So I went into this audiobook completely blind to the fact it's a majorly steamy, fantasy romance. Like, when it started going, I was nearly knocked unconscious lol! To be honest, I don't prefer this much steam. It's full on open door, lots of detail erotica.

But I did enjoy the story. I liked the different vibes and scenes of lust vs love, there's really great tension and angst. I like the forced proximity and acquaintances-to-lovers trope. I like the dark fantasy subgenre. The author built a very creative world inspired by the Greek gods that I loved!

The author touches on the personality type of the peace keeping, puts on a fake happy face, functioning anorexic that is very real. I thought she did a good job exploring that and how the character needed love without being smothered.

Is it cheesy? Yes. Is it touching and fun? Definitely yes! It's well written too. The narration is good but a bit distracting. Both the male and female fit the male and female characters but not the opposite sex, and I found it distracting, especially during the steamy dialogue.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audiocopy to review.

Hades and Persephone retelling?? Sign me up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an Audiobook Arc in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

This was an interesting take on Hades and Persephone that left me wanting more of them and this universe. There was a great political element to this novel along with an idea of electing of position to Godhood as opposed to the immortal or passing of the torch to offspring. I listened to the audiobook, but I think physical read would have been better for this type of novel.

The audiobook was narrated by a male for Hades and a female for Persephone which on their own I thought were perfect, I only found issue in the Hades starring chapters where he would make his voice feminine when a Persephone speaking line came in or the other way around. I would have preferred the Hades and Persephone narrators to not only read the Hades/Persephone starring chapters but also wherever a H/P line was present I think it would have flowed better.

This was definitely FULL of Spice that took up a significant amount of the book and put a little bit of pampering on the plot, but where we get the plot I thought it was quite well done.

Spice Level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

🏷 #NeonGods #HadesxPersephone #Hades #Persephone #Greek #Zeus #DarkOlympus #BookReview #NetGalley #ARCReview #Audiobook

2.5 stars

So I love a God story, and the Greek Gods are always fun. So I was expecting to really enjoy this. I did not. I didn't hate it. It was just too full of tropes and too lacking in world building. Persephone the naive rich girl and Hades the brooding King.

The good thing was the two leads actually spent time getting to know each other, and although it was a relatively short amount of time they were together 24/7 and talked. They weren't just constantly having sex and they weren't constantly running and fighting. This isn't a instalove story, if these two characters had met under different circumstances they still would've fallen in love. Also the BDSM was well done. It wasn't some Dom torturing his Sub, they actually had communication and aftercare.

The bad was there was almost no world building. We know Olympus is a City, we know there are 13 people who rule and represent the Gods, and we know 3 (Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon) are inherited the other 10 are elected. And that's it. Where is this Olympus? Why are the separated from the rest of the world? Why do they have The 13? Why are only 3 inherited? How long do those elected keep their positions? What is the population? Is it magic or science that keeps them separated from the world and the upper and lower city apart? Do they actually worship the Gods? How do the have things like Cell Phones, TV's, and Guns if getting in and out of Olympus is so hard? How do they know enough about the outside world to make Pop Culture references? Does the rest of the world know about them or just governments? What do they trade for their goods? Half a chapter and a few choice words by characters could've answered these questions and more. And it would've made the story so much better.

I'll probably read the next book because it was a fast and fun, but with the hope that a lot more time is spent developing the world.

I was hooked from the first chapter. it grabbed my attention in a snap and I couldn't put it down! The modern interpretation of Hades and Persephone was written so seamlessly into this century that it just worked. I also thought it was pretty cool how the gods were basically people that live and die into these names and get replaced by their predecessor over time, it was a very cool concept.

It was also WAY sexier than I expected, talk about 50 shades meets greek mythology. I liked that aspect! probably the only think I felt could have been improved was the tension between Hades and Persephone. I felt like it was instant for them and would have liked to see a little more angst there, but still they were good together.

I listed to the audio version of this book and liked the dual performers, they did a really good job.

Sinfully tempting and irresistibly sexy, Neo God kicked off the Dark Olympus series with a bang. The chemistry between Persephone and Hades were intense and electric. They each held a mask in front of the public but they found a safe place where they could be their true self in each other’s company. The love scenes were scorching and sinful.

I loved audiobooks with dual narration. Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock were great especially the narration of the story. However, I felt that they overdid it when at the dialogue parts especially when they were performing as the opposite sex. Zara’s performance of Hades was supposed to be dark and husky, but it came out more like old and creepy.

Holy shit, this book was hot! I’ve never read anything by Katee Robert but I’m running to look at more. I loved the Greek mythology. I had to read up on the story of Hades and Persephone. I’ll admit that I loved this modern story, Hades and Persephone were just pure magic together. I look forward to more stories about Persephone’s sisters!

