Welcome to one of the January 16th stops on the blog tour for the Redemption of the Gorgons series by Claire Davon, organized by Silver Dagger Book Tours. Hello again, by the way, Claire Davon! Nice to host your work again. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for alternate excerpts, reviews, and a giveaway! (More on that at the end of this post.)
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Gorgon’s Price
Redemption of the Gorgons Book One
by Claire Davon
Published 3 December 2019
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Page Count: 209
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Euryale will never forget the day the gods turned her into a monster. After millennia, her heart beats faster at the idea of regaining her normal form. For the feel of skin and not scales, hair and not snakes. But the price could be too high.
Knowing full well the gods can’t be trusted, Euryale agrees to take on a reluctant partner to track down whoever is murdering a growing number of gods. A murderer no one cared about until the killings edged uncomfortably close to bigger and bigger pantheons. Tracking the murderers down is the price she has to pay for her newly restored form—and that of her two equally cursed sisters.
Asher’s unusual gift for eerily horrific sound effects make him a highly sought-after voiceover artist. While he keeps a low profile, there has always been a ticking time bomb in the form of the bargain between his banshee mother and his father, the god Ares. It’s time to pay up—or pay with his life.
As Euryale and Asher dance around their mutual mistrust, the friction ignites a fire of unexpected attraction. But love is almost as impossible as the dangerous task ahead. Because even if the murderers don’t stab them in the back, the fickle gods certainly will.
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Harmonia’s attention was directed to where the din was coming from. “You would think that, monster. We are not responsible for this. You have brought this blight to the island. How dare you?”
Aphrodite rose, still having every appearance of being unconcerned. The clamor grew until it was a shriek, and Asher couldn’t imagine how Aphrodite could stand it. Even he, a banshee, was having trouble.
Harmonia whirled around. The source of the sound came from the bottom of the cliff. Asher ran to Euryale’s side. She was still in a defensive crouch, her perception focused on the sand below. Around them the day was warm and breezy, but the racket dominated everything.
Aphrodite patted her lips and gestured to her daughter. Harmonia made a strangled noise and then crumpled.
The noise continued to rise.
“I’ll be right back,” Euryale said, and without another word, plunged off the cliff.
Asher’s attention was split between the heartbreaking image of his woman plunging to the bottom, and his collapsed half-sister. As he watched, Euryale landed, and then was once again on her feet. It was then that he remembered one of her Gorgon talents was the ability to leap. He always believed that meant up and not down, but now he stood corrected.
Aphrodite summoned a waiter, and they pushed Harmonia onto a makeshift couch strung together with two chairs. The other patrons in the restaurant had given up any pretense of their conversations and watched the trio with avid interest. He had no time to wonder what they were thinking of Euryale’s nosedive to the bottom of the cliff. He would worry about that in a moment. First, he turned to Aphrodite. She was patting her daughter’s face with a wet cloth, her face still serene. No frown lines or imperfections marked her beautiful visage, but he detected a momentary flicker of concern.
“I have to get down to Euryale,” he said, and Aphrodite glanced up. Now, pain flew across her face before it was gone, shuttered by a sanguine gaze that had to be a façade.
“Your Gorgon does not expect you to follow,” the goddess replied. “She is far more experienced in this than you are.”
“Nevertheless, I have to go down to her. Is Harmonia…will she be…what happened?”
“It is unclear. I believe your adversaries are taunting you.”
He coughed, anger starting to flare within him. “They’re your adversaries, too.”
“This task was given to you, banshee. Do you not understand? This is your mission to complete. Our lives are at risk and so is yours if you do not do what is needed. These gods who think they can murder us must be stopped, and you must do it.”
He paused. “Gods?”
She waved a hand toward the cliff face. “Only a god can kill a god. Why else would Athena bring a goddess into this? Did you ever wonder why your talents were needed? These criminals have the same skill set as you do, and therefore you are suited to combat them. Your Gorgon is down there wanting to take action, but she will not find your opponents. This is a mere way-stop. A pause in the proceedings, if you will.”
