Goddess Chosen

Goddess Rising Trilogy #1

by Jay Hartlove

Running from his dark past, former Duvalier hit man Charles Redmond is forced to take sides in a battle that has been raging since Exodus, between a power mad magician named Silas Alverado and Sammael, the Demon Prince of Liars. When Charles' beloved Voodoo is threatened with extinction, he must wager his life between pure evil and the man who could destroy the world. Charles' psychiatrist Sanantha Mauwad steps into this maelstrom of nightmares, violence and insanity to help Charles find his strength. She tries to save Charles' mind but can she save his soul?

Genres: Fantasy

269 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Goddess Chosen (Book 1 of series. Supernatural thriller 2019)
Goddess Daughter (Book 2 of series. Medical thriller 2019)
Goddess Rising (Book 3 of series. Supernatural thriller 2020)
Mermaid Steel (Fantasy romance. 2020)
The Insane God (Science Fiction. 2022)
Snow White - The Mirror's Revenge (Musical play and album 2018)

Reviews

[Penelope Bartotto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to begin, where to begin? This book is spectacular, I guess that is the best beginning I can give for this review. If you are looking for a novel that will take you on an adventure then look no further than The Chosen by Jay Hartlove. Hartlove is a master of spellbinding suspense, mystical mayhem, and spiritual surrender. Details would only be spoilers in a review of this novel.
This novel will take you on a journey that covers many locations, many religious beliefs, many places in time, and many spiritual planes. It will make you stop and think, to formulate questions, and want answers. The wonderful thing is, Hartlove is an author who doesn't just write a story, he gives you the history behind the story. Deft attention to detail makes his writing that much more enjoyable, allowing you to understand the topics under discussion, and yet he doesn't wallow in the details. Hartlove shares what is needed, but doesn't bury you under lengthy descriptions as some authors who do research have been known to do. An outstanding plot/story line has been created and the characters have been masterfully crafted to flow with the story like sediment within a river. I truly could not find any fault with this book. it did not get wordy, it did not drag, it did not disappoint at all!
I've always felt that a good book is adventure waiting to happen and The Chosen definitely qualifies as one. Take the journey, hold on and enjoy the wild ride!

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about coloring outside the genre lines! The Chosen by Jay Hartlove has probably got your favorite genre covered with a pinch of “almost romance,” suspense, mysticism, the paranormal , time travel, Voodoo, spirituality, and an ancient Egyptian rivalry between two powerful magicians, one who sided with Moses and the Exodus. Expect the unexpected and good luck trying to figure out who is really the good, the bad or the ugly. How does it all tie into the launching of a nuclear warhead, the mental stability of an import/export dealer, the ritualistic torture and killing of a modern day museum security man in search of information and the ancient god of lies and trickery? Are these monsters deities, demons or perhaps angels? If anyone comes out alive, they will be forever changed.

For me, The Chosen started out intriguingly mild, but I KNEW there had to be more layers and with each detail, I was proven right as I was taken through time, realms and countries in this well-delivered adventure! Jay Hartlove can weave a tale that is difficult to put down as more mayhem is uncovered in this well researched, well delivered “out-of-the box” thriller!

I'd like to thank the author for allowing me to read and give an honest review of The Chosen.

Publication Date: May 27, 2011
Series: Isis Rising Trilogy, Book 1
Publisher: Damnation Books
ISBN: 161572396X (Paperback)
Number of Pages: 230
Genre: Suspense, Adult Fiction, Mysticism
Recommended Audience: Adults
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Available From: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

About the author: Jay Hartlove has been writing professionally for over 30 years, starting in the gaming industry with Supergame in 1980. He writes banking compliance procedures by day, he blogs about spirituality, and he teaches seminars on the craft of writing. His short fiction has appeared twice in the Hugo Award winning Drink Tank. The Chosen is Jay's first published novel. Daughter Cell, which is a medical thriller and the next in the Isis Rising trilogy, will be available from Damnation Books on September 1, 2013. The third and final of the Sanantha Mauwad mysteries is called Isis Rising, and should be out in 2014. The extensive research that went into The Chosen is up on the book's website in a playful, interactive Tarot Card spread. Check it out at www.jaywrites.com.
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.

