Dark Embrace

Masters of Time #3

by Brenda Joyce

Aidan, the Wolf of Awe, has abandoned the Brotherhood and forsaken his vows. Feared by all and trusted by none, he hunts alone, seeking vengeance against the evil that destroyed his son. He has not saved an Innocent in sixty-six years--until he hears Brianna Rose's scream of terror across centuries, and leaps to modern-day Manhattan to rescue her…

Brie is a gifted empath who spends her time fighting evil from the safety of her laptop--and fantasizing about the medieval Highlander she met just once. Still, her life is pretty ordinary--until she awakens one night consumed with Aidan's pain and rage. When Aidan suddenly appears and takes her hostage, Brie cannot believe how dark and dangerous he has become. She knows she should be afraid, but instead, she will fight across time for his redemption…and his love.

Genres: Time Travel, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Historical Romance, Fantasy, Historical

376 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 19, 2008

About the author

Brenda Joyce is the bestselling author of forty-one novels and five novellas. She has won many awards, and her debut novel, Innocent Fire, won a Best Western Romance award. She has also won the highly coveted Best Historical Romance award for Splendor and Two Lifetime Achievement Awards from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. There are over 14 million copies of her novels in print and she is published in over a dozen foreign countries.

A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs, and her Arabian and half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions—writing powerful love stories and competing with her horses at regional and national levels. For more information about Brenda and her upcoming novels, please visit her Web sites: www.brendajoyce.com, www.thedewarennedynasty.com and http://mastersoftimebooks.com.

Reviews

[MelissaB · Rating 2 out of 5]

I swear most of this book was spent having Aiden grieve for his son, talk about getting revenge for his death and Brie telling Aiden that she loves him and believes in him while he pushes her away. Yep that sums the entire book. At the end, suddenly he loves her and everything is hunky dorey.

The whole plot was implausible and didn't make sense. The jumping around in time part is a bit shaky to me, what about paradoxes and continuation of timelines? The mythology behind the story isn't explained well. I did like the character of Aiden so I was disappointed that his story was so boring and hard to read. But since I am a sucker, I am sure I will continue to read the series because I want to see Tabby's story. Sigh.

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohh my. I want a Master of Time for myself, please. "Dark Embrace" is Brenda Joyce's third book in this series and her hero in this book is as tormented, conflicted, and sexy as any I've read about!

Aiden has lived with the memory of the death of his son, killed by Aiden's father, for 66 years now. Since that day, he has turned aside from saving Innocents and embraced the lust for power for one reason and one reason only...to hunt his father, Moray, through time, find him, and kill him. His ability to feel and love died that day and he hasn't missed it at all...until Brianna.

Brianna has a crush on a Master of Time she's seen once! How pathetic can she get? But she's a Rose, and she lives for her research work so she really doesn't need a man. Heck she'll probably die a virgin! Then one night she's awakened by a horrible cry, and somehow she knows it's Aiden...and his horrific pain is so terrible it's reached across time and is killing her. Her one-sided love and empathy have created a connection to Aiden that she can't seem to break. When she's attacked in the present day, Aiden somehow can't ignore her cry and saves her. Then kidnaps her and takes her back to his time, 1502 Scotland.

If you've read the first two books "Dark Rival" and "Dark Seduction", then I don't have to tell you to go get this book. If you haven't read this series and you like hot, hunky Scottish giants with paranormals powers and the ability to 'go' all night...what are you waiting for? These guys are the ultimate Alpha males and Scottish...in kilts. Have you left yet? When they finally succumb to love, it's a love for the history books (literally) and they have plenty of experience to keep their women blissfully happy. These aren't stories to change your life or make you ask deep psychological questions. They're just darn good hot and sexy romances. I'm in.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aidan's story was one I was really excited to read, but it was not what I had hoped. Brenda Joyce seems to have a thing for writing about men who need to be "fixed" and the women who want to do it have to endure humiliation before they "fix" their men. The second book in the series was better as far as that. Her heroines are supposed to be these strong twenty-first century women, but they all seem needy and clingy. I'm not saying that the storyline wasn't good, it was. I mean I've read 3 out of the 5 books, and I like the premise of the Masters of Time, but I'm just tired of her women who are strong one minute, and wimpy the next. At one point I want the man to feel a little bad about the rude way he's treating this woman who is trying to save his life. I want to continue the series since I do like the plots. I just hope that the next one gives me a less wimpy woman.

[Kristie Cardoso · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get around to reading this book, but I'm glad I did. Time-traveling Highlanders? (Swoon). I loved the settings (modern day New York and 1400s Scotland) and all the characters that were introduced. Definitely a good first book in a series. It is a romance novel, so in this book you have the typical "heroine-who-redeems-man-that-everyone-else-has-basically-given-up-on". If that annoys you, I probably wouldn't read this book. But the heroine wasn't annoying or whiny and all around it was an interesting book.

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“La loro bellezza è incantevole. Il loro potere senza limiti. Per secoli la solitudine ha dato loro la caccia, ma all’improvviso un raggio di luce illumina le tenebre della loro esistenza con la promessa di un amore destinato a durare per l’eternità.”

