Blog Tour: The 'Of War' Series 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.

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 Heart of War contains scenes of graphic sex and violence. As such, this novel and the entire OF WAR Series is intended for MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY it is NOT recommended for the Faint of Heart.

EXCERPT: 

Before he left the room, Ares told Maggie that she was to return to the throne room when she finished bathing.  Then she was alone with the whirling tub and the weight set.  The water was very hot and the steam filled the room, making the air moist and thick.  Maggie let out little grunts and groans as she walked down the three steps to the bottom of the pool, the hot water against the tender skin of her open sore feet and then against the tender sore flesh between her legs.  Maggie couldn’t decide if it felt good or if it hurt.  All she knew was the belt was finally gone, for good or ill was yet to be determined.

In the hot water, she sat with her back to the weight set.  Using the heavily scented shampoo Maggie worked up a thick lather in her gray hair.  She’d been happy with just ridding it of the salt and sand earlier in the day but now with the sweet scent rising to her, easing her mind and her soul, she began to remember what it was like to live in civilization…here in this place without electricity.  Wasn’t that a hoot?  She washed her skin with the scented soap, again working up a heavy thick lather and blowing some of the bubbles around the room with a little titter.  Strange how sometimes the smallest of things could bring so much joy.  When she was clean head to toe and all cracks in between, she lounged in the churning water and nearly fell asleep.  She found she had little desire to leave this tub, the water, the hot blessed water now felt wonderful between her legs, it soaked away her aches and pains as it cleansed the new wounds.  There was a place like this deep in the woods where she grew up.  It was not in a cave, but it was secreted like this place, more like the pool she had encountered earlier in the day, open and airy.  Steam rose day and night and the Fey were often found gathered there bathing, chatting, and making love.  In a very strange and unexpected way, this place made her miss her home.  That was something she had not done in over a hundred years.  Unlike the mortal world, this place reminded her of who she was and what she was.  Out there, she could blend in with the others and pass herself off as one of them; she had done it so long she believed her own lies.  Here there was no blending, no fitting in.

"Are you done yet?"

"What?"  Maggie turned around shaken out of her daze and dreams of long rolling green hills.

"You’ve been down here two hours," Ares said.  "I came to make sure you hadn’t drowned."  He held out a large towel to her.  "Come, it’s late, I’ve a room for you."  She grimaced.  "Not that one."  Ares shook his head as her face brightened again and she took the towel from his hand.  He noticed that she was very careful to avoid looking at the weights in the corner.  "Do you have something against body building?"

"Not particularly.  Where are my clothes?" Maggie asked, wrapping the towel around her body as she emerged from the hot spring.

"I burned them," Ares admitted.  "They were rags," he said quickly, "the ocean turned them to tatters.  I will give you new clothing."

"I see what the normal dress code is around here."  She rolled her gray eyes.  "I’m not sure I’d look good in a bikini made of animal skins."

"I bet you look just fine in it," Ares complimented as the image skipped through his head.  He led her out of the spa and through the cave to a room on the second level near the steps to his bedroom.  "You will stay here," Ares said as he opened the door.  Maggie stepped inside to see a rather a cozy room.  It had a fireplace, a dresser, an armoire, a small table, a chair, books, and a bed that was not made of stone.  It had an honest to God mattress with real blankets and pillows.  She looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"Not everything in my home is hard and cold," Ares intoned as he held out a brass key.  "For the door."

"You have problems getting through locked doors?"

Ares snorted and then chuckled.  "Doors are not a problem for me but you’ll feel safer this way."  He closed her hand around the key.  "There are others here besides me.  You will find suitable clothing in the armoire.  You will also find bandages and salves in the vanity over there.  I would offer to help you but I do not think you would accept my assistance in this rather delicate matter."

"You would be correct."

Ares sighed.  "You know, I don’t believe anyone has more experience tending wounds than I do.  I could be of help to you."

Maggie nodded her head and her gray eyes misted over even as she tried to stop the tears welling in her eyes.  "You already have."  Without thinking about it and before she knew what she was doing, Alena rose up on her tiptoes and placed her hand on his shoulder.  Ares thought she wanted to tell him something quietly and he bent his head to listen.

