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Order of Olympus #1
Holding Out for a Hero
A hero cursed by the gods...
Once one of the greatest heroes Ancient Greece had ever known, Argos is a far cry from the immortal warrior he used to be. After five hundred years of captivity, he is finally free--but a curse from a goddess has left him woefully mortal. In order to become a hero again, he'll need the help of the gods and the seductive nymph who saved his life.
The only woman who can help him...
Claire Winters is definitely not a nymph, despite the assumptions of the half-naked man whose life she saved . Taking care of a delusional man while a storm rages is not what she planned - especially not as she gets ready to open her dream restaurant. She doesn't have time for the tall tales of her handsome rescue. Yet, here she is.
When it turns out Argos's claims are real, Claire finds herself thrown deep into a hidden and ancient world. Now, the two strangers must rely on each other to survive. Together they will face the gods, and the fiery attraction between them, as they work to reunite Argos with his ancient powers. Will strength and wit be enough to protect them? Or will love prove to be the most powerful weapon of all?
Once one of the greatest heroes Ancient Greece had ever known, Argos is a far cry from the immortal warrior he used to be. After five hundred years of captivity, he is finally free--but a curse from a goddess has left him woefully mortal. In order to become a hero again, he'll need the help of the gods and the seductive nymph who saved his life.
The only woman who can help him...
Claire Winters is definitely not a nymph, despite the assumptions of the half-naked man whose life she saved . Taking care of a delusional man while a storm rages is not what she planned - especially not as she gets ready to open her dream restaurant. She doesn't have time for the tall tales of her handsome rescue. Yet, here she is.
When it turns out Argos's claims are real, Claire finds herself thrown deep into a hidden and ancient world. Now, the two strangers must rely on each other to survive. Together they will face the gods, and the fiery attraction between them, as they work to reunite Argos with his ancient powers. Will strength and wit be enough to protect them? Or will love prove to be the most powerful weapon of all?
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2020
7 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Maria Shield
5 books92 followersMaria Shield writes adult fantasy, romance, and science fiction. She was raised in Kansas but has since lived all over the world, from Korea to Japan, finally ending up in her current location in Hawaii with her husband and pets. She is passionate about Japanese culture, ancient history, and feminist activism.
She also loves helping other writers find their communities and sharing craft tips and tricks. This often means she’s participating in a critique group somewhere or starting one herself.
When she isn’t writing, Maria can often be found doing the 3 R’s: Reading, Running, and Researching.
She also loves helping other writers find their communities and sharing craft tips and tricks. This often means she’s participating in a critique group somewhere or starting one herself.
When she isn’t writing, Maria can often be found doing the 3 R’s: Reading, Running, and Researching.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 4, 2020
I'm thrilled to have read my first Maria Shield book which is filled with mythological gods, heroes, creatures, and angry sea witches, as well as a soon-to-be, unsuspecting, kick-ass, restaurateur.
Claire Winters loves to cook and has waited all her life to open her own restaurant. She has invested all her life savings in her venture and it's finally coming to fruition, until she finds a gorgeous, naked man lying unconscious in a small boat in Chesapeake Bay. Little does she know his crazy and unimaginable world is about to literally come crashing into her peaceful and ordered life.
Argos finally escapes the crazed and deadly, Circe, a Sea Witch who has been making his life miserable for centuries by feeding on his curse to ache for women placed on him by Hestia, the goddess of the hearth for his betrayal. Once an immortal hero fighting for Olympus, God of War, he is now free but weak, weaponless and mortal. When the incredibly brave and beautiful mortal woman, Claire, saves his life, he must repay her with whatever she wants, but first he must find a god to give him a quest to become immortal again and get his vengeance on Circe.
Book 1 of this unique paranormal romance is a wonderful adventure in the realm of Greek mythology. Like Claire, I know little to none of mythology, so the story is filled with clever and enlightening godly teachings of Poseidon, Olympus, Hestia, among others, who have learned to live in the modern world where it doesn't need protection from gods anymore. In fact, Poseidon is quite funny and intriguing and gets my vote as my favorite hungry god in the book. As for Claire and Argos, there story is about sacrifice and strength for each other, and toward the end, the reader understands there is a hero that "deserves her own kind of worship".
If you are a fan of Greek mythology and romance, you will enjoy this clever take on Greek gods living in the twenty-first century. I'm looking forward to Book 2. Recommend highly!
Thank you to Ms. Shield for giving me the opportunity to review this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Claire Winters loves to cook and has waited all her life to open her own restaurant. She has invested all her life savings in her venture and it's finally coming to fruition, until she finds a gorgeous, naked man lying unconscious in a small boat in Chesapeake Bay. Little does she know his crazy and unimaginable world is about to literally come crashing into her peaceful and ordered life.
Argos finally escapes the crazed and deadly, Circe, a Sea Witch who has been making his life miserable for centuries by feeding on his curse to ache for women placed on him by Hestia, the goddess of the hearth for his betrayal. Once an immortal hero fighting for Olympus, God of War, he is now free but weak, weaponless and mortal. When the incredibly brave and beautiful mortal woman, Claire, saves his life, he must repay her with whatever she wants, but first he must find a god to give him a quest to become immortal again and get his vengeance on Circe.
