Lover, Divine by A. Star (Mythos: Gods & Lovers #1) Publication date: February 25th 2014 Genres: Adult, Mythology, Romance
Synopsis:
Born into one of the wealthiest families in Ireland, Siobhan Law has status, privilege, and a secret: The Greek gods of Olympus and their kingdom in the clouds are real, and her family acts as one of their agents on Earth.
When the beautiful immortal celeste Liam Argyros shows up claiming to have come to Earth to deal in the affairs of the divine, Siobhan finds herself unable to resist his charms. New to the game of passion and seduction, she quickly ends up in over her head, sinking deeper with every attempt Liam makes to win her over.
But Liam’s divine mission is far more complex than she ever imagined and nothing is truly as it seems. Because Liam has a secret of his own: He is Apollo, Olympian god of the Sun, and his mission will never be complete until he has claimed Siobhan’s heart forever.
My Review I don't normally read this genre. But it intrigued me from the blurb. So what can I tell you about this book. Its a really nice change to the normal reading I do. I liked all the characters. Siobhan being my favourite. Apollo the jury's still out. What I was confused about was if its using the Greek gods, why is it set in Ireland? surely it would be better to set it in Europe. Siobhan is a virgin and Apollo wants her. They go through a bit of a battle with some of the gods. This was a really nice read. Its a good read if your into this genre. I give this 3.5/5 stars.
About The Author
A. Star is a fan of dirty passion. She likes to read it, and she damn sure likes to write it. Her first adult romance/fantasy novella is called Invasion, an alien romance about sacrifice. Lover, Divine is the first release from the Mythos: Gods and Lovers series. Future releases under A. Star include, King, Desired (Mythos: Gods and Lovers #2), the Love & Steampunk series, the Purr, Inc. stories, and more.
Wallace "Ace" McGregor ran off to chase the rodeo, but not before playing the knight in shining armor to his best friend Cheyenne Murphy after a tragic assault left her pregnant. With his latest injury leaving his chase for rodeo gold in the dust, he finds himself back home. Haunted by the past and trying to do what he thinks is right, he will have to mend his relationship with the best friend he all but abandoned in her time of need and the older brother he left holding the bag.
Cheyenne Murphy's life hasn't been easy. Now the man who'd left her broken and pregnant has re-surfaced and is threatening to destroy the safety and family she's found at McGregor Ranch. At risk of losing her son and destroying the McGregor family, she will do whatever it takes to ensure they are all safe, even if it means relying on the parents that disowned her.
When everything is on the line, will Wallace and Cheyenne come to realize that in life and love, they are anything but safe?
Excerpt -
Cheyenne woke, pain throbbing in her head. It was dark and scenes from the market came back to haunt her. Screw Garth. Every time she’d start to forget and feel normal again, everything about that night came flooding back. Tightness in her chest made it difficult to breathe. Anxiety washed over her and she sat straight up in the bed. “Holden!”
“You’re safe.”
She knew the voice penetrating the darkness. Familiar, soothing, and there to ease her fears — just as it had been every other time the nightmares interrupted her sleep — even during the times there were miles of road between them. “Wallace?”
“Yeah.”
The lights flared to life and Wallace sank down beside her on the bed. She stared down at her lap and twisted the sheet between her hands. “Why’re you here? Where’s Holden?”
She felt bad for the harshness of her tone. Knowing Wallace saw through her attempt to push him away didn’t excuse the action. “Sorry.”
The bed dipped, his weight tipping her slightly toward him, as he shifted to face her.
“Holden’s in the yard with Quinn. He’s fine.” He placed his arm on the other side of her legs, where they stretched out beside him.
She couldn’t look at him. Didn’t want him to know how shook up she was, or what had taken place at the market. With his free hand, he tilted her chin up so she had no choice but to meet his gaze or act like a child and keep her eyes closed.
“Care to tell me what’s going on with you?”
The concern in his gray eyes was enough to make her want to crawl up on his lap and cry, as she’d done so many times in the past. But she couldn’t. Not this time.
