Title: Nectar and Ambrosia
Series: Amaranthine Inheritance #1
Author: E.M. Hamill
Publisher: Star Bard Books
Release Date: June 30, 2018
Heat Level: 1 - No Sex
Pairing: Male/Female, Male/Male
Length: 81576
Genre: Fantasy, urban/mythical
Synopsis:
Callie, a Classics major, flees home to protect her family from a monster straight out of mythology. Visions lead her to Nectar and Ambrosia: the weirdest pub on Earth, where inter-dimensional travelers with attention seeking issues get drunk in between the A-list celebrity lives they create. They can't pretend to be gods anymore—not since a treaty with the current Supreme Deity promising they won't intervene in human affairs.
The Doorkeeper of this threshold, Florian, rides herd on the rowdy Amaranthine and offers her shelter and a job. Callie likes the lonely, mysterious bartender more than she should. For Florian, her presence is a ray of light in the gray monotony of his sentence behind the bar, but he keeps a cautious distance—the truth of how he became Doorkeeper could change Callie's perception of him forever.
When angels show up for a war council over Zeus's irrational mutters about a comeback, Callie has uncontrolled visions of an apocalypse. Ex-gods realize she’s the first Oracle Priestess in generations. All Callie wanted was keep her parents safe, and now it seems she must sacrifice her future to keep the rest of humanity safe, too. Ambrosia could be the key to harnessing her visions— or it could cost her life.
War is coming. The threshold between worlds has never been more fragile. Callie must discover who is pulling Zeus's strings and avert the final battle—before the immortal vying to become the next Supreme Deity kills her first.
My Review:
It's no secret, I'm a huge fan of E.M. Hamil's writing, and if you haven't read Dali you need to check it out (Here). But this book is a bit of a different beast. Where Dali was Sci-Fi, this story is more Urban Fantasy, but clever fantasy and I've always said: "I'll read anything as long as it's a clever story."
Our heroine is Callie, short for Calliope - a name which should ring bells. In Greek mythology, Calliope was the muse of eloquence and epic poetry, an apt name for our character if you ask me. The very beginning of our tale starts off with Calliope, as she stumbles into a bar while being chased by a banshee, seeking refuge, and she finds that and so much more.
I can't possibly tell you anything more than that, otherwise, it would be a spoiler and I really want you to read this.
What I will tell you, is that every pantheon of gods shows up throughout this book, and the dynamics of who they are, what they've been doing and why they haven't been around are discussed and explained. Brilliant. Utter brilliance. I've read a few similar stories but Hamil has finally come up with a concept that works, is exceptionally told and kept me flipping the pages. And by the way - I might know a thing or two about several pantheons of god (being the pagan sort of lad I am - and having read a good chunk of many myths). The research and knowledge shown in this book regarding the various diety was nothing short of masterful!
I devoured this book in a few quick reading sessions.
But then, how could you not with gleaming passages like these:
"The scarlet cape swirled about him like blood in water as he jumped to his feet."
and
"I may be a few biscuits short of a tin, but I can shoulder my part of the burden."
and my favorite
"A twitch distorted the side of her mouth as the goddess picked up her daiquiri and drained the glass of icy slush in an impressive show of brain-freeze immunity."
Clearly, the muse herself was sitting elbow to elbow with the author when she wrote these lines.
Now for those of you who read my reviews, you've already noted that the books I read have lead characters who are LGBT, and this book drives in the opposite direction, but here's why I made the exception: The secondary main character, Florian, the bartender is Bisexual, and the host of gods and demigods that show up have no qualms about who they select as potential partners.
Seriously? You mean I could have had sex with Ares, God of War? Sigh <fans self>.
Oh, and a quick "Wow, that's gorgeous!" to whoever did the cover, because it couldn't have been more perfect.
Hamil's book Dali was bloody brilliant, and Nectar and Ambrosia, I dare say, was as good, if not better. Guaranteed from this moment on, I'll be picking up and reading anything E.M. Hamil decides to put words to.
I suggest you do the same!
Rating:
Available at:
Meet the Author:
Elisabeth "E.M." Hamill is a nurse by day, unabashed geek, chocoholic, sci fi and fantasy novelist by nights, weekends, and wherever she can steal quality time with her laptop. She lives with her family, a dog, and a cat in the wilds of eastern suburban Kansas, where they fend off flying monkey attacks and prep for the zombie apocalypse.
Catch up with E.M Hamil here...
