Read Our Lips! Book Review Blog: Review: What a Goddess Wants (Forgotten Goddesses #1) by Stephanie Julian

Tessa, Etruscan Goddess of the Dawn, is desperately fighting off a malicious god, but her powers are weakening. She needs a hero and fast, because only sexual energy can give her strength. So she seeks out Caligo, whose sexual prowess is legendary.
Caligo is a fabled Cimmerian warrior determined to stay away from spoiled goddesses who trample hearts after they've had their fun. But there's something irresistibly hot and inviting about Tessa, and he knows he's her only chance to escape the encroaching darkness.

My Review:

Here’s a little mythology background for those of you who are a bit lost as to what this book’s summary is all about. As some of us might know (from watching Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra LOL) the Romans had a nasty habit of going places and conquering it, then “Romanizing” it.

Such was the fate of the lands in what are present day Italy which were inhabited by Etruscans. They had all sorts of customs and religious ceremonies all of which the Romans remixed to suit their needs. Of course, I’m paraphrasing Wikipedia here – and not that well, either. But in my defense, I’m a busy gal and the last thing I have time for is a historical rundown.

Just suffice it to say that mythology as I know it today: Zeus, Athena, and all that jazz had it’s origins with the Etruscans. The Romans kept the same (somewhat) beliefs, just renamed all the gods/goddesses. Okay, closing Wikipedia now.

Now why is this important? Well this sets the scene for Stephanie Julian’s (SJ) Forgotten Goddesses Series. You see, these renamed goddesses are written in SJ’s books as two separate sets of deities and SJ relates that the Etruscan gods were pushed aside when the Roman gods/goddesses took over.

Having no one pray to these Forgotten Goddesses dwindled their powers, but since they were immortal, they didn’t die. They just lingered endlessly doing menial tasks their more powerful Roman counterparts didn’t care to do.

*wipes brow* Goodness, is this the longest lead-up to a review or what? Jeez, SJ, couldn’t you help a girl out and put this info up on your website so I wouldn’t have to do all this research because I thought you made up the word Etruscan – since I don’t remember it being mentioned in the Cleopatra movie? LOL *tired julie*

I just thought SJ was being creative coming up with all these names. You know, like how every author HAS to come up with a different name for Werewolves: Lycans, Lykae, Lycanthropes. *rolls eyes*

Anyhoo, now that we have all the Wikipedia deets and how SJ did some remixing of her own, we can get started on the review.

~~~~~~~~~

Thesan (Tessa), Etruscan Goddess of the Dawn is now obsolete as her Roman counterpart, Aurora, has taken over her duties of bringing sunlight and beauty to the world. All she does now is help women in childbirth who seek her aid.

Still, Tessa does have some healing powers and she is immortal, and while that might seem like small potatoes to some, Charun, a crazed god, is hell bent on consuming her powers and leaving what’s left of her soul to rot in the Etruscan Underworld of Aitás. You see, Charun is bound to the Underworld and the only way he can escape is by taking the powers of the lesser gods around him. It doesn’t help to know that one of Tessa’s friends, a goddess, is missing.

Charun is tricky, though. He’s not attacking Tessa out in the open. He waits for her to fall asleep and he attacks her a là Freddy Krueger style, terrorizing her dreams and dispatching one of his demons to bring her to the Underworld by any means necessary.

Having gone endless amounts of days without sleep and tired of constantly looking over her shoulder, Tessa is desperate for help. But everyone she turns to can’t help her. She’s told she needs to find a protector.

Finally she’s led to Caligo’s (Cal) – a fabled Cimmerian warrior – door. (And no, I’m not spending anymore time researching what a Cimmerian is. I’ll just think Spartan LOL) Tessa is told he’s the only one who can help her. Desperate for help, Tessa knocks at his door. When no one answers, she goes inside.

Finally feeling safe, she falls into a restful sleep. When she wakes up, she’s naked and a gorgeous man is above her, fondling her breasts. *fans self* What follows is one of the most erotic, hottt scorching scenes evah that curled my toes. *fans self*

Goodness, things quickly sizzle up between Cal and Tessa, and though Cal is at first hesitant, he finally comes around (pun intended LOL) to being Tessa’s protector.

I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to keep reading this action packed read full of delicious, scorching hottt scenes I would go back and read again. And there were a lot of them! You see, Tessa discovers that sex with Cal recharges her powers more than her loyal followers’ prayers ever did. And well, a girl’s gotta keep her strength up when fighting a crazed god, right? *fans self*

Cal is right next to Lothaire as being one of my favorite male leads this year. He is just the perfect mix of tortured, sexxy hero! We also meet Cal’s brother and a mixture of Etruscan and Roman (Greek) gods who will warm your heart.

We also learn a lot about Cal and I just love how Tessa makes him feel when they are together. It’s awesome!

Drop whatever you’re reading and pick up a copy of What a Goddess Wants. It’s jam packed with humor, suspense, non-stop action, and hott scorching scenes you’ve got to read to believe. Cal and Tessa are so intense. Just loved this book. I can’t wait to continue with this series.

What a Goddess Wants features: