In a society of Amazon warriors, Pyrena dares the impossible… she falls in love.
Greek legends call them Amazons, but Pyrena and her sisters are not merely warrior women. Wise mistresses of their forest home, they share everything: friends, war, work, meals…and captive men. Love has no place in their community; the men they keep are strictly for pleasure. It seems idyllic, yet Pyrena can’t help feeling there is something missing in her world.
Astrastos marches into battle with one intention: to claim a fiery Amazon for his bed. When he is captured instead, he discovers more than he ever imagined. As they share erotic delights and passionate conversations, he realizes Pyrena is the woman he wants for life.
As they fall inevitably, unstoppably in love, the pressures of captivity grow stronger. Without freedom they cannot truly be together, but how can Pyrena stand alone against everything she has ever known? She must find a way to reconcile her society with her love….or abandon them both.
“An Amazon’s Equal” is an erotic New Adult romance, set in a historical fantasy world where women rule, love is impossible, and a Goddess’ blessing may also be a curse.
Learn more about Fionna! Visit her website & blog: http://fionnaguillaume.wordpress.com/
Fionna Guillaume specializes in erotica short stories and erotic romance. Like her readers, Fionna enjoys unique heroines, sexy heroes, and a good old-fashioned love story... with plenty of erotic parts.
I received a copy of this book for an honest review. An Amazon’s Equal has adult themes, but these are skilfully woven into a remarkable tale. The book transported me to a different realm, I could not wait to see what happened next. The characters and the scenes were vivid, bringing the imaginary era to life. It celebrated female strength and sexuality without holding back. Being a woman, the idea of a strong “female only society” was an interesting concept indeed. Guillaume’s mythical world shows how it must feel to be the subordinate sex, but she also presents a way forward where men and women can live together as equals. I would have preferred less of the erotica as the themes underlying the story were fascinating in themselves.Nonetheless, it is an absorbing tale by a gifted writer.
All kinds of good… This story has a lot going for it in a number of ways. Awesome detail and imaginative ideas create a tangible and believable fantasy world – believable enough to pull you out of the real world that is. The heroine and hero both rock. You’re on their side from the start (although they’re on opposite sides) and you’re right there with them when all seems lost at the end. The emotional journey here is expertly crafted. It’s simple and true – a wonderful exposé of the power of love, including the flavours of lust and physical pleasure. The overall idea is tantalising with a touch of humour – life in the Men’s Tent looks pretty good to me… way to be imprisoned:) This is a captivating tale with an ending that tops everything I’ve mentioned so far.
An Amazon's Equal is very well done. I loved it. The characters are multidimensional, and the picture the author paints of the female-only society is interesting and well-described. The romance is quite charming. You definitely root for the couplento find a way to let their love bloom. The sex scenes are well-done: sufficiently explicit yet still tasteful. I enjoy historical fiction, and it's a relief to see an erotic novel that has an historical feel with powerful women and no misogynistic messages. I really quite enjoyed it, and I'll certainly be reading more from this author in the future.
This isn't run of the mill anything, but it's especially not run of the mill for erotic romance. The world Guillaume builds for her Amazons is so real you are transported to it. The sign of any great fantasy novel.
It also makes the reader look at gender roles, traditional ones, with a much more analytical eye. Her love story challenges every dreamer to admit to that sweet dream of respectful, loving and equal partnerships, even the ones who don't want to admit they dream of that.
It's an excellent read. I'm glad the author decided to branch out from short stories. She has a great future ahead.
I've had this book for quite some time and didn't start reading it until yesterday. I didn't expect that I'd enjoy it so much! And that's mainly because of the story's setting. I love mythology, ancient history, and I've never read a novel about the lives of the Amazons.
What a storyteller! The opening grabbed me right away. This wonderful book began with the events that led to the creation of this all-woman society. Called the Euphemindras, these band of women warriors lived for centuries in peace deep in the forest. They were progressive, protected by the Goddess. Carefully guarding their way of life, they trained as warriors as soon as able. The offspring of the Euphemindra were always female, even their animals - a blessing from the Goddess. (or a curse?)
What I enjoyed is the way the author imagined what an Amazon's life would have been like. It was totally believable. How did they procreate? They had a Men's Tent where they took care of the men they chose to capture, from the armies and caravans that attacked their city. That's where they did naughty things. The women can come and go anytime they like, but no one can fall in love.
Pyrena, the heroine did. After winning a siege, she took home Astratos to add to the Men's Tent. Nothing unusual about that. They all did it at some point. As his captor, she was tasked to break him in on how to properly pleasure a Euphemindra, after which, she can release him for her other sisters to try. But, Pyrena and Astratos fell in love.
It was forbidden. And so now, you must get this book to see what happened.
I don't really like pure romance novels, even with a little erotica, but when it's wrapped up this way.... 2 nights of blissful reading. The romance and erotic scenes in this book were dessert, not the main course. Just the way I like it. In fact, near the end, I skipped over some erotic scenes so I could get back to the story.
