A Demon's Dark Embrace

The Elite Guards #1

by Amelia Hutchins

From betrayal and pain, can two very different worlds be saved?

A naïve beauty…

Olivia has never questioned the teachings of the Witches Guild, never questioned the Elders; it’s the only life she’s ever known.
An uncontrollable hunger…


Ristan has spent centuries trying to contain his true nature, restraining his Demon and its voracious hunger for souls.
A situation neither of them were prepared for.


They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and Olivia can’t escape from her actions. What she’s done, she knows must be paid for in blood. Her own.


A monstrous need for revenge against the girl who wronged him; Ristan wants to keep her, humiliate and torment her, but his inability to truly harm her may just be his undoing.


A dangerous need to explore the man who holds her captive and captivated; Olivia knows she should run, or resist him, but the magnetic pull he has on her is undeniable.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Fae, Romance, Demons, Magic

456 pages, ebook

First published November 10, 2015

About the author

Amelia Hutchins is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of the Monsters, The Fae Chronicles, and Nine Realm series. She is an admitted coffee addict who drinks magical potions of caffeine and turns them into magical worlds. She writes alpha-hole males and the alpha women who knock them on their arse, hard. Amelia doesn’t write romance. She writes fast-paced books that go hard against traditional standards. Sometimes a story isn’t about the romantic aspect; it’s about rising to a challenge, breaking through them like wrecking balls, and shaking up entire worlds to discover who they are. If you’d like to check out more of her work, or just hang out in an amazing tribe of people who enjoy rough men, and sharp women, join her at Author Amelia Hutchins Group on Facebook.
Books by Amelia Hutchins along with reading order for the series.
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/12402...

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authoramelia...

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LEGACY OF THE NINE REALMS

Flames of Chaos
Ashes of Chaos
Ruins of Chaos
Crown of Chaos
Coming Soon
Queen of Chaos
King of Chaos 2024
Reign of Chaos


THE FAE CHRONICLES

Fighting Destiny
Taunting Destiny
Escaping Destiny
Seducing Destiny
Unraveling Destiny
Embracing Destiny
Crowning Destiny
Finished Series

THE ELITE GUARDS

A Demon’s Dark Embrace
Claiming the Dragon King
The Winter Court
A Demon’s Plaything
Standalones, which can be read alone.

A GUARDIAN’S DIARY

Darkest Before Dawn
Death before Dawn
Midnight Rising -TBA

MONSTERS SERIES

Playing with Monsters
Sleeping with Monsters
Becoming his Monster
Revealing the Monster
Finished Series

WICKED KNIGHTS

Oh, Holy Knight
If She’s Wicked
Book Three -TBA


MIDNIGHT COVEN BOOKS
Forever Immortal
Immortal Hexes
Midnight Coven
Finished Series

BULLETPROOF DAMSEL SERIES
Bulletproof Damsel
Coming Soon
Silverproof Damsel 2024
Fireproof Damsel

Alpha’s Claim Standalone

WITHIN THE DARKNESS
Moon-Kissed
Book 2 TBA
THE DARKEST FAE
King of the Shadow Fae
Coming Soon
King of the Night Fae
Queen of the Stars

Fate Series
Whispers of Fate (Intro to Kahleena’s book)

If you’re following the Fae Chronicles, Elite Guards, and Monsters series, the reading order is as follows.

Fighting Destiny
Taunting Destiny
Escaping Destiny
Seducing Destiny
A Demon’s Dark Embrace
Playing with Monsters
Unraveling Destiny
Sleeping with Monsters
Claiming the Dragon King
Oh, Holy Knight
Becoming his Monster
A Demon’s Plaything
The Winter Court
If She’s Wicked
Embracing Destiny
Crowning Destiny
Revealing the Monster
Whispers of Fate

Reviews

[Sammy Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ristan is a Panty Melting Machine!!

**This one gets 4 "Don't let pussy go to waste" Stars**


\



He hated senceless killing, and worse than that, he hated wasting pussy.



Important Note:
This is the first book of this series, but this series is a Spin Off and I Highly recommend reading the Fighting Destiny series before starting this book!!!



I have loved Ristan since meeting him in the Fea Chronicles. Ryder was my world, but Ristan was his scarred younger brother. His scars weren't visible however, but his father, the Horde King had been responsible for his torture. His only saving grace had been the goddess Danu. She saved him from sure death, but the price he paid to her tore at his soul. Danu has claimed Ristan and she refuses to let him love another.


"You're mine, and you know the rules, Ristan," she said, the warning blatant in her eyes. "I can't love you, and I don't share my things. You are one of those things I prefer to keep for myself."



Olivia, the mousey librarian




Olivia was a victim of bad timing and circumstance. She's a mousey librarian of The Guild, and has no guise about her. She is a sweet plain-jane, but very brave. I loved her as a heroine. My only complaint was that she LOVED to read romance novels, but didn't know how to masterbate. Had no clue about her clit..???? I'm sorry...WTH? I'm to believe she has read BDSM novels, but none of them mentions the nub or button at the top of her sex? Riiiiight. So needless to say she's a naive virgin, and Ristan was a man whore.



He was a soldier. He was a fucking veteran when it came to pillaging pussies.







His cock was locked and loaded in hard-as-fuck mode. He lowered his eyes to it, and considered gripping to see if it would relieve the massive pressure he was experiencing, but he wasn't some kid; he was a Demon, one who got a lot of pussy. Pussy basically fell on his cock all the time and he took full advantage of that shit.



My complaint with this book is that the first 100 pages were a re-reading of the events that took place in Seducing Destiny. I found that to be frustrating, annoying, and in very bad taste. Why would an author do that to her fans. Anyone reading this book is doing so because we read Seducing Destiny, and want to know what happened with Ristan and Olivia. So why punish us this way?

I hated that Ristan slept with another woman in this book. Yes it was prior to sleeping with Olivia, but it so rubbed me the wrong way that he had to feed off another. The love scenes with Olivia were hot. She seamed to know a bit, from her many novels, except for how to get herself off. So her first orgasm was at Ristan's hands...and he is very skilled.

