Spotlight: Tyranny by Gemma Brocato
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One man, one muse, one romance to save the world
Immortal librarian Clio has existed for thousands of years. Her purpose—to influence and inspire mortals. Now as one has inspired her, a battle is mounting between the Muses and a god who care little for the plight of man. A hostile takeover is imminent at Olympus Enterprises.
History professor Jax Callahan is battling his own uncertainties. His previous employer’s refusal to heed his warnings results in a tragic loss of life. Blaming himself, he no longer believes he can make a difference.
Tyranny will stop at nothing to appease her father and succeed in taking over Olympus and the world. To save mankind, Clio must reveal herself as a Muse to Jax, the man she’s fallen in love with. Facing the end of humanity as they know it, she must convince him to trust in the magic of what if. Because failure spells doom for everyone.
Excerpt
God knew, he’d worked for years to get the bureaucratic idiots to hear his ideas. He could have circumvented the problem long ago if he’d been able to make the right people listen. The government’s idea of a diplomatic solution only served to edge the world closer to a massive war. “I couldn’t convince anyone to consider the logical alternative, a negotiated settlement where the Bulgarian people are protected. There is no stopping the Five Nations.” The statement alone made his gut churn.
“There has to be.” Clio rose from her seat, moved to her desk, and retrieved a scrap of paper. With graceful movements, she returned to his side. She handed him the document. “You need to read this. It will change your mind.”
Battling the skepticism that had been his hallmark since he’d left GeoPoly, he took the sheet from her hand. It was an e-mail. The chilling message mentioned destruction, war, and an end to mankind. “Who is this Pierus?”
“He’s a demi-god who thought his nine daughters were better than the daughters of Zeus, my sisters and me.” The corners of her mouth lifted slightly. “Zeus is never nice when he’s pissed off. He turned Pierus’s daughters into magpies. Pierus has been seeking to restore them ever since.”
“Whoa! Zeus is your dad? Like, Zeus Zeus? God of Gods, Zeus?” Okay, his world shifted from I can handle her as a Muse to what the fuck have I gotten myself into? He shook his head in denial but then recalled the sight of the bird this morning, and more recently outside Clio’s bedroom window.
“The same. Anyway, Pierus resurfaced recently and challenged us to a contest to return his brats to human form. It’s his version of a hostile takeover of Olympus. He wins, and he gets dominion over all immortals. And his daughters would be unleashed on humanity.” Clio shuddered. “The effect on mortals will be dire. They’ll live up to their names, like Tyranny, Strife, Mayhem. You get the idea.”
“Can he do it?” Aw, shit. That sounded like he was a believer. And maybe, just maybe…
Clio frowned. “He can if we fail at the challenge he’s set for us.”
“Have any of you failed?”
She shrugged. “I’m the first.”
“His message says one Muse, one man. How do you know I’m the man?”
“The magpies keep appearing. You mentioned a run in with a crazy old man and a bird. I believe that was Pierus. The other night in the library when it was storming so badly, I spied the image of Pierus and his skanky daughter in a flash of lightning.” She shook her head again. “Tonight when we walked past the street musician, that was Pierus in disguise.”
The dotted line from his run-in with the bird to Clio’s story just filled in like a solid fucking black dart.
About the Book
Gemma's favorite desk accessories for many years were a circular wooden token, better known as a 'round tuit,' and a slip of paper from a fortune cookie proclaiming her a lover of words; some day she'd write a book. All it took was a transfer to the United Kingdom, the lovely English springtime, and a huge dose of homesickness to write her first novel. Once it was completed and sent off with a kiss, even the rejections addressed to 'Dear Author' were gratifying.
After returning to America, she spent a number of years as a copywriter, dedicating her skills to making insurance and the agents who sell them sound sexy. Eventually, her full-time job as a writer interfered with her desire to be a writer full-time and she left the world of financial products behind to pursue a career as a romance author.
Gemma focuses mainly on contemporary and paranormal romance, with an occasional detour into science fiction romance. Her titles are available in digital and print-on-demand at all major retailers.