She kissed his bearded cheek and then nuzzled her own against it.  "Thank you."

The gesture was simple, innocent, and heartfelt.  It made the God of War swallow hard as he was once again stunned into silence.  The best he could managed was, "Good night, Alena."

TRAILER: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH6KtA5tIw0

 

Do you remember Damien? Raven makes that kid look like an angel.In book #2 of the OF WAR Series, Ares settles down with his wife, Alena, to await the birth of their son, Raven. As Alena struggles to enjoy what should be a blessed event, prophetic visions of an adult Raven haunt her dreams. Are they true visions or false ones implanted by Cernunnos who told her the boy would bring glory to Ares but only pain and agony to her? The strong but delicate Fey is relentlessly bombarded by hostility from the Olympians making her yearn to be back on Ares� secluded island home, far away from all the bickering and backstabbing that makes up Life on mighty Mount Olympus.
Before Raven is even born, Zeus outwardly despises him for his Fey blood given to him by his filthy Celtic mother. With no way out and no way to keep his family safe from his father, Zeus the God of Gods, Ares enters into a blood pact that could cost the God of War everything he holds dear.
After a harrowing birth wherein mother and son are nearly lost to Ares, it quickly becomes clear that Raven may be the most powerful and cunning Olympian ever born despite his muddled bloodline.
As Zeus, Apollo, and Aphrodite plot against the new family by carefully planting the seeds of rage and doubt in Ravens' mind, they turn son against mother. It appears as though Alenas' visions and Cernunnos' prophecy are coming to life as Raven grows to be a very angry young man.
As the true past between the Olympians and Celts is revealed, the battle for Ravens' mind and the ultimate control of Olympus begins. Before it's over, the white snows of Olympus will run red with blood.

EXCERPT: 
"You don't belong here and neither do I.  I know you can see what they're doing to us, for god's sake, they killed Trinity and you could be next."  As they got to the hall and the top of the steep marble staircase, she turned to him and put her hand on his cheek.  "We're going to some place safe, some place far away from here."

"I don't think you understand, mother, Trinity died because she was weak and foolish but I'm not.  I'm strong because I am an Olympian."

"You're Fey like me,"

"I'm not a Fae!  Do you see me running naked through the woods and swinging through the trees like some savage monkey?"

"They're poisoning you against me, please Raven, listen to me, you don't belong here, we must go."  She pulled on his arm but Raven resisted.  "I'm your mother, please; for once just do as I say.  I love you, I'm trying to protect you."

"I'm an Olympian, I don't need your protection…mother.  Go back to your room."  Insulted and suddenly irate at being called a Fae, Raven wrenched his arm away from her.  "But you can't do it alone, can you, Fae?  I am an Olympian, that's why you need me to come with you.  So that I can open the Gate and you can make your escape from my Father just like your treacherous ungrateful ancestors before you, isn't it…whore?" 

"Raven, please stop this, just come with me and everything will be all right."

Raven smelled fear and he sensed weakness.  As a young Ares would have done, Raven went straight for the jugular.  "That's all you are to him, you know.  My Father, he's in love with Aphrodite, that's where he is now, in her arms, deep in her hot snatch, indulging in every inch of her as they laugh at you and your foolish filthy Celtic heart." 

TRAILER: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et3HZTTVJno

On the verge of manhood, Raven's rampage continues

as he begins the difficult path to Acceptance by his fellow Olympians. Out to prove he's as good, if not better than, any of them he bests the Trials set before him by Hades and Poseidon. This isn't enough for him, in his quest to prove to his Father, Ares, that he is an Olympian Raven preys upon the Mortals below Olympus in a time of great weakness. Settling for nothing less than Chaos, he enlists the aid of his Uncle Apollo and pushes the Mortals to pure anarchy when a global financial crisis leaves the entire world destitute, in ruins, and at each other's throats. Ready to conquer his Trials, take his place at the Counsel Table, and bring Ares the glory Cernunnos once prophesized, only one thing stands in his way; the night his Mother fell down the stairs.

Alena, her body asleep in Ares' bed for four long years, is lost deep in the clutches of a never-ending dream induced by Morpheus. After years of living an illusion and becoming Morpheus Wife, Alena discovers his deception and struggles to escape her prison. Morpheus has no intentions of ever letting her go. He'll fight to the death to keep her.

Apollo, ever the Man Behind the Curtain, pulls Raven's strings like a true puppet master. It's far too late when Raven realizes all he's done to please his Father actually makes Ares look guilty of destroying the Mortal World. A little Chaos and a little Anarchy aren't enough for the Golden God, in his on-going quest to destroy Ares, Apollo sets a plague loose upon the Earth. A bio-chemical weapon stolen from the United States Government at Area 51, known commonly as Major Falls. By the time the Olympians discover what's going on twenty million people are dead with the number multiplying exponentially every day.

With only one option left to each of them, Raven and Alena turn to their unlikeliest of enemies-- Aphrodite and Apollo for help. One night in the bed of the Goddess of Love can be painful but one night in the bed of the Golden God can kill and destroy all that Ares and Alena have built and endured. To ensure that her beloved Husband and her Son are not put to death she may have no other choice.

EXCERPT:

"Are you trying to offer me your meager sexual favors if, at the meeting, I should side with you?"

"They're not meager and I don't want you to side with me, I want you to side with my Father," Raven declared easily, "he's innocent, I don't know what you've heard already but…"

"Quite a bit," Aphrodite tittered, "Apollo went down there last night after Morpheus died, strange that, huh?  What do you think happened to him?"

"Nothing less than he deserved," Raven huffed and took another gulp of Nectar to avoid her blazing gaze for a moment.  "Whatever Apollo told you is probably a lie, besides, what allegiance do you owe him?  Especially now that he has his Nymphs with him all bundled up in one big sweaty writhing heap of musky sex I'm sure he won't have any time for you at all.  He hasn't for a long while, has he?  I, on the other hand, have a lot of time and tons of energy."  Raven sucked on his bottom lip as he gave her a sultry stare.

Aphrodite couldn't help it, her body shuddered and her mind raced with deliciously decadent thoughts as she let out a little moan.  "I bet you do," she whispered and rolled her hip toward him a little more, letting the sheer pink material of her gown cascade down and away from her milky flesh.

"I could show you," Raven offered.

"You really are a chip off the old block, aren't you?"

Raven's upper lip curled slightly as he reached down and grabbed hold of his package.  "In more ways than one," he whispered heatedly.

TRAILER: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-hhoBlX3_k

Venture on a Mystical Journey through Time and Secrets Past

Book #5 in the OF WAR Series spans four generations of women in Alena's family from her great-grandmother, Shar Draiocht the last known Queen of the Dark Kingdom to her tortured daughter Morrowind, to Maven Alena's free-spirited mother and through the lonely life of Alena MacLeod ending where "The Heart of War" begins with the night Alena washes up on Ares' shore. With intensity, lust, fear, and strength these Women of War make their way in the world revealing the hidden truths of the past and Ares true connection to his beloved Wife, Alena.

EXCERPT:

Bringing the cup to his lips with both hands, he looked over the top of it to ask, "Why did you bother to heal me if you didn't trust me?"  Shar flinched but she didn't say anything as that lovely blush of color ran out of her milky cheeks.  Putting the cup down, he leaned across the table to look her deeply in the eyes.  "I know you want something from me; what is it?"

Shar leaned back in her chair, took a sip from her chalice, and quietly answered him.  "I've heard many intriguing stories about you, Lord Ares."  Her shining gray and amber eyes appraised him with much approval.

"Have you?"  Ares smiled coyly as he sat back to relax and enjoy the game they were playing.  "Stories of my cunning?  My bravery?  My strength?"

Shar met the challenge in a whisper.  "Your cock and the things you can do with it."

A shiver went down his long spine as her words lingered in his ears, and Ares thought about that parade of men who'd passed by him.  "They're all true," he whispered back without missing a beat as he stared into her sparkling stormy eyes to see that he'd done nothing to dull her curiosity; the only thing he'd done was stoke the fire.  "You should be careful, little Queen.  I'll split you in two without even trying."

