The Rose: A Novel

The Rose is the second novel in the Godwicks series. At her university graduation party, Lia Godwick receives a wine cup decorated with roses from her wealthy art-collector parents. August Bowman, a family friend and fellow collector, recognizes it as the Rose Kylix—an ancient artifact said to have been used in temple ceremonies of Eros, the Greek god of erotic love, with the power to bring intimate sexual fantasies to life. Lia doubts August's claims about the cup's magical properties and suspects he simply wants to acquire it for his collection. When he dares her to test it, she drinks from the cup and experiences a vivid erotic fantasy with August present. Convinced of its genuine power, Lia becomes protective of the relic, though August argues it is only safe in his possession. He offers to pay its full value, but Lia proposes an alternative arrangement that entangles them further in fantasy and in each other than either anticipated.