Born of sunfire and sea breeze, she is the youngest daughter of Helios, the mighty Sun Titan, and a nymph of Circe's enchanted isle - a lesser goddess, even among the lesser. Unlike her famed sister, she bears no taste for power nor spells of cruelty. Instead, she is a gentle soul, known only to the quiet glades and forgotten corners of the island where she tends to creatures both cursed and kind.
But fate, as the gods often weave it, is never merciful to the soft-hearted. When Odysseus, weary from his endless voyage, lands upon their shores and finds his men turned to swine by Circe's hand, a cruel bargain is struck. To save his crew, Odysseus must deliver what Circe has long desired - her own sister, the one treasure she could never tame.
Torn from the only home she has known, the nymph is thrust into a world of men and gods. It is on this journey that Hermes, the divine messenger, swift and silver-tongued, crosses her path. What begins as chance soon entangles them both - the god who runs from attachments and the girl no one ever truly saw - bound together in a tale of destiny, sacrifice, and the quiet, enduring power of a kind heart in a world ruled by gods.
PAUL
I cheated on my fiancée.
Sophie and I were building our future. In love, happy, peaceful. Then she found a lump in her breast and I made the worst choice: I numbed my fear by sleeping with someone else. My worst mistake and my biggest regret. Now I see Sophie around town with him. She's radiant and laughing with people who actually show up. I'm trying to learn how to be a man who does. If she lets me, I'll spend the rest of my life proving I can choose her when it's hardest. If she lets me...
SOPHIE
I thought the promise was in sickness and in health.
But he buried his fear in someone else. On the same night, I walked into a bookstore and meet the gentle giant owner who invites me to his book club full of misfits.
I'm laughing again, I smile more than I ever have, I heal my heart.
My ex says he can learn to stay, but my bookstore owner keeps showing up like it's as easy as breathing. I don't know what the future holds; I don't know if I'll win this battle against cancer, but I do know I'm done wasting time on people that love only when it's easy.
CALLUM
She came in to Rivers & Rhodes Bookstore and asked for books with happy endings only.
I gave her a recommendation, an invitation, and an offer of friendship. Now, this beautiful brave woman is completely under my skin. I'm not here to win a competition against him. I'm here because choosing someone, second by second, is the only way I understand love.
Content Warnings: on page cheating, emotional and physical infidelity, cancer, mentions of vomiting, bleeding, surgery. Please be advised.