental Witches and Dark Magick series, and is now working on a new series. The Brotherhood of the Damned will feature immortal Viking warriors, demons, witches and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The romance is H.O.T. hot! Embrace of the Damned is completely engrossing; I didn't want to put this book down May 1, 2012

By Dark Faerie Tales

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Anya Bast has created a dark and thrilling world of demons and damned men. The romance is H.O.T. hot! Embrace of the Damned is completely engrossing; I didn't want to put this book down.

Opening Sentence: Other people's blood seeped into Broder's wounds, making every slash and scratch on his body burn.

The Review:

Imagine a good-looking (but at the same time scary-looking dude) frightening the crap out of you in a dark parking garage basically telling you "They know what you are. They are coming after you. Good Luck!" That is what happens to Jessamine Hamilton. She doesn't even know what she is. She has only just become suspicious of little things that she can do. She is looking into her past when she is attacked in the parking garage by a demon.

Broder Calderson comes to Jessa's rescue. Broder has been a member of the Brotherhood of the Damned for one thousand years and on this day Loki has given Broder his freedom to be with a woman and not just any woman. Broder feels the pull of Jessa once the veil has been lifted and he finds her just in time. The demons want Jessa dead. It is up to Jessa and Broder to find out what she is and why she is being hunted down.

As a member of the Brotherhood, Broder is a part of an army that hunts demons for the god Loki. The demons are part of the war to create Ragnarok. The Brotherhood must fight to prevent it. All the brothers are damned and immortal. Loki recruited them for his army after they participated in unspeakable crimes. Broder is a big man with no emotion. He lost all rights to emotion when he became a brother. He fights his battles but what he really wants is to die....

When Broder meets Jessa she starts to break down his shields but she doesn't have to work very hard. Broder wants her. Jessa wants Broder too, but she doesn't want a quick fling, a love `em and leave `em relationship. She has been hurt badly in her past and she doesn't want the heartbreak of another relationship. They both know there can be no future for them after Jessa learns what she is and because Loki will eventually take her away from Broder.

Embrace of the Damned starts off action-packed. Broder and Jessa are on the run but when they make it to Broder's house in Scotland the action slows down a bit but not too much. Jessa learns how to protect herself while having to endure mental manipulation and kidnappings. Jessa isn't the strongest of heroines. In fact she is quite a bit of a tease, so much so she even admits it to herself. But she knows her limitations and that is what I liked about Jessa.

Broder and Jessa aren't the only points of view during the story. Roan is a bad/good guy. He provides more insight into what Jessa is and the people she comes from. Roan was one of those guys that I hated during the story but in the end I just felt sorry for him and the situation he was put in.

The tension of Broder and Jessa's relationship is what kept me riveted. I wasn't sure how this story would end but when everything was said and done it was warm and heartfelt. I think this is a great start to a new series and I can't wait for the next book. There are several characters that I hope to get to see more of in the future.

Embrace of the Damned is a sexy, dark paranormal romance. If you like sexy Vikings, smart-ass women and Norse mythology then this is one Viking romance I definitely recommend.

The Brotherhood of the Damned Series:

1. Embrace of the Damned

FTC Advisory: Penguin/Berkley provided me with a copy of Embrace of the Damned. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Embrace of the Damned - kindle version July 5, 2012

By Lalo

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Great read!! I love stories about Loki and gods of that era and I really love Vikings. This story kept me on edge pretty much through the whole thing. In most of these kinds of stories there is a feeling that the H and h will never get together but this time, I believed it. I feared they might not have a future together and I cheered when they got their HEA.

Not everything was resolved so hopefully we'll get to read more about these two later. Broder is... well hot. Very, very hot. I loved reading about him.

This is a great story. I recommend reading if you enjoy paranormal romance.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great New World July 3, 2012

By C.Sonnenburg

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Love Anya Bast, this new world she has come up with is really great, couldn't put it down. Any book with a Loki in it is normally a good book, this is not an exception!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars - Liked the Norse myth tie-ins May 25, 2012

By melindeeloo TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

Viking berserker Broder Calderson's punishment for slaying innocents and feeling no remorse amid the carnage, was to serve Loki as a member of the Brotherhood of the Damned and unlike his brethren, Broder must also remain celibate for a thousand years. The only bright light to his penance is that if Broder repents and is steadfast in his duty to protect the earth from the minions of the goddess Hel, after those thousand years he will earn the woman who is perfect for him. Now that wait is finally over and Jessamine is more than he'd ever hoped for, but with his first taste of Jessa's lips, Broder questions whether the woman he was promised is truly a reward, or just a part of his punishment.

