Goddess of Spring by P.C. Cast is the second story in the Goddess Summoning series and like its predecessor it does stand alone as a story.

Lina Santoro runs a bakery in Tulsa that is floundering.  Her financial problems are reaching their worst when she decides to summon the Goddess Demeter with a recipe in an Italian Goddess cookbook.

She is not prepared for the goddess to answer though soon finds herself believing in the impossible.

Demeter is concerned about her daughter Persephone.  Immature and knowing nothing but pleasure the Goddess of Spring is not ready to take her place at Hades' side in the Underworld.  Unsure what to do to help her mature, Demeter decides to switch her soul with that of Lina.  Persephone will turn the fortunes of the bakery around whilst Lina travels to the Underworld and takes over the duties of her daughter.

Hades is a reclusive god who is shunned by the others and lives alone in the Underworld.  But he is not enough for the dead and they require the presence of a goddess in that realm to reassure them that they are not forgotten.   The goddess they get is Persephone but little do they know that the goddess herself is in the mortal realm and it is Lina who is going to bring spring into the realm again.

Charged with keeping her identity a secret Lina makes a life for herself in the Underworld but she knows that it is only for six months.  She is also worried about finding herself living in the body of Persephone as she knows well the story of that goddess. 

But her worries are cast into shadows as she finds herself falling in love with Hades who has no idea of who she really is.

Whilst Persephone sets about putting Lina's world to rights, Lina finds herself putting the Underworld to rights and becomes a true Queen of the Underworld.  Finding friends amongst the dead and the love of Hades she longs to tell him the truth about herself.  But will he love her when he knows that she is a middle-aged mortal or is it merely the body of Persephone he has fallen for? 

Mixed up in the political minefield of the Olympian gods and goddesses Lina knows that she cannot stay with Hades no matter how much she loves him.  But she should not underestimate the power or the gods and goddesses because if they can find a way to save her bakery then mending broken hearts should be a piece of cake.

The Underworld is brought to life in this modern take on the tale of Hades and Persephone.  Great characters and a strong storyline make this story one that should not be missed by anyone who loves Greek Mythology and romance combined.

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Also by P.C. Cast:  Goddess by Mistake, Elphame's Choice, Goddess of the Sea and Goddess of Light

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