Whilst I absolutely adored the first book in the series, I loved The Mistress and The Renowned in a completely different kind of way. Stepping away from the steamy office romance vibes, this book picks up exactly where we left off but enters a much more somber, beautifully tragic direction. Persephone enters the underworld unsure of who she really is as her new role of Queen is bestow upon her. Hades is pushed backwards and forced to face his past. Demeter is even more of a bitch than we could ever assume. Lovely retelling of a timeless story.

Excuse me while my heart is still breaking. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this book after the ending of book #1, and I’m really glad I went into this book with no expectations because it was absolutely not what I would have expected.

While book #1 was all seduction and steam, this book was healing, heartbreak, and the love and desperation that comes with the feeling that something is running out of time. Hades and Persephone’s relationship is beautiful in this book, and the character growth, especially the emotional growth of Hades, is so good.

The ending. I don’t even want to mention the ending because I still can’t with it. I’ll just say I was frantically swiping my screen looking for the next chapter, hoping that what happened was not actually happening and would be fixed but…just brace yourselves.

As much as it crushed my heart, I loved this book. This is one of my favorite retellings of Hades x Persephone and this book had me feeling all the emotions. Now I just need book 3 ASAP

This novel picks up right where the first one left off. The prophecy has taken effect, and Demeter is M A D. Despite doing everything she could to keep Persephone and Hades apart, fate always wins, and no one is a sorer loser than Demeter (okay, maybe Hera, but they're allies so close enough). Hades becomes trapped in his memories, reliving millennia of suffering he had boxed away. Persephone struggles with the fact that she has to save him, even though she's furious yet another major decision was made for her without her consent.

I LOVE a good Hades/Persephone retelling, and this series is probably my favorite depiction of Persephone I've ever read. She's EVERYTHING!! It was also refreshing to get a bit of a Hades/Zeus/Poseidon back story, because that's not normally something that you get in a Hades/Persephone story. I think it was very much needed, and I really appreciate how much of the original stories has been incorporated in these. I really hate the "all of our problems are because we refuse to communicate in a healthy way" troupe, which is the only reason I couldn't give this 5 stars. This was such a great read!

More 3.5 than 4, but I liked it, so I rounded up. I loved seeing Persephone become a part of The Underworld, meet Cerberus, and strengthen her power. I did not love the continual push/pull of Hades and Persephone not opening up to one another now that the curse was active and they had bigger fish to fry.

I'm excited for the next installment because I need to know how they plan on thwarting Demeter's plans!

I really enjoyed this book, and loved how it flourished into a full on Greek mythology fantasy world, with battle scenes, smut scenes and the most adorable Cerberus I have ever read!!! If we could just create Cerberus in real life because I fell in love with Berry!! 🥰🥰 I did find the pacing to be a bit slow in the middle for me but I think thank was because I knew something incredible was coming and oh my oh goodness… the last 20% was just incredible and that cliffhanger! 😨😨😱😱My mouth was hanging open reading the last page. Persephone is so strong and independent and it was so nice to see a softer more vulnerable side of Hades. I cannot wait for the next one to come out!

This book has a great storyline premise but lacked a bit in the execution. There are a LOT of characters and it felt like the plot went off on tangents at times instead of sticking to one main strong storyline. The 2 main characters were also always fighting and the reasons why weren't always very clear to the reader. It was still interesting, and I'll continue reading the series. Hopefully the next book has a better focus point!

As a fan of so many Hades and Persephone story retellings, and this sequel is a perfect continuation of their tale.

In this book, we see Persephone's journey deepen as she enters the Underworld while Hades is away. The author vividly describes this eerie realm, and we feel Persephone's determination and longing as she tries to reunite with Hades.
Hades himself is portrayed with both power and vulnerability, especially in matters of the heart. This complexity adds depth to his character, making him relatable and compelling.
Persephone remains strong and open-minded, a symbol of resilience. Her growth as she becomes Queen of the Underworld is a highlight, showing her determination to shape her destiny.

