The narrators are a perfect Hades and Persephone. Especially Hades, Alex Moorcock's voice alone, *whew* it is hot. Man needs to narrate some more romance/erotica books stat.

This book has both fake dating and a girl that is tough but acts all sunshine. Plus, it is Hades and Persephone, which I mean, come on, that was all I had to see to add to my Want to Read list.

About that though...I just saw Hades and Persephone and started reading. Did not read enough description to know it is erotica. Not that this is a bad thing, just more of a Surprise! when you aren't expecting it. Actually, it may have been more fun because I didn't know.

The modernizing of this story was well done. The only thing that occasionally felt odd was whenever these very formal people said things like "Yeah." It was mostly Hades and it just didn't fit with the overall character.

Overall, glad I listened to it and a good add to the modern retellings of Hades/Persephone.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy of ‘Neon Gods’ by Kate Robert. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have read the Wicked Villains series by this author so I came into ‘Neon Gods’ with some idea of what I was getting into regarding heat level. I think this book would appeal to the Wicked Villains audience as I believe it is set in the same world. There’s also a similar vibe with territories jostling for power. That being said, I don’t know if my having read the Wicked Villains series impacted my expectations. I’ve also read ‘A Touch of Darkness’ by Scarlett St Clair and found myself comparing the two as well since they’re both Hades and Persephone retellings.

World building- There isn’t much world building in Neon Gods and the title is a bit misleading. There’s no magic (I don’t think?) and if you’re coming into the book looking for a Greek god pantheon retelling you’re probably going to be a little disappointed. Since this is a big selling point of the book I found the god element to be really lacking. The world was also confusing as it’s a world with modern technology but then this Hades character is a myth. But as the book goes on so many people securely knew about him and it just didn’t work if I thought about it for too long.

Characters- A lot of telling about people’s personalities especially with Hades. I also didn’t think the things we were told about Hades reflected in his actions. He was a very big softie which wasn’t what I was expecting. He was a marshmallow. I thought Persephone’s personality was the most interesting as she started to let go of her fake persona that worked as a survival tactic. There were some notable side characters but I felt like you could change the names of everyone and not miss much from the story besides the naming theme.

Romance- The whole sex pact angle seemed like an excuse to get the two mains having sex as soon as possible. I would have liked a little more chemistry and anticipation. The sex pact also didn’t make a ton of sense to me as it didn’t seem like Zeus cared about it. The sex scenes were what I expected from this author but maybe a bit tamer than Wicked Villains but that’s probably because it’s not self-published like Wicked Villains so maybe the author couldn’t go as hard as she might have otherwise?

Pacing- Jumping off the sex pact rushing the romance, I felt the pacing was off throughout. There were these long domestic scenes touring the city and doing cute things together that I feel like I would have preferred happened before all the sex stuff. The ending felt rushed to wrap everything up. I did fly through this book but there were just a few parts where it felt like things could have been moved around or maybe trimmed down some of the falling in love with Hades’ city scenes in favor of more world building?

Narrators- I liked the narrators and thought they did a great job. I did have one little dislike in the way they would read each other’s voices. I kind of wished they could have done all their lines in the same narrator. Like I didn’t mind how the Hades narrator did other female characters but I wasn’t the biggest fan of how he did Persephone’s voice and the same was true for Persephone with Hades’ voice. I did like their voices except when they sounded like they were doing an almost mocking impression of the other with every line.

Overall I would pick up the next book in the series since I now know not to expect a Greek god retelling.

3/5 stars

Mythology but in the modern era. Hades and Persephone mixed with politics and celebrity type rulers. Persephone is being forced by her mother to marry Zeus, who is believed to have killed his previous three wives. So she flees the upper city and finds her way to the lower city, ruled by Hades. Originally one of the Thirteen, everyone believed him to be dead and a myth. She strikes a bargain with him that can work for both of them against Zeus.

There are a few aspects about this story to talk about. The first being the worldbuilding. I think this was the one that wasn’t fleshed out as much as I would’ve liked. I wanted to know a bit more about the structure of how things run, how they happen. Overall, there’s enough there to give you an understanding that is enough for the purposes of this story, but I did find it interesting and would love to see it more developed.

