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            Hi, I’m Zahra Delsol. . . the white Zahra Delsol and I want to tell you about my interview from hell.

And a potential vampire.

And the dream sex.

And the never-ending embarrassment.

Oh, and the obscenely, inappropriate office moments.

There are some silver linings. . .  like a free mini-vacay in Tucson (with some demons).

            I’m just a girl trying to make it in the world of internet astrology. . . Actually, I am just a girl trying to pay off her student debt and looking to live life to its fullest (which mostly entails reading in my free time and googling researching information).

So, I would love for you to join me in my Trust Tree of Truth, where I am unfailingly honest and you are abidingly nonjudgmental. Do I need to sell this more or did I have you at ‘dream sex’?

Virgo Rising is book one in The Afflicted Zodiac Series.

The eight planetary gods of astrology all suffer from an afflicted moon caused by the very woman who betrayed them. Imprecated to be ruled by their darker natures, they must find a way to break the curse before it is too late.

WARNING: This novel is intended for readers 18+. There is explicit language, sexual scenes with multiple partners, and threats made by men who think they are gods. . . I hope you enjoy! Also, please note this BOOK ONE of a series, and there will be some unanswered questions and events at the end of the book. Thank you and enjoy!

273 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2019

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About the author

M.J. Marstens

65 books661 followers
Bestselling author M.J. Marstens mixes romance, suspense, comedy, and sassy characters who can say whatever they are thinking because it is just a story. When she is not creating steamy scenes or laugh-out-loud fiascos, she is refereeing her four children that she homeschools. In her free time, she loves to eat, sleep, and pray that her children do not turn out like the characters she writes about in her books.

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5 stars
633 (42%)
4 stars
450 (29%)
3 stars
276 (18%)
2 stars
100 (6%)
1 star
44 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
Profile Image for G.
523 reviews210 followers
June 17, 2021
3.5 stars
Great concept with the planetary gods. I just wished it was easier to tell them apart.
Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].
1,464 reviews3,819 followers
April 5, 2019
I have no idea what I just read, but I actually really enjoyed it.

I had to give it 3 stars because the editing was ATROCIOUS. People's eyes were filled with 'condensation' instead of 'condemnation' (sounds painful); not a single character has EVER heard of contractions, resulting in the sort of dialogue one typically finds amongst Victorian royalty; and there were so many malapropisms that I'd be dead of alcohol poisoning if I were to take a shot every time I saw one.

If I drank, that is. Which I don't. Neither does the heroine, just because she doesn't like the taste. It was very refreshing to see a heroine who doesn't drink, and I must admit it endeared Zahra to me even more. I already loved her anyway though, because she is bloody hilarious. She is basically the entire reason this book has 3 stars. Her internal dialogue had me cracking up, similar to Emelle from the Heart Hassle series or Willa from Curse of the Gods. You should really read the book for Zahra alone. There's also a wonderfully unique premise with the whole Zodiac star signs thing.

Zahra's personality was so strong that I even managed to overlook things which normally make me DNF a book. Not just the editing issues I mentioned above, but also:

➼ Multiple POV, which I usually hate but could somehow accept this time.

➼ OW presence. It's not a safe book in that sense, but the heroine 1) isn't a virgin and 2) didn't give a damn when she saw, so I didn't give a damn either.

➼ 8 men in the harem, which really is too many, but most of them did manage to convey their personalities across at least.

➼ A somewhat confusing set-up regarding names. The men all have human names, but refer to each other solely by their planetary names. I liked that little touch, but it took ages for me to work out who was who. (It was quite satisfying when I did though! And it certainly kept my interest engaged).

➼ Zahra spends way too long blathering on about her name. Like dude, Zahra isn't even such an uncommon name. I'm called Namera, which practically nobody else on the planet is, and I don't spend half as much time agonising over spelling/pronunciation as she does.

I'm keen to read the sequel, although I'm concerned that it'll feature one of my pet peeves - an OW whom the heroes were actually in love with in the past. So I'll be reserving judgment on that one, but I undeniably enjoyed this one. Here's to hoping the author hires a better editor soon!

