Monday, June 27, 2011

Review: What A Goddess Wants by Stephanie Julian




Title: What A Goddess Wants 
Author: Stephanie Julian 
Genre: Erotica/Paranormal Romance/Mythology 
Series: Forgotten Goddesses #1 
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Number of Pages; 384 
Source: Sent to me from the publisher
Publication Date: July 1, 2011





It's OK no one remembers Etruscan Sun goddess Tessa. But when a demon threatens her life, she must turn to mythology's darkest warrior for protection...Caligo of the Cimmerians has never met a woman as warm, sunny and inviting as Tessa. Their sizzling mutual attraction quickly sweeps the two of them into a love story that's worthy of the gods...(from goodreads)



What a Goddess Wants is the beginning of a new series by Stephanie Julian and it just blew me away. I loved it to pieces. The pages just flew by!

I felt so sorry for Tessa-she used to be the Goddess of Dawn until those evil Roman Gods came and her job was usurped by the Goddess Aurora. Tessa doesn't have a whole lot of powers any more or a lot to do. One of the few jobs she has left is being a mid wife for those who remember her and call on her for help.  When she starts being visited by the God of the underworld for her powers, she's not quite sure why he's picking on a forgotten Goddess, but knows it can't be a good thing to have him and his minions coming after her. For help, she goes to an old friend Salvatore, and his advice is to go to a Cimmerian for help-in particular Caligo.  Tessa doesn't like asking for help, but she reluctantly agrees because she knows she doesn't she's pretty much screwed.  When she finds Caligo, he's not really feeling in the mood to help a Goddess out because the last one he helped, Venus, played him for a fool and he got beaten up pretty for his troubles.

Tessa tries every thing to get him to help, but nothing works-not even tears and she accepts defeat. As she's getting ready to leave, a demon attacks her, and this pisses Cal off, because hey, it's on his property, and nobody messes with him. Caligo is one of those Alpha Males that you want not to like, but end up falling in love with! After the demon attack, he helps Tessa out, and the sparks begin to fly!

It's hard to say what I liked best about this book because everything comes together to make a terrific read. Tessa is one of  my favorite heroines. She's spunky, strong, but asks for help when she needs it. She's not whiny or shrewish. She holds her own against everyone, and does what she believes is right no matter what it may cost her. Cal is just as great as Tessa is. He has his vulnerable side, and issues galore, but he doesn't let them show or get in the way of doing his job, but these just make him so much more likable because I was able to understand why he had such a chip on his shoulder and made him not so jerkish. The chemistry between these two was just sizzling! There is a whole cast of secondary characters that were just as likable as Tessa and Cal. My favorite was Cal's brother, X. The X is short for his real name-which I've forgotten, because, well, everyone just called him by X. I can not wait for his story to be told.   

What A Goddess Wants is one of those rare erotic books that has a storyline, and it held my attention throughout the book. Though I was pretty sure the bad guy would get what he deserved, there were a few events I didn't see coming, and I loved that.  This is just a fun, fast read that left me wanting more!

Barrons Hero Hotness Meter: High
Martini Sigh Meter: Medium 
Curran Crush Meter: High 
Rhiannon Kick Ass Heroine Meter: High 
Ethan/Merit Sizzle Meter: High 
Finn Sidekick Meter: High (I'll say it again, I just loved X, and Sal was adorable.)