Review: What a Goddess Wants by Stephanie Julian

IN HIS ARMS, HER MAGIC POWERS ARE ON THE RISE...


Tessa, Etruscan Goddess of the Dawn, is losing her powers and now there's an Underworld god determined to run her down. She needs a hero and fast, because only sexual energy can give her power. So she seeks out Caligo, whose sexual prowess is legendary...

AND SHE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN BRING HIM INTO THE LIGHT...

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 change to escape the encroaching darkness...



I've never read Ms. Julian's work, so I was happy to give this erotic paranormal a try.  And when I say erotic, I mean erotic.  Cal finds an sleeping Tessa in his house, where he proceeds to strip her naked and tie her up...and the sex doesn't slow down.  It wasn't necessarily out of place within Tessa's and Cal's growing relationship -- the pair also uses sex to "recharge" Tessa, so to speak -- but at times I felt it wasn't necessary for the plot and would have almost preferred conversations to the loss of clothing. 

I did enjoy the world Ms. Julian created with the Etruscan goddesses, and I hope to learn more about them and the secondary cast of characters in future books of this trilogy.  What a Goddess Wants is a lighter paranormal where there is the threat of death, but it's an not overwhelming fear, though it is what brings Tessa and Cal together in the first place.  It's a quick read with a lot of sex and a bit of conflict.  Mix them together and you've got a lot of fun. 

(A very special thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca who provided me with an ARC of What a Goddess Wants.)