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Changing Bodies #3
Goddess of the Ancients
The neon lights of Las Vegas mask the horrors hiding in the shadows. Horrors like my ancient vampiric maker, the Goddess Tawaret.
Tawaret promises me power in exchange for helping her. She wants to be worshiped again, and has me gathering vampire followers. My boyfriend, Jack, tries to warn me about her, but I don’t listen. Too late, I realize my mistake in accepting.
Now there is no escape. After the slaughter she left behind in Portland, no one wants to risk her wrath. With Jack suddenly abandoning me, no one will come to my rescue.
I’d rather die than be bound to her for eternity. It just might come to that.
Tawaret promises me power in exchange for helping her. She wants to be worshiped again, and has me gathering vampire followers. My boyfriend, Jack, tries to warn me about her, but I don’t listen. Too late, I realize my mistake in accepting.
Now there is no escape. After the slaughter she left behind in Portland, no one wants to risk her wrath. With Jack suddenly abandoning me, no one will come to my rescue.
I’d rather die than be bound to her for eternity. It just might come to that.
- GenresVampiresParanormal
291 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2021
3 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 16, 2022
Goddess of the Ancients is the third book in the Changing Bodies series and must be read in order. This was a fantastic ending to the series. Jack and Everett have been kidnapped by the Goddess. She bit both Jack and Everett, has the amulet and can see into Jack’s mind. All seems to be lost, Jack loses hope and Everett loses confidence. Overall, this is a fantastic series, I’m actually hoping for more in this universe. Well written with good pacing.
August 16, 2022
“Goddess of the Ancients” is the third novel in the “Changing Bodies” series, where Jack and Everett now are facing the evil Goddess.
Jack and Everett have been kidnapped by the Goddess after the carnage at the mages house in Portland. She’s found the amulet and has bitten both Everett and Jack. With the Goddess’s bite she can look into Jacks mind and seek out other jackals. With no escape and the Goddess in control it will take them to the bright lights of Las Vegas.
With the carnage at the mages house, Jack has trouble summoning help from the PCA (Paranormal Creature Alliance). All that can be done is to warn other shifters of the situation that’s developing in Las Vegas. But Jack is up against resistance, shifters won’t help vampires and vampires won’t help shifters.
Jack keeps trying to get him and Everett out of this twisted situation but Goddess has a tight hold on both. As Goddess starts her Sunrise Ceremony her following steadily grows. As the grip of the Goddess gets tighter, Everett get’s more immersed in her connection and Jack becomes disillusioned when he sees what Everett is doing.
As much as the entire situation seems hopeless, Jack still tries to get the shifters involved before he looses all hope. He sees more of his allies get controlled by the Goddess. But no matter, what develops, no one can guarantee Everetts safety.
As for Everett, he’s not just a vampire, he’s a trans man. Feeling overwhelmed he seeks out the counseling of a trans group meeting. The leader, Avery, looks at Everett as a vampire first and doesn’t want him at anymore meetings. Everett also meets Xander at the meeting, who’s human and willing to help.
Everett still hasn’t found out the meaning behind the amulet. He looses confidence in himself and as Goddess is ready to take total control, lives are at in danger and Everett does the unthinkable.
Roan Rosser delivers excitement, danger, and suspense to “Goddess of the Ancients” the third book in the “Changing Bodies” series. Jack stays faithful and tries to bring all the different creatures together to fight evil. Then there are those that turn on Jack and become followers of the Goddess. It’s surprising to find out who will become ally or foe. Everett has to find his confidence and face the fact that he has more power than he thinks. The story sends a message, that even though we may all be different, we have to find that common ground to fight for what’s right.
Besides Everett and Jack and the PCA, new characters come about: Avery, head of the trans group meeting and a wolf; Xander who’s human, but wouldn’t mind being a vampire; Brun, who’s asexual and a jackal. I think there could be some interesting stories for them.
Along with Stacy of the PCA there’s more leaders: Rowan, the oldest vampire in Las Vegas, Pembroke from the Pacific Northwest, Portland, Oregon and Annabelle, representative for city mages.
As for evil, Goddess ranks pretty high, along with her followers: Kurt, Miles, and Yvonne, Oakley and Nat and more.
I really enjoyed this paranormal series and highly suggest reading “Ritual of the Ancients” and “Bloodline of the Ancients” before “Goddess of the Ancients”. The “Changing Bodies” series continued to be a page-turner for me. Out of the three covers I loved this last one, it really tells a story. I don’t know if Roan Rosser has plans for more from Everett and Jack. But I for one, would be interested in more for this series.
Roan Rosser is also offering a sign-up bonus book! It’s a quick and easy read, prequel and a well deserved story for Jack. “Jackal of Hearts” finally gives Jack his own stunning cover. Officer Jack Prashad of Indian descent, provides his view of working in law enforcement and the homophobia and racism that comes with the job. This story will also explain how he became connected with the Paranormal Creature Alliance. It looks into his background and his relationship with Officer Andre Kelly. It tells of his loss, feelings for his family and how his life changed with the beginnings of a golden jackal.
