Author: Christy English
Genre: romance, supernatural fiction
Series: The Goddess Diaries #1
Pages:
Published: May 2016
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for review
Rating: 3.5/5
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, still walks the modern world. No longer thronged by worshipers, Aphrodite heals the bodies and souls of the men she touches, one man, one night, at a time. But not everyone thinks of her as a long-dead myth. Someone is stalking her. The men who have hunted her kind as witches for centuries have passed their hatred on to their sons.
As she flees her enemies and tries to warn her sisters of the danger facing them once again, Aphrodite is followed by one of the members of the Brotherhood, a man who has been given the task of killing her, and any of her sisters who cross his path. But it does not take her long to discover that Steven Wharton is not a murderer, and his soul is one she has known before.
In this paranormal romance, a goddess’s past is brought to life, from the Greek city of Corinth to the shores of the island of Cyprus, at the court of Versailles to the burning city of Persepolis. But it is not until she meets Steve that Aphrodite falls in love for the first time. As she faces an ancient enemy, Aphrodite discovers that the love she feels, not the love she gives, is the root of her soul. And that love might even be the path to her freedom...
A mix of Greek mythology and modernity, veteran author Christy English launches a new paranormal romance series with her newest novel, Aphrodite's Choice. By updating the familiar Goddess of Love legend and further adapting it for the romance novel-worthy twisty plot (also one that involves Ishtar, Ares, and even more mythological figures) the author keeps this a fun and entertaining read. Aphrodite's Choice is a creative blend of the known legends, with an unexpected new love story, and an encompassing plot and world.
Somewhat short for a novel that encompasses so much plot and so many twists at under 350 pages, Aphrodite's Choice also feels a bit light and occasionally predictable. It's an engaging read, and one that raises the stakes early, but the danger never feels real to the two real main characters. It's an expected and rote kind of antagonism, and the threat to Adele and Steve never really materialized. I liked Steve well enough for the inevitable love interest, but he also pales in comparison to any other character on the page. He just doesn't have the range or the charazterization I needed to connect more than superficially.
The idea for this series makes for a great premise and English begins to explore it throughout book one. The overall mythology and magic of the book are important but not distracting from the events; there's no infodumps but also very solid answers. I did really like the inclusion of the various "sisters" in Aphrodite's story. I wasn't drawn to continue reading the story because of the insubstantial love story but rather because of Adele's unflinching character and her relationship with her far-flung sisters. It kept the story moving along - literally and metaphorically - and allowed a wider world view for the series. The inclusion of flashbacks for Addy, moving a chapter from modern storylines to ones set much further back in Ancient Rome, Cyprus, etc. were a bit jumpy and weird to me.
Aphrodite's Choice was a light and interesting read; good for an afternoon's entertainment. It was a good beginning for a new series and leaves the series open to further expansion with a new set of characters while closing out this chapter with finality. Though some of the end results for the story were rahter predictable, it was a fun read getting there with this version of Aphrodite.
Blog Tour Schedule
Wednesday, August 31
Review & Excerpt at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books
Review & Excerpt at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books
Monday, September 5
Review at Broken Teepee
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective
Review at Broken Teepee
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective
Wednesday, September 7
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Interview at A Bookish Affair
Excerpt at Buried Under Romance
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Interview at A Bookish Affair
Excerpt at Buried Under Romance
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