The premise for this book, retelling the story of the Greek goddess Persephone, was truly exciting for me. I went into it with high expectations, but didn't quite enjoy the story. Because it was a bit too superficial, it was an okay read for me.

I struggled a bit to get into the story. I was able to see where the author was going but wished the plot and the characters had a bit more depth.

DNF at 41%.

I have no idea what the hell this was about. The plot/plots (cause who knows at this point) were so over the place. We have Cora/Persephone who is 1. Grieving for her dead husband 2. Avoiding Hades her ex-husband but also asking him for help/information 3. Trying to befriend/sleep with her realtor Gabriel Cartwright who is a nymph of some kind?? 4. Avoiding actually selling her house and throwing random parties 5. Sleeping with random people and getting wasted 6. Possible revenge scheme against her Olympian family 7. Seeing a therapist were everything she says contradicts itself and 8. Randomly acting on prophecies that are not explained to the reader in a sensible way.

This had a really interesting premise, but there was no coherent plot line for me to follow that would've led to this being an enjoying read. Plus Cora is an absolute mess, her personality does random flips between a mature being I could believe was a goddess and acting like a spoiled child. Most the time I could not believe she was Persephone.

There were too many things that did not work for me in the 100+ pages I read. And then there was the writing. So many sentences were strung together in the most chaotic and confusing way, it made it hard to really immerse myself in the story.

The two events that sealed this books fate for me was 1. Cora blaming Gabriel for being sexually assaulted at a party in her house he did not attend. and 2. Cora randomly shooting her only ally in the head for no apparent reason. Like wtf?? WHY. Something is wrong with Cora and she's not going to fix it by the end of the book. So I am done with this book.

She is the immortal Greek goddess Persephone, living in a Malibu beach house in the twenty-first century. And no matter how much therapy she undergoes, nothing can ease her pain after the recent murder of her husband. Until she meets Mr. Gabriel Cartwright, a prim and proper young East Coast realtor who’s hired to arrange transfer of her things to her new home in Toronto. Cora likes him. He’s tall, dark and yummy. But Gabe holds a secret. He has Napean nymph blood, an ancestry that Imada, a despicable secret society of gods and goddesses, has been hunting for centuries. Cora knows this. That’s why she hired him. She wants to be close to him. She wants to care for him. But Imada cares about him too—they want him dead. Cora can heal wounds and move clouds, but she can’t bring back her husband. Can her attraction to this new guy help her forget her loss? She has her ancient brutish lover Hades, the God of the Underworld, on her side. And Gabe has such a kind, sweet heart and is so handsome. Yeah, she’ll keep her man or tear Imada apart trying.
This was a pretty good story adapting mythical characters to modern stories. I really enjoyed following Cora through her journey with Gabe. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Honestly, I was excited by reading the synopsis and couldn't wait to sink my teeth in to it. But was quickly disappointed, especially by the main character Cora, who comes across more like a spoiled teenager than a mature Goddess. I really love the idea of the book, but the flow and consistency could be improved and also it could get a little confusing at times. I loved the incorporation of the Greek Pantheon and it's fun to read about them in the human world. The cover is absolutely stunning and beautiful.

The cover made me to wanna read this book. At first I thought it was interesting but after a few chapters I lost my interest. It was too confusing. The idea was good but not the story.

Thank you NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for a review.

I liked the sound of this from the synopsis but unfortunately the reality did not meet my expectations. I found the characters two dimensional and flat, the story seemed all over the place and the pacing felt off, consequently it just couldn’t hold my interest.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Cora by A.L. Hawke is about the goddess Persephone, who lives as a mortal on Earth. Her mortal husband has just been murdered. She begins to develop feelings for new guy Gabe, and juggles her developing attraction to him with finding her husband's killer and protecting Gabe from the other gods.

I did not like Cora as a main character. She was bratty and annoying. She giggled way too much for a goddess. The dialogue was sometimes hard to follow because it jumped around without smoother transitions from one subject to the next. Even in writing, conversations need to have some sort of flow to make sense.

The world built by the author does not replicate traditional Greek gods and goddesses, instead providing a unique twist, which was refreshing. I did like Hades as a character, also Hashan. If there was more character building in general, I think I would have liked this book more, but sadly there was not.

I wish this book had been better, because it had so much potential. However, I wasn't completely satisfied.

I didn't realise that this was not available as a Kindle copy before requesting - unfortunately as I read exclusively on my Kindle Paperwhite I will be unable to read this title. It's a same, as my name is actually Cora!

My thoughts on the blurb: It sounds exciting and intriguing - I want to know more.

My thoughts on the cover: It's gorgeous, stunning! I love the drama and elegance.