Venus Envy

by Shannon McKelden

Rachel Greer is fed up with love. For years she was sure her Prince Charming was right around the corner. Ha. Was she ever wrong (and she's got the exes to prove it). Witnessing her parent's perfect marriage, her younger sister's wedding plans in full swing, and her brother's quickly growing brood, Rachel can't even go home anymore-- it's just another reminder of how she's failed at love. 

So Rachel's devoting her life to meaningful pursuits, like her Customer Service job at the bank and volunteering everywhere from the local dog shelter to a soup kitchen. She's also determined to ignore handsome firefighter Luke Stanton--who suspiciously opens up a new account once a month. 

Enter the goddess Venus, forced by her ornery father Zeus into fairy-godmother servitude. Venus is only a few love-life fixes away from returning to Mount Olympus and she's not about to let some reluctant mortal stand in her way. 

Venus has barely unpacked her designer luggage before she's found the perfect man for Rachel:  Luke.  He's got a great job and a great bod.  And best of all, he's definitely interested.  But Venus has also found an enemy, in the form of Rachel's best friend, Hannah.  Hannah's not so sure Venus has Rachel's best intentions in mind.  Between Rachel's sabotage and Hannah's mistrust, Venus has her hands full on this assignment!  

Sexy, sassy Venus is a force to be reckoned with--this goddess always gets her man, even if she's trying to get him for someone else. Armed with her extraordinary goddess powers (well… the few she has left after Zeus got through with her), a killer wardrobe, and the goddess bible (Cosmopolitan), Venus sets out to turn Rachel's orderly life upside down in the name of True Love.

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Fiction, Paranormal, Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Developmental and copy editor of fiction and nonfiction, including NY Times and USA Today Bestselling authors, with decades of experience!

Author and editor, Shannon McKelden Cave loves nothing more than seeing a writer blossom as it all starts to come together with encouragement and confidence-building!

On a more personal note, she's infatuated with Starbucks, collecting recipes she’ll probably never make, and loves side hustles! She's also owner of an Etsy shop called The Write Life, where you can find fun stuff for writers, like mugs, journals, t-shirts, and more!

She has two adult children and lives with her husband, four cats, two dogs, and a flock of hens in the Pacific Northwest, between gorgeous Mount Rainier and the fabulous Pacific Ocean.

Reviews

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, quick read. Definitely chick lit

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book. I've spent most of today cracking up while reading it on the subway.

And funny is always good.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

bought this book at a thrift store so idk what I was expecting. could tell it was written in 2007 because the mc found out her boyfriend was hiding something because he didn’t give her his HOME phone number. the mc were annoying and I didn’t like the writing at the beginning, but as it went on I didn’t mind it.

[Harley Biala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny. I loved how the character evolved into the woman who she was supposed to be.

[Céline · Rating 1 out of 5]

a time capsule for the early 2000s in north america. big yikes

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the book sounded interesting. However, in reading only 11 (short) chapters, I wanted to punch one of the main characters (Venus), so I figured that's a pretty good reason not to finish it. There's only so much of "Oooo, Prada" and "Gucci, Gucci, Gucci" I can handle.

Update: Okay, so I got weak and actually finished it. I skimmed over most of the Venus parts, because she still REALLY irritated me. For lack of a better word, she was a bitch, especially the stunt she pulled at the end of the book. As the series revolves around this cold, heartless woman/goddess, I will not be reading any more. The Rachel/Luke parts were okay, but predictable. Really, the whole book was disappointing - and yes, I know. I finished it, so what does that say about me. :)

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm back and forth on this one. It was cute and quick and different, but I do have a problem with a woman choosing to be single and having her friends pressure her in the opposite direction. Still, the reasons she has for changing her mind (you know that's not a spoiler for this kind of book!) make it okay, and I like the man she's being forced to chase and the relationship they form (even if he seems totally unrealistic). Venus is kind of annoyingly shallow, but then she usually is depicted that way and at least she learns a bit in the course of this book, so her character might improve in later installments. I think I would probably read the next in the series. In fact, I think I'll go put it on my to-read list.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arphrodite is cursed to serve as a matchmaker for mortals by Zeus as punishment. And she has her hands full with Rachel, a beautiful woman with hot firefighter Luke on her tail, who has serious hang-ups with relationships and men, due to past problems.

Very intriguing premise. Luke is a dream guy--perfect and sensitive. Rachel is very frustrating with her serious issues that almost destroy any chance she has for happiness. She lives in denial and paranoia. Venus's seduction of Luke at the end was unnecessary and brought the book down.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off okay but got a lot better as it went along. Part of it were just okay - the heroine refuses to date anyone (a total plot device...), the guy who's interested in her for no apparent reason and refuses to give up - but the story was amusing and interesting enough for me to overlook its faults. This is standard chick lit for sure, but the author kept me entertained and drew me into all the characters so I was rooting for them and even giggling out loud at a few parts. Always a good thing in a genre that has so many substandard cookie cutter books!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story- you just have to cheer for Rachel and I really liked the fact that it wasn't just about the love between a man and a woman (although that was fun :) but included all those whom you love in life and who love you in return. When times get hard, pull those whom you love closer and they can help with the pain; reminds me of the Kid Rock song "Amen". Love really can make the world go round and if we all stopped to realize that more often...

[Jenn Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a light-hearted read about second chances and remembering that while you judge yourself constantly by your failures, the world rarely sees them.

Tie the adventure up with the guidance of a fairy god mother who started life as the daughter of Zues and there are lots of chuckles along the way.

[Ursula S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a load of fun--cynical humor laced throughout. Perhaps one of the better chick lit books I have read lately. While the male lead was a little weak, the female characters were lots of fun.

This is a bon bon for the brain--light reading. Enjoy.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venus (she goes by that to tick off Zeus) has been demoted to Earth as a "fairy godmother" to help humans find love, for period of time known only to Zeus. Venus must help humans find love by following a set of rules, something she's not too good at. This is sweet and funny. A good light read.

[Mawgojzeta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first half of the book. Fun, fun, fun. But then it started to wear on me. Really dragging. And, my patience with Rachel's relationship hangup was disappearing quickly. By the last 20 pages I was forcing myself to finish.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good beach/ spring break kind of a book. Not exactly great literature. Just fun.

[Shoshana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I would call amazing literature, but after grad school fried my brain it was nice to have something easy and amusing to read while lounging on the couch with no highlighter or pen in sight.

[Bebemiqui Bolt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read, good mix of mythology and contemporary life.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's funny, but kind of ridiculous

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy and fun, just what I needed for now!

[Cory · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was too long by about half. The concept was okay, but it just dragged on and on and on. And I could not relate to the main character at all, as she was a twit.

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was LOL hilarious from the first paragraph to the last page. A definite read for anyone who likes a good book.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was cute. A nice light fun read!

[Lillian Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Finished it in a day.

[Anna Coppola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a quick read and pretty funny.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Rachel, who thinks she is a love screw up, that is until she meets she fairy Godmother. Who happens to be Venus, as in the Greek Goddess Venus.

[Liz Donatelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super entertaining. And, of course, Venus is wonderfully lovable!

[Annabeth Leong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book. Followed through on every promise it made, and was perfect to read while in the mood for something light, humorous, and fluent.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very light novel...