MARKED

Author: Elisabeth Naughton ISBN: 9780505528223 5/2010 PARANORMAL Publisher: DORCHESTER

From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her. She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even as a 200-year-old descendent of Hercules, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body. As war with the Underworld nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

MARKED is the beginning of a new series of Sherrilyn Kenyon-style paranormal romance. Plenty of drama ensues as characters with different agendas try to fulfill a prophecy most don’t completely understand.

Casey Simopolous is just trying to get ahead. In the effort to save her late grandmother’s bookstore, she’s working at a strip joint as a waitress. When she tries to save a man who is being attacked by strange animals in the parking lot, she’s pulled into a world she had no idea she was a part of by birthright.

Theron is the leader of the mythical Argonauts, guardians of a race of beings called Argolea. In order to save his future queen (and fiancé), he needs to lead Casey to her death. Too bad she’s his soul mate.

There’s good world-building here and plenty of setup for a long-running series. I was irritated as I always am by the mind-control skills the Argonauts have, but at least they weren’t as strong or used as frequently as in some series of the type.

If you enjoy paranormal romance based on Greek mythology, you will love this competent addition to the genre. The second book in the series is already available.

Heather Hiestand