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The Heart of War (OF WAR #1)

by Lisa Beth Darling (Goodreads Author)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 123 ratings · 55 reviews

Inside the heart of every warrior breathes the soul of a hero--even within The Heart of War.

Meet Ares God of War is the greatest Warrior the world has ever known, he's also moody, grumpy, dominant, ravenously sexual,and above all, built like a Greek God.

Suspected of killing his Daughter in-Law, Psyche, and long in exile from Olympus, the solitude of Ares' island is interru...more

Paperback, 516 pages

Published November 21st 2010 by Moon Mistress Publishing

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Mar 25, 2011 Heather Book Savvy Babe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, romance, review-on-blog

*4.5 stars* Wow, there is so much to this book, so much to share. The main characters in this book are a half-human, half-fay woman named Magdalena (also called Maggie or Alena). Alena has been on the run almost her entire life, hiding from her would-be husband Cernunnos, an ancient Celt God who wants to use Magdalena for nefarious purposes. The other main character to this captivating novel is my favorite, Ares, ancient Greek God of War. Ares has been exiled from Olympus to an island somewhere...more *4.5 stars* Wow, there is so much to this book, so much to share. The main characters in this book are a half-human, half-fay woman named Magdalena (also called Maggie or Alena). Alena has been on the run almost her entire life, hiding from her would-be husband Cernunnos, an ancient Celt God who wants to use Magdalena for nefarious purposes. The other main character to this captivating novel is my favorite, Ares, ancient Greek God of War. Ares has been exiled from Olympus to an island somewhere near Greece. One day, Ares finds Magdalena washed up on shore and is instantly curious and captivated by this strange woman. As the story develops, Magdalena’s past is slowly uncovered, and it is violent and dangerous. As Ares learns more about Magdalena, he also becomes softened to her. There is a compelling heat between them, and they find themselves falling for each other. Before Magdalena and Ares can have a relationship, truth must be uncovered, and the psychopathic evil God stopped.
This story is full of mythology, I loved it. The Gods of olympus are engaging, the back stories told are all developed. The eroticism is heavy, and quite intriguing. This book is so much more than a simple love story or erotica or fantasy novel, there are sub-plots and back stories. The story is told from several viewpoints, from Magdalena, Ares, Cernunnos, even Eros has a viewpoint in there. All of this is done is a way that the story is only enhanced. It is so wonderfully developed, when I finished reading, I was quite satisfied. The entire story was told. I will admit, at times I was frustrated with Magdalena, she was constantly questioning and doubting Ares. Ares, despite being the God of War, was quite ironically the underdog for much of the story. He was hated by most everyone, except for his mother and a few of his women.
WARNING: I do have to issue a warning, there is a lot of violence in this book. There is rape, and beating, and what I would call torture. It is all part of the story, but it was a bit tough to read at parts.
With all this said, the book was excellent. Everything was there and very well written. The emotions went from deep lows at times, to great highs. There was intrigue, danger, betrayal, and great romance. On that note, I will end my review with this, my favorite quote from the book:
“And still I am alone except when I’m with you. Then I am whole, no longer restless, and no longer weary."(less)

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Feb 26, 2013 Donna (BLHmistress) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Review:
Where to begin with this review, let me just say first of all. If I could have rated this book higher I would have, it was that damned good. As many of you know I am mythology junkie. If it has any type of mythology you better believe I am going to read it, especially Greek. I have been wanting to read this book for so long and I am so glad I have. It truly rocked my world that is how much I loved this book.

Now I was warned of certain situations in this book and while it didn't bother m...more Review:
Where to begin with this review, let me just say first of all. If I could have rated this book higher I would have, it was that damned good. As many of you know I am mythology junkie. If it has any type of mythology you better believe I am going to read it, especially Greek. I have been wanting to read this book for so long and I am so glad I have. It truly rocked my world that is how much I loved this book.

Now I was warned of certain situations in this book and while it didn't bother me, because frankly I hate to say it, but it had to happen. So if you are like the author said , it is not for the faint at heart. This book might not be for you. I won't lie and say I didn't wince a few times but that certainly didn't deter me from enjoying this book.

I want to say I love love love Ares. I can't say that too often, because most of the time when I have read about him, I hated him with a passion. And with this one at first I wasn't sure but I kept an open mind and read on and fell deeply for this god. I can't say that for some of the other gods featured in this book.

But that is what makes me love this book so much, is that I felt for these characters, whether it was love or hate I felt!! The story as well grabbed me and wouldn't let go until I finished (and let me say I had many of sleepless nights because I couldn't stop thinking about this book).

I can't forget the hot smexy action, phew I was sweating a few times that's how steamy it is. But like I said above there are situations that might make some of you uncomfortable so forewarn. Those gods weren't always pleasant and sweet. But they are God's after all.

I could honestly go on and on with this review. I just can't get enough of Ares and Alena(Maggie) they have to be listed as one of my favorite couples of all time. I want to say thank you to the author for giving me another series to obsess over.

So if you love Greek Mythology, Strong Adult Themes(Dark in some cases), Hot and I mean Fiery Hot Smexy Action, this book is for you. It's long so be prepared to lose some sleep over this one. I surely did.

