Celina Summers returns with her second Mythos story which centers around Poseidon and his quest to woo Amphitrite, the Nereid destined to rule the oceans at his side. Daughter of the Sea tells the story mostly from Amphitrite’s perspective though works in the occasional viewpoint of Poseidon as well.

I really like the concept behind the series which gets back to the roots of the romances in mythology without “sanitizing” them. They seem very well-researched, allowing the author to incorporate some of the more obscure elements from the original sources into each tale. She also has done a really good job of weaving together individual books into a cohesive overarching arc, a heady task when dealing with the chronologies of classical mythology.

I buy Celina Summers’ take on mythology and I think she does a nice job of fleshing out the personalities of characters that aren’t really given that much “screentime” in the ancient sources. My one critique is that her immortal lovers might fall in love a little too easily, but perhaps this is more easily forgiven in these romances than most: the arrows of Eros, after all, can do wonders to speed things along, especially when coupled with the will of fate.

Another nice outing; I hope that the author takes us back to Mt. Olympus soon!

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
  
• Book Length: Novella
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-60168-290-1

To purchase an eBook copy of Daughter of the Sea click here.

Books in the Mythos series in the order they should be read:

Bride of Death
Daughter of the Sea
Beloved of a Mortal
Labor of Youth
Child of the Labyrinth
Prey of the Beast
Hope of a Titan
Persuasion of a Herald
Maiden of Stone
Prisoner of Beauty

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Tamsen Ka’antira is a half-human/half-elven woman destined to be queen of the Elven Realm. But her perceptions of her realm have been skewed by faulty history. She is about to find out that there is more to her realm than land boundaries and the history that even her Elders have taught. Tamsen has also been plagued by a series of dreams of a weeping stone, a golden apple, and a murderous Brial, her husband. While mentally Tamsen knows that her husband would never harm her, her fear that something or someone is driving the dream that would push both of them to a prophetic end actually puts distance between them and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Once more in the game of the gods, Tamsen must battle her uncle Gabril de Spesialle, a man who is the essence of evil. But he is not the only battle Tamsen must face. Unfortunately, her husband, Brial Ka’breona, Count of Asphodel, cannot join her on this journey and she may be gone weeks or months without any assistance. While on her journey, she will learn more of the history and the false-hoods of the elven realm and pick up some invaluable skills for her final battle. She will also conquer doubt, kill a pretender to god-hood, unite with a race separated from the humans and elves for centuries, and battle the witch Lamashtu and her cult.

Two issues about this book bothered me: corn in the first chapter (an American staple, but not found until America was populated, and while this should not be a big deal in a fantasy as almost anything goes, some people associate the image of fantasy as a medieval Europe, unless they are obviously on another world, therefore no corn, (just a tiny pet peeve)) and a reference to cells, as in human cells, when discussing healing, which was also a little out of context considering the type of technology available in this medieval-esque world. HOWEVER, don’t let these two anomalies stop you from reading The Temptation of Asphodel or this series. They are excellent tales and everything a good fantasy should be. They are multifaceted with a sweet innocence for the heroine that is definitely in contradiction to modern urban fantasy which portrays women as hard and uncompromising. Tamsen is hard when she needs to be yet compassionate and questioning when warranted.

These books are written with several chapters within another volume or book. So there may be 3-4 volumes/books within the novel. If you break out the volumes as separate tales you could make these books last weeks as a mini-series within the overall series of books. This is a COLOSSAL series, with little character bits reminiscent of Greek and Roman mythology, Hades is Hadis, Medusa is Meduse, and Pegasus is Pegasaur.

IMPORTANT NOTE: this book is incorrectly labeled erotic on the second page. It’s sweet and innocent, and I would definitely recommend for fantasy lovers of any ages. Celina Summers slays this series!

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
  
• Book Length: Novella
  
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-60168-160-7

To purchase a Kindle copy of The Temptation of Asphodel from Amazon click here.

To purchase an eBook copy of The Temptation of Asphodel from ARe click here.

Books in the Asphodel Cycle series in the order they should be read:
The Reckoning of Asphodel
The Gift of Redemption
The Temptation of Asphodel
Apostle of Asphodel

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Tamsen Ka’antira is a half-human, half-elven queen of the Elven Realm. She has been dealt horrific personal blows all of her life, and still remains a warrior and a queen. However, as she approaches judgment by the gods she will have to deal with the possibility of even more crushing losses, some of which could cause her to loose the heavens on even the innocent if no one can stay her hand or calm her wrath.

Tamsen must battle her uncle Gabril de Spesialle, a man who is evil incarnate, and who has plagued her all of her life. However, Tamsen’s husband Brial Ka’breona, Prince-Consort of the Elves and Count of Asphodel, is an unparalleled swordsman and has no intentions of letting Spesialle or any other enemy anywhere near his wife and queen. In the end Tamsen must fight her own battles of judgment to realize her magical potential and defeat a malicious god. Sometimes knowing there is someone who would protect you unto death is more important than the doing of it, and occasionally it is necessary for one’s sanity.

