GUYS! I’m so excited there’s a new Urban Fantasy novel from Hazel B. West, author of my favorite Blood Ties, An Earthly King, and Scars of War Modern Tales of Na Fianna books!
This one is not in that series but is called Flower of the Underworld, and is a modern Greek myth retelling, featuring Hades and Persephone and all of Hazel West’s trademark humor and delightful characters and banter! (At least, that’s what I’m gathering just from the excerpts I’ve seen. ;))
Flower of the Underworld is releasing TODAY!
Read on for all the info, a giveaway, and a delightful excerpt! I’m really looking forward to this one! 😀
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, Persephone’s mother wants her daughter to marry Ares, the insufferable God of War to make sure the earth doesn’t get destroyed in the process, and Hades is being pressured by his brothers to join in a fight he never wanted a part of. He’s 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 you’ve never heard before.
Purchase Links
Add it on Goodreads • Amazon Paperback (coming soon!) • Amazon Kindle • Smashwords
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 she’s not writing, she’s probably still being antisocial, reading books, drawing, or binge-watching the same shows over and over because there’s nothing else quite like Supernatural and Merlin. She also likes to listen to music because, who doesn’t? Hazel’s particularly fond of modern folk and classic rock, which is usually what makes up the majority of her book playlists.
Author Links
Website • Twitter • Goodreads • Instagram
Giveaway!
Be sure to enter the giveaway for a signed copy of Flower of the Underworld! Enter via the Rafflecopter HERE! (Commenting on the posts in the blog tour gets you extra entries into the giveaway! :))
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 don’t 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 isn’t afraid to go off topic. If you’ll be asking questions on Twitter please make sure to tag @artfulscribbler with the hashtag #FlowerQ&A.
Excerpt!
I smiled back a bit awkwardly. I know I only ever came just to sit in the garden and never bought anything, but the girl never seemed to mind and she was one of the only employees I had ever seen. I began to realize I probably looked a little out of place there with my unkempt charcoal grey suit, minus the jacket and my red shirt rolled up to the elbows, but I didn’t really care either.
“Yeah, I’ve been busy,” I told her. I was not the best conversationalist. One of the main reasons I stayed as far away from Olympus as possible. The good thing about the dead was that they didn’t much care for conversation anyway, and the other denizens of the Underworld weren’t much better. “But the garden here is a nice place to sit and just relax for a while.”
She put the pot she was carrying down on the edge of the pond. “I like to think it is. Have you ever thought about starting a garden at home? It provides a nice place to relax, and gardening is a good form of stress relief.”
“Hm,” I replied regrettably. “Don’t know how well that would work out.”
“Well,” she said and looked me up and down. “I’m going to take a guess at office job?”
I raised an eyebrow but nodded in confirmation.
“How about a plant for your desk?” she asked. “It really does make a room brighter.”
I smiled but shook my head. “I’d like to, but I really don’t live in a good climate for plants in general.”
“Where are you from?” she asked.
“Er…down south.”
“Florida?” she asked knowingly.
I shrugged, considering. “Close enough.”
“In that case,” she said, beckoning me forward toward the garden center portion of Olympus Landscaping. “I think I might have the perfect plant for you.”
Curious, I followed her inside, again marveling at how beautiful everything looked. There were no half-dead hardware store plants here. They were all as fresh as they could be.
She went over to a shelf and plucked a tiny pot from it, and handed it to me. “I would say start with an air plant. It’s almost impossible to kill, and they do well in practically any environment.”
I took the tiny pot and stared down at the little green plant, which kind of looked like grass, but had a sort of velvety feel to it.
“Thank you,” I told the girl, smiling at her. “I think I will like to keep this on my desk.”
“He should be a good first plant for you,” she told me. “His name is George.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “George? Do you name all your plants?”
“Of course.” She smiled, and I honestly couldn’t tell whether she was teasing or not.
“Okay then,” I nodded, thoughtfully looking down at my new green friend. “And how much do I owe you for George?”
“Oh, he’s a gift,” she insisted and stopped me before I could protest. “Just take good care of him.”
“Well, I shall certainly endeavor to do so,” I promised. “By the way, I never caught your name.”
“Oh, it’s Persephone,” the girl said with a smile. “What about you?”
I hesitated. I never went by my actual name when I was among mortals. It kinda got a bad rap. Nothing closes down a conversation quicker than admitting you’re the Lord of the Dead. “Oh, well, you can just call me H,” I told her.
“H,” she said, seeming to consider it as her eyes narrowed. “So, you’re a man of mystery; I suppose I can deal with that.”
The sparkle in her green eyes made me unable to keep from smiling and Persephone smiled back. “Well, I’m glad to hear that,” I told her. “But I’m afraid I have to go for now. I will take care of George, and, thank you for him, by the way.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied. “I hope to see you again soon.”
“Me too.” I turned with great reluctance and left the landscaping center, heading back toward the spot Charon had parked the Bugatti.
I can’t wait to read more about this fun Hades and Persephone and of course George the plant! *grins*
There will be more excerpts in the other tour stops and since I’ve had a sneak peek at those, I know that you won’t want to miss them. XD So be sure to follow the tour the rest of the week — check out all the info on Hazel’s blog!
What do you think? Let me know in the comments! And be sure to enter that giveaway! 😀 Thanks for reading!
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MIRRIAM NEAL is an author frequently masquerading as an artist. When she’s not scrubbing paint off her hands, she’s thinking about writing (actually, if she’s being honest, she’s always thinking about writing). A discovery writer, she tends to start novels and figure them out as she goes along and likes to work on several books at the same time—while drinking black coffee. She’s a sucker for monsters, unlikely friendships, redemption arcs, and underdog protagonists. When not painting fantasy art or writing genre-bending novels, she likes to argue the existence of Bigfoot, rave about Guillermo del Toro, and write passionate defenses of misunderstood characters.
The Page Dreamer (Deborah O'Carroll) 