Customer Reviews

Marked (Eternal Guardians)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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

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.

Because of the negative reviews, I was leery of taking the time to download and read this novel despite the fact that it was free. Especially because of its length - I feel compel to try and finish any book I download or least give it my best effort. I'M GLAD THAT I TOOK THE CHANCE!

I will not recap the novel as others have already done so but I will state why I think this novel is a great beginning to a new series that I am now interested in.

World building is fantastic and descriptive - so much so that a reader can easily imagine the environment and surroundings.

Characters are belivable - not made so perfect that you want to gag and cannot relate to them.

Alpha males - I want the male characters to be Alphas - strong, protective, caring - not wimps.

Smooth reading - no glaring editing mistakes, sentences or paragraphs that you have to read over and over to understand

Plot line - original with twists and a smooth flow to it with NO GAPS

Heat factor - I want "Heat" between the hero & heroine

Stong Female character - not in strength so much but mentally - able to stand up for herself

A book that grips my attention and does not let go.

THIS NOVEL HAD ALL THE ABOVE AND MORE!

Warning:
Despite what one reviewer stated, there is NO WAY THAT THIS NOVEL CAN BE READ IN AN HOUR not unless the reader is skipping whole chapters at a time! I am a speed reader and usually can and do read a book a night, this is a full length intense novel - not a light read. It is not a "feel good", "fluffy" read either - there are fights to survive, heart rending scenes, Heros that do have flaws. If you are not into paranormal - no, you will not like this book. If you are into "sweet" - no, you will not like this book.

I recommend that while readers need to be leery of 4 or 5 star reviews because there are too many "paid" reviewers out there (in books or money) that seem to have NEVER EVER gotten a hold of a bad book - before writing off a book with negative reviews - take the time to investigate all the rating and reviews for that particular reviewer whether 1 star or 5 star. Just as I did in this case - I found out that most of the negative reviewers gave low ratings to books that I already knew I liked and high ratings to books that I would NEVER be interested in.

3 words. Oh. My. gods! Take a pissed off lady Argonaut hell bent on keeping her immortality and ruling Argolea,meddling gods and goddesses, a dying Princess, a super gorgeous Argonaut, a mysterious Misos, and a half human who has the Fate of the world resting on her shoulders, and you've got a recipe for a sexy, sexually charged, dangerous, edge of your seat, unputdownable read.

Top 8 Reasons to Read This Book:

1. Theron. Leader of the Argonauts. Hear him roar! At first, I did not like him. I thought he was a totally pompous ass who had nothing but dirty thoughts about Casey. Which is the truth. He is to marry Princess Isadora and find her half-sister so that she'll live. Well, as you can guess: He's not in love with Isadora and when he meets Casey (who he doesn't know is Isa's sister, yet) he falls for her. Oopsie!
2. Casey aka Acacia Simopolous. Bookstore owner by day, sexy strip club waitress by night. This is to help make ends meet. Her grandmother recently passed away. She has never felt like she's belonged. Well, ain't that a kick in the pants?
3. Atalanta. Lesson #1: Don't be like Atalanta. Never bargain with Hades for immortality and dominion over all demons. There's bound to be a loophole.
4. Nick Blades. Mysterious hottie alert!
5. Hades and Persephone. Whoa! Just whoa! These two are quite kinky and I don't have words to express how I feel about this. It's Hades and Persephone like you've never seen them before. As in, not that Disney Hercules animated movie stuff. Perhaps a little like Hades and Persephone in the Percy Jackson movie.
6. Orpheus. He's the original oracle who has a penchant for all things technological. He can also pop in anywhere. Oh, and he's got an invisibility cloak to rival Harry Potter's.
7. Princess Isadora. Casey's half sister who has lived in Argolea all her life. She is dying and must somehow merge herself with Casey to live on. I'm not a big of hers right now.
8. Soulmates. Do you believe that Fate has given you one? Are you a half of a whole? Lesson #2: Hera is a bitch. She'll curse you with a soulmate but they'll be your complete opposite so you'll never find them. Those who do, are rare circumstances. Poor Argonauts. They'll never find their soulmates even if she's staring him right in the face.


