Contemporary Authors

• (Chrysomelia Stories series) Immortal's Spring - 2016 Central Avenue Publishing, Chicago, IL
• (Chrysomelia Stories series) Underworld's Daughter - 2014 Central Avenue Publishing, Chicago, IL
• (Chrysomelia Stories series) Persephone's Orchard - 2013 Central Avenue Publishing, Chicago, IL
• Of Ghosts and Geeks - 2011 Wild Rose Press, Adams Basin, NY
• What Scotland Taught Me - 2010 Central Avenue Publishing, Chicago, IL
• Summer Term - 2010 Wild Rose Press, Adams Basin, NY
• The Ghost Downstairs - 2009 Wild Rose Press, Adams Basin, NY

• Molly Ringle Home Page - http://www.mollyringle.com/bio.html

  Bio
  inthedark
  Molly Ringle has been writing fiction for over twenty years. She became fascinated with the colorful weirdness of the Greek myths as a kid, and after writing several other novels of love and the paranormal, she finally wrote the Persephone-and-Hades story that had been evolving in her head all those years. It turned into a trilogy, much to her surprise.

  With her intense devotion to humor, she was proud to win the grand prize in the 2010 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest with one (intentionally) terrible sentence. She has studied anthropology (University of Oregon, Clark Honors College) and linguistics (University of California, Davis). Molly lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and sons, and honestly loves the rainy climate there.

• Jamie Deacon - http://www.jamiedeacon.com/an-interview-with-molly-ringle-author-of-the-chrysomelia-stories/

  I’m thrilled today to be playing host to my good friend and critique partner Molly Ringle: author of The Chrysomelia Stories, a NA romantic trilogy inspired by the Greek myths. Immortal’s Spring, the final instalment in the series, will be released on June 1st, and Molly has agreed to indulge me by answering a few questions.

  Welcome to the blog, Molly! It’s clear from reading your Chrysomelia Stories that you have a real love for the Greek myths. I’m intrigued to know how that came about.

  Thanks for having me, Jamie! My first introduction to the myths was when I was nine years old, and my grandmother gave me a copy of D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths for Christmas. It’s an excellent book, beautifully illustrated, and written simply enough for kids to understand but without being too sanitized; it’s still got enough violence and craziness to do justice to the original stories. It fascinated my little sister and me. We didn’t know how to pronounce half the names, but we gave it our best shot, and got to know all these different gods and nymphs and heroes. I think what I especially loved was that it felt far more like fantasy than religion. It was like the Oz books or fairy tales. Monsters, magic, transformations, impossibly grand adventures, kidnappings and other crimes, and an Underworld where you could visit the dead—I loved this world. So eventually, decades later, I wrote about it.

  When you first sat down to write this series, did you have each book planned out, or did you simply have a vague idea of where you wanted the story to go?

  My original idea was to rewrite the myth of Hades and Persephone, bringing it at least partly into the modern day. I more or less had the story worked out, and I figured it would be one book. But the more I wrote and revised, and the more I brought in supporting characters and explored this world, I began to see that one book was not going to be enough. I knew there’d be at least one sequel, and before long I realized it’d become a trilogy. Once I settled on that, I was able to figure out what should take place in which volume, but it was hugely difficult to untangle and plot all of it. After writing a trilogy with dual plot lines (I have ancient-world as well as modern-world plots going on), I was quite ready to return to stand-alone novels. And they’ve seemed especially easy to put together after that!

  Is there a scene you particularly enjoyed writing or that you found especially difficult?

  There are scenes where beloved characters undergo something traumatizing, sometimes even getting killed (less common for me than for, say, G.R.R. Martin, but it does occasionally happen), and those are always difficult for me. They hit my anxiety buttons and make me fear similarly terrible things happening to me or my loved ones. But they’re necessary for drama sometimes. As for scenes I enjoy creating: I confess I nearly always adore writing the first kiss between two characters who are destined to be together. It’s skyrockets and love songs and euphoria for me pretty much every time.

  Although the romance between Sophie and Adrian is the main focus of the trilogy, you’ve created several secondary characters who fall under the LGBT spectrum. Do you feel it’s important to explore these issues in modern fiction for young and new adults?

  I do! Like a lot of people, I feel LGBT lifestyles are underrepresented in fiction, and it may be especially important to include them in books that teens read, because in the teen years it’s likely people haven’t come out yet and could use extra courage and inspiration. Besides, LGBT characters broaden the types of romances the story might contain, and I find those fun to explore. In addition, in my series, the main characters can remember their past lives (going back to ancient Greece and beyond), in which they sometimes were a different gender or sexuality than they are now. So they have to have a more open mind about all types of relationships, having been in them firsthand!

  Anyone familiar with your work will know you’re a true romantic when it comes to your writing, but does that carry over into your real life? Are you a believer in forever love?

  I call myself an optimistic agnostic, as spiritual beliefs go: I feel like I couldn’t possibly know how it all works; such as whether we really have eternal souls or if there is such a thing as reincarnation. But I like those ideas and am optimistically hopeful about them. If we do get to live many lives, then I also can’t help hoping we get to love our favorite people over and over in them. However, getting to know and love new people isn’t too bad a scenario either. We should always leave that option open!

  So, now you’ve finished Chrysomelia what’s up next for you?