[Blog] - [Bookstagram]

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Profile Image for Savannah Laegen.
233 reviews18 followers
April 7, 2019
Freaking love this

This is the first book I have read by this author and I LOVED IT. Astrology has always interested me and I love seeing it in a book! Zahra’s inner dialogues and freaking hilarious. I cannot wait to see where the rest of the series goes!
2 reviews
March 21, 2019
Awesome read and well-written

This wasn't the cover of the book I read, I like the new one better. As for the book, I thought it funny, fast-paced and interesting. Reading the reviews, I did not find editing errors, again maybe the book updated these with the cover. At the end of the book, there is a sheet explaining some of the astrology lingo, which I found helpful, but I did not find the astrological aspects of the book too confusing. Some readers say this is slow burn, others say fast burn. It is both, for me. Zahra, the fmc, quickly jumps into sexual relationships with her 'bosses', but there is no sex in the book. Overall, I loved the book and can't wait for the second.
Profile Image for Book Blurb.
3 reviews
April 3, 2019
Hilarious new series that will have you laughing out loud!

What I loved:
-Zahra's sense of humor
-The twist at the end
-The chemistry between everyone
-The endless embarrassment :)

What could be fixed:
-Putting Zahra's BA Cheat Sheet at the front of the book or telling people to use it for a reference
-A reference of who is who from god to human.
72 reviews1 follower
March 12, 2019
Surprise read

I was bored and decided to give this book a try. Surprisingly i really enjoyed it. 80 percent of the book i was either laughing out poud or giggling. Unfortunately i was in a public place so i looked like a complete lunatic but i couldnt help myself. Does end on a slight cliffhanger but was still worth the read. Looking forward to the next book and reccomend this book and author
Profile Image for Theresa Masker.
239 reviews6 followers
March 22, 2019
Lets just say when I first started to read it I wasn't sure about it. But once I got a chapter in I was hooked. Fmc was funny and sassy. A good combination. I laughed so much. And I usually don't like a lot of humor but in this book it made everything else stand out. And hot Aplha men, you cant ask for me. I am so looking forward to the next book.
1 review
March 13, 2019
Hilarious book

Great new series. Really awesome author to interact with- spoke with her on FB. Funny and light, but also with a well-developed story line and characters. Anxiously awaiting second book!
Profile Image for Angela.
125 reviews
March 28, 2019
So much fun!

I really enjoyed this book! It was fun, sexy, and different. I can't wait to see how Zarah gets out of her current situation and what the guys are going to do. Looking forward to book 2!!
1 review
March 10, 2019
Interesting story line incorporating elements of astrology. I loved Zhara, she's hysterical. I can't wait for the second book, I need to know more!
Profile Image for Meghan.
93 reviews4 followers
March 12, 2019
So funny! Amazing new series!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The FMC is hilarious and the story was incredibly unique. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
1 review
March 19, 2019
Loved it. Too funny, but I wish I knew more about astrology.
Profile Image for Kikuvian Rose.
83 reviews
August 26, 2019
I consider it rare when I feel the need to give 2 stars. It means the story had potential. Her plot is actually well-thought-out. It is, for the most part, carefully constructed and thorough. Zahra even has logical reasoning behind her name - a tidbit often excluded from a story. And Heaven knows I could be a sucker for Mio/Mercury.

If you're picky about formatting, spelling and grammar mistakes, place this book on the back-burner. I do believe Marstens would be wise to invest in a second run through with an editor. An experienced one.

Just about any place in the book where it should contain an "I am" or "it is", or some other word commonly conjoined by an apostrophe, I find "I'm" and "it's". In every instance, it makes the book stop making sense. It is hard to tell based on the detailed thesaurus-worthy knowledge of words if the mistakes were simply accidental or if the rest of the bigger words were, in fact, written by someone else entirely. This is a simple issue that should have been caught along with several other points of basic spelling mistakes (see: "tripe" instead of "trope").