Eccoci giunti, finalmente, a Dark Warrior, il tanto sospirato libro che narra le gesta del Lupo di Awe, Aidan. Egli è il tenebroso fratellastro di Malcolm, che ho imparato ad amare già durante la lettura dei precedenti libri, in cui compare, seppur non protagonista, stagliandosi e distinguendosi dagli altri Maestri, inizialmente per il suo essere ribelle, arrabbiato e ombroso. In seguito però, nell’incedere della narrazione dei due libri che precedono questo, scopriamo anche il suo lato ironico, la profondità dei suoi sentimenti in particolare verso Ian, suo amatissimo figlio, il suo bisogno di identificarsi e la sofferenza che gli causa l’essere realmente la progenie di Satana. Eppure Aidan riesce ad incantarmi come nessuno, mi ammalia con le sue tante sfaccettature e non resisto al richiamo di immaginarlo, viverlo ed approfondire la conoscenza di quest’uomo, naturalmente bellissimo come tutti i Maestri, ma anche pieno di fascino, saturo di intense emozioni contrastanti che trovano il loro seme sin dalla primissima infanzia e che lo hanno reso l’uomo che è ora, profondo, introspettivo e tuttavia, sempre, d’animo ribelle. Sfida le leggi dei Maestri portandole al limite del consentito ma non le rifiuta, non cede alla forza malvagia che lo ha generato, alla vergogna che deriva dall’essere un figlio bastardo. Penso sia soprattutto questa battaglia interiore ad avermi incuriosita ed affascinata e adesso, finalmente, posso parlarvi di lui.

La storia comincia durante una battaglia e immediatamente dopo, Aidan avverte il potere oscuro minacciare suo figlio e si precipita nel suo castello per trovarlo più che in pericolo: è tra le grinfie dell’odiatissimo conte di Moray, creduto morto da tempo e misteriosamente ricomparso, redivivo sgraditissimo e per nulla afflitto dai rimorsi, anzi! Come anticipa la sinossi, sarà proprio Moray, nel tentativo estremo di portare Aidan tra le sue schiere, a distruggere Ian, l’unico vero amore di Aidan, suo figlio ed anche il motivo per cui egli aspira a divenire un uomo migliore, un Maestro, per proteggerlo dal male. La storia procede dunque con una tremenda disgrazia che conduce Aidan sull’orlo della follia per il grande dolore, il Lupo di Awe sembra non avere altri pensieri se non la vendetta e a questo scopo, salta da un secolo all’altro a caccia di quel padre che ha segnato brutalmente tutta la sua vita e che, infine, riesce a sopraffarlo. Ma allora? Direte voi? Dov’è l’amore in questa storia? Beh care fenici, questa volta si farà attendere un pochino, ma ci sarà e ricompenserà tutte noi per l’attesa sospirata.

Nel presente infatti, a New York, Brianna Rose viene sconvolta da un grido terribile di collera e dolore e, nel limbo tra sogno e realtà, vede Aidan e percepisce la sua profonda angoscia. Brianna ha 26 anni, l’abbiamo già conosciuta in Dark Destiny tra i personaggi che fanno da cornice alla storia di Allie e Royce. Brianna è un’empatica, tratto comune nella famiglia Rose, che in lei, però, sembra particolarmente acuto e preponderante, forse perché lei ha il prezioso dono della chiaroveggenza, molto raro, tramandatole dalla nonna. Brianna aveva già visto Aidan quando Allie si era fatta accompagnare da lui nel presente e non è mai riuscita a dimenticare quell’uomo bellissimo appartenente al passato. Lei lo ama, non riesce ad impedirselo, pur essendo conscia che in quel breve incontro, lui non avrà certo prestato attenzione a quella donna riservata e abbigliata in maniera da non attrarre l’interesse altrui: Brianna nasconde sé stessa e la sua incredibile bellezza da molto tempo, memore delle disgrazie causate dalla madre, una donna stupenda ma distruttiva, a cui lei assomiglia moltissimo. Eppure, nonostante ciò, e oltre qualsiasi logica mentale, il suo cuore appartiene al Maestro del passato, forse è per questo che le sembra di vivere con lui le medesime emozioni? Distrutta dal dolore che avverte in sé, come fossero una sola persona, e confusa per tutti sentimenti contrastanti ma terribili che, in pochi minuti, le sono piombati addosso come una valanga di neve, Brianna decide di chiamare in suo aiuto le cugine Tabby e Sam, che si precipitano all’istante a soccorrerla. Brianna collabora con il CAD – centro per le attività demoniache- ed è ben conscia del pericolo incombente, così come dell’esistenza dei Maestri da quando Allie ne ha sposato uno e lei ha conosciuto Aidan, che è tornato nel passato portandosi via un pezzo del suo cuore per sempre. A New York Brie dedica tutta la sua vita al lavoro e alla sua famiglia, non ha mai conosciuto un uomo intimamente, e pensa che il suo destino sia di morire vergine. Il dono della Vista – la chiaroveggenza – ed il timore di lasciarsi guardare per la bellissima donna che è, rischiando di ripetere gli stessi errori materni, sono elementi sufficientemente validi da perorare la sua decisione di restare nell’ombra. Ma le sue cugine, sinceramente preoccupate per lo stato di salute in cui la trovano quando giungono nel suo appartamento, compiono l’unico gesto sensato e possibile: contattano Nick Forrester, il superiore di Brie al CAD, il quale accorre in soccorso ma coglie l’occasione per indagare e scoprire cosa esattamente sappiano le tre donne in quell’appartamento. L’afflizione in cui versa Brianna è tale da indebolirne i parametri vitali e nei pochi momenti in cui è vigile, racconta in maniera concitata così tante confuse informazioni su Aidan da preoccupare tutti seriamente. Decidono di ricoverarla in una struttura protetta del CAD, una sorta di ospedale per pochi selezionati ospiti, allo scopo di sedarla e concederle il tempo di riprendersi dal terribile stato di prostrazione in cui versa da quando è entrata in contatto con Aidan. Nei giorni successivi, quando Brie può tornare nel suo appartamento, il pensiero del Lupo di Awe non la abbandona mai, perciò inizia una risoluta ricerca sul database del CAD cercando ovunque indizi che la aiutino a riordinare i pensieri e comprendere cosa sia davvero accaduto. Quello che scopre, la sconvolge ma insieme la porta a comprendere che deve esserci un nesso, un disegno degli antichi Dei, se tutto ciò è avvenuto e le sembra di avvertire l’approvazione della nonna mentre accoglie il suo destino, ormai legato indissolubilmente ad Aidan. Proprio mentre cerca di raggiungere il CAD e Nick, per approfondire le sue informazioni, viene attaccata e si trova in serio pericolo. Ad un passo dall’essere uccisa però, un grosso lupo attacca i demoni sub e li distrugge, salvandola. Aidan, perso nella sua disperazione da decenni e votato alla vendetta, ha sentito il grido di Brie attraverso i secoli e non è riuscito ad impedirsi di correre in suo aiuto. In un adrenalinico e concitato momento di incontro-scontro in cui si trovano coinvolti anche Nick, Tabby e Sam, Aidan afferra Brie e la porta con sé nel suo castello, secoli e secoli indietro nel tempo.