This tale is EPIC! This is the final chapter to a grand series with all of the tales in it at four-hundred plus pages. There are several worlds with different races (former enemies of the elves, the humans, or the sorcerers) coming together to battle a great evil. This series has over a dozen significant characters coming together from several of the previous tales to unite in love and mutual respect to recreate a great battle in Ilia; hopefully this time all of the characters reminiscent of the past battle will prevail, stop several curses, and eliminate a god.

This book is everything a good fantasy should be. It is complex, with a multi-layered storyline, has characters with depth, several sorrows and the occasional joy. One thing some might find issue with is the borrowing of characteristics of mythological creatures or even some very close similarities to Greek or Roman gods and goddesses. There is a Virgin Huntress reminiscent of Diana, and others throughout the series. One important note: this book is incorrectly labeled erotic on the second page, but it is definitely not! It is sweet and innocent, and I would recommend it for the young or not so young dragon or harpie slayer. Slay on, Celina Summers, I will be watching for you to produce the next Harry Potter, because you have the killer writer gene!

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
  
• Book Length: Novella
  
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-60168-226-0

To purchase a Kindle copy of Apostle of Asphodel from Amazon click here.

To purchase an eBook copy of Apostle of Asphodel from ARe click here.

Books in the Asphodel Cycle series in the order they should be read:
The Reckoning of Asphodel
The Gift of Redemption
The Temptation of Asphodel
Apostle of Asphodel

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Asphodel, The Gift of Redemption, picks up with our favorite characters from book one, The Reckoning of Asphodel. Tamsen, now married to Brial Ka’breona, finds that the magic she has previously used to defeat her uncle has taken its toll on her body. Tamsen ignores the weakness, and with Brial at her side she knows what must be done. Tamsen must help the Elven Realm and find a solution for the torn kingdom of Ansienne.

Gabril de Spesialle, Tamsen’s uncle, captures Tamsen after she finds success in the kingdom of Ansienne. However, her triumph is short-lived. Tamsen escapes, only to find out that she and her uncle are merely pawns of the gods.

As Queen of the elves does Tamsen have the courage and strength to redeem the elves? The gods demand one question of her – What gift can buy the redemption of the Elves? All the tension leads up to this one inconspicuous question. The redemption of an entire race rides on the answer.

I’m giving The Gift of Redemption 4 ½ tombstones. I loved revisiting the characters, and watching them grow – especially Tamsen – was a delight. Celina Summers really packs in the drama and love that was so evident in her first novel into this action-packed delight. There is a scene at the end that left me in tears. I would read the first book in the series, The Reckoning of Asphodel, before I picked this one up. The Reckoning of Asphodel is integral to understanding the beautiful world Summer’s has created.

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
  
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-60168-108-9

To purchase an electronic copy of The Gift of Redemption click here.

Books in the Asphodel series in the order they should be read:
The Reckoning of Asphodel
Asphodel: The Gift of Redemption

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Tamsen Ka’antira watched in horror as her uncle, Gabril de Spesialle, murdered her parents at her home Asphodel. The young Tamsen escapes by unknowingly causing a magical snow storm with her powers. The storm effectively conceals her tracks and she survives when her elven relatives take her in and raise her. Half human, half elf, she is taught magic from both realms.

Tamsen, now a young woman, is summoned to the beautiful, elven city of Leselle, where the elven elders of the counsel acknowledge her in the coming of age ritual. While in the city of Leselle Tamsen also becomes aware of the fact that some elves do not care for her human heritage.

Brial Ka’breona, an elf warrior, is ordered by the counsel to guard Tamsen and protect her on her journey home. Brial mistrusts humans, though Tamsen causes a change of heart when she decides to go back to Asphodel and claim what is rightfully hers. Brial finds himself awed by her courage, and his respect and admiration for her strength takes their relationship to new levels.

In the face of imminent war the human and elven worlds must work together to save an ancient race, and Tamsen must coordinate this historic battle with the help of her human and elven friends.

I’m giving The Reckoning of Asphodel 4 tombstones. Celina Summers creates a wonderful world with her descriptive words and rich characterization. The pace of The Reckoning of Asphodel is a nice change from what you would normally find on the bookshelves. While reading this book I felt relaxed and caught up in the world of the elves and their gentle nature. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in this series, Asphodel: The Gift of Redemption.

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
  
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-1-60168-038-9

To purchase an electronic copy of The Reckoning of Asphodel click here.

Books in the Asphodel series in the order they should be read:
The Reckoning of Asphodel
Asphodel: The Gift of Redemption

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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