Book 1 of this unique paranormal romance is a wonderful adventure in the realm of Greek mythology. Like Claire, I know little to none of mythology, so the story is filled with clever and enlightening godly teachings of Poseidon, Olympus, Hestia, among others, who have learned to live in the modern world where it doesn't need protection from gods anymore. In fact, Poseidon is quite funny and intriguing and gets my vote as my favorite hungry god in the book. As for Claire and Argos, there story is about sacrifice and strength for each other, and toward the end, the reader understands there is a hero that "deserves her own kind of worship".
If you are a fan of Greek mythology and romance, you will enjoy this clever take on Greek gods living in the twenty-first century. I'm looking forward to Book 2. Recommend highly!
Thank you to Ms. Shield for giving me the opportunity to review this book with no expectation of a positive review.
March 3, 2020
Rich in detail with plenty of mentions and cameos of Greek mythology. It will definitely satisfy paranormal romance fans who love Greek mythology. It had plenty of adventure, and danger, and drama, and will keep readers eagerly turning pages well into the night. Argos is a wonderful creation. He really does feel like a hero who stepped out of ancient Greek mythology, complete with not understanding the modern culture, and woman’s lib. That part of the book reminded me a lot of the Hugh Jackman movie Kate and Leopold with the character from the past finding himself in the present (which seems to be a popular plot idea in indie books these days). So, why not 5 stars then? That would be because of his curse. After cheating on her, the goddess Hestia cursed Argos to always be turned on. So for the first half of the book (maybe a bit less. I thought the turning point seemed to be the wine shop), Argos is thinking about graphic sex rather constantly, or having to have it in random places, at least every other chapter. Yes, one of those types of books that felt like the balance was tipped in the direction of sex with plot coming a distant second. But around the halfway point, the book does tone down the constant sex, and focuses more on the actual story and on getting things done. The other thing I thought that was lacking was Claire. She’s a Mary Sue author ideal insert, and even overpowered like quite a few of the Mary Sue characters out there. There really wasn’t that much in the way of quirks to her personality to make her stand out as being a rounded character. But once the action does take off it does feel like an adult Percy Jackson adventure with mythologic monsters hunting them. This story does come to a conclusion with a couple of threads open leading to the next book in the series.
February 2, 2020
Loving Greek Mythology as I do, I had no problem at all when Argos showed up in this book, smack dab in modern-day America. Thanks to the beloved Outlander {Ahhhh Jamie love...} it's not uncommon for characters to time-travel or somehow end up in the past. Very few of them, however, come forward in time, making Maria Shield's new series something of a novelty. HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO is the first of the series and I love Maria's description and what we can anticipate: "...A sexy, action-packed romance series based on Greek Mythology and set in the modern world...Ancient heroes never looked this good."
Well if this book is what the series is going to be like, each one will be at the top of my TBR list for sure! I lurved Argos (Yes as in Jason and the Argonites) and Claire - their similarities, their differences, their arguments, their love... It was a fun book to read. Now if you're not up on your Greek mythology, never fear. Ms. Shield does a bang-up job of educating you as you go along...and you barely even know it!
I highly recommend this book as fun, entertaining romance!
5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
4 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Disclaimer
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
Well if this book is what the series is going to be like, each one will be at the top of my TBR list for sure! I lurved Argos (Yes as in Jason and the Argonites) and Claire - their similarities, their differences, their arguments, their love... It was a fun book to read. Now if you're not up on your Greek mythology, never fear. Ms. Shield does a bang-up job of educating you as you go along...and you barely even know it!
I highly recommend this book as fun, entertaining romance!
5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
4 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Disclaimer
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
February 24, 2020
I've always had a thing for Encino Man- something about a man from a different time popping in to modern times makes me grin. This book takes that concept and expands on it. Argos is the ultimate hero. He's strong. He's brave. He's here to save the day- full stop. Sadly for him, Claire has her stuff together. She's a talented chef about to actualize her dreams and, at least at first, Argos is less of a hero to her and more of a hindrance. But that's the great thing about Claire- she's smart, skilled, and kind. Sure- this potential crazy dude just showed up in her life but she is sincere about helping him and he needs her help, not only to acclimate to modern times but also to solve his own mystery. The two are a fun pair and their strangers to lovers chemistry is hot hot hot! With tons of books about beach towns or big cities, the setting of Annapolis, a quaint historic boating town, felt fresh. But Hey! I'm a Maryland girl so maybe i'm biased ;) I highly recommend this super fun romp!
January 31, 2020
A cursed hero of antiquity popping out in modern America ... this is a great twist on the time travel romance genre made popular by the Outlander series. Going back into history tends to be usual now - history coming into the present, not so much. The author has done a great job of showing the cultural shock on both sides of this couple, with the man coming from a time when either someone was aggressively arrogant or slavishly submissive and the modern woman who is fiercely independent almost to the point of impracticality, and how this couple comes to grips with each other's views and limitations. All this is rolled into the power of love, the power of faith and the learned joy of growing older together. While this is intended to be light read, the underlying issues are powerful and powerfully dealt with.
