Enslaved (Eternal Guardians, #5)

by Elisabeth Naughton

GRYPHON — Honorable, loyal, dependable…tainted. He was the ultimate warrior before imprisonment changed him in ways he can’t ignore.

Come to me. You can’t resist. The voice calls to him, but Gryphon will not allow himself to be ruled by the insidious whispers in his head. There’s one way to stop them: kill the evil being who enslaved him. With so much darkness inside, though, he can’t be sure what’s real anymore. Even the Eternal Guardians, those who protect the human realm, want to exile him. They’re not sure he can be trusted.

Finding Maelea is like a miracle. Somehow, he doesn’t feel the dark pull when she’s near. He’s determined to keep her as near as possible, whether she wants him close or not. But proximity spurs temptation. A temptation that will test every bit of control he has left. One that may ultimately have the power to send him back to his imprisonment or free him from his chains for good.

• ISBN13: 9781402262159
• Publish Date: 6 November 2012 (first published 1 November 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Casablanca
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

Grphyon had suffered such unspeakable tortures at the hands of Atalanta and Kronos, I had to wonder just how Elisabeth Naughton was going to bring this "broken" argonaut back into the land of the living. What she gave us was a man who was so very worthy of his argonaut markings, but also the daughter of the Gods.

Gryphon, in the other Guardian books, was also such an easy going character, so his transformation into this hardened, tortured soul is tough. He thinks he's losing his mind because he constantly hears Atalanta calling for him and he has this darkness that he can feel inside him. The darkness makes him lose control and that scares him just as much as reliving the things he was subjected to or done in the Underworld. His only solace coms when he's near Maelea. Something about her soothes his darkness and makes the voices go away. Gryphon thinks it's something about Maelea that takes away the voices and the darkness, especially after his discovers who her parents are, but the calming effect is more about his soul finding it's mate than who or what Maelea is. She brings out all the qualities Gryphon had before his time in the underworld and helps him shed the despair that has hung over him and be the man he was always meant to be.

Maelea was one of those characters that had this inner strength that was to be envied. For three thousand years she's lived in the human realm knowing she was wanted by either of her parents. Despite that, she was determined to make it to Olympus and would do whatever was necessary to get there. Gryphon wasn't part of her plans, but she soon saw the man he was beneath the tough exterior and knew she would do whatever she needed to do to make sure he was happy, even give up Olympus. She doesn't have it easy, especially when people saw her as a small, weak woman, but she had that inner strength that had her fighting for herself and Gryhon to make sure they both had what made them happy.

Given how Enslaved ends, you have to wonder just what the Argonauts are going to be up against, especially with Zeus now a player. It should be interesting and guaranteed to be a wild ride. Give us Titus....we're ready!

[Stephanie]

Enslaved by Elisabeth Naughton continues the Eternal Guardians series. I have become a huge fan of Elisabeth Naughton’s because each book she writes is just as good as the last. She focuses on the couple in the book while still furthering the overall story arc.

There are several new twists and turns in Enslaved. Two of them being the hero and heroine. If you thought Demetrius from was a tortured hero, prepare yourself for Gryphon. Demetrius has nothing on Gryphon. Gryphon spent months in the Underworld being tortured. He didn’t earn his way there and in order to escappe daily torture he makes a deal. The deal is something along the lines of “out of the pan and into the fire” territory. Grypon sets great store by always doing the right and honorable thing. After Orpheus saved him from the Underworld, Gryphon sees the deal he mad as selfish and cowardly. he also gets to constantly listen to Atalanta’s voice constantly calling him back to her.

Atalanta is constantly in his head. The inhabitants of the miso colony think Gryphon’s nuts so he stays in his room. There is one person who seems to be as alone as he is. Maelea spends most of her time alone but doesn’t seem to be crazy. Maelea is the daughter of Zeus and Persephone. She is not allowed in Olympus without first earning the right to be there. She can’t step foot in the Underworld without her insanely jealous stepfather, Hades, killing her. Maelea has been stuck in the human realm for around 3000 years. In that time she’s learned she is better off on her own. Humans have such a short life span and it’s too hard to grieve them. Now after years on her own the darkness inside heer (inherited from her mother) is calling to the darkness in Gryphon.

There’s so much going on in this story that I could go on and on but really you should check it out for yourself. The Eternal Guardians series is a fantastic paranormal romance with Greek mythology tossed in for good measure. I do suggest starting with the first book Marked. Enslaved by Elisabeth Naughton is the fifth book and there is a lot of back story that will enhance the experience.