God of War

I won this book at bingo and you know what they say: play stupid games, win stupid prizes

This book is mislabeled as romance because it is actually a slapping horror story? Seriously, this thing was terrifying.

Ava wakes up one day to find she has lost her memories of the last 2 years and is now married to an asshole. She is also under conservatorship due to a past with alcoholism and guess who her guardian is?
Asshole/husband/Eli is super rich and scary and can get away with doing anything to her. This man is so important that he can set up false charges against Ava’s ex and get them taken seriously by law enforcement in order to bully the ex into leaving the country. He forbids Ava from driving, controls her medical access and makes show more her therapists break confidentiality. Not even his own family speaks out against him. Multiple times, he is creepily possessive if she wears something revealing like the evil stereotype people refer to when they hate on Muslim veiling. (Sending love to all the queens in abaya’s and niqab’s out there, may your man be a sweetheart and not an Eli). He refuses to divorce, considers getting her pregnant to tie her to him permanently and grabs her by the throat during domestic spats.
It’s giving 1950s housewife and abusive husband.

Meanwhile Ava is far more accepting of this new reality than I expected? She complains a lot, but doesn’t take any steps to get herself out of there. If anything, she deliberately provokes Eli as if her life doesn’t depend on it. I did like her being nice to the staff and other women. Janet and Ava both need to ditch their husbands asap.
To make matters worse: Ava has various psychiatric issues and struggles to remember what is real or not. An atrocious representation of people with psychiatric struggles (!), but I can’t help but feel bad for her. The main mystery is that the story about the amnesia doesn’t add up. How did she end up married? What memories did she lose? I was intrigued but not so much that it justified 600 pages. This book was LONG.
The mix of Evil Husband (tm), the lack of any form of outside help and the unreliability of Ava’s mental state created a constricting atmosphere. It took me a while to get through, reading only a bit at a time because I couldn’t stand Eli for more than 50-100 pages. Consider that’s a compliment to the horror component of this book.

And the finale… I gotta admit I did not expect that.
I hoped/expected that this book to end with the reveal that Eli caused her accident and then threatened all her social connections into playing along with the ‘we’re married’ shtick. It would be in character. His entire inner monologue is stuff like: “Little does she know that I’m the one walking her round and round in the custom cage I’ve carefully constructed for her.” and “I do want to break her to fucking pieces. Maybe I’ll do that after I glue her back together so that she never finds her way out of my orbit. My cage. My fucking grip.”
I considered giving it 2 stars because I did want to know what happened in the memories she lost, but then I read one of these Eli sentences and changed my mind.

In the end they live happily ever after and want kids because the romance label? I gUeSS?
Personally I think someone will find Ava’s strangled corpse in an alley one day. That would make for an interesting detective novel. show less

4.5 stars

It is always bittersweet to say goodbye to a series, or in this case a whole universe and cast of characters, that has consumed your world—especially, A world like this where it lives rent-free. I wasn't ready to say goodbye. Did this tie up everything with a pretty bow? Yes and no. While there were a few areas that I wanted more, it still was everything that these characters deserved. Was it perfect? No, and that made it imperfectly perfect, much like love itself. It showed that love is hard, it takes hard work and sacrifice.

As always, the interactions between other characters were humorous showing the fine line between outright hostility and mutual respect. There is respect, albeit oftentimes begrudgingly, but the show more connection and friendship were there. This connection is what makes this author so insanely good. It never comes off as forced or cheesy. The world is so entwined that it shouldn't work so seamlessly but somehow it does. Regardless of the character or book, they all do it individually and cohesively.
It's for that very reason, despite Eli and Ava not being my favorites like I thought they would be, that I rated this book as high as I did. This universe is huge and so intricate without ever getting redundant. The twists, the constant ability to make it fresh and exciting, and the ability to make love unique proves why this author is in a league all her own. The steam also doesn't hurt either, especially when the characters are all a variety of walking red flags. Yet, even with those flags waving wildly in the wind, there is no doubt that love reigns supreme and that nothing and nobody stands in the way. I'd be hard-pressed to say who loved the fiercest, but Eli might have the lead after this ending. If the world sacrificed the way he did, it might be a better place.

I will have to check this review for mistakes later since I'm typing on my Kindle which is notorious for changing words because of autocorrect. show less

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎.5
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨✨

First show more Impressions
God of War is the finale to the Rinaverse and to this series "Legacy of Gods". God of War is the story for Eli and Ana. This is a story that I did have a hard time getting through the beginning for, I am not going to lie, so why did I rate this book a 6 star rating? Well because Rina Kent did the work on this one and it completely WON MY HEART. The complexity, the chemistry, the swoony warm feels that I got from this book just delivered in every way that I expect from a Rina Kent and more. I truly think that this is one of her best works! I have such a softness for a marriage in trouble type of set up and this marriage is definitely on the edge and the way that this was developed just fed my romantic heart in every way. Its not for the faint of heart, so be prepared for some tough tackled topics in this one.

