Goddess of the Rose

Goddess Summoning #4

by P.C. Cast

When modern-day Mikki ends up in the strange Realm of the Rose, Hecate has been waiting for her. So too has her gorgeous guardian beast, who soon has Mikki swooning. But to save the realm, Mikki will have to sacrifice her life-giving blood.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Mythology, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Fiction, Magic

345 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2006

About the author

PC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her eccentric Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 4, FOUND, releases July 7th, 2020. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!

Reviews

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried, I really did. I even picked it back up, after a few previous failures but by God, could she please stop talking about those fucking roses. Seriously. I felt like all I read about were those roses and how she grew them. Ghh. I did hear it gets better after the first half, but by then I just didn't care anymore. Sadly a DNF for me. :(

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Line: "Once upno a time, when men still believed gods and goddesses walked the earth, Hecate, Great Goddess of Night, was granted dominion over the crossroads of man."

I just keep enjoying Cast's Goddess Summoning series. They are such a different type of romance. I was particularly tickled reading this one because the hero is not a man, but a beast. This story combines the ancient mythology of the goddess Hecate and the well-known fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. The beauty, Mikki, is a strong, beautiful, modern woman who is sucked in to the position of High Priestess for Hecate in the Realm of the Rose. The beast is based on the myth of the minotaur. He stands seven feet tall, is mostly covered in hair, has cloven hooves instead of feet, and horns on his head. He is charged with guarding the realm. The story begins with some pretty sexy dreams between the two, and things only get steamier once they meet in person. Despite (or perhaps because of) the species difference, the romance works very well. I enjoyed both characters very much and found their story to be both romantic and sensual. I'm starting to catch on to Cast's unique HEAs and I did guess how this one would end, but I loved it any way.

Tone: Sexy, Mystical, Dramatic
Setting: Oklahoma, Tulsa, Realm of the Rose
Characters: Minotaur, Beast, Nurse, Rose Gardener, Goddess, High Priestess, Handmaidens
Language: Steamy, Dramatic, Decisive
Pace: Steady
Other Elements: Mythology, Magic, Dreams, Ritual, Sacrafice, Fairy Tale, Four Elements, Roses

[Donna Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I'm a complete Faery Tale freak and a big fan of Roses and Hecate and all. I asked my Roommate beforehand what she thought, if I would be offended or pleased. She gave me a noncommittal answer, and since it wasn't an outright pan, I read the book.

I remember getting to a certain point and thinking, "hrmm... I think the author was a Dianic at one point" as her rituals are very close (even verbatim in some areas) to the Dianic rituals I'm used to. Then again, the Dianics didn't originate those rituals and probably ripped them off from the dreaded anti-Dianics, the Gardnerians. It's surprising how, as much as they loathe each other, they are extremely similar. Then again, maybe it's not a surprise.

Anyway, as far as a treatise on Beauty and the Beast goes, I like it. Good revisioning, even if I did sense a few references back to Robin McKinley's "Beauty." Hell, even Disney ripped her off; it's a damned good book.

However, in dealing with Hecate, the more I thought on it, the more I was disappointed. Cast got the spirit of Her down alright, but there was one major issue: Hecate is, like many Goddess, a protector of women and children, especially those who have been abused. She is a Goddess of Justice and Her justice often is harsh. While I have no doubts She would be okay with blood sacrifice from Her priestesses, I sincerely doubt She would ever ask ritual death from one, let alone yearly. And it would most definitely not be done at the hands of a male, creature or not.

Also, historically speaking, as Hecate is one of the oldest known Goddesses to be named, back in Her day, it was the males that got sacrificed. This is well documented.

So yeah, it fit with the story, and completely disregarded the actual spirit of the Goddess in question and the actual historical evidence of Goddess worship. Probably not going in with my Faery Tale collection.

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 2 out of 5]

P. C. Cast Yunan mitolojisinden Minatorus'u almış birazcıkta Güzel ve Çirkin karıştırmış araya. Serinin diğer kitaplarından da farklı olarak Gece Evi serisindeki kan ritüellerine benzer bir dua ritüeli eklemişti.

