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Review Summary:
I went into this book expecting a plot-driven romance based on Greek mythology with a twist. I was expecting a bit of smut, which I don't mind in a good story. I also appreciated the disclaimer the authors gave at the beginning, explaining that it's not intended to be a historically accurate re-telling and that certain changes were made to be inkeeping with the story. What I was NOT expecting was a full blown erotica. This book is essentially Fifty Shades of Grey fanfiction meets a Rom-Com / Sitcom.
Positives are that the writer(s) do undeniably have talent. There are flashes of excellent prose scattered throughout the story which, despite its heavy flaws, made the book a fairly easy read. The other is that I commend the authors unabashed confidence in writing some pretty outrageous stuff. There was no holding back and you can see that their imaginations were left to go free. The ending of the book actually made me want to read book two, despite finding this edition inherently flawed. I attest this to the writing having some potential that just needs to blossom once the overt focus on smut fades away and an actual story becomes the forefront.
Negatives are unfortunately more prominent. The inconsistent writing makes me think that certain scenes are writting predominantly by one author, and then the rest by the other. Which writer is attached to which, I'm not sure. This book tried too hard to cater to a Gen Z audience. The story is essentially non-existent, with the attempts at plot points being so thin, often frustrating/annoying and in many ways utterly ridiculous that it makes the book feel funny to read which I don't think was the intention. The characterisation is quite poor as well. The smut is repetitive and excessively unrealistic to the point that, again, it starts to read as a humorous fanfiction rather than serious erotica. Essentially all plot and character development has been left to book two, which makes this first book feel unnecessary in many ways. You could probably skip to book two and not have missed anything of importance.

1.5 stars for what could be an interesting premise if developed more, with some strong writing talent peering through now and again. Enough so that I have gone straight to the second book, which the authors disclose at the end of book one to be significantly different to book two. Colour me intrigued. However the book remains as essentially porn-with-plot - very thin plot - that becomes repetitive and pretty silly. The writing, while having potential, is masked too much with jarring/distracting colloquialisms that left me cringeing or rolling my eyes. It is very obvious that this is written by two different people which makes for inconsistent prose. The stronger writer needed to have more influence I feel.

FULL REVIEW BELOW. AVAILABLE WITH THE ADDITION OF HIDDEN SPOILERS ON GOODREADS.

World-building:
The story is loosely built around Greek mythology with the Gods of Olympus, the Underworld or various other realms choosing to live on modern-day Earth and live like mortals. There are extremely vague mentions of these realms and aside from the main characters the Gods or divine beings are mostly just name-dropped when they're needed. The focus is on Hades God of the Underworld, and Persephone Goddess of Spring. Other beings that physically appear are Helios God of the Sun, Poseidon God of the Seas, Zeus God of the Sky, Hekate Goddess of Witches and Melinoë the Chthonic Nymph. Vaguely mentioned are Demeter Goddess of Harvest - Persephone's mother, Eros God of Carnal Love and the Three Moirai (Fates). The setting is in the bank of 'Plutus', where Hades has full control of the finances of the earth-living Gods. The majority of the story is set in the office of this Bank, occasionally in Hades and Persephone's apartments. Because we were limited to these settings the world-building felt quite restricted and minimal. It may have been interesting to have an alternative point of view from a God or Goddess still in the divine realms such as Demeter, or flashbacks from Hades and Persephone in those realms instead of leaving all of this for book two. Instead in many ways the divine world feels like a minor, forgotten aspect of the story.

Characterisation:
Hades is initally shown as blunt, moody and lacking empathy. He simultaneously loves and loathes being in control of everybody. One of those archetypal tortured male characters who closes themselves off to everybody due to past trauma or being unhappy. He is openly misogynistic too and comes across as a sex addict. Then once he meets Persephone he magically loses all of this and becomes irritatingly insecure and quite clingy/needy. Almost juvenile. It would have been more interesting to see him having to unlearn some of his flaws in an organic way. I suppose he is fairly consistent by becoming one form of loser to another form of loser. Persephone just feels like such an empty character. She is supposed to be somewhat of a rebel, particularly when it comes to her mother Demeter, but it just falls flat and she just feels like she is reduced to a character made for the male gaze as if she's straight out of a porn. Thinly veiled 'hard-to-get' while also unapologetically and aggressively sexual. I also hate how they both have such non-jobs, a 'social media manager' who always seems to be working but we have no idea what that job even entails. She is so commited to it, proud if it even, but what does she actually do? No idea. The other side characters are also frustratingly bare. 'Mellie' in particular is the most annoying aspect of the story for me, being written as a personification of Gen Z. 'Spill the tea sis' is something she genuinely, unironically says. It is mentioned an irritating amount of times that she wears her hair in 'space buns'. Wears Doc Martens too, of course. Helios is again lacking in personality, I think he is supposed to be a bit of a comic relief but it falls flat.

