4 STARS | Eros by Helen Harper

Title: Eros
Series: Olympiana #1

Author: Helen Harper
Age Group: New Adult
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Mythology, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Helen Harper
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B00IF5K1P6
Published: February 12th, 2014
Source: Amazon
Rating: 4/5 STARS

Purchase: Amazon

William Shakespeare once wrote that, “Cupid is a knavish lad, thus to make poor females mad.” The trouble is that Cupid himself would probably agree…

As probably the last person in the world who’d appreciate hearts, flowers and romance, Coop is convinced that true love doesn’t exist – which is rather unfortunate considering he’s also known as Cupid, the God of Love. He’d rather spend his days drinking, womanising and generally having as much fun as he possible can. As far as he’s concerned, shooting people with bolts of pure love is a waste of his time…but then his path crosses with that of shy and retiring Skye Sawyer and nothing will ever be quite the same again.

A sexy romance fantasy, Eros is a seductive re-telling of the classic Greek myth, Cupid and Psyche.

Eros is a modern re-telling of the Cupid and Psyche myth. Cupid, or Coop as he prefers to be called, has become disillusioned with love and believes that true love doesn't exist if he has to make it happen. Skye unknowingly ends up in the middle of a fight between Coop and Apollo, and suddenly she's thrown into a world of epic proportions and finds true love in the most unexpected way. But Aphrodite won't let just anyone have her son's heart. Only someone she deems worthy will Aphrodite allow to be with Coop, so she puts Skye to the test.

I love reading re-tellings of my favorite tales and the Greek myths are among some of my most favorites. So when I started reading Eros I was really looking forward to seeing how Helen Harper would tell her version of the Cupid and Psyche tale. While I think that there are a few things that could be tweaked here and there, such as the pacing of the story and making sure it's edited a little better, the story at it's heart really drew me in. I thought that it would take me a while to read the book considering it's over 300 pages, but I really flew through it. My favorite part of the story has to be when Skye is given the 4 tasks by Aphrodite to prove that she's worthy of being with Coop. That is the point when the story really felt real - it was the all or nothing point.

Skye was a character that I could really relate to personality wise. She's shy and has trouble reaching out to new people, but once she's comfortable with someone Skye is an outspoken and assertive person. Coop, the god of Love, is apathetic to love and just doesn't believe in it anymore, much to his mother's chagrin. I liked how Coop had this kind of mischievous, playful side to him - that was a different characteristic from other re-tellings I've read. One character, besides the two main characters, that I really liked was Coop's best friend Hermes. That poor dude was caught in the middle of all the drama. It's amazing that he remains sane.

One bigger thing that I didn't really like was the progression of Coop's love for Skye. I can understand Skye realizing her feelings for Coop after he saves her, but I didn't like how it seemed like Coop didn't come to love Skye until after they had sex. I know that the exact time he fell in love with her is explained later in the book, but the way it was written up to that point made it look like he didn't love her until after he had sex with her. So maybe that could have been changed a little, maybe with a bit more emotion added between the points of saving Skye and them having sex. 

But other than that, I think that Eros is a great read for anyone who loves story retellings and/or the Greek myths.

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Helen Harper is an English teacher currently living abroad in Malaysia. As a long time reader of urban fantasy, she finally bit the bullet and began to develop her own series of novels.

Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland. "I always loved the escapism provided by those genres," states Helen. "No matter how bad life gets, you can always find a route out, even if only temporarily, in the pages of a good book."

The growth of urban fantasy fascinated her - the mix of reality and fantasy along with strong heroic female characters appealed from the very beginning, and inspired her to write her own.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2015 to my book blog, Once Untold.

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4 STARS | Moonlight and Oranges by Elise Stephens

Title: Moonlight and Oranges
Author: Elise Stephens
Age Group: New Adult
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mythology, Retellings
Publisher: Booktrope
Format: PDF
ASIN: B0065U78MC
Published: November 10th, 2011
Source: Sophie Weeks
Events: Book Tour
Rating: ★★★★

Lorona Connelly is ready for a change from her carefully planned, bookish life. When sparks fly at a costume party, she embraces a chance for romance with the handsome Kestrin Feather. However, she quickly realizes that even love and destiny may not be enough to overcome the reality of an overprotective mother-in-law and Kestrin's long, tarnished history of relationships.

When Lorona's curiosity leads her to Kestrin's journal, doubt plagues them both with insecurities and threatens the relationship. Can true love overcome the odds, or was their whirlwind romance just a frivolous crush? Author Elise Stephens shares a journey of young love, fate, and wounded trust in the story of Lorona and Kestrin, a couple who must learn to overcome their fears to share a life together.

