Review of The Goddess Legacy by Aimée Carter

Title/Author: The Goddess Legacy (Goddess Test #2,5) by Aimée Carter
Publisher/Date published: HarlequinTeen, July 24th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimée Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.
Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness….
Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal.
Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another….
James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others; but never knew true loss before….
Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope…."

***WARNING: WILL PROBABLY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 AND 2***

Guys, I am SO in love with this series! Aimée Carter just makes Greek Mythology come to life and I love the twists she's given to the myths!

You know how you sometimes wonder why people are/act the way they do? Well, in The Goddess Legacy you can find out about all the Greek gods I've come to love. And it's SO GOOD!

Calliope/Hera's story is really, really sad! She made a mistake early on and has suffered for it ever since. All she's ever wanted was for her husband to love her and be faithful to her, but we all know the stories about Zeus. Yeah, faithful isn't really a word I'd associate with him...
I'm still really, really angry at her for doing the things she did in Goddess Interrupted, but I understand a little better what drove her to it.

Persephone's story made me understand her better as well. I sort of get what happened now and while I still don't really like her and BOO for crushing Henry's heart, it's good to see the other side of things. It wasn't all her fault.

I loved getting a closer look into Henry's thoughts and the part where he first meets Kate is just adorable! It reminded me of why I love him so much!

I really enjoyed Ava and James' stories as well, but the three mentioned above stood out to me more.

But really, all reading this book has done is make me even more excited for The Goddess Inheritance! I NEED it to be 2013 so it can just be here already! GAH!
I'm not much of a fan of short stories, but Aimée Carter has managed to convince me they can be really good as well! I absolutely love the insights I've gotten in the these 5 characters!

My rating: 5 stars

Jane Austen Made Me Do It by Laurel Ann Nattress

Title/Author: Jane Austen Made Me Do It by Laurel Ann Nattress
Publisher/Date published: Ballantine Books, October 11th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Stories by: Lauren Willig • Adriana Trigiani • Jo Beverley • Alexandra Potter • Laurie Viera Rigler • Frank Delaney & Diane Meier • Syrie James • Stephanie Barron • Amanda Grange • Pamela Aidan • Elizabeth Aston • Carrie Bebris • Diana Birchall • Monica Fairview • Janet Mullany • Jane Odiwe • Beth Pattillo • Myretta Robens • Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway • Maya Slater • Margaret C. Sullivan • and Brenna Aubrey, the winner of a story contest hosted by the Republic of Pemberley
“My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” If you just heaved a contented sigh at Mr. Darcy’s heartfelt words, then you, dear reader, are in good company. Here is a delightful collection of never-before-published stories inspired by Jane Austen — her novels, her life, her wit, her world."

If you have been reading this blog or knowing me for some time, you will perhaps already know this, but I LOVE Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favourite novel and I try to reread it at least once a year. Which is in fact due around Christmas I think :)

So I was really excited to read this book, as it contains a collection of short stories based on Austen's novels. I must admit that I pretty much never read short stories and they are not really my cup of tea, because I like to stay with my characters for some time after meeting them. But how could I resist reading this?

And there were some stories that were wonderful! I really liked the one by Alexandra Potter, which is a continuation of Mr. Darcy and Me, a book by her I really enjoyed. Also special mentions to Laurie Vera Riegler's (in which Mr. Darcy brings the authors of continuations/adaptations of P&P up on charges) and Jo Beverley's (in which a widowed woman has a sweet encounter through some meddling by Miss Austen herself and there's mistletoe involved!)! Especially the last one was heartwarmingly sweet and made me want to read another historical romance, cause I love those!

There were also some stories that didn't really work for me, but well, I could either skip those or they ended soon enough for it not to bother me. And while this did not make me want to read more short stories, it did make me want to read and watch P&P again (both the BBC version and the one with Keira Knightley)! And my little Austen-loving hard was glad I read this :) It really featured every single one of her novels and made me appreciate her genius anew!

My rating: 3,5 stars