Goddess Of Spring (Goddess Summoning #2) By: P.C Cast (Book Review)

 ***This review will contain spoilers***

Summary:

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.

I absolutely loved reading this book! I don't know what it is about P.C Cast but she sucks me in every time I read a book from her and I can't ever seem to be able to put it down. I love to read while taking a bath and just the other night I was reading for over an hour before I realized what time it was and that I was freezing from the water turning cold. 

This book ticks off everything you would want to see when reading a fantasy romance novel. Ghostly friend? Check! Mythological creatures? Check! Hot, moody god that is sensitive? Check! Lina ends up swapping places with Persephone thanks to the help of Demeter, Persephone's Mother. In exchange for possessing Persephone's body and 'vacationing' in the Underworld, Persephone took up residency in Lina's body to help turn around her business. The book and story itself is pretty straightforward and simple in terms of plot. And typically I would have an issue with that, however, Cast is so talented with words that it just doesn't effect me as it would if it were another author doing the same thing. Some people can write a simple book and make it good while others can write an overly complicated mess and it just doesn't come off correctly. 

This book takes an original mythological story and flips it on its head. There are so many renditions of the story of Persephone and Hades that it can get confusing and convoluted. But I'm happy Cast brought it up in the story itself pretty early on. One of the many stories was that Hades tricked Persephone in eating pomegranate seeds to force her stay in the Underworld and then would rape her. In Cast's story, Hades and Persephone have never intermingled and she has never stepped foot into the Underworld. Persephone is described as being a young goddess that lacks severe maturity and wisdom. Lina, however, being a mortal woman with the exact opposite is a woman that Hades would very much enjoy being with. 

One of my thoughts when reading this book was being worried that if this was going to be a soulmate story between Lina and Hades that Cast would need to write their story in a way that indicates Hades love for who she is and the substance of her soul versus the exterior. Luckily, I needed not to worry because as per usual Cast can write shit out really well. It was definitely interesting how those two ended up having their happily ever after in the afterlife. But it certainly offers a different perspective on soulmates and made me want a sequel to their story. 

Rating:

5 stars on 5! No question about it I loved this book and loved the characters together. It was a simple story that packed quite a punch in the romance department. I would have loved a sequel to see how they are after Lina's passing in her mortal world to her transition to Hades world. Definitely recommend!