It was already difficult to keep track of the flipping POVs since we have two names for every male - their planetary name and their earthly name. This is confusing. I would have preferred to have her remove their perspectives entirely. It is unnecessary as long as two names are used. It actually took me until 80% into the book before I began to mentally link names like "Nyame" and "Sunny", "Illu" and "Neptune". Realistically, this needs to be simplified. Grasping character identities is something that should free-flow at 30% into a book worst-case-scenario, not 80% in.

The sheer number of "paragraphs" seems it was a way to take a 50-page book novella and bump it to a full-size book. Almost every sentence has a new paragraph. Multiple sentence paragraphs are mostly due to half of them being inner-monologue, sheltered by parentheses.

By far the thing that irritated me the most, and I realize this is personal, so it may be up your alley, it may be just how the author writes, it may be just me - breaking the fourth wall. Constantly. When I read a story, I want to be transported to that world. It's a snowglobe situation. Especially when the MC of a Reverse Harem novel is written in first-person POV. I'm supposed to imagine being in Zahra's shoes. But I can't do that. I can't do that because the snowglobe is constantly being shattered.

Every single page has some kind of inner monologue, talking to herself, arguing with an unknown source for validation of thought, explanation of viewpoint. At one point Zahra even calls the reader out for not being Feminist enough because of some question about Wonder Woman. I'm sure, at this point, that more than half of the book is Zahra's inner thoughts as if she's talking to the reader. Broken snowglobe.

I also found a more minor issue with the detail to the astrology. I adore astrology, but I don't know how to read charts. I appreciate the detail given to explain but it felt like suddenly I should be taking notes in a class rather than reading a book. There was, for lack of better phrasing, too much information there. It was irrelevant to give so much and the glossary should really have been in the front. I applaud the author for the effort that ultimately went too far, too fast.

I feel bad not leaving a favorable review but realistically, it's just not something I want to continue or invest myself in as a reader and, to be honest, the cliche ending just sealed the deal.
Profile Image for Heather Gilbert.
1,814 reviews85 followers
December 26, 2021
Whoah

I’m all over the place with this book - I both loved it and disliked it, but not quite in equal measure. Love won out, saved by an ending that redeemed the rambling heroine and the far too arrogant Alpha males (in their defense, they ARE Gods... so...).
It was mixed up, messed up and muddled to an astrological perfection - creating its own natal chart of humor and lust - with a solid dash of myth and snark.

~ First person, multiple POV Fast burn RH. Mmmmmmmmf...... seriously. Cliffhanger ending.

Pros:
- Funny!
- It will drag you back to your teens when you spent hours pouring over your own astrological chart and compatibles (just me??)
- 4th wall?
- Hot!

Cons:
- disjointed
- Rambles
- MUCH too fast
- editing
- That cover.... but I think it’s been updated?
Profile Image for Rhonda.
1 review
April 6, 2019
AWESOME STORY

This story is like nothing I have read before. A really unique concept using astrology and the zodiac. It was a little confusing with all the names, but I realized it was meant to be that way. And I liked trying to solve the puzzle. I did not see the end coming! Ends on a total cliffhanger, though. . . wish I had book two.
1 review
April 2, 2019
Can't wait for book2!

