Enslaved

Naughton returns to her daemon-fighting Argonauts in this romantically disappointing fifth Eternal Guardians adventure (after Enraptured). After Gryphon is rescued from enslavement in the Underworld, the evil goddess Atalanta, who wants the Argonauts destroyed, sends her voice to haunt him. Planning to return to Atalanta to kill her, Gryphon kidnaps Maelea, an immortal woman hunted by Hades, whose presence dulls Atalanta’s voice. Both outcasts and loners, Gryphon and Maelea discover mutual attraction and understanding, and their initial dislike becomes heated passion. Maelea’s contemplation of Stockholm syndrome is amusing, given her initial captivity and rough handling at Gryphon’s hands, but her sudden change of heart strains the credulity of their romance. Naughton’s complex setting—filled with Greek gods, monsters, heroes, and the machinations of bureaucrats and villains—is worth exploring, and series readers will be satisfied by the steamy sex scenes and development of an intriguing world. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency. (Nov.)