First Holiday

Dark Olympus #1.1

by Katee Robert

Hades and Persephone's first proper holiday together after they're married.
Part of the The Holidate Season Anthology.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Mythology, Greek Mythology, Dark Romance, Retellings, Fiction

Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2022

About the author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of spicy romance. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over two million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

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Reviews

[Adélie]

This was really sweet but it also felt like nothing really happened. It was also a little sad because it seems lots of bad things are happening in Olympus. I wish all the books focused on Hades and Persephone to be honest. I love them so much I would never tired of them.

[Libbies_library]

This is down as dark Olympus #1.1 but I feel it should be after book 6 at least as there are events hinted at and mentioned that don't happen in neon gods and left me quite confused. Like it mentions the trio of Orpheus, Charon and euridyce. Figure out the timeline please and thank you.

This book also made me realise that Katee Robert doesn't know how to write decent dom/sub interactions. Or at least this is just a really bad version of it. Hope she improves cos this ain't it

[Aura_Books]

Muy cozy♡

[sahra (readwithsahra_)]

it was cute but not really interesting. nothing happens, you are following them getting ready for Christmas but since the timeline of this novella is at the end of the series, there is a lot of mystery which makes the story hollow ngl

I don’t know if it is normal but the novella got a lot of typo, I’m not one to be bothered by it, but this feels unedited…

3/5

[Rachel Consoli]

Not much of note happened in this story.

Basically Persephone is super pregnant so Hades is treating her very delicately and not letting her over-extend herself or do anything that could put her in harms way so she has constant babysitters and isn't allowed to lift anything. She wants to share her love of the holidays with him, which includes going all out in decorations for Christmas, but he won't let her lift anything or stand on a ladder so she directs him and his minions on how to decorate. While I respect that he's being overly cautious being their first kid, and I get a lot of their sexual relationship is her being submissive to him and always doing what he wants, I found this super annoying when he doesn't ask or give her the choice, he just decides. Especially for something as personal as Christmas decorating, for someone who loves it so much and there's always a specific place things go, that would super annoy me.

But I did like him buying them an ornament to commemorate and giving her a care spa day like washing her hair and giving her massages since they're not able to have sex for fear of arousing her so much she'd go into premature labor (which is really funny, but could probs happen since I know some people use that to speed labor along). It's nice to check in with them and to see how truly happy they are at the very least, but yeah not much else happens. She does hint to her youngest sister, Eurydice, potentially forgiving Orpheus and knowing that there's a future book with them and Charon love triangle, or more likely polyamory knowing KR, it was good foreshadowing. I did appreciate that Persephone is still pissed at him for hurting her baby sister which same, so we'll see if he earns my forgiveness.

[Maureen]

This was a cute little glimpse into the lives of Hades and Persephone. I wish that the editor would have taken a little more care when going through this before publication.

[Lissa]

own in holiday anthology and Olympus shorts anthology 1 on book funnel

[Serena Books]

'¿Estás planeando muchos besos debajo de ese muérdago?'
'Conoces las reglas, esposo'. No logro ocultar por completo mi sonrisa traviesa. 'Es una tradición navideña.'





•Mi opinión puede contener Spoilers.
•Esta destinada a ser un descargo personal no para que alguien más lea pero si lo haces y te ofende, me disculpo porque sé lo que es que te guste un libro y otros lo critiquen.




First Holiday de Katee Robert

Argumento:

Las primeras vacaciones de Hades y Perséfone juntos después de casarse.
Parte de la antología The Holidate Season.



Mi humilde opinión:

Porque los dioses también se contagian del espíritu navideño!

Perséfone quiere darle a Hades toda la experiencia navideña aunque decidieron no intercambiar obsequios. Puede que todavía la amenaza este acechando afuera para ellos pero con un marido sobreprotector con gemelos en camino Perséfone deberá aceptar ayuda para hacer las compras de navidad y crear el ambiente mágico que quiere para su marido Hades.

Me gustó la versión de Hades y Perséfone en la serie Dark Olympus y ver el lado tierno de Hades no tiene precio. Me encanta cómo es con Perséfone. Adoré el regalo con los adornos de navidad para sus bebés y que pensaran hacer una tradición todos los años para colgarlos en el árbol.

Es una historia súper corta y dulce pero vale la pena leer para acompañar la serie. Me dejó con ganas de más páginas!

[Gabrielle]

Okay this was so freaking adorable! Not that I'm at all surprised though honestly! I personally am a sucker for holiday themed things. Whether that's books, movies, episodes of my favourite TV shows. If it's holiday themed I am happy! So reading this was sooo cute! I will say though I was slightly confused the entire time as to when this was set in the world. I had to go to Katee's tiktok to find out this story takes place after everything in the series transpires even though the series isn't complete yet. So I was just a bit confused. However, now I know going forward when reading the other stories that they might not be in the correct order on Goodreads!
My only genuine complaint was that the formatting was a bit messy but that's not Katee's fault it's just the way it's displayed digitally. But it was very annoying and took away from my reading experience!