È molto particolare questo passo del libro perché vediamo Aidan combattuto tra i suoi demoni interiori, la sete di vendetta e l’inspiegabile legame che sente verso Brie, ne avverte la bontà ma anche i profondi sentimenti che prova per lui e questo lo fa infuriare ma, anche, gli impedisce di abusare di lei per assorbire potere. Il Lupo è sconvolto da questa ambivalenza, vorrebbe sfuggirvi invece si ritrova in camera sua, solo e investito da ricordi che non vuole rivivere e che fanno affiorare la sua umanità e l’uomo che era un tempo. Dal canto suo Brie è sconvolta: l’uomo che ama profondamente, a cui si sente legata dal destino così come dal suo cuore, al momento è in preda ad una furia cieca che lo rende molto più simile ad un demone che al Maestro dagli occhi color del cielo incontrato appena un anno prima. Inoltre è ancora provata dal salto temporale e dalle percosse dei sub demoni, per non parlare della rovinosa caduta dalle scale del castello a causa del piccolo, ma fondamentale particolare, che lei ha perso i suoi occhiali, e senza non vede praticamente nulla. Ma ancora una volta Aidan la afferra in tempo, ancora una volta lei vede in lui il turbamento e la confusione, e per la prima volta, Aidan si ritrova davanti due meravigliosi occhi verdi e finalmente vede la donna sotto agli abiti informi e gli orrendi occhialoni. Ma non è finita qui, la Joyce si è proprio divertita a scrivere questo romanzo secondo me, c’è un colpo di scena che sposta tutta l’attenzione del lettore e dei protagonisti su un unico elemento presente: il bambino che Brie aveva incontrato in ospedale, quando era stata ricoverata è lì con loro e Brie comincia a parlargli, scatenando le relative reazioni … il bambino però non parla….almeno non è udibile ciò che dice, ma la reazione di Aidan all’evento è una delle più commoventi di tutto il libro. Grazie a questo episodio e all’ennesima stretta dell’anello di nonna Sara Rosa, Brianna comprende che deve restare accanto al Lupo, combattere e lottare per riportarne l’anima alla luce e, forse, conquistare il suo cuore nero.

Naturalmente non potrà farlo da sola e a questo proposito, vi dico che apprezzo moltissimo, in questa serie, il fatto che l’autrice trovi sempre la maniera di coinvolgere tutti i personaggi a noi già noti in una serie di camei di volti e unioni già salde che circondano i nuovi protagonisti senza però perdere lustro e consentendo lo sviluppo della trama oltreché permettendo al lettore di sbirciare, ancora una volta, nella loro vita e avere conferma del loro lieto fine. Inoltre in questo romanzo per la prima volta leggiamo anche cosa accade a coloro che restano nel presente: Nick e Sam ad esempio, che si uniscono per indagare e cercare di salvare Brie. Tabby, beh lei è ancora un’altra storia nella storia, lo scoprirete leggendo…

Credo che la particolarità dell’apparentemente indifesa Brianna, sia proprio la sua dolcezza unita alla profonda fiducia che ripone nei suoi presentimenti e nei piccoli segnali che le invia la nonna. Aidan accetta di tenerla con sé per un solo motivo, ed è totalmente egoistico, eppure lei scorge il buono che c’è in lui, lo capta più che constatarlo, ma si aggrappa tenacemente a queste sensazioni e non perde mai questo suo atteggiamento dolce e buono, non cede non demorde, eppure leggendo, si percepisce chiaramente la purezza del suo cuore e delle sue intenzioni. Grazie a questa dote riuscirà, lentamente a fare breccia nel cuore ormai spento del Lupo di Awe che, suo malgrado, inizierà ad averla sempre più presente.

