Mythological Romance: Hearts of the Anemoi by Laura Kaye (Guest Post/Giveaway)

Today I am jumping up and down-excited to have author Laura Kaye join us for our mythology feature! Among some other truly fabulous novels, Laura is the author of the Hearts of Anemoi series which is a must-read! You can check out my review of the first book, North of Need, HERE. Enjoy!

The Mythology of the Anemoi

By Laura Kaye

I’m so glad I get to help celebrate mythology romance here at Reading Between the Wines Book Club! I love any opportunity to come hang out here, so thanks to Crystal for the invitation!

My new Hearts of the Anemoi contemporary fantasy romance series features two books to date: NORTH OF NEED and WEST OF WANT (available for pre-orders, releases 7/10). The Anemoi were directional wind gods (north/south/east/west) that the Greeks associated with the seasons. This first book is about Owen Winters (ancient name Eoghan) who is a snow god in the employ of the Supreme God of the North Wind and Winter, Boreas. The second book is about Zephyros Martius, the Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring. This is the first time I’ve based characters and a world around Greek mythology, and the mythology has contributed such wonderful backstory and conflict to the characters. Here are some examples:

Daddy Drama – the Anemoi have it! Their father was Aeolus, a powerful storm god who kept them locked up and under his control. In the series, Aeolus becomes a source of a lot of the heroes’ inner conflict because of the way he treated them when they were younger. And he continues to try to keep them under his thumb as adults. What I like best though is he isn’t all bad, and I can’t wait to see if readers love him or hate him!

Bad Boys – If you know Greek mythology, you know that everybody was sleeping with everyone and people were getting revenge all over the place, and so on. That’s true for the Anemoi, too. Boreas was said to have kidnapped the princess he loved and spirited her away to a cave. Zephyros was a real player in the mythology, chasing women all over the place and having multiple wives. He liked men, too, and competed with Apollo for one man’s love and lost, and afterward some sort of suspicious incident occurred wherein the man died. The stories go on and on, and I was able to use some of them to build the characters’ backstory and characterization.

Built-in Evil – so, as it turns out, the Greeks had three seasons: winter, spring and summer/fall. They didn’t recognize fall as a separate season. Instead, they associated the fall with unluckiness and evil. So the Anemoi’s mythology gave me the perfect villain in the form of the Supreme God of the East Wind, Eurus, and his ability to spread bad luck and misfortune. Can’t ask for more than that!

Cool Powers – The Anemoi not only controlled the wind and the weather, they could also shapeshift into sacred animal forms (like winged horses among others). From there, it was easy to create other seasonally relevant powers, like winter’s Owen being able to change the composition of ice and snow and the spring’s Zephyros having regenerative healing powers. The more powers the better!

So, what do you most enjoy about mythology romance?

Thanks for reading!

Laura Kaye

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About North of Need:

Her tears called a powerful snow god to life, but only her love can grant the humanity he craves...
Desperate to escape agonizing memories of Christmas past, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband, realizing too late that she's recreated the very thing she'll never have.

Called to life by Megan's tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity.
Megan is drawn to Owen's mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things. But this Christmas miracle comes with an expiration--before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow's grief and learn to trust love again, or she'll lose Owen forever.

"Laura Kaye's captivating writing and vibrant world-building will have readers hooked on the gods of the Anemoi. WEST OF WANT is steamy, spellbinding, and a must-read for all romance fantasy fans." ~Elisabeth Naughton, author of the Eternal Guardians series

About West of Want:

Betrayal is all he's ever known, but in her, he'll find a love strong enough to be trusted...
When Marcella Raines' twin brother dies, she honors his request to be buried at sea, never expecting the violent storm that swamps her boat. Though she's gravely injured--and still emotionally damaged from her recent divorce--Ella fights to survive.
Zephyros Martius is the Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring, but being the strongest Anemoi hasn't protected him from betrayal and loss. Worse, he's sure his brother Eurus is behind it. When Zeph's heartbreak whips up a storm that shipwrecks a human, his guilt forces him to save her.
Ella is drawn to the vulnerability Zeph hides beneath his otherworldly masculinity and ancient blue eyes. And her honesty, empathy, and unique, calming influence leave Zeph wanting...everything. When Eurus threatens Ella, she and Zeph struggle to let go of the past, defend their future, and embrace what they most want--a love that can be trusted.

~*GIVEAWAY*~

Laura is graciously giving away one print copy of her fabulous and amazing title, North of Need to one US readers AND an eBook of North of Need to one INT reader! To enter, just leave a comment on this post and fill out the RaffleCopter below for your corresponding giveaway. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck!

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