First Line
The foul mixture of liquor, the latest drug on the market, and a sense of euphoria flows through me as I sway to the loud music.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Eli King
The Heroine: Ava Nash

Summary
Eli King is much like his father, Aiden King, only even more in control of his empire and has an edge to him not even his father has. But Ava has been in love with Eli since she was a young teenager and never truly fell out of love with him. But he has made her also hate him. Ava is the daughter of a man who despises Aiden King and absolutely has laid down the law that Eli is forbidden fruit....but sometimes the forbidden fruit is the best taste of all. But when she ends up in a accident and doesn't remember the last two years of her life and finds out she is married to Eli King, she doesn't know what to make of it. Only that he is controlling every aspect of her life, she feels herself spiraling but somehow Eli is able to be her anchor from the madness she fears will control her one day. But Eli has his own motivations, and when everything comes to light and out of the shadows....will their love survive?

What I Loved
Whew this book completely blew me away! I can't say what it was about this book that I loved the most, maybe what I was drawn to the most was their married connection? It had some similarities to one of her other books that kinda had a similar set up but ended up being completely different than I expect. How she was able to build this story in ONE book I have no clue, I could easily see her exploring this couple with a whole duo or even a trilogy. But loved that she kept it a bit more simple, as the complexity of the plot really worked out so well on it.

Eli and Ava are such a great pairing, once they got over the angst that they have for each other. For much of the book, you aren't sure of Eli's motivations and what is happening behind the scenes, and what happened in the past that Ava doesn't remember? But with each chapter, we get a glimpse into Eli's side of the story and I loved seeing his devotion to Ava even though he comes off as being the enemy, but in the end he ends up being the anchor that she will need. We also see another issue that gets well tackled...Ava is struggling with a mental illness and she hids it beneath the exterior of being this party barbie who loves everything pink and lives for playing her cello. I didn't know what to make of Ava, to be honest, she isn't really my type of heroine. I am glad that I stuck with this book, because in the beginning I was really turned off by her character. But I can say that I loved what we see in her character in the end. I also was fascinated to see what the secrets would be and the author really delivers on these and times it in such a way that really builds up the tension when it needs to be.

What I Struggled With
The beginning is a struggle, work through the first few chapters and you will be SOLD. I guarantee it.

Narration
I did the last 1/3 of this book in audio and I can highly recommend it in audio, it was superb in every way. She had some amazing narrators do the work for this one here.

Overall View
God of War is a story that digs deep into mental illness, and the beautiful hearts that get caught up in the forbidden taste and the inner strength that is essential to overcome the unique challenges that come along with it. Rina Kent delivers a story that will sink into your soul with spice, heart achingly emotion to tug those vulnerable heartstrings and sells a story of a painful war of hearts that portrays how LOVE DOES CONQUER ALL WHEN THE HEART IS INVOLVED IN THE BATTLE OF WILLS!

Favorite Quote(s)
"I'll carve my name beneath her skin so deeply. Shell find me in her dreams. And her nightmares.

“You’re a beautiful mythical being who can be born from the ashes of your illness.”

"“The lack of you has stripped my world of color and made me realize you’re my sole light in the darkness.”

“Why? Why can’t you see me, Eli?” I stare at her glittering eyes that resemble a whirling storm. “I do see you. More than anything or anyone.”

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance
Character Types: Billionaire, Morally Grey Alpha, Spirited Heroine
Themes: Dual Pining, Mental Illness, Family Saga, Marriage in Trouble
Tropes: Married Couple, Grumpy Sunshine, Enemies to Lovers, Unrequited Love

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Both

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Lisa Renee Jones
Jagger Cole
J. Kenner

Song This Book Inspires
Cradles by Sub Urban

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes!

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

Narrators:
Shane East
Zara Hampton Brown show less

This book is an emotional rollercoaster. I was thrilled to dive into Eli and Ava's story. Ava's transformation from hatred to uncovering dark secrets in her mysterious marriage to Eli kept me captivated. The interactions with familiar characters like Aiden, Cole, and Eli were nostalgically delightful. I savored every detail, and the mix of marriage of convenience, and other tropes I don't want to spoil added depth. The story exceeded my expectations it was a satisfying and unforgettable read.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ELI KING. Omg this book is so good I read it in a freaking day!! Definitely the best in the series (after king of fury obviously) would definitely recommend especially if you loved vows of deception

Niko and Bran are a really tough act to follow. I was pleased with the outcome but it wasn’t my favorite of the series. I understand why this one had to be the last one but I wish the series could have ended on a high like Niko and Bran gave me.

Ava e o psicopata mor da familia, não tem o charme de Lan nem o nível de surto de Killian, parece mais um maluco.
Ava é uma Barbie mimada que e apaixonada por ele desde adolescência, vai q ele não dá a mínima
Durante os livros anteriores ele tá sempre de olho nela nesse começa com ela sofrendo um acidente e logo depois tendo uma aminesia dos últimos 2v anos tempo em q são casados
Depois de muitos enrolação ficam juntos