  I’ve just sent off a new stand-alone novel to my beta readers to see what they make of it: it’s another paranormal, this time about goblins wreaking havoc with the lives of humans in the woods here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s very fairy-tale-based, but also still a romance in its way. And while that’s in their hands, I’ve started rewriting a novel that’s been on the back burner for years. This one’s set in the contemporary real world, and is a love story between two young men (speaking of LGBT characters) with plenty of family drama pouring in to plague them. I’m having tremendous fun with it so far!

  The Chrysomelia Stories
  Persephone’s Orchard

  Persephone's Orchard

  The Greek gods never actually existed. Did they? Sophie Darrow finds she was wrong about that assumption when she’s pulled into the spirit realm, complete with an Underworld, on her first day at college. Adrian, the mysterious young man who brought her there, simply wants her to taste a pomegranate.

  Soon, though she returns to her regular life, her mind begins exploding with dreams and memories of ancient times; of a love between two Greeks named Persephone and Hades. But lethal danger has always surrounded the immortals, and now that she’s tainted with the Underworld’s magic, that danger is drawing closer to Sophie.

  Buy links, reviews, and more

  Underworld’s Daughter

  Underworld's Daughter

  New immortals are being created for the first time in thousands of years thanks to the tree of immortality discovered by Persephone and Hades. But Sophie Darrow is not one of them. Nikolaos, the trickster, has given the last ripe immortality fruit to two others, the reincarnations of the gods Dionysos and Hekate: Tabitha and Zoe, currently Sophie’s and Adrian’s best friends.

  While the disappointed Sophie struggles to remember Hekate and Dionysos from ancient Greece, she must still face her daily life as a mortal university freshman. Tabitha and Zoe have their own struggles as they come to terms with being newly immortal and their own haunting dreams of past lives and loves. The evil committed by Thanatos invades all of them in heartbreaking memories, and worse still, Sophie and her friends know their enemies are determined to kill again. And even the gods can’t save everyone.

  Buy links, reviews, and more

  Immortal’s Spring

  Immortal's Spring

  Sophie Darrow said yes once to a young man offering a realm of Greek gods and immortality. Now her home has been shattered, and her friends and family pulled along with her as they run from an evil cult and take shelter in the gloomy Underworld. But remembering the life of the original immortals long ago–Persephone, Hades, Hekate, Hermes, and more–may be their key to victory, as well as happiness.

  In ancient times too, the murderous cult Thanatos attacked and destroyed nearly all the Greek immortals who sought to bring good to humankind. But those immortals planted seeds in both their realm and ours to ensure their season would someday bloom again. And spring is finally coming.

  Preorder links, reviews, and more

  About Molly Ringle
  Molly Ringle is the author of the New Adult Greek mythology series that begins with Persephone’s Orchard and continues in Underworld’s Daughter. The final book, Immortal’s Spring, comes out on June 1, 2016. She has also written ghost stories in The Ghost Downstairs and Of Ghosts and Geeks and, to some degree, in What Scotland Taught Me. She stays within the bounds of reality (though still fiction) in her romance novel Summer Term and her dark romantic comedy Relatively Honest She lives in Seattle with her family, is happy when it’s cool and cloudy, and gets giddy about fandom, things that smell good, and gorgeous photos of gardens.

• P as in Pterodactyl - http://pamstucky.com/blog/?p=3083

  Q&A with Author Molly Ringle on Writing and Her Persephone/Hades ‘Greek God Fan-Fiction’
  May 28, 2016 Leave a Comment Written by Pam
  If you’ve linked to this page from the story at the Huffington Post, click here to find where the Q&A left off.

  molly ringle books

  There are some people who were born to write, and author Molly Ringle is one of them. When I see her approach to writing and the way she writes, or hear how she talks about writing, it’s clear: for her, writing is a form of play. Words are her puppets, and she is putting on shows. She makes it all look so easy, and the books she writes are nothing less than delightful.

  With the release of my latest book, The Secret of the Dark Galaxy Stone (sequel to The Universes Inside the Lighthouse), and Molly’s latest book, Immortal’s Spring, Molly and I exchanged Q&As. Read mine at Molly’s blog, and see hers below!

  Pam Stucky: You have written books on such a wide variety of topics, from ghosts to cousins to your latest, a modern revival tale of Greek mythology. I know this is a horrible question, and I never really know how to answer when people ask me, but: where do you get your ideas? Do you have a bunch of ideas in a file somewhere, waiting for when you are ready to work on the next thing?

  Molly Ringle: I do in fact have a story idea file! (It’s literally called that: “STORY IDEA FILE.”) It’s just a Word document, a list with a few lines about each idea. I imagine I’ll never get around to fleshing out all of them, but they are there if I want them, and I do occasionally go back into that file and pick the next book project from it. The ideas may come from a dream I had, or a story that inspired me, or an intriguing business card I found, or an intriguing historical detail I read about, or anywhere really. Often, though, the next project chooses itself by hanging around in my brain and refusing to be ignored, and it doesn’t always have to be written down in that file. With the Persephone trilogy, for instance, I knew for years and years that I’d eventually get around to rewriting that story lurking in the back of my mind. And finally I did!