[David Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read The Chosen by Jay Hartlove. Charles Redmond is a former hit-man currently working in the import-export business. One of Charles clients is a strange man named Joseph who is buying religious relics and having them shipped all over the world. Charles tells his psychiatrist Sanantha that he believes Joeseph is a demon, Sanantha doesn’t believe him but soon gets dragged into a battle between good and evil and ancient religions.

Joseph is indeed more then he seems and he is working for Silas Alverado, an ancient Egyptian magician that is trying to bring the god Osiris back from the dead to rule the world again. Standing in his way is Sammael, the Demon Prince of Liars. This is a battle that has been going on since the book of Exodus and Charles who believes that his voodoo religion is facing extinction may be the only one who can stop it.

Jay Hartlove’s The chosen is an excellent action packed novel which gets deep into Egyptian and voodoo mythology. In particular I really enjoyed how Sanantha tries to talk Charles out of what he thinks is happening. There is also an interrogation scene that was very good and a little disturbing. I also love the character of Charles and how he is trying to redeem himself and what he is willing to go through to save his religion. Sanantha was another great character, I liked how she slowly fell in love with Charles and what she was willing to go through to save him. The ending was also very good and I liked the reaction of Osiris and how things work out for Joseph.

Jay Hartlove did a lot of research for this occult thriller , to get a little more of the back story that went into The Chosen and to see what went into the writing of it, check out his website at jaywrites.com. This book can easily fit intio several genres, there is a lot of suspense, horror and mystery if you love reading about religion and ancient mythology you will love this book.

[J.C. Andrijeski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hard one to review, partly because it breaks rules that I would think would be hard to break and get away with (yet the author does!), and because the world is so unique that it's difficult to place it with most of the other things out there that I've read. In the beginning of the book, it's difficult to even pin down who the main protagonist is, since Charles is introduced as a bit of a wreck, someone who seems like they might be suffering from some kind of PTSD and with whom his therapist is at a bit of a loss. Then you start to realize that Charles' 'delusions' may not be all that crazy, and that he might actually be right when he says his client is a demon, and that he's up to no good. The villains in this story are even difficult to pin down, with them sometimes behaving in such dark ways that they could rival Hannibal Lector, and at other times their deeds being posited as being in the goal of some greater good...or at the very least, the avoidance of some greater evil. Really fascinating and compelling read, especially for anyone who finds religious mythology and history interesting. From Ancient Egypt to early Judaism to Haitian Voodoo, this book knows its religions, and really creates a world around the different aspects and deities that is strangely grounded and "real-seeming," even in the most fantastical of circumstances. I was interested to know this was a series, actually, since things were left on a somewhat ambiguous note, and with me, truthfully, still unsure who the "good guys" were and who the "bad guys" were, if such a thing even exists in such simple terms in this series.

Definitely worth checking out, if you want something different and without all of the stereotypical characters and plot twists! In sum, a very multi-layered and yet fast-paced book, with difficult to classify characters in a complex and well-drawn world.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great ride! This multi-genre read will take you across the globe, from Egypt to Washington D.C. to Haiti, as well as across time, traveling from ancient Egypt to modern day. Along the way, you’ll be immersed in the religious beliefs of the pharaohs and Santeria.

The book starts off with a captivating scene at dusk, in the sandy plains of Egypt, with the Sphinx looming in the foreground. Next chapter — cut to a psychiatrist’s office in 2001 and a discussion about Zoloft and religion. Ritual, gods, magicians, and demons play a major role in the story, along with the themes of friendships and loyalty. As the chapters shift in time, genre, and perspective, you’re kept off-balance, in a good way.

The character of psychiatrist Dr. Sanantha Mauwad resonated with me. She’s a well-drawn character who’s carried through the series. She’s emphatic, principled, and a great therapist. Her questions are thoughtful and pointed and non-judgmental, just like you wish for in a therapist. As she tries to sort through the quandaries and secrets her client, Charles Redmond brings her, and tease out his paranoia from his truths, she becomes his friend. And once she figures out what’s really happening, she uses her skills as a therapist to sort through it all and make sense of something that defies logical explanation.

I highly recommend this book to folks who like history, magic, drama, horror, or suspense — there’s something for readers of all stripes in this book!

My favorite sentences: “The sun was just below the horizon and the Sphinx’s enormous painted face cast a looming black silhouette on the darkening blue sky. The image of man’s place in the universe, both master over, and yet only a part of the forces of nature: the human head of knowledge, the lion claws of courage, the bull body of will, and the falcon wings of patience.”

