I do love a good Hades and Persephone retelling and this was certainly one of them! Lots of spice, but the plot line was also good! I wasn’t keen on the ending as it left it so abruptly but they may have been my fault for not realising this want a stand alone!

This is a creative retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone. The modern take is very interesting and it's enjoyable to read how they would be texting each other in the modern age. Helios and Mellie are also fun supporting characters and we even get to hear a bit about Zeus and Poseidon. The spice was perfect but I was not expecting that cliffhanger ending. I can't wait to read the next book.

Once again, #Bookstagram has failed me. I saw that this was a Hades and Persephone retelling, and I got very excited just to become as quickly disappointed.

Pros: The smut was really nice especially after things escalated. I also enjoyed the addition of glamour and true forms. I also LOVED Helios and Melli, and I once thought part two would be their story.

Cons: Quite literally everything else and in no particular order. The pacing of this story is way too slow. I’m in full belief that this was forced into a series. There’s a lot of tension that’s broken up by dumb decisions, mutual play, and insecurities which became very annoying over time.

The writing also felt very choppy. I could truly tell when the differences in the voices and direction between the contributors. It almost felt like a debut because it read very infant in development. There’s also a lot of inconsistencies in how the italicized words were used.

The Characters: I HATED them. Hades is the definition of a cinnamon roll. Hard on the outside as one of the Big 3 and because of his role in the Underworld, but he has a soft side that only Persephone can see and draw out. In this story, Hades is more insecure than a teenage boy going through puberty. Every single thing makes him question himself which is very disappointing.

Persephone was set up as a brat which made perfect sense, but that’s not completely what we received. I kept waiting to see her in own power, but it never came.

Together, they made no sense. We never saw their connection. All we know is that they’re “fated” and have a lot of sexual chemistry. I wanted more of their dialogue to be shared. We received as an audience, but they never shared it with one another. Essentially, how did they get to being “in love?”

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Y'all this was my bad. I am not really a fan of greek mythology, or greek mythology retellings, so I am sad to admit that I had to DNF this book around 37%.

I think that this was a good book, I just really couldn't get into it due to my lack of interest. I did rate it 3 stars, because for the little bit of it that I did read I did enjoy.

I did spread the word and share this book with some of my friends who do INFACT love greek mythology, and all of the retellings.

Thank you for this arc!

Very interesting story on hades and Persephone retelling. Loved all the banter and the spice!! I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a spicy book. It didn’t get repetitive or boring. There were some sweet moments that I enjoyed.

I am a big BIG fan of stories inspired by or retellings of mythological legends. I’ve read a lot, to put it lightly. And when I tell you I couldn’t put this down!! I absolutely devoured it! I loved the concept of the gods and deities coming to earth to secretly live and work amongst the humans. Having Persephone being so hidden away by her mother that no one even knew she existed was such a refreshing take. The relationship between Hades and Persephone gave everything it needed to and I loved their workplace/romance dynamic.

DNF @ 25%

I was excited about reading this retelling of Hades and Persephone but I just couldn't finish the story.

There's a lot of smut and not much of a plot. Don't get me wrong, that can be entertaining but I enjoy a story with an actual plot. I think that the idea for this story was great and the texting thing could have been done in an enthralling and exciting kind of of way. It was just poor execution, in my opinion. The author just lost me with going straight to fucking. The amount of times the words cock and pussy are used is ridiculous. I'm not a prude but I love some real content and buildup tension to go with a romance. I also found the cover to be misleading. The cover feels romantic and full of chivalry and the story is not any of the above. I think this was one of those "it's not you, it's me" kind of stories.

If you enjoyed Neon Gods then this story is for you. I believe that A touch of darkness is a better retelling than these two mentioned. If you just want to have a good time, read foreplay, then this is the read.

A wild ride of mythology, romance and burning passion. A new retelling of the classic Hades and Persphone love story set in the modern day. But man, what a cliffhanger! A definite recommend! So hot!

I dislike the miscommunication trope and this book has the most I have ever seen. The smut was good. The banter was good. But the miscommunication and the way Persephone used Sex to get Hades to tell her the truth turned me off. I do often like when something like using sex to get something happens in a book, but it is not acceptable in real life, so in books is where I get my experience of it and the smut was good. However, the way the sex began, and the way Persephone uses it in this book was a major turn off for me. The plot felt like it was purely sex, I did not feel the chemistry between them. I do love a good smut book, but this one missed the mark for me. I went in with high expectations because the cover and title really made me super interested in this book, however it fell flat for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this read.

This book was a hard read for me. I had a hard time staying in this world. For me it took longer for me to read than a normal amount of time for me, but I do have friends that I know for sure they will love this one.

This was a very middle-of-the-road book for me. But I do know people I can recommend this book to that will love and enjoy it.

This story had everything going for it that I was going to love it. Hades and Persephone retelling, spice, fated mates, sass, a beautiful cover.However, after the recent deluge of Hades and Persephone retellings I have been a bit spoiled. And I will say outright that while this story wasn’t my cup of tea it wasn’t bad.

The writing was well done, though I did feel like the middle was a bit slow. However, we go from sassy party girl with a human boyfriend to immediate spice with Hades very very quickly. So. Much. Spice. And not getting into specialized spice just the quantity of it. Which, I love me a smutty erotica, it is one of my guilty pleasures and I have zero shame for it. But… Even with a fated mates scenario I don’t tend to enjoy instalove, and while this was more instalust it was a bit overwhelming.

