Primitive take on Athena.
343292
Has an early and primitive look to it at the same time modern.
2985032
4/5 Star

A goddess and her brother got into some trouble,  had their powers stripped, and are currently on earth doing penance. As part of their punishment, they have to open a match-making company for all manner of immortal beings to find their mates. Its not easy.

In the first book we meet Andrus. Hes a demigod who was mated long ago. His mate died, but managed to make his life hell before she did so. He was a nanny for a vampires daughter until he lost that job. Now he finds out that Goddess Cimil wants to set him up to meet his second-chance mate. He is less than thrilled.

Sadie is a down-on-her-luck actress. She stumbles upon Andrus at the restaurant she works out. The Goddess promises to pay her one hundred thousand dollars if she can make Andrus charming and a good catch for his true mate in a weeks time.

This book made me laugh. Although the story line is fairly predictable, I can honestly say, Ive never read anything quite like it. Its got gods, goddesses, demigods, vampires, ubchen, evil children, and even a mean, invisible pet unicorn. If you don't mind crude humor with a lot of innuendo, youd probably enjoy this book.
2052751
4 "Fire God & His Healer" Stars.

In the debut of a brand new series that reminds me of a grown-up version of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson Series, Felicity Heaton sets up an urban fantasy world on the verge of war. The heroes in this series are all brothers, sons of Hades and Persephone, and gods in their own right. Each has been banished by Hades from the underworld and tasked with guarding the gates from the mortal world to the underworld to ensure that only gods, demigods and others selected by Hades can enter the underworld and that the dead can never leave it. However, the daemons that have been excluded from the underworld are getting restless, and the worlds seem to be coming to a revolutionary time.

The main hero in this story is Ares. Ares has the power of fire among other powers. Although Ares has his six brothers (each has a different main power), he has led a pretty solitary life for several centuries due to the fact that his power makes him unable to touch anyone (including many of his brothers) without burning them. This also means he has been unable to have a relationship with a woman, even a goddess in that long.

During a normal patrol, Ares is attacked by a daemon, and a woman named Megan comes to his aid. She instantly garners Ares' brothers suspicions, when Ares awakes without his fire power and mysteriously healed by this woman who defies convention (as she appears not to be a demigod or other god who would have great power). As the crew of brothers set towards the goal of finding the daemon that stole Ares' powers to get them restored, Ares must also struggle between his personal desires for Megan and his obligations to his father to protect the underworld from unwelcome intruders. If he regains his fire power, he will never be able to touch Megan again. Can there possibly be a HEA under the circumstances?

I enjoyed getting to learn about this mythical world which is based on Greek mythology. The personal struggles, as well as, world altering circumstances looming in the background led to a sense of heightened suspense as to which direction this story would turn. I also liked that we get a glimpse at some of the struggles of the other brothers, including Valen, the hero of the next book (planned to be released around Valentine's Day 2017).

I can't wait to see how Valen resolves his perceived inability to love as well as to see how these gods continue to protect both the underworld and the mortal one in future books.

Source: Review copy provided for review purposes.
1184788
This is my first exposure to Gary Corby's series set in ancient Greece. I have taught Greek lit so am familiar with some of the characters mentioned but it still took me awhile to get into the flow of the story and the setting. But once the plot took hold the going was easier.  If you get confused there is a list of characters and a helpful timeline provided and you'll want to read the "Author's Note" too.

If you are looking for something different and a bit of a challenge with a setting and time period taken from the past this would be an interesting read. But if you aren't a patient person and want a story to "pop" immediately and yank you into the action think twice before picking up this novel.

Book provided by publisher.
4647014
I admit that I don't know much about Norse mythology. But as I have loved Hercules/Xena and their use of Greek mythology, this satisfied me to no end as well. There is a nice blend of mythology, technology and lesbian romance.

At first the beginning was a bit overwhelming for me, as the first few chapters fill you in on the Asgard and Valkyrie backstory. But this is definitely a good set up for not only this book but presumably for the rest of this series (which I have not yet read).

My only complaint was that the romance between Kate and Kara moved a little too fast for my tastes, and this was a quick read, a novella, really. I prefer a slower burn for romance, and these two were "bonded" in the first day. This gave the story more room to focus on the battle between Asgard and Ragnarok. Hopefully there is more fleshing out of the romance, the characters, and the Asgard culture in subsequent books. I would also love to see if Kate deals with the life she left behind. And I'd like to see how the evolved nanites are dealt with, since they are so reluctant to show their evolution.

