The Return

The Greek gods engage in modern-day power struggles in the solid inaugural installment of the Titan new adult paranormal romance series. Seth, an otherworld/human hybrid introduced in Armentrout’s well-received Covenant YA series, bears a heavy burden of guilt over his past treacherous acts. He redeems himself by becoming Apollo’s judge and jury, meting out bloody justice to traitorous lesser gods and mortals. Far more of a challenge is his new assignment: guarding Apollo’s part-human daughter Josie, who needs to get up to speed on the doings of the deities—about which she knows nothing—so she can battle the bloodthirsty Titans. As Seth learns to restrain his violent instincts and Josie trains hers up, the romance and danger both escalate at a feverish pace. Armentrout dives deep into the psyches of both hero and heroine, deftly switching from one point of view to another, while creating a drum-tight sense of suspense and sexual tension from the first page to the last. This is a very promising start to the series. (Feb.)