Breaking The Myth: A Collection of Unusual Myth Retellings

Daughter of Winter #0.5

by Laura Greenwood, Skye MacKinnon, Roz Marshall

Discover nine retellings of unusual myths from bestselling and award winning authors. From paranormal Celts to gorgons in space, there's something for everyone in this collection. 1. Through The Storms by Laura Greenwood & Skye MacKinnon (paranormal) 2. Mother of Gods by Skye MacKinnon (paranormal romance) 3. Kelpie Curse by Roz Marshall (Fantasy) 4. White Wolf, Black Wolf by Arizona Tape (Fantasy) 5. The Hound by K.C. Carter (Fantasy) 6. Blinded Love by Bea Paige (futuristic paranormal romance) 7. The Stolen Bride by Gina Wynn (paranormal fantasy) 8. Hear Me Cry by Amanda J Evans (fantasy) 9. The Faerie Flag by Alison Ingleby (contemporary fantasy)

Genres: Anthologies

586 pages, Paperback

Published January 22, 2018

About the author

Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of fantasy romance and urban fantasy. She lives in the UK, where most of her books are set, with her partner. When she's not writing, Laura can be found exploring worldwide cusine with her partner, drinking tea, and reading fantasy books. Laura specialises in quick reads, featuring healthy relationships and consent-positive moments, regardless of whether she's writing light-hearted romance, mythology-inspired modern fantasy, cozy fantasy or anything in between.

Discover one of Laura Greenwood's most popular series:
- The Apprentice of Anubis (mythology inspired modern/urban fantasy)
- Forgotten Gods (mythology inspired fantasy romance)
- Jinx Paranormal Dating Agency (mythology inspired paranormal rom-com)
- House of Blood and Roses (vampire romantasy)
- Amethyst's Wand Shop Mysteries (urban fantasy murder mystery)
- Scales of Justice (mythology inspired modern/urban fantasy)
- Purple Oak Oasis (cozy fantasy romance)
- Falhaven Castle (cozy fantasy romance)

You can find a full book list and more information on her website, or in her Facebook Reader Group.

Happy Reading!

Reviews

[Rena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Breaking the Myth is a collection of stories about mythical creatures. All of these novellas are well written and beautifully thought through. These stories are all so different that you can get sweetness, humor, romance, tragedy, happiness,...
I particularly enjoyed:

Through the Storms by Laura Greenwood & Skye MacKinnon
-> This story contains romance and thankfully no instant love. I am very happy about the fact that the characters appear in another series because this story ended with a cliffhanger.

The Stolen Bride by Gina Wynn
-> I loved this story, it has romance, lots of humor, fairy tale references and really likable characters. I can't wait to read more about them (hopefully there really is more to come).

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[TipseyBookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great anthology

This Anthology has a little bit of everything - suspense, fantasy, romance and reverse harem.

Through the Storms by Laura Greenwood and Skye Mackinnon
4 stars
I really like Amber and Izban. Amber has been bullied, but tries to rise above it. She is smart and has an inner core of strength. I like how Izban encourage Amber. I can’t wait to read more about Amber and Izban in future books,

Mother of the Gods by Skye Mackinnon
5 stars
This is the story of the parents of Wynter (from the Daughter of Wynter series). Beira is the mother of the Gods and is lonely. She creates Colan, but he has a little bit more free will than she was expecting. I like that Colan pushes Beira out of her comfort zone. This is a beautiful but bittersweet story.

Kelpie’s Curse by Roz Marshall
3 stars
Corinne plays a VR game and is sucked into the fae world. Elphin has been cursed and can’t escape the fae world. This is the prequel for a series. I was intrigued by parts, but Corinne seems pretty naive and trusts a little too easily. I like Elphin, while he knows he needs Corinne, he seems to really care for her and is protective of her. I may check out the next book in the series to see what happens,

White Wolf, Black Wold by Arizona Tape
4 stars
This story is connected to the Winter Wolf series. This isn’t a romance. This story is more about the love and relationship between 2 brothers and is based on the Romulus and Remus mythology. The story is well written. It is bittersweet and gets you in the feels.