I received a copy of this from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a copy of this from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 9, 2025
It was boring. Nothing interesting happened for the longest time (sex started pretty quickly, but it wasn't that good). Argos’ “curse” was so stupid… I mean, if you can't distinguish the “curse” from normal arousal, was there a curse in the first place? It felt more like he was a virgin, and Hestia was petty enough to lie to him about his body's reactions and he was naive enough to believe her. There were too many plot threads, most of which lead to nowhere and are left unresolved. And there was a moment when this plummeted from a 3-star read to a one-star and never recovered. If you are a Greek mythology buff, stay away from this. It irked me, and I'm not so knowledgeable about Greek gods. There were a bunch of things that made no sense to me, and some moments when the author contradicts herself. I finished it because it was part of a challenge, or I would have DNFd it.
February 3, 2020
I'm generally not a big fan of paranormal romance but this didn't have the typical paranormal romance elements that I generally dislike! Claire, the female protagonist is strong, intelligent, likable, with just enough wit to be not overly sarcastic. She's also funny and has a good head on her shoulders.
I loved how Argos finds himself in modern America and all the Greek mythology that Claire puts into the story. It's an adult Percy Jackson! The sex scenes are there and add a bit of steaminess to the book but the plot is also action-packed. I'm super excited to read the next book.
PS. The cover is beautiful.
I loved how Argos finds himself in modern America and all the Greek mythology that Claire puts into the story. It's an adult Percy Jackson! The sex scenes are there and add a bit of steaminess to the book but the plot is also action-packed. I'm super excited to read the next book.
PS. The cover is beautiful.
December 2, 2020
I received a free copy of Holding Out for a Hero from a giveaway Maria held. I had a hard time putting the book down because I couldn't wait to see what happened next. The story follows Claire, who is trying to open a restaurant outside of Annapolis, and Argos, the Greek hero who escaped from Circe's island after being tortured for centuries. There is plenty of action, adventure, revenge, Greek Gods, and a love story in this book. Basically, Argos washes up next to Claire's boat, Sebastian, and she helps him to find a god willing to return him to an immortal again so he can kill Circe. Again, I really enjoyed it.
November 6, 2025
Holding Out For A Hero isn’t just another modern-myth retelling it’s a story that breathes. Argos’s struggle between fate and mortality, and Claire’s quiet strength through it all, felt heartbreakingly real.
What I loved most was how Maria made myth feel human. Every page carries emotion pain, longing, hope and somehow turns ancient legend into something deeply personal. There’s magic here, but it’s the kind that comes from empathy and courage, not spells.
This book reminded me why I love reading: because sometimes, a story doesn’t just entertain you it stays with you, quietly, long after you’ve turned the last page.
September 28, 2020
I received this book through one of the promotions on BookFunnel. I chose to download this book because I like reading stories on Greek mythology and paranormal romance and plus it was written by a author I haven't tried before. I found the story was quite enjoyable to read, and Claire, strong independent women and Argos, cursed by the goddess Hestia because he cheated on her were a engaging and likable couple to hope for a HEA, and the world building with the tone of Greek mythology was quite detailed in this story. Overall a well written enjoyable romantic story.
March 14, 2021
I like concept of a person "out of time" connecting with someone in the modern day. The action scenes were genuinely so fun and exciting! And I really enjoyed this authors take on greek mythology. I'm gonna be honest though, the whole "curse" thing made me so uncomfortable. I just... Why?... I completely skimmed those sections. That being said, I will definitely read the sequel!
February 15, 2020
Maria seamlessly blends Greek Mythology into a modern setting, all while weaving together a beautiful romance. The mix of adventure and steamy scenes made it hard for me to put the book down! I'm excited to learn more about the world and the "Order of Olympus"
May 12, 2020
I received this as an ARC for an honest review. If you like Greek mythology then this is a book for you. I love Greek mythology so I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will most definitely be continuing with this series!!
November 28, 2020
I loved this book, It was a great experience, very interesting the characters and the story itself is different from the ones I am used to finding in the books I read more often but I read it fast and kept me interested. I recommend this book it worths to be read .
January 29, 2021
A great read
It has been awhile since I read a good mythology book. This was a great book. I held my breath throughout the whole book waiting to see what happened in the end. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
It has been awhile since I read a good mythology book. This was a great book. I held my breath throughout the whole book waiting to see what happened in the end. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
June 14, 2020
Started off ok but too much casual sex and no real feelings going on. It's a shame because the story sounded so good.
April 23, 2023
Claire stumbles upon Argos, and helps him. Attraction, and danger surrounds them. They are added by a deity. They both make great sacrifices for one another.
This is a really good book to read, I highly enjoyed it!
This is a really good book to read, I highly enjoyed it!
February 15, 2020
A great modern romance with plenty of Greek Mythology and steamy scenes! I'm excited to learn more about this world in future books of the "Order of Olympus" series.
April 29, 2020
🌟🌟Fantastic Book 🌟🌟
Really good love story with action and adventure I also loved how the mythology was woven into the story. Can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the series.
Really good love story with action and adventure I also loved how the mythology was woven into the story. Can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the series.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews