The Goddess Inheritance

By Aimée Carter

Love or life. Henry or their child. The end of her family or the end of the world.

Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop heruntil Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin
• Release date: Mar 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781460306482

Aimée Carter

Aimée Carter was born in 1986 and raised in Michigan, where she currently resides. She started writing fan fiction at eleven, began her first original story four years later, and hasn’t stopped writing since. Besides writing and reading, she enjoys seeing movies, playing with her puppies, and wrestling with the puzzles in the paper each morning.

Reviews for The Goddess Inheritance

[laneliterati · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nice end to the series. Great for a teenage girl reader who likes Greek myth.

[jami_leigh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Plot: 3 stars
Characters: 3 stars
Style: 3 stars
Pace: 4 stars

This picks up and doesn't let go. Unfortunately, I found it hard to get into. Maybe it's because it's been a few months since I read the rest of the series, and there's been a few books between, but I didn't really empathize with Kate. She seemed flat and one dimensional, her only motives Henry and their child. I just expected more from this one, I think, than what it aimed for.

[amberfib · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Goddess Inheritance was a fantastic conclusion to an amazing trilogy! Carter does not disappoint with this final installment. The plot is nonstop suspense, the characters evolve, and the pacing is perfect. It seems like Carter left the ending a little open in case she wants to return to the story some time, but this novel wrapped up all of the issues that were raised in the trilogy. This was an emotional ending, and like the other two books in the series, this novel hooked me on the first page. This is one trilogy you do not want to miss!I really loved how Kate grew as a character in this book. She went off being a brat sometimes, but she grew and learned from her mistakes. Everyone does stupid things, but I hate when characters don't learn from their mistakes. Kate evolved into a strong and determined goddess by the end of this novel, and she finally learned to accept herself, Henry's love, and her new role in the mythological role. Henry also turned into a more expressive person. He was finally happy, and he went to great lengths to fight for his family. The other secondary characters also changed, and even the ones I didn't previously like grew on me.The plot was extremely intense, and quite a few things were revealed. I spent the entire book on pins and needles, wondering if Kate would get Milo (not a fan of the name), her child, back from Cronus and Calliope. Carter didn't go into too much detail with the fight scenes, but a sense of urgency definitely accompanied them. The stakes were high in this last installment, and not every character had a happy ending. Some parts were extremely emotional, and I may have teared up a little bit. In an effort not to spoil the book, I'm not going to go into any more detail than that.The Goddess Inheritance is a must-read, if you've read the other Goddess Test books, and the entire trilogy is a must-read if you haven't. Carter's take on Hades and Persephone is a unique and wonderful take on a classic myth. Lovers of mythology and paranormal romance will adore this series.

[dhaupt_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kate Winters fall down the rabbit hole when she first learned of her heritage, the Goddess test and her perspective role seems like ancient history. She’s now happily married to Henry (Hades), loves sharing the Underworld rule with him and is settling in nicely to her new status. Things on Mount Olympus however are anything but happy and Kate’s determined to seek help to avoid an all out war of the Gods, before Cronus, king of the Titans finally escapes his godly prison and the battles begin. But her plans are foiled and she’s abducted by Cronus and his Olympian traitor, transported to his prison and held captive, but worse she’s pregnant and her abductor wants the child. Now she must find a way to escape herself and warn Henry and the rest of Olympus about the impending doom Cronus has planned for them and save herself, her child and the entire world while she’s at it.Carter’s Goddess Test series, her modernization of Mount Olympus and it’s residents, comes to an explosive end in The Goddess Inheritance. This episode is non-stop action of epic proportion and an enthralling plotline that keeps the pages turning. Her heroine Kate is as irreverent as ever as she goes about saving the world, and it’s nice to see just how far Henry’s attitude and perceptions have come since the series started and baby Milo makes three. Her other characters help tell her incredible story and give a modern face to ancient divinity. This will appeal to fans of urban fantasy and paranormal and don’t let the “teen” moniker fool you, this novel is well suited for the adult reader too.Ms. Carter I’m sad to see this series end but I’m excited about where you’ll take me next.