Next up we have the romance. This being my second book by this author, I was expecting a lot of sexy times. As a long time reader of BDSM erotic romance, I also had certain expectations there. What stands out is that even though this was steamy, it wasn’t quite as much as I was expecting. Same thing goes for the BDSM element. I would say this is a bit on the tamer side but still with a nice steam. Both of our main leads are bisexual and we see them explore exhibitionism as well. I also did like that this book doesn’t immediately jump into sex, even though it’s quite insta lovey. There was a nice progression of the story and setting things up before it gets there.

Lastly, the side characters. I’m partial to talking about the adorable dogs but instead I’ve decided to mention one character that really intrigued me. Hermes. I’m very curious to know more and see an HEA coming up.

Katee Robert was able to take this mythology concept and twist it in a very modern way, incorporating also concepts that we are familiar with today along with the common elements we would expect from the mythology. Besides loving a Hades and Persephone retelling, I also love elements of politics and intrigue. All of that drama made this quite fun not just sexy read.

I actually ended up having issues listening to the audiobook through netgally but listened through Spotify and I LOVED this take on Hades x Persephone! Katee Robert is one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to read more in the universe!

Oh my! I loved this book so very much! I loved the audiobook a lot as well. I thought that it really encompassed the story really well and brought the characters to life! I haven't read many Hades and Persephone retellings, and this was probably my favorite one that I've read and it really got me into the mood for romantic retellings! I enjoyed Persephone as a character in this book. I liked how she really wasn't like she seemed to the people around her. She had so many hidden depths, and I loved her determination to do what she could to help, and to also explore the new person she was becoming with Hades. I loved the chemistry she had with Hades, I loved their romance, and how they seemed to really bring out the best in each other. Hades really opened Persephone up to trying new things sexually, and he also allowed her to explore herself and her surroundings to really figure out who she wanted to become in the future. Persephone really allowed Hades to open up to someone, and to show all his scars both physically and emotionally, and was his safe place. This book definitely was character driven, and didn't have much of a plot, but honestly with this book I didn't care. I normally do, and I tend to need at least something going on. But with Neon Gods I found myself really enjoying those day to day moments between Persephone and Hades, that the lack of any real plot besides the surface level plot didn't bother me. There wasn't much going on besides Persephone fearing Zeus, and the 13 using their power to try to either protect Persephone or bring her back. Overall this was a delicious novel with amazing characters, and and even more amazing romance that takes you on a hot and wild ride! If you're looking for your next steamy read then I highly recommend that you check this book out! Definitely one of my favorites this year!

I do love a good Hades Persephone retelling. This one did not disappoint! It was so spicy! Hades was the dark but sweet brooding man that Persephone wanted to know more about. Persephone was the sassy vibrant woman that Hades wanted to protect. I loved every minute! I highly recommend this! Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the audioARC of this book!

Deliciously kinky take on the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone with the flashing opulence and social elite of Mount Olympus versus the verboten undercity across the river Styx.

Honestly, who can resist the good girl versus the bad boy love story, especially when it's THE bad boy of Greek Gods? Plus, add in some exhibitionism/voyeurism kink and you have the makings for quite an entertaining read.

We all know the myth of Hades and Persephone so I won't go too far into the explanations but this is Katee Robert, who is has struck out a very respectable niche in taking well-known and fairly innocent stories (see the Wicked Villains series) and making them new and fabulous and deliciously filthy (and absolutely no longer suitable for younger audiences). I feel like I'm using the word delicious too much, but I seriously cannot think of another synonym... eh, I'm fine with it. Carrying on. Anyone else get a bit of a Romeo and Juliette vibe with this as well. Is it just me?

Persephone via her mother's conniving has worked her way into getting a betrothal to Zeus. Zeus is a dangerous man and potentially (probability 99.9%) guilty of killing his previous wives, thus, not someone you want to marry. In a desperate attempt to escape her fate Persephone finds herself fleeing across the river Styx to escape Zeus' henchmen and stumbles into the arms of Hades. I will no longer spill any more tea. But... there's a lot more to the story and it's... delectable.

I will absolutely gush over the fact that I love how strong Persephone was portrayed. The original myth sort of leaves the reader to think, oh she just succumbs to her fate. Katee makes Persephone so much more than making the best out of a bad situation, Persephone is strong and writes her own narrative... thus all my love is given. Plus, I just love a misunderstood bad boy, and whoa are we not let down with Hades. He cares about his people, he has that whole tragic backstory thing, and man oh day does he love consent. 'Cuz when you are writing kink, consent is so much all the things.

