cover image How to Worship a Goddess

How to Worship a Goddess

Stephanie Julian. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $14.99 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-4022-5150-4

Paranormal romance scenes run explicitly hot and heavy in Julian’s zippy sequel to July 2011’s What a Goddess Wants. Lucy Aster—once widely known as Lusna, Etruscan goddess of the moon—now has a small following of werewolf devotees, a hunky companion, and an evil nemesis who wants to consume her diminishing power. Unfortunately, her otherworldly community, which until now was able to hide in plain sight, is now just a little too public and drawing unwanted attention from blue demons. Brandon Stevenson, a pro hockey player and possible paranormal being, is just what the goddess needs. Their attraction is palpable, though Brandon’s dominant attitude may not be what readers think of as worshipful. The fast-paced story veers between vivid sexual encounters and bursts of plot development en route to a somewhat anticlimactic and implausible finale. (Dec.)