Gods Behaving Badly

I have had a very good stretch of reading lately.  However, they haven't exactly been the lightest stories.  To give myself a break, I decided to read Gods Behaving Badly.  On the surface, it had all of the things I was looking for to take a break from the intense fiction I had been immersed in:  a little fantasy (Greek gods), some romance and just general silliness.

It definitely delivered on the silly factor.  Although I thought I wanted to read something light and airy, I think I may have swung too far on the pendulum.

On the surface the story seems pretty fun.  Greek gods are living in London and losing power due to the lack of belief of the citizens of the world.  Each god and goddess has a "job" that matches their persona (example:  Aphrodite is a phone sex provider).  The "family" is falling apart.  Twins Artemis and Apollo are feuding.  Apollo and Aphrodite are feuding.  Their house is falling down around them.

Along comes Alice, who unwittingly becomes the target of Apollo's affections (after he is struck with Cupid's arrow while filming his psychic reality show).  And through Aphrodite's manipulations, Alice comes to be the family's housekeeper.  What ensues are various situations playing on the gods and mortals which become a bit tiresome after awhile.

I liked the premise well enough.  I'm a big fan of Greek mythology.  There were some fun moments (Apollo drowning his sorrow's at Dionysus' nightclub and Alice's journey to Hades).  Overall though, I found myself just wanting to get through it rather than looking forward to continuing to pick it up.  I found the pace quite slow and the story was pretty superficial and often predictable.  Overall, it was just dumb.

I think I was spoiled by all the great stuff I've been reading.  I guess I've read worse books.  Not the most stunning endorsement is it?