So, when it comes to kink, I am very picky. To many people, the goings-ons of Neon Gods is perfect in its scandalousness. I, however, didn't get all those cylinders revving with it. I never quite got the "need" of Hades in his exhibitionism/voyeurism. To me, it seemed like he did it for the street cred and the assumed sordidness of the act rather than feeding a part of his soul. Persephone seems to blossom under the idea and thus, I felt she was awakening to something, but I never fully got that from Hades. I did get the feeling that once Persephone found it to be her kink, he did that for his partner, which is perfectly beautiful and fine in my book. But seeing as the kink came from Hades, well... I just didn't click with it fully. Again, this is entirely my thing so I'll just say mileage may vary.

The narrators, Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock, did a wonderful dual narration where they alternated chapters based on perspective. I felt Zara had a wider range of character voices and was absolutely spot on with her intonation and pacing. Alex, as I feel with most male narrators, had a bit of time creating multiple female voices, but beyond that, he did an excellent job as well. I love audiobooks and I could totally close my eyes and feel like I was watching TV with an eye mask on. High praise to both of them.

Overall, Neon Gods is a fun and filthy take on Greek myths that is too good to pass up. I am looking forward to the next in the series, Electric Idol, featuring Eros and Psyche. Yay!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I really enjoy retellings of the Greek Myths, and this was an interesting take on the popular story of Hades and Persephone. After reading Neon Gods, I can’t wait for a book #2 of this series!

I enjoyed the dynamic between Hades and Persephone, which stayed true to the common bad boy meets good girl trope, but put a fresh twist on it. Without spoiling anything, this Persephone gave the reader a taste of a modern woman, while this Hades remained a bad boy with an unexpected streak of goodness.

There were interesting ideas that made me think differently about the Gods: there are new associations made by allowing traditionally male gods to be female, and the idea that the gods could die and be replaced by new players was novel in my opinion. I also like the idea that Persephone went to Hades of her own accord, rather than Hades kidnapped her, which makes the tale more modern and put more power in the hands of the woman.

I had fun pricing together the mystery behind the treaty; it wasn’t spelled out directly, but the reader eventually gets enough information to understand how it works. From the replacement of Gods, to Zeus’ various new marriages, it is what brings a fresh perspective to the story—there had to be something new and different to set it apart from the traditional myths, which is what makes this such a fun and interesting version.

I also enjoyed the love story, and the erotic scenes, of course!

Neon Gods presents itself as a retelling of hades and persephone, and it is to a degree. The problem with Neon Gods is simply context. Robert does little to give the reader significant context to understand the world. You may think why is this a problem. It is an issue because this narrative is so iconic and most people have a basic understanding of greek mythology as well. This is exacerbated by the fact that Robert has already written a book with Hades a titular character. Clear world building needed to be done instead of only focusing on the romance.

The narrators did such an amazing job with this audiobook! They really brought these characters to life and heightened the reading experience. Highly recommend this as the way to read this! Or reread it!

Hades x Persephone? By Katee Robert? My favourite author with one of my favourite retellings? This was a match made in heaven.

This book is so damn good, I devoured it so quickly! Neon Gods is set in this city called Olympus which is set in our world, just this new trio of cities exists. (Carver City and Sabine Valley are the other two cities and she has series written in both of them!) We follow Persephone the night that she is forced to be engaged to Zeus who is a monster and known for murdering his wives. Persephone flees and makes it to the Under City where she meets Hades.

Their relationship had me hooked immediately. I wouldn’t say they start off as enemies, it’s more of a reluctant allies situation that forms into a friendship and ultimately a relationship. The development felt so natural and real that it was easy to fall in love with their love.

I loved all of the ties and hints to the original Hades x Persephone story. We’ve got Cerberus and the timeline and the garden, just to name a few easter eggs. The Hades in this one had such a soft heart despite his intimidating exterior, he’s my favourite type of Hades for sure.

This book just has it all. A badass, intelligent woman who is confident in herself and her sexuality (Persephone and Hades are both queer!), a soft on the inside but will kill anyone who gets near his girl love interest, adorable puppies, violence and kinky sex, found family mixed in with blood family love, when I tell you this has everything– It really does.

I highly highly recommend this book and everything else Katee Robert had written. I need the next book right now!!

5/5 ⭐️

TW: violence, sexually explicit scenes, gun violence, blood, fire, death of a parent, assault, attempted murder, murder.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the chance to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, full disclosure I only finished 60% of this book before DNFing. I understand there are mixed opinions on reviewing books not finished so just wanted to be transparent in case you rather not read further. If it’s helpful I guess you could call it an explanation of why I decided to put the book down.