“Just bad dreams again, same as always.” Only worse now, for reasons she couldn’t share.
“I know you saw him.”
“What? How could you…” Crap. Holden was a smart kid and had seen the man. Not to mention Maggie, who would usually take a secret to the grave, wouldn’t have kept Garth’s reappearance in Asheville quiet. If Mr. Johnson was bothered enough to come over, he would’ve made sure word got back to Wallace. Whole town probably knew about the incident by now. Small towns were filled with gossip mongers.
“Don’t be mad at Maggie or Holden.” He ran his thumb along her jawline.
She didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. Eight years ago, Garth hadn’t been pounded to a bloody pulp by the McGregor boys due to her pleading for Wallace not to leave her side. The stakes were different now though. She wasn’t blood, but they’d do what it took to protect her and the boy they felt was rightfully a McGregor.
Buy Links:
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About The Author
Moira Keith is a lover of shoes, a connoisseur of Guinness, baker of cocktail themed cupcakes, and an overall complete mess!
Moira lives in the glittering sea of neon known as Las Vegas with her twin zombie sons, three parakeets, and a turtle. but is a proud Texan by birth (and true Southern girl at heart)
As a writer, she loves to envision many worlds within the present. Mixing the cities of today with beings that are otherworldly has become a passion. Her love of things that go bump in the night or aren’t quite tangible on this plane of existence, really didn’t start until she was in her teens and she fell in love with a movie about a pack of rowdy teen vampires (thank you Lost Boys). Her love affair of the paranormal and urban fantasy was born and it seemed only natural to incorporate that into her writing.
When she’s not writing, her pastimes include hanging out with her boys, daydreaming, drawing, and reading so she can live vicariously through the characters her peers breathe to life. Indulgences? Why cowboys, vampires, werewolves and faeries… oh my!
Her stories are often filled with the magic of love and the mayhem that ensues, which always threatens to keep her couples apart. She writes paranormal romance, urban fantasies, and contemporary western romances. She has published three books. Buckling Down, a contemporary western romance, was her debut book. Then in August 2012, Moira introduced the world to her Urban Fantasy work with the debut book in the Moonlight Trilogy, Blood and Moonlight. Her most recent release, Frost, is a holiday novella and the first in a planned holiday series. She recently contracted a contemporary western romance, Anything but Safe with Astraea Press, slated for release in the spring of 2014.
Moving to Miami was supposed to be enough distance from her family and her past, but Paige Kerimov can’t seem to get them out of her head. A year of self-induced solitude, nothing but school, Paige reluctantly starts to let people back into her life, including one person in particular; the insistent and attractive Brady Quinlan with whom she is paired for a project that will impact her major. She has no choice but to work with him, no matter how tough that makes it to deny her attraction to him.
As Paige lets her guard down, remnants of a violent past and a tragic history start to resurface and Brady knows she is hiding something. He tries to figure her out, but she can’t let him see when the truth is that she isn’t sure if she’s in danger from anything other than herself.
Excerpt
I take a super long shower and turn the water as hot as I can. It can’t erase those memories, but the sting of the water on my stitched up arm actually has a cathartic effect. Only after the water starts to run lukewarm do I get out. I thought that I had made peace with that scar on my thigh, so it bothers me that I reacted so badly when Brady saw it.
Yes, it’s true that I’ve only had sex in the dark before, but the possibility was always there that someone would see it.
Of course, none of those guys were anything more than an opportunity for me to prove that I wasn’t damaged goods. One night stands; both of them.
I dry my hair so that it doesn’t get frizzy and then put it up in a twist. Sweats and a t-shirt are as much as I feel like wearing today in the solemn mood I’m in. I check my cell phone and see a new text from Brady. Victor is working at the front desk until three. He will come up to your place right after. Do you want me there as well?
I sigh. I feel as though Brady wouldn’t have even bothered asking if I wanted him here before I practically kicked him out earlier. I didn’t mean to and I really regret it. I wish I could start this day over. I can’t, but I do have an hour to fix one thing before this guy comes and plays detective in my very private life. I don’t want you to come over when Victor does. I want you to come over now. I’m a pain in the ass and I don’t deserve you, but come over anyway?