He scanned the prone Harmonia. As he studied his half-sister, the sound cut off.
Aphrodite rose, barely glancing at her handmaiden. Asher would have been appalled at the lack of empathy before this quest, but she was a goddess. Compassion was not part of the package.
“There. It has ceased. You must move to your next destination and end this. Or everything you have struggled for will be for nothing.”
“Next destination…” There was something else detectable in Asher’s blasted ears, a trickle of sound that rose to a torrent.
“…come…come…we are waiting…”
Gorgon’s Quest
Redemption of the Gorgons Book Two
by Claire Davon
Published 7 June 2020
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Page Count: 235
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Thanks to her sister Euryale’s bargain with the gods, gorgon Stheno is back in human form—but far from comfortable in her skin. As the fiercest warrior of her three sisters, she mourns her tough, beastly hide and snaky hair.
The last thing anyone would call Stheno is girly—much less beautiful—but before she sets out to find her lost, mortal sister, Medusa, she googles a salon at random to cut off her annoyingly long hair. Her stylist is Marwen, a man with compelling, light-brown eyes that glow with an otherworldly light.
The last of Stheno’s unruly locks barely hit the floor when the first attack comes, and in a heartbeat they’re on the run. As their passion ignites, they realize they didn’t meet by chance. They’re both entangled in a prophecy drawing them inexorably toward one fated conclusion: Medusa. But there’s a faction working just as hard to make sure it never happens.
To save her sister, Stheno will have to face her fear—that once she unleashes her beast, Marwen won’t look upon her with love any more, but with horror.
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His indrawn breath satisfied her ego. He rose to a semi-seated position and waited, his eyes like dark coals against his tan skin, showing the heat and fire inside him. It echoed within her as well, a burning desire that outstripped anything she had experienced for a long time.
“Stheno,” he said on a gasp. “You are…you are…” He shook his head. “There’s no words for what you are. I want to kiss you.” He said it as though expecting to be rejected. She moved her hand up his leg and then removed it. He let out a disappointed sigh until she eased onto the bed, stretching full-length against him.
She turned her face to his and grinned at his avid gaze. “I want to kiss you, too,” she said and then bent over to press her lips to his. It was a gentle caress, but his warmth seared the chill deep inside her. Marwan made a soft moan and put an arm around her, hauling her over him so that they were chest to chest.
“Stheno, miya miya,” he murmured, smoothing her hair back and holding her head still. “You are beautiful.”
She wasn’t, not by god standards. She was attractive, and could become ravishing if she chose, now that her godhood was restored, but she stayed the way she was made at the beginning. Not for her—the gleaming radiance of false beauty.
“It is my sister Medusa who is the magnificent one.”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t argue with me. Medusa is trouble, and she has caused you nothing but misery for centuries. I say it is you who are beautiful. Stunning, fierce, and so sexy.”
Then he kissed her again, and all rational thought fled. She nipped at his lips, her hips pressing against his. He was firm and hard, leaving no doubt that he was a man aroused. The Stheno of a few weeks ago, the monster who could glamour herself to seem normal, would have grabbed this man and plunged him into her body, beast self or no. But something made her hesitate. Marwan was not that man, or her that beast. He was something and someone different.
She stroked his head, experiencing something akin to gentleness, which was unlike her. Unable to resist, she kissed him again, this time darting her tongue inside his open mouth. He tasted of the sugar cookies, and the drink Ayizan had given them, and something more. There was a flavor to him that was attributable only to Marwan, and all the more compelling for that distinction.
He groaned and moved his hands down her back until they pressed against her butt, holding her against his fierce erection. He was shuddering, his breath coming in hard pants, matching the passion building inside her. Part of her wished to throw caution to the wind and embrace her monstrous side, but still, she slowed. As much as she desired to have sex right now, it wouldn’t be…right.