Among the engaging story, a question remains: how did Persephone become suddenly skilled in martial arts?

The rendition of Persephone and Hades retelling resonates deeply as a reminder that love and self-discovery are timeless, even in fantasy realms.

3.5 rounded to 4/5 stars, 3/5 for spice
Still a sucker for a good retelling of Hades and Persephone, and this book did not disappoint. The book flows like a conversation, and you see the conversation through each of their eyes. It has elements of the classic story but with a newer feel. That being said I was not expecting the ending and am eager for the next book to see how things end up.
As much as I loved the first book, and fell in love with Hades and Persephone, I was hoping for more character development in this book. The majority of this book is about them having and avoiding the same conversation and at times it felt juvenile, where both of them are so stuck in their feelings nothing really happens. That is until the end when things start to change and they have to put their personal issues aside. Leaving the book on such a cliffhanger leaves me wanting for the next book to get all the answers to my questions, but as with some things in this book, I wonder if all my questions will be answered.

I had not realized this was a book two and so I was wanting to wait to be able to read this book, but I am not sure when I will get to the first because my tbr is never-ending. So, I wanted to be able to tell you why before just saying I cannot read it. Thank you for the chance to read it though.

If you enjoy Hades x Persephone romance nobels, you will enjoy this one. I didn’t know that is was book two of a series, and I would go back in read the first prior to this one. As someone who’s read several books in the same genre, it was easy to catch on and get into. But knowing what I do after reading the book, I’d highly recommend reading the first. I got to read this from NetGalley and I enjoyed it despite the background of the first.

Hades + Persephone duality lovers this is another great book to add to the repertoire!

This book was along the same vein as Neon Gods. Mostly romance heavy and a touch of action. There is not a ton of plot development or depth in the story but it’s steamy and full of passion.

Personally, I got a bit of whiplash from this with the back and forth of the relationship/lovers quarrel which took up about 3/4 of the book but if that’s what you’re looking for you’re in for a treat!

The Mistress and The Renowned is a spicy retelling of Hades and Persephone I feel like I would have to read it again to give it a better understanding.

I'm going to say sorry first but I think the authors can make a good opening and ending but not a good plot in the middle of the story. Because this book directly continue from the first book, I was so excited to see the story, how Persephone deal with Hades and her new power. I love how this book give us a good conflict at the beginning, we can see Hades past here, the development of Persephone here but... BUT.. after that everything go downhill.

I don't know what is wrong between Hades and Persephone. Clearly they love each other but then there is something withhold their relationship. They fight with each other and then reconcile and then fight again. Both of them are so stupid. I know they have their trauma but I just can't grasp what is the problem in their relationship. For me as the reader, nothing happen but the author seems want to have something and executed poorly. REALLY POORLY.

Then nearing the ending, something big happen, I can't stop reading it until the book end with cliffhanger. Again. I just wish the middle part of this book never happen and we can enjoy such a brilliant story despite the NOT SO COMPLICATED relationship between Hades and Persephone.

3 ⭐ because of the beginning and ending of this book.
3 🌶

The Mistress and the Renowned does what the first book didn’t, it provided relief from a boring work place erotica. If I had to read one more time about them being in the office and staring at each other, I was gonna scream. Thankfully, this book develops more of an interesting plot and introduces us to more characters... However it relies too much on miscommunication tropes to be truly good. There were times when it seriously went too far, I didn’t even understand what they were fighting about, and despite all this fated love nonsense, silly misunderstandings seemed insurmountable (to them at least, to every reader I am sure it seemed inane).

While meeting other gods was great, some of the Aphrodite/ Hephaestus plot lines have already been hashed out by other authors. It seemed a shame to focus on these characters when she built more original relationships for the brothers, as well as Mellie and Helios.

I also kept waiting for more Demeter, in flash backs or something more immediate. Supposedly she is the big bad of the story but honestly there's insufficient background on Persephone and Demeter’s relationship to make me care. A lot of this book just feels kind of feels random at times.

