Captured and forced to marry Henrik, Megara vows never to forget his monstrous behavior… but her hatred for her husband doesn’t weaken her attraction to him. Henrik chases his legacy with the ferocity and strength worthy of a God. He will not be deterred, and he will not fail. Nothing will stand in his way. Not even a wife.But Henrik’s strength can not keep Megara’s beautiful soul from seeping … soul from seeping into his heart. A choice is coming, between everything he ever wanted and the one thing he didn’t know he needed.
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This sexy retelling of the Hercules mythos is entertaining to say the least, with just enough domineering darkness to keep it from slipping into traditional love story territory.
I loved the darker edge the author gave Hercules (here called Henrik). It worked very well in the context of this story, given that Hercules is known for his incredible strength. Equally as good was the take on he and Megara’s interaction, and how the two ultimately come together.
I was very intrigued by the choice not to veer away from the Greek myth conceit of forced marriage / arranged marriage. Even thought his story is contemporary, it would have been all too easy to change that aspect of the original myth, and yet instead it was kept intact, and it works quite well in the context of this story.
If I have any complaint, I would have liked there to be a bit longer ‘tension’ with Megara coming to recognize and understand Henrik and all he is about. That transition was, to me, a little abrupt. Still, this is a truly minor issue overall, and in no way detracts from the story.
Oh, and good Lord is there some hot sex in this.
If you’re in the mood for a good, sexy retelling of the Herc folklore, with some oh-so-hot dominant sex sprinkled in, and an HEA, then get this on your Kindle now.
This was absolutely a kick-a$$ story. I started out absolutely hating Henrik but wound up really loving him. And what isn’t to love about Megara? Two grown children being used as pawns in a game of chess that could have dire consequences. Henrik and Megara are perfectly matched with strong personalities. The only difference, Henrik is hardened by his family dynamics and Megara has been pampered and told she could do and have it all. Each is about to get an education and it’s not what either one expected. There is such emotion, action, adventures, lies, and truths being shared in this story. I loved it!
Wheeewww. Okay so there’s a lot to unpack here. So first off, a warning, yes, he does rape her. Looking at the reviews I see that some readers were taken by surprise by the rape of the H, for me it was a given that with the blurb saying ‘forced marriage’ any sex that occurred afterwards would basically be rape so I wasn’t shocked but yes, it was a lot to take. And the way he seems to think it’s okay because she’s ‘his’ is a bit much—but Measha writes dark romance and anyone familiar with her work knows what that means.
It does leave the Hero with a steep learning curve on his path to redemption. I like the guy he is by the end of the book, even though I hated him early on. And while I don’t think I could ever have loved him after starting that way I do think there was enough of a build up showing her early life and how she’s basically been trained to accept at least some of this as part of her reality.
That being said, he says he regrets what he did but he doesn’t really apologize and that set me against him. By the end he’s gone a long way towards showing a different side though and I ended up fairly content with how things turned out. Aside from that It’s well written, and very hot.
New from Measha Stone!
Finding His Strength is the second stand alone dark romance connected to the Dirty Heroes Collection. Megara is forced to marry Henrik, the illegitimate son of a powerful men, a killer, and nothing will stand in his way. Determined to never give him her heart, what happens when she begins to see the man under his strong exterior and reputation?
Oh my goodness, my heart is still pounding after reading this book! I felt so many emotions while reading this book, disgust and intrigue, anger and joy, I felt the connection between the characters and couldn’t help but cheer for them to succeed. Henrik is a dark hero who rarely feels remorse for his actions, is driven, possessive, rough, and has some serious insecurities he has to work through. You want to hate him, especially in the beginning of the book… and the middle and even a bit at the end, but you also can’t help but feel bad for him and love his transition from alphahole to so much more. Megara is a wonderful combination between being sweet and sassy, and while she knows her place, she also never stops dreaming. I love that she has the strength to stand up against her man and fight for what she wants, but adds a softer side for Henrik’s rough edges. There’s some wicked drama, political moves within a mafia style world, an evil stepmother, you’re never really sure who to believe or trust, and of course, a romance that blooms in the darkest of circumstances! I ended up loving this book and can only hope there’s more books set within this world!
So, this is a retelling of the Hercules myth. We have Henrik Hercules who is trying to please his father so that he can be named a legitimate heir. The latest thing that Henrik has to do is to marry Megara and produce an heir.
