Tempted (Eternal Guardians, #3)

by Elisabeth Naughton

DEMETRIUS—He's the hulking, brooding warrior even his fellow Guardians avoid. Too dark. Too damaged. And given his heritage, he knows it's best to keep everyone at arm's length.

Isadora is missing. The words pound through his head like a frantic drumbeat. For her own protection, Demetrius did all he could to avoid the fragile princess, his soul mate. And now she's gone—kidnapped. To get her back, he'll have to go to the black place in his soul he's always shunned.

As daemons ravage the human realm and his loyalty to the Guardians is put to the ultimate test, Demetrius realizes that Isadora is stronger than anyone thought.

And finally letting her into his heart may be the only way to save them both.

• ISBN10: 1402260466
• ISBN13: 9781402260469
• Publish Date: 6 September 2011 (first published 1 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Casablanca
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[EBookObsessed]

Demetrius is now my #1 Favorite Hero!

This series is about the seven guardians. They are the descendants of the original seven Argonauts who journeyed with Jason to find the golden fleece. The Argonauts were favored by the Greek Gods and granted a home called Argolea. They protect their kingdom and the world of the humans from daimons, who are lead by Atalanta. She was an Argonaut not favored by the Gods (because she was female) so she made a deal with Hades for immortality.

The series involves the Argonauts (the Eternal Guardians), the Argoleans, the misos (who are mix of half argolean/half human), humans and the daimons, and don’t forget those rascally Greek Gods who are always causing trouble.

Demetrius is a Guardian with one hell of an attitude problem; he is descended from Jason; he protects the humans and the people of Argolea; and he knows two things for sure: (1) Princess Isadora of the Argoleans is his one sole mate; and (2) he is hiding a very deep, very dark secret. Why be nice to his fellow Guardians? If they knew his secret, they’d turn on him. What about Isadora? There was no way he can get close to Isadora, no matter how much he wants to. If she knew him…knew about him… He spends two hundred years intimidating her, being mean to her, keeping her afraid of him. If she hates him, he can protect her, but not be tempted by her. Then Isadora is kidnapped, and after rescuing her, Demetrius is trapped with her and danger is all around them. He needs to keep her safe and close. Now he needs to fight the dangers outside, and the temptation inside himself.

A few months ago I read an interview with Elisabeth Naughton where she was talking about her upcoming book Tempted and about it’s main character Demetrius. If you read the first two books of this series, there’s no other way to say it, Demetrius is a JERK! He’s pushy, condescending, and outright nasty to everyone. Right then I decided I needed to read this book and this series, because I wanted to know, “How are you going to make me like this guy?” Well, I’ll tell you, after reading this book, Demetrius is now my top favorite hero of all time!! He does all the wrong things for all the right reasons.

Definitely put this on your must read list!

Rating: 5 stars + 1 big kiss for my hero, Demetrius

[Cocktails and Books]

I've been waiting to see how this story would play out since Demetrius flipped out in Entwined at the thought of being bound to Isadora. Sure Isadora came off as a truly pampered princess in the first two books and maybe someone as hard as Demetrius would have a hard time being mated to someone like her, but his reaction was totally over the top. However, reaction makes complete sense when we learn that he knows Isadora is his soul mate but given the evil her believes lurks inside him, he's done everything he can to make her hate him.

What we find with Demetrius is a man who is scarred by who his mother is (I won't reveal that one) and by the abuse he suffered by his father. He feels he isn't worthy of anyone like Isadora and rather than give himself any hope, he lashes out in hopes of making them hate him. He is, in fact, one of those alpha males that I love. Hard as rocks on the outside, but nice and squishy on the inside.

Isadora, who was a little annoying at times in the earlier books, truly proves herself in Tempted. She may not be used to having to do things for herself, but she's willing to try. She was stronger than Demetrius or herself thought she was and became the strong warrior woman that our Eternal Guardian's sole mates need to be. Her ultimate triumph came when she finally stood up to her father and demanded he give her her birthright in order to save the man she loves.

