ok so i'm gonna kick this off by saying that i didn't really enjoy this book as much as i did the first one and had to basically force myself to finish it because i had the hope that it would be worth it in the end, and all of the hardships they were going through would be worth it in the end (shocker, they weren't) Saying that i'm gonna do a sparks note kind of review of the things that i picked up on that i HATED and also the bits that i kind of enjoyed/appreciated.

- This sequel is extremely different to the first book (in the best way possible)
- There is a lot more focus on the mythology and the underworld which i really enjoyed. It was something that wasn't mentioned other than in passing in book 1.
- There was a lot of really engaging twists and turns, and i found myself looking forward to these more than when Hades and Persephone were on screen (they annoyed me to no end if you couldn't tell)
- Persephone FINALLY becoming a girl boss and going to save her man from his imprisonment was a lovely reversal of the maiden usually being the one in danger/needing rescuing.
- Its vastly different to the first book with the tone being a lot darker
- I HATED THE MISCOMMUNICATION and by default hated how emotionally unavailable/unwilling she was with Hades after she rescued him, quite literally, from HELL. Would have thought him being in life threatening danger would have had an impact on her, but not really.
- The majority of the book was them fighting (again, unnecessarily) mostly just to set up book 3 which was a shame.
- Some of the side characters like Mellie and Hekate were actually more interesting than the main characters, and i genuinely think i would have liked their story more as they were less annoying.

Overall, a good enough book, just seemed like a lot of miscommunication for no reason, and in all honesty i'm sure this could have been included at the end of book 1 or the beginning of book 3, making for a more compelling duology that extremely spread out trilogy

Hades made Persephone his queen and they've been thrown into the underworld. Somehow, they are separated and Persephone must go on a journey to find her king.

If you enjoy light, spicy, fantasies, this one is for you. These fated mates are still working through their insecurities, but they are willing to sacrifice to save each other.

I personally prefer complex, emotional fantasies and he plot in this one felt rushed to me. Without giving anything away, I didn't quite understand why the main characters felt so traumatized by their experiences at the beginning of the book. I think additional background on the new characters would've made it more clear.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for permitting this book to be a Read Now to help members develop their Feedback Ratio in exchange for an honest review.

Review Summary:
An immediate continuation of book one in the series, the story of Hades and Persephone and their fated yet doomed relationship continues. I was really looking forward to seeing the flickers of stronger writing that appeared in the first book, just not often enough, to come to full fruition in the sequel and in some ways this did happen... but not to the level I was hoping for. We are led through Persephone and Hades' frought beginnings in their new life in the Underworld and the consequences of their pairing. We get to explore the Underworld a bit more, introducing or further developing additional characters and settings.
Positives are that the writer(s) continue to be very good at descriptive writing. The visualisation of the Underworld, particularly the castle and the various dreamscapes we're taken to are immersive and enjoyable to read. The first fifth/quarter of the book that sees Persephone searching for Hades while Hades is trapped, being forced through various dreams while he cannot escape, is interesting and has some genuine moments of anguish. An action scene later on, involving the Titans and Hades' brothers also had potential for the type of action sequences and sense of peril the writers are capable of. There is a real effort from the authors to delve into Hades' past to develop his character.
The negatives are unfortunately still more prominent. The stronger scenes are cut far too short and rushed, to make way for more irritating scenes between Persephone and Hades and smut that is more poorly written and less varied than in book one. This made for inconsistent pacing, flicking between rushed and sluggish/repetitive.

2 stars for an improvement from book one in regards to world-building and story, but still bogged down with an excessively YA writing stye which clashes with the erotica themes. Inconsistent pacing with focuses on the wrong areas of the story, in my opinion, making the romance and erotica in the story feel increasingly stale.

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

World-building:
I actually really enjoyed the depiction of the Underworld in this book. We explore the castle, which acts as a living entity, as well as the river Styx and lands patrolled by Hekate and Morpheus. I particularly liked the gradual description of the changes to Persephone's powers, such as the colour symbolism and the trance-like communication that develops between her and Hades. The dreamscapes that Morpheus keeps Hades in while he is trapped gives us an insight into the history of his youth and the realms he lives in. We are introduced to some further Gods through the coronation, such as Aphrodite and Hephaestus and Poseidon and Zeus' wives. The writers try and develop the 'political' atmosphere across the realms through the relationships between Gods, such as adultery, 'marriages only in name' and other tensions that have grown between certain deities.

