Guest Review: Divine Redemption by Jory Strong

Judith‘s review of Divine Redemption by Jory Strong.

Their connection was instant, their attraction intense. Reincarnated souls reunited though neither consciously realize the depth of their bond. Tmeperance and Demetri love each other. Lust after each other. But a third waits, someone who will complete an already near-perfect union.

Thanos wronged them in a previous existence and, as the mortal son of Dionysius, was punished for it by the Fates. he’s had lifetimes to repent, eons to witness the rebirths and deaths of the two people who have come to mean everything to him.

Now the Moirae have finally reunited the three of them, giving Thanos a chance to rekindle an ancient flame. For their part, Tempe and Demetri must choose him freely. While Thanos must avoid retracing old steps–and betraying his lovers once again.

Jory Strong is one of those writers that had a creative mind, the like of which is seldom seen. This author can come up with alternate realities and universes that boggle the mind, and having reviewed a couple of her other books previously, I am astounded that she has developed a story strand that, wierd as it may seem and as short as it is, is full of life and love.

Divine Redemption can be read as one of those “eat at lunch with your ham sandwich” kinds of reads, and it will satisfy as a stand-alone piece. However it is also a loose sequel to Strong’s Death’s Courtship. The characters are old and rooted in Greek mythology but after myriads of re-incarnations, the main characters once again encounter one another, are irresistably drawn to one another once again, and stand in danger of being betrayed once again by Thanos, the son of the god Dionysius and a human mother, and a man who is fighting for the regeneration and freedom of his soul. Now at last, he has received permission to once again approach these two lovers but can only be freed to live with them and be in a permanent love relationship if they freely invite him.

This short story is full of life and some not-so-nice mythical characters that are once again on the mission to upend Thanos once again. There are twists and turns that are surprising in such a short story. And as a reader that doesn’t do a whole lot of fantasy reading–it just doesn’t ring true to me a lot of the time–I respect the writing ability of this author and I guess I went into this reading task with a more positive set of expectations. Lovers of fantasy romance will find a fun read here and will, I think, revel in Strong’s ability to stuff so much into such a short number of pages. Were it longer I would give it a high rating, but nevertheless, it is not a waste of time and will certainly entertain as advertised. I give it a rating of 3.5 out of 5.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more review from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

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