“Lui gridò e si scostò di colpo. «Basta!» Aveva gli occhi sbarrati per lo sgomento.
Temendo che svanisse nella realtà, Brie lo abbracciò, avvolgendolo con il suo amore.
Aidan non fuggì. Anzi, il suo desiderio aumentò. «È tutto a posto» lo rassicurò.
Una spirale di piacere la percorse mentre lo stringeva a sé. Quindi arretrò un poco, gli prese la mano e la baciò con tutto l’affetto che provava. Poi se la portò al petto. L’azzurro dei suoi occhi era abbagliante. «È tutto a posto» ripeté lei. Le dita di Aidan si chiusero con una certa esitazione sul suo seno. Le sfiorarono il capezzolo turgido, ma subito dopo si spostarono sulla spalla. «Devo andare» disse voltandosi.
Brie, però, gli afferrò di nuovo la mano e lui si girò a guardarla. Gli prese il viso tra le mani e, ignorando le sue proteste, posò la bocca sulla sua.
Lui rimase immobile con la bocca serrata mentre lo baciava con tutto l’amore che provava. Passò la punta della lingua lungo il contorno delle labbra, finché lui le dischiuse e l’accolse.
Dalla gola gli uscì una sorta di lungo lamento: era il pianto di un uomo rimasto solo e smarrito per decenni.
Le afferrò le spalle e si avventò sulla sua bocca con voracità. Era come se non avesse mai baciato una donna in vita sua.”

Che bello è stato assistere in Dark Warrior alla caduta di Aidan davanti alla tenace dolcezza di Brie, vederlo opporsi con tutte le sue forze al desiderio che prova per lei e proteggerla, temere per lei e non riuscire a pensarla tra le braccia di un altro uomo. Brie è come un faro che guida il suo guerriero nella buia tempesta e lo rassicura che alla fine, egli potrà cullarsi tra le sue braccia. Ma Moray non li lascerà mai in pace, egli desidera annientare questo suo figlio, prediletto dalla Dea, che molto tempo prima gli ha rivelato il destino infausto che unisce il padre al figlio: solo uno di loro potrà sopravvivere. Tra battaglie, duelli, intrighi e sotterfugi messi in atto da Moray, Aidan e Brie si scopriranno sempre più uniti e forti dei loro sentimenti, anche quando il Lupo di Awe sarà davvero la bestia da cui trae il soprannome e che lei aveva a lungo temuto.

Ho trovato la loro storia struggente e intensa, Brie non molla mai, non si arrende, come non si arrendono tutti coloro che la aiutano, suoi amici del presente e alcuni Maestri, compagni delle sue amiche e parenti. La parte conclusiva del libro è molto frenetica, caratterizzata da salti temporali e momenti intensi e concitati. E poi c’è il personaggio di Ian, il figlio di Aidan, allora bambino ma che ricompare spessissimo in varie forme, apparizione, fantasma, uomo adulto. Tutto diverrà chiaro, come sempre, solo ad un passo dalla fine e potremo lasciare anche noi, soddisfatte e appagate, questa bellissima storia d’amore, avventura, coraggio e riscatto.

La Min - per RFS

[Lover of Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aiden, the Wolf of Awe was part of the brotherhood, Masters of Time. Then his father killed his son Ian, and Aiden has vowed to destroy him. And for over sixty years he has sought to destroy his father, and is only filled with rage, lust and power, and has never had a thought for another innocent. Aiden has been abandoned by his family, but when he hears a call from a innocent, he calls to him to the deepest of his soul, and it draws him forward in time to Manhatten, New York modern day. Brianna Rose, is a rose woman, with empathic abilities, and ever since meeting Aiden a year ago when he escorted her friend for a small amount of time, she fell in love with him. Now she wakes up feeling his pain and anguish, and wonders if she will be able to find him. But then when she is attacked by soulless creatures, he saves her and takes her back to 1502. At first Aiden is bitter and angry with everything around him, but Brianna is the only one that isn't afraid of him, and knows that there is still good in him, and that he needs a friend and to be loved, and proves to him and everyone that once cared for him, that he can be redeemed and loved...Dark Embrace is the first in the Rose Trilogy and the third in the Masters of Time series. This is the first that I have read from this author, and I can hardly wait to read more from the series. I have always loved time travel books, and this one was definitely at the top of my list of my favorites to read. Dark Embrace is a powerful story, with deep characters, exciting plot, sensual passion and a deep and instilling love. Such a great read, and evokes powerful emotions in the reader!! Amen to Brenda Joyce, she is definitely at the top of my list of favorite authors, and I am looking forward to reading the other books in these series!!!

My Favorite Quote
I love ye so much, I need ye, Brianna, to sleep with every night an' wake up with every morning. I canna let ye go home, not now, not ever. If I take ye as my wife, to love an' to cherish, until death parts us, will ye stay here with me? I will try to make ye happy, lass..."

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another fantastic read, loved the couple, and can't wait to read more!