In previous books, I have noted errors in punctuation were distracting. I have to say that the author has greatly improved and that there weren't too many distractions for me in this area.

Another great book from Erik Schubach! Congrats and I look forward to reading the next in the series! :-)
140870
Wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading The Throne of Olympus but I was in for a nice surprise.

Fairly early in the story you learn the two main characters, Gabriel and Lena, are the embodiment of Zeus and Hera, living in present day Chicago. They meet through unusual circumstances though it was all predestined. Their relationship is threatened by the return of a past lover of Lena's who is determined to win her back and claim paternal rights over their son. However, his intentions are not sincere.

It is a light-hearted read and the author shows good knowledge of Greek Mythology.
1187693
Rather violent but kind of would be expected with the type of game. First one had a very interesting story, good twist on greek mythology. The second one was an OK story but the action makes up for it. On top of that you get both games and they're pretty much full of awesome.
2736986
This contemporary novella applies a very ancient archetypal element to modern themes and characters to interesting effect. Two women, desperate in their own ways, meet in an internet chatroom devoted to people considering suicide and wanting a partner to share in their final moments. The tale purports to show what brought each of the two to that desperate decision and then tail them as they attempt to follow through on their plans. Others in their lives have different ideas and aim to scuttle the suicidal journey. One of those "others" is a deity.

The god portrayed is not the typical of the modern era. He is a throwback to the raping, vengeful cruel gods of ancient Greek myth. Lori, one of the 2 women, just wants out of her abusive relationship with the possessive, rape-y god that claims her for his own. The driver of her tale is her relationship with her mother who doesn't believe Lori's claims and would rather shuttle Lori off to psychiatric hospitals every few months, rather than get to the root of her ongoing problems and torments.

Ellie's problems are more internalized. Not only does she not love her complacent, devout husband, but she's a closeted lesbian full of self-hatred in large part due to the Christian faith she adheres to. She sees suicide as her only escape and no less damning that what she's already brought on herself.

Two women, not being supported and protected by the families and communities they are a part of, plan a dual suicide with the ultimate goal of freedom from their torment. The god, being an omniscient god, is many steps ahead of them and sends his monstrous angelic minions to intervene . . .

I received my copy of this novel directly from 01 Publishing through bookreviewdirectory.wordpress.com.
1850631
Summary:

Once the god Apollo, now a pimply mortal youth named Lester, is trying to restore the oracles that have gone dark and thus get back to Olympus.  With two down, he has three to go and time is of the essence.  California is dealing with far more than the usual draughts.  Wildfires are springing up everywhere and nature- along with their spirits-are dying off.  Underground, part of the labyrinth has become evil- more dangerous, with fires coming out of no where.

With the help of his demigod friends Apollo must stop the fires, rescue the oracle, beat a sorceress, fend off attack from a crazed talking horse and his crazier emperor while making time to steal shoes.  Fun times.

My thoughts:

Alright, I will say it.  This is not the best series ever. it isn't even Riordans best series.  The lead character, Apollo/Lester, is fair worthless in combat and constantly looking toward someone to save his ass instead of exercising and trying to actually learn combat.  All these characters that I learned to love in his other (*read: better*) series are falling all over themselves to protect him.  His weapon, an arrow that can only talk to him- and then only in Shakespearean English- is far often more annoying than useful.  I mean it gives him info and, when shot, seems to help with accuracy. but it whines about it even more than Lester!  When compared to Percys sword, Magnuss Jack, or even Megs scythes its pretty pathetic.

So what keeps me coming back for more?  For starters, I adore the supporting characters.  Twelve year old Meg is awesome, loyal, and often funny.  I also like the fact that I can see characters from the other series that I loved.  Being able to actually see what happened with Grover, Leo and the others is a huge draw for me.  Also, the more time Lester spends as a mortal the less annoying he is.  He is beginning to show real character growth, honest regard for others, guilt.  In short he is becoming a decent human being.  I have enjoyed watching the process.  While I do wish he would get a bit better at fighting, this is enough to keep me buying the books.  My advice, read all the other series first- this includes Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard and the Kane Chronicles even though they don't play into this series.  Theyre simply better.  For me, this is a three star book.