Story:
So the way Hades and Persephone meets is actually quite interesting, starting with a sense of mystery and whodunit. Then it becomes an enemies-to-lovers, full of sexual tension and some pretty erotic solo scenes. Then we are introduced to a doomed prophecy of sorts by the Fates, who Hades speaks to on the phone through their job as... phone sex workers. This is where the unescapable feeling of siliness started. Hades is desperately trying to avoid 'activating' this curse throughout the entire book, and the way it is 'activated' is so unbelievably funny and a ridiculously thin attempt at a sense of perilous plot that I can't take it seriously at all. And what's even more funny is that the 'curse' isn't even that bad once we see how obsessed Persephone is with Hades. She probably wouldn't have even minded. Then it is just porn. For chapter upon chapter. Repetitive, unrealistic porn. The lack of realism of it is poorly justified by 'divine resilience', which is mentioned multiple times out loud and in an internal monologue. There is a 'bet' as an attempt to create more sexual tension but the beginning of the book is the only place where this is effective, by this point the porn has made me completely desensitised and the 'bet' just feels like dragging things out. There are more attempts at evoking a sense of doom or peril through Jackson, Persephone's mortal boyfriend, but again it falls flat and Jackson's character and their 'relationship' is such a dud that the whole sideplot feels non-sensical. There are also multiple 'arguments' between Hades and Persephone that then set off their anxious inner monologues, but the 'arguments' are over quite literally nothing, happen after every interaction, and remind me of fanfiction where the writers feel tension has to be forced in there somehow. It felt like a sitcom/rom-com where situations could easily be resolved with... words. But instead manifest into petty problems. Then when we get to a genuine sense of peril and story progression... the book ends. I feel like in a world of Greek divinity so much could have been done to create a more interesting main plot or sideplots, but it ultimately was just porn set in a workplace.

Prose:
So as mentioned, when the writing is focused on the Gods and their divinity and becomes more descriptive and focused on world-building, the writing is very good. Descriptions of the characters powers are well written too, such as certain scenes with Hades' shadows and Persephone's vines. But this book is PLAGUED with cringe-worthy quotes, catchphrases and tropes that are typical of male smut writers as opposed to female. I nearly gave up on the very first page when Persephone says 'bitch, please'. She also says 'Mood.', 'living {in my head} rent-free', 'zero chill' and refers to her pairing with Jackson as 'Jacsephone' completely unironically. Then her 'breasts heave with anger' and 'push together slightly' when she leans over. It's usually men who practically anthropomorphise boobs. There are times when unneccessary details are mentioned, such as Helios grabbing a 'protein shake' from the fridge or pancakes described as a 'beige stack' and excessive mentions of Persephone's hair being in a 'messy bun' or wearing 'pencil skirts'. It felt like the writing had become more insecure at this point and was just trying to fluff out things without needing to. Hades and Persephone also 'growl' words so many times in this book I'm surprised they talk normally at all. I didn't like the mentions of real-life things, such as Wednesday Addams or Charmed. It's a personal preference of mine as it takes me out of a storys immersion. I am reading to delve into a fictional world, I don't enjoy reminders of the real world. Other irritating occurences were the nicknames. 'P' is not a nickname anybody would ever use for a name such as Persephone, same applies to Persephone calling Helios 'H'. Helios also calls her 'petal' which just made me cringe. Hades calls her 'my little spring' while she calls him 'demon'. Again, did not enjoy those nicknames at all. Attempts at humour sometimes worked, but not always. A couple of times Hades cringes at certain flowerly phrases in his internal monologues which were amusingly meta. But then we have Hekate arriving with nails that are printed with 'WITCH BITCH', and Hades refers to Persephone's bum as 'life changing' which takes us back to the unfunny Gen Z attempts at humour.

Greek mythology meets forbidden workplace romance.
After being kept hidden away from other gods and mortals alike by her mother Demeter, Persephone is allowed to go live in the mortal realm on the conditions she will not fornicate with men or any gods. Rules she quickly breaks as she unwittingly becomes employed by Hades. Upon meeting they are desperately fighting their immediate (and fated) attraction for each other. But Hades holds secrets that may ultimately keep them apart, and Persephone will not be imprisoned by secrets again.
A delicious story of with characters dealing with attraction, longing, fate, and doubt. A well done read that leaves you wanting to know if these two will ever get it right. Excited for book 2!