This book stayed true to the series, which was a plus. Retsina's personality never changed and he found the love he had been missing his entire life. I look forward to more of this spin off series as well as more of Ryder and Synthia.



The Fae Chronicles:

Fighting Destiny
Taunting Destiny
Escaping Destiny
Seducing Destiny

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

REVIEW is posted below!

ITS LIVE!! YAY!!

http://www.amazon.com/Demons-Dark-Emb...






Shit! I want this baby NOW!! lol

3 Drenched and Juicy Stars!
Well what can I say? I love The Fae Chronicles! Ryder is my favorite sexy dirty talker in PNR books! I haven't found any male that can top him. When Ryder talks your panties will defiantly evaporate!! He was that fucking good! Ristan played a huge part in the TFC books. He was sexy, sweet and funny as hell and you couldn't help but to fall in love with him too. But I knew going in that he wouldn't compare to Ryder but I thought that I would at least love his story! I'm sad to say that I didn't.

What didn't work for me was how fast Olivia and Ristan hook up. She put up no fight and she was a fucking virgin. Ugh!!!! He looked at her and she had a puddle of juices dripping down her thighs. It was so annoying! I HAD to skim the sex it was that bad and there was A LOT of it.
The love nub being used instead of clit, his soldier standing proud instead of cock, her thoughts about his body, his thoughts about her body, the dreaded fucking juices, the drenched panties, the list goes on and on. I thought my eyeballs were going to be stuck in the back of my head!
Needless to say I didn't feel the love between these two they just had sex all the time. The whole BDSM theme just didn't work for me. Too much of him glamoring their clothes off. No build up what so ever! Zero tension. Very disappointing! I was expecting her to be feisty because she had red hair dammit! The red heads always put up a fight. Haha!

Now what did I love? What made me give it 3 stars?
I loved that Ristan finally told Danu where to go. I loved the way Ristan was with Kathleena. I was heart broken when Ristan was remembering his past when he was a kid. I was heart broken when he was kidnapped and what they were doing to him. I most defiantly loved getting some of Ryder and Syn.
I loved Lucien and can't wait for his book! Lucien just screamed powerful up in this book! I'm so curious about him I can't stand it.
So over all I did like this book. I got answers to some questions that I was curious about from TFC. So overall I'm glad I read it and I will be reading more! I will however lower my expectations before going in:))

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Tomorrow is not promised to us. Start dancing in the rain and look for your rainbow through the storm clouds. Once you find it, don’t ever let it go.”

I was oddly disappointed in this one, however I kinda knew this would happen before I started it. It's not that I don't love Ristan, it's not that at all. It's just that, I don't know, I just cannot stop comparing this series with The Fae Chronicles, which is one of my favorite series, perhaps THE favorite. And I just love Syn and Ryder's story that all I could think of when reading this one was: I want more Ryder and Syn! Not a good thing to think when this was Olivia and Ristan's story, but I simply couldn't help it.

Synthia had been a surprise altogether, one he’d planned on killing, right up until he’d figured out who she was and what part she would play. Even then, he had never planned on actually liking the brazen woman who had laid claim to the scariest beast in the Horde and made him purr like a sated kitty-cat.

Now, the story was good. Nothing bad about it at all. I know that if this was stand alone series, or a complete new series and not set in the same universe as The Fae Chronicles series, then I would have loved it completely. A Demon's Dark Embrace has action, love, friendship, heartbreak (about the heartbreak; how dare you, Amelia? How could you put me through that pain again?! My poor Ryder (and Ristan)!) and mystery. Amelia is brilliant with the writing, and her characters are awesome.

“You may look like your mother, Kahleena, but you’ve got Horde blood running through you. Your brands say you will be powerful, and with power, comes danger. That danger will never touch you, for I will always protect you. But for now, sleep, and gain strength while I tend to one of those dangers. One that needs to be taught not to fuck with our kind,”

Ristan, if you have read my reviews for The Fae Chronicles series, then you know I love Ristan deeply. I love his love and loyalty to Ryder. He never betrays him, even though he's feelings are split. He's still there for him, which was something I was worried that he wouldn't be. I actually thought Ristan will just focus on Olivia and say "screw my family" or something, but luckily, Ristan didn't disappoint me there. Ristan is simply awesome. He is my favorite side-character in T.F.C. series, and I was happy we got to know him on a deeper level. To see what he is feeling and what he is emotionally hiding. Yes, Ristan is simply awesome. Oh, and I mustn't forget: Ristan is damn sexy! (Though, no one beats Ryder!)

“How’d he know which runes he was using?” Olivia asked, her eyes narrowed as they adjusted to the dimly lit passageway.
“He’s Ryder; we don’t ask him how he knows anything,” Ristan answered dismissively and took the lead.

Olivia.... Sweet, naive, innocent Olivia.. She was adorable, though not my favorite character. She was a bit too...I don't know, annoying? Too weak? Ehem, think I compared Olivia with Syn too much, and you know me, I LOVE Syn. So, I don't know, I guess Olivia became plain compared to Syn or something... She did have her moments though. She became stronger through the book, grew more into herself, but I had problems with really connecting with her. She was cool though.

“Are you always a smart ass?” Ryder asked with a lifted brow at her sardonic smile.
“Nope, sometimes I’m asleep,” she offered with a lazy shrug.

I somehow know that Olivia would be something different, just like Syn. In a way their story is pretty similar. Actually it's very similar. Which might be why I had problems with really liking this book. Or I was simply too scared to really enjoy the book. Scared to be let down, lose respect for Ristan or something that it ruined the book for me. I'll guess I have to re-read this one sometime in the future and see if I end up liking to more. Because I'm sure it deserves more than 3 stars..... At least I think so? I'm curious about Lucian though. But with as with Ristan's story, I'm terrified of Lucian's story. What if he tries to hurt my Ryder or Amelia tries to make Lucian better than Ryder?!?! <--- SEE I'M TERRIFIED! No one can beat Ryder! NO ONE!!

