Awakening Fire

Divine Tree Guardians #1

by Larissa Emerald

From award winning author Larissa Emerald comes the much-anticipated paranormal shapeshifter series of the Divine Tree Guardians.

The return of sculptor Emma Grant to her Georgia home town sparks the return of the visions she tries to deny and rekindles a centuries-old feud between shape shifters Venn Hearst, guardian of the Divine Tree (The Tree Of Knowledge) and his nemesis. Emma is determined to place and dedicate the statue honoring her beloved grandmother despite Venn’s opposition; despite the fact she is in love with Venn, despite his sacred duty not to permit it. Will she overcome a test of evil or shatter Venn's world?

Genres: Paranormal, Supernatural, Shapeshifters

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2015

About the author

Larissa writes paranormal, futuristic and contemporary romances. She is a Romance Writers of America® 2013 Golden Heart Finalist for her romantic suspense, PERFECTION which will be available now.

A combination of her love of reading and her vivid imagination―plus a strong desire to rewrite the endings of movies that just didn't end right―led Larissa into the world of writing.

She's lived in the same small Florida coastal town for her entire life. In her spare time she enjoys teaching baton twirling and dance, traveling, baking and cooking―usually altering the recipe―and, of course, reading awesome books.

Sign up for Larissa's newsletter to keep up with the latest news, get in on special prizes and behind the scenes secrets https://www.larissaemerald.com/newsle...

You can connect with Larissa on Twitter @LarissaEmBooks and Facebook www.facebook.com/larissaemerald. Her website is www.larissaemerald.com

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/14/2021)! 🎁

[MsRomanticReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

*Complimentary ARC provided by Book Partners in Crime Promotions for the purpose of an honest review.

From the prologue ~

“The two prime virtues ascribed to Highlanders are fidelity and courage. This day thou art offered a great challenge to draw on both of these merits.”

Isle of Skye, Scotland 1120 AD. Highlander Venn and his eleven brothers, all fierce warriors and protectors of their borders, were chosen to become the guardians of the Divine Tree.

"As Immortal Guardians, you are to protect that tree and its secrets with your life. But most importantly… do not allow the Dark Realm entry into the tree. And if your tree dies, so shall you. And all of humanity will suffer the consequences for the loss of its knowledge. Go, and be well.”


I found the blurb intriguing, and I never could resist a story about centuries old immortal warriors carrying out their duties, and who were loners because they hadn't yet found the right woman to share their long lives. The change from Highlander to immortal guardian also came with the power to shift. Venn could shift into both a wolf and a hawk at will.

Emma was an interesting character because she wasn't just another simple human. She'd had visions all of her life and the ability to melt and mold metal with her bare hands. As if that wasn't enough for her to contend with, Emma was Venn's former lover, Amelia, reincarnated. Her visions were more like flashbacks of her former life up until the moment she'd been killed.

I really liked Venn for his charm, compassion and protectiveness. He'd taken to his fate rather well, and although he'd been without a mate for two hundred years, he was never depicted as a womanizer. I liked that he didn't make it a habit of comparing her to Amelia. He noticed the differences and accepted them.

Overall, the story was good. However I enjoyed the plotting of the destruction of the Divine Tree and thus Venn more than I enjoyed the romance. Simply put, I believed his feelings more than I did hers, and he certainly put forth more effort into showing any feelings. Not only was Emma spoken for at the time, sort of, but I felt like I was supposed to accept that she was growing closer to him because she felt a connection through her flashbacks. Even once Venn had told her almost everything, she never asked about him or his family. She never pressed him for answers about anything. Granted, she was overwhelmed by her grief over her grandmother and the fights with her father over the span of a week. But she just always seemed depressed or on the verge of tears for too much of the story. The three sex scenes were steamy, but she seemed to give in to passion only after she'd had some emotional upset rather than feeling invigorated by romance or deeper feelings, if that makes sense. And, even though he was an immortal, they never used protection much less discussed it.