Super funny. Fast read, but not in a bad way. MC tends to ramble, but I think that is part of her character. Wish I read the astrology cheat sheet in the back first.
1 review
April 3, 2019
Fantastic story. Great sexy scenes, nothing too repetitive. I loved the mc. So excited for book 2!
Profile Image for Myriam.
645 reviews26 followers
April 16, 2019
This was by far the funniest book I have ever read! I have read many books with funny parts and dialogues, but here, laughing just doesn't stop! Everything is funny. Apart from the cliffhanger, that one kind of sobers the reader in the end, however, you can't help but wonder what kind of fun stuff is about to happen in the midst of the whole mess.
The main character is Zahra, and she is the funniest character ever created. She is funny, positive, smart, and so clumsy at times that a reader might fall of a chair laughing. She also does not have any filters whatsoever, so whatever is on her mind, comes out. And the author's writing style is so incredibly funny and engaging, as it alternates between the plot, Zahra's internal monologues, which are the bestest part of the book, with some added comments from Zahra directed towards the reader. And the author here and there follows a point of view of different characters, as well. All of this rounds up the story beautifully and adds to characters' personalities.
The plot is quite interesting and I found it easy to follow, although I have zero interest or knowledge of astrology. It did not impact my love of the story one way or another. The author did an amazing homage to a library, or maybe a special library, I am not sure, but it was beautiful to read. The author's writing is impeccable and engaging, the plot interesting and gripping, the characters beautifully developed and some of them shrouded with mystery, and the world is well built. Obviously Zahra is superlovable and amazing, and the men, well, they are certainly not immediately lovable, however, as they grow on Zahgra, they grow on the reader, and they are not that bad.
There is some seriously hot stuff in this book, so consider yourselves warned. Like super hot. Steaming hot. I loved everything about this book and I devoured it immediately and I can't wait for the next one, and not just because of the cliffhanger but because I miss Zahra and I want more of her monologues and thoughts and whatever comes to her mind. This was a great book, and a great author discovery, and I will cherish this author and her books forever.
Profile Image for 4foxsake.
894 reviews14 followers
April 14, 2019
Trust Tree of Truth Review.

Zahra is my spirit animal.

https://media0.giphy.com/media/yBPFkq...

Zahra is... a riddle inside a mystery, wrapped in a enigma, dipped in honey and slathered with hot sauce. There are more sides to this woman than my basic 9th grade geometry mind can define. She’s sassy, she’s inappropriate, a little crazy, a bit of a deviant and all AMAZING. And everything I want to be.

I like big harems and I cannot lie....

8 angry arrogant & ash-holish (alliteration ftw!) man Gods (see what I did there?) “hire” Zahra to help them unravel a curse placed upon them by their previous crazy lover. Chaos, hilarity and weird sex dreams ensue.

I FLOVE the astrological aspect of the story. So fresh and different than other books I’ve read recently.

TL’dr: crazy ass (in a good way) FMC crashes celestially into 8 man gods life where they use her for information, and her body, to break a thousands of year curse. Strangely, there is no sex in this book, but lots of... other stuff. And astrology. And benevolent giving of used sex toys.

And googling. Lots of googling.

https://media1.giphy.com/media/i3LMAr...

Read this book. I seriously cannot wait for the next one. I am going to go stalk the author now.
Profile Image for Margaux.
1,591 reviews32 followers
April 15, 2019
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have got to say, I'm not super into the idea of zodiac/birth charts, nor am I skeptic. I'm just kind of "meh" on them. However I was delighted by this book. Our protagonist, Zhara, is hilarious. The whole book alternates from her perspective to her Zodiac Gods' perspectives, and Zhara treats the reader like her bestie.

It is super confusing for a while to try and get down who each of these guys is, just because there are so many of them. It's doubly confusing because at times they're called by their planetary names and at times they're called by their zodiac names, and at times they call themselves their "human" names as introduced to Zhara. However, there is a handy index in the back that gives you a little "cheat sheet" on each of these characters' names and primary traits. Let's face it, when you're reading a rh romance, you're not really looking for anything but a fun read, and this delivers.
Profile Image for Fawn Michaels.
Author 2 books9 followers
April 15, 2019
This is my first book by this author, and holy crap it definitely won´t be last. It had everything. A spunky, hilarious FMC and paired with hot sexy AF alpha men. YES PLEASE! Zahra is now a new favorite character of mine. I floved her so much! I never laughed so much until I read this character. And boy howdy the steamy hotness that is provided. Woo, I need a cold shower after reading this story! I can´t wait to dive into book 2. Fantastic job!!!
Profile Image for Felicia.
598 reviews
May 13, 2019
This was a pretty good book. I don't know why I wasn't expecting much from it. But it did leave me wanting more. So I'll definitely be continuing with the series. At some point... Lol.

Zahra is a young woman living in like Minnesota (I don't remember if this is the right state or not). She is an astrologist. She knows a shit ton of information regarding the stars and horoscopes and whatnot. She is looking for a job that has something to do with this. When the perfect job opportunity comes available in sunny Arizona she jumps on the opportunity.