Henrik does every single thing he can to get his father’s approval, as well as his step-mother. The problem is that they keep moving the goalposts on him, especially Hera. When that happens to you, you either walk away or you try harder to make the people happy. Henrik definitely went with the try harder route, which didn’t make him happy in any way, but he did it anyway.
I like Megara. I think that she has a calming personality and one that kind of changes people, but she doesn’t just go out and change things, it’s just her influence.
I would love to see more of this world.
What an intense keep you on your toes story as Henrik is fierce and unrelenting from the first page almost scary and he says what he means and I loved him for it.
Megara is forced between the mafia families to an arranged marriage and is such a strong character I really liked her she never backed down even with the trust issues, loyalty and who to believe. I loved their journey through the fire that burned these two up on every page.
This redo of Hercules is PHENOMENAL!
Megara has found herself forced into a marriage with Henrick, a man everyone fears for his strength. This is purely to make amends and strengthen the families in business. But Megara slowly breaks down Henrick’s tough walls and she starts seeing him in a different light.
I love the relationship that builds between these two. They change the way marriage is done in their families.
This is s very intriguing story, that will pull you in and keep you enthralled by it’s complexity in this dark world. You can only hate Hendrik, he is cruel, savage and entitled. He is the heir to a mafia lord and he must marry Megara the daughter of a rival family. Eve though he is cruel en beastly, Megara see something else in her husband and soon her hate for him will start becoming more. Their journey if difficult but in the end, a choice must be made. Which is it? This is a dark edgy story as only Measha Stone canwrite for us. It will keep you on the edge of your seat by the strength of the characters journey. Amazing story and I Honestly volunteered to review this arc.
The first page grabbed and took me down to rabbit hole after that there was no going back, this is one dark read take has the ability to shake you stir you and leave like jelly, all the while wanting more. Measha Stone, another winner. I voluntarily reviewed this book
WOW! Measha Stone kept me in a constant state of suspense with this lovely gem! I’m sure my blood pressure was elevated the entire time I was reading Finding His Strength.
This is a must read!
Great writing!
Great characters!
Great storyline!
This book is part of the Dirty Heroes collection. What I loved about this book-the an olde world feel to it. It could almost be a historical book, then a cellphone comes out! I loved it! Henrik starts off the story with a bang (tbh, a dead bang) and the action flows from there. Everything that Henrik does is for a single purpose and when his next task is to marry Megara to unify their families, he does so unquestionably. There is lots of scheming from all quarters and Henrik takes it in stride. Henrik is calm & measured, which is why I didn’t hate him after the opening scene-although he did give me reasons to hate him later! Megara is a sweetheart, who is moulded to his tastes and supports him; she softens him so gradually that the good man inside emerges.
My only comment for consideration would be the number of characters introduced in the first chapter. It was hard to keep track of names & relationships & I had to refer back to the first chapter a couple of times to figure it out. Overall, I loved the story & hope there will be more to come in this world.
I received a copy of this book. My honest opinion is voluntarily provided.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie’s Book Reports.
Captured and forced to marry Henrick, Magara vows never to forget his monstrous behavior…but her hatred for her husband doesn’t weaken her attraction to him. Henrick chases his legacy with the ferocity and strength worthy of a God. He will not be deterred, and he will not fail. Nothing will stand in his way. Not even a wife. But Henrik’s strength can not keep Magara’s beautiful soul from seeping into his heart. A choice is coming , between everything he ever wanted and the one thing he didn’t know he needed.
This book is amazing. I loved every second I got to spend with these character’s. Hendrick is the son of and heir of a Mafia Lord. However he has the worst stepmom in the world and she dangles his inheritance in front of him. She has a requirement for him to become the heir that quiet frankly he is entitled to. She wants Henrick to marry the daughter of their biggest rival Megara. They are also a mafia family but she has never been married off and allowed to continue her culinary studies till she has completed them. However she is told that she has wasted her time and she is to marry Henrick. As you can imagine this does not sit well with her but Henrick doesn’t give a crap what she thinks and wants. Once they are married though they are suddenly faced with having to produce and heir. None of this matter to Henrick. He will just do what he has to and go on with his life. Now I know that you are thinking he is the most awful thing in the world. But hang in there he will change your mind. This book is full of suspense and twist and turns you will never ever see coming. This book is deep and dark and will have you reading as fast as you can. I loved it and I know that a lot of you will too.