I hesitate for a moment before I hit the send button. Did I really just call myself a pain in the ass? Yes, because it is the truth and because it will lighten the mood a little bit. It can be tiring being so damn intense all the time, and I’m used to me. What it must be like to be the person dealing with me, I have no idea. Definitely not easy.
I hit send and wait for his reply.
And continue to wait.
After about 15 minutes, I throw the phone on the floor of my bedroom and lay down on my bed to feel sorry for myself. Sorry for screwing up what could have been the only emotional connection I’ve ever managed with a guy. I draw my knees up and wring my hands together in frustration.
I'm pretty sure I could read before I could walk. I remember sneaking in extra reading time with a flashlight as a kid after bedtime. Remember those shiny Lisa Frank sets? I traded mine for paperbacks in the fifth grade. Some of my favorite authors include, Christopher Pike, Anne Rice, and Sylvia Plath.
I write YA and New Adult. Currently, I live in South Florida. Having changed my major three times, I'm still in college and I wait tables in my spare (ha!) time.
Circumstance forced Eden Mercer to sell herself to Dominic Armstrong for half a million dollars and in return she is to play the dutiful wife in public and submit to him completely behind closed doors.
The Tyrant.
Dominic is Ruthless, manipulative and sadistic but Eden is determined not to break under his cruelty. But how does one persevere when in the clutches of a Monster?
It was on occasions like these that Eden realized how very little she mattered to her husband. He never failed to remind her of her status in their marriage whether it was with his remarks that have only grown nastier over the years or the reproachful looks that seemed to carve across her flesh like a whip. Like now for instance she could feel that piercing stare from across the room, the distinct bite of his scorn putting her instantly on alert. She hadn't really done anything in the last few minutes to warrant the reaction but then again Dominic Armstrong didn't need much to set him off these days. She sighed resignedly daring to look away fully knowing that he would take her to task for this unknown reason later. Eden grabbed a champagne flute from the tray of a passing waiter before escaping to the veranda for some much needed air. They were up in the Grafton Highlands at another dull event that he’d dragged her to because he wanted to flaunt her to his equally wealthy friends.
He’d made their roles distinctively clear at the beginning and she’d gone along with it because she’d needed the protection of his name and the money that went along with it. She had been one eviction notice away from homelessness and he’d done it to keep her from ruining his younger brother’s life as he’d put it. Lucas Armstrong had been a good customer of Eden’s; coming to Crazy-Pussy for a good year before he’d proposed marriage. But then his big, bad brother, the head of the Armstrong family had gotten wind of his errant brother’s ridiculous idea and had marched in to shut the whole thing down. Once he’d seen to bully his brother back to college where he belonged, threatening his inheritance if he refused to cooperate, Dominic had zeroed in on Eden. He’d stalked the club for a good month after that, sitting always in the front row in that wingback chair, his predatory gaze watching her every night she’d performed. He’d frightened her to the core, big and boorish as he’d been he’d waited patiently, artfully manipulating every aspect of Eden’s life until she’d come to him.
He’d wanted her badly enough that he’d grudgingly agreed to her one condition… marriage. Mistresses were expendable, wives were little harder to dispose of and Eden had been armed with at least that little knowledge. He’d given her a day before finally coming to her with his own terms. It’d been overwhelming; the legalese of the documents he’d presented with his attorney had all been a jumble to her. Logic had warned her not to sign the papers before having a lawyer look it over, but she’d been blinded by the seven carat diamond ring he’d presented her with. Their wedding had been a quiet affair with little frill and the honeymoon had been on a private island in the Mediterranean Sea. Twenty-three to his thirty-five, Dominic Armstrong, media mogul and Fortune 500’s top five wealthiest people had paid quite handsomely to possess her, to own every inch of her, a fact he rarely ever forgot to remind her. He was the bread winner; the Alpha dog with a type A personality and Eden was tasked to do simply two things, be the arm candy in public and the whore in bed.