The book does end on a cliff hanger but I am not sure I will continue.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I feel like I am missing part of this story. As soon as I started I was excited to see Hekate since we normally don't get a lot of stories with her in them. So I was so freaking excited. But as the first chapter started I felt like I was missing parts of the story. The story as it stands felt like it was missing something. I did enjoy most of the characters but the story at large just felt meh. The story felt slow and in parts boring. Persephone felt like she was causing most of the issues within her life and it just made me want to roll my eyes and slap her. The spicy parts were great but again I really just didn't like her. Overall I think there are far better stories out there that are Hades and Persephone retellings to waste your time with this one.

The Mistress & The renowned is book 2 in Love and Fate (retelling about Hades & Persephone)

In book 1 we get modern kind of retelling about how Persephone fell in love with Hades.
In TM&TR the story continues but in the Underworld. We get many plot twists, romance, betrayal, dealing with past and many more.
So the story starts exactly where the first book ended. Persephone is exploring the Underworld while Hades is absent. Later as she wants to get reunited with him, she has to find where he is and go get him.
I liked that in this retelling Hades, Zeus and Poseidon have better relationship than they usually have. Also Hades POV was really cool, I got to know him more and I really enjoyed it.
But let me tell you - I really hated Demeter. She wanted to keep Persephone for herself, wanted to change the fate and who Persephone really is.
I was mad at Persephone through the book, sometimes she was annoying (not wanting to deal with her feelings and more) but I kind of understand her. After everything she’s been through with her mother I understand that she wanted to deal with everything her own way.

That ending was mind blowing and I can’t wait for next book!

I wanted to enjoy this book so much but I just couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tired. The plot fell flat.

Honestly, what happened here? I liked the first book, it was a fun and interesting retelling of Hades and Persephone. This? I checked a few times if it was written by the same authors. The vibe, the story, the characters, all felt totally different. It did not feel like a continuation, it felt like the authors wanted to completely change the mood of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 ⭐️ The cliffhangers in this series should be illegal!

I got an ARC for the first book in this series and loved it. My obsession with Hades x Persephone retellings hasn't waned, if anything I've just accepted that it's here to stay. So when I got an ARC for this second instalment, I pretty much lost my sh!t. For obvious reasons, but also because I kept trying to look for updates for this series and could find nothing. And then boom! Another book available in Net Galley. I could've cried, I was so excited.

In this series, we get to see some of the typical, canonical Hades x Persephone moments and plot-points, but with its own unique spin. This second instalment is no different. I loved it, but if you're a die-hard fan of the greek myths and you expect a faithful description of them, don't read this - you'll hate it. This is a modern, erotic retelling, which means I loved it but I understand it might not be everyone's cup of tea. To make a long story short, I reread the first book in preparation for this book and regret nothing. It took me about a week to finish both because, unfortunately, life doesn't understand that I was uninterested in any and all things apart from this book.

Now, I'm going to be honest, I enjoyed book #1 more than I did this second one. They're different, the pacing is different and the themes and plot are, obviously, different. This book is a lot darker than book #1 was, the themes a lot heavier and although I can appreciate all those things, I read books for the HEA moments and this book has few of those. The angst is turned to the max in this one!

That being said, I cannot wait to read the next one -and however many more there are to come!

Thank you Net Galley for the eARC! This review has already been uploaded to Goodreads :)

A Disappointing sequel attempts to retell the timeless myth but falls short compared to its predecessor. The main issue lies in the lack of engaging dialogue, which feels forced and fails to create a meaningful connection between characters and readers. The romantic elements, particularly intimate scenes, lack depth and emotional resonance, leaving readers unsatisfied.

Moreover, the repetitive conflicts between Hades and Persephone become tiresome, hindering the story's progression and losing the expected intrigue. While the concept of a Persephone and Hades retelling holds promise, this sequel struggles to deliver on its potential. It may still appeal to those interested in familiar myths, but for devoted fans of the series, it might not live up to expectations. Overall, the book disappoints with its underdeveloped storytelling and missed opportunities to create a truly captivating narrative.