We are so pleased to be taking part in Donna Milward's Blog Tour and we hope you enjoy the book as much as we did!
Book Blurb:
Thoeba is a
creature of light. As all things must be in balance, when the Energy created
her kind it also created the darkness.
Thoeba's world fell to darkness forcing her to flee. She came to Earth to protect the Energy, losing everything in the process.
Darkness has found a way to follow her and threatens to take this world as well.
With only humans as allies, can she succeed?
Thoeba's world fell to darkness forcing her to flee. She came to Earth to protect the Energy, losing everything in the process.
Darkness has found a way to follow her and threatens to take this world as well.
With only humans as allies, can she succeed?
Review: The book was really a fantastic read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found the plot intriguing and the characters were simply amazing. The emotions that were pulled from me while reading ran the gamut from disbelief, to sorrow, to triumph, and everywhere in between. I don't think that it is necessary to give anything away in regards to the story itself, as the blurb gives one more than enough information as to what is going on. Plus, this novel deserves to be read. That being said, you must experience Theoba for yourself. The highs and lows make for a read that is well worth the price for admission to Donna Milward's world. For those of you who do check it out, you are in for a treat! Happy Reading!
Excerpt:
Excerpt:
“You shall wear a trench in the marble.” Ares said. Aphrodite
threw him a glare of contempt over her shoulder and continued to pace.
“I am sick of hearing
you say that.”
“Then perhaps you
should stop doing it,” Ares said. “I grow weary of your posturing.”
Aphrodite rolled her
eyes. It had been decades since they had anything interesting to say to each
other. The turn of the century saw them resort to petty bickering. Not unlike a
mortal married couple too afraid of change to leave a union of misery.
If only it were that
easy, Aphrodite thought. If only I could simply walk away.
But it was not an
option. This was the only place she called her own.
She stared past the
vine-wrapped stone pillars of the pantheon to the Earth below. Aphrodite
shivered in this fabricated hell she willingly traded for the eternal beauty of
Eden.
So that she could
harness the emotions of humans and become a goddess. What a tragic folly.
Aphrodite cast
another glance at the lean and tanned Ares lounging on his throne of
bloodstone. He stroked his beard like a conceited cat. She had loved him once.
Left Hephaestus for him.
She had come to
regret following him, and wandered Olympus like a ghost, forever bored and
lonely.
“You are jealous
because I have more power than you.” Ares stretched forward, sneering. “I
always have. Nothing has changed.”
“That is false,” she
said. “Everyone believes in love. No one wishes for conflict.”
Ares threw both arms
in the air, exasperated. “Yes, I know. All mankind wants world peace.” He held
out his hand, and one of many nymphs crept to his side with a full goblet.
“But this realm has
never known true rest,” Ares said. He drained most of the cup and waved it
around, sloshing leftover wine dregs like splatters of gore. “If you added all
the years without war on this planet, it would not amount to a single decade.”
Aphrodite shrugged.
“Humans have delicate tempers.” She peered out to the green and blue vista
below Mount Olympus, breathed deep the ripe scent of olive trees. “It requires
little talent or skill to set them against each other.”
The comment had the
desired effect. Out of her peripheral she saw Ares stiffen. His rage washed
over her with such force she braced herself on a pillar.
Not that she feared
him. Causing Ares aggravation pleasured her. One of few satisfying amusements.
She suppressed her laughter, but it mattered not at all. He was well aware of
her disdain. Hard to keep feelings to oneself when everyone around her could
exchange thought.
“Harpy slut,” he
said. “You think yourself superior to me?”
Aphrodite faced him,
almost shocked by the ugliness in his expression. Veins appeared like cracks in
his skull, and his brown eyes became black pits. Saliva dripped from his cruel
mouth.
“Humans do not need
you to teach them to fuck.”
A crowd gathered. She
heard the babble-both spoken and unvoiced.
Not this again.
Third time this year
alone.
They never tire of
it.
Wish they would both
be silent.