He made sure he roused a response from her each and every time he fucked her and while he tended to be quite cruel when the mood stuck him, he received a sick fascination from hearing her beg for more. But Eden never protested, never complained in the face of his oftentimes sadistic streaks. She was the dutiful, biddable wife who lived a lavishly luxurious life and in exchange he could damn well treat her however he wanted. In comparison to the squalor she’d grown up in and the poverty she and her single mother had faced, Eden would say that her marriage to Dominic was a small price to pay.
She downed the champagne in one go and set the flute on the balustrade. She peered down just below into the nothingness and silently mused whether the darkness would catch her if she plummeted. Giving into a sudden bout of inanity, Eden slipped out of the four inch heels that had cost a small fortune and lifted herself up on the ledge. She bit her bottom lip to keep her smile at bay as she spread out her arms and closed her eyes. Fear was not an emotion she felt here, it was simply the darkness around her and the summer breeze caressing her skin. Exhilaration swept through her, the wind making her feel like she was flying. Freedom was in that moment, enveloping her on all sides and taking her away from everything. Up here she was nothing and everything all at once. She opened her eyes and looked down into the abyss, facing her mortality. Laughter burbled up from the pits of her stomach and escaped on the wind.
“Don’t jump.” the unexpected sound of that voice shattered through Eden’s introspection, startling her completely. She wavered, her body teetering towards the nothingness below and her heart began to race now for a completely different reason as real fear poured like ice water into her veins. She was going to fall, she thought inanely, but then… she wasn't. She was yanked forcefully backwards by an unyielding manacle of flesh around her waist. Eden landed unceremoniously on top of her rescuer in complete disarray, stunned at what had almost been her death.
“I do sincerely hope this isn't what it looks like, Eden?” Her senses returned just then, her husband’s drawl had Eden closing her own eyes for a brief second attempting to regroup herself before she had to face him. She unsteadily came to her feet unconsciously leaning on the guy who’d not only caused this mess, but had also rescued her from impending death. When she found her footing, Eden turned to him with a tentative smile before meeting her husband’s gaze. There was nothing on Dominic’s classically handsome features that indicated his fury, he looked unperturbed, bored even with this scene, but Eden knew the truth. She’d become a veteran in reading his moods and nothing foretold it more than those dark green eyes.
“Well I’m not sure what it looks like to you, sweetheart, but this man just saved my life.”
“Did he?” he retorted, sizing up the other man and quickly dismissing him as someone of no consequence. “And what exactly was it that he saved you from, pet?” caught once more beneath that cold green stare, Eden attempted another tactic knowing that she was only making it worse for herself.
“I was being silly,” she began with a small laugh, raking a hand through her hair to act every bit the airhead he believed her to be. “I was sitting on the ledge not realizing how much I've had to drink. This man…” she stopped suddenly looking at the man with the blue eyes.
“I’m sorry…I didn't catch your name.”
“Matt.”
“Matt came right along and pulled me just before I tipped over.”
“Well then, we should commend Bruce on hiring such agile employees.” He smoothly took off his dinner jacket and swept it over Eden’s shoulders. “And you, dear wife,” he tugged on the lapels of the jacket to bring her closer to him. “need to be a lot more careful.” The kiss was not only meant to exhibit ownership but it was precursor to the punishment that was to come. “Now, let’s go home.” When he made to lead them away, Eden set a gentle hand on his chest to halt his progress.
“What about the man who rescued the woman your wife?” Dominic looked down at her and Eden knew she’d pushed too far, but she wanted him to acknowledge the man—Matt for what he’d done. Eden wanted to watch her husband abase himself for a moment to the man he’d dismissed as nothing more than something he found under his shoe.
“Very well,” he disengaged himself from her and slipped a hand inside his pant pocket. “What’s the going rate for rescuing damsels these days? Two…three hundred?”
“A thousand dollars should do it, I think.” Eden said with a touch of spite meeting those blue eyes that peered at her a little curiously.