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Jan 03, 2013 texxie-prufreads.blogspot.com rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark, paranormal-romance, own, saucy, mythology, alpha-male, can-u-handle-it, suspense-thriller, favorites

Originally reviewed at http://prufreads.blogspot.com/

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

"Everything in Life has its own rhythm, its own beat, from waging war to making love to dancing. You just have to listen for it and then fall into it."

~Ares, God of War

Wow. Ok, first I feel I should give proper warning to anyone who may decide to read this book. As you can see above, I loved it. I'm not sure I'll even be able to find the words to explain how much I loved this book. That being said, there were element...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is an excellent story here, I really enjoyed it. In fact, it caused me to stay up until 3am just so I could finish it. However, there are lots of little grammatical (lots of missing commas, words switched) errors that even I noticed (and I'm horrible at grammar). Due to the grammatical errors, I sometimes (though very rarely) had to reread a few sentences since I somehow lost the meaning due to the sentence structure.

Even with these errors, I loved the story. That should tell you how good...more

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Oct 02, 2011 W.h. (Lovetiggi) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: top-of-my-tbr-list, lisa-beth-darling, books-i-own, fae, first-in-series, favorites, re-reads, adults-only

Cant wait any longer... gotta read it. OMG! I LOVE This Book! Lisa has created a very descriptive world, in so much so, that I felt like I was standing on a set watching a movie. Very hard to put down! The characters are so well introduced and realistic that I felt their emotions as the action-packed scenes played out, this is NOT A YA READ!

Ares is a moody, funny, and OMG HOTT, SEXY GREEK GOD! Demanding and dangerous, yet has a heart underneath that BADASS exterior. I love the Outlaw, and that...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Missy Fitch rated it 5 of 5 stars

Got The Heart of War last night. Took all night but I finished it. OMFG that book was AWESOME!!!! There were so many twists and turns, ups and downs that I was fascinated and appalled in turn. From the synopsis I read i thought it would be a smut fest, violent fest in turns. What I got instead was fairly tasteful and emotional sex between the to main characters, and justified and not an overwhelming amount of violence. This is a DARK book, but it ends happily. There are some hard to read and he...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Wow! This was such a great read. It completely sucked me in... The characters, the story and world building was phenomenal. And oh so steamy ! Can't wait for the next one.

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Dec 09, 2012 Lori- Lusty Penguin Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic-erotica, mythology, paranormal-romance, paranormal-thriller, dark

Lovers of mythology will enjoy this dark, erotic romance and paranormal thriller that demands attention from the first sentence. Lisa Beth Darling consummately blends the realm of the ancient immortal Greek Gods with the modern world of man to create her own unique world and then seamlessly combines an epic love story within an intricate web of mystery, drama, and suspense.

Ares, the God of War, captures the imagination as a complex and charismatic protagonist. Darling masterfully blends his Gree...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Sophia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-uf

I just love stories that involve Greek mythology so I was thrilled to find this one.

Heart of War is the story of Aries the God of War and Magdalena McCleod a half fey. Aries has been exiled from Olympus for hundreds of years for crimes that he did not commit. He lives as a hedonist with several women to serve him on his Greek island. One day, his boring existence is interrupted by the battered body of a woman rolling up on his beach. At first, Aries is suspicious and cruel, but Maggie's warm sp...more I just love stories that involve Greek mythology so I was thrilled to find this one.

Heart of War is the story of Aries the God of War and Magdalena McCleod a half fey. Aries has been exiled from Olympus for hundreds of years for crimes that he did not commit. He lives as a hedonist with several women to serve him on his Greek island. One day, his boring existence is interrupted by the battered body of a woman rolling up on his beach. At first, Aries is suspicious and cruel, but Maggie's warm spirit starts to melt his cold heart. He decides that though she cannot remember how she got there he wants to know all about her.

Aries attention to Maggie does not go unnoticed by his other women. One of them, who considered herself his consort, becomes jealous and hateful toward Maggie. She is horrid and cruel. But Maggie has also come to the attention of the watching Olympians from high on their mountain. While Aries is away searching out Maggie's past, Apollo comes to inform Maggie that Zeus wants to see her. Zeus is convinced that Maggie knows how his daughter Artemis was murdered and he hates Celts and fey so he plans to use her as bait against Cernunnos a god of the Celts.

When Aries learns of Maggie's past and became privy to her vicious brutalization, he avenges her and acknowledges that he has come to care for her. Their tentative relationship is tested strongly because of all those who seek them harm. Cernunnos has chased Maggie claiming her as wife so that he can use her for his nefarious ends, most of the Olympians and hate and are jealous of Aries and they feel the same about Maggie. They fight for their lives several times and their love is tested in the worst way when Aries is hit by a curse from one of Cernunnos' druids. There is also a huge betrayal by those close to them that give Cernunnos an edge. I don't want to offer any spoilers so I will stop there.

The plot grabbed me from the beginning and this book was a page turner. The pace fluctuated between times of intense action or passion to gentle tender moments. The intrigue kept me guessing so many times. And there were so many heartwrenching moments. Aries and Maggie really do have have a tough go of things. This was a fairly long book, but never boring.

