I enjoyed this little novella, it's a quick, hot read that kept me flipping the pages. A story about a god who's feeling his years, even if he doesn't show them. Poseidon doesn't go looking for love but his body knows what his mind doesn't - he needs contact, something we all relate too, especially his new human lover. A scientist, Soki should keep her mind on the clinical puzzle over what happened to her after her brush with death, but who can think when the most perfect male specimen in the world is right there, ready and willing to teach her everything her geeky previous lovers didn't? Very yummy - another great bit of escapism by Renee Fields. ~ Amazon 4 Stars

“What happened to me?” she asked.

“Again, I saved you.” Sounding slightly bored and contemptuous, he released her, letting her body slide down his so she could sit on the warm sand.  He backed away from her. Soki could have sworn he mumbled something that sounded like, ‘simple minded human…who knew they kissed like that’.

Sitting wasn’t on Soki’s agenda. Slowly this time, Soki attempted to stand on her own. This time she managed without incident. Soki surveyed her surroundings. She was on a tropical beach. Not possible, said her brain. Obviously, I’m dead and somehow I’ve concocted this reality in death. Taking a look at the serene swell of the turquoise-hued waves washing ashore, and the baby-blue sky overhead equipped with fluffy cottony clouds, she pursed her lips. A little too tranquil for my taste. She wished she’d conjured up her favourite place, an undersea world filled with intelligent sea mammals, bright living coral and caves filled with dazzling stalagmites. That she’d take in a heartbeat over this tropical island. Turning around, she saw a forest of tall palm trees plump with coconuts. At least I won’t starve. She was also glad she’d recently watched Cast Away because thanks to Tom Hanks, she now knew how to crack open a stubborn coconut.

Lingering questions wiggled through Soki’s brain—telling her this couldn’t possibly be real—because she’d been in the Arctic.

“This doesn’t make any sense. I was diving in the Arctic…you know—cold, very cold waters, and now I’m here.” She made her way toward where the man sat on a large boulder which was half in the water. It was hard not to notice how sexy his feet looked as the wake of the surf broke over them.

“I think your brain must be muddled,” he said.

Muddled? No one said muddled anymore. Well, that’s wasn’t entirely true. Soki’s kind, loving Scottish mom said muddled but not a hunky dude who looked like he called Australia home.

“By the way, I’m Soki and no one says muddled.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. Soki noticed his haughty look but damn if he didn’t wear that well.

“Well, Ms. Know-it-all, I say it. My name’s Nethuns.”

Soki laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nethuns, as in later called Neptune by the Romans and then later Poseidon, the god of the seas, please. I just bet you got teased a lot. Look I can’t call you Nethuns. Do you have a nickname?”

“How about Poseidon?” A lazy eyebrow of his quirked up and a grin lit up his face, transforming him in one second from boy-toy image to a Greek god. Ancient. Powerful. Potent.  The way he said Poseidon caused Soki’s heart to quicken.

Shaking her head, she said, “Yeah, that’s a big fat no. Nate will have to do because calling you some old god’s name feels a bit sacrilegious to me.”

“Old god’s name.” A scowl darkened his face, making him look dangerous.

Soki flashed a weak smile. Damn, smiling really hurts my head. Grasping her head, she sank back to the sand.

He leapt from the boulder to kneel beside her. “I’m sorry your head still hurts, Soki. You really intend to call me Nate?” A hint of a laugh filled his rough, inviting voice.

“You bet Mister, and thanks. Thanks for saving me, even though I’m starting to think I’m actually dead and have conjured you up, because I don’t normally allow men I don’t know to kiss me.”

“And that’s a good thing,” he said, adding, “Maybe I am your fantasy lover.”

Soki sputtered on a laugh. Since smiling hurt her head, laughing almost killed her. Only when the throbbing stopped was she able to answer, “Yeah, lover, right? Love and me don’t get along.”

“Are you telling me you do not wish to find your soul-mate?”

“Okay, that’s it. I refuse to laugh or smile any more, and cut that out. All talk of love ceases this instant. Love is not something I believe in or want. In case you haven’t noticed I’m a geek, a science nerd, equipped with glasses…” Soki blinked. She’d been wearing her contacts because that was the only way she could see anything underwater. She remembered putting them in.

“You were saying?” urged Nate.

“I wear glasses.” She rubbed her eyes. It didn’t feel like she still had her contacts in but that didn’t explain her twenty-twenty vision.

“Really? I didn’t see any when I found you in the water,” said Nate.

“Explain again how you saved me.” Much better. Questions were a logical way to determine a reasonable explanation for everything because Soki didn’t believe in myths or fairy tales like her mom. She took after her Japanese father. Science ruled his world and Soki prided herself on science to make sense of the everyday world. Science can’t put love in your heart, Soki and love is a magic so profound that once you find it will you discover there’s more to your world than labs, text books and theories.