Big thanks to Netgalley, Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune for the eARC in exchange for a review.

This is a retelling of Hades and Persephone set in a more modern world where God's and humans can mingle. It's got a Boss/employee dynamic with other meddling Gods popping by to cause some havoc and give some unspecified advice.

5 stars! I loved it. I love all Hades and Persephone stories and this one takes the cake! It's hot. Like, really hot.

Waiting for the next in the series....

It's a Hades x Persephone retelling, and honestly it didn't disappoint. It had spice and angst and chemistry. Plus the author didn't over dragged some plots...

♡ "It's fate. We are fated. Hades & I are inevitable. There is no fighting it."

It's a hades x persephone retelling. that should be enough to convince you to read this, but i'd like to say more.

I have always loved hades-persephone retellings & this one is definitely going to be one of my favorites.

💌:
— romantasy done right
— strong characters
— office romance
— grumpy mmc × headstrong fmc
— 'it's always been you'
— fated mates
— 🌶🌶🌶🌶/4
— shadow play

♡ "My throne. My kingdom. My heart. My life. It's all hers anyway."

chef's kiss. but let me warn you, this book ends with a cliffhanger. book 2 is not out yet:(
also, this book is more on the romance side, than fantasy.

Overall I liked this Hades and Persephone retelling. This was a quick read and I was pretty hooked from the beginning. Im not a huge fan of retellings in the “modern” world but this was enjoyable for what it was (romance/smut).

This retelling was really good!
I mean, wow. Though it was a bit annoying that the chapters were a bit short. But this was very good nontheless.
good parts with smut, character development and romance.

ladies... he has a tail

I NEED THIS ON PAPERBACK ASAP AND I NEVER BUY PAPERBACKS
i am so in love with this book i cannot express how good this was
i am such a sucker for hades and persephone books and this was just such a new take on this popular retelling it was outstanding
it had workplace romance aspects and I AM A SUCKER FOR IT
they both had horns :((( i love them sm
also a really cute aspect was whenever she was talking about hades she would have to lie to herself and she would tell herself it was a lie but when she finally opened up about it she was able to say 'truth' to herself : (((
also the way the author set up this interconnected world of both mortals and gods was just so perfect and well explained without having that long ass fantasy vibe (you know who im talking about)
this book is up there with the best hades and persephone books with neon gods like thats an honor

ALSO WHEN I SAW THE CUTE LIL TIKTOKS FOR IT I LEGIT ADDED THE RELEASE DATE TO MY CALENDAR AND I GOT TO READ IT EARLY HELLO

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

DNF at 40%

I rarely stop reading a book. And I tried I really tried to get into this one, but I couldn't. My main problem is that I love the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert so much that it was very hard for me to read another story about Hades & Persephone which didn't grab me in the same way. I didn't care for the world building and character development. I love smut books, but I also need to be invested in the world and characters for it to work. Ugh. I'm so sorry to even write this.

Thank you to NetGalley / Rose & Star for the ARC

2.75
I enjoyed the spice, and Hades and Persephone had chemistry, but some things were questionable. I don’t understand how Persephone had to push him over and over to tell her something he physically couldn’t, and she did not get it. Even if the thing wasn’t such a complex reason, hun saying that he does not want to come inside her should be enough for her to let it go. The „cheating“ made me feel uncomfortable because even though Persephone was of the opinion that she and another guy weren’t in a relationship and didn’t put labels on it, he definitely looked at it differently and she should’ve simply ended things the moment she got intimate with Hades. The final ending felt kind of rushed and that he did what he swore not to do without thinking of consequences made me feel so angry. I did enjoy a lot of scenes (though some were simply not for me) and for it to be a modern greek mythology retelling, it was good.

“No one knows how to rile you up like your siblings,” is a direct quote from the book The Maiden & The Unseen by Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune, a part of the Love & Fate series. And, if you are a fan of the books about the Gods of Olympus, a good romance, and a little mystery and adventure, this is the best book for you. A must read!! Readers won’t find the Gods in Olympus here, those here, are a part of the mortal realm, all who finally find their way to earth amongst the humans. The cute thing about the book I found is that, if the Gods were really amongst us on this planet, this would be a story I would find realistic.

Hades is a part of Zeus’s directive and is the bank for all the Gods on earth, the one who has to fund their lifestyle, the God of wealth. You wouldn't think a God would work, even though work, for them amongst humans, would probably be easy. Alas, Hades has to bank for them and therefore knows all about their lives, the God on this planet, and has a measure of control over them. Because even if they did work, a God is a God and they live like Gods on earth (well, most of them) and that takes more money than one would normally make in a salaried position. So, each month Hades issues them a monthly allowance (most in the tens of thousands).

