Zoe Smith is no ordinary school librarian.  She has a secret identity and super powers which she gets from her father’s side of the family.

Known as a halfling she is approaching her 25th birthday and the deadline for when she must complete various tasks including telling her mother of her powers and getting them under control in time for the final test that will finally let her be included in the Venerate Council of Protectors.
 

Fearing that her mother will reject her as she did her father Zoe has hidden her powers from her and met her father Donis, and half-brother Hale in secret all her life.  Close to both sides of her family she knows that if she chooses not to apply to the Council all memories of her father and Hale will be lost together with the powers that she is desperate to use to help the world as they have done.

Zoe has found that having super powers is not all that it is cracked up to be, when she needs the powers they usually fail her and when they are working she finds they are out of control with some extremely amusing results.  For example, with her hyper-sensitive taste buds when she eats a bar of chocolate she loses control.

It is because of these side effects that she is cautious about getting involved with the PI “Buster” Taylor who is snooping around the school looking for information on her work colleague.

George Taylor is an ex-cop now struggling as a Private Investigator.  He is not specifically looking for a woman but if he was he stresses to his sister that the woman he would date would be a plain Jane and not be anything unusual.  At first it seems that Zoe could be that woman but the more he sees of her the more unusual and strange she appears to be.  After all how many school librarians can do flips onto his car?

Meanwhile Zoe has other problems in the forms of her Outcast Uncle and her rival cousin who can is also a halfling, one who can outdo her at every turn.

With her Uncle set on world domination her final test is to find and protect the legendary stone from Aphrodite’s Girdle.  The only problem is that she has no idea that this is her test or even what or where the stone is.

Together Zoe and Taylor find that super powers are nothing compared to the power of love.

A madcap and sometimes outright hysterically funny novel Aphrodite’s Kiss is always amusing and has a whole host of wonderfully secondary characters who I believe we will be seeing more of in Ms Kenner’s novels.

For those who have read The Cat’s Fancy, you will see a welcome return from Deena and Hoop as well as the introduction of a number of other characters.

Firstly there is Hale, a romance novel cover model and super hero with the power to talk to animals.  Naturally he has the comical sidekick Elmer, the talking ferret which opened all sorts of possibilities for amusing jokes.

Secondly there is Zoe’s cousin Mordichai who although under the influence of his father does appear to be redeemable and could well be seen again in the future.

All in all this is a very amusing and highly entertaining novel.
 

OVERALL RATING : 

(if you need an explanation of the hearts ratings see my homepage)

Also by Julie Kenner: The Cat's Fancy

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