  First in Molly Ringle's Chrysomelia Stories series: Persephone's Orchard.
  First in Molly Ringle’s Chrysomelia Stories series: Persephone’s Orchard.
  PS: Immortal’s Spring, the third book in your Chrysomelia Stories series, is coming out June 1. Having written series before myself, I know it’s hard to talk about a third book in case people haven’t read the first. Give us a synopsis of the first book, Persephone’s Orchard, and what inspired you to write it. Then, to the extent that you can without spoilers, describe how the story evolves in the next two books.

  MR: The first book introduces Sophie, a modern college freshman in the Pacific Northwest, who’s treated to a brief but startling visit to the spirit world, and finds out she was the goddess Persephone in a past life. She strikes up a tentative friendship with Adrian, the mysterious guy who took her there, and soon her dreams and waking life are flooded with memories going all the way back to Bronze Age Greece. It’s a retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades, but cast as a love story rather than its traditional kidnapping story.

  I was inspired to write it because that was the myth that stuck with me the strongest when I was perusing my copy of D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Mythology as a kid–land of the dead, an impromptu marriage, her mother going nuts, crazy stuff happening to the seasons! It’s the kind of myth you can say so much about, because it wraps up a lot of issues within it.

  So in the subsequent two volumes of my trilogy, the danger increases as Sophie and Adrian and their allies clash with a vicious anti-immortal cult. And we also unfold the stories of some other Greek gods, who have been reborn into modern bodies too. It involves many love stories and family problems, and lots of adventure and magic.

  Second in the series: Underworld's Daughter.
  Second in the series: Underworld’s Daughter.
  PS: Would you call your series a “retelling” of one of the Greek myths? Do I have to have a solid foundation in Greek mythology to understand this series?

  MR: I would say the trilogy counts as a “retelling” of the Persephone and Hades myth (and some other Greek myths too), though with many liberties taken and changes made. In one of the afterwords I call it “Greek god fan-fiction.” It ought to be accessible even to those who don’t know the mythology, but it has several fun bits of symbolism and other hat-tips in it for those who do know it.

  PS: Did you do a lot of research for this series? Did you go back and read all the old Greek myths? With these stories being your own fiction, obviously you could do whatever you wanted; your stories didn’t have to stay true to the old myths. How did you decide how closely you wanted to parallel the original tales?

  MR: I haven’t read all the myths–there are a lot of old sources out there!–but I did read more of them than I had ever read before. I figured I should know the existing material fairly well before I changed it all up. I read a lot of modern translations of various ancient sources (I do not speak Greek myself, ancient nor modern), and I consulted theoi.com frequently, which is an amazing site that cross-references just about every Greek mythology deity or figure ever known. Turns out the different versions of the myths sometimes contradict each other, so in changing the stories to my liking, I was pretty much only doing what every other myth-teller had ever done in the past. And I did change them a lot. Faithfulness to the myths wasn’t really my main aim; telling a good story was. My method was to use the myths as an inspiration, and to be more or less true to the character of each god (as far as we can infer such things), but beyond that I let the story go wherever it needed to in order to satisfy me.

  Third in the series: Immortal's Spring.
  Third in the series: Immortal’s Spring.
  PS: As a writer, I often think about the idea that “every person is the protagonist of his or her own story.” Do you agree? How do you get inside your antagonists’ heads in order to make them more real to your readers?

  MR: Antagonists are so hard for me! I know that in real life people do sometimes commit acts like murder or torture, or believe wholeheartedly in genocide or the scary methods of some cult. But it’s very hard for me to wrap my mind around why they think they’re justified in doing those things, and I don’t like trying to get into that headspace. Still, I give it my best shot, and I humanize my antagonists at least a little by giving them, say, fondness toward a family member or lover, or a willingness to compromise every so often, or a harmless opinion the rest of us can agree with.

  As for whether the protagonists are basically me: I think a lot of them do have at least some traits I possess. But they usually get features I don’t have, too; such as notable bravery, or being fond of loud parties, or pursuing some profession that I never have and probably never will. (Sidenote: I rarely have my characters be writers. I know it works for Stephen King and many others, but it just feels too much like self-insertion for me somehow.)

  Molly at home in Seattle.
  Molly at home in Seattle.
  If you’re joining this post linked from the Huffington Post article, start here!

  PS: I was listening to a podcast interview with Paulo Coelho recently, in which he basically pooh-pooh’d the idea of characters “speaking” to authors or characters having their own lives that they revealed to authors. I know I’ve had moments where characters seemed to have lives of their own, which they were just revealing to me. What do you think? How do you build your characters? Do you have any process you use to get to know them better as you shape your stories?

  MR: I have certainly had the experience of wanting to make a character do or say a particular thing, and having it just not work, because that was not in their nature. But it does sometimes take half a book or so before I get familiar enough with their nature to know such things. That first half of the first draft can be rough going for me; I can be inconsistent and unsure when it comes to characterization. Then I start to know them better, and it smooths out, and I go back and fix the earlier scenes.

  But if I need help getting to the smooth-sailing stage, I find it useful to try writing up something on the side about them, like a journal entry about their likes, dislikes, history, fears, hopes, etc.; or an interview with them. Another thing that helps me is casting the characters. For some reason, when I pick an actor (or just a random photo of someone) who looks right to me, it really helps bring the character to life. It may be because I can better picture how they might move and talk, and I can notice details of their physical appearance, features I might not have thought about when the character was just an amorphous being in my head. Pinterest boards have proven excellent for this exercise!