Şimdi ben Güzel ve Çirkin'i sevmekle kalmam, bayılırım ama bu kitapta canavar görünümlü bir erkek değil bildiğiniz boznuzlu, toynaklı yarı boğa-yarı tanrı bir yaratık vardı. Hoşlandığımı söyleyemem. :/

Serinin sinir bozan yanı ilk kısım -neredeyse her kitapta 90 sayfayı buluyor- hep kadın karakterin sıkıcı yaşamıyla dolu olarak gidiyor. Sonra bir mekan değişikliği ama erkek karakterin gelmesi çok uzun sürüyor. Ben de bu sırada sıkıntıdan ölüyorum. Buna rağmen seriyi tamamlama konusunda kararlılığımı koruyorum.

[Lisa Lap · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've had a love / hate relationship with the Goddess series books. Some of them have been wonderful and others have made me want to throw the book across the room. This one fell somewhere in between. I thought the story was intriguing but a lot of the characters left me cold and weren't really given a three dimensionsal life to make me want to explore why they might be giving off that cool indifference. The heroine, Mikado, is a thrown into a world she loves where her job is to care for the roses. However, she's never told that her destiny is that caring for the roses means sacrificing her life at Beltane so that her blood will feed the roses. Um hello, I can understand how they might balk at telling her in case she runs, but as their treasured Empousa I felt it was an extremely deceitful thing to do.

Mikado's infatuation and eventual love for Asterius - the Guardian - of the realm was charming except I felt that her ability to just fall for a half man/half beast wasn't given enough merit. There were hints that "human" men had never fulfilled her as she wanted a more passionate kind of love. A love that bordered on going wild with her passion but I felt it was almost a quick explanation so that the fact she loves the man beast here is supposed to not be deemed as unusual. And it is. Sure, Asterius has the soul and heart of a man - and PC Cast cleverly never fully describes how much of him is beast. We know he has horns, and we know his legs are covered with fur, and we know has hooves instead of feet but his face that of a man? Is his chest? Are his hands when they're not extending claws? A sensitive subject for sure.

I didn't hate this book but I felt there was a lot left unsaid or barely touched on that could have really given this story more depth.

I'll continue with the series as they seem to be hit or miss, but this one fell short for me.

Until next time,
~Lisa

[Merve S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vayyy kararımı değiştirmiş bulunuyorum bu Bahar Tanrıçasından da iyiydi :D P.C Cast tam anlamıyla döktürmüş... Okuduğumun zevkini, bitirdiğimin üzüntüsünü yaşıyorum kısaca :D

Konuya gelirsek ; Mikado (mikki) adında kendini güllere adamış, erkeklerden umduğunu bulamayan bir kadındır. Ve son günlerde gördüğü rüyalardan dolayı çok rahatsızdır... Arkadaşı Nelly onun bu rahatsızlığını erkek eksikliğine bağlayarak ona akşam yemeği için birini ayarlar. Ama adam tam bir kalın kafalı, kaba birisidir. Hayal kırıklığı içinde gönüllü çalıştığı gül bahçesine gider ve orda olanlar olur. Yanlışlıkla Hekatayı çağıran bir ritüel yapar ve bahçenin birden canlanan ve rüyalarında gördüğü canavar görünüşlü heykeli tarafından Gül Diyarına götürülür.
Burada bir nevi rüyaların ve güllerin rahibesi gibi bir şey olur. Burada oldukça mutludur fakat rüyalarını paylaştığı yarı canavar yarı insan olan erkeği aklından çıkaramaz ve kısacası bunlar zamanla birbirlerine yakınlaşırlar. Ama bir engelleri vardır o da Mikkinin yaşamının sadece bahara kadar sürecek olmasıdır.
Kitabın en çok hoşuma giden tarafı Mikki ve Asterius(Koruyucu canavar)'un birbirlerine karşı sevgilerini ve yaklaşımlarını okumak oldu. Asterius'u feci benimsedim... :P Onun canavar olduğu için dışlanışı, yalnızlığı :( ve her şeye rağmen içindeki şefkate ve romantizme hayran oldum... Kısaca yazar anlatmak istediğini oldukça iyi ortaya koymuş...

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of all of the Goddess Summoning series this book is the one that tugs on my heart strings the most. It has been several years since I first read this book and now the second time through it still brings me to tears. I love this book. It is a twist on the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast one of my favorites. P.C. Cast does a great job breathing new life into the tale. I hope you love it has much as I do!!