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep mixing this book up with other books, and having a hard time pinning down just which book it is and what happened in it. Which, to me, is an indication that it didn't impress me a whole lot. Mostly what it did was confuse me. The heroine lives (at least in the beginning of the book) in the present day. The hero lives in medieval Scotland. But he may be more or less immortal (that wasn't particularly clear to me) and he can bop around time as if it doesn't exist. But there are rules about what he can and cannot do whilst so bopping. I wasn't real clear on what those rules were though. The heroine is an empath. She has a crush on the hero. The hero's son died when he was a child due to machinations of the villain, who is also the hero's dad. So the hero's out to get revenge and doesn't care about anything else. Except when he hears the heroine cry for help, he comes to rescue her. And when the heroine feels his pain, somehow he comes and takes her home with him again. (Not real sure why.) Here commences a lot of "I want her/him, but I won't take what I want because..." Sometimes the hero won't take her because he's evil and she's pure. Sometimes he decides to take her because he's evil and she's pure, but there's circumstantial interruptus. The story was very emotional, and I would get caught up in it, only to have something else happen that I couldn't follow and I would get all confused again. Bits and pieces were readable, but the story as a whole was extremely difficult to follow and I ended the book (which I did read all the way through) utterly confused.

[Juana "Darkness" Duran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aiden the Wolf of Awe inspired love and equelness among his people. Until one day his son was wripped from him by his demon father. From that day on he is cold to everyone, the only thing that drives him is defeating his enemies. Aiden searches for his son even though he knows that his son Ian can't possibly be alive. Brianna Rose a woman pining for a man from the past. She first feels his pain across time when she is sleeping. Brianna is connected to Aiden so when he feels her he rushes to her aid. Even though he swore never to help another good person. But his heart gets involved and he can't resist intervineing. They travel together through time and space only so Brianna can melt his cold heart and reunite Ian with Aiden. What they don't know is that Aiden's father will kill Brianna and anyone who helps him. His father does this in the hope that his son Aiden will fully turn evil.

[Christel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book!!!

Aidan is a Master of Time but he abdaoned the brotherhood 66 years before because of the death of his son by his father.

Brie works at the Center for Demonic Activity as a research but she has a past herself, for she has abilities also.

They met one time before and since that time she has fantasized about Aidan and his world. She hears Aidan's painful cries in her dreams and sets the gears in motion for him to come to her. After that all bets are off in Brie trying to redeem Aidan's soul and turn him back int he right direction. but what will his father have to do about all this and what about Aidan's dead son Ian.

Good story, great storyline and I really enjoyed the character development. Now to get the rest of the series and read them

[Deidre · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I dearly loved Aidan (The wolf of Awe) in the 1st two books for me this book was Heartbreaking, Sad, Frustrating, Maddening & Pissed Me Off. I just can't believe she put my favorite character through this kinda Hell!

Still gave it 4 Stars as it certainly kept my attention till the end. I just wish there had been a bit more "Happy Ending" but I'm hoping the next two books will finish wrapping this story up as well.

[Crazy4more · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started out crying in the first 2 chapters...omg. It's so good.

[Ms. Ivory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tenía muchas ganas de leer la historia de Aidan, pero, como está siendo habitual en esta saga, he comenzado la lectura emocionada, la continué aburrida y la he terminado confusa.

Aidan está torturado por la muerte de su hijo y solamente persigue venganza pero, aunque parezca que está consumido por la oscuridad y que se lleva por delante a quien sea para conseguir su objetivo, no es así en absoluto.
Brianna es una mujer que vive por y para el trabajo y que tiene un poder de empatía tan fuerte que la conecta con Aidan.

¿Cuál es el problema con la saga? Para mi sin duda el problema es que la autora no explica bien la trama; cuando Brie y Aidan se vuelven a encontrar en Nueva York, para ella solamente ha pasado un año, mientras que para él han pasado casi 70 años. Debería de explicar que el paso del tiempo no sucede al mismo ritmo en el pasado y en el presente/futuro. Además, aparecen nuevos personajes que dejan más dudas que soluciones (aunque puede ser que la autora arroje más luz en los siguientes libros).
El otro problema es siempre el final de cada libro; al igual que en los anteriores, aquí el desenlace es muy apresurado, confuso e inverosímil.

¿Seguiré leyendo los siguientes libros? Sí, pero no porque sean adictivos, sino porque tengo obsesión con terminar las sagas que empiezo.

[Lorien · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish this one,
First: Just to be honest I picked this book up without reading the first two, so maybe it would make more sense if I had? But I found it confusing right off.
Second: the "hero", seemed kind of well, to be an awful horrible person, from what I did finish. Killing a whole village of people who trust you for the chance to save your son is not an admirable trait. And to proceed to use multiple women for sex batteries to become more powerful is despicable. The "I'm hurt so I'm taking it out/using those around me to get revenge" thing was taken a bit farther than I'm okay with.
I didn't get very far in the book again, but I honestly didn't like or care about him enough to care if he got a happy ending.
Third: I can't say much about the heroine because she was that uninteresting in the little bit I read.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this one - it’s all about Aidan and Brianna.
I’d recommend you read the accolades by various authors at the start of the book. Well written yet heartbreaking, emotional and triumphant. I can go on and on with this one. Love how prior characters are still integrated into this book and probably with following editions.
For lovers of Paranormal/Romance, this series is a must. Aidan would have to be the most loved character for he is everywhere. His life is a challenge- devastating, uplifting and powerful. His life is full of tribulations revolving his fathers hatred. You must read about Aidan to understand what he is going through.
Once again, no spoiling regarding storyline. One needs to read to make their own opinion.