  PS: Having written as many books as you have (seven published works), has your writing process changed from when you started? What do you know now that you didn’t know when you started?

  MR: By now I’ve learned that sometimes it works better for me to outline first, but I also know that sometimes it doesn’t. That is, I’m neither wholly a “plotter” nor a “pantser,” but somewhere in between on the spectrum, and that’s okay.

  Also, I used to need several more revisions than I need now. I’ve gotten better at targeting what needs fixing, so that I can do the major (and minor) edits in just a few pass-throughs. When I was younger the revision process was kind of a long, ongoing, aimless mess. Now I’m more organized.

  I’ve also gotten a lot better at telling myself, during the first draft, “It’s all right, it doesn’t have to be great, just keep going and we’ll fix the clunky parts later.” And I’m better at listening to myself when I say that. So that’s usually what I tell people when they want advice about how to write a book: just write the book, and let the first draft suck, because you’ll fix it later. And only by finishing a draft do you even know what the whole book needs, anyway.

Immortal's Spring
Publishers Weekly. 263.16 (Apr. 18, 2016): p101.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
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Immortal's Spring

Molly Ringle. Central Avenue, $16.95 trade paper (448p) ISBN 978-1-77168-040-0

The third and final book in Ringle's Chrysomelia Stories (following 2014's Underworld's Daughter) opens with Sophie Darrow--the modern reincarnation of Persephone--in shock after members of the anti-immortal cult Thanatos kill her parents and destroy her home. Her would-be lover, Adrian, the reincarnation of Hades and the man responsible for reintroducing Sophie to the Underworld and her many lifetimes, is wracked with guilt over the carnage. Sophie and the other reincarnated immortals spend much of the book dealing with the repercussions of the attack and preparing for the next one. But this time, the Thanatos cultists have figured out a way into the Underworld itself, and they wield a magic that can be lethal even to immortals. Ancient memories from significant past lives are interlaced throughout the story, including the mystery of why the chrysomelia tree, whose fruit bestowed immortality, is dying. The lion's share of this final volume is a slow boil, but while there's more introspection than in previous volumes, Ringle provides a thoroughly satisfying thread-tying conclusion. (June)

• Long and Short Reviews
  http://www.longandshortreviews.com/book-reviews/immortals-spring-by-molly-ringle/
  Word count: 379

  Immortal’s Spring by Molly Ringle
  August 5, 2016 By completedreviews Leave a Comment
  SPRING
  Immortal’s Spring by Molly Ringle
  Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
  Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal
  Length: Full Length (437 pgs)
  Heat Level: Spicy
  Rating: 4 stars
  Reviewed by Nymphaea

  Sophie Darrow said yes once to a young man offering a realm of Greek gods and immortality. Now her home has been shattered, and her friends and family pulled along with her as they run from an evil cult and take shelter in the gloomy Underworld. To love, trust, and smile again seems almost out of Sophie’s reach. But remembering the life of the original Persephone and her fellow immortals long ago may prove the best therapy, as well as their key to victory. In ancient times too, the murderous cult Thanatos attacked and eventually wiped out the Greek immortals who sought to bring good to humankind. But those immortals planted seeds in both their realm and ours to ensure that their season would bloom again someday. And spring is finally coming.

  A great mix of old and new, but oh so realistic.

  I’ve never read a Molly Ringle book before and I’m glad I rectified it. I’ll certainly go back and read the others in this series. The writing was crisp, sharp and kept me on my toes. I had to know what was going to happen next. Ms Ringle writes characters that are well-rounded and likable, even when they’re going through some serious emotional crisises.

  I liked how the author moved between the present and the past, showing the different sides of the characters. While it was interesting, sometimes I did get confused. I had to reread a few times to make sure I understood what was going on and who did what. There were a lot of characters and a lot happening.

  That said, I was immersed in their world and enjoyed reading about these immortals. If you want a book that will challenge, excite and enthrall you, then this might be the book for you. There’s a whole lot going on and it’s overwhelming, but very cool.

• San Francisco Book Review
  http://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/immortals-spring-the-chrysomelia-stories/
  Word count: 231

  Immortal’s Spring
  We rated this book:
  $16.95

  5 out of 5 based on 1 customer rating 1 customer review
  After the death of her parents and the destruction of her home, Sophie Darrow, her brother Liam, and her immortal friends–reincarnations of ancient Greek gods–are on the run from the evil cult Thanatos. As Sophie struggles to heal from the trauma, her relationship with Adrian is suffering, but she finds solace in the memories of her many past lives, both as Persephone and as others. But Thanatos won’t rest for long; under new membership, the cult has plans to take the Underworld by force and destroy the tree of immortality forever.

  Author Molly Ringle finishes off her Chrysomelia Stories trilogy with a bang! Immortal’s Spring pulls readers right back into this reimagining of the Greek myths and emergence of modern-day gods and goddesses, and this novel is just as hard to put down as the previous two. There is plenty more Sophie-and-Adrian, and readers will cheer as they renew their romance, but there is also plenty of delving into Zoe and her past life as Hekate, as well as intriguing plot twists relating to the modern-day identities of other key immortals. An exciting and satisfying end to a fantastic series.