The characters were well drawn and this is Ms. Darling's strength IMHO. Aries was one hunky god and Maggie was his opposite in appearance, but they were so right for each other the way they were written. I really appreciated how Lisa Beth wrote her Aries. He was a real god of war with all the brute strength, rough edges, and fiery nature. He is not even likeable in the beginning of the book. Maggie is equally well drawn. She is so spunky and she has a powerful love even though she is a relatively ordinary-looking woman. I love how the Olympians are present as characters and those from other myths mentioned.

A bit of warning there is a great deal of steamy sex and a few non-consensual scenes. Some of the action scene are on the brutal side.

This was a great epic love story and I look forward to reading more from this author.(less)

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Sep 25, 2011 Leanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

The God of War Ares finds a woman on his secluded island. She's half dead and he doubts she'll survive the night, so he leaves her there. (What a nice guy) Magdalena (Maggie) is a Fey woman who survives then wanders the island. Ares finds her and isn't very kind, he goes after her and finds himself respecting the small Fey woman for her courage and perseverance. He takes her to his home and somewhat befriends her.

The bond that Ares and Maggie form gets stronger with each passing day. There are m...more The God of War Ares finds a woman on his secluded island. She's half dead and he doubts she'll survive the night, so he leaves her there. (What a nice guy) Magdalena (Maggie) is a Fey woman who survives then wanders the island. Ares finds her and isn't very kind, he goes after her and finds himself respecting the small Fey woman for her courage and perseverance. He takes her to his home and somewhat befriends her.

The bond that Ares and Maggie form gets stronger with each passing day. There are many conflicts along the way that they overcome together. As the struggles get harder and harder it only seems to bring them closer and closer together. The other Gods on Olympus just want their way, they are a greedy bunch. You must read this in order to find out who wins in the end. True Love formed from friendship or the Gods who wield their power for their own greedy means..

Review:

This book is extremely violent and sexually explicit. With that said, I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of a great action/thriller film. It sucks you right in because you have got to know what will happen next. For every thrilling thing that happens in the book you get sucked in a little harder until finally you just can't stop reading. The Heart of War is not for the faint of heart. It has many hard scenarios like violence and rape.

Maggie is one of my favourite Heroines to date, she is strong but sweet and has a Sassy side to her that runs miles long. She goes through so much but stays by her man. That takes a lot of belief and determination.
I found Ares to be like what you would expect of a God, full of himself greedy, ignorant due to ultimate power. Through the Author's writing though you slowly begin to fall in love with this character. It's such a slow build you don't even know it until your cheering out loud for him.

Lisa Beth Darling is truly an amazing writer. She takes you on a torrid and thrilling journey. I recommend this book to those who can handle RATED R reads because this one sure is not for the faint of heart! 4 Stars for a Great Read!
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Aug 22, 2011 Michelle Leah Olson rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Heart of War, OF WAR series, Book #1

Author: Lisa Beth Darling

Synopsis:
The Heart of War blends timeless Greek Mythology with Erotica, Romance, and Suspense as Ares God of War falls in love with Alena, a seemingly fragile Fey. The lovely Alena is on the run from Cernunnos, Celtic God of the Forest and Death. The peace and quiet of Ares' secluded Greek isle is interrupted when the Olympians demand he turned her over to them. Glorious battles, hot romance, and dark passions combine in "The Hear...more

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Aug 04, 2011 SATIN SUE rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 03, 2011 Tishia (Paranormal Opinion) rated it 3 of 5 stars

he Heart of War is an enjoyable story that deals heavily with Greek mythology. Ares, the god of war, is in exile from Olympus and lives on an island with some guards and a harem of women. Ares is basically a big, arrogant jerk. He uses these women for sex, he doesn't really have any feelings for them.

One day a fey woman named Magdalina (also knows as Maggie and Alena) washes up on his shore. She has no idea how she got there, her memories of recent events are pretty sketchy. One thing she rememb...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love a good smut book. And I love the paranormal: vampires, werewolves, demons, Gods.. all of them work for me. So I thought this book would be a perfect fit: Greek gods and dirty sex sounds like a winning combination. But it didn't quite work out that way.

The story centers on a Fey woman named Magdelena who washed up on the shores of an island belonging to Ares, the God of War. She is a mystery for him to solve. And as he gets to know her better, he discovers she is betrothed to an ancient Ce...more I love a good smut book. And I love the paranormal: vampires, werewolves, demons, Gods.. all of them work for me. So I thought this book would be a perfect fit: Greek gods and dirty sex sounds like a winning combination. But it didn't quite work out that way.

The story centers on a Fey woman named Magdelena who washed up on the shores of an island belonging to Ares, the God of War. She is a mystery for him to solve. And as he gets to know her better, he discovers she is betrothed to an ancient Celt God, Cernunnos, who she has been trying to escape for 2oo years. A relationship quickly develops between Ares and "Alena." The book goes on to incorporate the other Greek gods. We learn about their estrangement from Ares. And we discover the depths of Cerunnos' evil acts and terrible plans.