And the quote which began the review, one that comes from Hades, speaks of his brothers, Poseidon and Zeus, When there are issues, as all families do, as all brothers do (I hope), they come together and speak with one another. And, regardless of what Hades wants, when his brother Zeus gives a command, like letting the Gods off the mountain, Hades has to let them and follow what he says, as Zeus gives him all his orders. (Thus, his position as bank). But, is this not how most families are? Even humans? Regardless, it is nice to read a book in which family is so important, even after an eternity and forever more. Rose & Rune do the best job ever of providing readers with an immensely entertaining book about relationships amongst the Gods. Old and new, ones that were there for eternities and new, developing ones.

When Hades notices a concealment charm on his monthly allowance list, which hinders him from seeing one of the names of the Gods who are drawing a monthly allowance. God’s forbid they get jobs, as Hades would like. Brother Zeus, however, does not feel this necessary for a God (exception, Hades). Hades is determined to solve who is hiding, why, and figures out a plan to unravel the mystery. After all, Hades is really the only one at work, just so the Gods off of Olympus dont have to.

While solving this mystery Persephone unravels, a God of Olympus, the Goddess of Spring, and the pair meet. She is a Goddess who had a hard time being able to leave Olympus because of her mother (yes, even Goddesses have problems like that with their mothers). As a God she seems very sheltered, timid, and self efficient as she seems to want a job and has one. And it isn't the type of job you would expect of a God, seemingly normal, nothing too successful or managerial. While Persephone has never understood her pull to the mortal realm, the treatment she gets from her mother, how she lords over her daughters life, I got the impression that anywhere other than her mother was, would pull at her to come. Anywhere her mother is not, seems the best place for Persephone, as there are so many secrets and misunderstood feelings.

When Hades and Persephone meet, a secret is discovered and more need to be uncovered. And, because Hades is a God, they have eternity on their hands and are quite curious in nature, Hades wants to uncover these secrets. Since this includes Persephone, Hades decided to keep her close. And, since she has no issues working, which is quite a surprise for Hades as no other Gods seem to have a job, Hades gives Persephone one with him. While you could say this is where the story gets good, since the story was already good, this is when it catapults to astronomically wonderful!

At first, Hades is attracted to Persperone. How could you not be attracted to the Goddess of Spring? The interpretation of a perfect spring day, the temperature of a breeze, the smell in the air, the visual aspect of all those things (and more) interpreted on the physical body of a woman? Even attracted to men I don't think I could turn down that woman (and that's okay, not that I mean it's not, just usually not my bag). But, Hades likes the fact she works and is drawn to her, at first, mostly, I believe, to the secrets that seem to surround her. And, with no real relationship in 2,000 while in this position (except for a funny, failed, Internet story) Hades is no Casanova, when it comes to knowing what to do with a woman (some areas, he hits the nail on the head, though)!

Persephone has come to earth, I believe, to flee her tyrannical mother who controls everything in her life, especially the truth about her daughter who knows so little about everything. The only time she has ever been able to control her life, anything in her life, was when she came from Olympus, to earth. However, her mother still controls her and any relationship she could have has had to be discreet because of this. Therefore she has never been able to have anything real because of her mother and has never had total control of everything, even herself.

When you have two profiles of people like this, the love story, the way in which they “get together”, is going to be good. And, in The Maiden & The Unseen it is, and much, much more. It's a stupendous read! One as great as Mounting Olympus (and they do that too) if not only for my favorite part which was that the tale, however fantasial, seemed like it could be realistic, as I mentioned once, before. And, that Persephone has much to learn about herself, especially all the things her mother has hid, that Hades helps her uncover these secrets makes the “getting to know you”, all that better. . And, as the story proceeds, only more of Olympus and the Gods are brought into the tale.

And here, in the end, I must note, this story IS FOR ADULTS ONLY. The dirty scenes, (not where the Gods are literally dirty, can Gods really ever be dirty, literally, I wonder) the writers create, I'll just say they were hot, hot, hot. And, there were some very, dirty words used. Hot and dirty, I guess, is how I relay the steamy scenes because I don't know what other words I can write to describe how “mounting” these parts in the book could make readers (or me, I guess, in particular). And when you add the steamy parts with everything else, you have the perfect book for a weekend home alone in the bathtub with a glass of wine. Just don't get too lost in the water…interaction of this type, between a God and a Goddess, makes this WARNING necessary!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC.

I love Greek mythology and I love Hades and Persephone retellings, but this book missed the mark.

The plot, characters, world building and writing were underdeveloped and lacking. There were just so many details missing. I was looking forward to seeing how Hades would finance the other gods but despite owning a massive office building, we don't get any further details about what Hades is supposed to do. Or when Hades berates the other gods for assimilating poorly to the mortal world, we weren't told who these gods were nor what they did. Seemed like there were many missed opportunities to flesh out the back story.

The characters themselves were not particularly new: Hades often seems to be portrayed as an aggressive or forceful god. However, there was no character development. Hades and Persephone miscommunicate, make assumptions and are generally unintelligent characters.

I gave this book a star for the sex scenes. There was a lot of smut, most of it was repetitive with teasing shadows and vines, but at least it was interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
I was excited for the retelling of Persephone and Hades, while the book was good I just wish there was more depth to the story and more to the characters. I would still read the next one when it comes out since it just left us hanging and hopefully there will be more to it.