I think I would have liked this if I read it physically, but the narrator for Hades sounded like Voldemort and I couldn’t get that out of my head and it ruined everything so I dnf’ed this at 61%

This book was delicious... In a naughty, sinful way.

Hades has stolen my heart, and i would give to him over and over, if he asked. The chemistry that he has with Persephone, not only in bed but I every day, there are barely any words. He goes from being this really closed off person, to actually embracing his feelings and falling in love.
In the meantime, Persephone is cunning, seductive but also on a mission to win Hades and his heart. She's a bad ass who didn't crumble to what her parent(s) set out for her and decided her own future.

Scenery is gorgeous too. We were transported right in there with everyone, and i loved that the underworld and Olympus were like 2 different cities here, with 2 different vibes and 2 different reputations.

The spicy scenes.. oh my. You ever think of something and be like "not sure I'd be into that" and then read about it and go, "wouldn't I be, tho?" This book did that to me... Many times.

This retelling of Hades and Persephone, i highly recommend picking it up. You're going to love it.

Typically I can listen to an audiobook in 1-2 days. I listen while driving, running errands, cleaning, etc. This took quite a bit longer because I had to abruptly shut it off for little ears. This just might be the steamiest listen I've ever had.
I was drawn to the book because of my big love for mythology and retellings. A modern Persephone and Hades love story? Yes, please! It also came highly recommended from a fellow reader.
Demeter makes a deal without Persephone's knowledge. She is to wed Zeus and become the next Hera. Persephone flees to lower Olympus to escape their machinations until she can reach her majority, receive her inheritance, and leave forever. In seeking refuge with Hades, she buys herself the time she needs and more than she bargains for with Hades himself.
The benefit to the audiobook is the dual narration. Both narrators, Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock, are excellent and brought these characters and story to life.
I've not read Katee Roberts before. I recommend if you love a steamy (think sauna level heat for several hours) modern spin on a classic myth. While the descriptive sex scenes were outside my wheelhouse (I skipped forward several times), I did find the story itself fascinating.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This is for the audio from NetGalley. First I will talk about the audio itself. I think the netgalley app needs some work. It sounded very robotic unless I had it at 1x speed which was just too slow for me to listen to and enjoy. I did get used to it after awhile but I could not go past 2x speed or it was chipmunk voices, but again I think this was due to the NG app not the people or audio itself. There is a man and woman which I think suits this story. The woman was good though some of her male voices were a bit off. The man was great in this audio. His female voices were not too high pitched or too over dramatized. He did make Hades sound a bit like a 50 year old man though, whereas Persephone was a younger voice.
Now about the story itself. This was my first Katee Robert book. I know she writes high heat and some taboo stories. We have the story of Hades and Persephone with a modern backdrop for the story. The gods and goddesses rule but they have all the luxuries of modern technology. I think the story itself worked out well. If you know some Greek mythology this will not be hard to follow. I liked the twist of some characters being genderbent. I did see on KR's twitter she said this was high heat and gay AF. Now I am all for representation being bi myself. I do not think this is gay AF as she says. it is only mentioned about same sex partners here and there. That is fine and I personally saw no issue, but I think labelling it gay AF is a stretch. It has some great sex scenes that are explicit and pretty hot. It touches on the topic of comfort with certain sexual acts and being able to change your mind if one no longer wants to do said sexual act which I think is great because you don't always see that. There was an over arcing storyline, which was a great balance with the sexy scenes. Hades was a great character. Persephone personally got on my nerves a bit but she grew on me as the story developed. I know there are more stories in this universe but I did not feel that interested in other characters from the story. I would still pick them up because I love Greek mythology and high heat stories so I am interested!