“The Guild focuses on the ones paying attention to pussy,” Ristan remarked crudely. “If we were all dead-set on bedding your women, would you not take offense?”

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank Danu I've got a bad memory.

I love The Fae Chronicles, but I'm also glad that I've got a shocking memory. I started A Demon's Dark Embrace remembering and loving the characters but not distinctly the previous story. This definitely worked in my favour. There is one scene in particular that gutted me and it wasn't until the end of reading it, that I realised I'd read it before. The Fae Chronicles and A Demon's Dark Embrace are connected and we are still generally on the quest to save the Fae, save the humans, save The Guild and get rid of The Mage.

Ristan is one horny demon. He loves women, sex and kinky play. Ristan makes sure to find willing and like minded partners who don't expect a relationship. One of his partners is the Goddess, Danu. She is one sick puppy and her obsession in keeping Ristan hers alone has ruled his life. As a favour to Synthia (Fae Chronicles main character) he has offered to protect Alden in The Guild. While protecting him at The Guild, he is also using the time to research and collect Fae artifacts to save his world. While on his mission, he meets a little mousey librarian named Olivia.

Olivia has worked for The Guild and served them loyally for years. She was left with The Guild as a newborn when her mother died in childbirth and her father was unknown. She is tasked with reporting to an Elder named Cyrus, on the actions of Alden and an Enforcer named Justin who she's attracted to. Turns out Justin isn't who or what she thought he was.

A very rocky start for Ristan (Justin) and Olivia but jeez it was HOT!!! Amelia Hutchins knows how to make you forget the situation surrounding the characters and become fully engaged in the scene. Like Ryder (Fae Chronicles main character) he is not someone you easily fall in love with. Some of his initial thought processes make you cringe and not want him for the heroine, but eventually you can't help but be won over by him.

Both Olivia and Ristan are forced to spend time with each other after a very bad situation. They are both fighting their attraction, while also learning, or trying to trust each other. Their journey is not easy or straight forward.

I really enjoyed this story, but like I said, it helped that I went into it without The Fae Chronicles storyline fresh in my mind. If I had done a re-read of the series before I started A Demon's Dark Embrace, it may have lessened the experience.

All good and I'm still a huge fan of Amelia Hutchins and her writing style.

To buy A Demon's Dark Embrace from Amazon - http://amzn.to/1kUKUKO

[Ristan Fomori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning from A Demon's Dark Embrace

Warning!
This book is intended for mature and adult audiences.
A Demon’s Dark Embrace is the first book in The Elite Guards Series. This is a companion series to The Fae Chronicles Series; Reading The Fae Chronicles is not absolutely required to enjoy The Elite Guards Series, however you will have a much greater enjoyment of it if you do. The first book of The Fae Chronicles Series is Fighting Destiny and it can be found with reputable book sellers for your convenience.

A Demon’s Dark Embrace tells the behind the scenes story that the reader did not see in Seducing Destiny and then some! Just like The Fae Chronicles Series: If you prefer adorable and sparkly Fairies, Demons and Vampires…look elsewhere.

This story is told in a dual POV, narrative format rather than the first person. The story is dark, gritty, tear jerking, panty soaking, edge of seat grabbing, and does have some questionable scenes that more sensitive readers may not enjoy. It does contain hot asshole alphas that seduce and wreck sensibilities. Explicit language is used liberally as is the use of magic in acts of naughtiness. The author strongly advises buying batteries or securing a willing victim to your bed while reading this book. (Handcuffs are optional.)

Side effects include, but are not limited to: lip biting and/ or chewing, screaming at the author, wet panties, unexplained leaking from the eyes, or other parts of the body. Some people may experience strange attachment to characters, and may scream for the next book in the series immediately after reading. If you experience one or more of these symptoms, do not seek a health care professional. Thank the author and wait for the next book in the series. (Stalking the author is normal behavior. Rest assured she has already started the next in the series.)

[Shanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

✮✮✮ 3.5 stars✮✮✮

Yeah so that was my reaction when I finished the book!!!!
I know it's a tad dramatic but it's GR so I'm aloud !

So the book is not bad really it's just that while I read The Fae Chronicles
series I fell in love with Ristan and when I heard that Amelia Hutchins was writing his book I was SUPER excited. I guess it is a case of my expectation were too high!!

But for me it was too slow and the Ristan in this book was different than the Ristan in The Fae Chronicles series.

Even if I did not enjoy this one as much I as hoped I would, I'm still looking forward to her next book.
Fingers crossed we won't have to wait too long!


*** Teaser***

“Are you searching for a safe word?” he asked incredulously. At her frantic nod he laughed. “Someone has been reading some naughty books. Haven't we? I must have missed that collection. I did however find quite a few that I scanned through while you slept,” he mused, his eyes filling with laughter. “My favorite part…let’s see, oh yeah. His bulbous manhood pushed inside my sleek manhole,” he quoted, but his words were filled with laughter.

[Aisling Zena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - 4 stars

[Monty Cupcake ☠ Queen of Bloodshed ☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had previously finished book 4 of the Fae Chronicles and the beginning 30-40% of this book you already know of from the other book. That was a little annoying that I’d already read a lot of scenes from Syn’s book 4. You do have to read the Fae Chronicles to understand this series.

Otherwise, the book was fine. It seemed less chaotic and more focused than Syn & Ryder’s books, maybe because it was only one book for Ristan vs 5 for Syn & Ryder.

[Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

BUT it's a 3.5 read, unfortunately!

I am very saddened by that fact but my emotions are basically flat...my expectations were soaring high and I was brought fast down on my ass...

not pleased...and I will give my breaking points later on

So, after I calmed down...a bit


However, my thoughts on this book didn't change, the story was repetitive leading us through the last events that happened in the last book in the Fae chronicles only through Ristan's POV, so that was kinda slow motion for me...