There were several skirmishes between Venn and Io, but since he wasn't allowed to kill him, they just seemed a bit unnecessary and served no real purpose. Much like the back and forth between Emma and her father. The ending was decent, and I finally saw a different side of Emma, a more appealing one. I will probably revisit this series in the future.

[Cassandra Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma has always had strange dreams and visions, but they have faded some with distance from her hometown. When her grandmother convinces her to return home to create a statue for their local park, the dreams and visions return and are stronger than ever. She also finds herself face to face with a man she has a strange connection to. Venn is an immortal guardian of the Divine Tree. When Venn first spots Emma again, he knows she is his mate, the woman he lost long ago. Of course, convincing her of this isn’t as easy as he’d like. There is definitely passion between these two, and I liked the way Emma was concerned that Venn would always compare her to the woman she was in her past life. Her hesitation with Venn felt natural to me. As much as I liked these two characters, I had trouble connecting with them as a couple. Their relationship seemed rushed, even with their past connection.

The premise behind this story is good, and it has a lot of tense moments. There is action, and a good nemesis. Still, I had trouble getting into this book. Rather than feeling mysterious, some of the parts in the beginning confused me. I gave this book 3.5 stars. Overall, this was a well-written book that I was not able to get completely drawn into.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I thought would be an exciting series full of the paranormal, supernatural, otherworldly things that make this genre so great was overshadowed by MC's that I didn't enjoy.

Venn starts off in the prologue with an attitude, a chip on his shoulder, a stronger than strong will, and a desire to do his best to fulfill his duty once he accepts it. I had high hopes for him and his progression once he finds his mate. He grows closer to her and to his heart but then seems to throw away all his loyalty to his duty. When he can't think around a problem or use his centuries of experience and knowledge to try to find another way or to think beyond his rage for Io he barrels in and makes a mess of things. Refusing to heed Seth's warnings and admonitions get him into a much more difficult situation than he would have been because both he and Emma go into the dangerous, world-altering situation not working together or knowing what they could to thwart Io's plans.

Emma is another story. The thing with Todd was such a throwaway and made her a cheater rather than just conflicted. When she gets after Venn for keeping things from her because he thinks she can't handle something and then at every single turn she runs away from the situation, avoids thinking deeply about it, denies, and falters under pressure I don't blame him. I do blame her for not rising to the strength within that she's supposed to have. And with her freaking out and struggling to accept Venn's shifter nature...umm...SHE CAN MELT AND CHANGE METAL WITH HER HANDS!! Oh, AND SHE HAS VISIONS!! How is any of Venn's stuff so much that she takes so dang long to accept and move forward with the information?

Their relationship was iffy too. The sexy times didn't compensate for the lack of relationship building that was necessary for me to believe that Venn loved Emma, not just Amelia and that his mate was reincarnated or to believe that there was something about each person as an individual that said they belonged to one another and could work out for the long haul. Destiny, trees, and past live's relationships aside, I didn't see them doing much to get to know one another. Venn tries to get her to know about their past but doesn't actually try to get to know her now. Emma takes his support but doesn't really give him anything back. Neither of them try to figure out her power and what makes her different from Amelia besides the tree connection. I just don't buy it.

I struggled with this book almost all the way through. The best part of the book was the prologue because it gave me insight into who the players are throughout the series. The tree is cool and the powers stuff is good too. To start off the series with these characters who don't use their resources and their heads, they're willing to sacrifice the world for one person, and to end up with a rushed patch to heal things that her impulsive short-sighted actions caused was just not enough. I'm now roped into reading Awakening Storm and I'm not really looking forward to it if what I'm going to get is a bunch of hype and sex with no foundation or depth beyond a ton of supernatural stuff thrown in to engender enthusiasm and interest.

