Review – An Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair – The Book Pushers | Book Reviews

Publisher: Bantam
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: Purchased

Raheiran Special Forces captain Gillaine Davré has just woken up in some unknown space way station, wondering where the last three hundred years have gone. The last thing she remembers is her ship being attacked. Now it seems that while she was time-traveling, she was ordained a goddess…. Gillaine’s only hope of survival rests with dangerously seductive Admiral Mack Makarian, who suspects her of being a smuggler—or worse. But he can’t begin to imagine the full extent of it. For Gillaine is now Lady Kiasidira, holy icon to countless believers, including Mack—a man who inspires feelings in her that are far from saintly…feelings she knows are mutual. But when their flirtation is interrupted by a treacherous enemy from the past, Gillaine’s secret—and secret desires—could destroy them both…
*Blurb from Goodreads*

With Has’s Sci-Fi Romance feature last month, I realized that it’s been awhile since I’ve read my all time favorite sci-fi romance. I adore almost everything Sinclair has written, but for some reason this book just resonated with me.

Gillie wakes up in a hospital room, no idea how she got there or where she even was for that matter. When she realizes that she is 300 years in the future, and has been made into a goddess, Gillie is more than freaked and a little unsure about how to proceed. Although Gillie wants nothing more than to keep a low profile, an imminent attack by her world’s enemy forces Gillie to show her hand, and possibly ruin a religion that is hundreds of years in the making.

Mack has prayed to the Lady his whole life. When he meets Gillie, he is convinced she is a smuggler and keeps an eye on her. But that extra eye he is keeping on her turns into so much more, and the attraction between them can’t be denied. But when the truth about Gillie is revealed, Mack is torn between his love for the woman, and his devotion to his goddess.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much love I have for this book. I think it’s because of the internal conflict that Gillie has to go through with the realization that she has been made into a goddess. The struggle she has with just being normal, or “just Gillie” as she calls herself. She has always been somewhat revered by the Khalaran people, and finding out that they made her into a goddess was just too much for her to deal with. That internal struggle she had with herself, if she should come clean and ruin their entire religion was such a strong and potent theme throughout the book, I just loved it.

Sinclair is probably the best when it comes to science fiction romance, in my opinion. I love the fact that her Sci-Fi aspects are so strong. Everything is so well thought out, so developed, and explained so well that I always find myself in awe. I love the other worlds that she creates, how she mixes in the perfect blend of romance and science fiction aspects. I’m not a huge fan of really hard-core sci-fi, with long explanations of the science, and I think Sinclair has the right mix of actual science and fantasy.

The romance in this book was a little slow to develop, and was never really on stable ground. Gillie is constantly worried about revealing herself to Mack, and always has to be on guard. With the help of her AI ship, Gillie has to remain vigilant that she doesn’t spoil hundreds of years worth of religion. Once it becomes obvious that Mack and Gillie can no longer control the connection between them, there are a few good days where they are both genuinely happy. Until Gillie has to reveal her secret and Mack is stuck wondering how to balance the woman he fell in love with, and the goddess he has always followed.

I think that aspect of their romance engaged me the most. Knowing the struggle that Mack had to undertake to work out the differences between Gillie the woman, and Gillie the legend. Knowing that she is his “goddess” doesn’t make it easy for Mack to see her as a woman, and watching that struggle makes their romance all the sweeter.

All in all this is my all time favorite sci-fi romance book, even after a few re-reads. I love the romance between Mack and Gillie. The internal struggles that Gillie has to go through in regard to revealing her true self, and the conflict Mack has in reconciling the truth about Gillie’s past makes this book that much more special. Add in the threat of invasion and doom, and this is the best science fiction romance book I’ve read to date.
I give An Accidental Goddess an A+