The next book in the series, Enraptured (which comes out April 2012), will feature Orpheus who will journey into the underworld to save his brother Gryphon from the Underworld. Seeing as Apophos stole his body for his evil deeds, this should be quite interesting.

If you love Greek mythology, these sexy Argonaut decedents are just the men you'll want to sync your teeth (or nails) into.

[Stephanie]

Really a 4.5.

The princess of Argolea has been stolen away from the palace mere hours before her binding ceremony. When Isadora gains consciousnesses she finds the one person she thought was her friend is a witch and has betrayed her. Isadora is vaguely aware that she's being prepared for something but she doesn't know what and is much to weak to put a stop to it even if she knew. She can only hope that someone will come to her rescue. Even that seems too much to hope for.

When the princess' rescue attempt goes wrong all hell breaks loose. Gryphon is in bad shape and has learned that the brother they trusted (even if just barely) is not who he appears to be. Demetrius is indeed the son of the enemy, Atalanta. IT certainly explains the whole bad ass attitude he's been rocking for the past 200 years. Not only is this damning enough on its own but it also appears as if Demetrius has had Isadora's abduction planned from the beginning.

Atalanta sees in her son and Isadora the chance that she's been waiting for. If their child is conceived she would have an Argonaut who will inherit the throne of Argolea. In a cruel twist to try and get what she wants, Atalanta throws Demetrius and Isadora through a portal to Pandora an island that cannot be escaped by either without holy land. Pandora is our Bermuda Triangle and all manor of strange creatures roams the island. Demetrius must keep Isadora safe, figure out a way to get home and has the added task of trying to guard his heart.

Oh ladies! Hold on to your hearts because Demetrius will melt even the coldest of cynics! Demetrius has ever only wanted one thing: Isadora's happiness. He loves her so much that he keeps himself at arm's length. I suppose that's not really true because Demetrius goes out of his way to ensure Isadora never gets close by demeaning her and being brutal whenever she's around. In fact, he refused to be bound to her when the king appointed him as her future husband. As a reader I was able to feel everything that has been held back in the first two books where Demetrius is concerned. He is not the man we have been led to believe he is. Demetrius is not only hero material there are moments that will make you swoon!

"You can't save me," he whispered.
"Why not?"
"Because some things aren't worth the effort."

See?! Tempted is littered with passages like these. My heart broke quite a bit for Demetrius in this book. If you're looking for a tortured hero, I don't know that you can find one more tortured!

Isadora herself has a lot of growing up to do. She has depended on people dictating her life for so long that it seems foreign to try and take control of her life. At first she really wore on me. She was constantly second guessing herself and doubted what was right in front of her on more than one occasion. I have to admit that had I been in the same circumstances I would have been the same way. About midway through the book Isadora puts on her big girl boots and we get a kick ass princess. None of that light and fluff stuff she's been spoon fed since the cradle. This is without a doubt one of my favorite Isadora passages:

"You said I'd regret this." Her voice, usually strong and confident, was so soft he barely heard her. "Do you remember that? You said, when I went home I'd look back on my time here with you and regret every moment of it."
He swallowed again, loathing the fact his warning had now come true. "Yeah," he managed. "I remember."
"And what did I say to you?"
When he didn't answer, she lifted her chocolate eyes to his. "Don't remember? Then I'll tell you. I said the most important things in this world are the ones we have to fight for. And I still believe you're worth fighting for, Demetrius. Even if you don't."

Now that is the kind of heroine that I enjoy! It may take her a little while to get there but Isadora is a great heroine and in every way Demetrius' match.

If you haven't read Elisabeth Naughton's Eternal Guardians series yet, you need to. Her heroes and heroines are memorable long after the last page has been turned. If Tempted is any indication we can expect great things in her series. I'm anxiously awaiting to continue the stories and see what else Naughton and Argolea will bring us!