[Deb Threadgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really a great book. I had never read this author before so I didn’t know what to expect. I really liked the plot of the story and it was very different from any other shape shifter books There were characters you love and characters you really didn’t like. It is good against evil, immorality and reincarnation. Once I started this book, I could’ve stop. It is probably rated R, so only adults REALLY NEEED TO READ THIS, especially if you like any of the things I talked about bein in this book. I was pleasantly surprised

[Becky D Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me

I really tried to like this book, but it was too much of a chore just to make it to the end. Between the choppy, disjointed flow of the storyline and the lack of good editing, I just found myself continuously looking down at the percentage read and being thankful that I was that much closer to being finished. The book has a good premise. It just could have been much better.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. This book has love,hate, danger, good, evil, shapeshifting etc. In other words a lot of things that, when done correctly can make a book great. Great job Larissa Emerald. This is book 1 in series and can be read independently. This book is available in Amazon.

[Debra Johnson]

purchased this item on Oct. 2, 2022. Amazon

[Angel Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay.

[Niki Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good vs. Evil, the battle that has stayed the same through out all time with a twist. The balance between good and evil has a very fine line, if the scale is tipped to the side of evil their will be great devastation. Venn is an immortal guardian of one of the twelve Divine Tree's, his life and the tree are tied together and if one falls so does the other. Emma is special. She has rare gifts and is a reincarnated soul tied to Venn and the tree. Evil is watching and has a plan, the tree must die and if he can cause pain in the process, its a bonus. I really loved the concept of this storyline. I was a little confused in the beginning but most intro's tend to be brief and only give you a glimpse of what was going on at the time. The fact that the characters had a past only one of them could remember made for some interesting inner dialogue. I had to wonder if they had met and not recognized each other if the attraction would have been so intense or not at all. I felt like Venn was trying to make Emma into her past self and not really seeing who she really was now. Emma was clearly at a disadvantage, she was out of the loop so to speak with what was going on and I could not decide if it was forbidden to fill her in on everything or if it was Venn's attempt to keep her from running away from him. I enjoyed Seth and Emma's grandma. They were both such colorful characters and I just loved the ending. By giving the divine tree a name it became more of an individual and not a thing or just an object. It was cool how it communicated with the guardian and that their relationship was a type of friendship. I thought this was a well written story, with unique and interesting ideas and characters. There was danger, intrigue, drama, love, jealousy, humor and some pretty cool magic. It was a great a start to a new series and I look forward to seeing what Guardian we will be visiting next.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Grant has been different her whole life. She can mold metal with her hands and she has visions of which she thinks are about her previous life. She has run to Paris to avoid things. She has finds that she has fewer visions the further away she is from her hometown. She doesn’t have a great relationship with her father either so the distance helps there too. But, now she is coming home. Her grandmother arranged for her to make a sculptor in a local park. When she arrives home she starts having more visions and one other thing she wasn’t prepared for. She falls in love. She learns all kinds of things about herself. She is faced with love greater than she could ever imagine and the fact that she is part of a long going feud between her beloved, Venn and his nemesis. Things aren’t as they seem. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but this is a great book. There are shape shifters, angels, love, and so much more. I couldn’t put this book down. I love paranormal books and this was a great one. I can’t wait to read the next book. Emma is a great characters, she is faced with learning things she never thought could exist. She takes in great stride. Venn has lived a very long time. He thought he would never get a second chance with his mate but now he is getting that chance. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. He finds himself not wanting to overwhelm her but needing to telling things to keep her safe and help her come to terms with who she is. He remembers everything about the last time they were together but she doesn’t. Plus she isn’t the exact same as she was last time. She is a little different and her own person. That is difficult for Venn at first. I am eager to read more about them and what happens next.
I was given this book in return for an honest review.

[Shelly Wygant · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She placed a delicate palm on the trunk, and Venn growled as a surge of energy -- her very essence -- flowed into the Divine Tree, filled him as much as earthy air filled his lungs."

