A fizzy romp best read while draped in a toga, cosmo in hand.
Four goddesses struggle with irrelevance in the modern world in Bardot’s light supernatural romance.
Goddesses the world over are employed by Shee, the all-knowing CEO of a company called FEM (which stands for Female Energy Macrocosm). FEM is downsizing and eliminating the positions of some goddesses who are no longer worshipped or acknowledged. Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory and history and mother to the nine Muses, didn’t expect to be one of them. Nor is she prepared for the additional penalty—she’s no longer immortal and will age like everyone else. Now that she has to find a new job, she wonders if her sexy boyfriend, Sen. Miguel Flores of California, will still find her interesting. What will she talk to her daughters about? Mnem isn’t alone, however. Shee has also fired Inna, the Nigerian goddess of bounty; Axtis, the Persian goddess of peace; and Phra Naret, the Thai goddess of good fortune. Can this newly mortal quartet move from superficial perfection to real-life relationships? Will they be able to find love, open a business, and maybe foil some art forgers in the process? Bardot presents a tale in which Clash of the Titans meets Sex and the City. The romance and sex in this frothy novel occur in a modern world where the Covid-19 pandemic never happened and financial woes that come with actual job loss are merely glossed over. However, its critique of social media is timely and deepens the story, as does the concept of the women’s startup, Goddesses Inc., an online store devoted to ethically sourced goods. The main characters here, while sometimes overly needy, aren’t emotionally stagnant, and their decisions—to expose a crime, among other things—all make clear sense. Although the conclusion is oddly rushed, it still packs a punch.
A fizzy romp best read while draped in a toga, cosmo in hand.Pub Date: March 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73408-971-4
Page Count: 396
Publisher: Flores Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Fresh and upbeat, though not without flaws.
An earnest grad student and a faculty member with a bit of a jerkish reputation concoct a fake dating scheme in this nerdy, STEM-filled contemporary romance.
Olive Smith and professor Adam Carlsen first met in the bathroom of Adam's lab. Olive wore expired contact lenses, reducing her eyes to temporary tears, while Adam just needed to dispose of a solution. It's a memory that only one of them has held onto. Now, nearly three years later, Olive is fully committed to her research in pancreatic cancer at Stanford University's biology department. As a faculty member, Adam's reputation precedes him, since he's made many students cry or drop their programs entirely with his bluntness. When Olive needs her best friend, Anh, to think she's dating someone so Anh will feel more comfortable getting involved with Olive's barely-an-ex, Jeremy, she impulsively kisses Adam, who happens to be standing there when Anh walks by. But rumors start to spread, and the one-time kiss morphs into a fake relationship, especially as Adam sees there's a benefit for him. The university is withholding funds for Adam's research out of fear that he'll leave for a better position elsewhere. If he puts down more roots by getting involved with someone, his research funds could be released at the next budgeting meeting in about a month's time. After setting a few ground rules, Adam and Olive agree that come the end of September, they'll part ways, having gotten what they need from their arrangement. Hazelwood has a keen understanding of romance tropes and puts them to good use—in addition to fake dating, Olive and Adam are an opposites-attract pairing with their sunny and grumpy personalities—but there are a couple of weaknesses in this debut novel. Hazelwood manages to sidestep a lot of the complicated power dynamics of a student-faculty romance by putting Olive and Adam in different departments, but the impetus for their fake relationship has much higher stakes for Adam. Olive does reap the benefits of dating a faculty member, but in the end, she's still the one seemingly punished or taunted by her colleagues; readers may have been hoping for a more subversive twist. For a first novel, there's plenty of shine here, with clear signs that Hazelwood feels completely comfortable with happily-ever-afters.
Fresh and upbeat, though not without flaws.Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-33682-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Reads like an easy Saturday morning.
A gruff musician and a lively puppeteer join forces to revive a beloved children’s show.
Beverly Lark is a 1970s-style entertainer. With Farrah Fawcett hair and a penchant for bell-bottoms, you might think she’d stepped right out of an old TV show—and in a way, she has. Beverly carries on her grandfather’s legacy by lending her voice to TV’s beloved fuzzy blue puppet, Bernie Bird. But with budget cuts to her nonprofit variety show, Beverly desperately needs to find a way to revive her career and Bernie’s popularity. Rock star Griffin Harvey is Beverly’s complete opposite—where she brings laughter to a room, his music is often overshadowed by his brusque, brooding personality. Since Griffin secretly received custody of his 2-year-old daughter, Ava, he wants nothing more than to stay out of the spotlight, but his management is pushing for a new album and an international tour. Yet the only songs Griffin can eke out are songs for Ava...songs for kids who like Bernie Bird. Then, when Beverly and Bernie appear on a late-night talk show with Grammy nominee Griffin Harvey, everyone’s talking about their chemistry. Hoping to cure his writer’s block and help revitalize her career, Griffin and Beverly agree to work together to create new Bernie content. Holed away in Beverly’s cozy Elk Grove, North Carolina, hometown, it’s easy for them to forget they come from completely different worlds. Will the magic between them stay long after the song is over? Olivia’s latest romance is a testament to the friendly, pleasant worlds she creates, including a quirky cast of characters from Beverly’s family and a sweet single-father storyline. Fans of grumpy/sunshine tropes will devour Griffin and Beverly’s slow-burn relationship like Elk Grove’s famous pancakes, and will feel that every longing glance or touch is well earned.
Reads like an easy Saturday morning.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798217187102
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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