[Mell_reads12]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was just so cute, but nothing much really happens as they are prepping for Christmas plus we have a little surprise that threw me off, but was still cute.
The holiday vibes were so cute, and seeing just seeing Hades all protective over Persephone had my heart booming so fast. This man literally put her first i mean he always has, but now he's extra caring, and it was just heartwarming seeing them all loved up because they deserve much more than the world can give!
*How to be Persephone for a day?

[Sukriti]

The Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert offers a modern twist on Greek mythology, set in a contemporary world where the gods live among humans. Through a blend of romance, power struggles, and moral dilemmas, Robert crafts a captivating narrative that explores themes of love, betrayal, and destiny. The characters are well-developed, embodying both the strengths and flaws of their mythological counterparts. The series stands out for its bold storytelling and imaginative reimagining of classic tales. Readers will appreciate the intricate plot, steamy relationships, and the seamless blend of ancient mythology with modern life. Robert's writing is engaging, making it a thrilling read for fans of romance and mythology alike.

[Stephanie]

hopeful, lighthearted, reflective, fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

This was a fun little story that peeks inside the more domestic life of Hades and Persephone. I love that she is sharing her traditions with him. This again cements for me that they are my favorite couple in this series so far.

Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy

[Anisa]

Yes I read this after four years of having read Neon Gods and in summer out of all seasons. But it was somewhat nice to see Persephone again. Hades treats her nicely throughout her pregnancy so he is fine. Although, since when was she pregnant? I do not remember that happening in their book... Oh well, I have mixed feelings on that either way. As I do for dimming Persephone's spark.

Note: I read a Little Surprise (18/07/2026) and yeah, now I know when she got pregnant. No fun reading Persephone's and Hades's updates in excerpts here and there... Another book would have sufficed.

[Megan]

Physical Copy. Dark Olympus Shorts Volume 1 by Katee Robert from her Etsy shop.
Contains:

Stone Heart (Medusa & Calypso) #0.5

Hades and Hades Reunion Arc #1.5

First Holiday (Hades & Persephone) (2021 Holiday Novella)

Hades & Persephone First Holiday (Aug 2023 Patreon Short)

Eros & Psyche Dark Olympus Thanksgiving #2.5

Wicked Beauty Epilogue (Helen, Achilles & Patroclus) #3.5

[Shannon]

Oh man!! This novella was fantastic!

I love love loved them writing a pregnancy in for Persephone. I’ve wanted that story since Neon Gods. The fact that she upped it with twins.

I loved that Hades was so protective and so ready for these babies. You know Persephone was even more a handful when she was pregnant.

[Katrina]

Ok this was a sickly sweet holiday short, not normally my thing but I did love getting more time with hades and Persephone. I forgot how much I loved them in book 1 (and in mythology in general) I think they are stil my favourite pairing

[Gwen Carl!!]

No because why was this the cutest thing I've ever read? I'll never find a man like Hades so maybe I'll just die alone. When Persephone would be annoyed at the way he was helping her I almost cried they love each other too much.

[Destiny Cejka]

I will never get enough of Hades and Persephone's relationship in this series. This was such a cute short Christmas story. Not much happened, but the holiday magic of everyone being together was really sweet.

[Akansha]

I love reading about couples years later when they are finally happy in their own little world. This one takes place only a year later and there is still trouble (I think) but Hades and Persephone are happy, married and pregnant and it was super cute.

[Han]

4 stars.

Nothing happened to develop the plot or anything but it was cute nonetheless, especially because hades & Persephone are one of my favorite couples in the series so I always welcome more time with them.

Love the Christmas vibes of course, perfect to read in December.

[Claire Ingram]

2.75
A sweet nothingness book with Persephone and hades
Persephone is preganant with twins and struggling on
No spice a little kink but not really
A little steam but not really
And a tonne of typing errors

[mangotango]

First Holiday by Katee Robert

Cute novella, but not a lot happened, to be honest. I was a little confused about what was going on in the background and wondered if I was supposed to read something else first to get more context.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars

[Cayla]

Read this as part of Robert's Dark Olympus shorts Volume 1.

[Melissa]

A short look into Hades and Persephone's first Christmas together. I like these little visits back to couples from previous books.

[Nats]

preg💔

[RS]

3.5

[Riley Poling]

sad because I need more Hades/Persephone content

[Jamie]

Cute little holiday short story with Hades and Persephone. No spice.

[heather f]

oh this was cute as HELL
hades is literally the perfect husband

[Nika]

Cute, but too sappy for me to really like