“A thousand dollars,” Dominic chuckled dryly, “I seem to recall paying a lot more for you, my sweet.”
Eden blanched, her heart slamming painfully against her breastbone at the backhanded comment. He was so much better at playing this game of malice than she was. To think that she’d set out to humiliate him just now, but he’d volleyed so effortlessly, hitting her exactly where he knew it would hurt the most. She felt so sick all of sudden and the air outside wasn't enough to ease the tightening in her chest.
“I’m good.” She heard Matt say. “I was just doing my job, Sir.”
“Then we’ll let you get back to it.” He turned away from James a sure dismissal as any before setting hand at the small of Eden’s back and leading her away.
***
He was brutal, completely without mercy as he took her. He burrowed his hands in her hair, cruelly yanking her head far back to meet his hard stare. “You’re such a fucking whore.” It was his favorite thing to call her when they were in bed. Debasing her this way, making her remember exactly who and what she was fulfilled his complete dominance over her. The diamond studded collar he’d purchased for her adorned her beautiful caramel neck, the leather chain attached to it was wound tightly around his other hand so that his every thrust coincided with the tugging of the chain. “I own you, Eden.” He whispered harshly, breathlessly along her ear. “Every inch of you belongs to me and I will brand my name on your delectable ass, my pet, so that you never forget it.” His thrusts grew erratic as he brutally rammed into her and then with a smack on her ass he was done.
When he eased out of her and rolled off the bed, Eden did not utter a word and remained completely still, trying to become one with the mattress he’d just viciously fucked her on. She even tried to keep her breathing minimal and simply listened to his movements around the bedroom. He would go to the bathroom first and rinse off his brutality like it was a coat of dirt that could be washed off with soap and water. Then he would return to the room, twenty or so minutes later, freshly clean and head downstairs to his home office where he would remain locked away for the duration of the morning. Eden anticipated that moment, waited patiently for it and when she heard the hushed click of the door closing behind him, she finally allowed her body to unfurl from its fetal position.
She didn't immediately slide off the bed knowing she had the next few hours all to herself, Eden sat on the edge of the large sleigh bed, her smooth caramel legs dangling from the edge, feet barely touching the cream carpet on the floor. She’d always been short, standing no taller than the woman who’d given her birth. A sad smile touched Eden’s lips as she thought about her mother. She wouldn't be happy if she knew this was how Eden had ended up.
A rich man’s blow up doll.
Francette lives in Massachusetts with her amazingly supportive husband of ten years and her darling two year old son. Reading amazing books has led her to writing and she’s dabbled in fan-fiction before self-publishing her own works. She’s constantly thinking up new stories to write and does her best work when music is playing in the background. Romance is where she’s most comfortable but she hopes to one day venture in mystery novels. She has a weakness for coffee ice cream, tropical fruits and a good glass of wine.
Eighteen-year-old Vee Wyland is no stranger to loss. In the blink of an eye, she loses her father in a horrible accident. And when she needs her boyfriend the most, he leaves her for her best friend. Suddenly, the girl that had everything unravels, caught in a downward spiral of grief and financial loss.
Drop-dead gorgeous and old crush, Rick Delaney waltzes in and opens her up to the world of The Rental, where everything is for sale, except sex itself.
It seems easy enough … guarding your heart, but selling your body.
But it’s hard to trust your ex-boyfriend’s brother. Dealing with his own demons, Rick is drawn to Vee and the white-hot sizzle that flares when she walks into a room. From the moment they re-unite, their sexual chemistry is undeniable. He ignites passion back into her dull world, and it seems all fun and games until feelings get involved. Fall into the scorching new world of The Rental, where hearts get broken and the foreplay builds to a thrilling climax.
Title: The Rental Part 2
Expected Release: TBA
About the Author
Rebecca Berto writes stories about love and relationships. She gets a thrill when her readers are emotional reading her books, and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She's strangely imaginative, spends too much time on her computer, and is certifiably crazy when she works on her fiction.
Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their doggy.
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