Long and Short Reviews

Erato’s Tears by Reece Herring
The Wild Rose Press
Historical Romance, Fantasy
Short story, Spicy
Review by Snapdragon

A powerful love is cut tragically short. Beyond Hades domain their destiny burns eternally bright. Two lost souls search through time to discover their hidden passion. In Delphi, Mathias, an outcast Spartan finds a reason at last to abandon his wanderlust in the vulnerable Ambrosia. With the unseen aid of Erato, he tries desperately to conquer her hatred of warriors and bring peace to his unsettled soul. A tenuous hold on love develops, but will their untried bond endure? Can the Muse of Love overcome the destructive power of one god's revenge, and right the wrongs of history? Only ERATOS TEARS will determine.

♥ ♥ ♥

Reece Herring’s “Erato’s Tears” in Song of the Muses series is notable for its thorough use of imagery, and near-poetic descriptions. At times, readers will find themselves visualizing the finest of Greco-Roman artistry; indeed you will feel that you have slipped into life in one of the paintings. The fantasy and fantastical quality throughout never get in the way of a simply super romantic tale.

In “Erato’s Tears,” the never-ending quality of love is explored, even celebrated. Through the struggles of mere mortals, Mathias and Ambrosia, the impact, power and belief of the gods is exposed. Apollo may be bent of revenge, but Aphrodite will never give up the fight for love.

The two main characters are quite human. Mathias is who he is: Spartan, warrior, and a determined protector of women. Lovely Ambrosia is no wilting flower, and neither needs nor wants the help of such as Mathias. Having such spitfire as the female lead here is certainly a surprise – and makes Ambrosia pivotal throughout. The relationship of the two will be tempestuous… and likely they both would have preferred to have avoided the interest of a certain god and goddess. Ambrosia’s grief threatens to engulf her whole personality, but she is a far deeper character than might at first be imagined. In fact, all the main characters prove interesting and multi-faceted.

Although some descriptions slow the storyline, beautifully written historic and architectural details enhance the feeling and setting of this story: “The city of Delphi was sculpted on multiple plateau-terraces along the slope of Mount Parnassus. Huge stone pillars sat far up onto the mountain where the stadiums and Temples of Apollo resided. Other structures of different heights and widths all linked together to form homes and places of business, creating a gleaming majestic display. It was a city worthy of Apollo and Hestia…”

Those who select this story because of the setting will thoroughly enjoy the descriptions, while romance lovers will find that the quality of the descriptions enhance the evocative quality of the tale. Very enjoyable.

Comments:

Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 6:29 PM
Your Name: Marie Rodriguez
Your Comment: I loved the blend of gods and humans. Reece almost upset me towards the end ... but then she threw in a spin that made me laugh out loud.

Very much enjoyed the romance.

Sat, Nov 15, 2008 at 2:29 AM
Your Name: Alisha Paige
Your Comment: I'm dying to read this! Congrats on a fantastic review, Reecie!