Review: The "Cupids and Goddesses" Series by Milena McKay

Review of "The Perfect Match" and "The Perfect Matchmaking"

For Valentine’s Day, I figured I would treat my readers and subscribers to a treat: a review twofer! That’s right, in this post I will be reviewing two novellas that I recently read and adored. I’m talking about the immensely talented Milena McKay’s “Cupids and Goddesses” series, The Perfect Match and the recently released sequel, The Perfect Matchmaking.

By the way, we are about 5 days away from the first anniversary of my first post on this Substack. I will have more to say and more thanks to give in a separate post celebrating the anniversary, but for now, let me just say how much I appreciate every single one of my subscribers and readers. It means a lot. Now, on to my review!

In this series, being a cupid is an actual job you can have alongside your normal everyday career. To become one, you have to graduate from the Cupids’ Academy in which various instructors from Greek mythology, including the Goddess of Love Aphrodite, teach you the art and science of finding perfect matches and making their romantic dreams come true. One such recent graduate is Abby Angellini. In A Perfect Match, Abby is headed to her first Cupid’s Convention in Las Vegas. Thanks to a little hotel mix-up, this cinnamon roll of a junior cupid is thrust into the path of the Queen of the Perfect Match, Sabine Goddard. Sabine is the definition of an Ice Queen, an expert at playing matchmaker but not so good at finding her own match. Sabine believes that she lost her chance at finding her perfect match, so she is content finding everyone else’s for them while forgoing any chance at love for herself. However, there is something about Abby that Sabine cannot resist and it will take all of her courage to let her barriers down and take another chance at romantic perfection.

Our adventures in this world continue with The Perfect Matchmaking. This time, though, it’s the Goddess of Love Aphrodite in the cross-hairs. Zeus has announced that he and the rest of the Olympians will be attending the Cupids’ Convention. He is unhappy that the Goddess of Love is without a perfect match and charges the entire convened cupid community with finding that match for her. With Zeus, her Olympian ex-lover Ares, and the cupids all breathing down her neck, it becomes too much for Aphrodite to bear. Luckily, the gorgeously masc Goddess of Wisdom Athena has some very toned arms for her to fall into. The two find an instant connection with each other and sparks fly. But can Aphrodite trust that this isn’t part of Zeus’ game, or will she be stuck falling prey to his machinations once more?

The main characters in both novellas are to die for. Milena is one of the masters of writing the Ice Queen and that is again on display here with Sabine. She is drop-dead gorgeous with a sharp edge to her. I love the way she continually puts characters in their place. She also has a really great protective side to her. Yes, she’s icy, but she’s also caring. Abby is a fantastic cinnamon roll, sweet and innocent but with a real steely center. Yes, she is naïve and overly kind at times, but she also has a wonderful ability to call people out on their shit. Sabine and Abby are not only great in their own story but also fantastic in Aphrodite’s. It was a treat seeing them pop up to either offer Aphrodite advice or poke fun at her. In a similar vein, Aphrodite was great in both novellas. I really enjoyed getting to see her be her confident Goddess of Love self in one story and then discover her more vulnerable side as she deals with her own relationship struggles in the second story. I also loved her “just so over this shit” attitude. Then, there’s Athena, as wise and as sexy as a Goddess of Wisdom and college professor should be in her pressed shirts, blazers, and horn-rimmed glasses. She also is so kind and understanding of Aphrodite, never pushing her beyond her limits or being too demanding. She gives Aphrodite just what she needs: someone who believes in her and doesn’t demand everything from her.

Both The Perfect Match and The Perfect Matchmaking were the funniest Milena McKay books I have ever read. Milena’s other books that I have read, The Headmistress and Reverence, have their funny moments, but Milena goes all out with the humor here. What makes these novellas so funny is how Milena uses the tropes of the romance genre and even has her characters comment on them as they happen. Sabine, Abby, Aphrodite, Athena, and several side characters take turns playfully or in some cases aggravatedly commenting on the tropes that they are falling into. Abby gets called a cinnamon roll more times than I have ever seen in any other romance I’ve read. Erato, a muse and Aphrodite’s right hand woman, constantly pokes fun at Aphrodite about the romance tropes going on in the story. Not only does this make sense for the characters (because of course cupids, muses, and goddesses involved in the business of love know the tropes), but it also makes for a loving celebration of the romance genre. As a fan of this genre, I ate it all up.

The stories in both of these novellas also pack a real emotional punch. Both Sabine and Aphrodite are carrying some major trauma from their previous experiences in love and these novellas do a good job exploring those themes. Sabine thought she had her perfect match only to see her walk away and into the arms of another woman. Her story becomes one of coming to accept that Abby could be another perfect match for her if only she can get past her own defense mechanisms. Aphrodite’s love life has been dominated by the machinations of Zeus. Her story is one of learning to finally and definitely take control of her own romantic life and go for what she truly wants. Both of these stories were delivered in such a powerful and resonant way and it’s a testament to Milena’s talents as a writer that she was able to do this so well in novella format. Both books are barely over 100 pages and yet they hit so damn hard.

In summary, I loved my time in with these cupids and goddesses and want so much more of this series. Part of me wishes I could live in this series as be a professional cupid. The Perfect Match came out near Valentine’s Day 2021. The Perfect Matchmaking just came out right before Valentine’s Day 2025. I’m going to need Milena to hurry up give us another one way sooner than Valentine’s Day 2029.

Please, Milena. Don’t hold out on us!

And to you, dear reader, I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day with your perfect match!