Despite the fact that both of them are somewhat reserved, they dance together (Aphrodite might have had something to do with this) and are immediately smitten with each other, making plans to get together over the next few days before James leaves for the Front. The first of the four humans we meet is Hazel, a young British pianist who, while playing at a parish dance in London, meets James. He wants to put them on trial before all the gods for their misconduct, but Aphrodite suggests a more discreet alternative – a private trial where Aphrodite can attempt to defend her actions and Hephaestus will act as judge.Īnd so Aphrodite begins her defense, with the story of four humans during WWI, twenty five years earlier.Īres protests, “Bring out the hot pincers, the smoking brands! Anything but a love story!”īut Hephaestus insists, “Leave nothing out of your story. Their captor is Aphrodite’s husband and Ares’ brother, Hephaestus, the god of fire, who is furious to have caught his wife and brother together in a compromising situation. Lovely War begins in the middle of World War II where a stunningly gorgeous couple enters a Manhattan hotel but, shortly after they enter their room, a net drops over them, trapping them and revealing that the woman is Aphrodite, goddess of love and passion, and the man is Ares, god of war. Now I’m going to get a little bossy with you and tell you that you should 100% go read this book immediately.

You can put money right now on the fact that, come late December, Lovely War will be on my list of best books I read in 2020.Įven before I finished it, I was texting friends telling them they needed to read it right now (I get a little bossy about books I love) and keeping Bart up way too late regaling him with every last details. it’s one of the best things I’ve read in ages.

I’ve been staring at my laptop screen for the last five minutes, trying to figure out how to even begin with a review of Lovely War.

A lovely war book