It was literally 50 Shades of Grey, but with Greek Gods. I plot lines, the characters, and even some of the lines are straight out of 50 Shades of Grey. The sex scenes were also incredibly detailed. I wish the same attention to detail could be said about character development and plot lines.

I loved the characters in the book, and I loved the spice. I was wrecked by the ending and cliffhanger in the best way.

Sorry I truly tried my best to get into this book but ended up DNFing it at around 60ish %. I just felt like the writing was just a little too "hip" and I kept cringing. And also, am I supposed to empathize with Persephone? I truly could not care less about her problems or struggles honestly. For me, reading this felt like eavesdropping on a very uncomfortable conversation. I think I'm just over all of the Hades/Persephone modern day retellings. Thank you Netgalley and Rose & Star Publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

The Maiden & The Unseen

A copy was graciously provided through NetGalley for an honest review.

Let me start by stating I am a huge fan of Greek mythology, so this book was right up my alley. This book was well written, and the authors knowledge definitely brought this up to a new level. The back and forth between Hades and Persephone was a wild ride that I didn't want to end. The spice was fantastic especially with the addition of the shadows and vines. I was practically panting imagining those scenes. This book really immerses you in the story making it a whole reading experience. I was shocked with the ending and absolutely need a second book. The only thing that threw me off was the ending spice scene has Persephone in a submissive roll when she was very much a dominant "Take what I want" kind of woman throughout the entire rest of the book. It felt a little out of place and out of character for the goddess. I can't wait to find out what happens next for our god and goddess, and how their relationship will change and grow.

Hades and Persephone retellings have been really popular recently and I was afraid this one would be much of the same but I found myself really enjoying the story. The book definitely prioritizes spice over plot (and I’m not complaining) but the plot IS there and it’s good. There is a lot of miscommunication so buckle up for that if you aren’t a fan.

The writing was great with no glaringly obvious errors. The story was easy to follow and a quick read. I stayed up two nights in a row because it was hard to put down. I’m excited for the next book!

Review posted to Goodreads, Amazon, Books-a-Million, and Barnes & Noble

Thank you Netgalley for providing an Ecopy of The Maiden & The Unseen in exchange for an honest review.

The Maiden & The Unseen is a modern Greek Mythology retelling based on Hades & Persephone's story. Honestly I wish there's more background information and deep character development.
The cliffhanger ending is killing me, I need to know what happened after the epilogue 🙃

○YA Romantasy
○Enemies to Lovers
○Hades & Persephone Retelling
○Soulmates
○Witty Banter
○Modern Setting

I don't know if maybe the Hades and Persephone retellings are getting out of hand or if I'm just kind of feeling burnt out from them. I haven't really enjoyed one since Scarlett St Clairs adaption and that author isn't one I'd normally recommend.

This one had me at the first half. I was enjoying it, a steady dose of steam and pining without being too much and then it went on to being sex on every chapter. I don"t think these two got to know each other at all besides what sexual positions did it for them. I"m just being honest.

Also cheating galore. Geez. I get it their soulmates but come Persephone dump your human side piece and stop skirting around it and rejecting him at every turn only to try and then pin all the woes on him when he cheats on you. I dont know. She clearly kept saying they were never a couple but yet kept using it as an excuse.

Anyways I just kind of skimmed over the every chapter having sex in it so like the last 40%. Listen I love a steamy smutty book but this one just wasn't it.

I rather enjoyed this novel. It was an interesting take on the Hades and Persephone tail but unfortunately I couldn’t help compare it to other retellings that have been set in the modern world. Whilst this one was good it was just very spice heavy whilst not really giving any plot and I’d rather have a mix of both without one of them being reduced to basically nonexistent. Not to say there isn’t a plot but it was there in the first portion but towards the middle it was really minimised to the same issue being spoken of repeatedly and then nothing much after.

The characters were quite interesting too but at times very two dimensional, Persephone though I really did enjoy reading about as her character portrayal was very interesting as she is naive but also is willing to learn more I couldn’t help but be annoyed by her but at the same time I did see her perspective. It was really well written though and I did enjoy it but if only there was more plot focus aswell.

Will I reread in the future? Yes. I also understand that the author is coming out with a sequel so I will maybe reread it before that one.

Will I read anything else by the author? Possibly, I’m unsure if the author has other works but I would check them then out and read them .

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I was judging this books solely on the ending, this would be scored lower. I found it jarring and thought it came out of nowhere. That being said, I am hoping for a sequel. The plot was interesting and the relationship between Hades and Persephone was very spicy.

A retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone. Hades, God of the Dead and Bank to All Earth-Bound Gods, meets Persephone, Earth-Bound Goddess of Spring, when he freezes her bank account and then forces her to work for him. They very quickly become obsessed with each other, but who can blame them, they are fated. Forces try to keep them apart, keeping Persephone from her fated destiny, but they don't let this get in the way of casually enjoying each others company.