"Fantastic retelling of the story of Persephone"

In Hellas, Persephone is the prettiest maiden in the land, but though she has female friends like Echo and Narcissa, boys her age have nothing to do with her except the bodacious Hermes. Males fear her mother Demeter who has god-like powers and her great-grandfather High Priest Aristippus who communicates directly with Zeus. Persephone lives like a bird in a gilded cage as Demeter keeps her safe and apart from the other gender with an iron fist that only she and Aristippus can use.

That is until the Lord of the Underground, Hades, sees her and desires her. He comes up from under the ground in her garden to abduct Persephone. In his dark realm he offers his "soul" to her, but she rejects him. Frustrated, but not a quitter, the obstinate intelligent Hades courts his prisoner showing her what no male dared, a wondrous world even if it is home to the dead. Feeling alive for the first time Persephone begins to see passion for the first time with her underworld warden even as her mother searches heaven and earth for her.

Alicia Fields provides a fantastic retelling of one of the great Greek mythological tales, the story of Persephone. The heroine, her wannabe lover and her determined mother come together in a delightful romance even with the underground as the setting. Fans of modern day renditions of the ancient mythos will treasure Ms. Fields' entertaining novel of LOVE UNDERGROUND.

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted June 28, 2005

Summary

Persephone is a goddess adored by all. But her powerful mother's warning to "watch out for strangers" has narrowed her field of suitors considerably. Then, Persephone meets the dark, mysterious lord of the underworld—and discovers a passion of mythic dimensions...

Young Persephone is the most beautiful maiden in Hellas. But all the boys are scared away by her mother, Demeter, whose mysterious powers must have come from the gods.

Only Hermes has enough nerve to court Persephone. He's the type of bad boy her mother has warned her about—a troublemaker who runs around with all the other girls. So Persephone keeps her distance, and spends her days picking flowers and living a sheltered life.

Then one day, Hades—the dreaded lord of the dead—sees Persephone appear to him like a beam of light. Enchanted, he whisks her deep into the darkness of his realm. At first, she rejects his advances—but Hades is wealthy and powerful. Courting Persephone as no man has ever dared before, he brings her to the wondrously startling revelation that bad boys can be fun...