I liked Embrace of the Damned, despite my frustration with the heroine. It probably helped that I am extremely hero-centric, plus the world that Bast created has a lot of promise. I am a fan of mythological tie-ins, so I appreciated the premise of damned Viking warriors in service to the god Loki fighting against the minions of the goddess Hel to try to stave off Ragnarok (the Norse Armageddon.) Also adding to the world are Valkyries, witches, shape shifting sorcerers and Hel's minions, the Blight, who are demons with fangs but who shatter into ice when killed.

My nits: Embrace of the Damned was a bit heavy on the thwarted and actual sex, and the big conflict of Jessa's roots and Broder's history are quickly and neatly resolved. But one thing that Bast does in her series starter that I thought was really smart is that she concentrates on the leading pair and the world-building and doesn't inundate the readers with tons of supporting characters.... I really appreciated not having to keep track of a whole slew of potential leading men - or ladies - though, I can definitely see Valkyrie Halla, and Dmitri, the minion rebelling against his brethren, taking a turn in the spotlight. And I am not sure if this is going to be a reoccuring theme for the whole series but since Loki is the Trickster god Broder's match was probably intended as a cruel joke - call me perverse - but I am hoping this premise is repeated in the rest of the Brotherhood of the Damned books because I think the mismatched soul-mates is a trope that has a great deal of potential.

So, I ended up liking Embrace of the Damned even though the heroine was not my favorite, I loved the potential of the world and of the characters who hopefully have their own happily ever afters in store for them. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Broder is brooding and sexy. I wanted to be Jessa and have Broder ravish me! May 2, 2012

By Bookaholics Reviewer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Embrace of the Damned by Anya Bast
Paranormal Romance -May 1st, 2012
4 ˝ stars

As the first book in the Immortal Brotherhood of the Damned, Anya Bast is off to a stunning start. As a brooding, yet sexy warrior finds his soul mate.

In a bloody act of retribution Broder Calderson awaits his death in ancient Norway only to be claimed by the trickster God Loki. He is now one of the Immortal Brotherhood and pay for his crimes. But Loki promises Broder his suffering will end in one thousand years if he is a faithful servant and revealed the woman of his dreams.

It is one thousand years later and Jessamine Hamilton is walking in a dark, parking lot. She has been warned rather cryptically by a stranger that she is being watched and to be careful. When she finds herself attacked soon after by a creepy man with fangs! But suddenly she is saved by the sexiest man on a bike she has ever seen and then getting hot and heavy with him after he rescues her! When he claims she is in danger and must stay with him for protection she is in disbelief, especially when he tells her that she is a witch with magical powers and he is over a thousand years old. Jessa tries to leave, but she has been targeted and Broder is determined to protect her. He wants to help her learn to control her powers. But Jessa's heritage complicate matters as others seek to use her for their own purposes. For Jessa's powers may help prevent the Apocalypse that Loki's daughter Hel want to occur.

This was an intense romance that I could not put down. Broder is brooding and sexy. He has a funny, dark humor that makes him irresistibly charming. He longs for Jessa yet doesn't know to court her. Instead he settles for kissing her out of her mind!... Yet he is honorable, he tries to keep his hands away from her and give her time to `warm' up to him. But their mutual attraction keeps getting in the way of his good intentions. Jessa has a lot of spunky attitude and admirably copes with the hectic paranormal changes in her life well. I liked how she stood up to the Brotherhood, especially Broder and wouldn't just take their word and fall in line. As they both fight evil and their attraction the story heats up. The chemistry between them was believable and off the charts. I wanted to be Jessa and have Broder ravish me! The author does a wonderful job of creating a fully fleshed world of rugged Vikings and powerful Gods.

Anya Bast has created an original new world that will captivate and enthralled readers. If you are interested in Viking mythology and hunky, immortal heroes do not miss this book!

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club Read more ›