The Hound by KC Carter
2.5 stars
The writing was good and I wanted to like it, but it just didn’t catch my interest.

Blinded Love by Bea Paige
5 stars
This is the story of Medusa and Tiresias. Medusa is a brothel owner and Tiresias is assigned as her personal slave. They are both trapped in their own ways and yet grow to care deeply about each other. It was beautiful seeing their relationship develop. I hope to see more of Medusa and Tiresias’ story in the future.

The Stolen Bride by Gina Wynn
4 stars
I had never heard the fairy tale this story is based on, but I really liked the story. Sylvie is great, she has been through a lot and is a strong character. I really like her banter with Grim. Grim is great too. I really want to see more of Sylvie and Grim and see where their relationship goes.

Hear Me Cry by Amanda J. Evans
5 stars
What a beautiful story. The love between Sean and Isla is beautiful. This is a complete short story and it really gets you in the feels. This is the first story by this author I have read, but I will definitely check out more.

The Faerie Flag by Alison Ingleby
4 stars
This is a complete novella. I love the Irish mythology and I really like Fin and Liusaidh. They are both willing to go to any length for the people they love.

[Ola Adamska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story was standalone, but it had a fine twist with other series by those authors.

Through The Storms by Laura Greenwood & Skye MacKinnon (paranormal)
This story is a standalone.
I truly enjoyed Amber nad Izban's story - There was no romance but yet strong feelings could be discovered. Recommended read.

Mother of Gods by Skye MacKinnon (paranormal romance)
This one made me understand Beira more. I didn't like her in Winter Princess. Yet here I saw her other side. I will be looking at her closely while reading book 2.

[Laura Greenwood]

My story from Breaking the Myth, Through The Storms (co-written with Skye MacKinnon) is now available here: Through the Storms: A Seven Wardens Spin-Off

[Adrienne Carrieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was put together so well! Each story with an emotion of its own. I really enjoyed this!

[Book Addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a number of stand-alone stories in one book by some fantastic authors including Laura Greenwood, Skye MacKinnon, Arizona Tape and Bea Paige and many others. This is a group of interesting and engaging stories that keep the reader captivated throughout. There is something in this bunch of stories for everyone and are excellent retelling of some different fairytales.

Through the Storms by Laura Green and Sky Mackinnon bring the story of Amber and Izbsn, from the book The Deeps, to life! We learnt a little bit about them in the other book but this story is their focus and how they come to connect and mean something to each other! I loved this story and it really helps you to understand who they both are. I can’t wait to read more about these two in future books in the series! Fantastic story by two excellent authors!

White Wolf, Black Wolf by Arizona Tape
This is such a captivating short story about twin brothers, Shiro and Kurt, who face a number of challenges set by their father to see who will take over as the leader, and the other to die! The father wants the older twin to win and this story tells of the love between the brothers and also the treachery of others involved. This is such an interesting story that is well written and keep me engaged through the whole story!

Blinded Love by Bea Paige
This is such a sweet retelling of the Medusa story. This story is about Tiresias, a blind slave, that get to know Medusa and they fall in love. This story really shines a new light on Medusa and how she feels about being alone because of what she is! Theirs is a sweet love but it is also a love that cannot be at this time and the story finished with a promise of more to come! Like always Bea Paige writes and great and captivating story!

[Jennifer G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please take note that this is currently a review for Through the Storms by Laura Greenwood and Skye MacKinnon only.