Jack and Everett have been kidnapped by the Goddess after the carnage at the mages house in Portland. She’s found the amulet and has bitten both Everett and Jack. With the Goddess’s bite she can look into Jacks mind and seek out other jackals. With no escape and the Goddess in control it will take them to the bright lights of Las Vegas.
With the carnage at the mages house, Jack has trouble summoning help from the PCA (Paranormal Creature Alliance). All that can be done is to warn other shifters of the situation that’s developing in Las Vegas. But Jack is up against resistance, shifters won’t help vampires and vampires won’t help shifters.
Jack keeps trying to get him and Everett out of this twisted situation but Goddess has a tight hold on both. As Goddess starts her Sunrise Ceremony her following steadily grows. As the grip of the Goddess gets tighter, Everett get’s more immersed in her connection and Jack becomes disillusioned when he sees what Everett is doing.
As much as the entire situation seems hopeless, Jack still tries to get the shifters involved before he looses all hope. He sees more of his allies get controlled by the Goddess. But no matter, what develops, no one can guarantee Everetts safety.
As for Everett, he’s not just a vampire, he’s a trans man. Feeling overwhelmed he seeks out the counseling of a trans group meeting. The leader, Avery, looks at Everett as a vampire first and doesn’t want him at anymore meetings. Everett also meets Xander at the meeting, who’s human and willing to help.
Everett still hasn’t found out the meaning behind the amulet. He looses confidence in himself and as Goddess is ready to take total control, lives are at in danger and Everett does the unthinkable.
Roan Rosser delivers excitement, danger, and suspense to “Goddess of the Ancients” the third book in the “Changing Bodies” series. Jack stays faithful and tries to bring all the different creatures together to fight evil. Then there are those that turn on Jack and become followers of the Goddess. It’s surprising to find out who will become ally or foe. Everett has to find his confidence and face the fact that he has more power than he thinks. The story sends a message, that even though we may all be different, we have to find that common ground to fight for what’s right.
Besides Everett and Jack and the PCA, new characters come about: Avery, head of the trans group meeting and a wolf; Xander who’s human, but wouldn’t mind being a vampire; Brun, who’s asexual and a jackal. I think there could be some interesting stories for them.
Along with Stacy of the PCA there’s more leaders: Rowan, the oldest vampire in Las Vegas, Pembroke from the Pacific Northwest, Portland, Oregon and Annabelle, representative for city mages.
As for evil, Goddess ranks pretty high, along with her followers: Kurt, Miles, and Yvonne, Oakley and Nat and more.
I really enjoyed this paranormal series and highly suggest reading “Ritual of the Ancients” and “Bloodline of the Ancients” before “Goddess of the Ancients”. The “Changing Bodies” series continued to be a page-turner for me. Out of the three covers I loved this last one, it really tells a story. I don’t know if Roan Rosser has plans for more from Everett and Jack. But I for one, would be interested in more for this series.
Roan Rosser is also offering a sign-up bonus book! It’s a quick and easy read, prequel and a well deserved story for Jack. “Jackal of Hearts” finally gives Jack his own stunning cover. Officer Jack Prashad of Indian descent, provides his view of working in law enforcement and the homophobia and racism that comes with the job. This story will also explain how he became connected with the Paranormal Creature Alliance. It looks into his background and his relationship with Officer Andre Kelly. It tells of his loss, feelings for his family and how his life changed with the beginnings of a golden jackal.
August 16, 2022
“Goddess of the Ancients” the third book in the “Changing Bodies” series, author Roan Rosser adds intrigue and suspense. Both of the main characters, Everett and Jack, have to do some self-discovery, but it’s beneficial to their journey. I enjoyed this paranormal series, and I would recommend reading it. For the experience, others should read the previous books in the series first. The “Changing Bodies” series continues to be an exciting series for me. If Roan Rosser has more planned for Everett and Jack, I’d love to read it. I received this ARC from the author for an honest voluntary review.
August 16, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. It is the third and last book in the Changing Bodies series. I would definitely recommend starting this series from the beginning. Great world building. The story was suspenseful, dangerous, and unpredictable. I really liked the characters and couldn't put it down as Jack and Everett were overwhelmed by the goddess Tawaret's control and thirst for power. Who will be an alley and who will become an enemy? What actions are the right ones to take, and what choices are there left to make? A great ending to this series. 4 stars.
August 19, 2022
this was another great entry in the Changing Bodies series, this might be my favorite in the series. The characters were what I was hoping for and it had a interesting plot going through it. I couldn't put the book down and I enjoyed the way Roan Rosser wrote it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 6, 2023
And that’s a wrap!
