Kyros' Secret, by Elizabeth Rose Review by Barb Deane, Barb's All Romance Book Store

New author Elizabeth Rose's second book, Kyros' Secret, is being published by New Leaf Books in November. Unlike Elizabeth's first book, Eden's Garden, which was a contemporary set in the Chicago area, Kyros' Secret is more of a paranormal based in Greek mythology. In fact, the heroine is Thera, Goddess of Sensations, daughter of Ares, the God of War, and Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. The hero, Kyros, has been cursed by Ares, doomed to spend days as a mortal man and nights as a Centaur (half man/half horse). Kyros' Secret is, obviously, not your average run-of-the-mill romance.

Thera is not happy on Mount Olympus. Her twin sister, Harmonia, is more the apple of mom's eye that Thera. However, Thera is not interested in becoming the Warrior that Ares envisions either. When her father takes her hunting and forces her to kill, she aims her arrow at Ares' prize raven. In anger over the death of his favorite pet, Ares plans to use Thera to force a war between humans and Centaurs, thereby giving Hades enough dead bodies to persuade him to release the raven back among the living.

The war is going to be started when Thera, whom Ares has promised as bride to the King of the Trozens, turns up pregnant and gives birth to a Centaur. However, when Ares sends a lightning bolt toward Rodas, the Centaur who conspired with Ares to bring about war, Kyros intervenes in an attempt to save Rodas. Instead, Thera becomes pregnant with Kyros's child. The problem is, Kyros doesn't know whether that child will be born human or Centaur. So, he decides to stay by Thera and protect her until she delivers the baby. In the process, he and Thera fall in love.

Of course, along the way, all manner of odd things happen and obstacles are thrown in the way of true love. Ares has convinced Thera she has been stripped of her godly powers....

This story is unlike any other romance I have ever read. I enjoyed it and was entertained by it - which is why I read romance, after all. I find myself at a loss to explain why this book appealed to me so much; I just accept that it did and that I definitely recommend it to romance readers looking for a different type of love story. Elizabeth Rose is a rising star among new romance authors and I look forward to her next book, whatever reality it occurs in. Read & enjoy!

If you enjoyed the TV series Hercules and Zena you'll find this book great fun to read. The plot is well-developed and the charcters are engaging. Ms Rose has turned traditional mythology inside out and given it a new, entertaining look.

A hero with a dark secret. A goddess, stripped of her powers and thrust, alone and unprepared into the world of humans. A contested crown. A brewing war. And over it all, the gods of Mt. Olympus, constantly stirring the rich mix of emotions and events, as they struggle to achieve their own ends by any means possible. These are the elements that make Kyros' Secret a compelling, entertaining read.

New author Ms. Rose is a gifted story teller. In Kyros' Secret, she continues the tradition she started in her debut novel, Eden's Garden, as she weaves a tale full of twists and turns, love and adventure, which will keep you reading long into the night. Her vivid characters and richly detailed story are sure to delight. I look forward to her next offering.

The reason I don't give this book 5 stars because, I think, the romantic part between two main characters is not best of the best (although it's good enough). This book is based on Greek Mythology about Perseus, and Princess Andromeda. It tells about Perseus's quest to slay the gorgon, Medusa. As the author mentioned in another review, instead of rescuing Princess Andromeda after killing Medusa, Perseus and Andromeda met each other since the beginning of the quest. The author did an excellent job in making mythology into a fun book to read. However, the author pretty much concentrated on describing all the adventures of Perseus and, in my opinion, there's not enough detail about the feeling and emotion between two main characters to capture your romantic mood (but the adventure part is really good). Princess Andromeda was a spanky kind of girl and a little too modern..but she's really entertaining and was the most fun character to read comparing to our hero, Perseus. So if romantic fantasy is your genre or if you like greek mythology plus a bit sprinkle of romance, this book is for you. Although it's not the best romance novel I've ever read , it's still fun and the idea of adapting Myth into novel is something that you don't want to pass by without experiencing it.. By overall, I think, I pretty much enjoy this book...recommended!!

Ms Rose has done it again, taken a simple Greek myth and turned it into an exciting, romantic adventure complete with a sea serpent, a snake-headed woman as well as a hunky hero and enchanting heroine. I look forward to the release of her next book and so will you.

For those of you who remember the Greek myth of Perseus and Andromeda - this book is based on that story.

Perseus, a demi-god and son of Zeus is on a mission- to kill the Gorgan Medusa and bring back the head to King Polydectes who has taken his mortal mother hostage. He is told to be back by a certain day, or his mother will be killed. Therefore, when Princess Andromeda shows up with a problem of her own, he finds himself having to make a choice. Nereus, the sea god has sent a sea serpent to devour her village, and in actuality, the oracle has suggested that Andromeda give her own life to save her village. Andromeda needs a demi-god to kill the sea serpent and hence save her own life, and when she meets Perseus while visiting The Oracle of Delphi, she knows she must sway him to help her. But the oracle's predictions have never been wrong, and Perseus has a frightening one in his future as well. Can they change the course of time or will they need to learn to live with the foretold consequences?

While in the actual myth this story is far from a romance, and he doesn't even meet Andromeda until his tasks are completed, I chose to say "what if" and make them meet much earlier. I bring Andromeda into the story as a baby, and the potential successor to the thrown of The Oracle of Delphi. I love the spunky Princess Andromeda, and the wanna-be hero of Perseus, who knows he can't resist Andromeda's request.