  Reviewed By: Holly Scudero
  Author: Molly Ringle
  Star Count: 5/5

• Luxury Reading
  http://luxuryreading.com/underworldsdaughter/
  Word count: 594

  Review: Underworld’s Daughter by Molly Ringle
  RATING:
  perf5.000x8.000.inddReviewed by Jessa Larsen

  Persephone and Hades, or Adrian and Sophie in the mortal lives, discovered the secret to immortality in their Underworld garden in Molly Ringle’s first book in the Chrysomelia series. Now, in Underworld’s Daughter, new immortals are being created for the first time in thousands and thousands of years. Unfortunately, Sophie has not had a chance to taste the delectable fruit of immortality. Thanks to Nikolaus, the trickster god, Tabitha and Zoe, her and Adrian’s best friends, have discovered their old immortal selves: Dionysos and Hekate. But Sophie is being left farther and farther behind, which means that mortality and the danger of the cult group, Thanatos, are getting closer and closer. Can her immortal friends, Gods of Ancient Greece, help her escape with her life? Or is she doomed to wait, yet again, and hope she has a chance or coming back for another try.

  Thanatos is back in book two of the series, and just as deadly. They’re on the run from the police due to their past public behavior, but this doesn’t seem to bother them any. Sophie, Adrian, and all their friends must group together and outsmart the insane cult. But can they actually reason with the unreasonable?

  I love the Greek gods and the mythologies that go along with them, so I was excited to start this series and, after the first book, come back for seconds. Unfortunately, I felt a little disappointed with this installment. I understand that it can be tricky to keep readers engaged while weaving the old Persephone and Hades story with the present storyline. Nevertheless, I found that I liked the original story much more than the story I felt was the “main” event. I think Ringle got stuck in the mud with this one, and it really broke my focus.

  I also had an issue with the inclusion of Hades and Persephone’s logically progressing love life. I’m all for a good romance—I don’t even mind it getting hot and heavy—as long as it’s done correctly and doesn’t take away from the plot and characters. In this case, I think the “sexy” bits were tossed in just for the fun of it, and they just made me cringe. Not because they was crude or over the top… it was more like listening to a virgin make up a sexy story you know never actually really happened and just lets you know for sure that the speaker is, indeed, and actual virgin. Just didn’t work for me. At all.

  The story ends rather abruptly, and I ended up putting the book down, wandering off, and wondering what just happened to me. I’m also confused by the title. We get a little more of Hekate, who is used by the author as the daughter of Persephone and Hades, thus the possible Underworld’s Daughter. Hekate gets a decent role in the story, and her back story is definitely fleshed out, but I wouldn’t call her a primary character for which titling a book usually makes sense. Anyways, I believe the series has potential, and I really did enjoy the first book. I’m hoping the second was just an awkward middle ground that can turn into a third story that really finishes it up in a fantastic way. Only time will tell, I suppose.

• Bookish Confections
  http://thebookishconfections.blogspot.com/2014/06/release-day-book-review-giveaway.html
  Word count: 948

  Release Day Book Review + Giveaway: Underworld's Daughter (The Chrysomelia Stories # 2) by Molly Ringle
  Friday, June 27, 2014 Labels: 5-star, fantasy, Molly Ringle, release day, review, The Chrysomelia Stories
  Underworld's Daughter
  Author: Molly Ringle
  Release date: June 27th 2014
  Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
  Series: The Chrysomelia Stories # 2
  Age Group: Adult / General
  Genre: Fantasy
  Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository
  Add to your library: Goodreads

  New immortals are being created for the first time in thousands of years thanks to the tree of immortality discovered by Persephone and Hades. But Sophie Darrow is not one of them. Nikolaos, the trickster, has given the last ripe immortality fruit to two others, the reincarnations of the gods Dionysos and Hekate: Tabitha and Zoe, currently Sophie's and Adrian's best friends.

  While the disappointed Sophie struggles to remember Hekate and Dionysos from ancient Greece, she must still face her daily life as a mortal university freshman. Tabitha and Zoe have their own struggles as they come to terms with being newly immortal and their own haunting dreams of past lives and loves. The evil committed by Thanatos invades all of them in heartbreaking memories, and worse still, Sophie and her friends know their enemies are determined to kill again. And even the gods can't save everyone. (via Goodreads)

  HAPPY HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO UNDERWORLD'S DAUGHTER. May a lot of awesome readers start to get lost in your world.

  I received an e-copy of this from Michelle Halket of Central Avenue Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This however did not influence my opinion of the book or of the author in any way..

  Review
  I waited one year for this. And man was it ever worth it. Don't continue reading this review if you haven't read Persephone's Orchard. Spoilers might be present for that one.

  Underworld's Daughter surely did surpassed Persephone's Orchard (for me so don't argue). Both are lengthy but I guess that's already a given. All the aspects I loved in Persephone's Orchard were the same things I loved in this sequel. The plot. The mystery. The drama. The magic. The mythology. The characters. The romance (or the lack thereof in this one). So what made this one even more special? I'll go with the story itself.

