Okay, so sue me. I just don’t ever get sick of people praising my work! Coffee Time Romance just gave me a 4 Cup Review and I am tickled. The reviewer said in part…

Will love be able to heal the heart of a hardened man?

This is a very interesting story. I adore mythology so this book spoke to my heart. The author takes the old legends and merges them with modern times. Creative and fun, yet heart touching, this romantic tale keeps the reader going until the very end. As a daughter of a Vietnam veteran dealing with PTSD, I felt Nick’s pain to the very core of my being. I suggest picking up this story. There is never a dull moment.

KATHY KOZAKEWICH of Books, books, books… and, from time to time, a little RL wrote:

What a fantastic story! There are definitely boundaries never before crossed in a Harlequin based romance, but Stephanie Draven’s myth-creation demands it. Very well done and a story that thrilled at the same time broke my heart.
I love the way that Stephanie combines ancient mythology with contemporary elements and creates an entire new universe. Her characters are strong, but hurting. In fact Nick Leandros hurts so much he’s no longer whole.
I was fortunate enough to win her contest and receive a free copy of this story; of course having liked it so much I’ve already purchased another of her Nocturne Bites ~ Midnight Medusa.
This story rated 4.5 hearts.

Here are some excerpts from my latest reviews!

CataRomance

A bright future is forecast for talented author Stephanie Draven. Her narrative is poetic, as she is able to express every aspect of her story in an insightful way to let readers know exactly how each character feels and the motives behind any reactions. Nick and Dessa are two very complex characters, he for his troubled mental state and she for her mission in life. The emotional impact of how the lives of these two interconnect is frequently thought-provoking, as the reality of how war can affect a soldier is exceedingly convincing. Ms. Draven also shows how the compassion of someone who cares about these brave individuals can have life-changing consequences.

This couple captures your heart as the reasons for their current behavior is revealed, making this story deeply emotive. The storyline as a whole is innovative while also being repeatedly poignant and even sometimes optimistically encouraging. Nick is a tortured hero for a number of reasons, as he has several inner demons to face because of past distressing traumas. When the mystical character of Dessa interacts with Nick and his all too real problems in today’s world, the scenes are emotionally charged. The love scenes between this couple are blazingly heated, as their connection linking them together is potently passionate. WILD, TETHERED, BOUND is expressively detailed with plausible scenarios and a stirringly magical romance.

Book Wenches

Stephanie Draven gives us an intriguing and emotional tale of pain, guilt, and the healing powers of love. This story mixes the brutal realism of war with creatures of mythos, giving us a reading experience that is both pleasurable and absolutely unique. This is no simple throw-away romance. While this novella is quite short, Ms. Draven packs a lot into its pages, and I found myself dwelling on it well after I had read the final page.

Ms. Draven gives us strong and complicated characters in Dessa and Nick. Neither is what you would typically expect to find residing within the pages of a romance novel. Not only is Dessa a magical being surrounded with the mystique of an immortal, but she is strong and determined and hell-bent on obtaining that which she desires the most. She is also vulnerable enough to catch our sympathy, especially when she sees how her actions affect Nick.

Nick is fascinating. He is a chimera, equal parts dragon, lion, and goat, but he is human as well and a very damaged and fragmented soul. This presents something of a puzzle to the reader. Is he really a chimera of myth? Is the split within him physical or simply psychological? I found myself repeatedly posing this question to myself as I read this story. Ms. Draven does an excellent job presenting Nick as three separate beings who are in actuality one person, and when this spills over into the story’s love scene, the results are surprisingly sensual.

In all, I found Wild, Tethered, Bound to be readable, entertaining, and quite thought-provoking. The blend of fantasy and reality that this story offers us is exceptional, and the conflict and characters ensnared me. Ms. Draven is a writer to watch, I believe, and I am extremely interested to see what she comes out with next.

Eye on Romance

There are many feelings the reader will have as they read this story. There is despair as Nick surveys the death and destruction around him as he fights an enemy. The loss of self as he realizes he has three parts that make him whole, and the lack of control he has of these three parts of his personality. Nick’s self destructive tendencies as he tries to deal with it all. The glimmer of hope he feels with Dessa. In turn Dessa, leaves and places herself in a place where she feels the most at peace and awaits her mate.

This is story is a Nocturne Bite and gives the reader a wonderful glimpse of two characters who are lost and alone and manage to find each other and themselves. Their connection is one that will remain forever and that hope, love and caring amidst destruction can exist for those who are willing to be open to all around them.

Night Time Romance Reviews

Wild, Tethered, Bound has plenty of action and some sarcastic scenes between the main characters. Dessa isn’t a human and doesn’t think like one. She has her own way doing things, which just plain annoys Nick and causes readers to laugh out loud.

Mad Ramblings

As with Draven’s first Bites, MIDNIGHT MEDUSA, this is an intelligent and well-written story. It is refreshing to read Bites that stray from the norm of weres or vamps, and this one links current affairs that people are (or should be!) aware about with a challenging love story. I just love Draven’s application of mythical creatures to things that are happenign in our time.

The conflicts and emotions were real and believable, the premise was clever and well-thought out. I enjoyed the characters, particularly the hero, Nick, although the heroine (Dessa) was also very appealing, earthy and deep.

Title: Midnight Medusa
Author: Stephanie Draven
Author’s website: http://stephaniedraven.com/
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises
Release Date: April 2009
ISBN: 9781426833304
Length: Novella
Format: Electronic
Genre: Contemporary Paranormal
Sensuality Level: 3
Rating: 3.5

Reviewed by: BD Whitney

Renata Rukavina has a lifetime of anger built up inside her. Anger for the parents she lost and the childhood that ended before its time during the Bosnian War. An artist and a sculptor, she uses that anger as fuel for when she sculpts. And if her subjects are war criminals who die as soon as their likeness is finished? So much the better for the world.

When Renata is kidnapped by a man who professes to be a son of Ares and who claims to feed off of fear, she doesn’t believe him at first. But Damon’s insistence that his war-mongering brother and his aunt Athena want to use her talent to encourage war as well as his insistence that she is a monster, a Gorgon, inside eventually break her down. Damon swears he will never allow her to sculpt – and kill – again, and this is akin to denying her air to breathe. How can Renata possibly love a man who would deny her one source of joy? But somehow, she does.

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Stephanie Draven’s novella Midnight Medusa is a story about a woman who must learn to change in order to do good in the world. This story combines mythology and reality in a manner that I found quite interesting. War is the central theme. Of all the gods of various mythologies, it is only the war gods who have any real power in the world of this story, and there is a struggle for power within the ranks of these war gods. On faction of gods thirsts for violence of any kind and another is sickened by modern warfare.

Although some of the phrasing didn’t quite “work” for me, the story is overall strong and quite unique. In addition, Ms. Draven has created a number of interesting characters. The twin war gods Damon/Deimos and Phobos compare and contrast quite effectively. And while Damon is the hero of the story, he is not exactly what one might consider a “good guy.” He feeds off of terror and is unapologetic about that. He is also more than willing to use this as a weapon, and the scene where he uses this against Renata is very striking.

Renata is filled with anger and agony that has built over the years; however, although she feels is righteous in her anger, it is in actuality very destructive. She must deal with her inner monster and must realize that the end result, which is death of those who destroyed her family, doesn’t always justify the means used. The relationship that she has with Damon isn’t your basic formula romance love but mixes love and hate into a unique anger-filled emotion.

Overall, I found Midnight Medusa to be both unusual and intriguing. It is not your usual hearts and flowers type story and is surprisingly dark for a romance. This story is a little something different, and that, in my opinion, makes it worth reading.