Vampires can’t cross running water—unless they first cross the River Styx. Long ago, one of Echidna’s spawn was granted the freedom to move across all bodies of water, even the mighty ocean, if she would do a favor for the king of Hell—bring back Seph, better known as Persephone, Hades’ beloved queen.
It’s been a thousand years as of this Lemuria, and Hades is calling in his marker. Deliver his queen, or else…
The problem? The “demon” slated to do the job is a vampire in love with one Emily Van Helsing, a woman who wants to kill him and all of his kind. They only have an uneasy truce, but only because the “good” monsters of Pine Ridge have convinced her to grant a stay of execution.
Emily van Helsing has been raised to kill vampires on sight. Following family tradition, Emily has taken on the task of hunting London’s most famous vampire— Simeon Crow, even though he claims to be retired. When his trail leads her to paranormal Pine Ridge, a sudden twist of fate left her at the mercy of monsters. Imagine her surprise when the people of Pine Ridge not only save her life, but help her start a new one.
She agrees to the truce, but that doesn’t mean she won’t kill Simeon the second he steps out of line. He may have journeyed to Pine Ridge of his own free will, but she knows the demon in a handsome human form is just waiting until her guard is down to turn this safe haven into hell on earth.
It’s a shock to Simeon when Hades appears and demands that he produce the missing Persephone in just seven days, or Hades will send him to the depths of the underworld—for good. With his unlife on the line, the vampire knows that there’s one woman on earth who can track down anything—even a goddess. Simeonmight have to call in a few favors of his own to get Emily to help him. After all, it’s not really for him—it’s for true love.
Can Emily and Simeon find Persephone—and a love neither of them expected?
Review By Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
This was a unique book, Greek Gods and Goddesses’, a vampire and his worst enemy Emily van Helsing. A book that was never boring and always held my interest. If you are not familiar with the Pine Ridge Universe series, there is no time like to present to begin.
Emily has been chasing after Simeon Crow, a vampire that has evaded her family and now as the only van Helsing alive it is her job to kill him. Heading to Pine Ridge where she knows he is at fate has other ideas for her and she crashes her car where monsters save her life including Simeon.
Simeon is able to remove her from the car before it explodes, and another vampire Jakob Minegold and various other species get her the help she needs. She is badly hurt and everyone in town rallies around her ensuring she has food to eat and gets an apartment. Simeon shows up often baring gifts, food, flowers and anything he thinks will make her smile.
All her life Emily was unloved by her father whose sole interest was killing all beasts whether deserving or not. Simeon only killed those deserving of death and has stopped killing entirely. She is helped by an orca, minatour, all wonderful and not what she would call beasts. She must relearn everything her father ever drummed into her head, but it is not easy.
Simeon makes sure to take her out and as he spends time with her knowing that one wrong move, she could stake him he begins to love her. Emily has found Pine Ridge a peaceful place where she is welcomed something her own father never made her feel. Her entire life was based on killing monsters and now those monsters are becoming her friends.
Then Simeon is visited by Hades revealing that he must find his wife, Queen Persephone aka Seph and he only has one week to do it. It has been almost one thousand years since he gave Lilith the job of going to the mortal world to find Seph only he was not aware of the fact that Simeon had already killed her. Now as her only living spawn the job passes to him.
The only one he can think of capable of hunting another being is Emily and she is convinced when he tells her that he and all the other vampires would be sent to Hell if he failed. Now the hunter is willing to find a Goddess to save the very monsters she once trained to kill.
Simeon and Emily realize that this mission will be difficult because they are working to find the God or Goddess responsible for Seph being missing leaving behind her husband and children. Hades does supply Simeon and Emily with some very nifty items to help and money but where to start their search.
So much happens in this book that I couldn’t put it down and I won’t reveal it. Lots of surprises, lots of sex and lots of suspense. A girl trained to kill monsters learns to see them in an entirely different light but must learn to accept her past was wrong in many ways.
I would love to get some of the audio books Simeon narrates for S.C.
Seph 
