Objectively, I know this is bad. But did I have fun? Yes. ( )

High stakes, slightly cheesy, and super steamy. I absolutely loved this. As far as Romantasy goes, I'm not sure there's much more I can ask for than a King of Hades with a catchphrase that is essentially "Are you well?". Swoon. ( )

Arghh, I wanted to love this book so badly!! I adore Greek mythology, especially the Hades and Persephone one in particular. And I was really, really hankering for an adult fantasy romance after reading a slew of YA books and thrillers. This checked all my boxes.

Except it fell flat. Don’t get me wrong, I lapped up the whole premise of a goddess hiding her identity in a cosmopolitan city, where characters from Greek mythology lived and thrived, were journalists and owners of bars and clubs and were treated as celebrities in the fictional town of New Athens. And I loved all the mentions of the gods in this book.

I liked Hades a lot - I thought he was the most rounded and well written character in the book. He came off one way but there was something deeper, and though he first came off as an edgelord vs the scary god of the dead, I eventually grew a soft spot for him.

Persephone annoyed me to no end. I was confused about her age…was she 18 or 24? She behaved like a bratty rebellious teenager vs a grown woman. And her character was so inconsistent. One minute she’s naive and the next she’s making demands of a God. I liked her at first and grew to dislike her.

The relationship was too insta-lovey for me. I love myself some steamy scenes, but I also like my romances slow-burn style where the characters get to know and appreciate each other first before declaring their love and I want to root for them to hook up/kiss/say I love you. Perhaps I read the wrong book.

That didn’t happen here. I also didn’t feel the connection between them. Infatuation? Yes, definitely. Love? Nowhere to be found. I understood why Persephone loved Hades, but not the other way around. This was hardly an enemies-to-lovers story, as it was based on misunderstandings and she lusted for him from the very start. I also strongly dislike the trope where the woman is a virgin and the man is not. Also, their relationship seemed toxic since he came off as controlling and possessive instead of loving, and he’s constantly leaving bruises on her body after sex/kissing. This unfortunately isn’t the first romance I’ve read with this dynamic.

The side characters and villains were all one dimensional cardboard cutouts and only seemed like they were there to serve the MCs and move the plot forward.

I see that this book has a ton of great reviews, and it may just be that this story wasn’t for me.

I don’t think I’ll be moving forward with this series. I may check out the Adrian and Isolde series to see if that’s more my cup of tea.
( )

Arghh, I wanted to love this book so badly!! I adore Greek mythology, especially the Hades and Persephone one in particular. And I was really, really hankering for an adult fantasy romance after reading a slew of YA books and thrillers. This checked all my boxes.

Except it fell flat. Don’t get me wrong, I lapped up the whole premise of a goddess hiding her identity in a cosmopolitan city, where characters from Greek mythology lived and thrived, were journalists and owners of bars and clubs and were treated as celebrities in the fictional town of New Athens. And I loved all the mentions of the gods in this book.

I liked Hades a lot - I thought he was the most rounded and well written character in the book. He came off one way but there was something deeper, and though he first came off as an edgelord vs the scary god of the dead, I eventually grew a soft spot for him.

Persephone annoyed me to no end. I was confused about her age…was she 18 or 24? She behaved like a bratty rebellious teenager vs a grown woman. And her character was so inconsistent. One minute she’s naive and the next she’s making demands of a God. I liked her at first and grew to dislike her.

The relationship was too insta-lovey for me. I love myself some steamy scenes, but I also like my romances slow-burn style where the characters get to know and appreciate each other first before declaring their love and I want to root for them to hook up/kiss/say I love you. Perhaps I read the wrong book.

That didn’t happen here. I also didn’t feel the connection between them. Infatuation? Yes, definitely. Love? Nowhere to be found. I understood why Persephone loved Hades, but not the other way around. This was hardly an enemies-to-lovers story, as it was based on misunderstandings and she lusted for him from the very start. I also strongly dislike the trope where the woman is a virgin and the man is not. Also, their relationship seemed toxic since he came off as controlling and possessive instead of loving, and he’s constantly leaving bruises on her body after sex/kissing. This unfortunately isn’t the first romance I’ve read with this dynamic.

The side characters and villains were all one dimensional cardboard cutouts and only seemed like they were there to serve the MCs and move the plot forward.

I see that this book has a ton of great reviews, and it may just be that this story wasn’t for me.

I don’t think I’ll be moving forward with this series. I may check out the Adrian and Isolde series to see if that’s more my cup of tea.
( )

Very well written, you can tell how the author tries to write this book with suspense and love. The relationship between her and her mother also came across well. Unfortunately, I couldn't relate to many events, and regrettably, I didn't like the story towards the end. It was good at the beginning, but by the third book, the story lost its way. It's not a waste to read it once, but, unfortunately, it's not enough for a second time for me. ( )