Kyros' Secret by Elizabeth Rose

Exciting take on Greek mythsby harstan

Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings

January 07, 2001: The God of War Ares demands his daughter Thera act like a God and kill. Thera prefers not to destroy living beings, but Ares forces her to act, which she does by killing his favorite raven. Ares vows vengeance on his ?weak? offspring. Ares wants war between the humans and the centaurs. However, King Mezentius of Trozen prefers peace and unity between the two races. An irate Ares places a spell on the sovereign's offspring, Kyros. Watching his son be human during the day and centaur at night breaks the spirit of the monarch, who dies from his broken heart.

Ares revises his plan by having Thera marry Kyros? older brother, the current ruler of Trozen and impregnating her with a Centaur?s seed. However, Kyros intercedes and though he never touched Thera, she carries his child. Soon, renegade centaurs and his own brother want Kyros and Thera dead so genocide can have an excuse to be performed. It remains to Kyros to keep Thera alive, thwart her father?s devious plan, and get two species talking not fighting so that a devastating war does not occur.

KYROS SECRET is a cross between the Hercules-Xena TV shows and the movie Shadowhawk, but as entertaining as all three are. The story line is loaded with action as the intrepid lead characters struggle with an attraction and their efforts to live a moral life their way. Ares, Aphrodite, and Thera?s older twin Harmonia along with the centaurs bring a feel for the Greek myths to life while helping to propel the plot forward. This novel is must reading by fantasy fans who will soon know the secret that Elizabeth Rose is quite a talent (see EDEN?S GARDEN).

Harriet Klausner

New Author Elizabeth Rose takes us to the world of Greek Mythology and romance.by Anonymous

Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings

September 07, 2000: Kyros' Secret, by Elizabeth Rose Review by Barb Deane, Barb's All Romance Book Store New author Elizabeth Rose's second book, Kyros' Secret, is being published by New Leaf Books in November. Unlike Elizabeth's first book, Eden's Garden, which was a contemporary set in the Chicago area, Kyros' Secret is more of a paranormal based in Greek mythology. In fact, the heroine is Thera, Goddess of Sensations, daughter of Ares, the God of War, and Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. The hero, Kyros, has been cursed by Ares, doomed to spend days as a mortal man and nights as a Centaur (half man/half horse). Kyros' Secret is, obviously, not your average run-of-the-mill romance. Thera is not happy on Mount Olympus. Her twin sister, Harmonia, is more the apple of mom's eye that Thera. However, Thera is not interested in becoming the Warrior that Ares envisions either. When her father takes her hunting and forces her to kill, she aims her arrow at Ares' prize raven. In anger over the death of his favorite pet, Ares plans to use Thera to force a war between humans and Centaurs, thereby giving Hades enough dead bodies to persuade him to release the raven back among the living. The war is going to be started when Thera, whom Ares has promised as bride to the King of the Trozens, turns up pregnant and gives birth to a Centaur. However, when Ares sends a lightning bolt toward Rodas, the Centaur who conspired with Ares to bring about war, Kyros intervenes in an attempt to save Rodas. Instead, Thera becomes pregnant with Kyros's child. The problem is, Kyros doesn't know whether that child will be born human or Centaur. So, he decides to stay by Thera and protect her until she delivers the baby. In the process, he and Thera fall in love. Of course, along the way, all manner of odd things happen and obstacles are thrown in the way of true love. Ares has convinced Thera she has been stripped of her godly powers. Kyros transforms from human to Centaur and back every day, all the while neglecting to tell Thera about this transformation. Kyros' brother, who claims to be King of the Trozens and to whom Ares has betrothed Thera, is tracking Kyros and trying to steal their father's sword back in time to be proclaimed the rightful king. And Thera is confused and ashamed because she has feelings not only for Kyros, but for the Centaur Kaj - aka Kyros after dark. This story is unlike any other romance I have ever read. I enjoyed it and was entertained by it - which is why I read romance, after all. I find myself at a loss to explain why this book appealed to me so much; I just accept that it did and that I definitely recommend it to romance readers looking for a different type of love story. Elizabeth Rose is a rising star among new romance authors and I look forward to her next book, whatever reality it occurs in. Read & enjoy!