Still, she kissed him, nipping and tasting and licking, and as she did so, she allowed herself to rub over his hard heat, his body convulsing as she touched him. That she could be doing this to him made her feel like the most special woman in the world. It was a moment that transcended all others because he knew her for who she was, and still burned for her. It had been centuries since any man had felt that way about her, if anyone ever had. The two people who had loved her in her life were her sisters.
His hands ducked under her shirt, the shock of his touch resonating through her. It would be so good to be naked with him, stroking and caressing, savoring each other’s flesh until they were screaming for one another…
She murmured a protest and he stopped.
Marwan met her gaze. “I could get carried away.” He kissed her before putting his arms around her and embracing her. She rested her head on his shoulder and let herself be rocked. He was something special, and she wouldn’t rush it.
“I could as well, but we need to take it slow.”
“I’ll go at your pace. So,” he said after they embraced for long moments, “what is our next move?”
She accepted the change in topic, aware that she had caused it, and regretting that necessity.
“Now that your task here is done, it is time for us to go to Sumeria.”
Gorgon’s Release
Redemption of the Gorgons Book Three
by Claire Davon
Published 20 December 2020
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Page Count: 226
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A prophecy has been set in motion. Only love can change its course.
Medusa awakens in an unfamiliar cave, catches a glimpse of her reflection in a pool—and screams. Her thick hide, claws, snake-hair, even her ability to turn anyone into a garden statue with a look, all gone. The heart-stopping beauty that caused her and her sisters’ downfall is restored.
Confused, uncertain, vulnerable in her weak human body, she sets out across an unfamiliar countryside, where she meets a stranger from whom she can’t tear her once-deadly gaze.
The first time Olivier lays eyes on Medusa, awareness hits him low and hard. Her penetrating gaze ignites desires deep in his psyche, and an awareness that brought him across an ocean to await the answer to his great-grandfather’s cryptic message: Now is the time.
A secret in Olivier’s bloodline could help Medusa fulfill a prophecy to cause the downfall of the gods. But as they race to discover its final missing pieces, the truth becomes clear. They could be pawns in a hidden struggle for power. One wrong move, and their future could be lost like stones in the sea.
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When Gaston scrambled to his feet, Olivier followed suit. When in Rome…or France. He craned his neck, unsure of what had commanded Gaston’s attention.
Then he saw her.
The most beautiful woman he had ever seen stood before them, flanked by a man as big as he. Her amazing face was a study in confusion. She studied first Gaston and then Olivier, furrows marring the perfection of her honey-colored eyes. Those orbs were like the rest of her, sweet and delicious. He could drown in them.
Gaston offered the woman his hand. She placed her hand in his bigger one and allowed him to guide her to a chair. The new man took one of the empty seats, lowering himself down carefully as though the wood might not hold his weight.
Olivier could identify.
The waiter came over, but Gaston waved him off.
“Olivier, these are the ones we were waiting for. This is Chrysaor…and Medusa.”
“Crazy what parents will name their kids.” She’d been introduced as Medusa, but it didn’t mean this gorgeous woman was the Medusa. Despite what his uncle said about gods and prophecies. “I’m Olivier, and I still don’t get why I’m here.”
Awareness kicked him low and hard, sending his blood pressure rising. It wasn’t just her beauty. Something in him recognized her as someone he had known all his life, although they had never met. The tips of his ears grew hot as a streak of white-hot longing swept over him in a wave. The absurdity would have entertained him if not for the fact that he couldn’t speak around the desire thickening his tongue.
“This is Medusa. The very one. She is alive.”
“That’s impossible. This whole thing is ridiculous.” Olivier was inches away from getting up and storming away from the café. They were mocking him. “The old tales were partly true. I get that. I learned from my great-grandparents. I’m living proof. Still, the fact remains that Medusa was a hideous monster slain by Perseus centuries ago. Even if that’s mostly myth, she is dead.”