On the adult content scale, theres language and violence but nothing over the top.  This book is geared toward young readers.  Lets give it a two.
949435
I liked that it was inspired by Slavic mythology. With all the Greek and Norse mythological type books it was cool to read one based on a different pantheon. It has inspired me to look more into the Slavic mythology and get it know it better.

In this book Im honestly not the biggest fan of Sophia, at least not at the beginning. She tends to be a little whiny but I can see in her situation I would probably be whiny too. I do like that she does end up getting a hold of her power and womanning up and start taking control of things and not seeing what she is as a total bad thing. As for her relationship with  Damian. It was definitely one of those insta love type deals but how could she not fall in love with White God who is not what she expects dressed in leather pants with a tight black Pearl Jam T-shirt, his hair braided, a chain from his spiked belt to his wallet, and heavy black boots.  and he takes the horrible visions away when he touches her. She at least tries to fight it. And I like the defiance in her. She definitely has her kick butt moments and a few good comebacks that I enjoy.  I my eyes she redeems herself towards the end.

Again at the beginning not the biggest fan of Damian. Something about him irked me. And no it wast the whole alpha-male thing. Maybe it was just some of the things he said or how he was written. Towards the middle and end I did start warming up to him and enjoyed how he was trying to be sweet towards Sophia and he was patient with her when he knew she was his true love and well she just didn't want to admit it or pursue it.  He did say some funny flirtatious things to her which had my laughing.

I think I just really liked the ending of this book. It was a good beginning of a series book. Set up the characters well and the story line is wonderful.  It had some fun action scenes.  The book was interesting, quick, fun and different type of mythological read.

I'd recommend this to someone who likes action and mythological/paranormal romances. Especially if you plan on continuing the series.
1159265
Ive always been a fan of Greek mythology, so when I found out that Bad Things Play Here had Greek mythological elements and even characters, I was quite intrigued.

Piper Anesidora comes from a family whos sole purpose in life is to guard Pandoras box.  Unfortunately, this is not something Piper wants for her life and she leaves her family and responsibilities to blend in with the real world.  When Pandoras box becomes endangered, Piper is thrown back into the world she not so long ago detached herself from and is forced to reconnect with those who she left behind.

Reece, also known as Dionysus, is the god of lust.  Ive always pictured him as that fat Caesar looking god with the grapes around his head, also known as Bacchus.  So I was pretty taken aback when he is described as something no less than sizzling hot.  I mean, he is the god of lust after all. ;)

Piper and Reece are thrown together and must team up to save Pandoras box and avoid chaos by preventing it from being opened.  While on their mission, they make several discoveries about themselves and fight feelings and desires that are dying to be released.

While the premise of the story is quite interesting, I was unable to keep my interest for very long.  I felt completely disconnected from the characters and honestly annoyed at certain points.  I had a hard time liking Piper, her reactions and decisions.  Reece had his moments, but I honestly felt a lack of chemistry between these two, or maybe it was just because I didn't really care for Piper.

It really bums me out when I cant connect with a character, because thats one of my favorite parts of diving into a story, getting to know and love the characters.  This in turn clouds my better judgement for the storyline.

That being said, I did enjoy the imagery.  There were several elements of Greek mythology that were thrown into our modern day times and I always love when authors can merge two or more different worlds and make it work.  The action and paranormal aspects of the story were also well done, it is fast paced and keeps you on your toes.

The way this story is set up, it was more Piper and Reeces story - the romance between them - as opposed to the saving of Pandoras box.  Since the characters didn't do much for me, the romance aspect fell flat and in turn left me wanting more, thus not allowing me to rate this book higher.

*A huge thanks to the author for providing me with a digital copy of this book to read and review.*
737971
I liked this world of Gods, at first I was a bit... just those goods? But it seems Gods are known by different names in different places but still the same god, so the big one here is known as a few other things too. And I just like Gods, I do!

But, yes our world, just with many more real Gods. And people being born to serve those Gods. Like Tallulah, and poor her. She never stood a chance. She was born with the sign and given to serve Seth. There are rules and she goes around delivering thunder to those who pay tithes, and some are just after revenge. But one good thing was that after she brings forth some thunder and lighting, she must sleep and eat and oh how I would eat everything without gaining anything...oh the little things to focus at. Lol. My mind drifts, back to business.

