What a Goddess Wants by Stephanie Julian Forgotten Goddesses #1)
Erotic Paranormal Romance
July 1, 2011
Trade Paperback
Sourcebooks

Reviewed by Mandi

Tessa is the Estruscan Goddess of the Dawn, once highly worshipped, but in present day pretty much forgotten about. She may not help the sun rise everyday anymore, but she still performs her duty as midwife, when someone calls her name. But she has bigger problems than being worshipped. Charun, the Lord of the Underworld (called Aitas in this book) is after her. He is tied to Aitas and can’t come after her physically, but he can haunt her in her dreams and send out demons to try to grab her. He wants to consume her power,

Tessa turns to her friend Salvatorus for help (a four foot man with goat legs who I adored) and he sends her to Caligus. Cal is half Cimmeran – an ancient breed of mighty warriors but in present day all feelings (physical pain, sensation of touch etc) have been bred out of them. They only use sex for procreation. But Sal knows that Cal can not let a damsel in distress pass him by. And once he meets Tessa, every nerve ending not only awakens, but he makes it his mission to take down Charun.

What a Goddess Wants is the first book in a new series by Stephanie Julian. What really stands out in this book are the characters. Fun, humorous, and sarcastic, with lots and lots of sex (maybe too much sex, but we will get to that in a minute). This is a lighter paranormal romance, with emphasis on the lovin’ rather than the violence or the darker side of the world. Cal is all alpha, although a little bitter with his station in life. Since he is only half-Cimmerian, he has had to be extra tough his whole life to prove himself to others. Tessa is a little bummed that her worshippers don’t need her for the sun anymore, and when she meets Cal she is just exhausted. She can’t sleep, fearing Charun will find her location in her dreams, so she just charges forward. But – she is never too tired for sex!

They have sex in this book the very first time they meet, before they really know who the other person is. Cal finds her in his house, sound asleep, so he ties her to his bed, naked, because he is not sure he can trust her. When Tessa wakes up,  “She ached. For him.” So by page 20 we start the sex and it doesn’t let up the entire book. I personally like a little more tension between the hero and heroine in my romances. Or if they have that immediate “we must have sex” vibe,  than later have some conflict they must work through. But they never have that conflict. From the start, they are together, Now, Stephanie Julian does write hot sex scenes – I have no complaints there. But there were too many and I wanted a little bit more of a struggle to get to the happily ever after.

The emphasis on this book is “light.” The evil dude might be really evil, but we don’t really see a lot of that. There is humor, lots of sex, and a story that kept me entertained. Cute enough that I will definitely read the next in the series.

Rating: C+

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Book Lovers Inc – 4.5/5
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The Jeep Diva – 5/5
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