Again, I was sold on this novel by the cover, and the fact that it popped up on the "Recommended for You" kind of screen on NetGalley, so I downloaded. I didn't even read the description or check out the genre, because honestly, who needs to with a cover like that, right? Plus the title? Sold. Greek retellings are super in right now.
The first two chapters had me HOOKED. I loved the set up, although I did feel like the storyline was a bit forced - like the world-building wasn't done as effectively as it could have been. Quick summary, this is a retelling of Hades and Persephone in the modern age. The gods, depending on which one you are, either inherit the position of said god, are bestowed a gift to be the god, or are voted into the position by the people of Olympus. The gods (minus Hades) are known as the 13; essentially the world's powerful socialite class. Sounds great, right?
But it falls into typical mythology very quickly, and misses some major points—so the world building itself was very clunky. As a retelling, the author stuck with the true names so it kind of gives away the story. However, in true mythology Zeus is Persephone's father; which, once you read the novel, I guess is probably a good piece of the myth to leave out of this story; but again, world building and use of names had me kinda "meh" about the story.
On the other hand, again me being the blind reader I am and just diving into a story because the cover is pretty, the erotic romance was a surprise. A pleasant surprise, but still a surprise. My only issue with this was that I wish I was reading it myself, not listening to the audiobook because honestly, the voices aren't that greatest selections to portray the characters in my opinion.
Audio review: Persephone's narrator is great. She sounds young, slightly timid, but still fiery. When she does Hades' voice; it sounds ancient and creepy -- not in a sexy way. I could almost live with it; but than we get to Hades' narrator ... I'm torn on his interpretation of Hades. I love the voice, but when he's using erotic language it sounds like he's uncomfortable saying the words, when in fact he should be the total opposite. I actually find myself giggling when he says pussy, cock, etc. because it sounds like it pains the narrator to say them. And then, when he does Persephone's voice; I can't help but laugh because it's just so different from her narrator's voice... This is probably me being nit-picky, but I would have preferred to read this myself than the audiobook version. I think it would be a bit sexier if my brain was doing the voices inside my head.
Okay, so back to the story itself. It was a quick, steamy read, that I wish the author would have explored a bit further. Writing a character like Hades, having these "wicked kinks" — they weren't that wicked. There was nothing too forbidden about them, other than he liked to perform in front of crowds. Otherwise, it was a bit vanilla
Clearly Book 1 in a series, so perhaps we will see the author delve a little deeper into those fantasies we kept alluding to during the novel. Lots of potential here, I'd like to see where this goes, so I'll probably stick around for Book 2. There was a decent transition out of the first book plot-wise so I am intrigued and hopeful that the world-building will become a bit more succinct in the next installment.
Happy Reading!

Wow was this book good, I never thought it'd would be something I was interested in, but I started reading Lore and became really interested in these modern spicy retellings of the Greek Gods. This is certainly spicier than Lore and checks all the boxes of requirements for me for a spicy book.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for gifting me a free audiobook ARC of Neon Gods by Katee Roberts!

I have never read any book rooted in Greek mythology and was unsure going into Neon Gods if I would like it. I LOVED it. It had some of my favorite tropes involved including Hades being a super softy only for Persephone. Persephone was soft yet fierce and was very upfront with her feelings and following her own objectives. The steamy scenes were SUPER steamy and very consensual. I also enjoyed both of the narrators. All around, I thought it was a great book and was pleasantly shocked at how much I liked it. I will have to read more of Katee Roberts backlist in the future.

Neon Gods is a fantastic smutty Hades and Persephone retelling placed into a modern world with fantastical elements. The audiobook narrators were absolutely perfect for their characters and the voice of Hades especially was so smooth with the perfect amount of grit. I’m so excited for the next book in this series to come out so I can learn more about the world Katee Robert has built for these characters. I’m very interested to see more interactions with actual humans and how the characters and world will evolve!

The cover was ok and I don’t know what the deal with that title is…. Book is about Hades and Persephone crossed with fifty shades.

Narration: I enjoyed the narration… nothing like an accent saying dirty words. It rotated between a male voice and a female voice with great inflection.

What did I like? It’s hard to listen to intimate scenes while at work. The book has plenty! Almost too much since Hades enjoys playing with Persephone. He tries to down play his feelings way too much!

Would I recommend or buy? I had mixed feelings on this one. Usually the audiobook makes it better but I was more embarrassed by how mouthy the book was. The audio was great but the book itself was very steamy.

I received a complimentary audiobook to listen to and voluntarily left a review!

You get exactly what it says on the tin. The story got bogged down in the Zeus vs. Hades war, but otherwise an interesting twist on both the Hades and Persephone story and mafia war romance novels.

The narrators are very good and the story flows well. I read this in less than 24 hours.

I listened to the Neon Gods audiobook after reading the print version of the book. The narrators do a fantastic job of bringing Persephone and Hades to life, so much more than I could do myself while reading the text. Zara Hampton-Brown gives a young and sometimes naive Persephone a wonderfully inquiring cadence while also giving distinct voice to the male characters like Hades and Zeus. Alex Moorcock has exactly the voice I imagined for this particular incarnation of Hades, while also giving other characters different accents to distinguish between Hades’ commentary and the rest. Constantly on the edge of flirtation, dark, and a perfect mixture of growl and purr, Moorcock’s Hades chapters are definitely a highlight of this audiobook.

Both narrators have amazing pacing and flow throughout the entire novel. I was immediately swept away right from Persephone’s first chapter, and even scenes that didn’t involve much action didn’t seem to drag on. The dialogue was just as engaging as the darker action; it was easy to imagine Hades and Persephone living out these scenes and not just characters in a story. While Zara Hampton-Brown gave a wonderful voice to Persephone, I really enjoyed her portrayal of Hades as well. Alex Moorcock’s Hades had a sexy edge to his voice, exactly what the character needed, but Moorcock flawlessly gave distinct voice to both male and female characters like Charon, Zeus, Hermes, and Dionysus.

