A new Hades and Persephone novel!
Title: Flower of the Underworld
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mythology Retelling
Synopsis: What happens when the Lord of the Dead accidentally falls in love with the Goddess of Spring?
Well, when there are brothers with crazy political agendas and overprotective mothers involved, a simple romance may not be as simple as it looks. Hades wants nothing more than to woo Persephone, but his fellow Olympians have other ideas. Zeus and Poseidon seem set on starting World War Three, Persephoneâs mother wants her daughter to marry Ares, the insufferable God of War to make sure the earth doesnât get destroyed in the process, and Hades is being pressured by his brothers to join in a fight he never wanted a part of. Heâs definitely going to need some help with this one. Calling on his friends Hermes, Artemis, and Apollo, they do the only thing they can: kidnap Persephone themselves and team up to try and stop Zeus before his plans succeed.
This modern retelling of Hades and Persephone is part romance, part political intrigue and guaranteed to be a version youâve never heard before.
âThe Messenger is here,â he said with a small smile.
Cerberus bounded ahead of me as I made my way to the office and opened the door.
âWell, itâs about time! Thought I was going to have to wait all day,â came the accusatory voice.
I grinned, and stepped forward to clasp the other godâs hand and exchange a brief, manly hug. âHermes, itâs good to see you.â
âYou wonât think so when I show you what I brought with me,â Hermes said and turned away from me to crouch down and scratch all of Cerberusâs heads. âHey, Cerbie! Whoâs a good boy? I brought you treats!â He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a handful of treats, which Cerberus devoured instantly in a mass of slobber. I stood by, my arms folded over my chest.
âYou know he is the first defense of my kingdom, and all youâre doing is fattening him up.â
Hermes smirked and strolled over to my desk, plopping down in my chair. âAw, come on, Hades. Live a little. But then, you are constantly surrounded by the dead, so I can see why you have a problem with that.â He kicked his winged Converse up onto my desk and reached over to grab George, giving the plant an interested look. âLove what youâve done with the place.â
I carefully extricated the air plant from his hands and set him gently back on the desk. âApparently his name is George.â
Hermes gave me a look. âHades, man, you need to get out of the Underworld more.â
I narrowed my eyes at him, but sat on the desk, watching Cerberus lick the last of the crumbs from the treats up, slobbering all over my carpet. âSo, how many souls did you bring in today?â
âOh, you know, normal,â Hermes shrugged. âAbout a hundred and fifty thousand.â
My eyes widened. âThatâs a lot, Hermes. You gave me nearly that many two days ago.â
âWell, those are the numbers.â He shrugged and reached into his bag, causing Cerberus to scramble over to him excitedly before he gave a disappointed huff when Hermes only pulled out a huge sheaf of papers and thunked them down on my desk. I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose.
âWhy do mortals have to die so much?â I grunted as I flipped through the papers, starting to sort them now.
Why, indeedâŚ. Iâm very excited about this book, and looking forward to reading it! Hazel B. West is an excellent writer and always uses myths and lore wondrously well.
Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44768179-flower-of-the-underworld
Amazon Paperback: Still in review.
Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QYQFNYV/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=flower+of+the+underworld+hazel+west&qid=1556021144&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/934543
Website: http://hazelwest.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/artfulscribbler
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5289626.Hazel_B_West
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modern_bard67/
About the Author: Hazel B. West is the author of several novels including historical titles like On a Foreign Field, By Blood or By Bond; Wolfsblood, a book about werewolves in Roman Britain and the Modern Tales of Na Fianna series, which feature modern Irish warriors with swords and fast sports cars and lots of faeries.
As to what she prefers to consume (aside from bacon and coffee) she can often be found with her nose in dusty tomes about mythology and folklore, serial killers, and other dark and gruesome things. She has an almost unhealthy penchant for stories about siblings, particularly brothers, and you can probably win her over by alerting her to any books or shows that feature this. She is a true book dragon and has a lovely hoard of books (and Pop Figures). When sheâs not writing, sheâs probably still being antisocial, reading books, drawing, or binge-watching the same shows over and over because thereâs nothing else quite like Supernatural and Merlin. She also likes to listen to music because, who doesnât? Hazelâs particularly fond of modern folk and classic rock, which is usually what makes up the majority of her book playlists.
Hazel will be hosting a live Q&A on her Instagram account on Thursday night (April 25th) from 8-9PM EST so get your questions ready for her! She will also be taking questions from Twitter for those who donât have an Instagram account during the same time. Feel free to ask questions about Flower of the Underworld, or just writing and books in general, Hazel isnât afraid to go off topic. If youâll be asking questions on Twitter please make sure to @artfulscribbler with the hashtag #FlowerQ&A.â
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