Ares

Contemporary Mythos, Book 3

De: Carly Spade

Narrado por: Sophie Daniels

MMA fighter Harmony “Harm” Makos steps into the ring every day for more than the fame and glory of the fight. For her, it’s the alternative to therapy. An opportunity to tame the constant beast struggling to break free. Hardened by a broken home and high school ridicule, she’s learned to control the fury but it always lurks beneath the surface.

When a threat on her life arrives in the form of an ominous letter, a bodyguard is assigned to follow her every move. Harm is immediately against the idea, and the animosity rises when said bodyguard is none other than former MMA men’s heavyweight champion, Mars.

Between their heads butting at every turn, forced proximity, and constant banter, Harm will discover Mars isn’t all that he seems. Around him, visions of battle, chaos, and destruction plague her thoughts. The red glint in his eyes holds more than mystery - it bears the unknown cure for both their fury...if they can learn to work together, that is.

©2021 Carly Spade (P)2021 Carly Spade

Best yet!

This book has been the most captivating yet! We caught a quick glimpse of Ares in Apollo's book, but all we learned about him was that he was a jerk.

I love how Carly introduces future characters in a negative way, then makes us love them when it's time. Although I've not seen anything negative of Eros or Poseidon so far. Zeus on the other hand... Well, I know she'll make me love him too.

Mars is the MMA World Champion or something like that. Go figure. He's the God of War. Harm is also an MMA Champion. They don't personally know each other but get thrown together when Harm's publicist hires Mars as a bodyguard due to some nasty threats.

Y'all. These 2 are absolutely perfect for each other. Without giving anything away, I'd like to know more about how that happened.

This is the 3rd book in the series and they have all been fantastic. The different MMCs are gods of different things which means their books have different subject matters. Hades' story wasn't as specialized, but Apollo's story centered around music and dancing, and Ares' story was in the world of MMA. Each book has been exceptionally well-written. Carly Spade is phenomenal at putting variety in her books.

I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the series!

Superb story!

This Contemporary Mythos series, by Carly Spade, just keeps getting better and better. Apollo lit up the stage at his concerts and it wasn't pyrotechnics. Hades walked the Earth, until he was called back to the underworld to lead the dead to their final resting place. Ares is the story of Mars, and he's not the warmongering god he's made out to be. There's a soft side to him, but the only person who can bring that out in him is Harmony. Harm is the women's champion MMA fighter (Amazon) and she's defending her title. She looks every bit the fierce warrior of her name, but there's something more to her backstory and it's told through dreams and flashbacks and, oh, some pesky visits by family, gods and furies. The men's champion, Mars, is a towering fighter with more power in one hand than others have in their whole bodies. Someone is trying to kill Harmony, so her manager hires Mars as her bodyguard and, in a short time, she begins to experience a sense of dejavu and to feel as if she's actually living in her dreams. Harmony knows she's full-blooded Greek, but she has never met her ancestors, so she's really perplexed as to the lifelike visions she's having. But, are they only visions? There are so many layers to this story and the strings of each plotline weave in and out of one another. The characters are written so vividly that you can almost hear them think and it's possible to see the story with their eyes. Always a happy ever after with a sense of mystery and destiny.
Sophie Daniels does a tremendous job with the narration. Her dynamic, well-modulated voice gives each of the characters a unique style and personality.

Handling the God

4.5 stars - The God of War meets his match in this steamy, rage fueled spin that has Ares / Mars protecting MMA fighter Harm. Yeah, she too points out the irony of that situation. 😄

I really enjoyed the chemistry and balance between them. She calms him and he ignites her thirst to conquer to new levels. And when they are behind closed doors.... Let's just say that Harm can handle the Greek brute like none other. 🔥🎉

'He lived up to his title and pillaged every valley and peak I owned.' -- Harmony "Harm" Makos

As someone who has been reading or listening to this series in random order, I can confirm that each can be enjoyed as a standalone. There are occasional references or crossovers with the others, including a tenuous connection between the heroines in 3 & 4, but they only enhance the story.

