2,5/2,75??

First of all, thank you Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

“Haunted by Myth” by Barbara Ann Wright is a fantasy book with romance elements.
This story caught my attention as a fan of Greek mythology, but unfortunately, it didn't work for me.

The concept was interesting and I d the writing, but sadly, I didn't find the characters particularly appealing, except for Ramses.

I also found the romance between Helen and Chloe a bit superficial and rushed.7 s1 comment Brittany🩵128 4

*I received an arc from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.*

Chloe is a ghost and monster hunter who is trying to banish the rising number of creatures that keep showing up on Earth. Helen is a demigoddess who created a sanctuary for these same creatures. When Chloe finds out about the sanctuary, she has to decide to keep up her ways or help Helen. Their feelings for each other grow, but maybe not in the way they expected.

"After all, it only took a flash of time for people to disappear forever."

Chloe lost her sister which resulted in her parent's divorce and left her with a rocky relationship with them, leaving her with only a ghost as her closest companion/hunting partner. I can see how she would be lonely and depressed about not really having her family or anyone else to lean on. However, she doesn't let that stop her. She is quick-witted and motivated. She's your average 25-year-old who just happened to get roped into hunting ghosts and monsters.

"Not if she'd have to hear those two little words. Every day. For the rest of existence: Of Troy. As if she'd never done anything in her life but be forced into the wrong place at the wrong time."

most women, Helen has always hated being "Helen of Troy" and only being known for an ancient mistake. She has created a sanctuary for the mythical creatures left on earth, but it can still feel overshadowed by the "Of Troy".

"Is okay Chloe Im here"

Ramses was my favorite character in this book. Something about an ancient ghost watching over Chloe as a child and being her sidekick now that she's an adult tugged at my heartstrings. He was always so supportive, and Chloe even admits that at times he can be more paternal, which is something she lacks in her life. I know he is bound to her, but being bound to her doesn't mean he has to care as much as he does.

"She wished she had a trunkful of weapons on a TV show, but she'd been pulled over one too many times to risk such things."

As a fan of the show Supernatural, it was really fun that Chloe hinted at the show. I was already getting mega Supernatural vibes from Chloe's story so it was fun to see that this may be where the author drew inspiration from.

I appreciate the two POVs of this story because for the story to make as much of an impact on me as it did, I think it was important for readers to have both sides of the story.

I wasn't exactly expecting a modern story when I saw Helen of Troy was a big part of the story, but it was a pleasant surprise. It was refreshing to get a mythological story told in present times. The way this story was told reminded me a lot of the Percy Jackson series. Percy Jackson was my introduction to mythology, so I loved finding another story with similar vibes.

I d the way the initial attraction between Chloe and Helen was done. They both seem to be more intrigued and attracted to the other because of the power they both possess, which sparks questions for both of them, thus making them both continually think about the other. Some books base that initial attraction/intrigue solely on appearance, and that's never seemed realistic to me. After that initial attraction, it felt it doubled down on the appearance of both women, and that's all either of them could talk about which got annoying after a while, but that's expected from a romance.

Wright is such a detailed author. She set the scene so well I never had to wonder; I could picture the battles and creatures in my mind with relative ease.

The summary provided on Goodreads was kind of confusing and misleading. I waited the whole book to see Chloe try to shut the sanctuary down and see how Helen would handle that, but that never happened in the book. They missed out on some potential tension between the two women by not going that route with the story.

I was intrigued by this book from the second I saw the cover, but once I saw it was a sapphic book about Helen of Troy, I knew I needed to read this and it did not disappoint. The plot is fast-paced and holds your attention. It was so much fun banishing ghosts with Chloe and saving mythical creatures with Helen. It's not really a twisty book (most of the things that were probably supposed to be little twists were kind of predictable), but I was interested right down to the last page. Fans of Supernatural and Percy Jackson will be in heaven with this book.2023 arcs ebooks3 s Carol Hutchinson922 66

Mythical and magical adventure

When Chloe’s sister dies suddenly she finds herself thrust from her boring life and into the excitement of her sister’s job of hunting monsters and ghosts. Helen of Troy has an established sanctuary for mythical creatures on earth, but when Chloe tries to shut it down, Helen is determined to stop her for good. But this is bigger than both of them, and the attraction they cannot fight, when some of the creatures just won’t go without a fight.

Such a unique and intriguing idea for a story. Chloe and Helen had a connection that was determined to get in the way of them being a nemesis to one another, which just made the whole thing so much more fun. There were darker mythical beings playing on both Helen and Chloe’s strengths and weakness for their own agendas but trying to work out who and why was the mystery that had me as puzzled as our leading ladies. Chloe was really thrown in at the deep end, whereas Helen was just facing the unexpected.

For a long while Chloe and Helen are fighting their attraction, using it almost as a weapon against themselves and holding them back from finding out the truth, but when they can’t deny it anymore, they end up making the best team. There is a whole cast of characters that help make the story exciting, all the mythical creatures and there different purposes, and even Chloe has connection to mythical creatures, who in themselves make the story just from the way they interact with her and Helen.

