Book Birthday: Ask Cassandra

I am legitimately terrible at remembering birthdays, including my own. I have never yet forgotten it entirely, but I am liable to get halfway through the day and then realise that it's the 14th of August and I should likely mark the occasion in some way.

(Last year, I made the 14th of August the release date for Aphrodite Unbound, which I thought was appropriately festive, and then kind of forgot that it was also my birthday.)

All of which is to say that for once, I have not forgotten! Ask Cassandra is now out in e-book across all timezones. Happy birthday, book baby! I love you very much, my murderous little contemporary romance, built on the cursed bones of the House of Atreus and the desecrated ruins of Troy. And also on my nerdy adoration of archival history and advice columns, particularly the clear-sighted and kind advice of Captain Awkward.

I'm not kidding about murderous, by the way. The mysteries are more deadly in this second arc of Olympus Inc. However, there's still plenty of inclusivity, banter, kindness, sensible people doing their jobs well, and the glamour of luxe life. (Ask Cassandra is perhaps a touch less overtly glamorous than the other Olympus books, but we're nevertheless talking about people who own a family vineyard.)

Ask Cassandra is also connected to but not dependent upon the previous three books. It would be an excellent jumping-in point to the series for someone who didn't want to start with Persephone in Bloom. (Although... Persephone is FREE right now, and will be for three weeks!)

If you've got a friend who might be interested, you could also point them towards the novelette Penelope Pops The Question, which is permanently free and serves as a prequel. If they're murder-curious, perhaps you might share with them the content note for my deadly darling:

If you’ve joined me from the first Olympus Inc. trilogy (welcome!) please do note that this arc is a little darker. We’re talking romantic comedies in the Shakespearean sense, in that there’s a happy ending and a happy couple by the end, but there’s some potentially disturbing material along the way. That’s because the original narrative I’m leaning on is that of the cursed House of Atreus, which is a spectacularly messy story of familial strife, even by the standards of Greek myth.

This book contains a workplace relationship, where everyone consents and it all turns out fine, but you may well want to shake them. It also includes murder, attempted murder, discussion of suicide, discussion of adultery, discussion of domestic and emotional abuse, mentions of teen pregnancy, and depiction of mental illness.

Unlike the original, it does not include sexual assault, incest, human sacrifice, cannibalism, or sheep-rustling.

Enjoy your week!