Characterisation:
Persephone is absolutely insufferable and as a result makes Hades pretty insufferable as well. She is constantly looking for a fight, with a good two-thirds of the book being the pair of them acting like stubborn children around each other because she refuses to discuss the huge elephant in the room regarding the curse. She does this just so she can feel somewhat in control, fair enough. But then she will start other petty arguments with him after pretty much every interaction, then seemingly contradict herself a few sentences later. At one point, she gets angry with him because he does not wish to be intimate while she harbours this animosity towards him. The emotional manipulation that follows just feels so coersive and borderline abusive. She also has the vocabulary of a child. I am sick and tired of her internal monologues with childish nicknames and possessives, like 'my stubborn demon' or 'my marshmallow'. Speaking of marshmallow, the three-headed dog Cerberus who is a fearsome loyal guardian in the myths is reduced to a domesticated dog who sits and waits for his kibble. No exaggeration, Persephone discusses his 'sensitive stomach' and refers to him as her son. Hades is reduced to a pathetic, pining wet flannel who seemingly can't say anything right from wrong to Persephone. Mellie remains a very try-hard character with how she is written, with the 'space buns' I loathe the incessant references to being back in full force. She mentions 'vajazzling' for crying out loud. She is an attempt at a female friendship for Persephone but they are both so immature it is hard to read. Zeus and Poseidon are introduced a bit more in this story but still feel quite bare. The memories/dreamscapes Hades experiences aim to develop his relationship with his brothers and the consequent feelings of inadequacy that he battles, which of course translate into his relationship with Persephone. Zeus is volatile/short-tempered, incapable of staying loyal to women and has a deep harboured hatred towards their father Kronos. Poseidon still feels like an unknown, even though attempts were made to create some sort of deeper level of understanding between him and Hades. Weirdly, the most interesting characters in the whole book were Aphrodite and Hephaestus, who had far more palpable tension than even Hades and Persephone did throughout. Their tension felt organic and genuine.

Story:
The first part of the book while in search for Hades is somewhat interesting, if it wasn't for Persephone and her unbearable interactions with Cerburus. The whole situation is solved too fast, not giving a chance for any real sense of peril or oppurtunities for further world building. Persephone faces Tartarus for what feels like five minutes. Then, once that little detour is over, we're back to Persephone and Hades' anxious inner monologues and frustratingly ignorant interactions with each other. While I commend Hades for beginning to face his past his development is constantly impeded by his sucking up to Persephone and being apparently socially inept towards her, even though he is as depicted as the 'boring' mediator and voice of reason by his brothers. There is then an extremely confusing scene with Persephone and Jackson, the character that Persephone was consitently nonchalant towards in book one. That was weird. Anyway we're then dragged through the usual smut, except the writing of it has become far lazier than in book one. The exact same things happen every time and the scenes become utterly pointless. The story then gets interesting when signs of damage to the Underworld appear, which then seem to damage Hades and Persephone's powers too. Plans start to form in finding the culprit, and a coronation is arranged. The coronation then leads to events regarding the Titans and the story begins to unfold, before the book ends and we're left having to read the next installment to see any progression of the story. Just like in book one.

Prose:
The smut in this edition is so poor. Every scene is practically identical. They will 'tunnel' their fingers through each others hair, he will 'slam' himself or 'plunge' himself into her. She will feel a bit of pain but like it. He will always bite her neck, she will always drag her nails down his wings and back releasing his 'golden ichor'. Then within a couple of sentences Hades 'roars' his orgasm and of course they finish together. The sequence and words are always the same, it is so incredibly boring. There is one scene involving Hades' shadows which echoes an erotic scene in book one, but other than that no tension-building touching or foreplay is here anymore. There are fewer frustrating Gen Z quips in this book than book one but they are still there now and again, or references to real life that I dislike as a personal preference. The characters all still have irritating nicknames or terms of endearment which feel clunky and unnatural. But essentially the prose is fine until we reach any scene that involves Persephone because I just find her so awful.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
Buckle up every body because this was a RIDE. I'm in love with this series. Sooo different from the first book, much more focused on the mythology and takes place soley in the Underworld. Pers, being "cursed" by Hades at the end of book 1 is escorted to the underworld by Hekate. But where is our shadow daddy?? Why isn't he here with Pers to introduce her to her queendom?? All the twists and turns, the mythology and character development, and the spicey spicey spice just were delicious and i ate.it.up. Neeeeeed to start book 3 immediately.