I really enjoyed the story. It captured my imagination, gave me pause for thought, and allowed me to indulge in an otherworldly adventure.
2 s Aleana624 18

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Chloe always looking on the outside of what her family does but when her sister dies she inherits the family magic and thrust into hunting and banishing monsters and ghosts. She also trying to deal with her grief along with her parents who she has a not so great relationship with and even though she has this going on doesn’t stop her from doing what’s right. Helen has spent centuries running a sanctuary and rehab for mythical creatures and can’t stand that she will forever be known from a mistake. Chloe and Helen clash but soon realize they may have to face common enemies and maybe both may see although they have different philosophies they can be both right. I enjoy the mystical parts of the story and Chloe and Helen are both strong women and they do have chemistry but I just felt the romance fell flat it’s should’ve just been in background while they faces challenges.2 s Opal EdgarAuthor 3 books9

I didn't manage to finish this book, it just didn't hold my interest. I didn't find the characters very compelling as their motivation was rather shallow in the first 18% of the novel, and they weren't particularly interesting. Sure action stuff happened... but it kind of lacked personality. It felt reading an episode of a fantasy TV series, Buffy or Supernatural. If you those you will probably have a great time with this. I just found it a little lacking in character voice.
When I read the blurb and saw myth and Helen of Troy, I was hoping for a little more meat on that story, especially because it is meant as an adult novel. This was more on the new adult spectrum.
I love fantasy, but I also read a lot of historical fiction so I can get pretty demanding on that level. I love genre mash-ups so I might have had too much expectation. 3 s Rowan35

*I was lucky enough to receive an arc from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.*

Haunted by Myth is a really interesting concept for a book and I haven't ever read anything it before. There a some elements that were done perfectly the presentation of Helen and how she interacted with the label 'of Troy'. Exploring her outside of her beauty is definitely something I want to see more of.
I tend to stick to more of the typical mythology retellings but did enjoy the elements of mythology incorporated into a contemporary novel. The romance felt slightly forced but I still enjoyed reading about Chloe and Helen.
Ramses was probably my favourite character. He was written really well and was just so cool. It also meant that multiple mythologies and histories were able to interact with each other.greek-mythology1 SallyAuthor 131 books353

Haunted by Myth was a fun read that manages to do something new and original with the urban fantasy genre. Barbara Ann Wright concocts a literary spell with a dash of ghosts, a sprinkle of monsters, and a pinch of Greek mythology, stirring it with a wink and a nod as she allows a magical age-gap romance to simmer and steam.

Chloe is a ghost-hunter who was never supposed to have inherited the family business, constantly operating under the shadow of her dead sister’s memory and her mother’s grief. At her side is the ghost of the pharaoh Ramses, who has been a partner, a mentor, and a father-figure to her family for generations.

Helen is the legendary woman whose face launched a thousand ships, although she resents being defined by one story when she has done so much more over the ages. She is something of a monster-hunter, but only to rescue them from the human world and provide them with sanctuary on her island. At her side is the Sphinx – not to mention Pegasus, naiads, and more.

There’s a whole cast of supporting characters to the story, both human and otherwise, which adds to the wonder, the mystery, and the humor of the world that Wright has created. It’s deliberately unclear what the sides even are, much less who is on which, and there are centuries of resentment and distrust between humans and monsters that further strain potential alliances. I was utterly fascinated by the monster side of the story, and would love to have seen more of the menagerie in Helen’s sanctuary, and there is a whole world of adventure hinted at in Fatma and Ali that I would love to explore as well.

For all of that, this is Chloe and Helen’s story, and while their romance is a goal, it’s not the driving force behind the plot. Yes, mutual attraction draws them together, but it’s their strength as women, their morals and their purpose, that allow them to overcome the divide between natural and supernatural to face a threat that neither can thwart on their own. Chloe is a wonderful young woman who must put her doubts and fears behind her if she is to embrace her destiny. While Helen may be older and wiser, she is not without her doubts as well, especially when it comes to humanity. They bring out the best in each other.

Fast-paced and fun, full of imagination and emotion, Haunted by Myth was a thoroughly entertaining read with plenty of LGBTQIA positivity.


https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2023/...fantasy-historical female-author female-fronted-fantasy ...more1 mo • lesmotsdemo420 15

It was a rather fun read. The plot is interesting and the universe is as well. The writing is most ly the strongest aspect of the novel, it has a certain lightness that made me fly through the pages. Unfortunately, the characters are sort of one-dimensional and I wished they would have been more developed. And the romance is probably what I disd the most. It is very quick and superficial which is a shame. Their romance is more of a physical fling than an actual emotional connection.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.1 Chels McCabe162

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I’ve always been a big fan of Helen of Troy as a mythological figure and Helen in a sapphic plot would be right up my alley. I never seemed to gel well with this book though but I enjoyed the Percy Jackson vibes from it and I honestly would have appreciated a deeper dive into the world as it might be anything goes but I just wasn’t sure on what the rules were. Do all Gods co exist? Also it felt weird that there seemed to be no mention of Paris at all? 1 Alexis Nagle DuRand65 15

? 2.5 ?s

I have high expectations when it comes to mythology, and this sapphic mythological-goddesses-with-opposing-priorities-save-the-world romantic adventure just didn’t meet them.

It felt very YA, and beyond that, the pacing of the plot was inconsistent, the characters and storyline felt cluttered and cheesy, and the romance was just so-so.

It was a quick & easy read, but beyond that, it just didn’t do it for me.

Thanks to NetGalley & Bold Strokes Publishing for the ARC!arcs1 Tiffany Wright23 2


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