Blog Tour: Aphrodite's Choice (The Goddess Diaries #1) by Christy English: A Book Review

Aphrodite's Choice by Christy English

Publication Date: May 20, 2016 eBook; ASIN: B01FZQ80F0 
Series: The Goddess Diaries #1
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/Paranormal/Romance
Source: This book was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

  
   
Synopsis: 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…

      My Review: Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, still lives among us in the modern world. She takes the name Adele and every night heals a mortal man. She continues her daily routine until a secret society called the Brotherhood of Light, whose mission is to kill the remaining goddesses on earth, finds her. Aphrodite goes on the run for her life, taking with her a mortal named Steve, who had been assigned to kill her. Yet, when he fails to do so, he is in turn hunted by his own society. The two of them fall in love. Can Aphrodite find the freedom and love that she has always been dreaming of?

     I really found Aphrodite to be an undeveloped character in this novel. There really was no character depth to her. The only thing we know about her is that she is lonely, and wants to have a mortal life. I also found her to be a weak character. She is a damsel in distress and is always needing saving. She was not a strong character. I really did not understand why Steve appealed to her most. She only met Steve for a few days, and she loved him without us knowing the reason why. I also thought that their romance was not real but fake. Steve only loved her simply because she was beautiful. There were no other reasons. Thus, this couple seems like it will be a failed relationship because they formed a relationship based on looks rather than personality and character.

     Overall, this book is about love, friendship, and choices. It is about a woman’s quest for happiness. I found the characters needed more time to develop, for they were one-dimensional. I also found it slow and predictable. The historical elements seemed like fillers and did not give me any depths into these characters. I also had trouble understanding the world-building. Yet, despite the flaws, there were some parts of the book I liked. I liked the other goddesses, and I hope we get to explore them further in later installments. I also thought the writing was very beautiful and lyrical. I also liked the Greek mythology elements in this novel. So, while I was not satisfied with the romantic part of the book or the main characters, there is enough here to hold the attention of anyone interested in Greek mythology. I recommend this story to fans of Gwendolyn Womack’s The Memory Painter, Anne Fortier’s The Lost Sisterhood, and Tosca Lee’s The Progeny.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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About the Author

Ever since Christy English picked up a fake sword in stage combat class at the age of fourteen, she has lived vicariously through the sword-wielding women of her imagination. Sometimes an actor, always a storyteller, Christy works happily with Sourcebooks Casablanca to bring the knife-throwing women of her novels to life. A banker by day and a writer by night, she loves to eat chocolate, drink too many soft drinks, and walk the mountain trails of her home in western North Carolina.

     Please visit her at http://www.ChristyEnglish.com. You can also find Christy on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

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