  Underworld's Daughter focused more the underworld's daughter of course. That's obvious. Anyway, it also presented the slow-by-slow unveiling of the Greek Gods' memories and how whatever they have done thousand years ago still affect their lives in the present they were born in. It was both fun and painful to know what have happened to Sophie and others before. A lot happened. Both during their past and their present. Literally. A. Lot. Things were now understood as to why they were happening to them. Especially with Thanatos' existence. Can I just say that Thanatos is quite uhm scary? And violent, I can't forget that.

  More lost souls were present here and their presence stirred up a bit of turmoil. Zoe and Tab were fabulous in learning their past lives. Things happened as they usually do because hey, Thanatos is always after the Greek Gods. I don't honestly understand Thanatos' issue. Especially with that "traitors" thing. I think they really have a different outlook on the Greek Gods. They do believe in the 'Gods' sense of them. And hey, Molly, that one surprise at the end was such a surprise. I wonder how Adrian and the others will handle that lost soul in the next installment.

  Adrian and Sophie were having trouble in paradise. I didn't mind that a bit. As much as I want to swoon over them, I had my fair share already with Persephone's Orchard. I guess it's time to let the others shine. The problems were mostly Sophie's. And I just get her. If I were her, I'd probably think about how if I didn't eat that fruit and all. Maybe things were a little different for her and for the people around her.

  Of all the minor characters I've met since PO, Niko or should I say Hermes, is the most endearing for me. I told you not to continue this if you haven't read Persephone's Orchard. See? Spoiler for you already. Anyway, Niko reminds me of Puck from The Iron Fey series. I guess it's because of the charm. So yes, I love Niko. His character can be very sarcastic at times but at least he was being truthful.

  The story alternates between the past and the characters' recollection of their memories. I loved that part of the novel because it somehow shows how the present was quite the repeat of the past. Just thinking about it makes me sad as the way the things ended in the past and even in the present.

  When the end was fast approaching, I wasn't surprised as to how it happened. I guess at the back of my mind, I know something like that was going to happen but that doesn't still make it any less sad.

  Underworld's Daughter is truly an entertaining and amazing sequel that will leave you wanting for more (I swear I'd give anything just to read the next one.) Prepare to be mesmerized by the Greek Gods and their memories and by the absolutely thorough writing of Molly .

  P.S. You're right, Michelle. It totally gave a soap opera vibes. I honestly think the plot of this series will be a good one for a TV show.

• Parajunkee.com
  http://www.parajunkee.com/2013/09/30/review-persephones-orchard-by-molly-ringle/
  Word count: 1171

  #Review: Persephone’s Orchard by Molly Ringle
  Posted by Parajunkee | Sep 30, 2013 | Book Review | 5 |
  #Review: Persephone’s Orchard by Molly Ringle
  PJV Quickie: Persephone’s Orchard is a unique retelling of a well known story with great characters and an addicting epic love story that at times is very much forbidden. The flashbacks will have you hooked and dying for more though the world building left something to be desired.

  Review: Molly Ringle re-imagines the myth of Hades and Persephone in Persephone’s Orchard. Persephone’s Orchard is a New Adult Paranormal Romance that is based on Greek Mythology. I am a fan of Greek Mythology inspired books and my favorite individual myth is that of Hades and Persephone. I went into this book with pretty high expectations. When you read a retelling or re-imagining it needs to be different enough to be unique but not too far off that it no longer has anything to do with what was originally told. This book definitely is in the middle ground with that, it tells a unique side to Greek Myth that hasn’t been told but at times strayed too far from it. It follows Sophie and Adrian as they deal with the fact that in a past life they were Persephone and Hades, but their story is much different from the one we commonly know. Persephone’s Orchard is a great Paranormal Romance that doesn’t have the two things that have become the most hated of the genre which are love triangles and insta-love. It was a really great read that was highly enjoyable yet it did have a few things holding it back from a 5 star review.

  The story begins very mysteriously I love a confusing yet intriguing prologues. It left me asking myself plenty of questions starting with how and why. It was crazy someone gets shot in the beginning and survives. I was dying to know who he was and who this girl Sophie was. And that technically wasn’t even the first chapter. From chapter one, craziness ensues and Sophie acts like a normal person would. She is freaked out, confused and scared; after being kidnapped and taken to a different realm. I was glad that she questioned everything, I for one am done with characters who just believe everything they are told. Sophie is an interesting character because she couldn’t hide how intrigued she was by Adrian. Sophie is definitely my favorite character from the story. She is very intelligent. She also isn’t this spineless girl enraptured by this mysterious guy.

  It wasn’t the wittiest or snarkiest book ever written but there were just enough lines to provide comic relief. The story is told in third person from both Sophie and Adrian which was well done. It was also a change up from your average paranormal romance which tends to favor a female narrator. Molly Ringle was able to develop the god’s powers into their personalities extremely well. The person whose past life was Demeter owns a fruit stand and their daughter Sophie, Persephone, has a nutritional blog. It just worked perfectly. Molly Ringle has perfected the art of the chapter cliff hanger I always wanted to read more.

  The world building just didn’t cut it for me. The explanations lacked depth and felt like an afterthought. For example when Sophie asked, why there are animals in the spirit world, the answer Adrian gives her is “Oh, Evolution.” Or why she could use a cell phone there, the answer certain frequencies can get through, it is just an oddity. The answers were very 2- dimensional; Molly Ringle seemed too focused on the world being unique and strange than providing an eloquent reason as to how these qualities existed. I get that it could just be that the character doesn’t fully know but it comes off as under developed.

