When I found out that Carly was doing a spin off from her Contemporary Mythos series I was so so excited. I love the way she combines Greek Gods in the modern world and gives them all very different chances at love that feel true to each God.
Of love and forge is duel POV and follows Hephaestus (Heph) and Aphrodite (Ro) but with a HEA. Set in a future cyberpunk world where Heph is a bounty hunter living his best life with his ADORABLE rabbit pet 🥹.
And I have to say I think Of Love and Forge might be my favourite so far? I love the cyberpunk future setting and that not only can the gods be themselves without anyone looking twice but that we had a lot of other not-quite-human characters. I really loved the setting, it was fun, unique and we get a good understanding of the world and the tech early on. It really suited Heph and the setting allowed us to a more dynamic high stakes story. And this story also raised the stakes A LOT. There was a lot more danger as Ro and Heph were hunted and the mysterious Big Bad clearly had a lot of secrets and the means to pose a real threat. This fitted the world and with Heph and I enjoyed seeing this high intensity story.
Heph is a definite a favourite. I’m not that familiar with Heph in mythology but in this story he was a badass bounty hunter with a cinnamon centre with some expert skills in bed. And yes this story has some great steam, Heph brings the kink and all the tension and pining makes it very fun when they finally speak up about their feelings. And of course, with one of our MCs being the Goddess of Love she brings the sexy. And both of them together where a perfect match.
Aphrodite really grew into herself as the story progressed. She was always badass but she learnt to let go of what she was ‘supposed’ to be and just let herself be herself. Which was still someone who loves pink and glitter but also super nerdy and loves fighting. I really enjoyed that Carly kept her girly side but allowed her to expand past that without losing it. The settings played an important role in allowing Ro to let go - another reason I loved it!
Also Heph’s bunny was just the absolute cutest and that Heph owned a bunny and kept going back for him and carrying him around melted my heart!!! We also get to see some of Heph and Ro’s friendships and I really enjoyed the dynamics between them all.
The romance and tension were excellent - friends to lovers isn’t usually my favourite but Carly made this very dynamic and compelling. After years of friendship and pining it had to come to a head a some point and it does. The flirting, teasing and banter made their relationship so fun! They get into a lot of trouble but they know each other so well that you can see how deeply bonded they are. Plus we get only one bed and who did this you tropes 😍
And the plot was interesting, I liked the bounty hunter concept and that the antagonists were people from the Gods’s pasts. I’m very much intrigued to see how this will develop. Overall I really enjoyed the story, the characters were all very fun and well developed and the romance was so perfect for them. The setting was amazing and I hope to see some more of it or more fun settings like this in future books!
Though this is a spin off series and there is no need to read the contemporary mythos books I do think it enhances the reading experience if you have read them. We get a lot of cameos from other Greek Gods who we’ve met in other books so knowing their stories makes it richer but it isn’t necessary and their characters are explained enough in this book so it makes sense regardless!
I can’t wait to see what Carly does next, which Gods’ will get their time to shine and how she’ll bring them to life. I’ve loved all of Carly’s books but this one is definitely a favourite!