I enjoyed living with my Amazon sisters in the fantasy world this author created. And the ending was truly epic. Loved it. Wonderful writer. Must see if she has more books like this.
An Amazon's Equal is so much more than I expected. The story shows us the beginning of a society with the 'usual' mores flipped. While this society of women could have easily and understandably treated males as poorly as they had originally been treated, they don't. However, our main heroine knows something is missing. At first, she thinks something is wrong with her because she doesn't seem to derive as much pleasure as the other women when she visits the 'Men's Tent.' It's not until she captures a Greek soldier and has to 'train' him that she begins to doubt the rules of her society. As the relationship grows into more than it should in this society, we find ourselves rooting for them as a couple.
The way the author dives into such deep societal issues is compelling. You can't help but question your own opinions and expectations. Ms. Guillaume does an excellent job of raising questions without being too harsh on anyone in particular. She simply brings up the questions for us to think about as we read.
While I knew going in there would be more sex than I usually like, it never seemed like a scene was there simply as filler or gratification. They all had a purpose in the story and were tastefully done.
I applaud Ms. Guillaume for her ability to tackle a difficult topic with such style and sensitivity.
Fionna Guillaume (FG) has written a highly imaginative story and demonstrates a degree of understanding for ancient mythology. Her central characters, Astratos (M) and Pyrena (F) are well characterised and Astratos as her prisoner is thrust into the male captives tent. This gives rise to some spicy suggestion as one would hope for! Their relationship from Mistress and slave begins to crumble when love rears hits heart! Her narrative is crafted well and suitably pace. A thoroughly enjoyable read
In An Amazon's Equal, the divine Fionna Guillaume merges mythology with passion to write a sensual and deeply emotional story about Amazon Pyrena and her captive, Astrastos. Following victory in battle, Pyrena returns with a trophy--a man to add to the harem shared by all adult sisters of the society. She's supposed to train Astrastos for use by everyone. But she didn't count on falling in love with him. Is she breaking the Amazons' code, or is it her destiny?
Fionna Guillaume has a knack for breathing new life into tales we've heard our entire lives, and introducing us to stories we aren't familiar with, stories that feature strong, passionate women who fight for love. With An Amazon's Equal, she may have just topped herself. 5 HUGE STARS!
Everything that we call Myth, people once believed as truth. They had to – because the world around them so outstripped their ability to comprehend it, only gods and magic could explain. In An Amazon’s Equal, Fionna Guillaume returns to the mythic storytelling tradition and uses her own kind of magic to get at truths we all sometimes sense, but often fail to believe in or live to their deserved extent.
The book tells the story of Pyrena, a young Amazon making her journey into womanhood along a path tradition has laid out for her – and then traveling further still. Though she fully accepts the ways and wisdom of the society that’s raised her, Pyrena just ever-so-slightly does not fit. The Euphemindra, as the Amazons call themselves, live in isolation from the world of men, defended by their own strength at arms and the blessing of the goddess they worship. In their deeply forested land, they have built a civilization that borders on utopia, its idyllic peace disturbed only when men of the outer world make the mistake of attempting invasion and conquest, forcing them to do battle – from which they never shy nor falter. But the ways of war come a hint less naturally to Pyrena than to her sister warriors, and she lives and matures with the most tenuous sense of something missing.
When a foolhardy Greek campaign against the Euphemindra ends in a thorough rout, new captives arrive at the Men’s Tent in the great Amazonian city. Pyrena captures one of these herself: Astrastos, a young man who embodies much of the fallacy and foolishness of his patriarchal homeland – but who, like Pyrena, has always walked just a hint out of step with his people and their expectations.
Like both Pyrena and Astrastos, this novel begins with an unassuming conformity to expectations: a coming-of-age story, a love story, a pitting of the feminine soul against masculine ambition. But also like its heroine and hero, from the very start it carries a hint of something more – something that grows and blooms under the skillful touch of its author page by page until it goes far beyond romantic tropes and retold legends. Almost without the reader noticing, a rich and magnetic cast of supporting characters ease their way into the story, painted with a few quick strokes as they first appear, then brushed with contour and texture and perspective in each subsequent return. The social order of the Euphemindra reveals itself with ever-deepening complexity and inventiveness. Themes of love and family and fidelity and honor coalesce, swell, and break loose in moments of emotional thunder. The expected happens – and then the unexpected follows straight upon its heels.
Fionna Guillaume renders all of this in a clean and forthright style that is lyrical when it needs to be and visceral when it must. The eroticism of her love scenes can simmer or flare, washing the reader in whatever level of heat is called for, but never obscuring the emotional crux of the storytelling.
By the end, she convinces us that the epic and the mythic are in truth matters of human spirit, there to be tapped and made use of if we can recognize them and choose a path that is right.
I didn't like the cover of this book so it took me awhile to pick it up to read it. This is why you never judge a book by it's cover! This book was so good. I loved the story line and characters. I have never read anything even close to this story. Fantastic!