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Elizabeth Rose

A woman's thoughts and fantasies fuel her desire for two different men, and in A MOMENT OF IMPULSE, the choice between the two becomes increasingly difficult for Kate.

Kate Fisher has no time to look for love. Busy with her job as a public relations consultant, love comes to her in the form of client, John Strauss. Though not love at first sight, the attraction between them develops, and as with most things, obstacles occur, mainly a certain one-night-stand that Kate is having a hard time forgetting. For Kate, a choice must soon be made: will she go for the solid love and companionship of a man she respects and loves? Or will she be swept away by the passion of the other man?

A MOMENT OF IMPULSE, Elizabeth Rose's first foray into the world of erotic fiction, strikes a cord with women everywhere. Come along for the ride, and then stay for the scenery.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book....a real page turner. The author manages to blend a sense of erotica together with characters you actually come to care about. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next! I eagerly await the next book by this very talented author, and find myself hoping it turns out to be a sequel.

Throwing Roses, tells the story of an adolescent, Branda, struggling to find herself after an auto accident. Her confusion and frustration are real, and as a reader I was immediately invested in her struggle. The author has a way with words and the writting was at times powerful. Branda's struggle with the existence of God seemed appropriate, and her unorthodox relationship was nicely written. I would have liked more background on the characters, especially Sam and Branda's mother. As a physician, I was disturbed when Branda stopped taking her seizure medication. The medical aspects were at times fuzzy, but overall Throwing Roses is a good first novel.

ms ridleys first novel demonstrates a compassion toward adolescent yearning for acceptance unparallelled by other writers. Through the characters of 17 year old Branda Raggan who endures a painful recovery after a near fatal auto accident and middle age English drag queen, Sabrina, ms ridley conveys the pain and transformations all adolescents experience at some time in their lives.It is a true lesson in optimism, love, freedom courage and survival.A must read

Eden's Garden reminds me of a modern day fairy tale. Ms. Rose paints a pastel picture of a sleeping beauty and a dark prince who together make it possible for both to have a life neither could have separately. This book is a real charmer.

Ms Rose gives a new and exciting twist to the typical romance of small town girl meets big city boy with her tale of Eden's Garden. Eden wants to go home to Peru but is stuck in Chicago. Jack needs the treasure Eden's father promised him to save his failing restaurant. Neither gets what they expected. The growth of both characters is nicely done and the romance is charming.

I found Eden's Garden to be a wonderful romance! There is a bit of Peruvian culture mixed in with everyday life of Chicago restaurant owner Jack Talon. Eden Ramirez comes from the Andes, and clashes with the rest of the Chicagoens, but still finds a way to fit in.

I found Ms. Rose's characters to be real life, with real problems and accomplishments of their own. Not only Jack and Eden, but the secondary characters as well.

This story is well written and will keep your interest. The plot was great, and the humor the author throws in is refreshing. I found myself not wanting to put it down.

Pick it up - you'll be happy you did.

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROSES is probably one of the best survey book about roses available. I'd give it 5-stars but it was written by a German for a German market and has been translated for American gardeners. Most of the factoids translate well, but I can help looking at the photos of Schneewittchen and remembering a tale I heard at a garden lecture about how this rose was named "Snow White" in Germany, and became "Iceberg" when it crossed the Atlantic. I don't know if the story is true, but my husband speaks German and when the white fluffy stuff falls he calls it "schnee."

ROSES contains a 20-page introduction on the history of the rose--a long history that could probably not be covered adequately in 500 pages. Markley provides a good synopsis with the ususal mention of the Apothecary Rose, the Wars of the Roses--with quotes from some of Shakespeare's plays, and a box insert on Malmaison and Josephine's love of roses. I knew the rose was symbolic of Mary, and that rosery beads where first made of rolled rose petals, but it's nice to be reminded.

The remaining 200 or so pages are devoted to the botony, horticulture, and growing needs of roses as well as a nice index filled with an annotated rose list consisting of those specimins Markley prefers. The information Markely provides about container growing, winter protection, planting and maintenance is extremely useful and detailed.

The photographs are pretty, but they have been doctored--the color intensified via a wash which makes the flowers appear out-of-focus. This is an unnecessary ammendment given the beauty of the roses--it appears the photos were in color to begin with. I don't know whether this is the result of inferior photography (in Germany??) or German pandering to stupid Americans who can't tell the difference, but it reminds me of the unscrupulous garden catalogs Allen Lacy complains about that alter the photographs of their stock to fool the consumer. Experienced gardeners know when they are looking at the real thing.

The book contains a listing of gardens in Germany where roses are grown, either as a featured plant or the main event. Not surprisingly, the author recommends you tour these gardens in summer. If you collect good garden books this is a useful addition for your collection. If you're an American gardener and can afford only one book, better stick to Taylor's Rose Book which contains useful information without obviously altered photos.

Beautiful pictures! A lot of information which was very well organized. I can't wait to put all this info to use in my garden!

A beautiful love story about how an attractive country lass by the name of Victoria won the heart of a handsome young French marquis (albeit an impoverished one) who had earlier promised himself to marry ONLY a rich young female aristocrat. There are some poignant moments in the book... but the ending is of course, beautiful. Another good point about this book is the emphasis on solid friendships. It's good to have good male friends like what Victoria and Phillipe had...who stood by them thru' thick and thin. I certainly wish I have friends like them! ;-)