Favorite Quote: "In Greek mythology, the heroes were mortals of great strength and ability, spawned from the union of a mortal and a god."

Overall: Ms. Naughton, I've been hooked. I'm getting a little tired of vampires, werewolves and fae. It's time to put a spin on Greek mythology. A super sexy, heart pounding, lady bits tingling, heart wrenching rollercoaster ride of a spin. After all, what woman can resist a gorgeous Greek Argonaut. Not me! A fun, sexually charged, edge of your seat, unputdownable romp from the kingdom of the Underworld to the gates of Mount Olympus. This isn't the Greek mythology your high school English teachers have taught you.

What a fantastic start to a refreshing new (at least new to me) Paranormal Romance series! I have to admit that since I do read A LOT of PNR, I tend to get burned out with vamps, weres & demons (Oh My! Sorry, couldn't resist). It's not that I don't absolutely LOVE those supernatural beings, but it does get tiresome after awhile. Then along comes Elisabeth Naughton and her magnificent Argonauts and all I have to say is WOW! She combines the Greek mythology that I've always loved (where do you think Hesperia comes from?) with a beautiful romance story line & then throws in a kick-ass action & suspense factor that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout the book! Theron & Casey (Acacia) were very strong H/h characters that were able to sustain the book very well. I must admit, however, that I didn't like Theron & his callousness at the beginning, however, he grew on me and by the end of the book I was rooting for him. Definitely an amazing read and a series I will continue to read & recommend!

The Story
Leaders of the Argonauts, Theron, has been sent on a mission to retrieve the sickly princess from earth and bring her back to the realm of greek demigod descendents. What he didn't expect was to be drawn to a waitress at the club he finds the princess. After delivering the princess Theron returns and protects Casey from a demon attack. Casey takes her savior back home to nurse him back to health unaware he is a demigod. Casey and theron have a hard time fighting their attraction to each other, but once Theron discovers the omega with wings birthmark on her back he gets spooked and returns to Argolea(sp?). The king then decrees Theron return and find his illegitimate child Acacia on earth and bring her back to be a sacrifice for the sickly princess. To his horror Acacia is his Casey.


Thoughts
If you love dark paranormal romances, yummy warriors, mythology and fast paced action this book is for you! I just finished the second and it was even better. I couldn't put this book down! It is totally unique and I like the direction the series is going. The characters are vivid, the emotion real and the characters are relatable in their own ways. Highly recommended!

Oh I hope their will be a second book... the story must continue!
The story has a little of everything, the characters come alive quickly

I got this book because I was low on cash and was looking for something that was good to pass the time at work. This looked interesting, but I was about to give up on it very early when I learned that this book was about monsters and whatnot. I am not usually a big fan of gore and monsters. But as I continued to read I was shocked at the love story that seemed to unfold. I enjoyed every moment of it and I hope everyone else will too. I think this would have made a great 3 or 4 book series. This author is wasting her talent. Mythology, to me, always make a great story and I felt that this was great imagery on her part and shows a well-researched thought. She really would be good at writing about this genre alone. I give this 5 stars because I could not give it more.

The Eternal Guardians are an elite group of Argonauts that guards the immortal realm from attacks from the Underworld.

Theron is the leader of the Argonauts. He has been sent on a mission to find and destroy the marked one. Theron's people relay on Theron completing his mission.

Casey knew from the first moment she laid eyes on Theron that he was different. She fells a connection with him. Theron and Casey get closer, which makes things harder when Theron learns that Casey is the one he is after. Now, Theron must make a choice...save his people or protect Casey.

Marked is the first book I have read by this author. It is an Eternal Guardians novel. I liked the premise of the book. The first thing that caught my attention was the bright book cover and then the book summary. Well I can tell you that after reading this book that I still like the book cover but that is about all the really like about this book. There was no connection for me with the characters or the story. There was no memorable moment or moments for me. I kind of just went through the motions of reading this book. Plus, I thought that the story jumped around too much, leaving some unanswered questions. Overall, I was not very impressed with this book.