Goddess of Spring by P.C. Cast

Author: P.C. Cast

Title: Goddess of Spring
Publication: November 4th, 2008
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Genre: Romance
Rating: 5 out 5

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Synopsis:  Lina's trendy bakery in Tulsa is proving to be less than lucrative, and she must come up with a plan. When she stumbles upon an Italian Goddess cookbook, Lina can't help but think she's found the answer to her problem—even if it means invoking a goddess to save her business.

Soon enough, Lina finds herself face-to-face with Demeter, who has a plan of her own. She proposes that Lina exchange souls with Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, who will breathe new life into the bakery. In return, Lina must set order to the Underworld.

Before all this, Lina's problems mostly involved sourdough and second dates. Now that she embodies the enchanting Persephone, Lina has weightier things on her mind—like the formidable task of bringing Spring to a world of spirits. But when the handsome, brooding Hades kindles a spark in her heart, Lina wonders if this Lord of the Underworld might be the man of her dreams..

Thoughts: This book is the second installment of the Goddess Summoning series. It's a twist of the Persephone / Hades story. Recap if you don't know the greek myth: Persephone (the goddess of spring) gets tricked into staying in the underworld by Hades (god of the underworld). Demeter (her mother) gets pissed and tattle tales to her brother Zeus (king of the gods). In the end, Persephone must stay in the underworld for six months. The end. I recommend reading the longer version of this myth. Almost all Greek gods have some sort of horrible ending to them. Persephone / Hades has a bittersweet ending which is better then every-other myth. Seriously, the stories get depressing.

Let's move onto the book, shall we? This story is a different version of the myth. Lina has to stay in the underworld with Hades and help with the gloomy spirits. She starts getting to know him and likes what she sees. Hades is kind, a little rusty on social skills (which you have to look past), and really wants the best for the souls that live in his realm. The other gods don't like visiting because... well... it's a world full of dead people, so when he tries to lighten up, he sometimes fails. It's cute and charming how he tries his hardest to make Lina feel at home. The whole time he thinks she's Persephone, so Lina has to act like a goddess. Unlike her other Goddess Summoning book Warrior Rising (which I reviewed here), this has no steamy sex scenes. It's very sweet and PG-13 rated. I would recommend this to a young adult that's looking to take a step up from books that revolve around high school.

I love PC Cast, and she's definitely tied with Gena Showalter and Meg Cabot on my "who should I marry" list. I don't have a ring yet... saw one at the mall that was beautiful but it was way to expensive. Plus all three authors are already married. That's okay though, I'll win them over. Oh yes... I'll win. *insert evil laugh*