I'm nothing if not afraid of FOMO and also a very nosy gal so despite my own complaints and statements denying I'd do as much, I read this. I went in with a much lower bar of expectation and had a better time due to it. What I found interesting was that the spice levels and quality of it had gone down, but the story itself I found interesting as we get to start off where that cliffhanger ended. I think persephone as a character is interesting. I may read the next book.

I personally prefer a little more complex storyline for fantasies, and it felt a hit rushed to me. It was a good premise but not one of my favourites.

You should read this series if you like:

♡ Hades & Persephone retelling
♡ Fated mates
♡ Cliffhanger ending

The first book left me wanting to immediately devour this second book. Ultimately I enjoyed book 1 more, this second installment. This book is much more angsty, with Persephone’s inability to be emotionally available for Hades and Hades then self doubting. It felt as though much of this book is spent with them fighting when all they needed was to talk to resolve their issues. The cliffhanger comes right after they make up, really hooking you for the third book.

"They feel more human and familiar, even for a God and Goddess in the underworld."

Thank you NetGalley and Rose and Star Publishing for giving me a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

This is book two of the trilogy. Not read book one? Read that review here first. There are minor spoilers within this review.

With the threat of Demeter tearing Hades and Persephone apart, and Hades 6 months on Earth coming close to an end, we are taken to the underworld. And it has a plot!

The Mistress and the Renowned is largely more improved when compared to book one.

The world is fleshed out, the characters are more complex, face issues within themselves and actually work on them (!). In this book, they feel more human and familiar, even for God and Goddesses in the underworld. Relating to them with their issues is really easily done, and it's not forced in your face either, which I really appreciated. The stories pace increases and the level of spice isn't as intense as it is in book one. It remains easy to read. However, there are trigger warnings for book two so definitely check those out before diving in!

Book two really humanises Hades and Persephone, even for a God and Goddess in the underworld. It still isn't the best work to have been written. That said, if you make it through book one, you'll enjoy book two more.

I couldn't hold back and had to continue the Love and Fate series after reading the first book, The Maiden & The Unseen. This was even better than the first book, with the world building, more depth to the characters and their emotions, and with the plot overall. Of course, there are still many spicy scenes which I think were better placed in this story compared to the first, and are never unwanted for me at least.

I do feel the miscommunication trope was only slightly less frustrating than the first book, however I don't know if that's just resigning to accept that's how the characters will be and just being overall more invested in the story now that I'm into book two. I really enjoyed the author's depiction of PTSD and getting the reader to really feel the raw emotion and how painful it can be. This is definitely a book for readers to check the TW before diving in.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Mistress & The Renowned
Love and Fate #2
By Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune

There is so much to unpack here, I'm not sure where to start. One thing is for sure, the Underworld is sees more than you think. Persephone can hold a grudge. Hades learns to express himself. And there's some extremely graphic stuff that if you've made it to book two you're ready for more.
Battles, overbearing and deceitful parents, pretty things, and Berry. Enjoy.

After reading the first book and not liking it, i had to force myself to read this. While i found a lot wrong with the first, it was entertaining enough for me to finish it, so i was hoping that this sequel would be a bit better. But unfortunately I did not en joy this at all

I loved this book! Great sequel. I loved how both of the main characters continued to develop and grow and learn themselves and each other. In true romantasy fashion, they get a bunch of crap thrown at them, but they try to help each other get through it. It was nice to see how Hades' insecurities affected their relationship, especially because he was the one who really wanted a defined relationship in the first book. I feel like this book was really both of them learning their new roles and learning how to love and support each other.

Thank you NetGalley, Alexis Rune and Jeanette Rose for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Hades activates the curse that locks Persephone in the Underworld. Now they have to learn to deal with the decisions they’ve made and the forces at work to tear them apart.