This story is a tease of things to come. This is the story of the beginning of Amber and Izban who we learned a little about in The Deeps. This can definitely be read as a stand-alone, however. Amber is a Beithir, a deadly creature that is best compared as a snake-dragon who is most at home in a storm. She attends a paranormal school where she is set apart and bullied. It's a normal week for her to have her tail taken by the mean girls. A beither without their tail is a sad one indeed. A rare occurrence of a substitute teacher introduces Amber to Izban, a mage acting as her teacher. Truly he's been sent to the school with a list of rare items to collect. Again circumstances (fate) bring Amber and Izban together as he hunts for the items. In this story, they only spend one night together, but with the way it turns out, you know it's only the beginning for these two. Each recognizes something special in the other although neither is willing to examine their feelings so quickly.

This is a delightful story. Amber is a lovely lead female. She's alone and bullied, but she's not weak, not truly. She doesn't put up a fight because she doesn't want to hurt anyone. She doesn't know her own strength yet and won't risk the bad luck of accidentally killing another. Izban's attraction to her and his concern for her are sweet. There is quite a bit of humor tucked into this little story as well with their conversation and an unexpected visit. It ends on a cliffhanger that does not bode well for Amber. I look forward to more of these two.

[Candy Robosky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can only speak to the one story I read which is Faerie Flag.

Faerie Flag is a take on an old Scottish tale. It is a continuation of a tale that says that a faerie and a man fell in love and her father granted her the right to stay with the human for a year and a day. During this time she gave birth to a son. One night her son was crying and left unattended so she came to his side and comforted him giving him her faerie shawl. In doing so, his clan was granted the magic of the shall, or flag, three times. This story takes place present day and a plague has broken out around the world. Fin in hopes of saving all he holds dear, flies the flag hoping there's another saving in it. You will have to read to find out what happens. I had never heard this tale before but love it and the extension Ingleby writes.

Ingleby writes in a way that you go through a range of emotions in this short tale. There were so emotions flying about that I often couldn't tell how I was feeling. Of course, now I want to go to Scotland.

If you like faerie tales, this is a must read for you. I was given this story in exchange for an honest review.

[Jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful collection of unique retold myths!

Through the Storms from Skye MacKinnon and Laura Greenwood was absolutely refreshing and focused in characters you already know from From the Deeps. It was interesting and full of entertaining dialogues. Can't wait to read more in Into the Mists (second book after From the Deeps).

Mother of Gods from Skye MacKinnon was a fantastic read cause you'll get to know some background info about Wyn's (Winter Princess series) mother Beira and how she's fighting against loneliness with the result of Wyn being born. They way of retelling the Mother of Gods story is really entertaining and you'll be craving for more insight and POVs of her.

White Wolf, Black Wolf from Arizona Tape is an origin prequel to her series My Winter Wolf and tells the story of Kuro and his wolf twin Shiro. This retold myths ist about the struggle of keeping the balance of light and dark. And what consequences there'd be if one of them would be destroyed. This story is a great retelling and hooks you up right from the first page.

[Kathleen Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sister anthology to Once Upon a twist. So i was very familiar with some authors who i LOVE. And some that i got introduced to in the last anthology. Authors that i MUST read again! Some stories are part of series and some are standalone. And there are some that completely broke my heart. Yes I'm speaking to you Skye McKinnon! I read all the stories but Mother of Gods was so beautiful. And answered questions for those of you reading the Winter Princess series. There was also through the storm, also by Skye McKinnon amd Laura Greenwood, a spinoff from their Seven Wardens, a new awesome series they collaborated on together.

The other standout for me was Blinded Love. I found it fascinating, with the whole world building and premise of humans being low on the totem pole and animal hybrids ruling. Plus the whole other world thing. Did i forget to mentionthat the MC has a flaw. He is blind. Definitely need to read more Bea Paige. And the Faerie Flag perfectly finished off the anthology. And didn't leave me disappointed. Much better than the sister anthology.

