Mikki, named after the Mikado Rose, has one passion in her life -- roses. The women of her family have a special affinity with them, each woman feeding them in her own special, personal way. But men are nothing special; no man has ever been able to measure up to Mikki's love of roses. Then she begins dreaming of a man -- or a beast - she's not exactly sure which.

One night, as she's walking in the Tulsa Rose Garden, her dream seems to become real. Unknowingly, she's awakened the guardian of the Realm of the Rose, part man, part beast. And he knows she's the high priestess they've been waiting for. She awakes to find herself in the Realm of the Rose with a choice to make. Stay and be the high priestess to the goddess Hecate in the Realm of the Rose, take a chance on love with the guardian, or return home, forget everything and go back to her humdrum life in Tulsa.

I loved GODDESS OF THE ROSE. The characters of Mikki and the guardian are very original and interesting, as are the accompanying cast members. The descriptions of Tulsa were spot-on and research for the entire story was thorough. This isn't your usual Beauty and the Beast story, it's different and exciting, and you can almost smell the roses. Of all Ms. Cast's Goddess books, this is my favorite. A very good read.