Mythological Romance: Platinum Passion by Jennifer Lynne (Guest Post/Giveaway)

As our Spotlight on Mythological Romance continues I would like to welcome author Jennifer Lynne who is joining us with the first book in her Gods of Love series, Platinum Passion! 

Aphrodite's children: The erotes as gods of desire

Ancient Greece has always been of interest to me, even when I was in the early years of high school. The accessiblity of those Greek gods and their interaction with the humans around them, their volatile natures and dangerous passions burning so close to the surface – all were  fascinating drawcards for a teenage girl with a vivid imagination.


When I was searching for an appropriate mythology that might work for an erotic romance idea called Gods of Love, a series of short, stand-alone novellas with a common theme, it was inevitable that I would look to the heights of Mount Olympus – the home of the Olympian gods – for inspiration. I found a group of winged gods called the erotes, and researching their myth has indeed been heavenly territory – especially for an erotic romance author!


As with most mythological beings, there are many different versions of the erotes myth. The one that resonated best with me is that they are the children of Aphrodite and aspects of the primal god of desire, Eros. I was fascinated by the idea that eros, or "desire", is such a complex emotion that its various aspects could only be personified across several beings rather than contained in one.


While the erotic author in me applauds the idea of the greatness of eros, I also love the idea that the power of the erotes stems primarily from a woman (yep!), the Greek goddess Aphrodite, born of the sea. As the mother of the erotes, Aphrodite's subtle influence will be evident throughout the Gods of Love series.


My celebration of the ancient Greek gods of love, and their interactions with humans in need in modern day society, begins in Platinum Passion with the gorgeous Pothos, god of sexual yearning.


If you choose to read my short novella, Platinum Passion, as part of the Mythology Reading Challenge here at Reading Between the Wines, you can find it for $0.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or All Romance ebooks.


Here’s the blurb for Platinum Passion:

Three people. One erotic fantasy. And a twentieth wedding anniversary like no other.Jeannie yearns for the return of passion in her marriage. Jakes craves new excitement in the form of another man. Pothos is an aspect of Eros, the ancient Greek god of love, and this couple’s distinctive yearning has called to him. By the power of the erotes he intends to rekindle the flame of Jake and Jeannie’s passion in a night of desire that will be the ultimate platinum anniversary gift.And when the gods of love decide your marriage needs a boost, they never do it by halves.

Here is a little taste of Platinum Passion:

Turning slightly, she inhaled the delicious aroma of his skin. Different to the clean citrus smell of her husband, Pothos smelt exotic and sensual. Not quite musk, not quite spice, but altogether it was heady and enticing.

“Like someone bottled pheromones and sprayed you with it,” she muttered, wanting to bury herself deeper in his embrace.

“You like it, of course,” he said, and now it was Jeannie’s turn to laugh, at that supreme confidence.

“I love it,” she admitted, and at her words the aroma intensified around her, as if she were immersed in a sensual river, almost drowning in pleasure. Her knees buckled as erotic images began to assail her. Images of herself crammed between Jake and Pothos, the three of them somehow entwined on the sand, moaning and rutting and taking it in turns to love each other in the silvery light of the moon.

That’s what I want, she thought, and the ferocity of her longing had her hands reaching up to fist in his hair. “Can you bring Jake here, too? I want you both.”

“Good,” he said, voice rough with desire. “That is how it should be. The three of us, sharing a platinum night of passion. Together.”

His decadent words sent a delicious shiver across her skin, but before she could respond Pothos bent down to grasp the bottom of her nightgown and rip it up and over her head. Moments later and those cotton panties were gone too. She stood naked in front of him as he threw the underwear aside, but strangely, she felt no embarrassment. A light breeze tickled her flesh and puckered her already aching nipples. Pothos reached out one finger and lightly grazed one of the expanding nubs. “Beautiful,” he said, and now his voice had a deep huskiness. “Jake should see you like this. Bathed in moonlight and sensuality.”

His finger left her breast and traced the rest of her body in a delicate caress, skimming across ribs moving rapidly as she struggled to breathe evenly, down through the curve of her waist and over her abdomen to rest, feather-light, at the very top of her slit. Her mons was bare except for a tiny heart shape of hair right where Pothos’ index finger now rested. She’d had the Brazilian last week, leaving the heart in a display of whimsy and hoping Jake would enjoy the new look.

But he hadn’t even noticed.

Unlike Pothos, who now had a crooked little grin on his face as he traced around the heart.

“A genuine blonde,” he said.

She nodded in a distracted fashion. She was finding it more and more difficult to draw a breath. Her gaze fell to his jeans, the denim now clearly stretched to its limit across his groin. Not fair that he should still have clothing on, while she stood here dressed in nothing but her pussy heart.

“Would you…please…remove…?” She reached out a trembling hand to touch his straining bulge, and his intake of breath was audible. She enjoyed the momentary power, mimicking his fingertip exploration of her body to trace up the shape of his penis, over the ripped abdominal muscles and then down again, taking pleasure in the increasingly irregular pattern of his breathing.

So this…god of love, or whoever he was, could be moved by desire, too.

She fumbled again for the fastening on his jeans, but he shook his head, then stepped back to remove his clothing in a fluid movement that was far quicker than she’d have been able to achieve with her shaking hands.

His cock sprang free and she gasped at the enormous size and inherent power in his organ. Pothos was longer and wider than Jake, but not unduly so, as her husband was rather well-endowed. But it was not only his erect appendage that had her eyes wide and her whole body aching for sex. Though his shoulders were built for power his body tapered down in a long, lean arc to narrow hips, and as he turned toward the water for a moment she got a view of tight buttocks and impressively muscled thighs.

Had he done that twirl on purpose? So that she’d see and appreciate the perfection of his body from every angle?

Yes, she decided, as he glanced back at her over his shoulder and grinned boyishly. He most certainly had.

“Nice butt,” she managed, in the understatement of the century, but it was worth it to see the affronted look on his face.

“Nice?”

“Very nice, in fact.”

He moved so fast she only had time for a quick yelp before he was standing over her, gripping her shoulders. The head of his organ was almost, but not quite, touching her stomach, and she could feel the radiant heat leaching out from its proximity. “Nothing about me is nice, Jeannie.”

Book 2 in the series, Aphrodite Calling, is almost ready for release, and focuses on Himeros, god of sexual desire, and his developing relationship with Gina, a male-to-female transsexual trying to overcome a difficult past and learn to live, love and be accepted as a woman.


Book 3, tentatively called Sex Club Secrets, focuses on Anteros, god of requited/unrequited love, and a young couple who need a helping hand to see that the thing they most desire has been right in front of them all the time.


Whatever you choose to read in the Challenge, good luck and happy reading!


All comments on this post will go into the draw to win an ebook from Jennifer Lynne's back list – either Pandora's Gift, Educating Ethan or Seducing Serena in Secrets Volume 28 (winner's choice). Winner will be announced 20^th April 2012.


About the author:
Jennifer Lynne writes sensual and erotic romance – often with a touch of mythology – from her home in Melbourne, Australia. She lives in hope that readers will continue to enjoy her novella-length tales of love and lust. Find out more at: http://www.jenniferlynne.com.au