Emma Grant has returned home to her hometown to place and dedicate the statue in honor of her grandmother. While she is there she meets Venn and has an instant connection to him. She also finds out she is connected to the Divine Tree. She is placed in the middle of feud between Venn and his nemesis. Will evil win out or will Venn and Emma have a future together?

This story is written from Emma's POV. Emma has dealt all her life with her ability to manipulate metal and vivid dreams. As the story progresses Emma is able to understand her abilities. Venn knows Emma is his soul mate and sets out to convince her of this.

"Could it truly be Amelia? Had she returned to him in this women, this Emma Grant?"

The paranormal part of this story is intriguing. Ms Emerald did a great job of writing it as not to over the top. The story line moves just fast enough to see Emma and Venn's past life and how they accept their future. The battle of good versus evil is prevalent throughout the story. You can feel the connection between Venn and Emma. Not only does Emma have to deal with her past but has some tragedy in her future. Can she deal with that and move forward? Will she be able to fix the relationship with her family?

This is the first book I have read by Larissa Emerald and I love how she made the storyline flow. The way she brings the past and the future together was fantastic. The characters were also well developed.

I received a gift copy in exchange for an honest review. Read and reviewed for Stories and Swag Blog.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the unique concept of the Divine Trees in different places and each one having a 'Guardian'...am immortal who has been on guard for years. In Awakening Fire by Larissa Emerald the Guardian is Venn. Venn's enemy is set on destroying him and the Divine Tree, and it's all about to come to a head.

Emma is a sculptor who has reluctantly returned to her home town. Emma has always had unique abilities, but she's always running from them. When she is drawn into a centuries old feud only to find the love of her life, everything she knows will be tested and change.

Venn and Emma have a great connection almost immediately. I liked this and it made complete sense with the plot. It is so immediate and unexpected that Emma is very reluctant to pursue it. But Venn is persistent, so is his enemy and the clock is ticking. The intensity of the connection between Emma and Venn is as powerful as the battle for the Divine Tree and life as they know it.

With an abundance of action, tension and the paranormal, Larissa takes us on a journey that will make you wonder what if? Larissa weaves in essential secondary characters who round out the plot well and I liked how she brought in Emma's relationship with her father.

Awakening Fire is fast paced with good flow, and Larissa kept me very interested to see how all the events would unfold. I'd recommend Awakening Fire to paranormal romance readers.

[Tonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review from Abibliophobia Anonymous Book Reviews

I would give this book 3.5 stars. It is very well written, but I felt that some parts were dragged out and other parts were repeated somewhat. This is a good start to the series. I just found it hard to really get into it like I normally do when I read. The book is unique and the idea is original, to me. It's something that I haven't read before. Which is a good thing.

Venn has been an Immortal Guardian of the Divine Tree for many centuries. He and his brothers each have a tree that they have to protect. The Divine Trees basically hold the secrets of the universe. They are the protectors of Good. Venn can shift from immortal human to both wolf and hawk.

Io is a demon. He is trying to destroy the Divine Tree that Venn protects. He has tried before and had killed Venn's love, Amelia. But her blood soaked into the tree.

Emma has had visions and dreams her entire life. She can also manipulate metal. She is also aware of her past lives. She is a metal sculptor, and was commissioned to make something for her hometown's town square. This is when her past comes into the present and things start to make sense. With the help of Venn and Seth.

Overall, this is a good book. It is a unique story of good vs evil, heaven vs hell, angels vs demons.