I think what made me so frustrated was the absolute ridiculous levels of miscommunication. Miscommunication can be a good trope, some of my favorite character growth moments have come from miscommunication being used in a story. However, there was nearly no clearing the air moment that allowed for that growth. I set my book down at the end and was so mad that I didn’t get any resolution from the miscommunication. It was one step forward and five steps back.

I will say that the plot twist wasn’t anything I expected? In that way I appreciated how it happened, and the ending was very dramatic as Persephone was the entire book so that was mildly satisfying. But it is SUCH cliffhanger. Again with no resolution.

I haven’t decided if I’m picking up book 2. I want to mostly because I feel like this book was much of a set up, and there will be character growth in the next one? Undecided. Can you tell me if you’ve read it, thoughts and if you’d read the next one? I’d love to hear!

Okay so this was way better than neon gods which was horseshit. If you're looking for a very smutty hades/persephone retelling, I would definitely recommend this one over that one.

There's really not a whole lot to say about this one. Persephone lives in the human world and has a job and just wants to be mostly normal after finally getting her leash loosened by her psycho mom. Yada yada she meets Hades. Yada yada they do a lot of banging. Goodreads has changed the site to make it a real pain in my ass to tell whether or not there will be a book 2, but it ends on a cliffhanger. If there is a book 2, I'd read it.

I’m a sucker for mythological retellings and I gotta say, this take on Hades and Persephone might just be my favorite yet.

The way that the gods have appeared to seamlessly place themselves into the “real world” is fascinating to me. Since this book takes place in our world rather than the mythological ones we usually get with retellings, I find this to be different and fascinating.

Of course there’s a cliffhanger and that just kills me. I need to know what happens next - the journey to the cliffhanger was fantastic though.

Huge thank you NetGalley for the ebook!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I received this ARC through NetGalley. Thank you for the early read.

I loved the cover which is what originally pulled me in to read this book. Let me just tell you that his book was super hot and heavy. I loved it! It is another retelling of Hades and Pherpshone but it was written very well. I must say I am waiting for the next because just wow. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who likes to read a modern retelling of Greek myths and SMUT.

I absolutely adore Hades and Persephone retellings and I love erotica, so the two put together was sure to be a winner!!!! This was set in present day and I really enjoyed the gods being a part or the human world today. And let me tell you, this was steamy… like a lot. I’m not going to say that’s all there was, because I happened to enjoy the plot of them getting together, but my did they have a lot of… lovin.

The only two things that kind of irked me was the constant doubt the two had. It got annoying after a while. But no worries, I just focused more on the spicy parts. Lol!! And I wasn’t too thrilled that this leaves you with a cliffhanger. I just didn’t realize it wasn’t a standalone novel. Oh well!! I’ll read the next one when it comes out and probably be just as entertained with that one.

So back to the physical aspect… boy was it hot. There were lots of good descriptions and I could really picture what was going on. The two were seriously great together. I mean they meshed together personality wise, but let’s face it, this book is mostly about their passion and great bedroom activity. Even when it wasn’t in the bedroom. It wasn’t repetitive with the wording, which can happen when you have so many encounters to describe. And it remained hot throughout. Phew, like I said, I really enjoyed myself reading this one.

So I recommend this to those who like erotica and lots of spicy action. And of course those who like Hades and Persephone retellings.

Thanks to NetGalley, Rose & Star Publishing, and Jeanette Rose for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I was all in when I heard that this book was a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone. The story gave us a new spin on an old myth (office romance) with a lot of spice. If you are looking for a book that has a miscommunication trope, is heavy on spice and not too plot driven, I would definitely suggest picking up this book.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and writing. I didn’t expect the story to end on a cliffhanger, but can’t wait to see what the next book has in store!

I want to thank NetGalley, Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune and Rose & Star Publishing, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

Title: The Maiden & The Unseen
by Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune

Rating: 4/5 stars

Tropes: Enemies to lovers
Greek myth retelling
boss/employee romance
Dual Pov
Love triangle

Angst: 3/5 stars
Spicy: 4/5 stars

As a born Greek, I could not resist a Greek myth retelling. It was a fun and quick reading. I loved the passion and the chemistry between Persephone and Hades. Something that soured me was the constant miscommunication between the couple and the open ending.

I hope there will be a second book!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ebook in exchange my honest review!

I love a Hades/Persephone retelling as much as the next person - throw in some spice and I AM IN. While this book was fun, I felt that parts of the book were underdeveloped and rushed. More so, I can't stand the miscommunication trope and immediately switched it off when I saw it popping up. I think that there is a kind of balancing act that makes "spicy" books successful and that's when the plot can hold up without the spice. Where I sort of felt like this book lacked that - the spice was great, but the plot fell off, especially at the end. I am assuming we're setting up for a second book, but I am not entirely sure that I would read the next book based on this reading experience.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love a good Greek Myth retelling, especially in a contemporary setting, so this was a no brained for me.
The characters were great and the chemistry was on point, and the smut level was high, all the things I love. It’s just a pity it ended on such a cliff-hanger. If I’d known that from the outset I wouldn’t have requested it and I may not even bother with the sequel as a result of it not being disclosed. That’s how annoyed I am about it.