When I first started reading adult romance I was introduced to Katee Robert’s books through her Come Undone series. I enjoyed them immensely but took a huge break from reading and hadn’t kept up with her work. When I started posting about books again I would see her Wicked Villains series often on Instagram so I decided to pick them up. I loved the second and third book in the series. Every book I have read so far has packed a serious punch. When I saw Neon Gods I was so excited to give it a read.

I feel like I should start with sharing that the narration on this was not for me. I wish I could better explain why but the narration of Hades just wasn’t pleasing to my ears. I started this back on June 20th trying to listen to a chapter here and there but wouldn’t leave it on long. I do have to wonder if my disconnect with the narration impacted my overall connection to what was happening. Would I have had a different experience with the physical copy?

Persephone wants to escape. Hades wants revenge. With a shared enemy Hades and Persephone enter a three month agreement to get back at Zeus. Step 1, fake dating and a very public fuck you to piss Zeus off. Step 2, Unclear. See step 1.

I love me some fake dating and dark characters with marshmallow tendencies. That in combination with the revenge plot, power hungry politics, and the promise of it being an “unspeakably hot” read there was so much potential. It sadly didn’t work for me.

Hades is often described as the boogey man and at one point the “Biggest, baddest, mother fucker…” Sure buddy, sure. Usually this wouldn’t bother me. Like I said I love soft dark characters but besides being told he was seen that way the only impression I got was he was a grumpy guy. I wasn’t sure what to think of Persephone. I liked that she was forward regarding her decisions and wants and clear that she would not be saying yes to anything she did not want to say yes to. I did however feel she was caught up in the three months and not making plans for what she would need to accomplish her goals of a new life afterwards. Throughout the story I didn’t feel like I was learning anything new about either of them as individuals or as a potential couple.

I’ve found that Katee Robert can usually make me blush and her steam level is 🔥x10 . I don’t know if I’ve become desensitized. Were the scenes bad? Not at all, it just seemed to be missing that extra oomph. Like with most rating scales I know heat level is going to be subjective so obviously keep in mind that what one person finds scorching another may see as fairly tame. On a Katee Robert scale I’d say this was on the tamer side.

I was so intrigued by this concept of the Thirteen (the people in power), their decision making processes, and the role each play. I wanted to know the history and tension between the upper city/lower city and the perceived power of the thirteen vs everyone knowing Zeus held the power. There was a little at the beginning but then again I felt like I was getting no new information. It was definitely the case of what is written as rule/policy is not actually truth and I couldn’t help but wonder, Zeus never seems to truly follow the rules anyway why would he start now. At 60% there didn’t seem to be much effort on his part to retaliate. I thought there would be more action, more drama, a little more back and forth between the cities. It could have been right around the corner but i could have used some more build up if that was the case.

Overall I just felt underwhelmed and couldn’t get invested in how the story would progress. I really wanted to give it a chance to pick up but I feel like 60% is a pretty solid try and had to call it quits.

Katee Robert's retelling of Hades and Persephone was intense, enthralling, powerful and highly passionate!!! New to me narrrators Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex were outstanding...they made this book come to life!!! I loved this audio book!! #NeonGods #NetGalley

This was great, I will definitely buy the audiobooks for this series. I was very impressed and can't wait to see how the book continues. Also, Katee Robert is a phenomenal writer. Love her!

A retelling of Hades and Persephone set in modern times that took me a while to get into.

The Greek Gods are job titles in the city of Olympus where Olympians can travel to the real world, but normals don't know about Olympus. The gods are a cross between high society and a governing board, and Zeus has all the power. There is magic in this world, but it's unclear if the gods have any. Zeus has killed several previous wives, and Persephone's mother submits Persephone as the next Mrs. Zeus. P flees to the Underworld and finds Hades, who has previously been a myth to Olympians outside of the Underworld. They pretend to be involved to piss off Zeus and wait for P's birthday, when she is to inherit some money and can move away.

When I first started this book, I had a lot of confusion about how much of this world is based on reality. In the myths magic is everywhere and capricious gods rule by fear. With the contemporary setting of this book, I needed more information on the extent of magic. If Zeus is so ruthless, what made him keep the truce with Hades? Why is Hades a myth? Do Olympians not believe in the Underworld? If so, where do they think those bridges go?