Many chapters alternated between Persephone and Hades’ perspectives, and the alternating voices of Hampton-Brown and Moorcock made it easy to follow along when the perspective did change.

Neon Gods was fantastically well done, and readers can’t go wrong with either the audiobook or text, but both narrators truly brought the action and dialogue to life in this audiobook. Both Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock were dynamic and made the sensual world of Neon Gods real. The narrators brought Katee Robert’s words alive off the page and made it easy to get lost in the world of the Dark Olympus series.

Five stars! Best Hades and Persephone retelling I have ever read. Katee Robert does it again! Every book that she writes she absolutely nails and you are immediately swept into the world she is creating. Persephone is running away from Olympus because the power hungry and abusive Zeus wants to make her his wife however he has a history of killing those wives. She ends up running to the Lower City where she meets Hades who up until that point she had always been told was a myth. They end up striking a deal where Persephone gets protection against Zeus and Hades get revenge. The chemistry between Hades and Persephone was so beautifully written. It was steamy, it was passionate, and it was so so sweet. I loved how independent and hilarious Persephone was and how equally balanced their relationship was as well. The audiobook was fantastic. The only thing I missed was I had hoped this book interlaced and tied more into her Wicked Villians series. I was left wanting a little bit more of a resolution but other then that it was perfect!

Neon Gods: 3/5

“Only you could manage to run away and fall into bed with a sexy man determined to do anything to protect you. You’re truly gods-blessed, Persephone.”

Premise:
Neon Gods is an 18+ retelling of Hades and Persephone. When Persephone flees Olympus due to a surprise engagement with Zeus, she finds herself safe past the River Styx in the home of Hades. Hades, living his life as a myth, seeks revenge against Olympus, and the two strike a bargain. Not everything goes according to plan, as tensions and feelings rise.

Writing & Plot:
I enjoyed the writing style in Neon Gods. It is no secret that Katee Robert can write exceptionally well, especially in the *romance* department. I enjoyed the diverse characters that the author created, and it was a nice twist on the classic tale.

Not only was the writing well done, but I enjoyed the plot as well. Neon Gods is, hands down, a romance novel, but the intricate plot made me want to keep turning the pages. It was challenging to put this book down.

One major issue I had, though, was the world-building. With a plot as intricate as this one was, I found myself unable to grasp the concept of the modern Olympus. I struggled to understand the details of the urban setting so much that I couldn't visualize any map. Furthermore, the political dynamics needed more work. Politics is a huge plot point, and I can't help but feel like I missed out on so much because this book's political dynamics were glazed over.

Lastly, the main plot point of the book drags out. Towards the end, I was getting tired and bored of the same repetitiveness. However, it did allow for more romance which I did like, so this critique comes with perks, but ultimately, I wish it was a bit shorter.

Characters:
Besides my confusion regarding character backstory, I think most of the characters were lovable. Hades is so hot and puts a significant emphasis on consent throughout the entirety of the book, which I loved. In my opinion, it made the book 100x better.

Although I generally liked Persephone, there were multiple inconsistencies across her character. For example, she is strong, physically and mentally, but other times she faints for no reason, and Hades needs to save her. Another is that Persephone is intelligent, which I loved, but then on the next page, she's acting like a child. These minor inconsistencies made me roll my eyes, and I couldn't ignore them.

The side characters were some of the best parts of the novel. I loved Hermes and Dionysus's characters so much, along with Demeter. They were written cleverly and added a significant layer to the story.

Audiobook:
Both narrators absolutely smashed this book! They truly knocked it out of the park. Reading 18+ romance out loud cannot be easy, but the narrators made it feel so natural. As a listener, I was enthralled with the plot and the romance and it is all attributed to these wonderful actors.

Conclusion:
Neon Gods is is a solid romance novel with a well-thought-out plot. I loved the theme of consent throughout the entirety of the novel, and it made everything so much hotter. Remember, this book is 18+, but I would recommend it to anybody who likes romance within that age range. This series has potential, and I am excited to find out what happens next!

3/5 I thought this was going to be a YA and boy was I wrong.

Content warnings for sex obviously and violence (not sexual as far as I remember)

This book is almost completely smut which really isn't my thing (I'm ace) but I did really love the plot. I had never read/listened to a retelling of this story like this and I enjoyed it so I am rating the book on that. This was a pretty fast listen as it only took me 5/6 hours to get through it on 2x speed. I wouldn't recommend this to my friends because of the smut but if your into it and kinks then this might be for you. If you are not into sex and/or kinks then you are going to just be sitting there uncomfortable like me lmao. I didn't really like the narrators that much but that's just me and the sound quality on the Netgalley app isn't the best so take that into account if you're wanting to listen to this.

Disclaimer: I read/listened to this audio book arc on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.