I felt this one was a bit slower than the first book. I liked Evan and Whitley, but their relationship was just not interesting. ( )

Loved that we still got more of Laney and Dane's story and that Evan got his girl. ( )

Oh wow, what a great ride.

A sweet, sappy, sexy, realistic, humorous journey of The Crew, a group of college aged friends who navigate their way through life, death, relationships, college, friendships, dark pasts, demons and love, family and futures.

The author isn't afraid to flesh out characters, to take us to different locations - no laziness here. What a pleasure - no bland, empty plots to fill the pages.

She's given us various dynamics between the different couples. A realistic portrayal of young adult interactions and true-to-life occurrences.

We have the jock, the OTT alpha, the gamma, the beta, the playboy douche. The girls are awesomesauce: the beautiful girlie girl princess, the gorgeous don't-mess-with-me athlete, the sexy sweetheart, the skanky ho. Oh..they're all there.. And it makes for wonderful reading.

My triggers abound in this book and the author worked each and every one so that it just wasn't an issue for me:

Trigger - heroes who have loved before, who are STILL hankering after their ex gfs - if this scenario is gonna work for me, this is how it must be done. I had NO problem with this one. His character development is a wonder to watch.

Trigger - heroes who compare their heroines to their ex gfs - works perfectly because we get to see how worthy they BOTH are.

Trigger - the bitch "other woman" from book 1 that now needs to be redeemed in book 2 -stunningly done here. Never have I loved the "other woman" as much as I love this one. She's the quintessential spoilt bitchy princess but the author has redeemed her without giving her a 180 degree personality change. She's bloody adorable and proves her worth.

This is essentially Ethan's story.
His POV. His progress to a solid HEA with the a deserving heroine. My little gamma hero. He's cutiepies.

There are 2 other POVs: the Hxh from book 1.
Brilliantly done. The tension, the love, the sexiness, the anger, jealousy, sorrow, grief, lol humor, and more.....wow. I felt like I could reach out and touch the pure dark manliness of the OTT possessive Dane. Oh, he gives Travis a run for his money. And Laney, her sassy, loyal realness is a complete match for him.

There are minor editing issues but they mean nothing in the face of my enjoyment of this book.

So I've found a new fav author and a book I can read again. ( )

5 "Team Evan no matter what! " stars Oh that boy! He stole my heart completely! So sexy yet all pure heart and alpha male! His girl is so lucky! I liked this book a bit better than the first. I really believed the transformation and healing. My heart hurt for Evan and I was so glad he finallly found happiness and that he didn't hold back when most people would for fear of being hurt again. It was time for Evan and Laney to grow up and now they've found the perfect people to help them find balance. For them there was a difference between first love and forever love. The Crew is still awesome and got even better in this book. On to 2.5 now... ( )

Embrace starts off exactly where Emerge ends. Laney and Dane are together and they are happy. Evan is heartbroken and now stuck going to college where he has no one. Sawyer takes pity on poor Evan. Sawyer befriends him and tries to help him bury his broken heart with beers and women. It doesn't go quite as planned when Whitley comes in. Sawyer tries to chase Whitley away, which only perks Evan's interest.
"...People are always pissed off around you, woman..."
Whitley is not liked at all by anyone in the Crew and more so by Laney. Evan is blown away by the fact that Laney and Whitley have a mutual hatred for each other. But Evan takes an instant liking to Whitley and they steadily build a close friendship as he tries to piece his heart back together and find a way to just be friends with Laney again.
"...I want you to remember the night we decided our worth. You're awesome, Whitley, and I have a ton of fun with you..."
Evan steadily builds bonds with the Crew which leads to many awkward moments with Evan, Whitley, and Dane. Can the Crew finally see Whitley is not so bad as they first believed? Can Laney and Whitley put their hatred to rest? Can Evan and Laney find away to be at least friends again? Can Evan find a way to Embrace the new life layer out before him and find his own happiness again?
"...You are my fire, my intensity, my must have, my awakening..."
SE Hall really knows how to out do herself. I loved Emerge but Embrace just embedded itself deep into my soul. You may love Evan in Emerge but you fall head over heels for our sweet country boy in Embrace. But she also gives you lots more of the Crew, especially Laney and Dane in this book. Once again the story is told in different POVs which really brings you right into their stories. Laney and Dane have to face their pasts and you get a glimpse into what makes Sawyer, Sawyer.
I think SE Hall is absolutely brilliant and has created some of the most incredible characters. I desperately want more of all of them. I love this book and series so much I know I will reread them many times over and I am happy to give Embrace a Nerd Alert A or 5 stars. I wish I could rate it even higher. I can not wait to get more of the Crew, especially Sawyer! ( )