Title: Ares
Author(s): Felicity Heaton
Series: Guardians of Hades #1
Also in this series: Valen , Queen of the Underworld
Narrator(s): Kevin Foley
Published by Felicity Heaton on November 26, 2016
Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
Genre(s): Paranormal Romance
Source: Audible Escape, Purchase
Format: Audiobook, eBook
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating:
Series Rating:
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Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Fire, Ares was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai.
Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence. Caged by the manifestation of his power, held apart from those he loves by his own fire and starved of physical contact, Ares lives a cold existence driven by duty and the desire to return to his world.
Until his world collides with a daemon who steals his power and a mortal female who shatters the ice around his heart and awakens the true fire within him—a soul-stirring passion both dangerous and seductive.
Megan has wandered far from her home, driven from everyone she loves by the devastating realisation that she is different to them all. Unsure who to trust in the world, she keeps to herself, until a fateful stormy night brings a temptingly handsome warrior crashing into her life and into her heart—a warrior who seems to hold powers more frightening and marvellous than her own.
When the New York gate comes under threat, and Ares is put to the test, will he choose his duty and regain the power he needs in order to save his world or will he choose the desires of his heart and sacrifice his fire so he can be with the woman becoming his whole world?
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Ares by Felicity Heaton is the first book in the Guardian of Hades series. It centres on Ares, one of the seven sons of Hades. Hades banished each of his sons to the mortal world, giving them the responsibility of guarding the gates of the Underworld from the daemons determined to breach it. Ares was responsible for the New York gate. They also had a power unique to them, one that seemed like a curse. Ares wielded fire, which prevented him from having physical contact with those he loved. As a result, he lived a lonely life driven by duty to protect the underworld.
Megan, while on her way home from work, found herself caught in the middle of a fight between Ares and one of these daemons. From that moment her life would go through unexpected changes. I am still not sure if she is a mere mortal. The story portrayed her as such, but her ability to heal and withstand Ares’s fire revealed that there was more to her than it led the reader to believe.
I have been wanting to read this book since its release, but never had the chance to do so until now. I went into the story with high expectations, having been a fan of the author’s Eternal Mates series. Unfortunately, it did not deliver as I had expected. Not that it was a terrible story, but it fell far from what I have come to expect from the author.
What I Liked
World Building
I enjoyed my journey into the world the author created and I also loved her twist on Greek mythology. She created a world that was a mix of fantasy and reality. I found the fight scenes exciting and intense.
Main Characters
Heroine
Meagan’s selflessness and bravery shined throughout the story.
Hero
Ares, the son of Hades and nephew to the Greek god of war who never wavered in his dedication to his duty.
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Secondary Characters
The story provided snippets about the other brothers whetting the reader’s desire for their stories.
The Ending
There were no cliff-hangers, however the ending hinted at a war in the making.
What I didn’t Like
Megan’s immediate acceptance of Ares and everyone and everything associated with him seemed unrealistic. There were no signs of trepidation, which one would have expected in such a situation. It was also odd that she gave up the life and job she had prior to meeting Ares but no mention was made as relates to these areas for the remainder of the story.
Romance
The chemistry between the key characters was non-existent, which made their whole connection seem forced.
Narration
I listened to the audio version, which proved to be a terrible decision. The narrator’s voice was monotonous. It was as if he was reading an academic book and not a novel filled with intense action and romantic scenes.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Although this installment didn’t live up to my expectations I intend to continue the series.
About Felicity Heaton
Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too. If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Audio Book Challenge
