I received this book as an arc from NetGalley and was really excited to finally read it. All I knew was that it was supposed to be a retelling of Hades and Persephone. As a great enthusiast of the greek mythology, I had great expectations, but unfortunately they were not quite fulfilled.

It is a modern retelling with a very clear focus on romance and spice... a lot of spice. I liked the characters and it was entertaining to read. Unfortunately, the plot and the depth of the story were not quite what I had hoped for and in my eyes there is still a lot that could be improved. I had the feeling that the story was mainly about the spice and something was clearly missing.

It is not an earth shattering book tbh but it kept me entertained for a few hours. I would recommend this book if you like spicy romance books, if you are reading this because of the mythology of Hades and Persephone you might be disappointed.

I am all for the retelling of the story of Hades and Persephone, however, this one wasn’t for me. It had a really great beginning but then it started to feel repetitive and there did not seem to be much of an underlying story. There is definitely an audience for this story and perhaps, the story and the characters will be fleshed out better in the second book.

First time reading from these authors and boy did this book deliver... if you love a bit of spice and plot then this is the book for you! I'm definitely going to go and have a browse on amazon for more like this!

If you are looking for something hot and steamy then this is definitely the book for you. Interesting plot and plenty of erotic content. I enjoyed this read.

3/5 stars
I was very interested in how the author would tell this story. I do believe it should be more plot-driven, but the book was still enjoyable nonetheless. I look forward to reading the sequel :)

This book is all spice and everything nice. And, if you’re looking for that, then you found it!

It is definitely not a typical romance book, there’s no build-up and I struggled with the fact that I just didn’t see a lot of chemistry between the characters at the beginning. I also felt that the story was lacking some actual plot.

But, it is a fun and enjoyable read, if you’re not looking for something too complex!

Got a little bit too sexy, too fast. Till the first C*** and f**** words it was rather a pleasant read, a little bit overdone with the choice of words, wouldn't have expected that.

This was purely 🤌. I have no words. This retelling of Hades and Persephone was utterly devouring. Absolutely loved it couldn't put it down. This was 90% sex and 10% story. Everyone should read if they love smut!

431 pages, ebook
Published
September 27, 2022 by Rose and Star Publishing


Thank you to #netgalley and #roseandstarpublishing for the #arc for #themaidenandtheunseen by #jeanetterose and #alexisrune. This is a retelling of the greek mythology of Persephone and Hades. I was excited to read this arc because I like mythology and it kind of sounded like #electricidol by #kateerobert. Over all it was a good book. I like that it took place in current times. It's heavy on the smut so it delivered what I asked for.

Intense, snarky, passionate, and addictive retelling of Hades and Persephone, in modern time. The gods are entertaining, and the story is definitely refreshed and the best version yet. A definite must read.

I felt like the premise was a good start. I really liked Persephone being this sheltered person who is actually trying to be a normal mortal. I liked Hades being this cinnamon who starts out being a tough guy.
But I wasn’t a fan of the constant sex or the instant love. I would have loved more scenes where hades and Persephone get to know each other. Some of the best scenes are them making breakfast together or just witty banter. It felt very repetitive by the end.
I also wasn’t a fan of the conflict. Like I appreciate Hades said no to her because she was in a relationship. But then the guy randomly turns out to be a cheating asshole… Persephone isn’t much better to be honest. I felt like they took parts of other retellings and kind of scrambled them with sex scenes. I just felt like the characters weren’t flushed out.

Thank you net galley for sending me an arc of the maiden and the unseen in exchange for a honest review.


This was unbelievably bad in terms of writing, plot, and characters.

Lets start with the writing: the same words are repeated over and over again, and the prose is audaciously lazily written.
Also can we please talk about the dialogue? Why is the main character calling herself "P" in her inner throughts, it wasn't "quirky" it read as annoying.

The author definitely pushed her own insecurities onto the characters because WHY were Persephones curves mentioned in literally every page?

Also I get that it's a modern retelling, but godamn, did we REALLY need to make the gods speak in the most genz fashion we possibly could? I mean modern or not, gods are supposed to be these powerful beings who have been around for centuries. Making them act like caricatures for the shake of "comedic" dialogue did nothing but make them come across as badly written.


The so called smut was also hilariously bad, and the instant attraction between Hades and Persephone who instantly wanna bed each other felt super cringe to read about.


Finally I have an issue with the way female relationships are mentioned in the book. Why are we still doing the "female rivalry over a man, but the mc is obviously the one who will get him, cause the other girl is mean - for -no- reason. "

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a beautiful cover! I really enjoyed seeing Hades and Persephone in the real world and I thought it was a truly unique concept. Very steamy and spicy! Honestly, I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. I also really enjoyed the writing style overall.

I am so over the moon for this book!