Ares is, for lack of a better word, a complete asshole. It made it impossible for me to root for him as a character. He has a harem of women, who he barely sees as people. He has sex with them all indiscriminately and orders them to not only sleep with him, but with each other and occasionally, his guards. I understand that we're supposed to be watching the evolution of his character as he falls in love with Alena. But he is just so awful for the first half of the book that by the time he begins to soften, I still can't make myself like him. This is made worse by the actions he takes while cursed, later in the book. I know his redemption is the whole point of it all, but I think the author did too good of a job convincing me he was horrible at the beginning.

Alena, on the other hand, is way too understanding and forgiving. She was willing to let Ares keep his harem. And she was willing to forgive and forget instantly after some really unforgivable actions on his part. Yes, he was cursed. But let's get real here... he did terrible things to her and she was still all sunshine and roses with him.

Moving beyond all that, my biggest issue with the book was the brutality of it. Like I said, I'm on board for sex. But I think the instances of rape in this book matched the number of willing sex acts, tit-for-tat. I can stomach a rape in a book, as a single pivotal act that can stunningly alter a character or a storyline. But here, forced anal, oral, and vaginal sex, happened over and over and over. It was too much. It was disturbing and it was overkill. And did I mention the incest? Suffice it to say, there was a lot of that too.

There were also a number of grammatical errors, missing words, and misspellings. I can overlook one or two, but there were probably about 20 instances of this and I almost felt like I was reading an unedited story. A very, very long one. I think this book would have been a lot better if it were 100 pages shorter, 5 rapes lighter, and given one more once-over by an editor's red pen. I applaud the author for her creativity... It was definitely not like anything I've ever read before. It just wasn't for me. 2 1/2 stars.

*Review copy provided by author
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Apr 07, 2011 The Pen & Muse rated it 4 of 5 stars

The gods are real, and yes, they’re just as attractive, sensuous, awe-inspiring and sexy as you’ve imagined. They’re living among us, along with other creatures such as the magical earth children the Feys.

Ares, the god of war, is isolated on an island for crimes he did not commit. He spends his time cajoling with his guards and sleeping with his women, but this is not enough. Eventually his peaceful world is consumed with Maggie, a Fey who washes ashore on his island. Her story is a mystery, and...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

The Heart of War is a brilliantly told story that sucks you in right away and doesn't let go of you. It's an emotional roller-coaster filled with anger, lust, betrayl, heart break, and love that leaves you on the edge of your seat until the book ends. Lisa weaves heart racing battle scenes and sizzling, toe curling sex scenes, that played in my head like a movie, with mythology. Ares is a fascinating character and the fact that he's the story's 'hero' makes the story quite unique. The descriptio...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Paranormal Haven rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-read-by-athenna

After being wrongly accused of two deaths in Olympus Ares was decrowned and cast out. The God of war was alone and isolated from the comforts of Olympus. So Ares had long ago gotten use to settling for what humans have to offer him. Being a god meant human women could never fully satisfy him so he surrounded himself with several women sometimes at the same time, but always felt alone.

Till the day a little fey woman washed up on the shore of his island. At first glance he thought her to be an ol...more After being wrongly accused of two deaths in Olympus Ares was decrowned and cast out. The God of war was alone and isolated from the comforts of Olympus. So Ares had long ago gotten use to settling for what humans have to offer him. Being a god meant human women could never fully satisfy him so he surrounded himself with several women sometimes at the same time, but always felt alone.

Till the day a little fey woman washed up on the shore of his island. At first glance he thought her to be an old hag from the gray color of her hair. As much as he wanted to toss her back in the sea something about this fragile woman intrigued him. When he saw she wore a golden chastity belt bearing the mark of Cernunnos, Celtic God of the Forest and Death, Ares thought maybe she might just be the one thing he could use to barter his way back to Olympus and his rightful spot. This proves to be easier said than done, once he gets Alena in his bed he may not ever be able to let her go, he fears she may have also gotten in his heart.

Magdalena can't remember clearly how she comes to be on Ares Island. Somehow this god can be arrogant mean sweet and sexy all at the same time. Knowing exactly how Ares reputation is with women Alena knows she shouldn't even consider getting closer to Ares but the closer she does comes to him the further she falls for him.

Alena has been running from The Great Horned God Cernunnors for over a hundred years but now he is hot on her trail, and wants to reclaim what he feels is his property, Alena may just have to trust this sexy dangerous God of War.

Greek mythology has always intrigued me, with a name like Athenna I think it is expected. The way that Lisa builds the Olympian world is amazing each ones personality is just how I'd expect them. Seeing the way each of them bicker back stab and betray one another is just how I know the Olympian gods to be.

Ares is a giant ass, he lives up to his reputation of the god of war. But it was amazing to watch him fall in love with Alena and change his whole world for her. The bedroom scenes are very hot and steamy it will leave you wanting more.

Alena is sweet and strong willed at times. But I feel she didn't trust Ares as much as I feel she should have. I wish she didn't have gray hair it bugs me for some reason. She seams so tinny and fragile then she surprises you and stands up in battle and backs up Ares when his own men fail him.

There are a few rape torture and intense battle scenes but it all plays into the story. I don't think it takes away from the book at all, but I t would have also worked with an implied rape rather than witnessing the act but it worked well into this story. I am excited to read the next installments.

