Enraptured by Elisabeth Naughton (Eternal Guardian’s #4)
April 3, 2012
Paranormal Romance
Sourcebooks

Reviewed by Helyce

Orpheus has spent most of his life thinking that he is a bad seed. The son of an Argonaut and a Medean witch, he was also born with a daemon inside of him-something he has accepted but kept as carefully hidden as he can. In spite of his Argonaut father he was passed over because of his mixed heritage and it was his much younger brother, Gryphon, who was inducted to that most honored and revered group of Guardians tasked with keeping the Argolean realm and the human realm safe from the daemons. Orpheus never took it personally, he knows what he is and he agreed that Gryphon was the better choice-he had what it took to be a true hero.

So, when Gryphon dies after Orpheus’s attempt to help heal him after a battle, his guilt overwhelms him. He sets out to make it right. He must get his hands on the Orb of Kronos, travel to the Underworld to retrieve his brother’s soul, and reunite him with his human body which had been overtaken by a warlock. He must do this, even if it’s the last thing he ever does.

Skyla is Athena’s most highly regarded assassin in Zeus’ army of Sirens and has been for 2000 years. She is sent to the earth realm to kill Orpheus and prevent him from locating the Orb. But when she meets him, she is overcome with a sense of déjà vu. He is so familiar to her and she just can’t put her finger on it. Their attraction to each other is immediate and when they come together it unlocks memories she’d long forgotten; too painful to remember. She is overcome with disbelief.

Orpheus is just as overwhelmed by his reaction to Skyla, but he cannot let his feelings get in the way of his task. He will find the orb and he will save Gryphon’s soul and he will not let Skyla get in his way.

Enraptured is book 4 in this wonderful mythological world that I just can’t get enough of. I have had a soft spot for Orpheus from book one where his actions even then told me that he was so much more than the man he let people see. He might have wanted everyone to think that he was a sneaky bad ass who was only out for himself, and he kind of was; but at his core there was a better man trying to get out. In this book, we see that inner goodness and strength as he becomes the man he was truly destined to be.

Skyla is a kick ass heroine and perfect for Orpheus. Unfortunately, Skyla has lived a kind of half life for nearly 2000 years. She trained to be a Siren at a young age, and while most Sirens retire after about 300 or so years, Skyla choose to remain with the order after she experienced the extreme betrayal by the man she was in love with. Heartbroken, with no other family but the other Siren’s in the order, she felt she had nothing and devoted her life to Athena. For all these years she has believed everything that Athena and Zeus told her about what happened with her beloved Cynurus.

It isn’t until she meets Orpheus that she begins to question everything that she once believed was truth. Orpheus is a complex man and nothing like what she expected. She quickly realizes that Athena and Zeus left out some very important facts when sending her on this particular mission. As she observes Orpheus’s actions while he attempts to locate the Orb of Kronos she realizes that he is full of goodness and love for his brother, whether he is willing to admit it or not.

Orpheus goes through a huge transformation in this book and gets the girl in the process. I loved watching both Orpheus and Skyla struggle and deny themselves something that was literally a lifetime in the making. No matter what they did, that connection to each other was there; it was strong and could not be denied. He fights it though, his single-minded goal of rescuing Gryphon always at the forefront.

What I especially loved about this installment, however, was seeing all the Argonauts rally and back Orpheus in his task even though their previous experiences with him were laden with deceit and mistrust. He realizes he is no longer alone in his quest and he accepts their help without question, knowing it’s all for the greater good. This is a major change for Orpheus who has always been more of a loner.

I love a story that revolves around or is a play on Greek mythology. Ms. Naughton does a wonderful job as she takes the myths and tweaks them ever so slightly to create the world of Argolea and its people. While this story is focused on Orpheus and Skyla we learn that the war with Atalanta and her daemons is far from over. We meet a new character; a young woman named Maelea who I believe will have a major role in an upcoming book. We spend quite a bit of time at the Misos colony in Montana with Nick another character I hope will we learn more about soon!

I adore this series! From beginning to end, I was pulled in and I didn’t want to let go. This installment was packed with heart-stopping adventure while focusing on the love story between two characters whose love literally transcends time. There are surprises and twists, but ultimately we watch good triumph over evil, as it always should.

Rating: A

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