REVIEW!! The Tenth Muse (Aphrodite Project #1) by Belinda McBride

 Release Day May 17th, currently available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Pride Publishing

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An ARC of this book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Anybody who remembers studying the Greek Gods and Goddesses in English class knows they got up to a lot of hijinks; even in the sanitized versions approved for the classroom. This is the story of Eros (definitely not in the ‘chubby kid with a bow’ mode) and Rees, the scholarly and beautiful tenth muse who resides in the Elysian Fields – and it is unlikely to ever appear in a classroom.

Eros is on Earth hunting the reincarnation of his beloved Psyche who has become an A-list fashion model. In pursuit of her he does something spectacularly attention-getting by appearing on the runway of a huge fashion show - in drag and wearing his own wings. He gets her attention all right, and that of various irate gods and goddesses including his mother, Aphrodite.

Aphrodite persuades Rees to go to Earth and masquerade as human and eventually lure Eros back to Olympus. Rees agrees and finds himself liking, and more than liking Eros. As time passes the lies feel more and more like a betrayal, the love feels more and more real…

Like many of us, Eros had a dream, a shining vision he had been pursuing – the dream of Psyche. But the current incarnation, Rosalinda, is drug-addicted, not particularly nice, and in love with another man. The reality is nothing like his vision. And then there’s Rees, warm, charming, beautiful and human. Destined to die just like Psyche. Can he bear another love and loss? Eros is conflicted, extremely conflicted.

The focus of this book is the love story and it is simply beautifully done. There are other plot elements of course, Rees is kidnapped, there are complex relationships playing out among the Olympians, and twists on the traditional myths that we thought we knew. Incidentally, you don’t have to remember any of this stuff from high school – the author does a great job of dropping the necessary information into the story flow. But if you’re curious? That’s why they invented Google…

This is listed as book one of the Aphrodite Project. I’m sure we’ll be seeing some of the wonderful supporting characters moving to the fore in later books. I look forward to them!

REVIEW!! Stormwalker (Stormwalker #1) by Allyson James

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Synopsis

Book One of the award-winning Stormwalker series.

Half-Navajo Janet Begay possesses extraordinary power that is tied to the storms that waft across the desert.

The only person who can control her when she's caught in the storm's evocative power is Mick, a dark-haired, blue-eyed biker Janet can't seem to touch with her powers. He can wield fire and not get burned, and Janet's never sure where he goes when they're not together.

Together she and Mick investigate mysterious disappearances, which Janet fears are tied to her mother's people, the mythical gods from beneath the earth. They are helped along the way by Coyote and Crow, but these shapeshifting gods have their own agendas. 

See character sketches, blurbs, excerpts, and news about upcoming books at the Stormwalker series page: allysonjames.com/stormwalker.html

 

Review

Great read-action paranormal. It's a Coyote story, so of course I loved it! But beyond that, it's beautifully written. The plot is page turning and the setting is warmly evocative of the Southwest areas near the Navajo Reservation. The characters are rich and sometimes quirky. You've got to love the magic mirror with lust on its mind, Sheriff Nash who is so rigidly determined to remain an unbeliever, and of course there's Coyote...

The heroine has issues that make 'Mommy, Dearest' look like the Waltons. Her mother is an evil Goddess from Beneath [don't worry if you don't know anything about the myths, legends, and religious beliefs of the Southwest - the author does a fantastic job of providing the information without sounding like you're reading from the Cliff Notes] who wants out into our world. To accomplish this, she takes over young women who move too close to a vortex and sends them out to find a sperm donor for the purpose of creating a child she will then control. So far only one child has been successfully born [that we are aware of] - our heroine, Janet, who has no intention of being controlled.

The hero is Mick who has many secrets, secrets that upset the heroine's world when she finally learns them...

The are several subplots in addition to Janet vs the Goddess - Janet is looking for a missing girl, a dead body shows up in her basement, and she's renovating the shell of an old hotel to open as a business. I really enjoyed it.

FYI 'A Little Night Magic' concerns Jamison Kee and Coyote - good story though it's not important to read it first.

Stormwalker

.5         “A Little Night Magic” in Hot for the Holidays

1          Stormwalker

2          Firewalker

3          Shadowwalker

3.5       "Double Hexed" in Hexed

4          Nightwalker

Vampires Need Not...Apply? (Accidentally Yours #4) by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

But It Here!

Amazon

Synopsis:

This is book 4 in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Accidentally Yours paranormal romance series.

Meet Dr. Antonio Acero. Heir to Spain's wealthiest family, world-renowned physicist, and dedicated bachelor. While on vacation in southern Mexico, Antonio discovers an ancient Mayan tablet. Local legends say it contains magical properties, properties that could put his stalling research on the map.