First of all Cerberus is my favorite character in the series thus far, big main character energy. I loved the immediate connection Cerberus and Persephone created! Very much a girl and her dog.

I enjoyed seeing Persephone’s friendship with Mellie expanded more in this book. I felt like they were the friend that both of them really needed. It was also nice to see more of Mellie and learn more about her.

There is still smut in this one but not like the other book. Which is nice, I love smut but it was nice to see Hades and Persephone in a different way.

I said we didn’t see a lot of Demeter only mentions here and there in the first book. Same here but she does make a glorious and BITCHY appearance. This was what I was waiting for!

A major improvement from the use of certain words like slut in the smut scenes. I don’t think there was anything I really cringed at.

What was most enjoyable was reading the dynamic with Persephone and Zeus. Persephone proves to be as sassy with the other Big 3 as she is with Hades.

This book was a great mix of character driven and plot driven I am excited to read the next one.

I had mixed feelings about The Mistress & The Renowned. I loved the cover art and the artwork included in the book. It really adds to the visual and I love being able to see how the author truly sees the characters. Unfortunately, the level of miscommunication was just not for me. It drives me crazy when the main characters are not on the same page and I just couldn’t deal with them not listening to eachother. Overall a great story, just wish the communication was more in-sync!

3.5 / 5 stars --- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

this is the second book after "The Maiden & The Unseen". while i rated the first book 2.5 stars, this was an improvement. i definitely liked this better. there was more to the plot, more emotional depth and background to the characters. still lots of spice, but not as suffocating as the first book. the world building in this one was nicely done.

the continuation of the story from the first one was also well done. i know one of the tropes that usually has mixed responses is MISCOMMUNICATION. it is frustrating and annoying at times. again like with the first book, there's still that smidge of immaturity.

one of the things that i found beautiful and devastating is the anguish of PTSD. it's raw and heartwrenching and relatable for those who get it. it might even be a little triggering for those who understand, so don't skip past or overlook those TWs!

the way this one ended, i'd love to read how these authors continue on to the next.

thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. i received this as an ARC and leave this review voluntarily.

This picks up right where book one ended. While I enjoyed it more than the first the plot was still all over the place in parts. The spice was very toned down compared to the first book. The dealing with PTSD was very well done. Overall a fast enjoyable read.

Book 2 of this trilogy and I'm just as hooked as I was at the end of the first book. Plotwise these books generally follow quite a typical structure for the dark fantasy genre. What really stood out for me was the exploration and development of Persephone as a character. Her need to be able to make her own decision, as well as the way she criticises male characters, made her a fully developed character. I especially loved when she called out Zeus and Poseidon for cheating on their wives. As always Mellie was a highlight. I just love her so much.

Thank you for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start of with that I really like a good Hades x Persephone retelling. This was like a medium one. I kept getting Deja vu’s to the ones Scarlet st Claire wrote. But to be fair with these kind of retellings you don’t have a lot of room to really make it stand out or I haven’t encountered it at least.

This book starts off right where the other one ended. The writing reads a little chaotic and fast paced. There are some plot holes but to be fair I don’t think most of the people are really reading this for the plot but for the spice and the vibes.

The tropes are fated mates but with a lot of miscommunications,

“Hades likes to read” I like to think he is on booktok like all of us.

I still find it very funny that in these kinda books the logical way to deal with trauma is just jumping on each other. The spice was kinda vanilla 3/5 🌶️.

This is a good follow up, after book one my expectations were off the chart. The plot gets thicker in this book, and although there is still some spice scenes it’s not the amount as book one had.

I will also say, PLEASE read the trigger warnings. The PTSD in this was rough and so fucking raw. it was written extremely well, one of the best I’ve read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. After the first book, I had a level of expectations for Mistress and the Renowned. Though Hades and Persephone have been united and their feelings out in the open, the second book starts with Hades being imprisoned in his own memories and Persephone unaware of his whereabouts. The presence-spiritual location could be better expressed. I thought there has to be rules of how they vanish, how they materialize etc. It was confusing and detaching. Same things happened again and again and just to prolong the story. The writing is simple and that is okay but this simplicity was sometimes tiring.. For the sake of wondering how the story would end, I finished..
Thank you for the opportunity to read..