I got an eArc from Victory Editing Netgalley co-op, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As much as I love Greek mythology, this book didn't do it for me. Firstly mixing different mythologies is a no no (I would also like to highlight that this was not said in the description on Netgalley as I would have not requested it.). Oh and the writing I just could click with it,felt a bit weird for some reason.

I am loving anything to do with mythology at the moment and this was the perfect read for that mood. I loved the concept of the goddesses and the determination of the main character, it was inspiration and real. Completely engrossing, I cannot recommend it enough!

I love this take on the mythical goddess Habonde. The author describes the Croft with so much detail that I can envision it and all of its magical inhabitants. The path Habonde must travel to find herself again was twisted and at times, terrifying. But she is supported by so many friends and of course by Rhys, the Woodsman. The lengths which she goes to in order to find the best way to provide a school for Magicals that also helps the Goddesses is inspiring. And the idea of the school is intriguing - can’t wait for more tales about it .

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

The Goddess and the Woodsman is the story and adventure of Habonde, the Hearth Goddess who has forgotten her past. During her journey you meet her Woodsmen, her best friend, and all her fellow Gods and Goddess'.

I struggled with the first few chapters of this book. It was a very quick read (3 hours). This novel was a great dive into mythology but also with a modern twist of tech, cell phones and social media. While I did enjoy the storyline, and Habonde's character; this would not be a novel I would reach for again.

4.25

<I>I was given an ARC by NetGalley for an honest review</I>

Honestly, this book was great! It gives you insight into the idea of what happens to goddesses when they are no longer worshiped.

In this book we get a look into the relationship of Habonde and the Woodsman. We get an intimate look on the life of Habonde while she is in the midst of remembering a past that is not so easily coming back to her.

Habonde knows one thing for sure, she is tired and the other goddesses around the world surely feel the same way that she does, so why not do something about it?

MIND YOU she cannot remember her past but she knows she is missing something important she can feel it in her bones.. Will the summoning of other goddesses to tell her plan bring to life her past or will she forever be stuck in wondering what could have possibly happened to her? In order to find out tune in on October 6th and read this amazing suspenseful thrilling book by Coralie Moss.

If you like greek mythology mixed with suspense and a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering where, what, and how all of everything in a book is happening this is the book for you. Don't forget to pick up your copy!

Thank you to the publisher, Pink Moon Books, for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
📚 - Adult Romance / Mythology Re-Telling
📖 - 276 pages
💃 - 🌶🌶🌶

I fell in love with Habonde in the first chapter. I love well-told mythology re-tellings, and this was respectful in every sense. Set in the modern world with old-world magic, this story was the perfect mash-up of old and new. I loved the wide cast of characters, and felt like the winding path to discovering what Habonde has forgotten was both beautifully written and heartbreaking. It brought me to tears multiple times. The spice in this was perfect for the length of the book. I will be picking up more books from this author.

The Goddess and Woodsman by Coralie Moss.

This was the perfect book to dive into when you are in the mood for a good modern Greek mythology read. When there is a lack of worship for the Goddesses, what will happen to them and their powers. A struggle that no one wants to endure in these modern times.

I enjoyed the story line and the authors writing style, but it did lack the world building I was looking forward to. The characters were relatable and well developed which was a refreshing take that kept me reading.

I have never strongly disliked a book before and I have never hated myself more for picking it. it had everything I hated with all my heart is at least every five pages and there was literally zero chemistry for a supposed romance. no.

This book has an extremely interesting premise involving mythology and Goddesses (and a couple of Gods too) and this is what originally drew me to requesting the book. The description announces that the Goddesses of the world are tired and have taken to more modern methods which is something I enjoy reading about as it's interesting to see how authors can adapt the Gods, Goddesses and mythical creatures and lore to the modern world and I think it will be quite the positive factor when garnering an audience as many readers I interact with enjoy mythology retellings/adaptations.

The issue I had, personally, was that the book did not feel as whimsical and magical at the beginning. It was very crude, it was uncomfortable in certain aspects and I felt that some of the crudeness could have been put across in a much softer way. I appreciate the way in which the author was likely attempting to portray the main character but considering she (as in Habonde) switched up half-way through the book, it didn't quite work out as well as I believe it was thought out to be.

Similarly, the writing style changes midway through the book and there are quite a few spelling errors/sentences that don't make sense. It can be quite the jarring experience for a reader when a book - especially one which indicates some quite detailed world building - does not flow as expected and I can imagine it will dissuade a few people despite the interest that rises from the description.

Overall, I found that - in the end - I did somewhat enjoy the book. As I said, it reads better mid-way through and it does read very quickly. I managed to finish this within a day. The background between some of the characters is very interesting and I wished they had been explored further as some moments did not make sense and at times it was difficult to follow the story but all-in-all it is an average, somewhat spicy (as there are a lot of sexual references) modern fantasy book.

My current reading binge is mythology-based books, and I'm enjoying how different authors have different takes on familiar mythological figures.

