Marked (Eternal Guardians) [Mass Market Paperback]

Elisabeth Naughton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Eternal Guardians | Publication Date: May 2010

THERON—Dark haired, duty bound and deceptively deadly. He’s the leader of the Argonauts, an elite group of guardians that defends the immortal realm from threats of the Underworld.

From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her.

She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even as a 200-year-old descendent of Hercules, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.

As war with the Underworld nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Conniving Greek gods, horrifying demons, vengeful warriors, and true love clash in this sexy, fast-paced paranormal romance series launch. Cocktail waitress and bookseller Casey Simopolous leads a lonely life until the night she rescues a mysterious man from a pack of hideous monsters. The handsome stranger is the Argonaut Theron, a guardian of a realm inhabited by the descendants of Greek demigods, and Casey soon finds herself thrown into a dangerous romance amid secrets and prophecies that may hold the key to her own mysterious past and the salvation of Theron's besieged race. Naughton (Stolen Fury) occasionally stumbles in her narration, but she has a tremendous skill with steamy passion, dynamic characterization—especially of strong, multifaceted women whose friendships and family relationships play a crucial part in the story—and thrilling action. (May)
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Review

"Elisabeth Naughton's MARKED gives an incredibly fresh spin on Greek Mythology that is full of humor, action, passion and a storyline that keeps you from putting down the book." --Fresh Fiction

"Naughton's pantheon is an interesting and inventive take of Greek and Roman mythology intermeshed with paranormal elements of her own devising. Thrillingly romantic, heart-rending and satisfying...all in one breath." --Fiendishly Bookish

"Heavily flavored with Greek mythology, this story is a wild ride on the darker side. Naughton's writing style lets the tale flow smoothly and never insults the intelligence of the reader. This author has definitely caught my attention." --Huntress Reviews

"Gripping, dangerous, and sinfully sexy, MARKED is a top-notch read! Elisabeth Naughton combines dynamic dialogue and sizzling romance with a wicked cool world. Do NOT miss this series!" --NY Times Bestselling Author Larissa Ione

"The sensuality of Sherrilyn Kenyon and the intensity of Patricia Briggs. Naughton's foray into paranormals is deep, dark and sexy as hell." --NY Times Bestselling Author Angie Fox

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 321 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell; First Edition edition (May 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505528223
• ISBN-13: 978-0505528223
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #650,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A previous junior-high science teacher, Elisabeth Naughton now writes full time from her home in western Oregon where she lives with her husband and three children. Her debut release, STOLEN FURY, has been nominated for the prestigous RWA Rita Award©, in both the Romantic Suspense and Best First Book categories. When not writing, Elisabeth can be found running, hanging out at the ball park or dreaming up new and exciting adventures. Visit the author's website at www.elisabethnaughton.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mythological paranormal romance, June 6, 2010

By 

A Book a Day (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Marked (Eternal Guardians) (Mass Market Paperback)

I certainly don't want to discount the three star ratings I read, but I had to chuckle, because I question the attention span while they were reading this book. One person said our hero belongs to a group of guardians that save humans and that is not the case. Another said they didn't understand how a secret got out because only the king should have known about it and that was also not the case. My point being, if you're concerned there are plot inconsistencies, there really aren't. This is a book that is establishing a mythos interweaved with Greek mythology and a cast of characters for an Eternal Guardians series and I can already guess the romantic pairing the next two books will be about. Ms. Naughton has efficiently penned a crisp, succint, and short book to lay the foundation of what's to come and I imagine there will be a lot of recurring characters that we'll be able to track and follow in the years to come.

Theron is the leader of the Argonauts, a group of guardians who are responsible for protecting their realm and Argoleans from the threats of the Underworld. Theron is the strongest of these guardians being a direct descendant from Heracles or Hercules of modern day. He is engaged to Isadora, the kings daughter to help her rule since her health is failing and there is an increasing threat from their council that the guardians are no longer needed. Should that happen, they will become vulnerable to their nemesis, Atalantia, from the Underwold who swears to destroy them. Although he does not love Isadora and she does not love him, they agree to do what they must to help save their people, but Theron soon discovers that Isadora is dying and the king informs him that in order to save her life, he must fulfill a legendary prophecy. This prophecy is that Isadora was born one half of a whole and that the king has another half, a human daughter, bearing an identical mark to Isadora's. When they are brought together, this other woman will complete and make Isadora whole again, and the other will die. Theron is sent through the portal to the human world to find her, only he may have already met her and was immediately attracted to her.