A new presence
arrived. Aphrodite glanced to the skies to see storm clouds building before
Zeus appeared between her and her old lover.
“Enough, both of
you,” he said, his voice roaring like a lion. “You need to cease this constant
nattering at each other.” Zeus ran his hand down his rich chestnut beard,
stroking the curls.
Aphrodite gauged his
temperament. Zeus’ anger simmered. True, she and Ares had been at each other’s
throats for a few decades, but the confidence she once admired had become
smarmy arrogance. She considered it her duty to remind him of his inadequacies.
Otherwise Ares would be insufferable.
Zeus pinched the
bridge of his nose. “A noble idea, Aphrodite,” he said. “But it is unpleasant
to listen to. Everyone here…” He motioned behind him with a heavily muscled
arm. “…is sick to the teeth of the noise.”
Several murmurs of
agreement filled the room, rustling the trellised ivy.
“She started it,”
Ares said. He blushed, seeming to realize how childish he sounded. His gaze
dropped to the floor. “She goads me to occupy her time.”
Aphrodite opened her
mouth to protest. Closed it again. She must admit, the endless tedium of her
existence caused her moodiness. And Ares provided a convenient target for her
frustration. She came to this dimension because of him, and for that he should
suffer.
Zeus’ stormy blue
eyes flashed. Lightning blinked over the throng and thunder shook the ground.
The smell of ozone wafted to Aphrodite’s nose. “It must stop.”
His shoulders rose
then fell with the weight of decision. “One of you will leave Olympus.”
“What?” Ares said.
“Are you mad?”
Aphrodite asked. “This is my home.”
Ares sneered at her.
“Mine as well.”
“Nevertheless, one of
you has to go. Our sanctuary must have quiet,” Zeus stepped away from the
quarrel to face the assembly. “Ideas, anyone?”
Voices rose in pitch
as the other gods, nymphs and pet mortals weighed in. One opinion rang out over
the din of the mob.
“A contest!” The
voice belonged to Artemis. Aphrodite’s heart sank. Leave it to the huntress to
suggest such a concept. “Winner stays on Olympus, loser departs.”
A wicked grin spread
over Ares face. He liked to compete. Aphrodite used to find that desirable. Now
it was to her disadvantage.
“But what kind of
contest?” Zeus asked.
“I believe that one
is obvious,” The slurred statement came from Dionysus as he made his crooked
way forward. Judging from the alcohol and vomit stench of his last belch,
Dionysus and his worshippers started devotionals early.
“She is the goddess
of love,” The god of wine and ecstasy spilled dribbles on his violet robes, the
floor, and his entourage as he gestured. “Let her do what she does best. She
always goes on about how love is the strongest force on Earth.”
“And he always tells
her love leads to hate,” Artemis said, her silver eyes dull with apathy. “That
it is easier for humans to fight than to choose friendship, affection or
goodwill.”
Several gods and
goddesses nodded and applauded. They all remembered the fights between Ares and
Aphrodite over the years. The topic remained the same.
Zeus pursed his lips.
Aphrodite noted by the way he fingered the twists in his facial hair that he
liked the idea. As did she. Aphrodite never doubted herself, not with love.
Ares could do whatever he wanted. She never failed. She could almost taste the
sweet victory like honey on her tongue.
“I accept the
challenge,” she said. Ares eyebrows lifted high, lending him a comical
vulnerability. “I anticipate having something new to do for a change.”
And she would defeat
him. She pictured herself roaming the lush gardens of Olympus, dancing between
the vine-covered marble monoliths…without the lewd and brash presence of the
war god tainting its loveliness.
She studied the sharp
angles of his handsome visage before staring Ares in his dark raven eyes. She
wanted to remember this precise moment. Soon he would be gone. She may never
have to see him again. “You can do your worst.”
Ares’ grin spread
like a scourge across his face. “I will. I also accept.”
“Then it is settled.”
Zeus rubbed his hands together. A static charge of blue light shimmered between
his fingers. “We need to establish ground rules,” he said. “Everyone, be
seated.”