**Athenna**(less)

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Jun 08, 2012 Bex 'n' Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Heart of War by Lisa Beth Darling
Where to start? This book is pretty epic. Just as the book reaches a quite dramatic peak and resolution it simply keeps on going, pouring out the well-constructed narrative into even more drama. So be prepared for a pretty intense read.
In The Heart of War, we are introduced the amazing world of the Gods and follow the male protagonist Ares. Ares is a pretty straight forward character until he meets the half-human, half fey female protagonist, Alena. Before Al...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Hugh Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Two mythical beings, the omnipotent intensely sexual Ares God of War and Alena an enigmatic Fey with secrets of her own clash in Lisa Darling’s The Heart of War. The depiction of the brooding, powerful yet flawed Ares and the mysterious and sexy Alena are well done.

Before reading the book, I assumed it would be the Gods’ powers that would engage me but as I read I found it was their human traits that kept the pages turning. Both protagonists are centuries old, and possessed of powers that mere h...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Vanessa theJeepDiva rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, won-freebie, fantasy, paranormal-romance, mythology

Ares, God of War was a difficult character to like at the beginning of the book. As a character it took a long time for me to warm up to him. In the end I still can’t say he was a character that I can ever say I liked. He is not a nice man, but being the God of War I guess one cannot consider him a man really. If he were a pleasant, kind, considerate human being he would not have been successful in his warmongering ways. His personality traits really work well with all of the evil that makes up...more Ares, God of War was a difficult character to like at the beginning of the book. As a character it took a long time for me to warm up to him. In the end I still can’t say he was a character that I can ever say I liked. He is not a nice man, but being the God of War I guess one cannot consider him a man really. If he were a pleasant, kind, considerate human being he would not have been successful in his warmongering ways. His personality traits really work well with all of the evil that makes up the majority of the content of this book. Magdalena/Maggie/Alena was easily likeable from the beginning of this tale. She is half human, part fey and part something else. She is completely understanding of the misfortune that is her life. She takes all of the blows that life has dealt her with her head held high knowing that she will persevere. She is truly a very strong female. She can take care of herself, she has no problems defending herself, and she is extraordinarily compassionate towards others that are less fortunate than her. I loved Maggie as a character, although I did question some of her decisions.
When Maggie washes up on the shore of the island that Ares has been exiled to she is exhausted from days adrift at sea and most of all she is very confused as to all of the how’s associated to her predicament. Ares being the very paranoid God that he is, he’s convinced that she is there due to the nefarious plans of one of his numerous enemies (or severely deranged family member.) Thus he is concerned about the reasons to her presence on his island. This makes for the beginning of a very interesting romance. As for romantic couples and the growth of their romance I think Ares’s character/personality traits made this one lack some of the tender lovingness that you look for in a romance.
I had quite a few issues with this book. The first one I want to mention is the length. At 50% this book gears up and reads like it is moving swiftly towards its climatic ending. I thought my Kindle had a glitch and was reading wrong. This is not the case. Another major conflict is presented at this point. I think this book had entirely too many conflicts. The conflicts take away from the romance. This book also has entirely too many point of view changes. All the characters seem to get to voice their point of view at some point in this book. At times the POV changes happened too rapidly and were a bit confusing. I notice this sometimes with eBook’s in general. I wonder if it is just the paragraph formatting of the eBook. The book was a bit heavy on typos and grammatical errors. That is another common issue I see, it may just be an eBook trait.
The aspect that made me rate the book as low as I did was the evilness of all of the characters. Maggie is the only good character in this book. The entire Olympian family is horrid. Characters that are jealous over something that another holds dear are in abundance. Females that consider Ares theirs and theirs alone are plentiful as well. Those females willingness to harm another female in the vilest manner possible, the readers get plenty of that too. I knew this was a dark book before I ever started reading it, I just never expected it to be overflowing with so much hate, ruthlessness and so many callous characters. The mythology is why I wanted to read this book so badly. I love to see how an author weaves such into a fictional story. I have seen so many different takes on Greek mythology. This one definitely has a unique spin on these characters that I have never seen before.

Favorite quote. Ares to Alena. "Cute? No. Cute is for puppies and teenage boys. I am devilishly handsome."
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Oct 27, 2011 Darkfallen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-n-reviewed

Wow that was one hell of a ride. Or more like a journey to the end of the earth and back;)

First I want to start by saying that I am going to try and write this review without spoilers...so I apologize a head of time for my annoying vagueness;)

Alena has been on the run her whole life desperately trying to outrun her fate to marry Cerunnous. (A Celtic half man/half beast God) For the last 7 years she has lived in a camp in Africa. In some of the worst, most unimaginable Hell's, but to her it is a...more Wow that was one hell of a ride. Or more like a journey to the end of the earth and back;)

First I want to start by saying that I am going to try and write this review without spoilers...so I apologize a head of time for my annoying vagueness;)

Alena has been on the run her whole life desperately trying to outrun her fate to marry Cerunnous. (A Celtic half man/half beast God) For the last 7 years she has lived in a camp in Africa. In some of the worst, most unimaginable Hell's, but to her it is a small price to pay if it means she is not married to him.

