Before
the gods became. Before humankind was imagined. Before Olympus was more than
mist on a desolate mountain — Hera reigned. When the war hero, Zeus, rises to
power and moves Hera’s statues aside to make room for his own, the queen of
heaven must find her place in a new order. At first drawn in by Zeus’ charm,
she quickly realizes she wants no part of life with this petty, egocentric
dictator. When she refuses to marry him, what began as seduction becomes a
snare. Trapped into marriage, Hera learns that power can still be forged
through cunning, seduction, and unexpected alliances. But after she gives birth
to the God of War, her influence begins to crumble — and his lust threatens to
tear the kingdom apart. Who is the Goddess of Marriage, if she’s bound to a
husband who defiles every vow? Who is the Goddess of Motherhood, if she’s
raising a child the world misunderstands? What kind of goddess is she willing
to become to protect her people and her child? Rich with betrayal, desire, and
divine intrigue, this origin story of Greek mythology told from the point of
view of its chief villain weaves gods, nymphs, dragons, sex, lies, and strategy
into a fierce new legend. Hera: Kingdom of Lies combines the social and
political maneuvers of Scandal with the mythic, villain-redemption of Circe.
Love Revised
For years, Hera lived under my skin. I’d always loved Greek mythology, but as I got older, whenever Hera appeared in her usual role of jealous, petty wife, I felt irritated.
Maybe it was because, as a woman with a
career, I recognized the pattern of being labeled “difficult” for simply doing
your job. (It was Hera’s job to police marriage, after all, not just petty
jealousy.) But as I dove deeper into the research, I discovered two things.
First, Zeus had to trick Hera into marrying him. And second, in ancient times,
Hera’s temples predated Zeus and the Olympian pantheon altogether.
Hera was a queen long before she was
Zeus’ wife.
So, what if Hera wasn’t petty at all?
What if she was a woman trapped in a relationship too small for her? And what
if she decided to quietly, dangerously start fighting for something more? That
is the story in Hera: Kingdom of Lies.
This book isn’t a romance about falling
in love. It’s about waking up inside a love story gone wrong—and beginning the
journey toward something that is true.
In the beginning, Hera and Zeus are
electric. Their chemistry is undeniable: charged, intoxicating, deeply
physical. The seduction is real. The heat is real. But passion quickly blurs
into possession. Zeus is drawn to Hera’s influence. He wants her power beside him
but contained. Once he claims her, he wants her smaller, quieter, and
decorative.
Hera hasn’t learned yet what love is
supposed to look like, so she treats marriage as a duty. An obligation she has
to fulfill for her people, her child, and the fragile order of the world. She
was queen before Zeus. After marriage, her authority exists only in the ways
she can use cunning, strategy, and seduction to steer Zeus’ fickle whims. With
time, and the budding connection to an unexpected admirer, she learns that she
deserves more.
Hera: Kingdom of Lies is not a typical romance. It begins with a wedding and burns its way toward the moment Hera realizes she deserves a real love story built around more than just a hollow version of herself. It’s a story for anyone seeking to leave behind what they don’t want and find what they deserve.
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