Ristan and Olivia (young woman that works for the Guild as the librarian and takes care of their archives and secret files) - well, I didn't feel it...I didn't feel Ristan's pull towards her, I didn't feel it when she betrayed the Guild and he wanted revenge...I was there BUT actually I was not...



and the punishment Ristan gives her...oh, please


just say it like it is - Ristan was a horny kinky demon and she was just a suitable vessel

and yeah, he took it all from her...wow...

and another very annoying situation was a constant between Danu (Faery's goddess) and Ristan - what the FUCK was that about?!



yeah, there were elements that worked for me and unfortunately much more of them that didn't...and most of the time my head was like this



and not because of the plot, and the re-appearence of the characters from The Fae Chronicles didn't give me much comfort...

it was just the whole package not working...

damn that is a sorry statement coming from me!


I just hope the next book (that should be Lucian)won't put me through hell...

[itsmeesahara❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐⭐⭐

“Feelings aren’t supposed to make sense, though, right? They confuse the fuck out of me and make me twisted inside.”

A Demon's Dark Embrace, tells the story of what happened to Ristan while he was in the Guild and explains his relationship with the Goddess Danu, who acts like a psycho to him😲😵. We also learned who was backing up the Mages.
As for Olivia, I really tried, but I was not able to connect with her. 😞

Ristan's and Olivia’s story provided clues and progressed to the series. It was a good addition to the Faery world as I have been following the Fae Chronicles series. It also opens to more stories we will surely enjoy. 😉😊

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 smutalicious PNR stars

This book is a spin off to The Fae Chronicles series, and I wouldn’t suggest diving into this book without having read those books first. This is a complex paranormal world, and I think you would be a bit lost without all of the background and world building that takes place during the original series. The timeline of this book crosses over with Seducing Destiny, the final book of The Fae Chronicles showing us all of the main events at the end of that book and containing some massive spoilers for the entire series, so consider yourself warned. I had actually forgotten a lot of what happened at the end of Seducing Destiny, so I was ok with the repetition and was easily swept up into this dark, dangerous and smutalicious world.

This book features Ristan, half demon/half fae, he is the half-brother of Ryder and, for me, was a real highlight of The Fae Chronicles. The wisecracking smartass is just the right amount of bad but has a heart of gold and I was so excited to dive into this book. As a child Ristan was tortured at the hands of his father and promised his faithfulness to the goddess Danu to help him survive it all – and now, centuries later he has hardened himself to pain, and Danu has grown obsessed with him while he remains tied to her in servitude. But Ristan’s loyalty is first and foremost to Ryder, and he is dedicated to doing whatever he needs to in order to save their dying homeland, Faery.

Olivia is a sweet and innocent librarian who lives and works at the Guild. With no family or friends to speak of, the Guild has been her life and she loyally serves them. She is assigned to help out-of-towner Justin while he carries out research at her library, and though she has no experience with men, she is slowly developing a crush on him. Justin is, of course, Ristan undercover and he is at the Guild both protecting Elder Alden, and searching for an ancient and mysterious artefact that will help him save Faery. But the Guild has been infiltrated by evil Mages, and Olivia’s world is about to come crashing down around her – with Ristan caught in the crossfire.

Ristan went through hell in Seducing Destiny, and we get to see that all over again here, but this time in excruciating detail. He mistakenly believes Olivia is to blame for all that he endures, and he resolves to take out his revenge on her in the way that he knows best – sexual torment. The chemistry between these two is evident from the start, and it’s not too long before the slutty, kinkalicious demon takes the virginal (of course) innocent on a journey of sexual awakening that had me fanning myself and blushing furiously (and yes, it’s all entirely consensual – though Olivia laments the fact).

She was now his favorite chew toy and fuck if he didn’t want to chew on her some more.

Like the other books in this series, this is one hella smutty book, but sex is a way of life for these creatures. They revel in it, they feed from it, and they do it anywhere, anyway, anyhow. It’s frequent and descriptive, and it’s totally freaking hot (though I could have done with less detail about wetness/dampness/pooling moisture, etc. Bleh!). And slowly, as Olivia opens up to him and Ristan uncovers the truth, and the two of them begin to work together to search for the missing artefact, captive and captor start to develop real feelings for each other and become lovers in the true sense of the world.

“I think I have more feelings for you than I should have,” he admitted. “Feelings aren’t supposed to make sense, though, right? They confuse the fuck out of me and make me twisted inside,” he whispered as he gently touched his forehead to hers. “Tell me it’s not just me who feels this connection,” he muttered.
“It’s not,” she whispered.

I really liked watching this relationship develop. The feelings they experience are foreign to them both, and their growing closer together is really nicely done. They have both been raised to hate the other, and there is a lot of prejudice to overcome, but I love that they don’t fight what they are feeling. It’s confusing for them, for sure, but they embrace it and go with it, and it was gorgeous to watch.

“As a librarian you know that sometimes the most beautiful covers have the dullest story hidden in their pages, while the most used or plain cover can have the most beautiful world created within its pages. Don’t they teach you to never judge a book by what others think of it, and that only someone willing to take the time to read it for themselves will know what truly is inside of it? With you, there is a beautiful cover and a marvellous story inside that is still being written.”

Ristan is a protective, possessive and surprisingly fabulous romantic hero, but I love that he remained true to his smutty nature and maintained his dirty sense of humour throughout.

“You should have been born a poet,” she whispered…
“Screw that,” he laughed as he placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I’d rather be a porn star.”

But there is still danger ahead and lots of secrets still to unravel, and amid intrigue, mystery, lots of sexy time and a whole lot of seemingly pointless explanation of Guild history which may or may not come into the series later on (and which I would have totally forgotten about by that point anyway), Ristan and Olivia continue the ongoing adventure to save Faery once and for all.

“Nothing worth fighting for ever comes easy … If it’s too easy to grasp, then one should never reach for it.”

I really enjoyed this book. Ristan was great as the hero of his own book, and there is lots time with Ryder and Syn, and the other characters from The Fae Chronicles series. I thought that this book seemed a bit long in places, and probably could have been cut down, but overall I like the way the story was told, and Ristan and Olivia’s romance was really well done. I like the direction the series is taking and look forward to seeing whose story is up next.

3.5 stars.