But is this really his lucky break?

When Antonio attempts to put the tablet to use, he'll discover that Fate has other plans. Her name is Ixtab, and she's quite possibly the deadliest deity who ever lived.

Review: 

I’m not sure how the author manages to produce consistently funny stories while dealing with issues like mass murder, torture, the end of the world and correct spelling of Mayan names but she does. I love the multiple viewpoints and frequently snarky dialogue!

This is book 4 of the series and I really can’t suggest starting here. Well, you could – the author does a fairly good job of giving you the basics of the backstory – but I can’t recommend it. There is WAY too much backstory to absorb; including the ins and outs of the various characters and how the plot has developed to the opening of this book. So back up to Accidentally in Love with...a God? and hop on the rollercoaster…

This series deals with the Mayan pantheon which is both a plus and a minus. The plus is it’s not peopled with the same Greco-Roman gods/goddesses/myths you learned about in seventh grade; the minus is the names are mentally tongue-twisting and the ‘specialties’ of the various gods are probably not familiar to the reader and frequently seem weird. For example: a major player in the story is Ixtab who we find out is the goddess of suicide. My contemporary, western sensibilities immediately kicked in with ‘Say what? Suicide needs its own goddess?’ And then there’s the whole who is related to whom issue in a ‘family’ group that puts the ‘dys’ in dysfunctional.

Like the other books in the series the immediate storyline is nicely tied up but the last page contains the requisite ‘oh my god’ teaser…

Needless to say I will be continuing this series.

The Accidentally Yours Series:

BOOK 1: Accidentally in Love with...a God?

BOOK 2: Accidentally Married to...a Vampire?

BOOK 3: Sun God Seeks...Surrogate?

BOOK 3.5: Accidentally...Evil? (a Novella)

BOOK 4: Vampires Need Not...Apply?

BOOK 4.5: Accidentally...Cimil?

BOOK 5: Accidentally...Over?

REVIEW - Accidentally in Love with...a God? (Accidentally Yours #1) by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Buy it here!

Synopsis

Twenty-two-year-old Emma Keane has a secret friend. He’s powerful, mysterious, and devastatingly handsome. In her dreams, anyway.

In real life, he’s an enigma. Maybe just a teensie jealous. Definitely overbearing. He’s also a voice only she can hear.

So who or what is he? He won’t say. But if she wants to be free, to be normal, Emma will have to trek to the jungles once ruled by the Mayans and find the forgotten ruin holding the answers.

However, the ruthless deity she’s about to unknowingly unleash on the modern world, might not be so easily extracted from her life. Bottom line, he’s got enemies, and now, so does she.

Review

This a fun read – sort of what MaryJanice Davidson might do with the whole Mayan pantheon at her disposal.

Emma has had an invisible friend most of her life.  Well, invisible as in he talks to her in her head, and she wavers between wanting him to be real and fearing she’s just delusional. When she grows up she wants him gone. Really. I mean, how normal can a woman be who has somebody talking in her head? And when she tries to date? Disaster! And he never answers her questions, not even about his name.

Her voice informs her that his body is being held captive in Mexico and gives her very specific directions on where to go and what to do – and totally refuses to take NO for an answer. So our intrepid heroine treks reluctantly off to Mexico with severely mixed feelings and hopes that – if he’s really there and isn’t some kind of alien warthog – that she might finally get some answers.

Of course complications abound, there are the Maaskab, ugly witch doctor types with even uglier habits, Emma’s missing grandmother who was apparently handed over to the Maaskab, good gods, bad gods, unknown allies, battle, torture and immortality. And then there’s the pesky little fact that sex with the gods tends to be fatal for the human… 

However the rocky the road to romance does lead to a happily ever after. But be warned, the last page contains an ‘oh my god’ teaser… Avoid unless you’re prepared to rush out and buy the next book!

I really enjoyed this one, the snarky dialogue made me laugh and Emma was a great character, if ADHD about her feelings and loyalties. You definitely agreed with Emma when she wanted to smack her ‘voice’ and then his incarnation for being high-handed and never explaining things – all for her own good, of course. Guy/Votan stumbled through falling in love but hey, even 70,000 year old gods aren’t too old to learn new tricks!

Accidentally Yours series:

Accidentally in Love with...A God? #1

Accidentally Married to...A Vampire? #2

Sun God Seeks…Surrogate? #3

Accidentally...Evil? #3.5

Vampires Need Not...Apply? #4

Accidentally...Cimil? #4.5

Accidentally...Over? #5

I received this ARC from NetGalley…