The art was amazing, reason for a star.

The fact that Hekate was team Persephone before team Persephone was even a thing was so amazing to me. Reason for star 2.

Hades inner monologue of him calling himself names eg ‘Hades, God of babysitting other gods’ was so freaking funny.

However the plot felt flat. I hated the insecurity between them. If miscommunication was a book. It was just to much.

Will I be reading book 2? Yes this ends on a cliffhanger and I’m nosey 🫠

Love a good hades/persephone retelling. This one hooks you and is very steamy! The constant doubting of each other was a bit frustrating and at some points annoying. The cliffhanger leaves you wanting to immediately read the next book

"Unlike any other Hades and Persephone retelling I've came across."

Thank you NetGalley and Rose and Star Publishing for for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love exploring retellings of all kinds. But I've an especially weak spot for those retelling Hades and Persephone. So to say I was very excited to see where this go is an understatement. The spicy side worried me - I don't typically read spice. But I'm always up for a palate cleanser. So I still gave it a read as well as book two and book three of the trilogy.

It started well. Hades and Persephone feel fleshed out and meet in a unique way. As the story progresses, they start to feel one dimensional. It definitely captures the obsession Hade's has for Persephone, but the story doesn't really progress. They're just sex driven. Which, unfortunately, lead to there being ALOT of spice. When putting it in, they took the cap off and just let it fall onto the pages. The story didn't need it. But it still remains to be unlike any other Hades and Persephone retelling I've came across in my reader lifetime.

This isn't the best written book. It isn't complex and the plot isn't the best and definitely doesn't provoke any thoughts or sparks any discussions about issues in the world. However, as a read that is quick and easy, this hits the spot (just like Hades and Persephone, apparently) and I did actually enjoy it.

I am a big fan of Hades/Persephone retellings, they're what actually reinstated my passion for reading. So whenever a new retelling pops up I am always down for a read. This was okay, I feel like it was missing what makes this coupling so special though. It felt more lusty than intimate and if even a teeny tiny amount of time was more focused on developing the relationship, then I feel like it would have been more impactful of a book for me. I don't mind a spice-heavy book, I don't mind if the plot is just sprinkled on top sparingly either. But for this particular genre/couple I feel like it wasn't done quite right.

This is a non-standard love story told in a first-person manner. It could be the classic tale of girl meets new boss, falls for him, and what happens after… but the girl is Persephone. And her boss just so happens to be Hades. The boyfriend is not likeable, but that’s because we’re not supposed to like him, and the love scenes are explicit as well as plot driven. I’ll probably want to read the rest of the series too

I can never turn down a Hades & Persephone retelling, I don't believe you can have too many. The Maiden & The Unseen was an enjoyable new take on the well known story and I was happy that it wasn't a copy and paste of what we already know of the dynamic.

There were many points that were comedic and light and enjoyable for the reader. The main issue between the two is miscommunication which is something that does get frustrating after a while, because if the two characters just talked to one another openly, there wouldn't be any issues, but then again, then there wouldn't be any book. This was also a very spicy book, which I am never opposed to either and I don't think took too much away from the storyline.

This was a quick read and leaves you wanting to read the next installment to know where the story goes!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

📖 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: ⭐⭐
👥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
• FMC: ⭐
• MMC: ⭐⭐⭐
• Side Characters: ⭐⭐
✍🏻 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞: ⭐⭐⭐

As a big fan of all mythology, but especially the story of Hades and Persephone, I was excited to read this story with a promising modern twist. However, after a fairly engaging start, in which I particularly liked Hades’ grumpiness and sarcasm as well as his thinking about his feelings and admitting them to himself, I realized that even he wouldn’t be able to get me to finish reading the book. I made it a little over halfway through when even my “turn a blind eye” approach no longer worked; it went steadily downhill. While I continued to like and know to appreciate that Hades had a soft, vulnerable side that you don’t often see in male leads of this genre, that he sought and took advice, and fulfilled one of my favorite tropes of “he falls first and harder”, Persephone became really quite unlikable to me, came across as whiny, naive, and selfish. It also bothered me that Hades seemed to only be able to think with his c*** after a certain point. He made rules only to break them a page later. Even just halfway through, there was already so much smut, that it distracted from an otherwise promising, if not completely thought-out idea. A real shame.