When she gets there she meets the eight seriously hot and seriously fuckable owners of the resort she's applying for a position at. They are treating her with caution and resentment (maybe? idk the right word). She doesn't know why. But it's because these eight are gods who were cursed by another god. They think Zahra is not who she says she is. But they need her to figure out how to break the curse.

Along the way, the guys can't help but be drawn to her, sexually and emotionally and mentally. So of course, they give into their desires throughout the story and boy, is it hot.

There is a boatload of information regarding astrology in this book and I'll be honest, I glanced over most of it. Because I'm just not into it. And I had no problem understanding what was going on without reading those ridiculously long astrology information paragraphs.

And the constant in parentheses thoughts of Zahra's. OMFG. SO. ANNOYING. When you read this book you'll understand what I mean. Lol.
172 reviews1 follower
April 13, 2019
OMG!! OMG!!!!!!

I absolutely loved this book, when it ended I was so sad, I wanted more. No I need more the concept of this book is unlike anything I have read before. The character profiles are absolutely amazing and just plain perfect. I cant wait to see what happens next, this book is just so exciting, I can only imagine how wonderful the next book will be. This has made my top ten and I definitely recommend it.
Profile Image for Julie Sherman.
1,465 reviews24 followers
April 11, 2019
Different

This book is different for me. It's quirky and formative. I've never thought how the signs work. I can't say I understand it but it was very interesting.
5 reviews
January 11, 2020
More. I need more.

I loved this second installment of the Liminal Academy. I am hoping for more wonderful stories by MJ Marstens and can't wait for the rest of Lilith's story
Profile Image for Autumn Miller ~ autumnbookreads.
1,281 reviews670 followers
October 1, 2019
I really liked this book. The beginning was a little rough, but things got better quickly and I ended up hooked! This book was just so unique and different from anything else I've ever read. It was highly centered around astrology and it had a strong focus of mythology in there as well which I wasn't expecting.

Zahra- Zahra was... a breath of fresh air, to say the least. Her inner monologue constantly had me laughing and the situations this girl finds herself in is unbelievable. I loved being in her head and seeing her reactions to things. I am excited to see where she goes next.

The Guys- Well, Zahra certainly had her hands full with the eight men in this book! You'd think with that many male characters, their personalities would blend or be indistinguishable from each other, but the males in this book certainly weren't that. They each had a distinct personality that fit their names and associated planets well. To say that they were overwhelming, would definitely be and understatement. They just dominated every scene they were in and they fit Zahra's strong personality well. I'm highly anticipating seeing them further interact with Zahra in the next book!

If my above statements weren't indication enough, I will definitely be continuing this series. It was highly entertaining and I am really looking forward to the next book!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,277 reviews58 followers
May 6, 2019
Zahra is a badass astrologer. She jumps at the chance to leave her frozen town in Minnesota behind to interview for a position at a posh resort in sunny Arizona. She's also been having reoccurring nightmares/wet dreams about a monster of a man. Turns out said man might be one of the bosses at the resort. The 8 sexy bosses are having her prepare their astrological charts in the hopes of breaking a curse put upon them by "Lina". They also believe that Zahra might be Lina reincarnated without her memories, so they waiver between hating her and wanting to do other bad things to her.

Not a bad start to an RH series. The astrological aspects are interesting, though I will admit that I glossed over some of the terminology/explanations. Zahra is a funny FMC, she's a bit of a ditz but then has moments of brilliance. I'm not sure how I feel about her yet because of that. Her inner dialogue is funny and I tend to forgive quite a lot in the writing if the author can make me laugh frequently. I'll probably pick up book 2 when it comes out. This one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so of course, I want to find out what happens next. Smut level was 4 out of 5 despite
Profile Image for Samantha.
120 reviews
May 22, 2019
Sooooo funny!

This story seriously had me laughing out loud. The MC’s inner ramblings were hilarious! This was exactly what I needed. A good laugh in a good story!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews