It felt strangely old-fashioned; the heroine's attitudes and mindset reminded me of books from the 70's. I wouldn't be surprised to see her with big hair and a ready stock of hair spray. I also prefer a bit more action in my leads; she felt very passive and he encouraged this. But it was readable, and the classical references were fun (if sometimes a bit heavy handed).

Theodora Fairchild is thrilled to be in graduate school. She is studying ancient Latin, her passion, and is not having to teach reluctant high school students. The Greek and Latin professor are fighting over her and the Greek professor, and department head Julien, has taken a particular interest in her. Grant Proctor is a visiting scholar. He is shy but just as passionate about classical studies as she is. While her feelings for Grant grow, there seem to be forces trying to keep them apart

Spoiler alert, the main premise of the novel is that all the professors at this North Eastern University are actually ancient Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. They have the personality quirks and power struggles one would expect. Mere mortals getting involved with gods and goddesses are bound to find themselves in trouble. It is Theo’s knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology which helps her navigate this new world.

This is a good book for someone who enjoys mythology. It was great fun figuring which god or goddess all the professors were, and they were all depicted as I would have expected. The setting of the classical department of a university was an interesting choice and was well described. My only quibble is that Theo was a bit too passive and naive for my taste. She asserted herself by the end of the book, but there were parts of the novel where I found myself not having a great deal of sympathy for her. ( )

A fantasy romance is not my normal genre but this one made me overshoot by bus stop by four stops. I think I was slightly engrossed in the story.

I do not want to give anything away about this story, but apart from being a romantic tale it can act as an introduction to the gods of ancient Greece and Rome. ( )

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Library Thing Early Reviewers.

The blurb I read on the Early Reviewers page unfortunately gave away some of the plot. I would have preferred to figure it out by myself - I think I probably would have guessed the twist, but I'll never know! I recommend reading this book without having read too many reviews (or to only read reviews without any spoilers).

I enjoyed the first third and the last third of the book, and I felt the author set a scene very well. I particularly enjoyed the third part, because the main character, Theo, seemed to develop more courage and independence and take charge. In the first two thirds of the book, I felt that she was a passenger, always responding to other people. The middle of the book contained a power/sexual dynamic that I found quite disturbing. It did make sense in the context of the story, but I wonder if Marissa Doyle could have found a way to do it differently.

"By Jove" was easy to read, and I got sucked into its world without any trouble. I read it in two days!

I would recommend this book to someone looking for a quick, fun read, especially if they enjoy the world of academia and/or ancient Greece and Rome. It had an almost murder-mystery type feel in some parts, so it could appeal to murder-mystery fans as well. It would be good light relief for a graduate student.

I would be interested in reading other books by Marissa Doyle.

Extremely mild spoiler alert: one of the characters is called Diana Hunter. Does that remind you of anyone? ( )

This book had an interesting premise and was well-written and engaging. It was somewhat predictable but not enough for me to not want to keep reading. Theo frustrated me to no end by being so gullible and easily manipulated but I still rooted for her to get her happily ever after. Overall a good book and worth reading. ( )