[Tera Comer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it is a collection, anthology or boxset I am always buying them and hoping that I find new authors to read! This collection was bought because it had books that were part of series that I definately wanted to read. This collection has a little bit of everything.... Fantasy, romance, suspense and even reverse harem which is one of my favorite genre at the moment.
I loved the book by Laura Greenwood and Skye MacKinnon Through the Storms and how it focuses on less spoken about mythological creatures such as the beithir. I was glad that I read this book first, because I also binge read From the Deeps right after and it allowed me to see behind the scenes per say.

I was really happy to see Mother of Gods by Skye MacKinnon in this collection as I have already read the series that this is part of and boy oh boy did it make me understand Beira a whole lot more, as I really hated her in the series. This book actually shows the other side of her and why she is the way she is in the future.

[Amanda Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic collection so far, I haven’t read all of the stories yet but I’m working on them. What I’ve read has been amazing. These are all such unique stories by incredible authors.
Through The Storms by Laura Greenwood & Skye MacKinnon – we get to see Amber and Izban’s story, who we know of from From The Deeps. I loved seeing the two of them meet and interact with each other. I’m really looking forward to more of them.
Mother of Gods by Skye MacKinnon – I loved seeing this new side of Beira, I didn’t like her at all in Winter Princess, but I understand her better and really feel for her
White Wolf, Black Wolf by Arizona Tape – the story of twin brother pit against each other by their father, I loved their connection and loyalty to each other. There were twists I didn’t expect and I was glued to the page
Blinded Love by Bea Paige – a unique Medusa retelling, I loved seeing how she was affected by what she is. It was a beautiful love story

[Mererid Evanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of longish stories, all with several chapters. They are all very well done. The authors are clearly accomplished and passionate, and the collection is a excellent showcase for their work. I now have several books added to my TBR list. Some of the stories are contemporary fantasy, some set in other times. Some are complete in themselves, some are partial stories that can be continued elsewhere. Some of the fantasy is quite close to the original myth, some wildly divergent. There is a lot of romance, with varying degrees of explicitness. You know how it is when there is "something for everyone" – you can be pretty sure that not everything will be "for you", and that's what I found. The ones I liked best were "Kelpie Curse" and "The Faerie Flag". I am sure it is just a coincidence that they are both set in Scotland. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout.

[Michelle Fritz PA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through The Storms by Laura Greenwood & Skye MacKinnon was totally imaginative and creative! This writing duo always delivers the most unusual characters and plots! They quickly pen a very detailed oriented theme and you can't help but race through the pages! I loved this novella as it gave us back story that makes the coming of the second book all the more exciting!!!

Mother of Gods by Skye MacKinnon
I absolutely loved this novella! It was a wonderful addition to any already addicting series! It was bittersweet in the end and actually made me sad. We saw a huge shift in the determination and willpower of the 2 main characters ♡ I love that Ms. MacKinnon actually wrote this.... it gave valuable insight into a character that may not have been a favorite, the Queen ♡♡♡♡

[Cailin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED nearly every story, making this set a winner!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, but I enjoyed it so much I bought a copy, too.

The concept behind this collection of stories was pretty unique and very interesting; reimagining rare myths. As a fan of both imagination and mythology I was very excited to read this set and I was not let down! I loved most of the stories, in my opinion only one or two dragged, but the rest pulled me in and made me want to know MORE!

I enjoyed the variety of tales told, some sweet, some a bit steamer. They had great action, memorable characters, epic romances, and sacrifices. There is literally something for everyone in this collection!

I encourage you to grab a copy and get swept up today!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read one story from the book, The Fairie Flag by Alison Ingleby, which I received from the author to review. I LOVED it! and if the other stories in the book are as entertaining the book will be a keeper!! It was not a myth I was familar with, but I really liked the contemporary telling of it, and the setting, several friends have visited there and loved it! There was no surprise twist at the end but sometimes I'm a sucker for the Happy Ever After, or at least Happy for a while, and who doesn't want to believe in fairies? Well done Alison! I look forward to reading the rest of the book, and will update my review when I have.