Ares went back to his
throne, and Aphrodite reluctantly sat in hers. She appreciated the splendor of
the mother-of-pearl and sea shell inlays on her chair, but it was placed next
to him. That meant enduring a whiff of his rank musk whenever breezes blew
north.
Sure enough, once
settled, Ares exuded the odor of sweat and alcohol. Aphrodite stopped stroking
the scallop shells of her armrests and brought her hand to her mouth and nose.
First thing I shall
do when he leaves is scour all traces of him from that spot.
Ares put both hands
behind his head and smirked. Aphrodite refused to react to the overwhelming
smell. Why encourage him?
“We need a location.”
Zeus waved a hand, and a map of Earth appeared in the center of the room
hanging like a translucent tapestry. “The duel will take place in the New
World.”
The visual focused on
the landscape of North America, with lush fields of wheat, corn and
canola. Flat plains gave way to craggy
mountains. Occasionally a city or village interrupted the open spaces.
The New World? That
sparse wasteland of technology and materialism? Aphrodite uttered an unfeminine
oath. The Mediterranean, or even Europe would have been preferable. There the
humans revered her in art and books. Many still lived by the old ways.
But it was not the
Middle-East or Asia where constant war and revolution made Ares strong. For
that she was grateful.
The New World had no
use for either her or Ares. They were too busy chasing wealth and power to
either fall in love or fight.
Understanding dawned.
“A wise choice,
mighty Zeus,” she said.
“No advantages,” Ares
said. “I concur.” A small wonder they had finally agreed on something,
Aphrodite thought.
“I give you all of
North America to choose,” Zeus said. “Aphrodite, you select first.”
She felt her lips
widening. She knew just the girl. Aphrodite recalled her lineage and her love
of cultures new and old.
“Her,” Aphrodite
said. She waved away the map and placed in its stead a visual of her chosen
champion. “I choose this human.”
Before them hovered
the image of a young woman in her twenties. She wore her glossy black hair long
but bluntly sheared. Streaks of pink and blue burst through her bangs. Her
twinkling brown eyes were lined with kohl. Her skin shone a light shade of olive,
healthy from within and etched with ink. Mythological creatures merged with
tiger lilies, hibiscus, and roses. Silver jewelry decorated her ears and
throat. A single diamond perched on her cheek like a teardrop.
“She is a strange
beauty.” Zeus stared at the depiction, doubt crinkling his brow. “Hardly the
epitome of femininity. Are you certain?”
“Your vanity is
greater than your will to win.” Ares chuckled, a sickly imitation of merriment.
“This mortal wears Aphrodite’s likeness across her back. Not to mention
‘Aphrodite’ is her second name.”
Aphrodite scoffed.
“Those are not the sole reasons.” She faced Zeus. “This one has a Greek father.
Her parents teach classic literature. They have a deep love of all legends of
our time as well as each other. Good breeding and intelligence are more
attractive then appearances.”
Ares guffawed.
Aphrodite ignored him. “More importantly, she is newly single.”
She folded her arms
and tilted her chin at Ares. “Your turn. Sarcasm oozed from her lips. ”Lover.”
Author Bio:
Favorite Quote:
“Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.” -Bill
Cosby
Donna Milward lives in Edmonton, Alberta in a tiny house with a
huge yard. She’s been writing all her life, but decided to put writing on hold
to get ‘a real job’ as a meatcutter and build a future with her beloved troll,
Dan and her cat Freya.
Twelve years later, an invitation to a Romance Writer’s
Conference in Washington D.C. led not only to new friends and new knowledge,
but to the inspiration to write again. Thoeba was completed the following year.
Donna likes to mix her fascination with reincarnation and all
things paranormal with her love of mythology in her work, and has even written
her own myth ‘The Sacred Truth” (on earthtothoeba.blogspot.com) as the lore
behind Thoeba and future novels to come.
Donna enjoys fishing,
gardening and canning. Despite these hobbies, she much prefers city life.
Stalker Links:
Twitter / Email to: earthtothoeba@blogspot.com
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