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading book no. 5 of The Fae Chronicles when I came upon the reading order provided by the author for the entire interconnected Fae Universe Series. By that reading order, this should actually be book no. 5, and since it was a book about Ristan, my favorite character, I had to read it first.
Unfortunately, the book was a disappointment. It’s not so much that the book was bad, as much as it was a repeat. Almost 60% of the book describes events that happened in Seducing Destiny from The Fae Chronicles told from another point of view (Ristan’s and Olivia’s). And although we find out some of the pieces we had missed in the previous book, it wasn’t enough to make a significant difference.
I love Ristan to the moon and back, and it was nice to see his point of view, but this just wasn’t as good as the previous books.

[MG *Bury Me with My Kindle.. & a REALLY Long Charger* · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, while this book is considered the first in a new series, it is not really a standalone as SIGNIFICANT background is provided on both the male main character along with the complex world-building and the set-up for how the circumstances come about in this story. This book would fall between books 4 (Seducing Destiny) & 5 (Unraveling Destiny) in The Fae Chronicles series as events leading up to and during this story occur in book 4, while events following A Demon's Dark Embrace lead into into the opening of book 5 --- if you are reading the chronicles, be sure to read this one between 4 & 5 to be fully updated with Ristan and Olivia's situation.

Ristan is a favorite character from The Fae Chronicles series as he is not only the brother to Ryder (male main character in that series), but he has also been a confidant, champion, and source of comfort for Synthia (female main character in Fae Chronicles). He has been the biased but objective voice for the two as they have struggled to find their place in the ever-changing world and circumstances in which they have found themselves throughout the series. I was really excited to see that Ristan got his own story for that reason.

While most of the background for this story unfolds during Seducing Destiny, the author does start this book off with some of the same information so that if the reader isn't fully up-to-speed on everything, there is at least some background to assist; however, in my opinion, it is not nearly enough to truly understand what is happening in the grander scheme of things which is what gives the reader the "whys" behind the things that are happening and why they are important to the broader tale. At the start of this book, Ristan has assigned himself the duty of protecting Synthia's "uncle" (who was her mentor and trainer when she was an enforcer with the Spokane witch chapter), as he is in danger from other members of the coven who are trying to destroy the world of Faery.

Ristan is half demon, half fae (this half is the shared father with Ryder), so he has had to maintain his "feed and leave" mentality as the demon half of him is want to consume the soul of the ones he feeds from, an instinct he has had to learn to control over the hundreds of years of his existence. When he meets Olivia, a demure and virginal librarian affiliated with the Spokane coven, he is confused as to why he would want such a mousy, skinny, innocent as his type tends to be experienced lovers who are well aware of what they are "getting themselves into" with him and know it is a very temporary situation. His attraction leads his long-term paramour Danu to take dubious actions that put both Olivia and Ristan in danger as his fae side is exposed to the coven, and he is taken prisoner and tortured extensively --- a situation he places most of the blame on Olivia and swears to take his revenge. Once he is freed by Ryder and Synthia, he demands Olivia be given to him to punish as he sees fit, and she is thrown into the dungeon under watch while Ristan recovers. Ristan has emerged from this experience a changed demon as he is angry and distrustful not to mention unpredictable as he struggles to come to terms with the horrible agony he suffered. He also feels guilt that Ryder came for him because his sworn duty is to protect his brother, the king, at all costs, and he felt he failed in that endeavor as well, though no harm befell either Ryder or Synthia. He chains Olivia up in his room, and leaves her there for hours on end, but he cannot bring himself to truly torture her as he originally believed he would. He finds the inexplicable attraction resurfacing, and he cannot help but act upon it thinking to use desire as the best way to torture her --- but there is a very good chance this will backfire as he finds himself caring for the woman he swore as his enemy.

Olivia was orphaned and raised in the Spokane coven as many children like her were at the time, her full parentage is not known (her mother was a witch, but her father's identity remains a secret). She longs for a life with love and family, but does not believe that will ever happen as she is shy and does not have any social life to speak of. When Ristan (disguised as "Justin" from the New Orleans coven) arrives on the scene, she finds herself strongly attracted to him knowing that he is the kind of man she would never attract. When she is approached and threatened by one of the elders of the coven to trap Justin/Ristan, she feels she has no choice as her own life is at stake, and she is hurt that he may have been lying to her and using her all this time as well. Once he is captured and tortured, she feels a tremendous sense of doubt as she was not told of the mass destruction the coven elders would wrought upon not only the rest of the coven (women and children included), but also the extent to which they would torture Justin/Ristan. When he is rescued and she is captured, she is resigned to know she will be put to death by his hands. So why does she still respond to his touch and want more from him that a captor/captive relationship? And why did some of the elders turn against the coven - what were they after that they thought Ristan would reveal?

What I liked:
--- Pretty solid steamy goodness
--- Interesting story line that kept me hooked until the end
--- Added to the overall plot of The Fae Chronicles which is a favorite series of mine
--- Action packed

What I didn't like as much:
--- Seeing Ristan as the "bad guy" was challenging at the start of this book because of the background and development of his character as the friendly and caring demon in the fae series
--- The way Olivia was described was unappealing, so it was hard to really get into the steamy goodness as much for that reason
--- WTF is up with Danu? She is one of the goddesses of Faery, and she was revealed to be Synthia's biological mother in earlier books of The Fae Chronicles where she was trying to help Synthia and save Faery, but in this book, she was a total shrewish bitch - I didn't understand the dynamic between her and Ristan and why she was so unwilling to give him up and tortured him the way she did - it just didn't add up for me at all

Overall, a good read that adds to the larger story occurring in The Fae Chronicles series, and it was nice to see Ristan get a well-deserved HEA.

Plot --- 4.5/5
Main Characters --- 4.5/5 for Ristan; 3/5 for Olivia (just didn't connect with her as much)
Supporting Cast --- 4.5/5
Steam Level* --- 4.5/5
Violence --- nothing graphic
Language --- not egregious
POV --- 3rd

*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild; 2/5 - sensual but nothing descriptive; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere; 4/5 - yes please! ; 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all

[Ms reads a lot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not saying this book was boring, I’m just saying that my house has never been this clean! I kept taking reading breaks to clean every little thing… and I HATE cleaning 😅.

