[Emily’s Review]: Apollo’s Courtesan (Lovers of the Gods #1.5)

COURTED BY THE DIVINE

Dax was always second best among the acolytes of Aphrodite, destined to remain in the shadow of his friend and rival, Aikos, when the time came for them to ascend as courtesans. But while Aikos sought freedom to serve many and no one through his favored tenet of their goddess—desire—Dax seeks another domain.

Love.

The god Apollo is broken and lonely after countless loses of mortal lovers, thinking his heart beyond repair. Or he did, until Aikos led him to a prophecy of a possibly mended future.

Where Aikos indulged in divine desires, Dax and Apollo choose courtship. Can they beat the odds against them of attaining love between mortal and god, or will the pasts that haunt them define their forever after?

Apollo's Courtesan can be read standalone but is best as a follow-up to Last Courtesan of Olympus for those who wanted to see Dax and Apollo get their happily ever after.

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

So Apollo’s Courtesan starts off immediately from where Last Courtesan of Olympus left off.

If you have not read that beauty then stop reading this review and immediately start that book. Seriously- NOW: Here’s the link, https://a.co/d/0gnYIw7E

Now that that has been settled.
This was a cute lil novella for sweet Dax and our emo baby Apollo.
The Patron God of poetry, music, and feels.

I loved this book. Dax desperately needed his own happy ending, and I whole heartedly agree with Amanda’s decision to make this a novella.
Dax was so sweet and understanding and oh so patient, but his story didn’t need to be full length by any means.

In Last Courtesan of Olympus we got quite a bit of both Dax and Apollo’s back stories. They both had some personal challenges to overcome before they were ready for love. I really thought it was impressive how well this novella conveyed that while still packing a punch in the sexy department.

Ironic but true. This was a fast paced, slow burn.
Both men had to find themselves, learn to respect and love themselves, and in turn were able to love each other. It took a hot minute, but once that trust was earned, so was that H.E.A.

I enjoyed seeing Aikos’ little cameos, being his little ho-self but also a wonderful friend to Dax.
He was always a great friend in book one and to see that Godhood didn’t change that made my fragile heart very happy.

I thought it was fun being able to get a god’s POV, and I liked the talks that Dax had with Aphrodite and Artemis. The interactions between Dax and the gods were sweet and fun. Those conversations humanized the deities quite a bit, which made this novella special.

Basically I loved it.

I have it on good authority (cough cough Amanda herself) that this series is going to continue with other mythos from different regions around the world.
I am so excited for what she has planned!

This series is already spectacular, and it is only going to get better!

Emily

Emily is a coffee loving, cat snuggling, hairstylist and book-a-holic.
Having always been a voracious reader and devouring books at a breakneck speed, joining the bookish and blogging community seemed like a natural next step. She loves giving recommendations to friends and family and then very gently (and not forcefully at all) asking for their opinions after they complete each chapter.
Her reviews tend to be goofy, a little sweary, on the more impassioned side and maybe sometimes a little self deprecating.
Emily typically enjoys reading almost every genre, including (but not limited to) monster romance, literary fiction, rom-com, contemporary, LGBTQ+, low/urban fantasy, paranormal, dystopian, sci-fi, gothic romance or basically any book that will make her cry.