Who doesn’t love a Hades and Persephone retelling? It’s one of my favourites and we were finally given a Persephone that isn’t meek and weak! The excitement I felt at reading about a woman who was still strong despite dealing with bullshit her whole life? Amazing!

The dom/sub relationship in this book is beautifully written! It shows a different dynamic in the bedroom then the one they have when they’re at work. And some bdsm? Impact play? Yes please!

This book is most definitely my new favourite Hades and Persephone retelling! I honestly didn’t realize I was at the end until I couldn’t turn any more pages!

eARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read my fair share of Persephone and Hades retellings. Where this modern retelling differs is Persephone is no maiden, she’s social media smart but money dumb. She cheats on the man she’s with, saying they aren’t a couple but also doesn’t try to understand how Hades feels being the side hoe.

Hades was easy to love. He has his low moments but you grow to like him because he’s trying, he’s in a raging battle with himself and their fate, and he’s trying to learn more about Persephone and her likes, he’s constantly worried about their relationship.

What didn’t work for me is the miscommunication, the toxicity, the plot that finally showed it’s face at 85%. Can you imagine how much of this book is smut? I got bored so often, because it’s either them imagining about doing each other or them actually doing each other. I love smut but this is straight up porn that wasn’t fun to read 50% of the time.

There were a few things that didn’t make sense, like Persephone overworking herself when the book starts and I guess she drops all her projects to work for Hades but we don’t exactly know, which once again goes to show how little she cares about anything. The side characters disappear COMPLETELY halfway through the book. Minthe? Millie? Helios? Hello? Don’t see them again at all.

Nothing of substance really seemed to happen? The crux of the conflicts were that Hades couldn't tell Persephone what the prophecy about them was, and that hindered their relationship, Persephone refusing to break up with Jackson to be with Hades, and Persephone trying to keep her disobeying of Demeter's rules a secret.

Overall, I was disappointed. I think the potential for this to be a unique and interesting Hades/Persephone retelling is there, but the execution was sloppy.

I wanted to love this book and while I do love the idea behind it, the modern phrases and slang were too much. Everyone was speaking like a young teenager (I guess?) even though they are all adults. It was just a huge turn off that made it difficult to even get through the book.

Example:

“Culmination, in this case, means, well…your…you know,” Clotho creaks. “Your sperm, baby batter, the liquid thunder of your thighs,” Atropos finishes.”


This is supposed to be the fates speaking? I don’t know, not for me I guess.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this in exchange for an honest rescues.

DNF at 35%
Unfortunately, this book was not for me.
I'm really sorry, but I just couldn't get into this book. I really enjoyed it from the first page and thought it was really funny but there was just to much sex. Definitely not for me. Like they haven't even gotten together and already every page (or every other page at least) has something sexual in it. I understand that this book is romance and is even in the erotica tag. But just because it's erotica doesn't mean every page has to have something sexual in it. There just wasn't enough plot for me in this book. It just seemed like smut without plot. I also hate cheating and miscommunication. And this book was just sex, thinking their partner doesn't like them, miscommunicate and repeat. This book just had too much repetition.
I know that some people really enjoy a lot of smut in books but I'm just not one of them.

*An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.*

The Maiden and the Unseen is a minor masterpiece of smutty proportions. I'm a complete sucker for anything Hades and Persephone, so it was bound to be a hit for me. Most of the book I was torn between wanting to scream at the characters to get it together already, and simping over various characters. Of course they both had so many issues too, and the jealousy and insecurity were through the roof, creating a lot of drama. I definitely had some eyeroll worthy moments with Persephone.
I loved that Helios and Melinoë were the supportive besties, because I feel like they never get any recognition. I think that may have been one of my favorite things about the book, and my only wish is that there was a bit more of them. The different presentation of the gods and Olympus was also interesting. I found the book very amusing too, Hades even had me chuckling in just the first chapter.
While I won't say I didn't have issues with some parts of the book, and the writing isn't as good as it could be, for what it is I'd say it was done really well.

This book surprised me. It was a new take on Hades and Persephone and truly was a new take. I love a dual perspective, and both characters brought depth to the story. I thought it was interesting that Persephone was put as the far more morally grey than Hades in this retelling.
I think the plot basics are there, but there were times it could have used more editing (character choices, stronger plot thread).
This ends on a cliffhanger and I will gladly read the next book to see what happens (both with Hades and Persephone and with side characters)

I have always been a sucker for Greek romances, Hades and Persephone specifically, while this book did not lack in *spice*, it could use a LOT of help in the plot department. The plot started wonderfully, I love the concept of the god's coming down to earth and living "normal" lives, but as soon as the main characters get the hots for each other it's like the plot just dropped into a trench.

Overall, not bad, but not amazing. I really wish the plot of this story was better progressed and that it wasn't just *spicy* scenes for like the last 45% of the book.