Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Chris Neo’s third installment in The Love Secret series, Love Beyond Eros, continues the story of Aris, the American traveler who finally finds the “love secret,” and Angelica, the woman of his dreams. After a village festival throws their future into chaos, Aris goes missing. He is bitten by a rare “assassin’s snake” known as the Dracula snake when he is found, and the community rallies, including Granny the healer, his loyal friends, Uri and John, and young Zoe. Now, two antivenoms are carried across continents: one by Varo, the American businesswoman whose love for Aris can either curse or heal him; the other is from a rogue Russian general with links to Granny’s hidden past. With betrayals, kidnapping, and mercenaries involved, will Aris recover and reveal an enemy hidden in plain sight?

Chris Neo’s book is a fast-moving love story with short chapters, engaging dialogues, and cliffhangers that make it impossible to put down, from mid-air refueling and carrier landings to a Russian jet boldly parking on top of an American fighter. While the story is philosophical in nature and tender in its treatment of love, the author injects pulsating action to make it a page-turning read. The worldbuilding is terrific and detailed; the village is filled with raki, Zeia bread, Zorba dances, Orthodox folklore, and owls. You immediately feel as though you are part of this world, thanks to the detailed descriptions that make the village realistic. Love Beyond Eros is a meditation on love and sacrifice. The author offers a unique take on real love through the story of Aris and Angelica: “My love for you will always be agapi peran apo ton erota—love beyond eros.” It’s a love that survives distance and even death.