Ares, the God of War, has been living for hundreds of years on his island ever since he was exiled by his father Zeus for killing Eros wife Psych. That's right, Ares was convicted of killing his own sons wife! So Ares has lived a life of war and sex with his 8 women slaves on his island in relative peace until a strange women washes up on his shore.

Where did she come from? Who sent her? Who is she?

These are all question he wants answers to after finding Alena's lifeless body on his beach. The last thing Alena remembers is boarding a boat, and now she is covered in sand in the arms of some strange man that is yelling at her. Soon they will both learn their fates weren't at all what they thought them to be, and maybe it's time to stop running from them.

This book was one editing session away from being Kresley Cole IAD good. There were typo's galore on every page! But in the end you will see that I still gave it 4 stars...because the content was great! I also felt this book should have been split into two books. It was extremely long and at times the length was intimidating. Take me-->a girl that reads on average 5 books a week, sometimes more. This book took me 5 days to finish. For me that is insane! But there are plenty of plot twists and climax points that this could have easily been split into two books.

HEY! Get your mind out of the gutter!!!

And speaking of gutter...I was under the impression that this was labeled an "paranormal erotica", but I feel it is more of a "paranormal romance." Here is why...for one thing there is an actual PLOT here. One that by far out ways the hot sexiness. Also there are a LOT of graphic rape and abuse scenes in this book which can in now way, unless you should be locked in a prison, considered a turn on. With that in mind I would also like to say that this is not for the faint at heart.

Overall I can't wait to read the next book and if you think you can handle the violence I say you should give it a go...you won't be disappointed;)(less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Evelyn Amaro rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Paranormal Romance Lovers, Mythology Lovers, Anyone in need of a great unputdownable PNR/UF

Read my full review on Paromantasy

The Heart of War has it all: Heart-pumping action, blood-boiling romance, spine-tingling danger, head-puzzling mystery, and in the middle of it all rages the biggest war of all time...the war of love and with that, the heart of war.

Ares is the God of War, and has always looked out for numero uno. After being worngly accused of the murder of the goddess Psyche and banished from Olympus, he sets base on an island - roaming the mortal world and taking a number of...more Read my full review on Paromantasy

The Heart of War has it all: Heart-pumping action, blood-boiling romance, spine-tingling danger, head-puzzling mystery, and in the middle of it all rages the biggest war of all time...the war of love and with that, the heart of war.

Ares is the God of War, and has always looked out for numero uno. After being worngly accused of the murder of the goddess Psyche and banished from Olympus, he sets base on an island - roaming the mortal world and taking a number of women to his island to do his bidding, while also taking men to form his own personal army. There he lives a simple life bedding his women and doing as he pleases, that all changes when a mysterious woman washes up on his shores. Intrigued he lets her live, but little does he know that she will alter his life forever... Alena is a fairy who has been on the run after being forced to marry the evil God Cernunnos, Celtic God of the Forest and Death, and having a chastity belt placed on her at an early age. After witnessing the horrid things Cernunnos is capable of, she runs and lives in constant fear of being discovered, only to find that there are others capable of evil in the world. After an encounter leaves her memory in shambles and her struggling for life in the depths of the seas, she is rescued when she washes up on the shore of an island..Ares' island. She soon finds that Cernunnos is not the only God that she should run from. Ares is everything that she never wanted, but soon finds herself needing. When the pair unite their worlds are flipped upside down, and all that they thought they wanted turns out to be the last thing they need. With love growing between them with every day that passes, they must soon make a decision - stay together or grasp the dream they have been chasing from the beginning. Can Alena give her heart and her freedom to a God when she sees what they are capable? Will Ares pick love over the chance to reclaim his throne on Olympus? More importantly, will Cernunnos destroy all that they love and worked for before it even has a chance to begin?

This book will have you laughing, crying, cheering and screaming as it takes you on an emotional roller coaster with Alena and Ares at the wheel. This is a gripping book that will leave you breathless and wanting more!

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Jun 14, 2011 Tammy ~NovelOpinion rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ddlf-challenges, pnr, fantasy, indie-self-pubbed

3.5 Stars!

Summary: Inside the heart of every warrior breathes the soul of a hero--even within The Heart of War.

Meet Ares God of War is the greatest Warrior the world has ever known, he's also moody, grumpy, dominant, ravenously sexual,and above all, built like a Greek God.

Suspected of killing his Daughter in-Law, Psyche, and long in exile from Olympus, the solitude of Ares' island is interrupted when Magdalena MacLeod a brash and sometimes manipulative Fey washes up on Ares' island after beli...more 3.5 Stars!

Summary: Inside the heart of every warrior breathes the soul of a hero--even within The Heart of War.

Meet Ares God of War is the greatest Warrior the world has ever known, he's also moody, grumpy, dominant, ravenously sexual,and above all, built like a Greek God.