Beyond the relationship between the two main characters, which – no matter how you spin it – involved cheating that I’m not a fan of, what bothered me about the book was the uneven pacing, as was evident in Mellie’s behavior, for example. At first, she is shy and doesn’t want to attract attention, then a few pages later, she “beats up” Hades and gives him a lecture, goes to a nightclub with Persephone – whose best friend she has become within what feels like two pages – and has a one-night stand with Helios.

The writing style is pleasant, but a bit too much tell and not enough show. Thoughts, actions, and dialogues were repeated often, and – like many scenes – at a certain point felt as if the author was just trying to reach a set word count, like I do in my term papers. The pop culture references were a nice touch but made the story seem more YA than it is as a whole for obvious reasons.

All in all, I could probably find a few more positive points in the story, such as the inclusion of lesser-known characters from Greek mythology and the explanation of some concepts or stories, but unfortunately, they simply aren’t enough to make me want to finish the book.

Thank you NetGalley and author Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"God of the Dead. King of the Underworld. The Unseen. The Renowned...The Glorified Babysitter.

Zeus has finally decreed that the gods may leave Olympus and mingle - anonymously - with the mortals of the present. With zero warning or waiting for him to consent to this arrangement, Hades is placed in charge of not only helping the gods assimilate but also financing them. Unlike the other gods, Hades never withdrew from the mortal world. Instead he spent six months of every year among them, building a fortune befitting one of his many names. As long as the gods follow his strict rules for living among mortals, they have access to a generous monthly stipend. Break the rules, lose the privileges. No allowances. Ever.


Goddess of Spring. The Maiden. The Mistress. The Venerable One...The Social Media Manager.

For the last two years, Persephone has lived among the mortals, enjoying everything the world she was so sheltered from has to offer. It took years of begging since Zeus's decree to get her mother to allow her to go, and she imparted some strict rules to follow. Rule 1: No fraternizing with other gods. As far as Demeter is aware, Persephone's closest friend is definitely not Helios, the Titan of the Sun. Rule 2: No men. The mortal she's casually dating doesn't even know the gods exist. Rule 3: Every six months, Demeter comes by for a visit. This one Persephone can't get out of, and if it keeps her mother from investigating Persephone's life, what's the harm?


Destiny. Fate. Fortune. Kismet...An absolute bitch.

Fate has other ideas for Hades and Persephone, and it does not take lightly to being denied. Struggle and fight all they want. But the threads of destiny have wrapped tightly around them and tugs them tighter and tighter, no matter what the gods themselves have to say about it."

This is an entertaining and super spicy retelling of Hades and Persephone. I love reading this book.

I do love a good persephone retelling!! I did enjoy this version, and the characters, however it is to be noted it strays pretty far from the original tale. But, that isn't a bad thing, it is still enjoyable as its own story!

I thoroughly enjoyed the comedic moments shared between the characters, and I was smiling while ressing this. A lot of miscommunication between. The characters could've been avoided through open communication, they need to work on that 😂. There's a fair amount of spice anyway, but towards the end of the book, I feel it ended up being more spice than plot. Some od you may be here for that, but for me, it left me wanting answers and knowing where the story goes next, not another love making scene, sorry!
I will read the next installment as I just *must* know what comes next.

I'm short, I would recommend this book. It is a fun read and a twist on persephone and hades, modern, fun, and enticing.

Unfortunately there was too much wrong with this. One dimensional characters with no character development, no plot, and i can't believe I'm saying this but too much spice. There was a spicy scene at least every five pages it felt like. It was however entertaining enough for me to force myself to keep reading it to see how it ended. So if you're in the mood for for a palette cleanser in between heavier fantasy books and want something that is super spicy, you might enjoy this. Just keep your expectation low. Also note that this isn't a stand alone book like i initially thought, but the first book in a series.

I just couldn’t get into this book at all. In the end I wasn’t even able to get to the half way mark.

Thank you to @Netgalley, Alexis Rune, and Jeanette Rose for letting me read this in return for an honest review.

Ok, so straight off the bat, was this the best book ever? No. But did I enjoy it? Definitely 100%.

I read this in under 24 hours; yes it looks intimidating being 70 + chapters however each chapter is a few pages each keeping them nice and short, and so very easy to justify "one more chapter" until the book was finished.

This was definitely a steamy book, and it felt lacking in plot until the end in which things rammed up pretty quickly, and I'm a bit worried about Jackson tbh. I'm definitely excited to start the next one.

Also, I love Mellie. She's amazing, I will take no questions.