Yup, third time through and I still cry each time. I love this story and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series yet again.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this installemnt in the Goddess Summoning series and it has quickly become my second favourite book in it - only topped by Goddess of Spring.
This book tells the tale of Mikado, a modern american woman, who by a chain of events is transported to the magical Realm of the Rose where she is to rule as the high priestess of the Goddess Hecate. But there is more to her new job and the realm she is to govern than there seems to be; the same is true for the Guardian who protects the realm and the priestess he can not stay away from.

[Esra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bu da farklı bir güzel ve çirkin hikayesiydi..
Beğendim..
Ama seriye devam etmeye korkuyorum okuduğum yorumlardan sonra..

[Blank Canvas · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I first picked up this book I was actually intrigued by concept of the story of having beauty being mixed with Greek mythology. I really thought this book would be an interesting read but little did I know what a stuggle It would be to just finish it. I was immensely disappointed by how the book turned out to be. It was a really slow and boring read there were times were I would nod off to sleep while reading it. I have read many other books by this same author and was not disappointed but this book failed to live up to the expectations. The author turned an innocent story of beauty and the beast into a horrible mess. There were so many parts that felt really cliche and the characters were terribly underdeveloped I felt no connection to them whatsoever. Some of the parts in the story were simply hard to imagine and too illogical and I get it that its a work of fiction but even still there needs to be a grain of logic so a story makes sense. Not only that I grew sick of how much she talked about roses, diferent types of roses, colours, caring for roses blah blah blah etc. All this talk of roses drove me insane!!! I get it, roses play a vital role book but honestly it felt ridiculously repetitive and unnecessary at times.

[Dr. Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD BEAUTY AND THE BEAST RETELLING!

There was so much magic and mysticism in this book, it was awesome. I loved how Mikki was swept off to the magical Realm of the Roses. P.C. Cast always manages to bring mythology alive in different and innovative ways. I loved Mikki when I met her and I thought her erotic dreams of a beast man were quite unique. I really enjoyed the romance in this and I am super supportive of the message being about acceptance, love and trust. I'm so happy Mikki chose to love Asteria just as he was. That's a way better lesson than the beast magically being changed by love

[Tuğba Atıcı Coşar · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 puan.
Sanırım serinin en durgun kitabını hatırladım. Biraz güzel ve çirkin tarzının mitolojiye uyarlanmıl halini okuyoruz ama biraz geç hareketleniyor.
Başlarda durgun olsa da yarıdan sonra ve son sayfalar güzeldi.
Kadın bu işi biliyor. 💋

[Esma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh!! Yine bir P.C. Cast kitabı ve yine onun mekanı Tulsa! Hiç görmesem bile tanır oldum Tulsa'yı :P
Neyse, konuya geçelim. Gül Tanrıçası diğer tanrıça serisi kitaplarından biraz daha farklı işliyor konuyu. Kahramanımız Mikado Empusai tek başına yaşayan yalnız ve güzel bir kadın. Nedenini çözemese de erkeklerden umduğunu hiç bulamamış. Üstelik bu konuda yalnız da değil. Annesi ve büyükannesi de aynı dertten muzdaripmiş. Neyse kızımız Tulsa Gül Bahçeleri'nde gönüllü olarak çalışıyor. Ayrıca Mikado ve güller arasında gerçekten çok büyük bir bağ var. Ailesinin diğer kadınlarında da böyle. Güller bu ailenin kadınlarının kanlarına tepki veriyor. Mikado yine bir gün Gül Bahçeleri'ne gelir ve gülleri kanıyla beslemek durumunda kalır. Çünkü kötü durumdadırlar. Güllerle uğraşırken fark etmeden kanıyla oradaki bir Yunan heykelini uyandırır ve macera başlaaaar. :)
Genel olarak kitabı beğendim. İlk 200 sayfada olaylar gayet yavaş işlendiği için sıkıldım. Ama son 200 sayfa çok güzeldi ve beni çok etkiledi. P.C. Cast genellikle tanrıça serisinde aynı şeyi yapıyor - Bahar Tanrıçası hariç - İlk başta olaylar kadının etrafında dönüyor ve bir anlamamazlık baş gösteriyor. Son 200 sayfada ise okuyucu ağlama noktasına kadar geliyor. :D Ehhh sonuç olarak kitap gayet güzel, okunabilirdi. Okumayanlara tavsiye ederim.

[HR readsNstuff · Rating 1 out of 5]

blah blah blah...

i'm almost halfway and it's all been about roses and ceremony. i'm all for world building but this is ridiculous - the two main characters have barely interacted and if i read one more thing about tending a rose garden i'm going to scream. DID NOT FINISH.

maybe one day when i'm feeling more patient (and really desperate for something to read) i'll revisit the story, instead i'm moving onto the next book in the series.