[dpchapman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What is a sign of a good book? One that can move you to tears and make you wish it that the story would not end. That is exactly what happened when I read The Goddess Inheritance. I was so moved by it my husband was worried something was wrong with me. What was wrong was that I was completely immersed in this wonderful and enchanting world. The characters were so amazing. I could definitely feel their emotions as the story progressed. Kate is a wonderful lead character and I felt she was so real by the emotions she showed. Ava showed a different side to herself and I was so impressed with her by the end of the book. Then we have Henry. It was so touching to see how he was with Milo. The plot was fast moving and was so hard to put down. The ending was a bittersweet mess and one that left me in such tears. I know this is of the series but I hope that there will be more stories in the future that take place is the fantastic and intriguing world.

[abouttoread_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After finishing The Goddess Inheritance, it is hard to believe that this is even the same series as The Goddess Test. The books have gotten so much better as the story continued and I am amazed at the depth and compassion Aimee Carter is able to instill in both her characters and the readers. Not only have I grown attached to the characters, but the plot has also gotten so much more rich and exciting.As a long standing mythology fan, I am very familiar with the gods & goddesses and how they are typically portrayed in literature. I can usually find a twist or two in mythology novels, but it is typically how the Underworld or Olympus is portrayed that varies from novel to novel. While the gods’ personalities often vary a bit from author to author, I have never felt compassion for the gods that are typically hated. Hera, for example, is hateful in pretty much every mythology retelling ever told. Aimee Carter, however, makes us feel sorry for her. We still don’t like her and she is still a terrible person, but I just really felt for her by the end of this series. I understand how she has become such a horrible person, and she has my sympathy, even if I still don’t like her. I also found myself feeling unexpectedly bad for Cronus. Authors love to make Cronus the bad guy—he ate his own children and is constantly trying to escape from his prison and wreak havoc on the mortal world. I don’t believe I’ve seen or read a single mythology story where I felt bad for Cronus, but Aimee Carter manages to miraculously pull this compassion out of me. He may be a bad guy, but his lot in life over the past millennia has left a lot to be desired.The other striking difference with The Goddess Inheritance is how much the plot has changed since The Goddess Test. While the novels have always revolved around Greek mythology, The Goddess Test was very slow paced and there was little to no action in the entire novel. The subsequent books, however, have all been filled with action, adventure, and heartbreak. As much as I enjoyed The Goddess Test, I am thrilled that the books have evolved so much since then and really enjoy the more fast-paced novels.As a die-hard Greek mythology fan, it’s hard to see this series go. I loved everything about it and am impressed with the way Aimee Carter has re-envisioned such a classic world. Throughout the series, I have been impressed with her ability to blend amazing characters with such a well crafted plot. This series is a must for mythology fans.