The Goddess & the Woodsman is about a hearth goddess I’d never heard of before (Habonde), and adds others I know well: Baubo, Demeter, Persephone, Hekate, and Mnemosyne. Though the story centres on the idea that many of these goddesses are all but forgotten in our contemporary times, its main focus is on Habonde and her search for her missing memories. Turns out the keys to finding those memories are found in her dreams, mirrors, water, and the Woodsman. He remembers things she does not.

I was drawn into Habonde's world from the first scene. I hope there are more stories to come.

There is on-page sex, references to a tragic fire, and lots of scenes with food.
#secondchanceromance #olderheroine #womensfiction

really attempted to read this book, but I did not like it. I really disliked it. The world building is terrible, and this is not high fantasy to me. The love interest is just not it at all. The main character is the only good thing about this book. I’m introduced to all these characters super fast and it’s a headache. I really tried to read this but, this was a let down. I dnfed half way through. I would like to thank net galley for sending me an arc of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. Unfortunately, this was not a book I could finish. I didn't find the characters compelling at all, even though the premise of the novel seemed so interesting to me.

I got to 30% before I DNFed The Goddess & The Woodsman, but wanted to put it aside much earlier. The premise of the book sounded interesting to me, with pagan themes and ancient goddesses coming to modern day Scotland, but there wasn’t enough depth in the treatment of the topics or the character depictions for my liking.

The book is predominantly a romance with a strong sexual component on page, which isn’t usually something I gravitate towards. I can see how someone else may enjoy The Goddess & The Woodsman, especially once they go past the first two chapters.

Review posted to Goodreads 18/09/2022.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️/5

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

The roots of The Goddess and the Woodsman initially seem bizarre, but this folksy fantasy blooms into something rather lovely.

We follow Habonde, an ancient Goddess of the Hearth in her investigation into some odd dreams she, and other Goddesses like her, have been having. The story takes place in the world as we know it and the Goddesses are dealing with the fact that humans lack belief in them and therefore, they are losing power. With help from her best friend and her mysterious woodsman, Habonde goes on to discover secrets of her dreams, her past and her heart.

I think of this review in two parts as I thoroughly enjoyed the latter two-thirds of this book. However, I found the first act strange bordering on ridiculous. The world was poorly built, the vast cast of characters was overwhelming and the point of the story was non-existent. Being honest, if I was not committed to providing this review, I would not have continued reading the book.

Now that that is out of the way, we can move onto the enjoyable majority of the book. Moss has a beautiful writing style with a strong voice. Our main character, Habonde, is well-developed and relatable. Particular praise needs to go to the relationships between her and both her best friend and the male main character.

This is primarily a fantasy mystery with a side-plot of romance. I would not come into this expecting your typical “romantasy” story as this is very different. However, that is not to say it is not enjoyable. The mystery is unpicked at a perfect pace and we really are privy to every emotion Habonde feels at each reveal.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. I have often said to friends: “Just get through the first couple of chapters, then it gets good”. However, I think it is possibly a lot to expect of a reader to read through a third of a book before getting to something enjoyable. In saying that, I would still recommend this book to somebody if they were a fan of mythology, gods and goddesses or the writing of someone like Madeline Miller.

The Goddess & the Woodsman is an unexpected interpretation of mythology in the modern world. Goddesses are losing their power, but they wear jeans and have social media accounts. Persephone as an influencer is a remarkable idea.

After reading a description of the book, I thought it is going to be an analyzing story about a goddess with PTSD with memory loss. I hoped I will get more worldbuilding and theory about the lives of mythological beings in our atheistic world. But this is mostly about romance.

If someone made a frequency list of words, thighs could be in the top ten of nouns. Almost everything was obscene. There were plenty of spicy scenes. I did not find the Woodsman attractive, and his relationship with Habonde was too fast for me.

I think fans of smutty scenes with a pinch of mythology will like this story. I expected something diametrically different.
Thank you, NetGalley and Pink Moon Books for an eARC!

This book poses an interesting question - what happens to goddesses when they are no longer worshiped? I will hand it to the author - this book required a lot of background and world building (as it naturally incorporates deities that have been historically worshiped such as Hestia and Hecate) - but it was not overwhelming. The relationship between the two characters is an interesting dynamic and spicy to boot. This book is not something I would ordinarily read, but the concept really pulled me in. I think this book is perfect for someone who prefers a novel that focuses more so on relationships and is more "regular" fantasy than high fantasy. Not a huge favorite for me but I can see why someone else who enjoys those genres would get sucked in.

This was a really interesting concept of a book. I really enjoyed going on this journey, it did what I was hoping for based on the description. The characters were interesting and I thoroughly thought they were a great idea. I enjoyed the concept and it really worked out well, I was invested in what was going in this story. I enjoyed the idea of old world Goddesses and Gods being out there in the modern world. Coralie Moss has a great writing style and I look forward to more from her.

“You know you’re going to have to hire someone versed in social media and the mysterious ways of those far more youthful than either of us. And in Persephone’s opinion, you have got to do something about your lousy internet and its pitiable lack of bandwidth.”