While I’ve had plenty of criticisms for this series (and will have more here in a second), I really did have fun with it. Bringing in an ancient Egyptian entity was a great way to add flare to the well-used tropes of vampire romance and the feud between shifters and vampires, and I look forward to seeing what Roan does next!
That said, let’s get into those criticisms. I think my biggest problem, which bleeds over to a lot of other issues, is Everett’s lack of agency. He’s very passive in this book (and to a lesser extent, the whole series). He spends most of his page time getting yanked around by the Goddess and feeling bad around it. While he occasionally tries to think of a way out, he's more often than not just waiting for someone to save him. That’s not the most compelling role for your main character in the final book of his series. If this was a midpoint, I could see future books being about him recovering from the Goddess’s manipulations and taking back control of his life. Instead, he spends the climax of his own series under the villain’s heel. His slightly grey morality (emphasized even more in this book) would have been easier to take if he played a more active role.
I also wish we had a better idea of how insidious the Goddess’s control over Everett is. I don’t know how far she managed to get into his head, so whenever he praises her or acts like she’s his friend, I can’t tell if he’s lying to escape her wrath or if he’s just that trapped in her manipulation.
Themes of manipulation and mind control are admittedly delicate to work with, especially in a series where those manipulations cause people to do horrific things, but I’m not sure they were handled as well as they could have been here.
I also dislike the way Xander is handled. While his enthusiasm for the supernatural is pretty charming, his comic relief ends up feeling at odds with the darker tone the story takes towards the end. It was bizarre and felt like the characters were getting yanked around by a narrative that wanted another friend for Everett regardless of whether or not it made sense.
On the lighter side, I want to talk about my favorite chapter: Desert Run. While I had initially been uncertain about the whole “run” idea, it came to be one of my favorite parts of the worldbuilding. It's a fun excuse to gather characters together and feels like something a bunch of animal people would actually do. It's like taking your dog for a walk, but instead it's your whole community! The one in Desert Run gave us some great shifter time with Jack. When Everett asked if he could pet him, I audibly said, “YES!” And the image of Jack in a little doggy backpack is golden. On the more dramatic side, we got a tense desert scene I won’t spoil in detail. It makes great use of the landscape and reminds of the vampires’ greatest weakness. Very nice.
I’ll end with another positive note: the final scene with was sweet. I wish we had gotten more of him during the rest of the book.
While this is the end of this series, it’s not the end of this world. I’ll see you in the next book!
While I’ve had plenty of criticisms for this series (and will have more here in a second), I really did have fun with it. Bringing in an ancient Egyptian entity was a great way to add flare to the well-used tropes of vampire romance and the feud between shifters and vampires, and I look forward to seeing what Roan does next!
That said, let’s get into those criticisms. I think my biggest problem, which bleeds over to a lot of other issues, is Everett’s lack of agency. He’s very passive in this book (and to a lesser extent, the whole series). He spends most of his page time getting yanked around by the Goddess and feeling bad around it. While he occasionally tries to think of a way out, he's more often than not just waiting for someone to save him. That’s not the most compelling role for your main character in the final book of his series. If this was a midpoint, I could see future books being about him recovering from the Goddess’s manipulations and taking back control of his life. Instead, he spends the climax of his own series under the villain’s heel. His slightly grey morality (emphasized even more in this book) would have been easier to take if he played a more active role.
I also wish we had a better idea of how insidious the Goddess’s control over Everett is. I don’t know how far she managed to get into his head, so whenever he praises her or acts like she’s his friend, I can’t tell if he’s lying to escape her wrath or if he’s just that trapped in her manipulation.
Themes of manipulation and mind control are admittedly delicate to work with, especially in a series where those manipulations cause people to do horrific things, but I’m not sure they were handled as well as they could have been here.
I also dislike the way Xander is handled. While his enthusiasm for the supernatural is pretty charming, his comic relief ends up feeling at odds with the darker tone the story takes towards the end. It was bizarre and felt like the characters were getting yanked around by a narrative that wanted another friend for Everett regardless of whether or not it made sense.
On the lighter side, I want to talk about my favorite chapter: Desert Run. While I had initially been uncertain about the whole “run” idea, it came to be one of my favorite parts of the worldbuilding. It's a fun excuse to gather characters together and feels like something a bunch of animal people would actually do. It's like taking your dog for a walk, but instead it's your whole community! The one in Desert Run gave us some great shifter time with Jack. When Everett asked if he could pet him, I audibly said, “YES!” And the image of Jack in a little doggy backpack is golden. On the more dramatic side, we got a tense desert scene I won’t spoil in detail. It makes great use of the landscape and reminds of the vampires’ greatest weakness. Very nice.
I’ll end with another positive note: the final scene with was sweet. I wish we had gotten more of him during the rest of the book.
While this is the end of this series, it’s not the end of this world. I’ll see you in the next book!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews