Guest post and giveaway from author Elisabeth Naughton

Thanks so much to the gang at Paranormal Haven for inviting me to stop by! I’m super excited to be here today celebrating the release of ENRAPTURED – book four in my Eternal Guardians series – which hits store shelves tomorrow!

One of the questions I get asked all the time is, “Do I have to read the books in the Eternal Guardians series in order?” This is always a really hard question for me to answer because I am both a reader and a writer. As a reader, I have to admit that I’m a huge series fan girl and I love knowing everything there is to know about the secondary characters in a series when I sit down to read a book. So as a reader I would say yes, read all the Eternal Guardians books because then you’ll know the whole backstory and everything that’s happened up until the point where ENRAPTURED begins. But as a writer, I realize that not everyone has time to jump into a series mid-stream and go back and read from the beginning, so I work hard to make each book stand on it’s own. For that reason, whenever I’m asked this question about my own books, I can honestly say yes, you CAN read any book in the series out of order and totally figure out what’s going on. BUT…(and this is the reader in me)…every book is enhanced if you know what came before it.

For those of you who are new to the Eternal Guardians series, I thought it would be fun to take the time to bring you up to speed on what’s happened so far. Bear with me because series can be like soap operas at times (which is why readers love them!)

The Eternal Guardians are seven warriors descended from the seven strongest heroes in all of ancient Greece. They defend both their world—Argolea—and the human realm from threats born of the Underworld—specifically, one evil goddess by the name of Atalanta who was herself once a hero but who made a deal with Hades for immortality and a shot at revenge. Atalanta has but one goal—to see the Guardians destroyed and the realm of Argolea in shambles. She commands an army of daemons—human souls she recruited from purgatory and enlisted in her war in exchange for a second shot at life. These “souls” now have the bodies of men, the heads lions, horns as if from a goat and ears of dogs. In one word they are: disgusting. They’re also tough as hell, and it’s the guardians’ job to track them down, kill them and prevent Atalanta from preying on mortals in her quest to break into Argolea and see it ruined.

In MARKED, the first book in the series, readers were introduced to Theron. He is the leader of the guardians (also known as Argonauts) and a descendent of Heracles, the greatest hero ever to walk to the earth. The king of Argolea’s daughter and only heir is dying and Theron is sent to find her half sister—a half-breed who knows nothing about otherworldly creatures and who, prophecy says, will be the key to ending Atalanta’s immortality. Along the way Theron discovers that things he and his guardians have been told about the war with Atalanta are not exactly true and eventually he has to make the decision to sacrifice one life—a woman he’s come to care for deeply—for the good of many, or trust his gut and betray his order.

ENTWINED, the second book in the series, is Zander’s book. Zander is the oldest guardian and the one who can’t be killed. As a descendent of Achilles, Zander knows he has a weakness somewhere but after 800 years he’s yet to find it. And knowing he lost his soul mate years before, he doesn’t have a whole lot to live for—until, that is, the king decides the only way to keep the Council from declaring his daughter unfit to rule and eventually disbanding the Argonauts is to marry his daughter off to one of the guardians to ensure a new heir can be created. With nothing to lose, Zander volunteers for the job. Which ignites a series of events that eventually lead to the discovery of lies long buried, Atalanta’s increasing plot to destroy the Argonauts, and the truth about Zander’s soul mate—the only woman he’s ever loved and has never been able to forget.

TEMPTED—book three—is Demetrius’s story. Demetrius is a descendent of Jason, the famous hero who led the original Argonauts on the quest for the Golden fleece and fell in love with a witch who eventually was responsible for his downfall. Demetrius is the biggest of the guardians and the meanest. He keeps to himself, he’s not easy to get along with, and he despises Isadora, the king’s heir. He also harbors a dark secret none of the other Argonauts know: He’s Atalanta’s son. Planted in Argolea to aid her in the destruction of the Argolean race. Only up until now he’s been able to fight the darkness born into him. Until, that is, Atalanta takes both him and the princess hostage and hatches a new plan: She knows that secretly Demetrius cares for Isadora, so she banishes them to a deserted island and figures if given enough time, biology will take over. Demetrius won’t be able to resist the lure of his soul mate under such circumstances, and when he eventually gives in, Atalanta will finally get her mole. One she will then take and shape into the soldier she needs. One who will succeed where Demetrius failed. One with blood links to both the Argonauts and the throne of Argolea.

So, do you feel caught up? If you’re shaking your head no, don’t worry. This is just a brief outline of each book. There’s a lot more in every story, including information on characters in upcoming books, the political scene in Argolea, and how the gods fit into this power struggle between Atalanta and the Argoleans (and trust me, the gods are always meddling). Overall, the Eternal Guardians series is a battle of good versus evil. Of doing what you’ve been told versus doing what you believe in. Of being who you are versus being who you could one day be. And really, that’s a lesson all of us could learn from, don’t you think?

To celebrate the release of ENRAPTURED, my publisher is giving away a copy of the book to one lucky commenter! Open to U.S./Canada residents only.  Simply tell me if you’ve ever given a mid-series book a try and what you thought of it to be entered into the drawing.

ENRAPTURED BY ELISABETH NAUGHTON – IN STORES APRIL 2012

Orpheus—To most he's an enigma, a devil-may-care rogue who does whatever he pleases whenever he wants. Now this loose cannon is part of the Eternal Guardians—elite warriors assigned to protect the human realm—whether he likes it or not.

Orpheus has just one goal: to rescue his brother from the Underworld. He's not expecting a woman to get in the way. Especially not a Siren as gorgeous as Skyla. He has no idea she's an assassin sent by Zeus to seduce, entrap, and ultimately destroy him.

Yet Skyla herself might have the most to lose. There's a reason Orpheus feels so familiar to her, a reason her body seems to crave him. Perhaps he's not the man everyone thinks... The truth could reveal a deadly secret as old as the Eternal Guardians themselves

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A former junior high science teacher, Elisabeth Naughton traded in her red pen and test-tube set for a laptop and research books. She now writes sexy romantic adventure and paranormal novels full-time from her home in western Oregon, where she lives with her husband and three children. Her work has been nominated for numerous awards, including the prestigious RITA Awards of Romance Writers of America, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, the Golden Leaf, and the Golden Heart. When not writing, Elisabeth can be found running, hanging out at the ball park, or dreaming up new and exciting adventures. Visit her at http://www.elisabethnaughton.com/ to learn more about her and her books. Her next book in the Eternal Guardians series, Enslaved, will be in stores in November 2012.

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