Persephone having the option to leave Olympus for Berkeley kept me separated from the story since I couldn't figure out why anyone would put up with Zeus. What is anyone's motivation for being a god?

I did like the romance in this book and the relationship between Persephone and her sisters.

The book is read by Zara Hampton-Brown, who is excellent, and I look forward to listening to many more books from her.

Neon Gods is the first book in Katee Robert's Dark Olympus series. I listened to the audiobook version of this story, which was narrated by Zara-Hampton Brown and Alex Moorcock. If you don't like steamy and very explicit books, move along. But if you do, you will definitely want to jump into the world of Dark Olympus! YUM.

Socialite Persephone Dimitriou plans to leave Olympus in 3 months when she turns 25 and receives her inheritance so she can escape the politics of the Thirteen Houses. However, that escape is nipped in the bud when her mother surprises everyone - especially Persephone - and announces her daughter's engagement to Zeus, the brutal leader of the uppercity. Zeus's previous wives have all died, so Persephone flees to the undercity and literally runs into Hades, its leader; it was believed Hades was a myth, but apparently he's not. He has wanted to get revenge on Zeus for years for murdering his parents, so he and Persephone come to an agreement: Persephone will stay in the undercity for three months and be protected by Hades. In return, Persephone agrees to VERY intimate relations with Hades...in front of an audience. This is supposed to be a brief relationship, until Hades realizes he will do everything in his power to protect his little siren.

Obviously this is a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone, and a very good one at that. Zeus, Demeter, Hermes, etc. are actually positions in the Thirteen Houses, instead of gods. Persephone is a modern young woman who wants to escape Olympus, especially now since she's been pushed onto Zeus. She has a bright, shiny public persona, but underneath she has strength - and desires - that no one but Hades really sees. She does everything she can to protect those she loves, and is willing to sacrifice herself to do so. Though I loved Persephone, Hades was the real star of the show. He's dark and broody and desperate for revenge, but he has hidden depths that Persephone is able to find when she burrows into his heart. He's good to his people and takes care of and protects them. He has a special greenhouse that is his Happy Place, and he shares it with Persephone. Believe it or not, Hades is an awesome Doggie Daddy. He wants revenge on Zeus, but that becomes less important the more he falls for Persephone. He will do everything and anything to protect this woman. The intimate moments in this book will set one's panties on fire; seriously, keep some ice water close at hand. Some scenes have a bit of domination, plus there are public scenes. If steamy books are your cup of tea, you will love this!

The narration by Zara-Hampton Brown and Alex Moorcock was very well done. Ms. Brown was excellent with female voices, but I wasn't crazy about her voice for Hades. It made Hades sound like a hissing snake. But she was wonderful as Persephone, her sisters and mother, and Hermes. Mr. Moorcock could not have done a better job with Hades. His voice will absolutely make you melt! I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, as these two really bring the story to life.

I cannot wait to revisit this version of Olympus again!

I received an advanced audio copy of this book courtesy of Dreamscape Media and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book was amazing! The plot had me hook line and sinker. I’ve always loved Greek mythology and this was the adult version I didn’t know I needed. The two people who read for Persephone and Hades were stunning. Their voices for their counter parts were perfect and they did such a good Job giving the secondary characters depth. The spice was perfect! I would say run don’t walk to get you audio book!

I loved this book. The audio was perfect. The narrators really fit the characters. The plot was fun and a great escape read. Nothing too heavy with lots of sexy times.

3.5 stars. This was fun, but I don't think that it quite delivered what I was looking for in a Hades/Persephone retelling. I REALLY loved the dynamic between Hades and Persephone when it was just the two of them together, but I struggled to care about the story as a whole? I never felt truly compelled to believe the stakes of the story so I never really connected to the characters beyond the surface level. With that being said, this book was still HOT AS HECK and a very fun audiobook listen, but I'm not sure if I will carry on with the series beyond this point. We shall see!

This book didn't work for me right from the beginning. The world building was practically non existent. Where is Olympus? Is it in the United States? These questions never get answered. Also, the sex scenes weren't that hot.

Holy steamy! I believe this was my first Hades and Persephone retelling, and I quite enjoyed it! Although I wish the male narrator would have only done the male voice and the female only done Persephone. That's it. That would be the only thing I would change out this audiobook. I enjoyed how the characters were written, I enjoyed the story line, and I can't wait for the next one.