Review and Interview: Claimed by the Order by J. Johanis (S-Gods Book 1)

Blurb:
Young and eager to join the social playground of the gods, Marduk enters his first day of college at the exotic mountain retreat at the Temple of Power. But he swiftly falls into the clutches of a secret order. Confronted by the powerful gods who wish to claim him, Marduk is defenseless. His only way out: to lure another virgin god into the Order.

Marduk finds refuge in the young god Anu-Akad. Delivering Akad to the order would earn Marduk his freedom, but Marduk struggles to keep his love affair hidden from the Order. Will his efforts be in vain? He failed to save himself. Is he strong enough to save his lover?

Advisory: Contains portrayals of m/m sex, violence, non-con, & abuse. Intended for mature readers.

Review:
I’m going to start by saying that this book is not for the feint of heart. If you don’t enjoy non-con stories, then you should pass on this book. I enjoy them. Not all, there’s some really bad stuff out there. That said, this book is amazing. It was so interesting seeing gods and goddesses from ancient cultures together in one place interacting, and how the mythology factors into their personalities. I feel bad for Aya because I get why he did what he did. He also deserves more than he got and I’m hoping the next book in the series we will see him happy in some way. Marduk has a true heart of gold. He did all he could to save the man he loves. It’s a testament to his honor that he didn’t take the route Aya went. I’m interested how Adak is going to treat Marduk in the next book based on what happens right at the end of this one. Marduk deserves to be happy fully and completely. I’m also interested to find out what happens to the Order now that the Council leader, Siren, knows. I really enjoyed this story and the writing style. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
Stars:
Four and a half

Interview:
Molly: What music, if any do you listen to when you write?
J.: I tend to listen to whatever song I’m currently hooked on, which usually has nothing to do with my writing. I’ll listen to that song on repeat until I find a new song to obsess over. However, if I’m writing a fight scene, I like to listen to Tool.
Molly: Are you a full time writer, or part time writer?
J.: Full time.
Molly: What was the transition like between part time and full time writer?
J.: I wrote my first book while traveling and working overseas, and it took me over a year to write and publish. Now that I’m writing full time, I really try to make the most of each day.
Molly: Do you have a word count per day you try to hit?
J.: I don’t like pushing for a particular word count, since this discourages spending time on editing and interferes with the natural flow of my writing. I usually base my goals on scenes, which always keeps me on track. The initial draft of Claimed by the Order took two weeks for 45K words, but I spent another month and a half working with beta readers and doing revisions. From start to finish, it took me three months to write and publish a 60K word novel.
Molly: When you finish writing a book, how long before you begin writing the next one?
J.: I plan on waiting one month before beginning my next book in order to have time to do things I’ve been putting off. When I start writing, I tend to get wrapped up in it, and I don’t want to stop for anything. So, I make sure I have no major distractions in the block of time I allot for writing my initial draft.

About J.:
J. Johanis writes dark GLBT and M/M fantasy and enjoys writing plots that are historical or myth-based.

Author Contact:
Website: http://sirensreckoning.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sirens.Reckoning
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JennaJohanis
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10789739.J_Johanis

Where To Buy:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Claimed-Order-S-Gods-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00YTV1XJ8/
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/547262

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