Persephone is very whiny in this. However, I don't see that as a bad thing. This is the first book of 3, and my girl has been sheltered all her life. I'm looking forward to her character development.

Hades... My sassy, sassy boy. I love him and his "Hades, god of biting his tongue", or "Hades, god of middle siblings." He's so done, and I am here for it.

If I come across a Persephone and Hades book, I am 100% reading it no questions asked. This one is book 1 in a 3 book series. It was enemies to lovers in the absolute best way. I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to read the next two!

A modern day retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades and… wow, this book was, how do I put this… spicy… very, very spicy.
The story in this book unfolds over a relatively short period, correct me if I'm wrong, but I would estimate around one month. Some might argue that a lot transpires in such a brief timeframe, but if we consider the dual POV and the characters' inner monologues, how much time do we, mere mortals, spend lost in our own heads in just a day?
The insecurities and lack of real communication from both characters were, at times, a bit cringy. However, bear with me, this all occurs within a month! How many of us are completely open with someone in such a short time without insecurities? Yes, maybe they dove into the passionate and intense parts of the novel very quickly, but isn't the beginning of a relationship often marked by heightened lust and excitement?
I would have enjoyed delving deeper into Melie's friendships with Hades, Persephone, and Helios. However, since we finally learn what happened at the bar at the end of the book, I'm guessing we'll get to know them better in book 2.
The plot may have lacked a bit, but there's only so much character development that can happen in such a short time, especially for gods and goddesses who have all eternity.
On to book two…
Favorite quote:
“They are just… so lost, Hades,” Athena murmurs.
So are we, Athena. We're as lost as they are. We’re no different. Bumbling our way through the world for thousands of years, only we make bigger mistakes, bigger messes.”

”I won’t share you, Persephone. When you’re mine, you’ll be only mine. I won’t accept half of you”

While not being a terrible book, it was not my cup of tea. I did finish it, and didn't hate it though I struggled to complete it. I will probably not read it again or continue the series. There is a lot of spice in this book, so most certainly for a mature audience.

When I tell you I TORE through this book! I loved it! I loved the dual perspective, how they were both so confident but could be soft with each other. I loved that Hades was the first to fall. I loved how Persephone pushed back to him, that she is a strong woman. It sets up her role in the story so well. And I am super stoked that the next book is also available to read! Off to continue the story....

So The Maiden and the Unseen is basically erotic fan-fiction. I love a good Hades & Persephone story, but I prefer ones with actual story in them. There is basically 0% plot. All that happens is they meet and then they're either at work, going to work, leaving work, or at an apartment and either having sex or reaching third base with their powers, or talking about how they want each other but can't have each other for reasons. There is literally nothing that happens outside of a weird obstacle of her refusing to break up with her not-boyfriend (it is honestly never explained as to why she hesitated on this). Demeter never shows up, Persephone has no personality, and Hades sounds is constantly second-guessing himself and just trying to possess her. What does his company do? No idea? Any details on what she actually does as a "social media manager" for his company? Nope. What are the rest of the gods like? We barely see them. She's terrified of having to go back to her mom right? Yes, but mostly she just lusts after Hades.

In all honesty, this felt like college-level writing. It's set in the modern-world so the lingo is all modern including slang, which I don't typically love. It goes a step further than the modern world and sets it in our real world by having the model Gisele make an appearance for about 5 minutes. Very odd. Their dialogue is very elementary and they basically only talk about wanting each other. Half-way through the book Hades realizes "what do I know about her" and even from then on all we hear is that he stalks her a bit more to see what she tells other people she likes - they never have a legitimately real conversation. One dinner is even described as them spending it in "companionable silence" - do they actually know each other at all beyond how sexy they both are?

If you're looking for plot-less smut, this is for you. It's basically 95% sex or sex-related activities. I love my smut but damn give me some character arcs and overarching conflict please!

**SPOILERS BELOW**
Details and context are tossed in randomly or just never. For example:
- 3 friends that supposedly were meeting her at a club just never appear and are never mentioned again
- her not-boyfriend calls when she and Hades are going to third base, and it's the first time Hades is aware she's in a pseudo relationship, and he just never says anything about it in his chapter even though he's painted as very possessive. Seems like this would be something he comments on right after finding out.
- the timeline is confusing - sometimes subsequent chapters continue forward in time, other times they start a few days prior and then catch-up.

Oh my goodness!! This was the spicy Hades/Persephone retelling that I didn’t know I needed! The back and forth between characters and the amazing storyline really made it. The side characters were awesome too! The storyline was super engrossing too