I highly recommend this to fans of A Touch of Darkness. This is a very spicy contemporary Hades x Persephone retelling. It has a office setting, which creates sooo much tension. At first I thought it might be to similar for me as I don't read a lot of contemporaty romances but this stands on its own and will be so popular. Disclaimer this will be a series and I will be picking up book two. I cannot wait to see more of the side characters. They are so interesting. I think the weakest character is Persephone... She is actually a very strong willed FMC but I didn't believe her misunderstanding of money and I didn't like her occassional pouting.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review

I always love a Hades and Persephone retelling and try to read them all. I really had high hopes for this one and felt it started out strong. There was definite tension between the two but I wouldn't call it a slow burn. There are spicy scenes early on and they continue throughout the book sometimes at the expense of the plot. I'm all for a good spicy/smut book but not if it takes away from the story I would say almost half the book are explicit scenes which is fine if that's the type of book your looking for. I did like the underlying story and am intrigued where it will go next after ending on a bit of a cliffhanger. I want to thank NetGalley and Rose & Star Publishing for the digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The maiden and the unseen by Jeanette rose and alexis rune

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to netgalley, Rose & star publishing and Jeanette Rose and alexis rune for the opportunity to read this book

I'm giving this one a 2.5 rounded to a 3 purely because I'm looking at it from 2 different perspectives which I'll explain.

Hades and persephone star in smutty romance set in the human world, I'm not sure I'd call it a retelling but she certainly does get that forbidden fruit. The title is an interesting choice given how the story goes but the cover is pretty.

The first is the smut / spice side and if you're looking for that this book really ...ahem, goes to town if you will. There's a lot of scenes in here, in fact I'd say 70% of the book is scenes or thoughts of doing scenes. There are some slightly cringe lines like "liquid thunder of your thighs" which is not a phrase I ever want to read again. And a very odd (to me) scene with a cardigan.

The second perspective is unfortunately the side I fall into. I don't mind smut/spice but I read for plot and character development and this book is missing both. There is a little plot and it definitely comes more into play in the last 5 chapters so maybe the sequel (if there is one) might be better but this book was such a quick read because you can skim bits and miss nothing.
Even the romance side of hades and persephone is lacking slightly because it is so smut filled. I did however love the relationships both main characters have with mellie, and just mellie as a whole really. I'd read a book about her and a certain god any day.
Also shout out to hades for refusing to do the full deed until it wouldn't count as cheating. Good for you sweetie.

Side note the authors do have a playlist for this on Spotify and it is very good, really fits the book well.

I was interested in reading this book because it is a modern retelling of a Greek myth. Hades and Persephone stories seem to be very trendy right now, and this one was set in New York City. What I didn’t realize is that this book is more erotica than romance novel. I felt the love scenes overwhelmed the plot and character development. Also their relationship was constantly up and down. I think if you are interested in reading monster type erotica with workplace romance and some dominant/submissive vibes this could be the book for you. However, it wasn’t the book for me.

I really liked the tension between Hades and Persephone along the book. Loved Hades!
It was really nice to see him as the one responsible between both of them. Didn't like Persephone not wanting to end things with her "boyfriend " and wanting to be with Hades.
Loved Hades POVs. The MMC povs are always my favorites. Loved to see him struggling to protect her. His fears were so palpable .
It really made me sad everytime he said they're running out of time . It made it so real for the reader.
Would've loved to see more of the other Gods. It was an unexplored point that I was dying to read. Felt the book was all around Hades and Persephone accepting each other. Accepting they're fated. Would've been nice to have more subplot like seeing Hades trying to find out who was tricking him, but a few chapters in the book and he totally forgot about it and everything else. I understand the main plot was their relationship but I still felt the lack of something else to get a hold on .
Hated Demeter as always . Loved Hekates description and those last chapters were really good. I'll be looking forward to read the next one.

Jeanette Rose weaves a modern tone into a popular Greek myth: the Taking of Persephone. Her steamy, contemporary version describes the Greek gods in more than mortal attire. Many of the gods have descended from Olympus, shopping with the stipend provided by the God of Riches and slipping in to mingle with mortality--with a small set of regulations. Follow the rules, receive your allowance.

Persephone lives under strict rules, set by her mother, that grants her permission to live among mortals. No fraternizing with other gods; mother will check in every six months; no men. When her bank account mysteriously freezes, she is forced to confront the Rich One to prove her mother had not caught her breaking the rules.

Hades runs the finances for every god among mortals. When one name eludes his list, he believes they are trying to slip past the rules that are set in place to provide each god with their allowance. By freezing one account after another, he is certain he can flush out who has been slipping past his securities.

