Goddess of Legend

Table of Contents

 

 

 

Delving into mythology and reworking ancient myths is fun! In
Goddess of the Sea
, I retell the story of the mermaid Undine, who switches places with a female U.S. Air Force sergeant who needs to do some escaping of her own. In
Goddess of Spring
, I turn my attention to the Persephone/Hades myth and send a modern woman to Hell. Who knew Hell and its brooding god could be hot in so many wonderful, seductive ways?

From there we took a lovely vacation in Las Vegas with the divine twins, Apollo and Artemis, in
Goddess of Light
. And then we come to what is my favorite of all fairy tales, “Beauty and the Beast.” In
Goddess of the Rose
, I created my own version of this beloved tale, building a magical realm from whence dreams originate—good and bad—and bringing to life a beast who absolutely took my breath away.

From fairy tale let’s move to comedy and hotness in
Goddess of Love
. It is perhaps the funniest and steamiest of all the Goddess Summoning books. After all, Venus herself is my heroine! Finally, we move to an epic story that has intrigued me for a long time, the Trojan War, and Achilles, a hero who I think has deserved his own happily ever after for a couple thousand years. Check out how I manage it in
Warrior Rising
.

 

Praise for
Goddess of Love

“Sexy, charming and fun,
Goddess of Love
is the fantasy romance of the year! You will fall in love with this book. (I did!)”

 

“Ms. Cast has taken mythology, Cinderella, a bit of Shakespeare and a dash of Shaw and mixed them with her own style of comedy for a winning read that is [as] heartwarming as it is funny.”
—Huntress Book Reviews

 

“As always with Ms. Cast’s Goddess saga, the blending of mythology and the modern world feels smooth and effortless . . . Delightful.”

 

“Touching, clever and an excellent heiress to the Goddess Summoning series.”
—
SmartBitchesTrashyBooks.com

 

 

 

“A riveting page-turner . . . [
Warrior Rising
] is a shining example of just why this author is on the top of many readers’ favorites lists. Simply put, it’s a Perfect 10 for this reader.”
—Romance Reviews Today

 

“An amusingly tongue-in-cheek take on the Trojan War featuring a modern-day heroine . . . Funny, irreverent and clever . . . You can’t go wrong.”

 

 

 

 

“P. C. Cast [is] well-known for her blending of mythological tales and romance . . . [A] beautiful adult fairy tale . . . Readers will be enchanted.”

 

“Outstanding . . . magic, myth and romance with a decidedly modern twist. Her imagination and storytelling abilities are true gifts to the genre.”

 

 

“A charmer . . . Cast continues her unique brand of delightfully mixing a modern-day romance with a mythological legend . . . Creative.”

 

“Pure enjoyment . . . Anything can [happen] when gods and mortals mix.”

 

“A fanciful mix of mythology and romance with a dash of humor for good measure . . . Engages and entertains . . . Lovely.”
—Romance Reviews Today

 

 

 

“One of the top romantic-fantasy mythologists today.”

 

“As always, there’s a dash of humor and lots of meltingly hot sex.”

 

“Enchanting ... Lovely.”
—The Romance Readers Connection

 

“A veritable feast for readers who just can’t get enough fantasy dished up with their romance. Mythology has never been so fun!”

 

 

 

 

“Captivating—poignant, funny, erotic! Lovely characters, wonderful romance, constant action and a truly whimsical fantasy . . . Delightful. A great read.”
—The Best Reviews

 

“A fun combination of myth, girl power and sweet romance [with] a bit of suspense. A must-read . . . A romance that celebrates the magic of being a woman.”
—Affaire de Coeur

GODDESS OF THE SEA
GODDESS OF SPRING
GODDESS OF LIGHT
GODDESS OF THE ROSE
GODDESS OF LOVE
WARRIOR RISING
GODDESS OF LEGEND

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MYSTERIA
(with MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Grant, and Gena Showalter)
MYSTERIA LANE
(with MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Grant, and Gena Showalter)

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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South Africa

 

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright © 2010 by P. C. Cast.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. BERKLEY
^®
SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / December 2010

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 

Cast, P. C. Goddess of legend / P.C. Cast.—Berkley Sensation trade pbk. ed. p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-44567-9

1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Seduction—Fiction. 3. Lancelot (Legendary character)—Fiction.
4. Arthur, King—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3603.A869G634 2010
813’.6—dc22

2010035188

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to my wonderful editor, Wendy McCurdy, for being sure this book was born.

 

As always, I appreciate my friend and agent, Meredith Bernstein. You know this book (and LOTS of other books) wouldn’t have happened without you.

 

And a special acknowledgment to my fabulous author friend Trish Jensen. You’re wonderful, baby! Fans o’ mine, please check her out at
www.trishjensen.com
.

PROLOGUE

“THEY will believe I entrapped you.” Coventina, the great water goddess, turned her head, unable to look at him.

“I am not entrapped, my love. I am simply resting from the darkness of this world,” Merlin said. He touched her smooth cheek so that she had to turn back and meet his gaze. “And since when have we cared what others say, Viviane?”

His use of the nickname he called her at their most intimate moments couldn’t even make her smile. “It is a curse to have the ability to see into the future,” she said.

“In many ways, love.”

“Yes. But have you always seen this for you? For me? For us? Why let me love you, knowing what you have known?”

“’Tis a man in the far future, a healer named Phil, who proclaims love is what it is. It has no future or past, but simply the present.”

“This healer does not impress me,” Viviane said. “We have a past, and we could also have a future. See it. Believe in it.”

“I cannot see our future, my love. It pains me too much when I am not allowed to alter what I see.” His sigh was deep. “The future of Arthur and Camelot pierced me enough that more wounds feel unbearable.”

She gazed at his wonderfully familiar face and saw the goodness, strength and kindness that had first drawn her to him. But she also saw something else—his visage was shadowed by a weariness that made him appear a decade older than he had just months ago.