Son of War: A Sphinx Companion Story - R... Xan spends his time hunting down monsters and kills them. He likes working alone but when the daughter of Athena asks him to let the sons of Apollo join him on a hunt he reluctantly agrees. His opinion of the sons of Apollo is that they are dimwits and does not work well with others. They have no concept of what working as team means.

When tragedy strikes doing the hunt the sons of Apollo blame Xan for what happened while he is unconscious and defenseless from injuries sustained doing the hunt.

Now Xan is stuck at the conservatory while he heals from his wounds. He can’t wait until he is better so he can get back to hunting monsters. But the other demigods have other plans for him. They want him to stay at the conservatory to train other demigods as he is the best.

I have read all of the books in the Sphinx series and have loved all of them. I am team Xan and have been ever since being introduced to him. I like Xan because he is so mysterious and he likes to keep to himself.

If you haven’t read any of the other books in the Sphinx series you can still read Xan’s story Son of War but then you would miss out on all the other wonderful characters and their stories. So my recommendation is that you read all of the books in the Sphinx series I mean you surely don’t want to miss out on Hope, Athan and all the other characters stories either.

If you like reading about demigods, gods, goddess, mythology then you will love the Sphinx series as it is so very good. I can’t wait to read more in Hope, Xan, Athan and the Sphinx’s world. I am so grateful to Raye Wagner for giving me the opportunity to enjoy the Sphinx series.

I received this book in a newsletter and I am glad I did. I do enjoy reading mythology if it is written out really good. With this story I was kind of worried on if I would like it because I wasn't sure where it would be headed. I am glad I gave it a try as I was impressed. We follow Phoibe as she find out who she truly is and falls in love. Though it seems that one God named Apollo will not take no for an answer. Phoibe has a choice but the choice she picks will have a consequence. As this is a prequel I am not sure how the other books in the series follows but it makes a good short book. It seems that Hope will be cursed and it will be up to Priska to help guide her in the best way.

Curse of the Sphinx - Raye Wagner This was an intriguing story. Hope has just lost her mom, and is feeling a little lost. Bearing the curse of the Sphinx has kept them on the run for most of her life, isolating themselves for fear of being hunted by demigods or forced into a relationship with Apollo or his sons in order to avoid the cost of being the sphinx. When her aunt, last known connection, goes searching for answers to her mother's death, she must set off on her own. Except she's still a teen and must attend high school. Her new life in Goldendale is supposed to follow the same prescribed path as the rest of her life, but without the watchful eyes of her mother, Hope may be tempted to break her isolation, especially if Athan, the cute guy who keeps bumping into her, has anything to say about it.

I enjoyed many aspects of this. I loved that the Greek gods were an acknowledged part of humanity, so much so that they even had a class on the subject, much like a history class. The writing and emotional draw were also well done.

Where the story fell flat for me was Hope and Athan's actions. We get a glimpse from Athan's point of view at the beginning of the story before switching over to Hope's. What Athan learned in that first scene should have left him much better informed. It took him longer to realize what was going on than it should have, and in fact, I kept wondering how he didn't know. I mean, seriously.

And the struggle of the book was more in Hope finding her way out of isolation to start really living than in anything else, which didn't make for the most compelling plot, in my opinion. Hope was also dense, denying her intuition about Athan and totally ignoring a "coincidence" at the end. For both Hope and Athan being "smart" characters, they really didn't act so bright most of the time.

But the writing is solid and the other books may be more enjoyable, I just couldn't quite get into this one.

Blood of the Sphinx - J. Johanis For a series called the Virgin King series it was quite erotic. The first book with features the prince of Egypt, Cesarean, he wasn't very virginal. For the entirety of the book Caesarion was pretty hard up for sex, his body was burning for it. He was ashamed of what it meant for him and his social standing. Not to mention what his bodily fluids did to his bed partners. He had a harem even if he never was penetrated. He lusts after his childhood friend and personal guard Aidan but is kind of in a situation where he can't and won't voice what he really wants.

When war comes to his door and his mother is otherwise occupied. He is advised to flee but rejects it in favor of trying to get troops together to save the city. When he's told he is viewed unfavorable by the citizens Caesarion decided to ventures out to find out more about why the citizen sees him as unworthy. He takes Adrian with him. During his little outing he is almost raped. Things quickly progress from there since this is such a short read. The enemy shows up, Caesarion needs a vassal, and the enemy marches into the city of Alexandria.

The story has four parts or chapters but for such a short read it wasn't rushed and didn't really skimp on details. Readers get to know Caesarion, his plight with his own body, the desperation and desires he feels (both with his body and with the situation with his kingdom). Along with his feelings readers also get to see a little of Aidan's feeling and what he desires.

The non consensual sex or rape can be a problem for some so if that turns you off you might want to skip this read. But if you don't mind it, do give it a read it was pretty interesting.

A free copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.