4 Stars for The Heart of War by Lisa Beth Darling

Inside the Heart of every Warrior breathes the Soul of a Hero--even within The Heart of War.
Meet Ares God of War, the
greatest Warrior the world has ever known. He's moody, grumpy,
dominant, ravenously sexual, and above all, built like a Greek God.


Suspected of killing his
Daughter in-Law, Psyche, and long in exile from Olympus, the solitude of
Ares' secluded Greek Isle is interrupted when Magdalena MacLeod a
plucky little Fey washes up on his shore after believing she's been
shipwrecked. It's not mere fate that has brought the unlikely couple
together yet it may be what tears them apart.


Branded with a golden
chastity belt bearing the mark of Cernunnos, Celtic God of the Forest
and Death, Alena has been on the run from her husband the Great Horned
God for 200 years.


When the Olympians
discover her presence on Ares' island, they send Apollo to the island
while Ares is away with orders to bring her to Olympus. With nowhere to
run and strikes a bargain with the God of War--her virginity for his
protection.


Ares sees a sweeter deal;
her in his bed and himself back in his rightful place on Olympus among
the Gods. If it means turning Alena over to Zeus afterward, well that's
of no consequence to him...is it?

After Alena proves
herself to the God of War in battle and in his bed, Ares must choose
between his Divinely Dysfunctional Family, his pride, and Alena.


Get lost in this sweeping
dark saga of lust, rage, revenge, and redemption. Battle Ancient Gods
while falling in love with Ares God of War and Alena MacLeod. They share
a love that will rock the world from the heights of Olympus to the
Celtic moors.

    *****************************************************************************


The God of War Ares finds a woman on his secluded island.  She's half dead and he doubts she'll survive the night, so he leaves her there. (What a nice guy)  Magdalena (Maggie) is a Fey woman who survives then wanders the island.  Ares finds her and isn't very kind, he goes after her and finds himself respecting the small Fey woman for her courage and perseverance.  He takes her to his home and somewhat befriends her.


The bond that Ares and Maggie form gets stronger with each passing day.  There are many conflicts along the way that they overcome together.  As the struggles get harder and harder it only seems to bring them closer and closer together.  The other Gods on Olympus just want their way, they are a greedy bunch.  You must read this in order to find out who wins in the end.  True Love formed from friendship or the Gods who wield their power for their own greedy means..  


Review:


This book is extremely violent and sexually explicit. With that said, I really enjoyed it.  It reminded me of a great action/thriller film.  It sucks you right in because you have got to know what will happen next.  For every thrilling thing that happens in the book you get sucked in a little harder until finally you just can't stop reading.  The Heart of War is not for the faint of heart.  It has many hard scenarios like violence and rape.  


Maggie is one of my favourite Heroines to date, she is strong but sweet and has a Sassy side to her that runs miles long.  She goes through so much but stays by her man.  That takes a lot of belief and determination.
I found Ares to be like what you would expect of a God, full of himself  greedy, ignorant due to ultimate power.  Through the Author's writing though you slowly begin to fall in love with this character.  It's such a slow build you don't even know it until your cheering out loud for him.


Lisa Beth Darling is truly an amazing writer.  She takes you on a torrid and thrilling journey.  I recommend this book to those who can handle RATED R reads because this one sure is not for the faint of heart! 4 Stars for a Great Read!