Acacia (Casey) Simopoulos, unbeknownst to herself, is the daughter of the king of Argoleas. She's leading a fairly normal human life but finds herself disconnected from her world. When she meets Theron, she feels an enigmatic attraction to him which turns out to be something much stronger. Casey is actually Theron's soulmate. An there in lies the potential greek tradgedy of the story. Theron has only one soulmate in his very long life and the irony is, it's his responsibility to sacrifice his soulmate for the good of his people.

As the story unfolds, an interesting and secretive group of characters are introduced that must battle the daemons (think demons from hell) and be manipulated by the Greek Gods. If you're a fan of Greek mythology, there's an unsettling and lascivious spin to the alleged abduction of Persephone and the relationship between her and Hades is disturbing, if only because she was once the God of innocence, but this book is sexy in its own right. At first, I thought the relationship was moving way to fast and Casey seemed a doormat doing whatever Theron said, but she managed to pull out of that enchantment just in time. This was a very fast read, and well written, however I can't say that I'm wasting away for the sequel. First books are always hard because there's so much groundwork to cover which is why I went with a four star, even though it was under 300 pages, but I didn't really feel invested in any characters with the exception to Nick (who I'd pair up with Isadora) who's not next in the series but soon will be. He's certainly the most intriguing and clearly has the biggest secret.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Greek Gods, hugely hunky men and sassy courageous women. Oh, yeah!!, May 25, 2010

By 

Bookaholics Reviewer (Bay Area, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marked (Eternal Guardians) (Mass Market Paperback)

Marked (Eternal Guardians) by Elisabeth Naughton
Paranormal Romance-- Apr. 27, 2010
4 ½ stars

Marked is a new paranormal world based on: ancient Greek Gods, hugely hunky men and sassy courageous women.

As the leader of the Argonauts Theron's prime directive is to protect his immortal world. As a descendant of Hercules, he has been raised to believe his people are above any others and that their survival is more important that the lives of any inferior races such as humans. But his world is slowly fading and his King dying. Theron knows his duty; he must marry the Princess Isadora, the King's only heir. However, the Princess has never been strong and their race hopes that their upcoming marriage will create a new show of strength. However, the Princess has disappeared and he finds himself hunting her down. But during his search he bumps into the most alluring female he has ever known and she saves him, bringing him back to health. When he starts fantasizing about her in his dreams he is appalled because she is human. Soon Theron must make an agonizing choice. His happiness or the life and longevity of his entire race. When he discovers that Casey's death is the key to their future, a man who has only known duty it a decision that will tear him apart.

Casey has never `fit' in. Never found a place she thought she could settle in. She knows her life is half lived. When she saves a mysterious man from dying on the road, she gets far more than she bargained for. Casey doesn't know what is wrong with the strange hunk she rescued but he sure is sexy and arrogant. His moods and actions are strange. Why does he refuse a doctor and how can he heal so fast? But most disturbing, she can't stop thinking of him. When she is with him things feel `right.' Unfortunately she doesn't know anything about his past and he is very reluctant to reveal anything about himself to her. But a slow and mysterious illness is making her physical weak and Casey soon finds herself caught between 2 worlds. What will she sacrifice to save people she doesn't even know?

This book was an easy and fast read. All the characters were strong and likeable. I particularly enjoyed reading the heroine who was very genuine. Casey was a woman who tries to do the right thing even if life has dealt her a rough hand. Her courage and fortitude were admirable and more than a match for Theron. I also loved reading about Nick, the handsome self-appointed guard who watches out for Casey. I hope the author will write Nick's own story in a future book!

But what I enjoyed most was the fascinating and complex world the author created. The author's clear writing was easy to follow. I became instantly transfixed by Theron's people and the tantalizing glimpses of their centuries of intrigue and conflict. I am eager to learn who the real enemies are as they jostle for power while the King slowly dies. The story also had a couple of surprising plot twists that kept me up and reading until I finished it that same day.

This sexy new paranormal series is a sure fire hit; I look forward to purchasing the next book in this amazing series.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I started out not liking Theron at all, September 19, 2010

By 

Terri Sprague (Long Beach, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Marked (Eternal Guardians (Love Spell)) (Kindle Edition)

I started out not liking Theron at all. To my way of thinking, sex through mind control is rape. Nothing less. That he stopped because he recognized a symbol on Casey's hip is good, but it shouldn't have gone as far as it did in the first place.

That being said and done, I generally like the rest of the book. It took a while to warm up to the rest of the characters but, eventually, I did.

I'm looking forward to the next books in the series, and hope that they are fleshed out more.