The Queen of Warriors, Alexandra of Sparta, vowed her sword and her heart to the goddess Artemis. And the goddess blessed her. But no warrior lives at peace, and soon, Alexandra loses her title, her troops, and all she holds dear, including the man who holds her heart.
Title: The Queen of Warriors
Author: Zenobia Neil
Series: Alexandra of Sparta #1
First Published: September 19, 2019
Publisher: Hypatia Books
Categories: Historical Fantasy
Acquired: from blog tour organiser Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
*** Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, for providing me with a advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
The Queen of Warriors is a historical fantasy with romance and adventure
Cursed by a Babylonian witch, Zenobia is forced to return to a city she once conquered to make amends, but is captured by the powerful Persian rebel, Artaxerxes. As his prisoner, she awaits judgment for her crimes. But Artaxerxes is not what he seems. With death approaching, Alexandra must face her violent past and discover the truth of her captor’s identity before it’s too late.
Book 1 in the Alexandra of Sparta series
The thing I noticed about this book right away was how easily I fell into the environment and surroundings of Alexandra’s world. Neil does a fantastic job of transporting the reader in to the past – the sights, sounds, everything just comes alive.
Alexandra of Sparta, otherwise known as The Queen of Warriors, is a very complex and well-written character. She is a strong, successful, and feared warrior that has been brought very low. As a captured woman, she also has other things to fear beyond death and torture – mainly being raped. And while she has the heart of a warrior, you can see that she also is struggling with the love and regret in her heart.
This is a graphic and detailed book in the most vivid way. There is war, violence, sex – nothing is held back. I admit that I was a bit surprised at the no-holds-barred writing. I had never read anything by Neil before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The descriptive writing really helps the reader to experience the elation, the fear, the frustration and the temptations that the characters are feeling. It’s quite a rush.
This isn’t usually a book that I would have normally picked up to read. It leans a lot more into erotica than I usually go for, but I did enjoy the strong characters in the book. The writing is absolutely fantastic and the story is enjoyable. I highly recommend this to people who enjoy romance, erotica and historical fiction.
Zenobia Neil was named after an ancient warrior queen who fought against the Romans. She writes about the mythic past and Greek and Roman gods having too much fun. She lives with her husband, two children, and dog in Los Angeles. The Queen of Warriors is her third book.
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Monday, September 16
Review at Broken Teepee
Tuesday, September 17
Guest Post by Reading the Past
Wednesday, September 18
Excerpt at Bookish Rantings
Thursday, September 19
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books
Friday, September 20
Review at Passages to the Past
Monday, September 23
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit
Tuesday, September 24
Excerpt at What Is That Book About
Wednesday, September 25
Review at History from a Woman’s Perspective
Thursday, September 26
Review & Guest Post at A Bookish Affair
Monday, September 30
Review & Excerpt at Clarissa Reads it All
Tuesday, October 1
Feature at I’m All About Books
Excerpt at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots
Wednesday, October 2
Review at book frolic
Review at Al-Alhambra
Feature at CelticLady’s Reviews
Thursday, October 3
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink
Friday, October 4
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away 2 eBooks and 2 paperbacks of Psyche Unbound and The Jinni’s Last Wish! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on October 4th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
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– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.
The post looks gorgeous & I love your review! Thank you so much for hosting Zenobia’s blog tour, Stephanie! You’re the best!
Amy
HF Virtual Book Tours