Athena's Champion - David Hair & Cath Mayo (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 8/11/2018

Authors: David Hair, Cath Mayo

Publisher: Canelo

Published Date: November 8, 2018

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

About the book: 

The first in a thrilling new historical fantasy series; Odysseus must embrace his secret heritage and outwit the vengeful Gods who would control or destroy him…

Prince Odysseus of Ithaca is about to have his world torn apart. He’s travelled to the oracle at Pytho to be anointed as heir to his island kingdom; but instead, the Pythia reveals a terrible secret, one that tears down every pillar of his life, and marks him out for death.

Outcast by his family, hunted by the vengeful gods, Odysseus is offered sanctuary by Athena, goddess of wisdom, and thrust into the secret war between the Olympians for domination and survival. Only his wits and his skill as a warrior can keep him ahead of their power games – and alive.

When one of Athena’s schemes goes drastically wrong, and the young Helen of Sparta is kidnapped, Odysseus must journey past the gates of Hades to save her. Falling in love with a Trojan princess, a bewitching woman who poses a deadly threat to both his homeland and Athena, won’t make his task any easier…

Drawing from classic Greek mythology, Athena's Champion, first in the epic Olympus series, is perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and David Gemmell.

My Review:

     Odysseus was never one of my favourite heroes in Greek mythology partly because I sided with Troy and Hector in the epic battle of Troy. Yes, not even Brad Pitt as Achilles could change my loyalties in this regard. Since Odysseus had more than paid up for his treachery and the fact that he never wanted to be a part of the Trojan war in the first place had favoured him to me a bit. And Tennyson's poem invoking him as a tireless fighter who is intended to live life to the lees only accentuates this image.

       David Hair and Cath Mayo's recent addition to this literary corpus brings yet another side of this Ithacan hero. Following the non-Homeric tradition which sees Odysseus as the son of Sisyphus, the book traces his journey of survival as a champion of Athena, the warrior goddess of logic and reason.

     From the beginning itself, we feel a comradeship with Odysseus who are scared to wits when his stable world comes tumbling down. He knows his limitations and his silver tongue sets him apart from the usual heroes who are known for bloodshed and deeds of valour. The man we find here is fragile as any other human but refuses to be a pawn in the games of gods. How he will manage to do that is yet to be seen.

      Though first in the part of a series, the story has a satisfying end so that the readers can keep their excitement leashed until the arrival of the next one. I loved the way the authors managed to give a modern interpretation to the existence of Greek Gods; they are alive till they are worshipped and thus the Trojan war turns out to be a decisive one regarding their survival.

      To conclude, 'Athena's Champion' will hook anyone who loves Greek mythology. You feel right at home with Odysseus and with each turn of the page, we are pulled deeper into the story. It was an enjoyable and educative read which made me revisit some of my mythology references. Thank you, Ellie Pilcher of Canelo, for sending me an ARC and for the invitation to the blog tour.

Meet the authors:

David Hair is an award-winning New Zealand YA and Adult fantasy writer, and the author of sixteen novels.  He’s joined his considerable skill and expertise with Cath Mayo to create the Olympus Series, an adult historical fantasy drawing on ancient Greek Mythology, following the adventures of Odysseus as he navigates the dangerous world of the Greek Gods.

@DHairauthor

Cath Mayo is a New Zealand YA, Children and Adult fiction author. Her two published YA historical novels are both set in Ancient Greece and her first novel received a Storylines Notable Book Award for Young Adult Fiction in 2014. She’s joined her considerable skill and expertise with David Hair to create the Olympus Series, an adult historical fantasy drawing on ancient Greek Mythology, following the adventures of Odysseus as he navigates the dangerous world of the Greek Gods. @cathmayoauthor

Dreaming of Christmas - T. A. Williams (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 12/09/2018

Author: T. A. Williams

Publisher: Canelo

Publication Year: 2018

Source: NetGalley 

Rating: 4.5/5

 

About the book:

 

It’s the dream Christmas: snow, mountains… and, er, an ex-boyfriend. But can Zoe still find love in the Alps? 

 

 Dumped on Christmas Eve by her long-term boyfriend, it's been a rough year for Zoe Lumsley. But then she gets an invitation she can’t refuse: an all-expenses paid skiing holiday with old university friends.

The bad news: her ex, Grant, will be there with his new girlfriend. But so will her former flatmate Billy, the organiser, and in the meantime, he’s done rather well for himself. As Christmas in the Alps approaches, it'll be great to see the old gang. Some more than others...