I listened to an author's copy that had Sophie Daniels tackling all of the characters with varying accents. She really did a great job.

Story: 4.5 stars
Narration: 4.5 stars

The MMA was a good backdrop for this story

Harm is an MMA fighter with issues stemming from her childhood. She wins the championship in her fight category and right after that her life gets threatened. She is assigned Ares as her bodyguard. Choosing the MMA as the backdrop for this story was fitting. It fits the god of war perfectly. He would fall for a warrior woman. I liked their love story. Ares helped Harm work through her issues and she helped him be a better person/god of war.

God of War

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Mars & Harm, the snark and annoyance, the slow burn, the slowly built trust and the explosive spice. I enjoyed Ares as a character a lot more than I had anticipated (not that I thought I wouldn’t like him)

Another great Greek god story

I have fallen in love with this series and this book, about Ares, kept my love going. I find it awesome how the author managed to take mythology and bring it into our time. Also, they are romance books, you definitely figure out who is going to fall in love with whom, but the story isn't "in your face", It has subtlety and until now, all the stories have been very very different from each other. They don't have a pattern, and I love that.

I honestly expected not to like this book and only listened to it because I want to finish the whole series. I thought I would find Ares, as a god, uninteresting, and the idea of MMA as a part of the plot was not tempting. But then it turned out soooooo interesting! I am in awe of how intriguing Ms. Spade can make any setting.

I definitely recommend this to those who want a romance with a supernatural twist!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this series

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this series. Every book has it's own unique story of the fall of a Greek god as they get an immortal HEA they believed impossible for them. Ares and Harm are both MMA fighters so of course they have a push and pull relationship born of their stubborn "tough" personalities. They may start off thinking they're enemies, but it's soon clear they are fated to be together and make a whole as they dull each other's sharp edges. Harm is a strong, tough, independent woman and I always love books with fiesty heroines who find protective men who let their lights shine instead of trying to dull a strong woman's flame, and Ares is the perfect guy in that respect. I didn't realize how much I'd love Ares when I first "met" him in the last book. I can't wait to get to know the rest of the gods and goddesses better as I continue through this series. Listening to the audio brings it to life in such a way that makes the story that much better.

Ares and Harm are a new power couple!

Third in the series, this book can be ready as standalone. Other characters pop into the story for cameos. I'm hoping Dino gets a story! I loved the Furies and Cerberus.

So far, this is one of my favorites. Harm is definitely no damsel, and Ares respected that, which made me like him. I was glad to see fights and fight scenes since both characters are MMA fighters, and, well, Ares is God of War, after all. The scenes are depicted well, but not over the top violent.

The relationshop between Harm and Ares evolves through the story — definitely enemies at first, with a bit of a slow burn that explodes into lovers. I thought they were going to murder each other when they met. The sexy times are steamy and full of chemistry.

Harm's backstory and the new version of Ares' history were interesting and entertaining. I enjoyed watching them grow together and discover how they complement one another.

Sophie Daniels was great with the narration. I liked her Ares voice, and the one she used for Hephaestus.

Fantastic Third Book in the Series!

This is the third book in the Contemporary Mythos Series. Wow! This is my favorite story in the Series. This is a great retelling of Ares's story. Mars (Ares), a former MMA men’s heavyweight champion, is handsome, protective, and caring. Harmony “Harm”, an MMA fighter, is a wonderful character, strong, independent, and determined. They are amazing together, and I loved to follow them in their journey to love! The supporting characters are fantastic. The story is well written, engaging, and captivating. I loved the characters, the action, the humor, the twists and turns, the fantastic world building, and the romance. Looking forward to listening to the next book in the Series. Sophie Daniels did an amazing job with the narration. She has a beautiful voice, very pleasant to listen to. I HIGHLY recommend this series.

Another Great Addition to the Series

This author has given us another updated take on a classic myth. The characters were endearing while the story line was engaging. The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the book to life and made this a great book to listen to.

I received the audiobook and am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.