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Explícito). Me esperaba algo mejor. Pero me gustó la tenacidad de Brie, incluso cuando Aidan estaba sufriendo y se comportaba horrible. Pobre Aidan. Está vez los dioses se pasaron pero me alegro de que al final por lo menos se aclararan algunas cosas, no todas para mi gusto hubo algunas cosas que no se aclararon; me hubiera gustado saber más de Ian, sobre el anillo de la abuela de Brie y así. Si te que todo paso demasiado rápido, hubo algunos ir y venir, por no decir que muchos, entre Aidan y sus sentimientos pero es entendible. ... narrado en tercera persona por los protagonistas y a veces algún que otro personaje, como ese Nick que será interesante saber de él y, probablemente, de Sam.

[Kaela Southwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I literally couldn’t put it down! Although I didn’t like how much of the book was spent with Aidan rejecting and pushing Brie away there was so much tension, passion and intrigue going on that had me flipping through the pages at lightning speed! The end of the book was fabulous how everything wrapped up so nicely, all in all was a great read and would definitely recommend!

[Louise purfield-coak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diverting

This book featuring a white witch and an immortal, time traveling, highland warrior was a total diversion from present day evil that I thourghly enjoyed. It kept me stuck in it's pages even in a busy week. I recommend this story with 5 stars for mature audiences only due to some pretty heavy and steamy scenes.

[Fefi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abbastanza mediocre anche questo,scritto con lo stampino come i precedenti, Aidan mi piace molto di più quando fa il personaggio secondario.
Qui l'autrice tenta di trarne un romanzo corale,ma tutti sembrano buttati nelle scene a caso.

[Lisa Bainbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think I would this this book after the reviews I read but I read it anyways. It was so good I bought the rest of the series. When it comes to books don’t judge it by someone else opinion of it. You never know if you’ll like until you try.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, the best one.
I don't like that apparently insta-love happens for every heroine in this series and that's the only reason the heroine sticks around the hero even when the hero is unsufferable.

[Alan D.D. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Esto no es romance, no es erótico, no es bonito en ningún sentido. Una historia de amor insano, controlador y mal construído. Una sola estrella porque el universo es interesante, pero pésima historia y pésimos personajes.

[La Bruja Lectora (Tata) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fue el primer libro que lei y me enamore, es fabuloso como una generacion de brujas pueda persistir en e tiempo y de paso una se llama como yo jajaja

[Vesper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Questa volta devo dare ragione a Lapis...era quasi illeggibile, storia incasinata, personaggi insulsi e indistinguibili tra loro, ambientazione inesistente.

[Meranda Semeniuk-Wappel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a page turner! If you are a female, you will want to go to Scotland just to see a handsome scotsman! Just loved this book!

[Marie Ginder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

My heart feels this series of books. These are read over and over. More please? We need at least 10 more in this series

[Everalice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dans ce tome 3, sans surprise, je me suis encore laissée séduire par cet univers troublant, peuplé de Highlanders Maîtres du Temps, guerriers hypra virils, et bruts de chez bruts, à la sauce Brenda Joyce, mi Dieux du stade, mi gladiateurs des Temps éternels. Ils font toujours autant d'effet. Pour vous donner une idée du genre de Beaux Gars croisés ici et là, au détour des pages, voici un court extrait :