Perfect for readers of Tilly Tenant, Holly Martin and Philippa Ashley, this is the perfect magical Christmas getaway from the bestselling T.A. Williams. 

 

My Review:

 

          Not the first Christmas book I am reviewing this year, but the first one I read this year which has awakened in me an unquenchable thirst for more and more Christmas stories. The cover was not to my liking, but the blurb more than makes up for it. A reunion of uni friends in the snow-covered Austrian landscape, organised by a billionaire friend is the perfect background for the Christmas tale anyone can hope for.

        The direction of the story was quite obvious, or so I thought, until that small but relevant information is slipped to the readers: Billy is happily married to a beautiful wife. Well, you could imagine my shock at this revelation and the tension started to mount with each turn of the page. Finally, my poor little heart was not able to take it anymore, and let's just say it was not one of my proudest moments; yes, I did have a peek at the ending. Come on guys, don't make that nasty face at me. I am making this confession only to advise you not to make the same error of judgement. Trust the author. You will definitely love it however the story goes.

      Part of the charm of the novel lies with the amazing setting. One could feel the snow-topped Alps, thanks to the gripping narration, and Billy and Zoe's skiing expeditions only add to the adventure spirit. Zoe was easy to warm up to probably because of her clumsiness, something that I share with her. Her openness and wise advice persuade others to find a solid refuge in her and we couldn't resist loving her.  

       I don't know how much my review was able to do justice to this wonderful book. It seems I have rambled on quite long. Altogether a fabulous tale that I am going to cherish forever. 

 

Meet the author:

 

T.A. Williams lives in Devon with his Italian wife. He was born in England of a Scottish mother and Welsh father. After a degree in modern languages at Nottingham University, he lived and worked in Switzerland, France and Italy, before returning to run one of the best-known language schools in the UK. He’s taught Arab princes, Brazilian beauty queens and Italian billionaires. He speaks a number of languages and has travelled extensively. He has eaten snake, still-alive fish, and alligator. A Spanish dog, a Russian bug and a Korean parasite have done their best to eat him in return. His hobby is long-distance cycling, but his passion is writing.

A Christmas Date - Camilla Isley (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 04/10/2018

Author: Camilla Isley

Publisher: Pink Bloom Press

Publication Date: October 25, 2018

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources)

About the book:

No one wants to be single at the holidays. 

Even Little Miss Grinch, Nikki, a successful and independent woman, must face her bachelorette status at the most horrible time of the year. 

December is her personal version of holly-jolly hell: a merry torture made of couples kissing at every corner, forced vacation days, and an inescapable family reunion. 

And when her baby sister announces she’s engaged—to Paul, the man Nikki is secretly in love with—and that he’s spending the holidays with them, Christmas starts looking bluer than ever. 

Nikki can’t possibly survive an entire week trapped home as the family’s spinster. But she has no time to meet men or to try the newest dating app, she’s too busy working as a video producer for an advertising agency. 

So what’s a girl to do? 

Nikki has the perfect solution: to hire a fake boyfriend. 

Luckily, her job gives her access to an endless catalogue of gorgeous actors to choose from. 

But Nikki will soon discover that keeping business and pleasure from mixing isn’t so easy and that she might not be immune to a little mistletoe magic. Especially not when she picked out the perfect man as her Christmas date... 

A fun, festive romantic comedy with lots of bad behaviour and Christmas spirit. Like a creamy hot chocolate with marshmallows, you won’t want to put this deliciously hilarious novel down. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Sally Thorne, and Jo Watson. 

My Review:

    
        If you are thinking what I think, then you guessed it right. This is the textual Christmas version of 'The Wedding Date', but far better than the original book 'Asking for Trouble' of which the movie is based. So we could pretty much see the story through the blurb itself, but that won't deter the reading pleasure a bit. After all, this is a different setting, different girl and if you can visualise someone better looking than Dermot Mulroney, well, then we have a too good to be true hero in our hands.  
        This is the third in the 'First Comes Love' series but can be read as a standalone. Filled with festive spirit, family moments and siblings rivalry, the book makes an unforgettable read which will warm you like a sweet cup of hot chocolate. Nikki and Diego make a charming couple and their love story is as exciting and intriguing as their respective personalities. Within no time, we get attached to both of them and the impact of the fake date arrangement on Jules was priceless. I enjoyed every twist and turn of the plot and the ending was really fitting to a Christmas story. Highly recommended !!!

Meet the author:

Camilla is an engineer turned writer after she quit her job to follow her husband on an adventure abroad. She’s a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveller, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.