[Chernyse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did it, I finished the book. I have to say, I am disappointed. This book is so unlike P.C. Cast. But then again, I haven't read any of their other books except for The House of Night Series and The Forbidden Game. However, I found this book very unlikable, and the characters were underdeveloped. It also had a few loose ends I was unhappy with.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this Beauty and the Beast retelling...it was full of magick and romance and roses, with a unique twist on the story. 4/5⭐️

[Katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Needs more lesbians

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goddess of the Rose is the fourth book in P.C. Cast’s Goddess Summoning series, but it works perfectly fine as a standalone story. Each of the books in the series work without any knowledge of the other books, and I’ve easily bounced around the series without finding myself lost.

I’ll be honest and say that it took me a long time to get into this one. It was very slow moving at first, which made it feel like some elements of the book were dragging. I was certainly curious to see how things would develop, but I was not sucked deep into the story in the same way some of the other books in the series have sucked me in. When things did start to move, I happily powered through the rest of the book in a single sitting. It felt a little too easy and I would have liked to see more development of the romance, but it was enjoyable enough.

All in all, this was an easy read that hooked, but I would not label it the best in the series.

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goddess of the Rose // P.C. Cast

An adult retelling of The Beauty and the Beast that definitely also reminds of the authors YA series House of Night with its elemental invocations. I liked the set up and world switching, the main character's strong attitude and approach to problem solving, and the redemption ARC that's a bit of a side story to the main events. There were some parts that were rather slow for me and while I did like the botanical side of things, sometimes it did feel a little heavy handed and I would've enjoyed a little more action or additional world building in the way of learning more about traditions or stories and such. The handmaidens felt a little one-dimensional but I did like the depiction of the beast a lot.

[Selin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben beğendim serideki beklentiyi karşılıyor... Ama açıkça bundan önceki kitaplar daha iyiydi...
Özellikle su toprak ateş hava ruh kombinasyonu gördüğüm anda beni baydı. Çember oluşturmalar falan o uzun uzuun ritüel şiirleri... Asıl erkeği görmek için verilen çaba ve kızı intarı... Evet sonu iyiydi belki ama ben daha romantik bir kitap isterdim birde çok güçlü diye anlatılan adamın kızın yanında ezilmesi bence yazılı olmayan romance yasalarına aykırı ve beni rahatsız eden bir konuydu...
Evet iyi hoş feminist bir yazarsın,ama bence bu kadar feminist bir roman bir yerde kasıyor insanı şahsen kadınlar veya erkekler üstündür düşncesindense herkez eşittiri tutarım. Bu romanda bana kadınların ezildiklerinin rahatsız ettiği gibi kadınların erkekleri bir anlamda ezmesi rahatsız etti.
Ama fikir bakımdan güzeldi,fakat bana kimi yerleri gece evindekine benzer sıkıntı verdi

[Jaqueline Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quando li o primeiro livro desta série fiquei logo rendida. Adoro séries sobre mitologia!!! Este livro não é exceção, mas ainda tem uma vantagem extra: é um recontar da história da Bela e o Monstro. ADOROOOO!
A autora é conhecida pela saga da Casa da Noite (que escreve com a filha), mas esta série realmente supera completamente a outra. Embora este livro em particular tenha tido muito em comum com a outra série, mais do que com os anteriores.
Não vou dizer nada da história porque a sinopse já diz tudo o mais importante. O resto é melhor deixar para o leitor descobrir.
Adoro a Mikki e o guardião… São tãoooo fofos! O romance deles é fofo, mas sensual ao mesmo tempo… E, como sempre, este livro é uma amostra do poder feminino! Aqui as mulheres são o sexo forte!
Recomendo a quem gosta do género!

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Skimmed a lot of it. Wish there had been more emphasis on the Beauty/Beast retelling, less of the rituals. A bit cheesy and not believable in parts. I was satisfied with the ending, but it felt a little too easy. Also, Mikki's sacrifice made me feel very uncomfortable. I know it was to save the realm / everything that she loved, etc. but it felt to close to modern day suicide. The whole sacrifice part was a little weird to me in general. Also, it seemed to easy for her to leave behind her life on earth. I know that it didn't feel "right" to her, but didn't she even think a little bit about never seeing Nelly again? The fact that she didn't have anything in the "mundane" world to hold her there felt unrealistic. Too much "destiny" for me.

[Caitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the book the Author makes fun of bodice ripping romance novels... I think she should take a cue from her own book. This was an unbelievable rendition of Beauty and the Beast. The romance happened way to fast to be believable. If you are in the mood for a light fluffy romance this is for you otherwise I would read Beauty by Robin McKinnley. A much better done version.

[Lucretia scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can honesty say that this story sucked and had me rolling my eyes several times. I listened to this book on an audio book. The narrator voice was annoying and the plot of the story was weak and it didn't make sense at times. This was my first time reading a book by P.C. Cast and it will probably be my last time. The book cover caught my eye and the summary gave the impression that it would be a good read but it was not.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just "meh" for me. The beginning was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SLOW. And like a lot of P.C. Cast books the characters were 2 dimensional. Any villains found in this story I just skimmed over , like I skimmed through the last third of this book. So I think it's time me and P.C.Cast say good bye she has amazing ideas but writing style, characters and settings just aren't enough to keep me hooked.

[Evalyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a major issue with the emotional verbal abuse that "the Guardian" was receiving from Heaters, the person who formed him to be the half beast, half human that he is. That was just the last straw after having to drag myself through reading about the roses, and more roses, and more roses and then a ritual that is exactly the same as in her latter series (House of Night). Just not worth the time.

[Little Feather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth your time.
Why does this book have such a high rating? I was pretty disappointing. It wasn't terrible, but mediocre. I liked Mikki pretty well, but her love interest felt pretty under-developed and unbelievable. The plot was mildly interesting but mostly boring.
I would recommend something more like When Beauty Tamed The Beast by Eloisa James, or Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier.

[Özde · Rating 3 out of 5]

İlk üç kitabını daha çok beyenmiştim. Ritüeller bir ara gece evini mi okuyorum yoksa dedirtti. Aşk yine güzel bir şekilde anlatılmış ama boynuz ve toynaklar fazla geldi. Güzel ve çirkinin hikayesi gibiydi. Yine de mutlu sonları seviyorum. :)

[Gwenyth Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite ending of this series so far. I loved The Beast (Guardian).

[Rukiş Happy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Işık Tanrıçası'ndan sonra serideki diğer favori kitabım kesinlikle Gül Tanrıçası oldu.

Gül Tanrıçası, bir nevi çirkin ve güzel konusunu ele alıyor diyebiliriz. Mikki, görüp görebileceğiniz en güçlü kadın karakteri diyebilirim. Yaptığı şeyler olsun aldığı kararların arkasında durmasıda olsun, kendisi harika bir kadın.
Kitap aslında insanların yüzlerine bakarak ya da o insan kötü diyerek yargı biçip de, aslında hiç kimsenin öyle olmadıklarını anlatıyor. Cidden insanoğlu o kadar ön yargılı ki bir insanı ya da kitabı kapağına göre değerlendirebiliyoruz. Olmadığımız biri gibi davranmak kolay gelse de karşındaki insan öyle düşünmüyor ve ona göre yargı biçiyorlar. Yine kadınların önemi ve kadınlığın ne anlama geldiğini bir kez daha görmüş oldum. Yine +18 unsurlar vardı ama cidden bunları düşünmeyin ve içeriği, anlattığı konuyu ele alıp da okuyun lütfen ne demek istediğimi anlayacaksınız. Bu seriye bir şans verin okuyun, okutturun.

Konusuna gelecek olursam; Tanrıça Hekate uzun yıllar önce Gül Diyarı'nı ve Koruyucusunu bir anlık öfke ile bir Rahibenin bozacağı şekilde büyüler.
Mikki, ailesinin kadınlarından  gelen yüz yıllar boyunca sürdürülen bir gelenek haline gelen güller ile uğraşmayı ve onların her şeyi ile ilgilenmeyi seven bir kadındır.
Kötü bir buluşma sonucu şarabı da fazla kaçırması ile farketmeden de olsa bir ritüel gerçekleştirir ve kendisini Gül Diyarı'n da bulur. Ve kendisini oranın sorunlarını çözmekte kendisini amansız bir aşkın içinde bulur.

Yeni bir kitap serüvenin de görüşmek dileğiyle sağlıcakla kalın kitap dolu günleriniz olsun.