Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Erotic Romance (explicit and graphic sex scenes, but love story just as important)
Trade Paperback 352 pages
Book Source: Sourcebooks
My Rating: 90/100
Tessa, aka Thesan, Etruscan Goddess of the Sun, is running for her life. Her powers have been waning for centuries and now Charun, Etruscan God of the Underworld, is hunting her to consume her remaining magic, and is tracking her through her dreams to find where she is… Tessa needs a hero and fast.
Caligo is a warrior who doesn’t feel pain, heat or cold though he’s been burned before by spoiled deities. Still, there’s something about Tessa that makes him lust for a delicate golden blonde goddess. Caligo has never met a woman as warm, sunny and inviting as Tessa. She is a sun goddess, after all.
Their sizzling attraction overwhelms them from the start, and since Caligo has to protect Tessa while she’s asleep, he’s forced to share her bed. They figure, as long as they’re there, they might as well explore the incredible heat their togetherness is producing, and the journey of discovery that starts from there quickly sweeps the two of them into a love story that’s worthy of the gods...
First thoughts:
Different, enjoyable, and surprised I liked it more than I did. I accepted this book because Tessa was a goddess and there was the mythology aspect to it. For some reason I like mythology and all that it entails. At first I wasn’t sure about this book but as I continued, both Tessa and Caligo grew on me. Tessa is a forgotten goddess. The Greek and Roman gods and goddesses pretty much steam rolled over the Etruscan religion, making everyone forget about the Etruscans, even their “parents” have pretty much forgotten about them. But Tessa is happy to just exist and enjoy life, that until she finds herself in trouble and in need of help.
Caligo is a Cimmerian warrior, which I knew nothing about until I read this book. You see Conan the Barbarian? Cimmerian warrior. Anyway, Caligo is special too, in that he has a mixed heritage. He had to leave his home world and now lives among humans. Caligo has been forgotten too you could say. Tessa and Caligo find each other through circumstance and they make a pretty hot pair. They bring out things in each other that no one else has in hundreds or thousands of years.
Even though this is an erotic romance story, and yes it is erotic, I liked the other elements that Julian brought to the story. The plot of who wants to hurt Tessa and why adds drama. Julian also explains quite a bit about the mythology system but in an interesting way because it is part of the story. Julian makes me want to do some research about the early Etruscan civilization, and I like books that make me do research.
Recommend
Yes, I would recommend. It is not that long and it’s a way to forget your cares. Important to note though is that the sex scenes are graphic. I am not a prude but it is an erotic romance, and Tessa and Caligo like to get it on. You could skip the hot parts and read the rest of the story. I did so o9n the subway a few times because you know, I blushed!
Would I change anything?
There are two things but they are minor. One: Caligo cursing inappropriately. I can curse with the best of them, but it just seemed the f bomb or other words were used gruffly and didn’t fit. Also, there were times when there was no foreplay between Tessa and Caligo. Sometimes they looked at each other and wham they were humping. Seemed too fast and a little weird.
My Rating: 90/100
Thanks to Danielle from Sourcebooks for my ARC.
Review style lifted from Staci at Life in the Thumb