  There were many scenes that I found to be unnecessary that were just weird and didn’t make sense in the grand scheme of the story. An example of this would be Persephone getting “tutored” in the art of seduction by Adonis and Aphrodite. It was just an awkward thing to read and it made no sense to the story. There was also a plot twist that was extremely obvious that bugged me to no end. I was ready to scream at Sophie for being so gullible. I was extremely bothered by the lack of explanation until the end of the book of how the immortals can die. There was obviously a missing link as to how they died in the first place to be reincarnated but it got skipped over. Why are they “immortals” then? They are just hard to kill. Not what I want in a character that is a “god”.

  Adrian in a lot of ways reminded me of Jay Gatsby especially with how he left comments on her blog. What can I say; I love fictional boys with stalker like tendencies. I want an Adrian for myself! Can someone make this happen please? He is as close to perfect as a guy can get. But Hades on the other hand had his faults. There was clear distinction between the people they are in the present and who they were in the past which was great to see.There is more conflict to this story than you might expect because it is more than a love story between Persephone and Hades. There is this group called Thanatos whose sole purpose is to get rid of immortals. They have placed targets of both Sophie and Adrian’s backs. The end of the novel deals almost exclusively with this. I have only ever seen Thanatos mentioned in the Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. So I know that it is a part of Greek Mythology and is some crazy cult but I do wish to learn more about it. It added a level of suspense I was surprised to see in a romance.

  Persephone’s Orchard was an exciting fast paced story that I enjoyed. I have read many books that deal with Greek Mythology and this one had zero qualities like the other ones. At times it didn’t stick at all to the myths which bugged me. The world building definitely needed some more substance. But for me this book gets 4 stars because I loved the characters. Sophie, Adrian, Niko, Rhea are all smart and funny. This book is different from a lot of books I have read recently and I am interested in seeing where this series goes. I recommend this to those who want to see Greek Mythology used in a new way. Fans of Fallen by Lauren Kate and The Goddess Test will especially enjoy this book.

  This is the first review on Parajunkee’s View by Dana, please give her a warm welcome…

• Book Queen Reviews
  https://bookqueenreviews.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/persephones-orchard-by-molly-ringle/
  Word count: 268

  AUGUST 5, 2013 · 5:58 PM ↓ Jump to Comments
  Persephone’s Orchard by: Molly Ringle
  PersOrchmed

  An interesting twist to an old myth; Persephone’s Orchard retells the story of a love between Hades and Persephone and how it might have been. This is a young adult novel that I devoured as an adult. This is a story about a modern day college freshman and a new love interest that isn’t at all what he appears to be. Sophie has headed off to college and she knows that this means she is in store for some big changes in her life, but little does she know that her entire world is about to be turned upside down.

  Life in the Underworld isn’t all that the original Greek mythologies had made them out to be. Yes , there is a area that is designated as the place where the wicked go, but the rest of the spirit realm is almost a mirror image of earth. The souls of the dead reside there in happiness until it is there turn to be reborn. Hades is not a tormentor or a man filled with hate. Persephone is about to relive her life again.

  I do not want to give away the storyline of this wonderful story filled with love and a bit of suspense. This is the first book in the Chrisomilia series and I can not wait to read the next one. I give this book 5 crowns and I think it would make fr some great discussions in a YA book club group.

• Long and Short Reviews
  http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2009/04/ghost-downstairs-by-molly-ringle.html
  Word count: 619

  Thursday, April 30, 2009
  The Ghost Downstairs by Molly Ringle

  The Ghost Downstairs by Molly Ringle
  Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
  Genre: Paranormal; Fantasy; Suspense; Contemporary
  Length: Full (284 pages)
  Heat: Sensual
  Rating: 4 Books
  Reviewed by Poinsettia

  After making a fatal mistake on the job, Lina Zuendel seeks shelter in a Seattle assisted-living facility as their live-in nurse. But peace is not what she finds. She soon hears tales of ghosts haunting the house, and of two tragic deaths that took place in the 1930s. Unexplained events send her to ask questions of the handsome resident houseboy.

  Ren Schultz, a seemingly young live-in houseboy, tries to avoid his growing attraction to the new nurse. His secrets are too dangerous to share, no matter how lonely he has become. But Lina is persistent, and soon uncovers dark truths that no one else has dared to face.

  As their attraction grows, so does the intensity of the paranormal activity. Can their love survive the mysteries that lurk in the old sorority house?

  Lina Zuendel knows there is something strange about Ren Schultz and the assisted living facility where they both work. Despite the mystery surrounding him, Lina can’t help but feel attracted to Ren, but once she starts digging into the past, will she be able to handle what she discovers?

  Lina’s life is full of regrets, but making a tragic mistake at Everglade Hospital tops them all. This prompts Lina to decide she needs a change of scenery. When she reads an ad in the newspaper for a live-in nurse at an assisted living facility called Drake House, it seems like the perfect opportunity to tend her bruised spirit.

  Lina falls in love with Drake House immediately. The staff and residents are equally charming, and soon Lina begins to hope she’ll find the peace that’s eluded her for so long. Unfortunately, there is much more to Drake House then meets the eye. It seems that the building is haunted by a ghost. After being assured that the ghost is harmless, Lina decides to stay at Drake House.