[Heather Endsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't finished all the stories quite yet, but so far, I have to say...
Laura Greenwood and Skye Mackinnons telling of Through the storms was excellent, we learn about Amber and Izban in From the Deeps and their connection ❤
Skye's the Mother of God's shows us how Winter came to be. It takes a close look at Beira and helps to understand her more.
White wolf, Black wolf by Arizona xtape was so well written. The story of twin brothers, the father pits them against each other, to see who will rule. The bond between the brothers and the treachery of others are what intrigues me about this story.

[Caroline Doig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m new to this author and I absolutely loved this anthology, 9 fantastic stories told by 8 authors and yes I wrote 8 authors becauseSkye MacKinnon has two stories. They are all short stories and it’s bad cause I can’t pick a favourite, there are a few authors there that I haven’t heard of but their stories are great and I have put them on my list of authors to look out for. 9 paranormal stories there’s enough to keep everyone happy, I know I am and you will too. I highly recommend this book it’s well worth reading.

[Leslie Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of myths with a new twist. Laura Greenwood and Skye MacKinnon have a book from their Seven Wardens reverse harem series, Through the Storms, that I love. Arizona Tape's offering of White Wolf, Black Wolf, is also a winner with me. I have also found some new authors to follow from this book. It also showed me how much about mythology I didn't know from the brief description of the original myth before the authors' versions. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Cleocutie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful set of stories. They were all good, but Blinded Love and Kelpie Curse were especially good. Blinded Love is a very sweet story about Medusa. It is about seeing with your heart instead of your eyes and seeing beyond what seems to be obvious. It is set in the future, rather than the past, but blends the myth very nicely into the future. Kelpie Curse very nicely blends our world and the world of fairies through a vr game and is a nice story about overcoming obstacles.

[Courtney Borgstedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book because some of my favorite authors had stories published in here. Let me just say that I LOVED then entire book. Even the authors I have never read before delivered some fun an quirky stories. It is definitely a fun and relatively quick read! If you read nothing else check out Laura Greenwood, Skye Mackinnon, Arizona Tape and Bea Paige's contributions.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these stories!!
They were all fun to read and really pulled me in. All the authors did such a wonderful job with their stories.
I love the Spins on the myths. There is a story in here for everyone.

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of fairytales. It was different from any that I have read so far. If myths and fairytales are not your thing, then this book is not for you.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Brittany VanLanen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this collection of Myths that have been twisted into something new but still a bit familiar. Each story is different but they all have the common theme of myths. I also found some great prequels to a few of my favorite books that are out!

[Jan Sjostrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of myths I enjoyed reading the original and retold myths Some were new to me but all of them proved to be very well written and enjoyable till the end . I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

[Rhonda S Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of fantasy/paranormal this is a great starter. Various authors with plenty to read for a taste of ‘things to come’. Some 5 stars but none less than 3.5 stars w/Laura Greenwood & Skye MacKinnon being at the top of my list.

[Amy Naylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love anthologies and this one didn't disappoint. I enjoyed the fun quick reads. I also have found two authors I had never read before. The stories were very interesting and unique.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great myths that I never knew. Interesting to read about them and loved the concept of this book.

[Calm Your Pits · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good telling of old stories. Nothing really jumped out at me though

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read all of the stories but the ones I did are amazing. Through the storms by Laura greenwood and Skye MacKinnon was a great look at something that happens along side of from the deeps. I loved Amber and izban. She was so innocent and good. I liked that izban stood up for her and can't wait to read more about them.
Another book by Skye MacKinnon was mother of gods where we learn about biera and how wynter came to be. I enjoyed learning more about biera because she just comes across as cold through most of the winter p
rincess books. Colan was a great guy and I'm sorry that wynter will never get to know him. Also watching biera interact with the other gods and the level of respect she has was interesting.
Blinded love by bea Paige was a medusa tale. I loved the idea of medusa being a mutant and that there are not a many humans still around. This world was very well built and I hope I can read more about it.