Contained by outside forces, Hades and Persephone work unravel secrets from each other while maintaining a public face. Where the book lacks in plot, it certainly makes up for with explicit sex scenes. Do not be mistaken: this novel is, in every sense, erotica. While there is little conflict beyond internal relations, this book is also good for the occasional laugh; Rose ties in small bits of humour that allow her characters to feel fleshed out and real. That, combined with a handful of loose ends in the conclusion, Rose has promise for a solid sequel.

I really wanted to love this book. A good Hades and Persephone retelling is always fun, and at times, this read was fun, but about halfway or a third of the way through, that is it. This was a quick read with main characters with physical chemistry, and an attempt at retelling a classic story, but it loses any substance and starts to not make sense in a lot of ways. The characters become repetitive and the storylines aren't fully developed so I am unable to rank this book any higher.

*Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to rose and star publishing for providing an arc through netgalley!

this is another retelling of the story of hades and persephone so if you've read enough of them in the last few years, this may not be the read for you. i, however, never tire of these two characters.

overall, i did enjoy this book. the miscommunication trope is a little tooo much at points though. the story also ends on a cliffhanger so reader, beware!

2.5
As a fan of Hades and Persephone retellings I really wanted to love this. Unfortunately, The Maiden and the Unseen was just an okay read for me. Persephone came across as selfish, and Hades in trying to come across as sensitive was a bit of a wet blanket. The story focused more on the physical side of the relationship with no real plot development and several interesting side characters seem to disappear from the story with no explanation. Despite my negative thoughts I will more than likely read book two to see if/how the characters and story grow.

This book is a steamy modern retelling of Hades and Persephone. I like the story of Hades and Persephone, especially steamy ones, but this one didn't feel like it brought anything new to the table. A few times during this story, I actually Googled whether or not this had previously been published under a different title, because it felt that familiar. But no, it's just so like all of the other retellings, that I thought I might have already read it before.

Overall, the writing was very informal. It was medium paced, with lots of sexual tension. I wish the author would have done more with Hades and Persephone's magic, as they really are cool, but this story, for the most part, could have been about any insta-love corporate couple. and it would have worked the same. I didn't like the ending. I'm totally cool with cliff-hangers, but this felt like the author just decided they were sick of writing, so we'd have to wait for the next book. I genuinely was surprised it was the end, and had to double check I didn't miss anything.

TLDR; typical modern Hades and Persephone story that doesn't bring anything new to the table. Nice and steamy, wish there was more magic.

I’ll start off by saying I love a good smutty book. Seriously. But I also love plot. And while I did enjoy the MCs. I swear everything was solely based only on sex. And while I can devour that, this one didn’t have the plot to keep me interested in it like I normally would be. I’d read the second book if there was one possibly.

This book really had me in the first half. Hades and Persephone is one of my favorite mythological stories. They are the epitome of grumpy sunshine and this book definitely hits that mark. The build up, obsession, and tension is strong between these two characters.

Unfortunately, the second half of the book kind of fell off. It felt like it was missing some structure or plot points to help move the story along. And even though I thoroughly enjoyed the spice, at one point I didn’t know what day it was or how long it had been and felt just a little lost waiting for the other foot to drop. There was also a bit too much miscommunication. As a 33 year old, that can get old and frustrating pretty fast. So I would say even though this is definitely a book for adults, maybe it would be better suited for those 18-25 years old.

Keep in mind, this is a contemporary Hades and Persephone retelling that takes place in the mortal world. There is some lore and magical elements but it does not take place in a fantasy world, so if you’re here for major world building, you will not be satisfied.

✅ forbidden love
✅ fated mates
✅ dual POV
✅ 🌶️🌶️🌶️

The Maiden and The Unseen by Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune. Greek mythology and smutty plotline? YES, PLEASE. I had very little idea of what I was signing up for when I first started reading this book. Hades and Persephone had always been my favourite divine Greek couple from the mythology and even though the real plotline is a bit more sinister, this one humanizes Hades so much. So I knew it was based off around the Hades and Persephone romance but gosh! The chemistry in here is so unreal.
The amalgamation of Greek mythology in a modern urban setting blended with the perfect amount of smuttiness, which is basically dripping off of every page of this book, is absolutely chef's kisses. This is a chunky book but the hot breezy chapters will make it look like an easy 100 pages but let me tell ya, it's over 700 pages!
From Zeus, Poseidon and Hades bickering over absolute nonsense, to Demeter's strict rules for Persephone, to appearances of several other divine beings; this book has it all. The best thing? It does never feel like it's losing its ties from the actual plotline but it is just a sexier modern take on it. Which serves another purpose- if you don't like reading the Plain Jane mythology, you still get to know some bits of it from this spicy take on it. Brownie points, isn't it?
We've all read some smuts which have seemed very pointless and unorganized after a point, where the only point was the hot drama. Well, I'll agree at times they feel kinda nice but I mostly find them very monotonous and all. So, this one was a fresh breathe of air where I got two of my favourite things in one single book. But this one comes with its own quirks (can i even call them quirks? Idk.) The two main characters repeatedly miscommunicated and thought the other person somehow didn't like them and repeated and continued with their nonstop sex and to be honest, some chapters towards the middle of the book seemed overly stretched and some chapters seemed unnecessary but then it geared up once again towards the end and was quick to fill the reader with the anticipation of a mysterious ending.
I will give this book a solid 4 out of 5.
Tropes involved: fated mates, workplace romance, modern retellings.

