Marked by Elisabeth Naughton

Meh.

That sums up my reaction to Marked by Elisabeth Naughton.  I bought it because it was described as a steamy paranormal romance, but it hit two of those categories (paranormal romance) better than the other (steamy).  And those two hits? They left me underwhelmed.  This isn't a bad book, but I won't go back for more.  That disappoints me because I love to discover new authors. 

The paranormal premise is twist on classic Greek mythology where a parallel land, Argolea, is protected by a group of guardians descended from Achilles, Heracles, Jason, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus, and Bellerophon.  The hero is one of those guardians, and he comes to our world on a mission to save his betrothed.  Alas, he falls for our heroine (his betrothed's half-sister) who he thinks will die if he completes his mission.

Ugh.

The paranormal is underwhelming because it takes a well-known mythology and just, well, messes with it. None of the other world characters are endearing.   So, yes, underwhelming.

The romance is underwhelming because it's what I call a"Civil War" romances.  You know? The kind where the Southern belle falls for a Yankee officer, and politics, and war, and family allegiance keep the two lovers apart.  These romances are full of angst.  I am not, by nature, an angst-y girl, so I find "Civil War" romances annoying.  A hero who falls for someone he's committed to kill or defeat or humiliate is a lousy set-up for happily ever after in my book.  So, yes, underwhelming.

And the steam?  It mostly wishful.  After all, when the Civil War keeps lovers apart, they can only dream about making steam.

But if you like the turmoil of "Civil War" romances, feel free to check it out.  The amazon.com reviews are nicer than mine.