I’m actually really sad that I didn’t LOVE this! I adored Ristan in the Fae Chronicles and I was SO looking forward to his book, but it was kind of lacklustre for me! The first 50% of this was basically a retelling of Seducing Destiny, but from Ristan and Olivia’s POV. The ending was really the only part of this book that I found to be interesting. Maybe it’s unfair, but after reading Legacy of The Nine Realms and The Fae Chronicles, I had high expectations for this book, but it was just “meh” 😑.

[*RoseyCheeksReviews* · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Demon's Dark EmbraceAmelia HutchinsOH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!!



I AM BEYOND EXCITED! LIKE I JUST CANT EVEN RIGHT NOW!

IM DYING!



AND CANT WAIT TO BE CAUGHT BY MY HANDSOME DEMON!!!



im so freaking excited for this book, i have longed to read about Ristan since syn got caught by ryder in the first book. I will be tell the world to shove it as i sink my teeth into it.



he will be my as syn says to ryder " fucking fairy happy meal." but in this case it would be my fucking demon happy meal."



thats gunna be me when it gets to the good parts xD ( ironically everyone says shes my twin XD!)

i hope i get everything i wish for and more from this book, but knowing how AMAZING Amelia writes i know im going to be over my head in fantasticness... is that even a word? WELL I JUST MADE IT A WORD!



WHY THE HELL CANT CHAPTERS GET THESE BOOKS! LIKE HONESTLY! CHAPTERS NEEDS TO STEP UP ITS GAME THESE BOOKS ARE BEYOND FANTASTIC!:3
AMELIA! guurl thank you once again for filling my heart with beautiful sexy men that i can go to sleep at night and dream about :3! ur fantastic!

[Just Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Demon’s dark Embrace was a very sexy and enjoyable read.

Character wise, I was expecting a lot more powerful and painful feelings from Ristan. More angst and hurt. It was a little bit of a letdown for me actually, since the previous book (if you follow the suggested reading order) led up to something so dark and hurtful and I wanted to feel those moments of complete pain and his wish for revenge to shine.

Ristan was tortured and blames a librarian from the Guild called Olivia for the fact that he was captured.

He captures Olivia and promises her that he will revenge what she did to him. And. He. So. Didn’t.
Look, I know Ristan isn’t the type of “demon” to hurt a woman. But I did expect him to frighten her.
And. He. So. Didn’t.
At least I didn’t feel like he punished her for her “sin”.
And since the book centres around his need for revenge that felt a bit flat to me.
Ristan was however a total sweetheart. Even on his most darkest moments, and so loyal to his brothers and Faery.
I did like that aspect of him.
Olivia was kinda “meh”. She was a more subtle type of character and she didn’t pull me in. Super jealous of her hair though😂

Action wise I felt like we first got a little something toward the end. Which also means it took a shit long time to anything actually happen.

I did enjoy the book, but it won’t ever be my favorite of Hutchins work.

Read: 29/04/2020
1st rating: 3 stars
Genre/sub-genres: Paranormal/demons/Fae/vampire/angels/adult/romance
Cover: 2 stars
POV’s: Dual -3rd person(Ristan & Olivia)
Will I recommend: Yes, but you gotta read it in the suggested reading order or else you will be lost as fuck. Hutchins has created this very detailed world and I am not gonna lie I find it a bit messy at time. She is very entertaining though.😊

[Jacqueline's Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

This book is a spin-off from The Fae Chronicles. Even though it’s labeled as a standalone, I highly advise you read the Fae Chronicles prior to reading this one. One, it’s easier to understand because I think I would be lost if I didn’t have any background and two, Ryder and Syn’s story is way better.

I LOVED Ristan in The Fae Chronicles and I was kind of nervous getting into this one because I knew it would be about him and his hate towards Olivia and I don’t like a mean hero.

What really drove me bonkers was that 50% of the book retold the Fae Chronicles, but from Ristan’s POV and I don’t like that kind of story telling. I felt like this book dragged a bit and usually the kinky bits would pull me out of my funk, but even that didn’t help.

I liked Olivia but I didn’t see the chemistry between her and Ristan. I felt like the story dragged a bit and I skimmed all the plot. I was only interested in Olivia and Danu only because it added a little dark tension.

I wasn’t interested in finding the relic of having Ristan open Olivia’s eyes about how she was trained.

OH and I didn’t like we didn’t know what Olivia was, even the last chapter. I hated that it was hinted throughout the whole book that she was “different”. REALLY? I would have preferred to not know how different she was until it’s reveled. That annoyed me.

I’m trying to read all the author’s books in order. So I guess it’s onto Playing with Monsters.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting to go from The Fae Chronicles to this series because, honestly, A Demon's Dark Embrace was not my favorite. Right from the start, I just seemed to get easily annoyed or frustrated with this book. It also didn't help that my buddy told me I could basically skim this entire book. So, yeah, this book and I? Well we didn't mesh together.

In it, you will meet Olivia and Ristan. Now I remember Ristan from the previous series and I'm pretty sure I liked the guy. Maybe even borderline loved him. Yet, it's like this book changed my entire opinion. Don't get me wrong, I still like the guy but I don't think I'm in love with him anymore. He's a great character. It just didn't help that I was really frustrated with everything while reading this.

Then there's Olivia who annoyed the crap out of me. Yeah, she had cute moments from time to time but I mostly wanted to strangle her. It also didn't help that I loved Syn so much and I was starting to see some similarities in Olivia while reading this. Mostly because she annoyed the crap out of me.

In the end, not sure what I'm going to get in the next book but I'm begging for it to get better. Please. I'm struggling right now.

[Kay (❦ ᴗ ❦ ✿) BooksandMe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve loved the The Fae Chronicles ever since I had a taste of the first book. I’ve been obsessed with the series and fae and witches in general and I wanted to read more in the genre but didn’t found something I’ve loved more because nothing comes close, except Alex Craft Series.