[Beth Orsborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma has always had unique dreams and visions, but they have faded when she gets distance from her hometown. When her grandmother convinces her to return home to create a statue for their local park, the dreams and visions return and are stronger than ever and finds herself face to face with a man she has a strange connection to, Venn, who is an immortal guardian of the Divine Tree. When Venn first spots Emma again, he knows she is his mate, the woman he lost long ago. Now convincing her of this isn’t as easy as he’d like.
There is definitely passion between Venn and Emma, but Venn would always compare her to the woman she was in her past life. Her hesitation with Venn felt natural to me. As much as I liked these two characters, I had trouble connecting with them as a couple. Their relationship seemed rushed, even with their past connection. Very Fast paced. Bring the Past and Present together was interesting.
Paranormal/romance
Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors that rock and Larissa Emerald

[Sassy Beta Reading & Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a slow start for me. It wasn't until I was about half way through that it finally started to pick up.

This is the start of a series. Written as multi pov. Venn is a Guardian of one of the twelve Divine Trees. If something happens to the tree, Venn will perish. He is also a shape shifter and can shift into a Hawk and a Wolf. Emma is an artist that can manipulate metal with the touch of her hand. What she doesn't realize is that she and Venn have a past together.

This story takes you on their journey of discovery, deception, redemption, faith, hope, and love. The story concept is good, the dialogue between characters was done well and the descriptions to detail were done well. I am going to give this story the benefit of the doubt on how the rest of the series will be since this is one of the first. I am going to assume they will get even better as they go along.

Would I recommend this book? Yes

Would I read more from this author? Yes

Sassy Beta Reading & Review

[Jamie Sadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma returns to Georgia to place a statue in the town park. When she arrives she begins to feel more than she expected both for the ancient tree in the park and the man she meets in town. Soon tragedy strikes and Emma is forced to make a choice between saving a loved ones soul or the man she loves.



I really enjoyed this book. Venn and Seth brought a sense of history and friendship into the story. Seth and Io some sibling rivalry. Clair is a spunky old lady who doesn't pull any punches. It was nice that Emma and Venn were able to reconnect and Emma was able to over come her feelings of being stuck or compared to the past. Her relationship with her father and with Custos were nicely written and added a lot to this story. An overall very well written story.

[Arlene Mullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma comes back to georgia to work on a sculpture her grandmother suggested her for. Now that she is back, she is having visions. She feels connected with an old oak and a man. She can not explain why she is feeling this way. Plus the vision of her past death has her shaken.
Venn must win her back and stop his enemy from killing them all.
This story was explained so well. There was history so you knew what was going on, but not bored. I felt myself sucked in from the start. Venn and Io hate for each other is portrayed so well. The sparks between Venn and Emma are amazing. You are rooting for them the whole time.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the The Divine Tree Guardians series and I this is going to be a good one. I really enjoyed this story and learning about how the Guardians came to be and following the love story of Venn and Emma. Venn gets a second chance with his only love and he isn't going to lose her again, unfortunately there is evil in the form of his nemesis lo who is determined to kill Emma and the Guardians. Will good overcome evil? Will love be able to survive this time?

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good paranormal romance.

[Alison Chewning · Rating 4 out of 5]

~~ ARC provided by Obsessed by Books for an honest review ~~

This was a first time read for me by this author Larissa Emerald. I really enjoyed reading Awakening Fire.

Emma is a sculptor who has unique abilities. Emma is drawn into a love feud that has been going on for centuries. Venn is a guardian who protects the Divine Tree.

Awakening Fire was a great paranormal read that kept you glued to the pages. Larissa's writing was entertaining and kept you hooked on the characters and how they were each created. Great paranormal read highly recommend.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the whole concept of the Divine Trees. The thought of guardians having to protect the tree in order to keep the balance, but also tied to the tree is intriguing. There are definitely some sad parts in this one, but the epilogue makes it right for me. To me the whole confrontation with Io was little of a letdown, but I enjoyed this book. I'm definitely going to check the others in the series.

[Jenny_acc · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book.The first chapter i found a bit confusing, but as the story progressed, i figured it all out. i really liked venn as a character. emma,not so much.especially as i got closer to the end of the book.There were a few things that i felt didn't make sense/didn't get an explanation for, but i know there's a sequel, so maybe they will be answered there.