The same shiver that went down Ares' spine leapt across the table to Shar where it made her openly tremble with fear even as it brought desire to life.  She'd heard tales of women who died in his bed, at the absolute height of ecstasy.  Up until now she thought them exaggerations but looking in his steamy eyes, she saw they were not.  "Yet, according to your kind, sex with Olympian males is what I was born for, isn't that right?  To lie in your bed and please you any way you want."

Ares nodded as his eyes grew a little wider and he licked the last taste of lamb from his bottom lip.  "Old Wives' Tales," he crooned.

"You don't want to find out if they're true?"

"Obviously, you do," he said with a grin.  "Why?  Those men you drag up here aren't satisfactorily scratching your itch, little Queen?"  Ares leaned his long body across the table to meet her halfway.  "It's just us here, you can be honest, it's my size, isn't it?  Small women love big men."

TRAILER:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02WcvnLy8-8

An Interview with Ares God of War

We're here today on a secluded Greek Isle with Ares God of War.   The brawny 7 foot God before me is leisurely lounging across his Throne of Bones which is made, literally, from the bones of the enemies he has killed. It is crowned with the Skull of Hercules.  Clad in black leather head to toe, his long muscular legs draped over one arm.  Behind me, the massive hearth burns low, its normal store of small trees threatening to die down to embers.  The torches are unlit and the cave is very dark. In the fading firelight, everywhere I look there is a weapon of some kind; sword, dagger, arrows, halberds, and of course, guns. They remind to be cautious and courteous to the God of War.

Lisa: Just wondering, but, why aren't we conducting this interview on Olympus today?

Ares:  Suffice it to say that, my Family and I don't get along. Besides, if you went to Olympus with me willingly then there'd be nothing to prevent you from staying a lot longer than you intended.

Lisa: Oh. I see. Well, thank you.

Ares: (Smiles slyly)…You're welcome.

(Even though I can't see his eyes hidden behind the dark lenses of a pair of Foster Grants, I still feel the weight of his stare on me and I know that he doesn't want to talk about Olympus or is his insane family so I change the subject.)

Lisa: You've been alive for a long time—and you're in amazing shape, truly first rate.

Ares: (Snickers) Thank you, at my age, I have to work at it but, the package is holding up nicely, wouldn't you say?

Lisa: Definitely.

 (There's an animal magnetism about him. Something beckons me come closer to him as it whispers of the promise of fulfillment to my own primal desire to touch him. Maybe it's the deep authoritative voice, or that killer smile,  maybe it's that body that goes on for days and I just want to lick like a lollipop from one end to the other and back again. Maybe…)

Ares: Are you all right? (With a smile of great amusement he points to the corner of my chin) Got a little, a little bit of drool going there, you might want to...

(I raise a shaking hand to my lower jaw to find it wet as I wipe it away with the back of my hand.)

Ares: That's better.  You were saying?

(What the hell was I saying?  I don't know.)

Lisa: How's the Family? Your Family, I mean; Alena, Raven, I hear there's a new edition, Rose.

Ares: Yes, my Little Rose.  (The smile that was simply amused turns into a gleam of pride.) She's very special. Very dear to me. (The smile fades and his tone turns) Raven, well, he's trying to put back together the world he helped destroy but it's futile. One cannot turn back The Hands of Time, not even a God.  A new world will arise from the ashes of the destruction wrought by greed and Major Falls. (He shakes his dark head) What a wicked disease. Alena has lost most of her power, she gave it all to our Little Rose the night Raven caused her to fall down the stairs. She's almost Mortal now. I worry about her. (He points at me quickly) Don't report that, hummm?

Lisa: No, of course not. I understand.

(Obviously I didn't listen but I do understand that he doesn't like to show any signs of weakness not to those whom he loves and certainly never to those whom he despises.)

Lisa: And you? How are you holding up?

Ares: Why? (He sneers at me showing me those sharp canines of his.)