I’ve been super excited from the teasers and excerpts and just about anything that have to do with the Demon. I may have put Ristan on the pedestal though, always wanting some kinky funkery and his always innuendo filled statements towards Synthia.

It’s just that his book have come a little short for my liking. Ristan is one of the most important fae and of the Elite Guards aside from being Ryder’s brother, with his ability to have visions of what will happen in the future, but not all the details, just snippets and parts of the whole picture, and Danu’s unhealthy obsession towards him. That’s said, the most important scenes that I’ve expected where Ristan had some major rules were glossed over. I guess I expected to experience the scenarios in his point of view. It just that it fell short, and kind of disheartening for me that it was hard to pushed through with continuing the read.

Aside from that, with all his innuendos, I kind of expected more of Ristan’s bedroom skills. I mean, come on! He’s a fae, and a soul-sucking demon and I wanted to feel the high when he feeds when he’s at the throes of orgasm or his partner, that is, or to feel bliss when he had a taste of a soul. I’m not saying that he’s not a great lover or whatever, but I can’t help myself if I’m kind of comparing him with the beast. I mean Ryder’s fucking skills is off the charts! That fucking high. Sorry Demon, I couldn’t help but compare.

Once I overcome some of the scenes that made me feel low, I feel wonderful and okay and just can’t stop myself to read through the rest of the book. Olivia grew up just like the way Synth did and there were some mystery regarding her ancestry. She is a half witch, and something else. Guess the something else was super unexpected for me that the pairing of Olivia and Ristan was just so bam. I don’t know how to explain but they were just so good together.

Lucian has been a figure I wanted to meet more and he has been given some scenes here that just piqued my curiosity more. Whatever that was, I am well excited to just meet the man from hell.

Overall, this was an incredible story but shouldn’t be read if you haven’t read The Fae Chronicles as some of the things that Ristan and Olivia went through were connected and is important to the overall plot of the story. Ristan may have come a little sappy for my taste, but hell, I still love the Demon.

Post before reading:
I love the teasers... Oh, hell baby... Here's some snippets...

September 25, 2015:
“I said keep count.”

“You spanked me!” she whimpered, and he smiled.

“Oh my sweet little Witch, you have so much to learn about my world,” he warned with eagerness in his soul that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. “And I will enjoy every moment of your education.” He let his hand land firmly against her rounded ass cheek and then reminded her to count.

“One!” she whimpered on a hiss.

“Good girl,” he said as he bent over to kiss her already kiss-swollen lips. “Ninety-nine more to go and maybe I’ll give you a break once we reach one hundred

©A Dark Demon's Embrace 2015 Amelia Hutchins




July 11, 2015:
“Are you searching for a safe word?” he asked incredulously. At her frantic nod he laughed. “Someone has been reading some naughty books. Haven’t we? I must have missed that collection. I did however find quite a few that I scanned through while you slept,” he mused, his eyes filling with laughter. “My favorite part…let’s see, oh yeah. His bulbous manhood pushed inside my sleek manhole,” he quoted, but his words were filled with laughter.

©2015 Amelia Hutchins A Demon’s Dark Embrace.




July 8, 2015:
“Go to bed before I stop fighting the urge to feed from you, and fuck you until the only words you know are yes please, and more,”

©2015 Amelia Hutchins A Demon’s Dark Embrace.

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Ristan has been one of my favorite characters, so I was excited for his book. IMO, he has the most depth of any of her characters. He has these two very distant parts to his personality. On one side, he’s totally opposite of what you'd expect from an alpha H. He’s into fashion, is Syn’s bestie, shops for baby clothes, is almost motherly to Ciara and Kahleena …but… he’s also a kick ass demon that eats hearts.

He’s the glue that holds the gang together, but I felt like he had a different personality here (he was more her standard alpha H) … and all the Danu… annoying. I didn’t dig Olivia and couldn’t connect to her. I think this was mostly because a) she was portrayed as sort of clueless/dumb and b) she’s totally wimpy compared to the other females. This series has kickass females and Olivia is not kickass and when she tried to be it felt forced. In a way she reminded me a Larissa. They didn’t fit, and I didn’t feel the chemistry. Bummer

What also didn’t work for me was the smut. (shocking I know) I’m just not a fan of this 50 Shades of Fae thing that started up the last book. I didn’t find the BDSM sexy or how quickly Olivia went from uptight virgin (clueless of her clit??!!) to juicy (barf) sex slave. I know she’s a fan of the petals and nubs, but the “soldier” for his member was too much for me. I find much of the smut cringy in both series though, so that's a Jac thing.

his little soldier pressed hard against her belly in full salute...

Yeah, he was a soldier. He was a fucking veteran when it came to pillaging pussies

I did like Lucian, but his "personality" was off. He’s portrayed as a Soul-Seeker demon working for Lucifer which is not how his story shakes out… at all. In fact, a HUGE deal will made of no one knowing what he is. It feels like these books/ series(s) were not really planned out ahead of time because they just don’t flow super great. They overlap, repeat info, and are inconsistent. After finishing the Fae Chronicles, I’m not even really sure why we have this book. Olivia is barely in the future books and this couple isn’t endgame. 🤷‍♀️

Bottom Line- This is a tough one. If you read without reading the Fae Chronicles, you’ll be lost, but if you read that series first… this is a bit of a waste. IMO the way she has released these series with overlapping storylines (so you have to read 3 series to keep up- but she doesn't label it as such) is confusing and not cool. Readers should know before going in that it's not really a standalone.

[Rachel Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

May I just say that Amelia has outdone herself with this one. This book picks up by giving us some background information and details unknown from The Fae Chronicles. Where as you don't have to have read them to enjoy this book it is most definitely recommended to fully appreciate everything that is happening. To me the book started a little slow but mainly because I didn't want the background. I just wanted to know what comes next. And believe me, what came next was most definitely worth it. Ristan the Horde's Demon will have your heart breaking and you imaging what it would be like to lick him all over at the same time. Marvelous job. I have not one single thing bad to say about this book. Cannot wait to see what Amelia had in store for us next.

