A spicy Hades and Persephone retelling. Decent storyline to go with the spice, ends on a cliffhanger. I wish there had been more fleshing out of the details but a good story nonetheless.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I’ll start by saying I love a Hades/Persephone reimagining. I am totally here for it.

This book defiantly had that aspect down with some interesting world twists and power twists. Was fairly 🌶️🌶️, which I also enjoyed. But it felt like some of the plot was forced. The author referenced emotions they were feeling that seemed to come out of nowhere. And there were some great secondary characters that weren’t really developed and I wish were utilized more.

And in the long run it ended on a cliffhanger which is somewhat frustrating for me personally.

ARc generously provided by NetGalley and Rose & Star Publishing in exchange for fair and honest review.

A fun, spicy read for those of us who can't get enough of Hades and Persephone. The majority of this book unfolded as I expected for the characters and the genre, but there were a few twists I enjoyed. Some of the internal monologuing and dramatic angst could have been reduced or combined to make everything feel a bit less repetitive. Or, alternatively, I would have liked to see Hades & Persephone reach a more consistent level of stability before the disagreements between them caused issues.

The Maiden & The Unseen is a modern spicy retelling of Hades and Persephone. In this retelling, the gods are allowed to leave Olympus to live alongside humans anonymously while receiving financial support from Hades as long as they follow his rules. However, Persephone, in a desperate attempt to hide in the mortal realm from her overbearing mother, Demeter, accidentally breaks one of Hade's rules and when confronted by the God of the underworld, passion, fate, and love ensue.

This book started strong; I enjoyed the modern dynamic of how the Greek gods spend their time on earth and found it easy to keep reading. I enjoyed seeing Persephone portrayed as an independent woman who didn't take nonsense. I felt this interpretation of her character made the power between her and Hades equal. I loved the banter that it brought with it.

However, as the story unfolded, I found myself dragging my feet when it came to reading. My two main issues with this book were the constant use of the miscommunication trope and the abrupt ending. I don't mind miscommunication, mainly if it's done correctly, but it was overly used within this book, and I found it just got worse as the story progressed.

And the ending? I'm not sure if this is supposed to be the first book in a series, as my impression was it was standalone. Still, the ending was such a jarring cliffhanger that I thought for a second that I might not have gotten a fully downloaded version of the book. It was frustrating, to say the least.

However, the spice was good, and I thought using Hades and Persephone's magic in the spicier scenes was creative and fun to read. The authors did a great job with the magic and powers they gave to both Hades and Persephone; it was a fun twist to this story.

Overall, this was a decent read to start, but it ended up falling flat with the constant miscommunication and cliffhanger ending.

Hades and Persephone in a modern setting. This has a lot of "Lore of Olympus" vibes, or Neon Gods. There is a lot of spice and I enjoyed it. Shame on me for not reading the summary, because based on the cover I expected more of a fantasy setting than an urban one.

I didn’t realise this was an erotica novel based off the blurb so I was very surprised when I read further into the story. Unfortunately this is not what I was looking for and did not enjoy this very much. I do love how the story mixed in traditional Greek gods and how they are assimilated into the modern world. And that was all I enjoyed.

I do love a retelling of Greek mythology and this one focuses on Persephone and Hades so I was excited to read this but there is nothing to the plot but sex. The potential was that Hades couldn’t tell Persephone what their prophecy entails which hindered their relationship but there was zero development to that plot? I was waiting for more exciting things to unfold but I was quite disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley and Rose & Star Publishing for the arc.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and was very excited to read it. Who can resist a Hades and Persephone retelling?? Not me, that's for sure. I love a dual POV romance, so I was very excited about that, and I was interested in the modern setting for the story, and how the gods and goddesses were assimilating to the modern world and occupying themselves (Athena cracked me up). I was also very interested in the snippets we caught on the side of Melinoe and Helios and can see that being a fun story in the series down the line.

However, the dynamic between Hades and Persephone didn't seem to flow really well for me. The pace of the story threw me off and I think the extended mental barriers that Hades and Persephone put up to keep themselves apart took up too much time in the book and kind of slowed everything down. I would have been more interested in reading more at the beginning of the book about Hades learning the prophecy, Persephone's relationship with Demeter and her experience growing up, their true forms -- just more of that background and world-building to have a better understanding of where each character was coming from and what their motivations and reservations were. I think it would have strengthened the emotional tension while they were dancing around their chemistry and would have made the extended miscommunication trope a bit more understandable. As is, it just felt like a lot of different details thrown into the mix after 70% of the book, but without enough details and support to ground the reader and keep them invested.

4.5 ⭐️

I DEVOURED this book. I started reading it and when I’d have to put it down to fall asleep, I wouldn’t stop thinking about it!

The slow-ish burn was top tier, the spice - sooooo good, and when there was no spice, the plot was intriguing enough!

There were some parts I felt like were rushed (or could have been worded differently to provide more explanation), such as Jackson/Hermes threatening her with her mom - I want more explanation on that (maybe we’ll get more background on that in book 2) & Hades’ decision to solidify the bond, so to speak. I get it was the only thing he could do to keep her, but part of me felt a teensy unsatisfied with how quick he did that when he’s been fighting the urge the entire book.

Can’t wait for book 2 & I hope Melinoë makes an appearance again!

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me a digital copy of this book!

First, a thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

The Maiden & the Unseen is filled with endless drama, angst, and sexual tension, just like all modern Greek romance retellings tend to be. This is an intriguing Hades and Persephone retelling by co-authors, Alexis Rune and Jeanette Rose, and fans of the aforementioned gods and erotic romance are sure to enjoy.

