Valis must find a way to recover from eighteen years of abuse and trauma if he is to confront his abuser with any success. In order to gain enough power and confidence to confront his evil father and move on, he must first convince his friends he’s not evil, and find a way to overcome his anxiety.Duty and Sacrifice holds the first three books in the 9-book God Jars Saga. It is the first of three … the first of three boxed sets in the series. This sword and sorcery saga has magic, mayhem, adventure, high-impact emotional arcs, stellar character development, and a very slow burn romance. Join Valis and his friends as they train to become part of the world’s elite fighting force so they can join the battle against an evil god and save the world.
Saviors
Trust is more terrifying than any weapon.
Valis’ father wants to sacrifice him to the evil God, Qos. His uncle wants to use him as a magical battery and sex slave. All Valis wants is to live in peace, without fear of constant abuse. When he escapes his father’s sacrificial knife and runs away, he lands in the camp of his two saviors, Kerac and Darolen, holy Aesriphos warriors powerful enough to put his family in their place.
But trusting anyone could be fatal, and the warriors ask the impossible: to sell his father’s farmstead and abandon his old life to join their monastery.
They’re his only hope and when he learns to trust them, they’re the father figures he always wanted, but Valis isn’t sure he’s strong enough to put aside his fear and start over.
Avristin
Avristin isn’t the quiet, contemplative monastery he imagined…
Valis escaped his birth father and made it to Avristin. Now, the adopted son of his two saviors, the honorable Aesriphos Kerac and Darolen, Valis vows to become just like them. The only things standing in his way are his lack of magic and crippling social anxiety.
With the help of six new friends, Valis hopes to overcome his new fears. But when the eldest of the group, Tavros, finds the mark of the evil God, Qos, tattooed on Valis’ skin, he sends Valis right back into his birth father’s clutches.
Surviving and escaping the prison cell is just his first test. Once he’s back in Avristin, more await. And with Tavros as his new mentor, Valis needs to do everything in his power to make the man trust him again. Valis’ entire future depends on it, in more ways than one.
Possessed
Valis works as a man possessed, but there’s no outrunning the past.
In war training, Valis advances quickly, but in magic training, he’s lucky not to blow himself up trying to wield his dual magic. Constant growth spurts make him outgrow his training armor and his attraction to his mentor, Tavros, rising to molten levels puts Valis under added pressure.
And there’s one more problem Valis can’t seem to shake—his birth father, Roba. He demands Valis pay him a visit in exchange for information, but his request is one Valis can’t accept.
But Roba is not a man who deals well with being told no, and he will do everything in his power to get his way. And his way may just haunt Valis forever.
The M/M romantic elements in God Jars is a very slow burn and has sexual encounters. The God Jars Saga contains explicit material including violence and child abuse, and bullying. These books are not advised for anyone under the age of 18.
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This a box set following a young man needs to recover from all the pain and horror he has suffered. This will follow him and his journey to finding his inner strength to overcome his past. Will he be able too? See if he can
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is an epic saga set in an fantasy medieval world full of mages, knights and very interesting and relatable gods, with a very slow burn romance undertone, although the tension is very strong and erotic. The world and character building is great and the writing sucks you in from the page one. I couldn’t put it down and I’m about to dive into book five at the time I’m writing this. The reason I didn’t write the review sooner is simply because to me, this series is one very long and addictive book. To get a better understanding and a quicker grasp of the world you’re about to dive in, it would be maybe a good idea to read the prequel Fated mates first although it’s not necessary. It’s the story of Valis’ adoptive fathers who play important and sometimes crucial roles in the books that follow. You can read it for free if you sign up for authors’ newsletter. The only issue I had with this series is that all the characters are to touchy- feely for my taste and not in the sexual way. It’s getting a bit old, but I got used to it. This story is worth it.
Saviors
We meet Valis a teen who was brutally abused by his family of dark mages for all of his life. He has never known kindness and has no reason to trust anyone, because he was always betrayed. His saviors are taking him on the long journey (literally and figuratively) on which he has his ups and downs. He often reacts like an abused animal that becomes dangerous when forced into a corner. He’s forced to kill to save his life and that leaves scars on his soul that won’t be easily healed. It’s often brutal and heartbreaking but this book ends with a promise of a better life which his saviors are so desperately trying to show him with their loyalty, unconditional love and endless patience and understanding.
