Release Blitz + Review - Tamer of Horses by Amalia Carosella
Synopsis
Abandoned as a baby, Hippodamia would have died of exposure on the mountain had it not been for Centaurus. The king of the centaurs saved her, raised her as his own, and in exchange asks for only one thing: she must marry the future king of the Lapiths, Pirithous, son of Zeus, and forge a lasting peace between their peoples by giving him an heir. It would be a fine match if Pirithous weren’t more pirate than king and insufferably conceited, besides. But Hippodamia can hardly refuse to marry him without betraying every hope her people have for peace.
After the death of Dia, queen of the Lapiths, tensions are running high. The oaths and promises protecting the Lapith people from the Myrmidons have lapsed, and the last thing Pirithous needs is to begin his kingship by making new enemies. But not everyone wants peace on the mountain. There are those among the centaurs who feel it comes at too high a price, and Peleus, King of the Myrmidons, lusts for the lush valley of the Lapiths and the horses that graze within it. Pirithous needs a strong queen at his side, and Hippodamia will certainly be that—if he can win her loyalties.
But no matter their differences, neither Hippodamia nor Pirithous expected their wedding banquet to be the first battle in a war.
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**ARC provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Before I started this book I had no idea what to expect. What I did know was that it was a historical fantasy romance book that sounded amazing to me. Plus the cover is AMAZING. It's beautiful and different than what I am used to seeing. I loved this story from start to end. Tamer of Horses is based on Greek mythology and I loved that so much. I love anything history related but mythologies are even more intriguing to me. It isn't easy to find a fantasy book that can keep me intrigued throughout to book without having me want to skip parts, but I really took my time to read slowly so I wouldn't miss anything.
Tamer of Horses is about Hippodamia who must marry the future king of the Lapiths, Pirithous, son of Zeus, and forge a lasting peace between their peoples by giving him an heir. I love arranged marriages in books especially historical/fantasy books. Amalia created such a beautiful story with very interesting characters. I was living this book, I was experiencing everything they were. I just couldn't get enough. I loved that this book was long and that the author took her time to really tell the story of Hippodamia and Pirithous. I loved how their relationship developed and how they worked through their ups and downs. There were a couple of scenes very emotional that had me crying my eyes out. Difficult decisions were made that were so heartbreaking and hard to read but necessary.
In the beginning it took me a couple of chapters to get used to the unqiue names and remembering who was who but thankfully that didn't last long. I loved the secondary characters, Theseus and Antiope, and hope their story will be told in the future. The author has opened up a new world to me and I can't wait to read more books based on Greek mythology. Tamer of Horses was a strong book that had the right amount of romance, action, emotion and mythology. The author found the right balance between them and made me enjoy the book even more. I can't wait to read her other books and find myself get lost in Greek mythology again.
About the Author
Amalia Carosella began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn't stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. She graduated with a BA in Classical Studies as well as English. A former bookseller and avid reader, her current interests focus primarily on the Age of Heroes and Bronze Age Greece, though anything Viking Age or earlier is likely to capture her attention. Today, she lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dreams of the day when she will own goats.
Amalia particularly enjoys exploring myths that have been overlooked, the footnotes that change or challenge the most popular interpretations, and allow those characters involved a new voice to tell their stories. Helen, Theseus, and Pirithous are some of her favorites!
She also writes fantasy and paranormal romance as Amalia Dillin.
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