Gaston cleared his throat. “It’s complicated.” He gestured to Chrysaor. “But it is nonetheless true. She is Medusa, who has been restored to her original form, and he is her son. Chrysaor.”
Olivier struggled to try and remember the myth. He couldn’t recall if Medusa had children or not. Even if she did, it didn’t matter. They would be dead like her, and long buried. He was being played for some kind of fool.
“Who are these men? Why are we here?”
The idea that this man and this woman could be mother and son was ridiculous. This had to be some elaborate scam to trap the American gargoyle for an as-yet unknown reason. It could all be a long con by his so-called uncle. He didn’t know much about Gaston. The sensible thing to do would be to get up and leave, and to heck with the elder gargoyle. Nothing held him there—he had no obligation to his companions. His stone powers moved within him, and for an instant, his nails turned gray. The control to change their arms alone was a hard-won talent and he knew better than to reveal it. That secret was sacrosanct in his line.
He didn’t move from his chair. Awareness pulsed through him from the balls of his feet to the tips of his ears. She had a creamy complexion, her jet-black hair making the paleness of her skin more acute. A hint of red touched her skin as though it hadn’t seen the sun in a long time. Her penetrating gaze bored into him and awakened the desires that lay deep in his psyche.
Olivier shook his head. He should go. Yet he stayed. Pressure built in his head, making it difficult to think.
“They are men who can help you,” Chrysaor said, and then gestured to the strangers. “This is Gaston, and this is…” He waited for Gaston to supply the word.
“Olivier.” Gaston bowed his head. “He is my nephew.”
She gave them both a sniff and studied Olivier. “I sense the unfamiliar in you. It’s a family trait. You’re…” She breathed in and then out, her gaze boring into his soul. “You’re a gargoyle. How are you walking around during the day? Why are you not upon buildings?”
She studied him and his cock twitched. Olivier tried to keep a cool demeanor but sweat gathered under his arms. It was like in his high school boxing days when he’d taken a hit to the solar plexus and was reeling on the ropes.
“Gargoyles are not what legends say. As you are not.” It was Gaston who spoke, while Medusa’s attention stayed on Olivier. A shadow crossed her face, seeming to darken her mood. His plummeted as well at the mere sight of unhappiness on her. Ridiculous. He hadn’t even known the woman ten minutes.
She focused on Gaston, her appraisal peremptory and quick. “That is true,” she said before turning back to her son. “Thank you for the supplies. Why did you move me? That cave held protection and safety. Stheno has long informed me of that.”
Chrysaor’s smirk was enigmatic. “I have long been aware of your location, but it was better to let things continue as they were. My aunts did not know that I knew. You were important to them, but your children were not. They never sought me out—if they remembered my existence at all. Never mind that. We have things to discuss.”
The pressure behind his temple increased, and Olivier could almost hear voices inside his mind. He stayed rooted to the spot, staring at Medusa.
Claire can’t remember a time when writing wasn’t part of her life. Growing up, she used to write stories with her friends. As a teenager she started out reading fantasy and science fiction, but her diet quickly changed to romance and happily-ever-after’s. A native of Massachusetts and cold weather, she left all that behind to move to the sun and fun of California, but has always lived no more than twenty miles from the ocean.
In college she studied acting with a minor in creative writing. In hindsight she should have flipped course studies. Before she was published, she sold books on eBay and discovered some of her favorite authors by sampling the goods, which was the perfect solution. Claire has many book-irons in the fire, most notably her urban fantasy series, The Elementals’ Challenge series, but writes contemporary and shifter romances as well as.
While she’s not a movie mogul or actor, she does work in the film industry with her office firmly situated in the 90210 district of Hollywood. Prone to break out into song, she is quick on feet and just as quick with snappy dialogue. In addition to writing she does animal rescue, reads, and goes to movies. She loves to hear from fans, so feel free to drop her a line.
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