However, this story felt a little too forced and the romance is filled with issues thanks to an overuse of the miscommunication trope leading to the characters dodging around attempts at honestly connecting in a way that felt natural. The erotic scenes were well written and the concept of gods secretly living among us in the modern world was a fun premise, but sadly the conflict to the romance via the miscommunication trope made this title fall a little flat.

Well well well!

Hades and Persephone are like my favourite characters of Olympus! I love their re tellings!

This one has me a little bit conflicted because most of the book it’s about both of them not fully accepting their bond, because Persephone is hiding behind the person who she’s casually dating so she doesn’t fully commit to Hades.

And Hades is hiding a lot of secrets that don’t let him fully open to Persephone so their relationship is like continuously on hold hence the plot feels kinda thin a times!

And then the book ends in a major cliffhanger that I will not name but come on! there’s no date or news about book 2 yet, so I’m kind of like all right then I need to know!

PS: this book has lots of sexy scenes so be sure you love smut because you’ll get it!

How many Hades and Persephone retellings will I read this year? The limit does not exist. This was a very fun one with a very interesting world and the spice level was extremely hot, like ghost pepper levels. I didn't love the ending as it cut off too fast but I'm sure this will end up being a trilogy which will resolve that.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

4 stars 1 spice

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I am a fan of Hades and Persephone and fated mates so i gave this a try!!! I enjoyed every single thing about this except the miscommunication. It was the most annoying thing ever.

However, I enjoyed them pining for each other. I thought this was a standalone because I went in blind but the last sentence. OMG. WTF. LIKE i had to visit author’s goodreads and IG just to check when the next book will be available but got disappointed because there is still no update about it. THIS BOOK LEFT ME HANGING!!! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED SO SO BAD

Perfect book if you're just looking for some spice.
I had hoped that the characters would have more authentic greek gods characteristic but mostly they're just contemporary characters with their names.

This book is filled with drama, angst, and sexual tension like you wouldn't believe. It was emotional chaos, and I loved it. The Maiden and the Unseen is a dazzling Hades and Persephone retelling by co-authors, Alexis Rune and Jeanette Rose, and it's what dreams are made of. I'm a big fan of all sorts of mythology, and the Hades and Persephone myth is my absolute favorite. Alexis and Jeanette have written one of my dreams, set in modern times where the Greek gods secretly exist.


All the usual characters are represented as themselves, Hades, Persephone, Melinoë, Zeus, Posiden, Helios, and more. Hades is Hades, God of the Underworld, and a banker. Persephone is the goddess of spring and a social media manager, and Melinoë is the goddess of nightmares and also the IT director, which in a way makes total sense, and so on.


The gods are a mess, and I delighted in lit. They are everything I expected while being like nothing I expected. Hades is the middle child and a mediator between his brothers. He's calm, responsible, and reasonable except when Persephone gets under his skin, then Hades is brooding, obsessive, possessive, and a touch sensitive but the god is still tall, dark, and sexy. While Persephone is very sheltered, try to break free from her controlling mother. She has a go-getting attitude. The goddess of spring has an edge.


Both Hades and Persephone drove me crazy, the two are a mess of emotions. There is this strong attraction, and they come together in fiery passion, but when it comes to the actual relationship part, they are clueless, causing each other grief for unknown reasons. They were torturing each other but after they're together it's everything, if still problematic. The flirtation game is strong with sexting, dating apps, club hook-ups, and steamy make-outs before they started giving me third-degree burns. It was hot.


There were a lot of other cool aspects, I love little extras in books. This one had texting, emails, memos, and more. Then, there are the supernatural aspects that got a unique twist. There is a prophecy and a curse, fate toying with the characters, mentioning of different realms, as well as other things that I feel need to be a surprise, they sure were to me.


The Maiden and the Unseen was truly a glorious read, with fabulous characters and a compelling storyline, just the right amount of sex appeal, and Greek mythology, with its own unique twists. My love for this book knows no bounds. The story ended in a very chaotic cliffhanger that has me dying for the next book because I'm already addicted to this series.

**I received The Maiden & The Unseen as an arc through NetGalley**
I am a sucker for Hades x Persephone retellings and The Maiden & The Unseen did NOT disappoint. I loved the dynamic between Hades and Persephone and I had a hard time putting the book down. I appreciated all the nods towards Greek mythology while also adding good twists and new content to the original myth. This book does leave us on a rather big cliff hanger but that means we get a 2nd book, which I am stoked about. If you enjoy Greek mythology / retellings, I recommend The Maiden & The Unseen!!

Overall: 9/10
Spice rating: 4/5

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

This book is 4.5 stars to me more than just 4 stars. I was absolutely enthralled with this book. I loved the characters. The spice was great. But I want more!! I am hoping there will be a second book because it can not end like that!!

When I saw this was a retelling of Hades and Persephone I was super excited to start this book…. But for me it just didn’t hit the spot.

I got a third of the way through and seriously considered not finishing, but I ploughed my way through and completed it. It was middle of the road for me

I’m not a big fan of spice books, so for other it may be more enjoyable
It ended on a big cliffhanger but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read the second book

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read

I’ll just start out with the thing that made this such a low star rating for me- miscommunication. Ugh! This is the worst trope. The spice was great. The premise was so promising. But the fact that the author added unnecessary drama to the plot through miscommunication made it a dnf for me:

This book was amazing. Slow burn start in a way, but also very intense. The smut was just the right amount I feel for a fated mates type book. The ending left me wanting more and I will probably never be able to sleep peacefully until I know. Overall, this book was wonderful and I hope there is more to this story.

This review is based on the copy I received through NetGalley.

4 stars

This is definitely the spiciest Hades and Persephone read to date. There is lots and lots of spice which I devoured. I also enjoyed the banter and relationship of the 2 main characters. Looking forward to the sequel.