[beckymmoe_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think this book gave me three new wrinkles in my forehead. Seriously. On the one hand, Kate was a lot less whiny and oh-my-goodness-I-don't-think-Henry-loves-me-after-all than in the last book (which gave me serious Harry Potter #5 flashbacks), but can you say over the top martyr complex? It was unreal, and I just couldn't understand why she was doing half the things she did. She lied. She said horrible things about--and to--people. She turned on her former friends. She planned to spend eternity with a monster to "save" her husband, baby, and oh, yes, the world. Just about every decision she made called for her to sacrifice herself, and at least half of them also totally went against someone else's plans. (Not that she knew these plans, but still. She decided each and every time that she and only she knew what to do and gosh darn it, she was gonna do it no matter what!) She finally pulled things together at the end and made some moderately good choices, but it almost felt like too little, too late by that point.Am I sorry I read it? No--after the cliffhanger at the end of #2, I had to finish the series. I did want to see how everything ended up. And it is a happy ending--mostly. Parts of the book (and series) still bother me--not the least of which is an eighteen-year-old who has already been forced into marriage (which I was actually mostly okay with--retelling of Persephone and all that, goodness knows way worse things happen in those Greek myths) being tricked into getting pregnant and giving birth while imprisoned all in order to further an evil villain's plans. She's eighteen. Parts of this book were messy, parts were pretty darn convoluted, and a lot of it felt uneven. I frequently felt like I was suffering from some weird sort of mental whiplash--wait, what just happened? Why? How? Characters die. Cities are destroyed. At least one evil character is really, really evil with no redeeming qualities at all. Through it all, James is still awesome, though. I would totally sign up to see him in his own book with his own HEA far, far removed from Kate and Henry. He definitely deserves it.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: A finale that was brought by impending doom from the war of gods.Opening Sentence: Throughout his eternal life, Walter had witnessed countless summers, but never one as endless as this.The Review:The Goddess Inheritance by Aimée Carter is another anticipated book for me. After the crazy cliffhanger from The Goddess Interrupted, I felt starved of this story. It’s difficult to not be emotionally invested in these characters, especially after reading Carter’s own emotions into the book. It’s personal, and I can feel the emotion rising from the pages.From the end of Goddess Interrupted, several months go by. Kate is pregnant with Henry’s son, and still held captive by Calliope and Cronus. The inevitable happens and Kate delivers her and Henry’s son. Calliope takes their baby away, and in order to save her family, she must make a deal. Things look gloomy for the gods and Cronus is on the verge of victory. There isn’t much hope left, no secret plans left to take action. It will be left up to Kate, and her love, to save them all.Kate must fight for who she loves, more than herself or Henry. Kate must dig deep within herself to go to a dark place, because that’s where she’ll get her strength. In The Goddess Inheritance, Kate has changed into this person with so much determination and gumption that it’s almost like she is a completely different person. But Kate is a mother now, and she will do whatever she must to save her family.I was angry at Henry through most of The Goddess Inheritance. He also changed, but I think for the worse. He went into this shell of insecurity and hid from his problems. It was like Henry already gave up. And in amidst everything that Kate was going through, Henry managed to hurt her even more. But I think I had to hate Henry to appreciate him. After two books of swooning over him, I had to see his flaws. And Carter had to show me that every single god had their own set of flaws.I devoured through the pages of The Goddess Inheritance, absorbing everything that Carter wrote. I was saddened with where she brought Kate and Henry, individually and collectively. There were so many dark moments that I didn’t know if I would feel the happiness that I felt from the other two books. I didn’t get lost in the world as I did in the previous books. There was a lot of plot to go through and with so much going on, I never took the time to appreciate the moment.As much as I loved this book and the rest of the series, I felt that Kate and Henry changed. I will accept natural progressions, but I felt that they changed in a way that I didn’t fully recognize them. Kate became emotional, to the point where it clouded her judgement. I thought she was a little too sensitive to everything around her. It was most likely justified, but I couldn’t connect to it. For Henry, I thought that he stepped away, or even disconnected himself from Kate and his emotions towards her. I missed their love, and their happy ending, but again, this was all probably on purpose.I still enjoyed the series and The Goddess Inheritance. I was emotionally tied to the book, despite if I felt connected in the moment or not. I enjoyed the action, the love, and definitely the hate. Great series, definitely a must read.Notable Scene:“She’s only trying to protect him,” said James.“Protect him?” I exploded. “That’s his father, and she’s stealing Milo –”“She isn’t stealing him.”“Look at her! Henry, why aren’t you –”“I whirled around to face him, but his expression was as blank as ever. Like he was nothing more than a lifeless wax model. “Henry?” I said uncertainly. “Henry, what’s –”“James stepped between us, and he glared at Henry with such hatred that I faltered. “I’m sorry, Kate,” he said. “That’s not Henry.”FTC Advisory: Harlequin Teen provided me with a copy of The Goddess Inheritance. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[sszkutak_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

* spoiler alert ** If you have not read the first books in the Goddess Series, be aware there are spoilersBackground: Last we checked Kate was taken by Calliope upon leaving to search for Rhea. We start nine months later as she is about to give birth to her son in the confines of Calliope and Cronus. The war is escalating and Cronus is almost free of his confines. The gods and goddesses are planning for war and have just realized that Kate is being held captive instead of searching.Review: This was a wonderful ending to this series. Wow. I ran through it. OK so the plot started right where it needed to, no months of waiting for the birth of Kate's son, just immediate action. Following this there is a lot of war planning and behind the scenes scheming and so you never knew who was on what side and how they were reacting. Very fast paced compared to the other books.I felt like Kate finally grew. I have always liked Kate, she is independent and speaks her mind when she needs to...which would normally get her into trouble. She has learned to tone this down a little but express the important info. She learned how to be more compassionate as well. In this installment, the focus of the characters was really to show sacrifice and confidence in decisions. I think a lot of the characters expanded their personalities and I learned to like a few more of the gods.Now for a few issues, I felt there were some points left open at the end. There were still assignments given out and even the blurb at the end of the book said "And so the Goddess Test series concludes -- for now" ummmm... For Now?! will there be more? off-shoots? Novellas? I need to know !!!! But I guess that I have to wait :(