Suspected of killing his Daughter in-Law, Psyche, and long in exile from Olympus, the solitude of Ares' island is interrupted when Magdalena MacLeod a brash and sometimes manipulative Fey washes up on Ares' island after believing she's been shipwrecked. There is no wreck and her memory of events is sketchy at best. Branded with a golden chastity belt bearing the mark of Cernunnos, Celtic God of the Forest and Death, Alena has been on the run from the Great Horned God for 200 years. As Ares and Alena grow closer discord erupts on the island as his head woman, Kat, plots to get rid of Alena and the Olympians plot to use her in their endeavor to discover who killed Artemis. Ares will have to choose between his Divinely Dysfunctional Family, his pride, and Alena before dueling to the death with the God of the Forest.
Come along for an epic adventure of erotica, steamy romance, and drama in this Modern Day Greek Tragedy. Battle Ancient Gods and Fall in Love along side Ares God of War and Alena MacLeod. Theirs is a love that will rock the world from the heights of Olympus to the Celtic moors.

The storyline is unique, especially for a romantica-type book. Although there are somewhat explicit sex scenes I find it hard to call this an Erotica. Ares begins this story true to his nature as a misogynistic bastard that uses his women for sex only. They have few comforts on his island where he is living in exile. Although set in the 21st century, Ares prefers living without electricity. No big deal for a god, after all, he can conjure up whatever he wants.
Sensing something odd on the island, he goes to the shore and finds a woman washed up from the sea. He thinks she is a hag because she has long silver-grey hair and decides he doesn't need her, might as well kill her. That is until he realizes there is no evidence of a ship wreck or any other means which she may have gotten to his island. This is a puzzle interesting enough for him to decide to take her in for a bit. Discovering a golden chastity belt on her intrigues him further.
The relationship between Ares and this woman, Alena, goes from suspicion to love throughout the course of this tale. Alena's time spent in Africa helping children adds to her mystery as Ares discovers she is fey. The gods become involved and all hell breaks loose.
The mythology in the story is very interesting. The story grabs you. I couldn't put it down. The only reason I didn't give it 4 stars was that there were several grammatical errors in the digital edition that distracted me. ( I do not claim to be able to write better.)
I will warn that there is graphic violence and rape scenes. I found them to be shocking but true to the real nature of violence. This isn't a light-hearted romance, it is gritty.
I highly recommend this read to fantasy and romance readers who like a little edginess.(less)

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Mar 30, 2011 Ronda Tutt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic, fantacy, paranormal-romance

Excellent Read!

Mythology lovers will eat this book up. The story woven for Aries the God of War is absolutely fantastic. The romance between Aries and Maggie (Alena) Macleod ½ Fey and ½ Goddess is brilliantly written with lots of emotional trials between them both. The sex scene between them is very HOT as well and will leave you in an awed and unbelieving WTF state.

I love how this book gives you the insight into the world between all the gods and goddesses with their deceit of back stabbing, j...more

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Jan 15, 2013 ~*~Princess Nhya~*~ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SOLID 3.5 STARS

I've never read this type of take on the "God of War" Mr. Ares before. So the tone of the book and his character took a bit of getting use to. If you like Greek Mythology there is plenty of it here but with a twist. This kept the book entertaining for a bit but after awhile it just starts to get a bit tedious. There are things here that will shock, dismay, and utterly gross you out.

This book has the lighter side of things but is also a very gritty very dark read. It's not for the...more

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Apr 11, 2011 jD rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2_kindle_own, 6_new-series, series_paranormal, fantasy_romance, must-read-seq, magic_fae, 2011-read

This one took me on a mental road trip to places I have not seen on the paranormal romance map.

First thing you need to know is that Ms. Darling did an excellent job of weaving Greek mythology and Celtic lore to create a powerfully antagonistic environment for her story. Everybody basically hates everybody else. In this story we meet Ares God of War from Greek mythology. As reputed, he is the greatest Warrior the world has ever known and like all Greek gods, he is well aware of that fact. Ares i...more This one took me on a mental road trip to places I have not seen on the paranormal romance map.

First thing you need to know is that Ms. Darling did an excellent job of weaving Greek mythology and Celtic lore to create a powerfully antagonistic environment for her story. Everybody basically hates everybody else. In this story we meet Ares God of War from Greek mythology. As reputed, he is the greatest Warrior the world has ever known and like all Greek gods, he is well aware of that fact. Ares is in exile after being kicked out of Olympus by Zeus and a few other haters. He lives on an island in the middle of nowhere with a few humans that are either part of his harem or guard unit. One day out of nowhere, a woman washes up on the beach and changes everything. Magdalena MacLeod, a white haired Fey beauty washes up on Ares' island believing she's been shipwrecked. She is also wearing a golden chastity belt bearing the mark of Cernunnos, Celtic God of the Forest and Death. Ares decides to call her Alena because he doesn’t like Maggie which is what she had been going by. Thus she is referred to by this name for most of the book.

Second thing to know up front – this story is erotica beyond Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark and Black Dagger Brotherhood. If you don’t like heat, stay out of the kitchen. The story is good but it’s loaded with graphic sex. Along with the sex is a level of violence that shocked me at times. The seemingly endless cruelty Alena endured was unimaginable. More than once, I had to take a break to let my stomach settle.

Third thing – although there were some scenes that nearly brought me to tears while putting knots in my stomach, I mostly laughed out loud. Ms. Darling’s style is a balance I have seen many romance writers try to do but can’t quite get it to flow evenly from scene to scent. Ms. Darling does it with ease and mastery. Just when you think, I am having so much fun with these characters; she kicks you in the gut with something horrific. It’s a good kind of craziness.