(Normally those teeth are whiter than pearls but now they're dull, yellowed, look as though they haven't seen a toothbrush in years. There's bits of something sticking out from in between them it looks like caramel. For the first time in all of the years I've been working with him, I feel afraid of him.)

Lisa: No reason, I just was wondering—(I can't help it, my voice trails off as my eyes focus closer on him in the light of glowing embers.) Are you…sweating?

Ares: It's warm in here.

Lisa: Actually it's quite chilly.  Unusual for you, I know how you like to keep that fire stoked high and your unlit torches burning bright.  What's with the shades?

(There is something very wrong here. I don't know what it is but it's bad. I feel it in my bones. I'm in danger, sitting here with my long-time friend, I am in danger.)

Ares: Don't you think they make me look cool?

Lisa: No, they hide your eyes from me. Why don't you take them off? I don't like them.

Ares:  (Snorts) Why should I care what you like?

Lisa: No reason. (I stand up as quickly as I can with a heated desire to get out of the cave.) I think that's all for today Lord Ares. Thank you for speaking with me. 

Ares: Leaving so soon? We were just getting started.

(He stands up swiftly and rises to his full height to tower over me.  I smell it. Not the rich deep scent of the forest tinged with a bit smoke as is usual but the acrid stench of Major Falls. He's got it, I'm sure of it, an Olympian, A God, has contracted a weaponized version of rabies.)

Lisa: I know but I have a prior engagement that I forgot about. Please forgive me, my Lord. (I start backing away from him with my eyes fixed firmly upon those Foster Grants knowing they hide bloodshot eyes from the world.)  I hope it all works out for you in the end.

Buy links:

Amazon/Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Beth-Darling/e/B002BMDA9I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/lisa-beth-darling

iBooks

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lisa-beth-darling/id411650358?mt=11

Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lisadarling

Author Links:

Website

http://www.moonsmusings.com

Blog

http://lbdarling.wordpress.com

Facebook

http://facebook.com/lbdarling

Twitter

@lb_darling

Tour Extras

Contest page (graphic attached): http://www.moonsmusings.com/gifts/contest.html

PRIZE: The first 4 novels in the OF WAR Series SIGNED plus a bunch of OF WAR Swag.

ENDS: 11/4/2013

SPECIALS:

OF WAR Novels 1 & 2 Combo Pack—is $0.99 for a limited time. Available only on Kindle. This Combo Pack is FREE October 4^th-6^th!!!

http://www.amazon.com/OF-WAR-1-2-ebook/dp/B00EBV7C96/

DEEP DISCOUNTS on Signed and Unsigned Paperbacks sold separately or in a set.  Until November 4^th whenever you purchase a signed or unsigned paperback you get the ebook FREE. http://www.moonsmusings.com/gifts

I've been married for the last 27 years to my wonderful husband, Roy. We live in my hometown of New London, CT.

My writing career began in junior high, around the 7th grade. A fact that my fellow students adored but often got me called down to the Guidance Counselor's Office to discuss the adultness of my stories. While the experience was never pleasant, I was not deterred by the counselors' worries I was spurred onward by them, as well as by my teachers, and my classmates, I continued to hone my craft throughout those formative years.

Today I bring conflict, passion, love, and suspense to unique couples through full length novels. I'm never one to shy away from the less pleasant things in life, and instead I believe that it is in the Darkness where Character is created, determined, and defined, my heroes and heroines have their love tested by demons from within and without.

My latest series "OF WAR" began in November, 2010 with The Heart of War an erotic paranormal thriller. This series centers around Ares God of War and Magdalena MacLeod a half-fey half-human woman with whom Ares falls in love. The second novel in this series Child of War-A God is Born is available in paperback and e-book formats. The white snows of Olympus run red with blood after the birth of Ares and Alena's son, Raven. The short story enhancement Christmas Eve on Olympus gives the reader a glimpse into the first Christmas Eve ever on Mount Olympus. Child of War-Rising Son is now available in hard cover, paperback, and e-book. Raven's on the verge of manhood but his rampage continues in his quest to prove he's as much of an Olympian as any full-blood.

Look for Women of War in 2013 and (probably) the last novel in the series Kingdoms of War late in 2014.

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