[ahandfulofconfetti · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Goddess Interrupted ended with a massive cliffhanger that I admittedly did not see coming. While I figured that this book would have a lot of action and twists and turns, I was not expecting it to start off the way it did. Even though there was a sort of pulse-pounding pace to the events, I felt strangely disinterested at the start, and it took me a while to get into the story. This made for a strange reading experience, because - while I wanted to know what was going to happen and how everything would come together - I kept waiting for the plot and characters to really grab me. And, while I finished this book at a fairly fast clip (the second half especially reads very quickly), that never really happened.The reason for this was, unfortunately, our main character. Kate has admittedly been through hell in the nine months she was being held captive, and she's put into a situation that I can't even imagine, but, honestly she just got on my nerves. And I don't really think that's what the author was going for. Kate was such a strong person in the first book, and I found myself rooting for her over and over again. Then she turned into a whining, crying girl who was full of self-doubt in the second book. And then, in the third, she turned into that girl that you're screaming at because, if she just would TALK TO HER HUSBAND, things perhaps could have been figured out without all the drama they inevitably end up going through. There's also a lot of circling around the same thing, which was that she couldn't be mad at Henry because he did exactly what she was willing to do, but she couldn't believe he'd done it, but she was going to do the same, etc., etc., etc., and, seriously, enough. There were so many times when I just wanted to reach through my Kindle and strangle her for her stupidity; she was just very hasty and really didn't think things out very well at all. Even at the end, it took someone else to make her realize what needed to be done, and by then I was just really done.Also? Walter is a complete and utter bastard. Talk about someone who needed a swift kick in the arse! Between him and Kate there was plenty for me to shake my fist and mutter about, which I was doing pretty much throughout the book.All of these complaints aside, there were things I really did enjoy a lot. I loved this rendition of Chronos, and also Rhea. I appreciated how villainous Calliope was. Henry was really rather swoon-worthy in this installment, and I enjoyed the mother-daughter relationship between Diana and Kate a lot. I also found this book to be compelling, even if things were driving me crazy. And I loved that we got to see Ingrid again! The twists and turns were also done well enough that I was constantly guessing as to what was happening, which is always a good thing.While I couldn't help but be disappointed in some things, I still found The Goddess Inheritance to be a decent finish to the series, and am glad I read it through to its completion. While I can't help but think the ending was tied up a bit too nicely, I was pleased with most aspects of the story itself. I am a little concerned by the statement at the end of the book that this is the end of the Goddess Test series "for now," though; I really don't think any other installments are really necessary. That being said, Ms. Carter has a new non-Goddess Test book coming out this fall, and I enjoyed her writing well enough that I definitely will be checking that one out!

[bookswithbite · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is so FREAKING AWESOME!The best part about this book is the plot. From the very first page, the reader dives right back in the world of Kate, plunging deep into crazy twists and turns. Not even half way through the book and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Things kept happening and I kept reading and it just wouldn't stop!Now the love interest didn't quite move like I expected it too. Yeah, they loved each other and made some sacrifices it still didn't live up to my expectations. I really enjoyed watching Kate grow and become stronger with each chapter. Henry loves for Kate is as always enduring.The ending of the book is the biggest grip for me. You see, there is so much going on in the story the ending ended too easily. It felt like Kate went through so much for it just to "stop." Get what I am sayin' ? Still, the book had a HEA which you know I love.I'm going to stop right here before I say too much. Just know that this book is awesome. It's bring many new elements to the table with lots of drama.The Goddess Inheritance is a great story that is extravagant yet entertaining. It holds the reader to their chair unable to move with the amplified drama. A great ending to an awesome series, The Goddess Inheritance is satisfying.