Therese Gilardi

For centuries, Cupid has longed to be more than just Venus' 'arrow boy' - and he has several ideas that he's sure his mother would appreciate, if only she'd listen to him. The problem is, "Happily Ever After By Amelia", the thriving matchmaking business that caters to the Hollywood set is threatening Venus' status as the goddess of love. When Cupid is sent to eliminate "Happily Ever After By Amelia", he is initially very curious about how and why Amelia Coillard has become so successful in her business. He decides to steal Amelia's methods and use them to make his own matches. While spying on Amelia, Cupid accidentally shoots himself with his own magical arrow and falls in love with her.

However, bereaved Amelia does not believe in the existence of the Roman gods, and she is certainly not looking for romance. She is too busy perfecting the patented personality profile that has made her Hollywood's favorite matchmaker. Disguising himself as a mortal financial adviser Cupid manages to break through Amelia's guarded exterior. As their passion deepens, so does Cupid's guilt about deceiving Amelia.

Cupid's interference with Amelia's life causes her business to falter, leads to a sterile spring that threatens the animal kingdom and shatters the longstanding peace between the Roman and Greek gods. With the fate of the natural and under worlds at stake, Cupid must decide whether to reveal his true identity and risk losing the chance to live happily ever after with Amelia.

I do have to say that I'm beginning to like stories with mythological plots although I haven't read very many of them. This book was extremely good, although it did take me a little while to get into. I give this book an A! and am looking forward to reading more of Therese Gilardi's books in the future.… (meer)

Narvla believes that she has everything going for her back home in Connecticut. Her life has always been as precisely choreographed as one of the routines that has made her a national step-dancing champion. Actually, Narvla's life is as close to perfection as it gets; and she wouldn't have it any other way. She has a loyal best friend named Gabby, a devoted boyfriend named Derek, and a definite lock on admission to her dream college - the University of Notre Dame.

Everything is perfect - until her mother is named United States Ambassador to Ireland, and then Narvla's life slowly begins to unravel. First her father has to stay in Connecticut for work, so just she and her mother move to Dublin. Then she receives a disturbing picture of Derek and Gabby; from someone who wants to remain anonymous. Next she struggles to qualify for the Irish elite step-dancing squad, and her grades plummet.

Narvla isn't quite sure if her life could possibly get much worse than it has already; and then she meets Colin McPherson. Known on the local music scene as Dublin Boy, he presents perhaps the biggest obstacle in Narvla's young life. While Colin loves to play the guitar, he disdains academics and has an obvious distrust of Americans - a feeling that borders on downright animosity. So, Narvla is utterly devastated when she is unexpectedly paired with Dublin Boy for the most important semester of her life.

Although she is genuinely upset with this particular situation, she knows that she can't really do anything much to change it. However, Narvla is truly alarmed by her burgeoning attraction to Dublin Boy. In reality after all, Dublin Boy is most definitely not her type: he has a reputation for being a 'lady's man'; he obviously has no desire to focus on his studies; and of course, there is his deep resentment of Americans. Yet Narvla can't seem to help her growing feelings for him...

So as the Celtic New Year unfolds for her, Narvla slowly begins to discover the true charm of embracing the unexpected. She will come to understand that not everything in life can be organized quite so perfectly as one of her dance routines. Soon she will learn that not everything in life should go as planned, and that she can abandon her lifelong need for control in every single aspect of her future.

This book has actually been on my TBR pile for a little over two years and I have just gotten around to reading it. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, this was a fast-paced and intriguing story. I have always enjoyed reading books about Ireland and Irish culture and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I would give the book a definite A!… (meer)

Matching Wits With Venus by Therese Gilardi is definitely an imaginative tale, bringing together modern characters and setting with ancient mythology. Amelia runs a successful matchmaking business – so successful in fact that Venus, the Roman goddess of love, is jealous. Thus begins a twisted campaign to malign the human matchmaker. Venus enlists several of her immortal cohorts to spoil Amelia’s business, but not before her son, Cupid, accidentally pricks himself with one of his own arrows. Who is the first person he sees once the love potion has taken hold? You guessed it – Amelia. This makes for some very intriguing complications, with some plot twists and surprises that I was not expecting. The story weaves in and out between worlds; following both the lives of the Olympian gods and the mere mortals of present day earth. It was a fun read, not to be taken too seriously, but still enjoyable.… (meer)