Avristin
Valis finally arrives at his destination but here he meets different challenges. He’s learning how to trust other people besides his adoptive fathers and stand on his own two feet. But the biggest challenge is how to control himself, his anger, his anxiety and his powers that are starting to show. His birth father enters his life in a most frightening and brutal way once again. This time he has strong support in a group of new friends but sadly not so much in his love interest and mentor amongst them. Tavros has his own trust issues and fears to conquer and there no doubt that there’s a long journey in front of them.
Possesed
In this installment Valis’ progress in his learning and physical training is huge but he still struggles to control his magic. Sexual tension between him and Tavros is of the charts, but the main focus of the story is on his battle with his birth father. The twist at the end I really didn’t expect. I can’t wait to see where this saga leads us.
This is the beginning of the God Jars Saga. It takes the reader from the initial background of Valis as he is discovered by two Aesriphos knights and rescued from his evil father, Roba. Valis is an insecure young man who has spent his life in fear of his father, and he discovers a new world of hope, makes new friends, and discovers light after the darkness. I read these books separately as they came out, and my initial reviews are below. Overall, this is a great start to the series, and it just gets better from here. This trilogy for me represents the awakening of Valis to what he is meant to be. I highly recommend the God Jars series, and I look forward to every new book. Enjoy the adventure!
Saviors – 5 stars
I loved this book! The characters are well-developed and endearing (the good ones), and the action is constant and engaging. The writing is crisp and error-free. This is the story of Valis. Born into a family of dark mages, he just wants to live his life in peace. His father wants to sacrifice him and his uncle wants to use him. Fortunately, he is rescued by two knights of good who promise to take him to a safe place. Through the approximately one-year journey from his rescue to his arrival at his new home, young Valis starts to come of age. He learns to fight, is forced to kill to survive, learns about love and sex, but most of all learns perhaps the most important lesson…to trust. The story is occasionally dark, and there is some violence, angst, drama, and fear, but it is at its heart the story of a young man learning to overcome his past and start to trust others who love and care about him, and to love them in return. This is the first book in a continuing series, and I can’t wait to read more about Valis’ journey.
Avristin – 4 stars
This is an enticing, if somewhat slow-moving, slow-burn story. If the key to the first book was trust, the theme in the second book seems to be control. For Valis, that means controlling his fears, insecurities, and shyness, especially around strangers and crowds. It also means learning to control his rage and power. Fortunately, he finds a group of young people who (with one exception) welcome him into their group and help him work on his personal growth as well as continue the training his adoptive fathers began. I liked the new characters Ms. Vesper introduces in this book, and the emerging relationships. Aryn was by far my favorite character! He was the first to welcome Varis, and he has been the most steadfast to comfort him and stand by his side. I think it’s too bad that Valis prefers Tavros. I think Aryn has proved more deserving, but I guess the brooding bad boy always seems to be more exciting. The violence between friends during training (they literally beat the stuffing out of each other) seemed excessive to me, but I guess that is what training is for. Good thing they have healers! Although there are some sexual situations in this book, and some near misses, no actual encounters occur. I am very much looking forward to the next book and to Valis’ continued development as a person and as a warrior.
Possessed – 5 stars
I love this series! With each book, Valis’ story progresses and I get more excited to see where Valis’ future leads, if he and Tavros will finally connect, what is in store for the other friends, and so on. With this book, we see a resolution to Valis’ contest with his father. There is a surprise twist there I didn’t see coming, and it further cemented the idea that nothing is really simple black and white, either magic, or people, or motives. Some new characters are introduced in this book, along with new lessons and new journeys. Sexual angst continues to play a role for several characters, and I couldn’t help but want to shout “Do it already!” a number of times. I don’t know how many books it will take to tell Valis’ story, but it feels like we are closer to the beginning than the end, and I can’t wait to see where the tale goes from here.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.