I loved Moonlight and Oranges! As I was reading I had a feeling that the story was based off of something, and I was right when I read the author's note in the back of the book. Moonlight and Oranges is based off of the story of Cupid and Psyche. I don't know the story of Cupid and Psyche that well, but I do know that the story does involve a meddling mother who tries to keep the lovers apart. And in Moonlight and Oranges, Kestrin's mother is scary in her efforts of keep Kestrin and Lorona apart.

I'm a huge fan of mythology and folklore, so I was really happy that Moonlight and Oranges had Greek mythology and Mexican folklore.

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Elise Stephens received the Eugene Van Buren Prize for Fiction from the University of Washington in 2007, where she also received her degree in Creative Writing. Moonlight and Oranges is her first novel and was a quarter-finalist for the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.

She lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband where they both enjoy swing dancing, eating tiramisu, and savoring the flavor of local live theater.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2012 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

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3.5 STARS | Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen

Title: Snow in Summer
Author: Jane Yolen
Age Group: Middle Grade, Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Fairytales, Historical, Retellings,
Elements: Magic
Publisher: Philomel Books
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0399256639
Published: November 10th, 2011
Source: Library
Rating: ★★★.5

With her black hair, red lips, and lily-white skin, Summer is as beautiful as her father's garden. And her life in the mountains of West Virginia seems like a fairy tale; her parents sing and dance with her, Cousin Nancy dotes on her, and she is about to get a new baby brother.

But when the baby dies soon after he's born, taking Summer's mama with him, Summer's fairy-tale life turns grim. Things get even worse when her father marries a woman who brings poison and a magical mirror into Summer's world. Stepmama puts up a pretty face, but Summer suspects she's up to no good. Is Summer powerless to stop her?

Master storyteller Jane Yolen crafts a brand-new Snow White tale filled with magic and intrigue, set during the early twentieth century in Appalachia, that will be hard to forget.

Snow in Summer takes place in West Virginia's Appalachian Mountains during the 1940's. Jane Yolen re-tells the fairy tale of Snow White in a more modern time that we're familiar with.

Summer's life was like a fairy tale until the day her mother and baby brother died and her father retreated into himself from heartache. Then Summer's father starts visiting her mother's grave every night after dinner and she hopes it's a sign that her father is coming back to her. What she didn't expect was for her father to walk down the mountain one day from visiting her mother with a woman on his arm. Summer and Cousin Nancy quickly realize that Summer's father is besotted and under the woman's spell. With no defense against the woman's magic, Summer is easily beguiled by her. Unable to please the woman who becomes her stepmother, Summer is hunted by the man her stepmother hired to kill her. She is able to escape and finds safety in the mountains with six German jewel mining brothers. But she can't escape her stepmother that easily.

Snow in Summer is an innocent girl who has a big name to live up to. She loves fairy tales and believes in True Love. And she knows evil when she sees it. She's called Summer by her family and friends, but Snow by her stepmother. With her mother gone and her father lost in heartache, Summer quickly grows really close to Cousin Nancy. But when she's beguiled by the woman who would become her stepmother, she desperately wants a mother's love and tries her hardest to get her stepmother to love her. But when she realizes that her stepmother can't love her and she sees how evil her stepmother really is, she tries to escape. When she is being hunted by the man that her stepmother hired to kill her, she finds a safe haven with six German miners in the mountains. She finds happiness there, but she knows she must always be careful in case her stepmother finds her.

I like how Jane Yolen stays with the main elements of the Snow White tale, but adds a few unique touches all her own. I also like the heroines name. It shows the two sides of the story. Snow (which she's called by her stepmother) shows the cold and oppressive side of the story. When the heroine is trapped by her stepmother. And Summer is the warm and hopeful side of the story. Where True Love is found and good always wins.

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Yolen was born at Beth Israel Hospital, the first child of Isabel Berlin and Will Hyatt Yolen. She and her family moved to California when she was young but returned to New York a few years later. After her younger brother was born, her father joined the army and served on the European front during WWII. Yolen spent her childhood taking piano lessons, ballet dancing and writing a neighborhood newspaper with her brother. Yolen spent her teen years in Westport, Connecticut, and became involved in choir, basketball, debate, language clubs and the school paper. She graduated from Smith College with several publications in literary magazines already to her name.

In 1962, Yolen married David Stemple. They had three children together and six grandchildren. Stemple passed away in 2006 from cancer. Yolen now divides her time between her homes in Western Massachusetts and Scotland.

Yolen has written over 280 books, including picture books, books of poetry, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and more. Her books are part of the core curriculum for schools across the country and have been translated into several languages.


Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2012 to my book blogs, Zodiac Book Reviews and A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books.

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