I’m a sucker for Hades and Persephone stories – rivals to lovers, spice and snark. I eat it up – especially when I just want to not think for a little while. If you give me a sassy, snarky badass heroine, I’m going to be all for it.

And if you give me a tortured, dark, broody King of the Underworld who is capable of great evil but is really just in need of a hug – I’m absolutely sunk. It can’t be more tailored to me if it wanted to be.

You should definitely check out this series if you haven’t yet. You’re missing out.

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Title: The Power of Hades

Author: Eliza Raine & Rose Wilson

Pub. Date: May 11, 2020

Pages: 238

Pub: Neilson

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I‘ve been kidnapped by Zeus. Plucked from the streets of Manhattan and frightened half to death by a freaking Olympian god.
And now I’m trapped in the Underworld, being forced to compete in a series of deadly trials for the position of Queen of the Underworld. Which would mean marrying Hades, the utterly terrifying Lord of the Dead. Who the hell wants a husband at all, let alone one made of smoke and riddled with death?

I have to get back home, to New York and my brother. But I can’t leave without completing the trials and they’ve been designed for a godly Queen, not Persephone – barista and botanical garden enthusiast.
I’m surrounded by lethal, all-powerful maniacs. Sexy-as-hell maniacs, sure, but as dangerous as they come. And I’m going to have to prove to all of them that there’s a goddess of hell inside me. It’s the only way I’ll survive the Hades Trials. But then what? And why, why, why am I so desperate to see under Hades smoky exterior and find out what he’s hiding from me?

If I win the trials, I have to marry the devil himself. But losing might mean losing my life.

This will be a spoiler free review. I listened to the audiobook via Audible, and omfg I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did. A friend and fellow blogger suggested these books a while ago and told me that she just binged the whole trilogy – so I immediately put them on my TBR.

I didn’t actually intend to read the whole series last week, but I was dealing with some emotional personal stuff and just wanted something quick and easy I could get lost in. I didn’t want to think about real life, so I dove headfirst into a story that wouldn’t take much thinking. I could just turn my brain off and enjoy – and enjoy I did.

And I’ll be honest – I had my doubts going in. I was a little worried that the writing would be terrible – and turns out, it really wasn’t.

The book came to life – I could picture everything so clearly. I loved this take on the Gods – and the fact that all the Gods are in the book. I loved that while it’s a fated mates romance, it still had elements of enemies/rivals to lovers and so much snark and drama.

I ate it up.

I loved this version of Persephone and Hades – hell I even enjoyed this massive asshole version of Zeus. I loved the Persephone kind of took everything in stride, and wanted to prove herself – all while actively sassing being of immense power like they couldn’t just smite her where she stood.

This was a great, steamy first book and I highly recommend if you just want to turn your brain off and get away from it all for a while.

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Title: The Passion of Hades

Author: Eliza Raine & Rose Wilson

Pub. Date: June 15, 2020

Pages: 260

Pub: Neilson

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m trapped in actual hell. And just about everything here is trying to kill me. Even the god who claims he once loved me has come pretty close to ending my life.

But things are about to change. I’m fed up of being Persephone – human underdog in the Hades Trials. I’ve managed to awaken a little bit of goddess inside me, and now I have power, I’m not afraid to use it.

Although I don’t actually have a clue how to. Nor do I know what I did to get cast out of Olympus twenty-six years ago, or why strangers are seeking to punish me for it. All I know for sure is that I survived the first round of the Hades Trials, and now I need to survive another. One step at a time I will get back to New York.

Because I can’t stay here. Olympus is filled with monsters, and ruled by monsters, and I do not fit in.

The trouble is, the more I discover about the mysterious King of the Underworld, the less sure I am that he fits in either. My connection to him is undeniable, and it’s not escaped the other gods’ notice. They don’t want me to stay in Olympus, and now that I have my power back, they’re going to make the next three Trials even more lethal.

If I can survive, I’m a step closer to getting home. But if I spend much more time with Hades, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to leave.

This will be a spoiler free review. I listened to the audiobook via Audible and I’m utterly trash for this series. Talk about high stakes. And the spice. Omfg, the things I would let Hades do to me.

Book 1 was good, this one was better. I love that the trials are actually dangerous, and that they come across as dangerous. I hate when books include “life or death” trials and then they’re anything but. Persephone having to compete and not die – it was refreshing. The stakes are so high, and as her feelings grow and power slowly builds, who knows what’s going to happen.

Persephone is a boss ass bitch in this book, and I love the way she stands her ground when it comes to the Gods. I love that her human side wins out more often than not. I love Hade’s devotion to her, and his anger towards his brother.

Zeus is a fucking little shit and legit everything is his fault.

I loved Persephone’s journey in this book – her changing emotions as she realizes that things might not be as they appear. She’s got power now, and she’s a little hesitant to use it. She doesn’t know her past, and it eats at her. But I love how she works to push past it – to look towards her future. Even in her moments of weakness, she’s incredibly strong and that’s admirable

Then there was the surprise in this book – I didn’t expect it, and promptly started freaking out. Hades during that moment was…phew. It definitely added an interesting element to the story – and played a big role in the final book.

This book is wholly bingeable and Hades is fucking yummy as hell.

I could sit here and talk about everything that happened in this book, but I said no spoilers. Like with the first one, make sure you pick this up and read it.

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Title: The Promise of Hades

Author: Eliza Raine & Rose Wilson

Pub. Date: August 23, 2020

Pages: 256

Pub: Neilson

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Greek God of the Underworld has turned my life completely upside-down and made me question everything I thought I knew about my life.

And now I don’t even know who I am anymore. An internal war rages inside me, as I try to balance my need for more magic with the knowledge of what power does to people in Olympus. What it may have done to me in the past.

The one thing I do know though, is that my feelings for Hades are real. The Lord of the Dead is so much more than I ever realized, and something inside me knows that I need him as much as he needs me. But between the Hades Trials, the other Olympians, and whoever it is that’s trying to kill me, I may not survive long enough to find a way for us to be together.

Hades says a light so bright can’t live in the dark. But I’m not sure a life without him is worth living. 

This will be a spoiler free review. I listened to the audiobook via Audible and I’m utterly trash for this series. I didn’t expect the reveal and for those characters to be behind everything. I didn’t expect the ending and the whole thing left me bereft and on the edge of my seat.

This was a such a great ending to this series. The stakes are really now higher than ever. Persephone keeps trying Zeus’s patience, and you know what, the turd needs to be knocked down a few pegs.

Persephone is legit the biggest badass and I love every moment of it.

Like with the first two, I was sucked into the world as it came to life in my mind. I could see the Underworld, the various settings, trials and events. It was so easy to picture the Gods – and I’m pretty sure there were a few moments where I forgot I was listening to a book – I was definitely absorbed.

When Hades did that thing…you just knew that it was going to bite him in the ass. And you know what, he deserved it. Like even if he was acting with the best of intentions, I’m glad Persephone laid into him about it.

Their relationship in this book is just so good. Their chemistry and the fact that they can’t keep their hands off of each other, just makes for a really entertaining read.

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I highly, highly recommend reading this trilogy if you’re just looking for something enjoyable. I’m a sucker for Greek Mythology and this series really doesn’t disappoint.