To the point then. She must find someone, she must stay alive as others are after her, and she fancies someone. Danger, a bit of passion, thunder and meddling Gods. There is a lot to handle.

Conclusion:
A fun start to a new series, an interesting world and nice characters.
3282903
Premise: the tough and smart heroine is part of Athena Force, a group of girls who went to an academy for the gifted.  The very gifted!  The heroine even has the paranormal ability to breathe underwater.  She is also a Marine and teams up with an attractive man / salvage hunter type who takes her on his boat in search of some crucial information that could possibly bring down the nemesis of the Athena Force.

This tightly written story is thick with adventure.  The hero and heroine are both likeable and realistic even though it's all from the heroine's viewpoint and she can breathe underwater.  The author makes this believable.  The paranormal worldbuilding is light but appropriate to the tone of the story.  It is also inventive, instead of treading the same paths as other paranormal romances.  The adventure details, in particular the underwater scenes, felt very real to me.

Complaints would be limited to the fact that the love connection happens faster than I expected considering the setting and plot and the fact that some suspension of disbelief is required at the end, but I don't want to spoil any surprises.

All in all, this is a rip-roaring and sexy romance that doesn't concentrate only on the romance.  The plot elements are balanced.  If you like Romancing the Stone and movies and books like that, this is definitely one to try.
800210
This caught me unawares. Always a fan of the mythology genre I will continue this one until it gets long in the tooth. This is a great start to a series, if that is where the author is going. It is listed as part one of a novel. I wasn't prepared for that. There are a TON of characters to meet in this first part, and it gets a bit much a times. Right now it is a mash up of the descendants of the gods and how a war is started between them.
824573
This is the first in a series surrounding the seven wonders of the ancient world (of which only one remains standing). The concept is intriguing, for all of man's ingenuity and greatness, it cannot stand up to the greater powers of nature and of God.

The story is organized around the imminent fall of the Colossus statue-the symbol of the greatness of Rhodes.

The protagonists, are both stuck between worlds. The peasant Nikos is plucked out of obscurity when his wealthy father decides to acknowledge him. He has been sent out to do some political spying on a politician named Glaucus. Tessa lives a life of luxury, but does so at the whim of Glaucus, to whom she is enslaved as a kind of mistress for hire. Glaucus is awful to her and, unsurprisingly, Tessa is hard as nails, jaded, and bitter.

Tessa and Nikos end up working together when Glaucus is accidently killed (not a spoiler). Political unrest and Tessa's chance to escape makes it prudent to cover up his death.  The plot is tight and has some believable surprises.  Nikos and Tessa are a likeable couple- Tessa is strong, yet fragile because of the life she has lived. Nikos seems to understand when Tessa can stand on her own and when she needs a tall dark hottie to give her a hand.

The story isn't perfect: a few character motivations seem to be hazy (I  think going into them would be spoiler-ish). Also, it seems like Higley is trying to massage a Christian message into a pre-Christian era. I'm not sure how accurate all that is or where it leaves the protagonists.

But overall, it was a good read. I'll be checking out the next one in the series. Also, Higley visited Rhodes while researching this book. On her website she has some awesome pictures and information that really helped me visualize Rhodes.
923004
I enjoyed this intro into a new take on Gods and Goddesses. This book took Greek mythology and put a syfy twist on it that was very satisfactory. The plot was amazing the curse and mini curse placed on our Hero was horrible and yet it was needed to make him more than just a warlord. I was captivated by the story of the hero and heroine together but also by the story of the four brothers. I found myself wanting to know more about them and to read their story as I read. I liked that the end was a happy ending but also a peek into the next story. I look forward to more from her.
2419390
As far as I know, Atalanta is the only female hero in Greek mythology.  Thus, she holds a special place as I read Greek mythology to my six year old daughter.  It is a shame that Atalanta is tricked by a few golden apples.  But it is their human frailities that make Greek heroes so appealing.  "Atalanta's Race" is everything you could hope. The book is well written and the illustrations are engaging.  Both my daughter and myself enjoyed the book.  Recommended.