I’ll admit, my first glance of Henrik made me go back and read the first page several times over, just to be sure I understood what I had just read!! Yup! I understood completely. I hated him at first but when Megara comes onto the scene as his “bride”, I started seeing little things in his character that made me rethink how I felt about him. Was he still a monster? YES!!! But little cracks started showing up and the more I read, the more I fell for him. The story was so good that I just couldn’t put it down. Megara is a strong woman and I loved how she had a backbone! I really enjoyed this addition to the Dirty Heroes Collection.
Loved this book. The author has a great way of bringing the characters to life. In this book there is an aranged marriage, family rivalry, and some domestic discipline for good measure. this is a standalone with a hea.
4.5 stars
This was my first book from the author. The story gets really dark at times, so if this disturbs you, you might want to pass.
Henrik Hercules is the bastard son of a Mafia lord. Everything he does is to prove his loyalty to his father and become a legitimate son. His stepmother, Hera, has been making this difficult for him, constantly making more demands of him. Henrik is a really messed up man. Is one of those characters that you have a hard time accepting. He’s unapologetically cruel and his actions are questionable.
Megara Creon is the daughter of one of the Network families. What she ever wanted was to open her own restaurant. However, she finds herself forcibly married to Henrik. She tries extremely hard to keep her anger and hate towards him, but even her husband’s actions can’t stop her from falling for him. She sees a gentler side of him she can’t ignore.
When I finished the book, I struggled with my rating. I liked the story but couldn’t get past some of Henrik’s actions. The author managed to show Henrik’s human side as well. After all, all he ever wanted was to be recognized. The book is dark with some BDSM elements as well. I really liked the Greek mythology background, it was intriguing!
I found Henrik’s strength endearing and even though he will have you hate him, you can’t help but see underneath that and why Megara eventually falls for him. Some aspects of the story moved quickly while others a little slower but I enjoyed every minute of it. This is a re-telling in a dark and twisted way and may have some triggers for some people. I personally couldn’t get enough.
Measha stone has beautifully combined Greek mythology, kink, romance, live, hate, punishment, pleasure and politics in a single book. All these combined together is what renders this novel dark and make it standout. The plots and twisted had me excited yet at the same time scared to know what follows next.
A highly recomended dark book. I can’t wait to read further installments from this collection.
Received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second story in the Dirty Heroes series. It’s a Hercules retelling and an extremely interesting reworking of the myth. Hercules is not very sympathic. Even as he realizes his feelings for Megara it’s hard to justify all of his past behavior. This is very much a dark romance. It’s sexy, dark, and interesting to read. The conclusion is very satisfying on a romantic level and on a plot level. All the characters are written well. My biggest problem is that Hercules really isn’t that dark when he comes to Megara. Yes he enjoys rough sex and elements of BDSM, but other than his initial rape of Megara he ends up being a fairly reasonable guy. Which is why I feel like this is a 4 star and not a 5 star read. The story is too dark to just be a romance, but too romantic too live up to the level of darkness the plot amps you up to expect. If Hercules had been more ruthless with Megara and there’d been a far more difficult internal battle for her to love him I would have liked the story more.
Triggers- Lots of them here. Rape, sexual slavery, death, violence.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review
Megara Creon is the daughter of a criminal kingpin that is a member of the Network. Henrik Hercules is the illegitimate son of the ruler of the Network. Henrik is ruthless and demanding. Megara is naïve but filled with hope. Both are pawns in the game of two powerful men.
This is the first story I have read that used mythology for modern-day characters. Henrik Hercules is the illegitimate son of Jackson Olympus, the stepson of Hera Olympus, half-brother to Castor and nephew to Haden. I had to look up Megara, but all the pieces fit. This story is dark and triggering. There is a sex scene in the story along with spankings with a leather belt (in private and public), riding crop and flogger. As in all stories that I have read revolving around spankings, BDSM themes, the female character initially thinks she is flawed for being stimulated by the spanking, but quickly comes around and begins to crave it. I found it interesting, Henrik’s conflict was all internal, a sense of acceptance, belonging, and love. Megara did not seem to have that growth besides her acceptance of her “bedroom” preferences. This novel did play out like a Greek play—full of characters with a lot of drama. I am not sure what to make of Megara’s father; he initially appeared caring and considerate, however by the end he was a jack wad! Hera was as vicious as mythological stories present her. Although I enjoyed the mythology angle and the story was entertaining, the sexual assault scene threw me off and my interest began to wane. By the time the story got to the dressmaker scene, I was shocked it was not more perverse. I am still intrigued by the author to read something else written by her.