The Love of Gods is a dramatic work of romantic paranormal fiction penned by author Tarrant Smith and is part of The Legends of Pale Series. In a world where gods come down to earth and interact with humans on a regular basis, our central hero is Lugos, who prefers the company of the common man to any of his godly kin. Lugos is a man of many names, but when he poses as Lugh Grant, he falls for bartender Keely. Lugos tries in vain to protect her from the repercussions of loving a god, but when the leader of the Pale, Rhiannon, asks him to aid her, it leads to a lot more pain and heartache than Lugos could anticipate.
Beautifully written and addictive, The Love of Gods sets a new standard for romance novels to entwine their storylines with a whimsical fantasy tone. Setting the mood for the audience, Smith carefully constructs a world where loving a god is destructive and sometimes dangerous. The need for love, however, is a consistent struggle for Lugos who wants to desperately reach out to Keely. Inner conflicts between the characters run rampant in this novel which adds a layer of depth and intimacy to their journey.
Throughout The Love of Gods, I, as a first-time reader, felt an immersion of wonder as I went on the adventure with Lugos. This piece exemplifies its ability to provide the reader with solid backstory, while enticing the reader for what’s to come in the following pages. One of the greatest aspects of the writing is that it does NOT give away the ending before it needs to. While foreshadowing is prominent, it does not interfere with the reader’s guessing game of what will come next. Instead, it simply annotates useful, kind nudges toward limitless possibilities of endings, leaving the reader with questions for a satisfying ending. I found that this piece was actually very heart warming in terms of Lugos’ relationship with Keely. In many ways, they made the story brilliant and exciting. Focusing on their relationship will only strengthen the story’s narrative.
There’s a complex cast of characters to get to know as the novel progresses, along with the system of the gods, the Pale, and how they relate to one another after centuries of relationships, betrayals and aiding one another. Author Tarrant Smith has built fantastic lore here which is well worth engaging with but does take time to separate from the main love story. Lugh and Keely make a great combination for their epic love story, and I particularly enjoyed Keely’s realistic dialogue and reactions to the situations she’s put in. Lugos is a chiseled and brooding hero which romance fans are sure to love, and mischievous other gods who get in his way are also delightful to read about. Overall, The Love of Gods is a romantic work sure to please fans of interpersonal drama and epic love stories.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the adventure that is The Love of Gods. I was thrilled by the intertwined relationships between the characters and the powerful plot twists that kept me guessing throughout the journey. Lugos and Keely are beautifully constructed characters with their own inner conflicts that guide the conflict of the narrative. Their love story really connected the story together and made me yearn for more of their interactions. I was thrilled to see them together and was hoping that they would be together for the rest of the novel. This solidified the romance aspect of the novel and created an anticipation in the reader to see and hear more information about their love life. Altogether, the text was very well written, and I will be reading more of this author. I have a great feeling that you will be successful in your goals for your story! Thank you for giving me the honor of working with you!
BIO: I graduated from Queens College in North Carolina with a degree in English literature. I currently live near the beautiful town of Madison, Georgia with my husband, son, dogs, and the odd assortment of stray cats. As a self-described kitchen witch, I have always sought out and nurtured the magick that can be found in the mundane trappings of everyday life.
My outlook is decidedly romantic, hence my chosen genre. The Darkly Series and my new Legends of the Pale Series follows unlikely couples as they struggle against themselves and outside forces to find lasting love.