Brie assiste à une réunion de Maîtres. Ils se tiennent dehors, tandis qu'elle est restée dans la tente d'Aidan...
"Each and every Master personified masculine perfection in one way or another. Some of the Highlanders were drop-gorgeous, like Aidan ; others were ruthlessly male, like Royce (tome 2). Biceps bulged, as did thighs - and occasional English codpiece. Testosterone thickened the air.
The flap was pulled from her hand, and she straighened, heart slamming, as a Paul Walker look-alike in medieval Highland gear dimpled at her. His eyes were a dazzling shade of green. "Do ye wish to join us?" he asked.
She tried to find her tongue. Why on earth was he undressing her with his eyes?"
C'est irrésistible, forcément, surtout dans cette atmosphère hautement troublée de l’Écosse du 15ème siècle, avec ces incessantes interactions temporelles, et cette mythologie qui nous entraîne de nouveau à la poursuite du démoniaque Moray.
Le héros de cet opus, Aidan, est loin d'être un inconnu ; demi-frère de Malcolm, du tome 1, ami très proche, presque fils de Royce du tome 2, il est aussi devenu le chevalier Blanc d'Allie, la compagne de Royce durant leur aventure du tome 2.
Tout en charme désinvolte, ce play-boy séducteur et membre légèrement décalé de la Confrérie méritait largement son histoire, tant ce second rôle était prometteur.
Mais ici, plus de séduction : Brenda Joyce a opéré un virage à 180° Sombre, ombragé, Aidan n'est plus le même, meurtri, d'une part, par le background affectif qui l'entourait déjà (à savoir son ascendance qui fait de lui un demi- démon), et d'autre part, par l’extrême douleur d'avoir vu périr son fils, ce qui le détruit peu à peu, en l'alimentant dans une folie vengeresse. Il a renié ses engagements au sein de la Confrérie, il a tourné le dos à toutes ces valeurs et ces codes chevaleresques. Surnommé Le Loup de Awe, il se métamorphose les soirs de lune jaune pour exprimer toute sa hargne et sa violence. Craint et détesté, violent, seul, et complètement désespéré,il a perdu la confiance et l'affection de ses anciens alliés.
Brie l'a croisé dans le monde moderne, dans le tome 2, et elle est tombée sous le charme de cet être alors tout de lumière virile. Par la force des événements, Brie sera amenée à le seconder : la voilà devenue son Innocente, celle qu'il va protéger quand bien même il s'en défendra jusqu'au bout.
Douée du don d'Empathie, elle prend de plein fouet tous les sentiments qui hantent son héros. La plus humaine des héroïnes de la série, la plus fragile et la plus démunie aussi, celle qui se réfugiait, en véritable geek, derrière un écran d'ordinateur, se donne pour mission de le ramener dans le droit chemin. Aidan , attiré par la tentation du démon, devra lui accorder assez d'amour et de confiance pour retourner vers la lumière.
Le retournement de situation m'a légèrement désarçonnée : Aidan est le plus affectif des Maîtres, par rapport à Malcolm ou Royce qui sont de véritables bêtes de la nature ! Il exprime une profonde souffrance tout au long de l'histoire et ne cesse de repousser Brie pour ne pas déroger à son devoir de vengeance.
Si ce tome est toujours aussi bien noté, je l'ai trouvé pour ma part un peu trop focalisé sur cette relation qui n'avançait guère à cause de la résistance acharnée du héros. Et j'avoue aussi que le côté Chien de berger de Brie m'a un peu lassée. Mais c'est une affaire de goût, j'éprouve peu d'attirance pour ce genre de personnage un rien saint-sulpicien. Certaines scènes sont tout de même assez étonnantes, notamment le traitement des relations charnelles des héros, tout en approches sensuelles, en apprivoisement de la bête, en quelque sorte, bien moins répétitives ou sauvages que dans les 2 premiers tomes.
Au final, j'avoue que j'avais envie de poursuivre directement avec le tome 4, pour le plaisir de décortiquer l'histoire de Guy et de Tabitha, l'une des cousines de Brie, qui ne le connaît pas encore en 2008 (temps présent), mais qui vit avec lui depuis de nombreuses années en 1506. Il faut savoir que toutes ces héroïnes sont liées entre elles, à part Claire du 1er tome, ainsi que les héros. Ils apparaissent donc dans les histoires des uns et des autres, surtout que les temps se chevauchent ou se croisent parfois et les personnages évoluent sur plusieurs couches spatio-temporelles.
Mais pour ne pas me gâcher le plaisir des deux derniers tomes, je préfère toutefois laisser passer un peu de temps. Ils ne perdent rien pour attendre !

[MaggieReadsRom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

Aidan, the Wolf of Awe, is on a path of self-destruction ever since his demon father killed the only person he truly loved, his nine-year old son. He used to be a Master of Time but since his son's murder he is consumed by hatred, rage, despair, revenge and pain. He has forsaken his vows as a Master to save and protect the Innocent, hates the gods that did this to him and his only goal for the last 66 years has been to avenge his son.
His salvation comes in the form of a twentieth century computer-geek, Brianna (Brie) Rose.
The Rose women are all gifted with empathic powers and Brie also has visions. She feels Aidan's pain and suffering over time and space and is determined to save him from turning as evil as his father. When Aidan hears her cry for help when she's attacked by evil he leaps to her aid and decides to hold her imprisoned in his time when he finds out she has a connection with his dead son. Brie has had a crush on Aidan since she first laid eyes on him and she feels she is the one who can bring him back to goodness. But Aidan refuses her help and her love. He has no room in his heart for anything but his revenge.

Aidan is testy, rude and has an aura of utter darkness surrounding him.
But Brie stirs his soul back to life little by little. She chips away at the darkness surrounding his heart and brings him back to being the man he used to be.
Brie is loyal and giving. Despite the harsh ways Aidan tries to scare her away from him, her determination to love and help him ultimately wins from his determination not to let her.
The build-up of the tension and desire between Brie and Aidan is done gradually and realistically. I liked that despite his strong attraction to Brie, Aidan was fighting it. It fit his background story and it wouldn't have been believable if he had given into her earlier in the story. The graduality of it gave him time to accept and embrace his feelings and it gave Brie time to adjust to her own feelings and his.

There are many secondary characters. The main ones being the main couples from the previous two books: Malcolm (Aidan's half-brother), Claire, Royce and Allie (Brie's best friend). Masters MacNeil and Seoc make a brief appearance and there are also the other two Rose women: Brie's cousins Tabitha (Tabby) and Samantha (Sam), they are the heroines of the following two books in this Rose Trilogy within the Masters of Time series.
Let's not forget Moray, the demon from book 1 and Aidan's father. Throughout most of the book I was wondering what his motives were, besides just being pure evil. I couldn't figure out what he wanted and why and when I came to the end of the book I actually still didn't know. It hasn't been cleared up so I suspect this wasn't the last of him and he'll be back in future books of the series.
And last but not least a new secondary character is introduced: Nick Forrester. He is head of the CDA (Center for Demon Activity) and Brie's boss. There is so much more to him than meets the eye and I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be the hero of a future book.