The Maiden and The Unseen was a good spicy read that I will be looking forward to seeing a sequel to in the future. It is a well-written spicy retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, that kept me reading until I finished it. There are some inconsistencies in the mythology, such as Hades being the middle brother and how he does not know his own sister Demeter from what the authors eluded to. In all a solid read that kept me entertained and looking forward to what was going to happen next.

I love a good mythology retelling, and this has it in spades. Hades and Persephone are one of my favorite couplings, and the take on a modern retelling was fresh. Loved it, and will be on the lookout for more by this author team.

The Maiden & the unseen is a super spicy retelling of the Hades and Persephone love story. The story itself has a very high quantity of smut and a very low quantity of plot however it seems from suggestions in this book and the extremely large cliffhanger that this book sets up a wider world and bigger picture.

The characters are very likeable and pretty fleshed out. Persephone is a goddess that knows her own mind and Hades is intense and bossy which is what I would expect from a god of the underworld.

I have rated this story 4 stars due to the lack of plot and additional characters however I do think that in the future this series could be a 5-star series!

I can't wait to read what happens next!

I was very lucky to receive an ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you Rose & Star Publishing and NetGalley for providing an arc for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. Hades and Persephone are my favorite Greek myth couple so I was very excited to read this but it really fell flat for me. It fell into this weird space between slow burn and erotica. Hades felt very all over the place to me and Persephone was not very fleshed out. It also had many tropes that I really do not like such as miscommunication and cheating. They spent more time pretending that they weren't having an affair than actually building a relationship. Don't get me wrong I love erotica and smut but the plot was nonexistent/lacking at best. I am hoping that the next book focuses on the building of a relationship between Hades and Persephone and not just the sexual tension between them.

The side characters and the dialogue also fell flat for me. What was meant to be snarky and witty interactions ended up sounding childish and cringy.

4 stars 4 spice

This was by far one of my favorite Hades and Persephone retellings! The humor, banter, and spice were absolute perfection--I mean, those shadow hands? Yes, please! Hades was not only hot, but also hilarious, and I loved his inner dialogue so much. His "Hades, God of *whatever silly title we can think of*" was ridiculous and I was obsessed all the same. The chemistry between Hades and Persephone was spot on and just kept getting hotter and hotter. I love a good office romance and the boss/employee taboo trope was done so well here.

I also adored Helios and Mellie and I'm really crossing my fingers for their story in a future book. In the meantime, however, that cliffhanger was totally unexpected and left me screaming for more. I can't wait for book two and to see what happens next with Hades and Persephone. I have a feeling things are about to get really wild and I am here for it.

In a book market that is full of Hades and Persephone retellings, this was a pretty fresh take on how the Greek gods might fit into the modern world. If you like billionaire and workplace romances, there is definitely something here for you. The heat level was super high, and some of the side characters were really charming (Mellie especially).

That said, this book just wasn't for me. It felt like it could have used another round of edits to tighten up the pacing and fix a few little errors (e.g. spelling Persephone's romanized name as Prosperina instead of Proserpina). I also didn't care for the way Persephone strung along the guy she'd been dating as a way of maintaining emotional distance between herself and Hades. Dude may have been kind of a dick, but no one deserves that.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I had to put this book down about a third of the way through. I had hoped it wouldn’t descend so shamelessly into Wattpad-level erotica only a few pages in, but it did. While I enjoy erotica to a certain level, I think I’ve realized this type of smut is not my thing. It is wholly unrealistic, quite often banal, and I found myself skipping over paragraphs of filler that I felt were uninteresting. I would only recommend if you are extremely liberal in your reading tastes, and willing to look past all the times that Hades internally says fuck, while Persephone internally says “lie” perhaps as often as every page. I tried to keep reading, but it was such a struggle and I didn’t feel I deserved the suffering .