  Curiosity about the ghost and the history of Drake House leads Lina to Ren, the handsome houseboy, but it seems that Ren has some dark secrets of his own. Though Lina and Ren try to deny their growing attraction, the soon realize they’ve fallen in love. As their relationship intensifies, the ghost at Drake House becomes increasingly active and more violent. It seems the ghost might not be so harmless after all.

  I thought Ms. Ringle created a great heroine in Lina Zuendel. She is one of the most down-to-earth characters I’ve read about in a long time. Sure Lina has made some mistakes (haven’t we all), but she’s also smart, thoughtful and caring. Lina is so relatable that it was easy to empathize with her.

  As a hero, Ren was also very likable. He genuinely cares about the residents at Drake House, he’s handsome, and a great cook. What more could a woman want? I soon suspected what Ren’s secret was, but I enjoyed watching Lina discover more about him as their romance blossomed.

  The Ghost Downstairs literally kept me on the edge of my seat. Not only was the supernatural activity truly spine-tingling, but I was constantly kept guessing at how Lina and Ren were ever going to find their happily ever after. Anyone who enjoys a moving romance with tons of suspense needs to get a copy of The Ghost Downstairs today.

• Reading Lark
  https://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/05/book-review-what-scotland-taught-me.html
  Word count: 895

  Sunday, May 29, 2011

  Book Review: What Scotland Taught Me
  What Scotland Taught Me
  By: Molly Ringle
  Published By: ireadiwrite Publishing
  Release Date: September 2010
  Buy it at Amazon
  Source: Provided by Author
  Audience: Mature Young Adult

  This book has consumed my every waking moment all weekend long. I could not manage to get these characters and their stories out of my mind. As a result, I spent every moment of free time curled up somewhere with my Kindle voraciously reading. What Scotland Taught Me is a coming of age tale in which Eva must learn who she is and how to manage her heart. In spite of Eva's flaws, I still find her to be an incredibly lovable character. I loved watching her evolve throughout the story. The romance in the book also kept me captivated. Molly Ringle has a gift for creating relationships of both the endearing and steamy variety.

  What Scotland Taught Me follows four childhood best friends from Oregon who have decided to spend six months in Scotland before heading off to college. Eva, the main character, is a likable, fickle girl who wants to experience everything Edinburgh and love have to offer. However, there is a slight problem with her plan, since she has a boyfriend back home. Shannon, Eva's cousin, is along for the trip in spite of the guilt she feels for leaving her family. Shannon has always been the dutiful daughter and this trip will be the first time she has done something completely for herself. Amber is running away from her life of poverty in hopes of finding her father and adventure. While, Laurence is along for the ride to serve as the protector and to experience European life before buckling down to his Science studies. Along the way, each character learns things from their time in Scotland - some of the knowledge will come with a heavy price. Also, because these are college age students some of their experiences are a bit more explicit in nature.

  I saw a little bit of myself in each of these characters which made me love them more. Every time Eva fell in love, I fell right with her. I struggled with how much to say on that topic because I really don't want to give anything away. I think experiencing things along with Eva is the best way to read this novel. I related to Shannon because I am currently living 2700 miles away from my family. I understand the guilt she feels, but like her, in the end I had to choose based on what was best for me. Amber and I have the least in common, but I liked her spunk and tenacity; I hope that I have some of those elements from time to time. Finally, Laurence and I have the same sense of humor. I love that all of these characters meant something to me by the time I was done reading. I didn't want to let them go - their stories don't seem to be finished.

  The setting was also something that kept me totally enamored. I have always wanted to visit Scotland and fully intend to get there one day, but until then I loved seeing the locale through these characters' eyes. It made me wish that I had done something similar before heading off to college, but I didn't have a chance like this one. I can't even imagine how much fun it would have been, however, the hostel didn't sound like much fun at all. I would have needed my own room and reliable heat.

  Molly Ringle is a wonderful writer who breathed life into her characters and kept me transfixed on her every word. I loved the banter between Eva and Laurence. I actually laughed out loud several times - gaining myself a few eye rolls from my husband. I am excited to get my hands on more books written by Molly. What Scotland Taught Me is going to be a treasured, well loved favorite of mine for sure. This is a book that I would reread just to spend some more time with the characters.

  One Last Gripe: I want to know what happens next for these characters. Is there a sequel????

  My Favorite Thing About This Book: The characters & setting

  First Sentence: Amber slid a note onto my knee, jarring me out of my obsessive thoughts.

  Favorite Character: Laurence

  Least Favorite Character: Amber's Dad

  Summary:

  Fresh out of high school, Eva Sonneborn is headed to Scotland with her best friends: scholarly, sarcastic Laurence; gorgeous, ghost-seeing Amber; and responsible, sweet Shannon. They plan to spend the next six months in Edinburgh, enjoying an adventure-filled work-abroad journey before parting ways for college.

  But when Eva meets Gil, a local bartender, she figures a little innocent flirting won't hurt her relationship with Tony, her ever-faithful boyfriend back home. But just when things turn less innocent with Gil, the trip starts throwing curveballs at not only her but her friends too. By the end of the trip, they've all fallen in love, sometimes with the wrong people - and with consequences that may tear their friendship apart forever...