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a page turner folks!

The author skillfully weaves together historical threads and epic human themes in a story beginning in ancient Egypt and culminating in 2001.

Rames II is doomed when he is duped into believing the magic of the Hebrew God is equal to the Egyptian pantheon when the devil/serpent/Sammael possesses his high priest causing the high priest to abscond with the evidence to the contrary.

Intriguingly the ancient pantheon of Egypt evolves into the Haitian Voodoo Religion.

Epic human themes include reincarnation, guilt, redemption, salvation and love.

This novel has it all. A roller coaster ride through history and the thing we call life.

[Adam Shore · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a heck of a lot going on in this book that would likely have been better served to be spread over 2 or 3. I felt things were rushed in the end and had to go back and re-read a few things while trying to understand what just happened. An interesting concept that frankly, i would have loved to see much more expansion of thought on. Maybe that happens in a future book but it doesn't seem part of the path of the second of the trilogy... soon to find out

[Arianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a genre that continues to publish over-the-top gore as "good," finally, a book has come along which has depth in multiple areas.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it! A f=n' great romp and layered with intelligence and twists!

[Wendy S. Delmater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this I was not expecting. Chosen by Jay Hartlove is sort of black-Jason-Bourne-meets-Egyptian-Voodoo mashup. It chronicles an ancient rivalry between the chief magician of the Pharaoh mentioned in Exodus and his replacement when Pharaoh’s magician was shown to be a traitor for helping Moses and his people escape. At first the plot weaves back and forth involving the ancient rivalry between the traitorous magician and his apprentice, and some modern people inadvertently caught up in their ancient struggle. Demons (or are they angels?) and Egyptian magic become involved, and Voodoo rituals – and the CIA.

Hartlove holds this all together with some rather compelling characters, and some of the most evil “end justifies the means” bag guys I’ve ever encountered in a book. Charles is a Haitian-American with a checkered past that fills him with guilt, and Sanantha is a Haitian-American with a PhD who helps him struggle with that guilt. They run afoul of the reincarnated, warring magicians and the attempt to bring back Egypt’s pantheon with the help of Voodoo, voodoo that has its ultimate roots in the worship of deities of ancient Egypt.

Despite the launching of a nuclear warhead on South Florida, and drugged torture including surgically-creating a quadriplegic to extract information from him as he dies, this is not a horror story. It’s an adventure story that just happens to leave a trail of bodies, and a very different adventure story at that. Scenes flash from Africa to Washington, DC to Haiti to the spirit realm: all with equal clarity and for good reasons. Lies within lies, identities within identities, and plots within plots all come to a satisfying conclusion and while not everyone gets what’s coming to him or her, everyone is changed. Add a star if you’re tired of the same old thing in your fantasy reading.

[BookCrazy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books in my lifetime. Many of the books in the last 2 or 3 years are too much like others that came before (I'm having the same problem with TV shows). Unfortunately this book wasn't different enough from other books in this genre. If I can guess what is going on a few pages in advance, I'm not interested anymore.

On the plus side - and this is a VERY BIG plus - this book was very well structured and edited. Each sentence was crafted and there weren't any of the spelling mistakes, ad nauseam repetition, and run-on sentences that are the hallmark of so many books available now (especially those free and .99 book offerings from Amazon and publishers that I've wasted my time on). Take a random look at books on Amazon with hundreds of 5-star ratings, then look at the people who gave the book 1 or 2 stars. They all complain about the poor writing and lack of editing. So a well-written book, even if I didn't like the story, is a major point in a review.

So if you're looking for a well written book that is a genre new to you, then I would recommend The Chosen. However, if this genre is familiar to you, this book may not be different enough to hold your interest. Therefore the 3 star rating.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jay Hartlove's "The Chosen" is a different sort of horror story. Antiques importer Charles Redmond is convinced he's being followed by a demon -- one of his clients. He goes to see a psychiatrist about the matter; she's a Voudoun/voodoo practitioner.

Hartlove is a religious scholar by hobby, according to the bio at the back of the book. His scholarship shows as he brings elements of ancient Egyptian occult practices and Voudoun into the mix of a modern-day tale. Things are always just a little bit more than what they seem in this book, and the twists and turns left me a little breathless. I didn't want to put the book down!

If you're looking for something that is not the typical vampire/werewolf tale that passes for horror these days, this is the book for you!