So why 4-stars? Editing. Editing. Editing. The book is too long. I was not prepared for this but it’s my fault for not checking the page count because I was reading an ebook. The paperback is 490 pages. So don’t go into this thinking you are dealing with a quick trip in and out. You need to plan for this one because you won’t want to put it down. There were other editing problems like missing words, partial words, and sentence fragments. Several times I had to re-read a sentence or scenes more than once to fill in the blanks or make it work in my own mind. It’s distracting but not a deal breaker. Overall, I like what Ms. Darling did with what she had to work with. It could have gone deeper as far as the mythology goes but for those who really are not into the historical elements of mythology, it’s easy to follow. It also makes it clear this is a romance not really high fantasy. This is the first book of a series that I will continue to read. Loved It and can’t wait for next book!
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Jan 15, 2012 Toni rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cbrrc-s

Please stop by and read my review at Coffee Beans & Love Scenes Reviews.

1 like · like · see review

May 04, 2011 Georgialeigh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Addicting! The relationship between Ares and Alena is pure gold, watching the characters evolve and grow was a special treat. The writer's style is amazing, I laughed at parts, cringed and cried at others, and cheered when the bad guys were brought down in very high style. I really enjoyed that the story wasn't two-dimensional--as in only being told from one POV-- and that it's told from several points of view so that the reader is immersed in all that's going on and there is a lot going on. The...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 02, 2011 Rhonda rated it 3 of 5 stars

The God of War, Ares, has been living in exile on his private island for over 200 years for crimes he was falsely accused of. Ares seems to be a bit bored with life even though he has his harem to occupy him, but never being fully satisfied, and incapable of love. That is until a mysterious fey woman washes up on the shores of his island.

Magdalena, or as Ares ends up calling her, Alena has been running from her past and her betrothed, Cernunnos for the past 200 years or so, and with good reason...more

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May 03, 2011 Julia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fantasy, reviewed, contemporary-romance, dnf

I enjoy reading about Greek mythology. In fact I enjoy reading about most mythologies, and as in most mythologies this book is full of the required: sex, arguments, lies, and sex. Our main god in this case is Ares, the asshole true to form Greek god of war. I actually really like how she writes Ares. I fully believe that this dick can be a Greek god. Then we have Alena, also called Maggie, the chastity belt wearing fey descendant on the run. I don’t like her as much. She bores me to be honest.

Ar...more

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About Lisa Beth Darling

I've been married for the last 27 years to my wonderful husband, Roy. We live in my hometown of New London, CT.

My writing career began in junior high, around the 7th grade. A fact that my fellow students adored but often got me called down to the Guidance Counselor's Office to discuss the adultness of my stories. While the experience was never pleasant, I was not deterred by the counselors' worri...more I've been married for the last 27 years to my wonderful husband, Roy. We live in my hometown of New London, CT.

My writing career began in junior high, around the 7th grade. A fact that my fellow students adored but often got me called down to the Guidance Counselor's Office to discuss the adultness of my stories. While the experience was never pleasant, I was not deterred by the counselors' worries I was spurred onward by them, as well as by my teachers, and my classmates, I continued to hone my craft throughout those formative years.
Today I bring conflict, passion, love, and suspense to unique couples through full length novels. I'm never one to shy away from the less pleasant things in life, and instead I believe that it is in the Darkness where Character is created, determined, and defined, my heroes and heroines have their love tested by demons from within and without.

My latest series "OF WAR" began in November, 2010 with The Heart of War an erotic paranormal thriller. This series centers around Ares God of War and Magdalena MacLeod a half-fey half-human woman with whom Ares falls in love. The second novel in this series Child of War-A God is Born is available in paperback and e-book formats. The white snows of Olympus run red with blood after the birth of Ares and Alena's son, Raven. The short story enhancement Christmas Eve on Olympus gives the reader a glimpse into the first Christmas Eve ever on Mount Olympus. Child of War-Rising Son is now available in hard cover, paperback, and e-book. Raven's on the verge of manhood but his rampage continues in his quest to prove he's as much of an Olympian as any full-blood.
Look for Women of War in 2013 and (probably) the last novel in the series Kingdoms of War late in 2014.

NEW reviews have come in for this series!
BTS eMag raves:
THE HEART OF WAR--:"5 Stars-...Darling masterfully blends his Greek God of War traits--strong, dominant, violent, and moody--with an incredibly sexy and passionate lover. In the end, she creates a hero to die for The author provides the perfect complement to Ares with the strong-willed and compassionate Alena. Their chemistry is explosive, dramatic, and passionate. This couple will haunt you long after you have finished reading their tale."

CHILD OF WAR-A GOD IS BORN "5 Stars-Completely captivated by this dark, paranormal world and its characters, I could barely put this book down before reaching the shocking cliffhanger! Both Ares and Raven commit such unforgivable acts throughout this story. I look forward to seeing how Darling resolves this story and if Ares and Raven redeem themselves."(less)

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Child of War - A God is Born (Of War # 2)

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The Heart of War (OF WAR #1)

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