Rating 4/5

This was a fun teenage drama filled read with a touch of paranormal! I really enjoyed the theatrics with it and especially liked the characters - even the villains were enjoyable! It was very entertaining and I hope there's not a huge gap like this one if there is another book :)

This second book follows FORBIDDEN (2012). Claire has learned that she is half angel and her boyfriend Alec has left the ranks of the Grigori who track down Fallen and is trying to be an ordinary teenage boy.

The main problem that Claire is facing is trying to find her father who disappeared when she was a baby. Her own visions and her grandmother's visions have indicated that he's still alive but they can't track him down. Claire has a number of questions about her life and her gifts, including one that is just manifesting. Her grandmother has told her that it is a dangerous gift and that she shouldn't use it. Nothing could make it more tempting for Claire.

Her new gift has made her particularly attractive to the Fallen who will do anything to try to recruit her, even telling her that they know where her father is. They also threaten to let the Guardians know where Alec is and Claire will do anything to protect him.

Alec and Claire both try out for the school musical. Claire winning the part in Guinevere almost ruins her friendship with her best friend Erica who also wants the part of Guinevere and has wanted it for much longer than Claire. Claire tries out for the musical mostly so that she can spend more time with her friends who are involved in the production. With Alec cast as Arthur, things should be good. But Claire's former boyfriend Neal has been cast as Lancelot which is making Alec jealous. With Erica mad at her and Alec jealous and Brian dating a new girl, Claire's circle of friends is disintegrating.

Alec is also feeling some regrets about leaving the Guardians to spend time with Claire. He still feels the need to stop the bad guys but doesn't have the authority to do so. He and Claire begin keeping secrets from each other; Claire has been experimenting with her new power; and Alec is trying to track down a Fallen plot. That puts even more pressure on their relationship.

This story was entertaining. It was filled with teenage drama, scary but charming villains, friendships tested, paranormal powers, and romance.

There are tons of werewolf, vampire, etc. love stories out there, but this is the first angel love story I have read. I really enjoyed it. It has a hint of an X-men vibe, I really liked seeing glimpses of the angels individual powers. I can’t wait for the next book!

It's been a long time since I remember reading the first book to this series and from what I could remember I liked the book. However, reading it again and then this one I found that while the plot was good that I did not like the protagonist at all. I found Claire to be annoying, judgmental, and petty. This came from her treatment of her family and friends. I honestly could not enjoy the novel even though I wanted to. When I read a story I want to fall in love with the characters and go on the journey with them not feel that the character should just disappear. This novel did not do that for me. Regardless, of my feelings about Claire I found the voice and tone of the novel to be good along with the punctuation and grammar. If you enjoy young adult fiction about angels then you will want to give this series a try. The only problem I had is with my dislike of the main character.

My biggest issue with the book was the main character Claire. She was very selfish, arrogant, and I didn't like her at all. She lied to her friends and family constantly, used her powers on them behind their back, and was an awful friend to Erica. Erica calls her out for it in the book but then goes back to being her friend with no changes, which I didn't get. I liked the idea of the story and the fact that the mom and grandma were helping with their own powers but the romance was a fail, the big bad was a fail, and the overall book just didn't work for me.

I did not realise that this was the second instalment which is why it took me a while to review as I needed to read the one before. I found the main character difficult to side with as she was a little self-centred but a flawed character is better than a perfect one!

Embolden follows Forbidden as the second in a YA fantasy series written by Syrie and Ryan M. James. In the 1st episode, Claire Brennan learned that she's a Halfblood (half angel) with awakening powers.

Embolden focuses on Claire's search for her father, missing for 16 years. Events develop into an action-packed, and successful, crescendo in Taipei. However, Claire made a deal with the devil to find her dad, which will lead nicely into whatever comes next.

I Read Forbidden And Embolden in Three Days. Absolutely Loved Them Both. I love Syrie James So As Soon As I Saw Her Name I Had To Read It.

Can't Wait For The Third Installment, And Definitely Hope It's Soon And Not In A Ton Of Time.

A fairly typical supernatural romance. Unfortunately for me, I think my cynicism has turned into a lack of imagination as I just can’t buy into someone aged in their hundreds who falls for a teenager. And rather a silly one at that. I did not enjoy the character of Claire and had to agree with Erica that she was rather self obsessed. I enjoyed the first novel more than this one.

I'm the author of this book and downloaded it just to make sure the site is working. Naturally I think it's a 5 star novel!