Why no voting buttons? We don't let customers vote on their own reviews, so the voting buttons appear only when you look at reviews submitted by others.

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[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this it was as expected excellently written but it just didn’t manage to grab my attention in the way I was expecting it to. I mean I adore Ristan he’s like one of my favourite characters in this series so maybe my expectations were a tad too high going in. I also think a lot of my dissatisfaction may have been due to the first 40% of this being basically a recap and I’d already experienced these same scenes previously just from a different perspective.

Saying that though I did like Ristan and Olivia as a pairing though at times Olivia did feel slightly wishy-washy but again maybe because of how strong a character Syn has been I was unfairly comparing them and Olivia is definitely no Syn. Still, this had plenty of heat some kinky shenanigans and the demon got his girl.

One thing I have to mention though was Danu’s inclusion. I didn’t want to participate in any of her games with Ristan especially the one with Olivia. I really wished she’d stayed more of a background thing as for me it definitely detracted from Olivia and Ristan’s emerging bond. But overall though this was still a decent addition to the series just not my favourite.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Jeanny · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF lost interest & truly disliked the h.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed A Demon's Dark Embrace which is Ristan's story. I love that this new series is basically in the Fae Chronicles world and we still get to see the characters that we love. I will admit that I was very impatient in the beginning because it chronicles the events that lead up to Ristan taking Olivia which I already knew. I know it was necessary and it helped me to understand Olivia and why she did what she did. I loved Ristan he was super yummy, funny, and his story was heartbreaking. I thought Olivia was also great, she was sweet and just what Ristan needed. I also enjoyed finding out her origins and I wonder who else is hidden in the Guild. I hope Lucian gets a book next because I can't wait to find out who he is looking for.

[★MC's Corner★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natapos ko din!

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Demon's Dark Embrace was honestly one of the most confusing book I've ever read. Having read three of the five books in Amelia Hutchins's Fae Chronicles series, I thought I wouldn't be too confused if I read this one, knowing it's a spin-off with the secondary characters. I was so wrong.

Let me be clear, I loved the Fae Chronicles series so I was extremely excited to read this one, however, I have no idea what the author was doing while writing this book but I feel like she wasn't completely into it. A Demon's Dark Embrace simply didn't make sense at times, it felt like I was missing entire chapters. It would jump from one scene to another without any real transition and entire scenes were cut off. I was genuinely so confused by the whole thing. Amelia Hutchins would also talk about events that happened in other books and since I haven't read all of them, this also was confusing to my poor mind and overall this really ruined the book for me.

To be honest, I didn't really like the characters either. It was all about how sweet she smelled and how he wanted to get his cock into her, every damn scene ended with them having rough sex. It became repetitive and I found myself skipping some parts because of that. The heroine, Olivia, was not so bright. Really annoying and weak, she couldn't make one decision to save her life and when she did, she screwed up. Ristan was not much better, he annoyed me with how much he wanted to take her all the time and his indecision about her as a whole.

I kept reading mostly out of curiosity and I was, once again, seriously disappointed with the ending. Olivia's big reveal came out of nowhere and didn't make much sense, it felt cheesy and I couldn't get into it. All in all, not a book for me but I might give the second one a chance.

[Seffra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 solid stars

I loved Ristan for quite sometime now. He stayed with me in the Fae Chronicles and I couldn't wait for his own book. He suffered through so much in the fourth Fae Chronicles book that I needed him to have his happily ever after.

Okay, time to start this review.

I really wish Hutchins didn't waste the first hundred or so pages just rehashing what happened in the last Fae book...like seriously...

I get that Ristan was the focal point with what she wanted us to relive...but that's just it, we've already read and lived it! It made it seem redundant and I ended up skimming those pages until we got to where the fourth Fae book left off.

I really still enjoyed Ristan as a character and as a partner to the wonderful Olivia! She was sweet and cute. She was also such a huge polar opposite from Synthia that it was nice to get this change in heroines.

Olivia was strong in another way from Syn who's all about brute force and witty comebacks. She had strength in her intelligence and strength in her emotions.

Ristan and Olivia were great to read about and I wish we got more of them in the last 10%. I felt like the last bits were poorly rushed and glossed over which got me MAD! Because, those hundred or so pages Hutchins so wrongly wasted on rehashing the past could have been used to expand on their growing love AFTER that intense scene took place.

In this one, I also noted many, and I mean MANY grammatical errors that kind of irked me. I know, Amelia Hutchins is human and we all make mistakes but try to read over your work and get a good editor, girl!

Although this story was lovely between Ristan and Olivia, this book could have been AWWWWWSOME.

But, oh well, on to the next one!

[Sheia (Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing is for sure: Hutchins knows how to give a ride on the sweet-side of fucked up.

It's been a long time of me putting this off, mainly because it wasn't the right time. And then suddenly it was. So basically here I am, getting myself some Fae-Demon.

I enjoyed Ristan. Olivia was sweet. The heat in this book, as in all Hutchins books, was off the charts. It fascinated me, the progression of the plot from the previous ones. Loved seeing that. Especially, the tangent of Danu and Ristan. I always wondered what was up with that.

As to the things I didn’t enjoy...
I know it was necessary for establishing character and Olivia's mind space but I could have done without a recount starting from so far back. I also wished the genealogy was not left just for the end.

But all in all, I commend anybody who can create a world this complex, because the research for it is no joke.

I am going to continue now that I have hopped on this bandwagon again, and remembered how deep I was into this universe.

Totally recommend. Though I suggest reading the books in order.

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ristan and Olivia..SWOON!
We get introduced to them in the fae chronicles series, and though I thought this book might be very dark- surprisingly it wasnt!
Loads of HOT scenes between the crazy main couple(esp the mountain top one), misunderstandings cleared and crazy ex-goddesses later, the mysteries unwind and we get introduced to more intricacies of the fae/demon/angel world.
Adventurous read with a beautiful ending!
Not safe.
4/5

[HeatherTX]

Fans of the The Fae Chronicles, Ristan's story....here we go!!!