I had some ambivalent feelings when I finished this book. I didn't quite know what to think of it. I can't say it was bad, I thought it was better than the previous book. Certainly I was able to connect to Brie's character more than to Allie's who annoyed me again in this book by the way. But I didn't feel it was as good as the first book in this series. I missed some intensity and sexual tension. The descriptions were there, the plot was there, the great characters were there, the love story was there and the pace was all right but the sum of all those elements put together didn't blow me away.
And again the time leaping provided a bit of confusion for me. Not with Aidan and Brie but with some secondary characters and again it was not until the end that some of it made sense. While reading, it was hard to find a logical chronological sequence in some parts because you know there are rules with the time traveling but they are not explained clearly.

Still it was a wonderful story of faith, loss, grief, love, courage and desire. Despite not being overwhelmed by the romance and the plot I still liked the book. Even with the confusing time traveling there were quite a few fun moments that made me smile and emotional dialogues that touched my own emotions. I'm looking forward to the other stories in the Rose Trilogy.

[Joanna Among Paper Petals · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have quite of collection of books similar to this one that I typically enjoy. It's one of my favorite genres and is usually at least a 3 star read, but this one annoyed the tar out of me. The dialogue didn't make sense in some parts, the story was redundant and inconsistent and add two main characters that were annoying - if I had to read about the empath "being the other character's friend," in some way, shape, or form again I was going to throw the blasted book. That's all that character ever seemingly said! - it immediately had me disconnecting.

Examples:
When one of the characters is surrounded, the character is seized from behind and pulled hard against one of the captors. The characters fights and the captor jerks so hard that something inside the character snaps causing the character to cry out in pain and fear (pg. 55 & 56). Did the author mean that the character got a broken bone from the harsh treatment? The author didn't describe the character being held in any position that might break any bones or cause injury in such a way though. The way it was described sounded like perhaps the level of fear the character felt in that moment became so overwhelming that something inside 'snapped' causing the character to cry out in fear, but then that wouldn't explain why the character cried out in pain. Continuing with the same scene - this character is supposed to be an empath, yet this character didn't feel the bloodlust the captors would have been feeling in anticipation of capturing this character. This character can supposedly feel things from a distance and even be literally moved by it sometimes, yet the character felt nothing here. The inconsistencies with the empathic abilities is throughout the book.

Another character is annoyingly inconsistent, and becomes tediously redundant, in the lack of emotional control, which obviously affects the empathic character, unbeknownst to the character having the emotional issues even though they are in the same space together. Such a self-absorbed character is hard to find attractive.

One particular dialogue couldn't have occurred based on the description of the fight scene (pg. 315).

Some explanations given regarding time travel didn't make sense and why on earth do the characters have to "get their a$$3$ in gear" (pg. 333) when the company literally has a time machine and can go back whenever they want to whatever time they need. UGH!

There are some sex scenes, maybe mid-level spice, give or take a little spice. There is a character that starts to pull out crystals for healing purposes, another that chants a spell and a seance occurs at some point in the story.

Are all her books like this or just this series?? I have at least one other book by this author, in a different series, and I'm conflicted on whether I should give her another try or not. Overall, it was a disappointing and aggravating read.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 Masters of Time series starts us on the path to the trilogy of the "Rose Women", the stories of Brianna, Tabitha and Samantha (Sam) and the "Masters" who they become involved with.... In "Dark Embrace" we are taken through the tale of one of my personal favorite characters in the series, Aidan-The Wolf Of Awe and Brie Rose....
Aidan started out to be a character full of fun and a lover of all things bright and beautiful, in his story we find him turned into a dangerous bitter man full of vengeance and darkness!
In 2008 New York, Brie Rose is a part of the secret organization the CDA that hunts down and eliminates the evil that continuously destroys the Innocents that they as well as the Masters are sworn to protect! However she is not a field operative but rather a researcher and Empath who sits on the sidelines while the others actively hunt down and destroy the Deamhan's who have become more and more plentiful in recent years...
I thought Aidan was a hoot when he was flirting with Claire in Dark Seduction in order to make his half brother Malcolm jealous! I fell in lust with him when he was running around gathering modern clothing for Allie and generally making himself helpful in Dark Rival..
Now in Dark Embrace I have truly fallen in love with his tormented character and rooted every step of the way when the only one who seemed to care enough to help was Brie! Aidan had not "felt" true human emotion in over 66 years for anyone until he rescued Brianna Rose when she was attacked on the streets of New York in 2008, about a year after he had first encountered her when in the company of Allie.
Since the first time he saw her though she made an impression on him and when he brought her back to his time to keep her safe she comes to understand that it was her Fate to be there, her Fate to heal and bring Aidan back to the light and prove to everyone that the Master he was meant to be was still there waiting for a chance to once again be on the side of right fighting evil and protecting Innocence as he was always meant to do!
Having devoured this book in one day am now starting on the next phase of the Rose Trilogy reading the story of Tabitha and Guy MacLeod in book #4 "Dark Victory", join me again won't you and let us see where the next journey takes us in the fight against evil and the romance through time!