The Mistress & The Renowned

Love and Fate #2

by Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune

God of the Dead. King of the Underworld. The Unseen. The Renowned…
Trapped.
One moment, Hades was next to Persephone, having finally claimed her as his queen. The next, he knows only true void, and roots burrowing into his body, feeding from his power and essence. Every ounce of his abilities is used to keep the roots from taking everything, leaving him a broken shell. The King of the Dead. No better than the living dead, wishing for things that would never come.

Goddess of Spring. The Maiden. The Mistress. The Venerable One…
The New Queen.
Being transported to another world and told you’re now the Queen of the Dead was not what Persephone was expecting. Screw expecting, she did not want to be queen. Nope. Now if she could just find the god who’d done this to her without her consent. But he’s not due to the underworld for another month. So she has to wait. And wait. And wait.

Destiny. Fate. Fortune. Kismet…
Waits for no one.
Nightmares cloud them both, calling to them to finish the destiny that awaits them. One that has only just begun. One that will not be denied.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Mythology, Retellings, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Greek Mythology

417 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 11, 2023

About the author

Long time lover of Paranormal Romance, decided when I couldn't find a book that I was interested online to write my own! It spiraled from there. Degree in Classical Civilizations from Tulane University, missing New Orleans with a vengeance

Reviews

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Zsu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t really my thing. I found the writing choppy, lots of swearing that wasn’t necessary and the storyline was just … no. I picked it up on a whim and I didn’t like it

I received the ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Trinity · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶.5/5

TW - PTSD, child abuse (past, physical and emotional), torture, violence

Tropes - fantasy, romance, greek mythology, retelling, hades x persephone

If you read my review of The Maiden & The Unseen, then you know that even though I thought it fell flat, that it set up a good premise for the series.

This book starts exactly where the last left off and I enjoyed seeing Persephone explore The Underworld in Hades' absence whilst also fight to be reunited with him again. After reading many Greek retellings, I like that in this one, Poseidon, Hades & Zeus don't despise each other as much as they do in other stories. Demeter, however, is still a bitch. Her motives were laughable tbh, she should know she cannot change fate and if she is so mad about Persephone's dark side, idk how that explains anything she is doing if she wants to maintain their spring / flower / harvest / happy facade.

My issue with this story and the reason for the rating is that Persephone is the cause of about 95% of her own problems. It felt beyond miscommunication; Persephone didn't want to communicate at all and instead, wallowed in her own heartbreak (which she caused herself). She was mad at Hades, didn't want to speak about it but forces him to open about his own trauma. She's mad because she felt like Hades didn't give her a choice because of the curse when Hades literally didn't have a choice either, it was fate. If anything, Persephone caused all of this because she wanted to get creampied soooooo bad in the last book despite Hades trying to avoid it all costs and she twisted it up in her head about it surely meaning that maybe he doesn't want her 🙄🙄🙄🙄.

It felt like it was 1 step forward, 4 steps back; I really just found Persephone annoying throughout this entire book. Hades really saved it for me, I liked seeing him vulnerable and able to show his emotions and come to terms with his past. He wants to be the best King / God / Husband he can be to Persephone and his realm and you can tell that he is really putting the effort into doing that. They both had a lot of healing to do and it was nice seeing them gain some comfort from being with each other.

I didn't understand how Persephone was able to fight with weapons the way she did with no training at all bar some self defence; that did not add up at all for me - I couldn't be impressed because, instead, I was like: .... huh? I felt like in this book, we get very few pages of them just existing and living in a relationship as a happy couple without something coming to ruin it.

This ends on a cliffy that really annoyed me lol. Like I get it but Persephone needs to work on her communication skills before the next book.

Scale:
⭐️ - would've DNF'ed / continued out of spite
⭐️⭐️ - shit, but whatever
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - meh, could've been better
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - lit 👅
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - loved it, inject this shit into my veins 🤪

🫑 - no smut
🌶 - no point
🌶🌶 - mediocre at best
🌶🌶🌶 - standard smut, hot
🌶🌶🌶🌶 - 🥵 okay, some CW
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 - fuck me 🥵🥵 CWs / filthy with a side of filth - see Poison / Room Twenty-Two: Hide and Seek

[Dino Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: cliffhanger
POV: dual 1st person POV
spice: many open-door spicy scenes
TWs: child abuse, deprivations of gore, kidnapping, manipulation, narcissism, PTSD, self harm, torture, violence, war
Kinky Content: ass play, biting, dirty talk, double penetration, “eyes on me”, grinding, marking, mirror sex, oral, praise, prehensile magic play, shower sex, spanking, voyeurism
standalone: book 2 of Love and Fate series
final thoughts: book 2 did not disappoint! So much adventure and banter continued in this series into book 2.
This book focuses a lot more on the adventure/war/world building aspects with the romance taking a backseat… but definitely still very prevalent in the story with many spicy scenes throughout.
We get a lot more of Cerberus and Mellie in this book and I love the side characters just as much as I love the main characters.

read this book if you love

🔎 adventure
⛓️ BDSM
🫡 big MMC
💵 billionaire
🤩 curvy FMC
🖤 dark romance
🥵 dirty talk
💬 epistolary
🍆 fancy peens
💞 fated mates
🎣 fish out of water
😳 forbidden lovers
🏝️ forced proximity
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
🩹 hurt/comfort
😏 kinky
🪄 magic
🥰 nicknames
💤 nightmare comfort
🔀 opposites attract
😜 jealous, possessive MMC
💖 paranormal romance
🌀 plot twists
🙏 praise
📖 retelling
👤 shadow daddy
🐺 shifters
🔮 supernatural creatures- gods, goddesses, demons
🌍 world building

[Hilal Kahraman · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
kitap boyunca sorunlarını konuşarak çözmek yerine sadece seviştiler, neden konuşmuyoruz diye kavga edip gene seviştiler… harikaydı

[Samantha (rain.books.and.tea) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ 3🌶️

I am a sucker for Hades and Persephone retellings and I loved the fresh take book one had so I couldn’t wait for book 2.

I love Hades so much. I loved that despite being the ruler of the underworld and a pretty important guy in the human world, he was still vulnerable when it came to insecurities with his relationship with Persephone. I never doubted his love and commitment to her. It broke my heart when he really needed some reassurance from Persephone about their relationship and she was not in the right headspace to have serious heart to heart with him.

I once again struggled a little with Persephone. I loved so much about her, like her ridiculous nickname for Cerberus, her friendship with Mellie, and her acceptance and compassion for everyone in the underworld. But I struggled with understanding why she was so resistant to talking to Hades and why she created distance between them for so long when it was quickly resolved when they finally did talk. I loved what a total baddie she became when the underworld was under attack but I also raged at how she chose handle things at the end of the book leading to a crazy cliffhanger.

This very much felt like book two in a trilogy and I am anxious for the next one to see how this is resolved.

[Alo blossom]

1.5⭐️

Creo que existen personas que tienen el deseo de ser escritores pero, ojalá alguien les diga que no son lo suficientemente buenos (aun).
La historia comienza enseguida de donde acaba la otra; para empezar nunca tuvo sentido que Hades de repente fuera secuestrado por el tártaro? Esa primera parte donde Persephone se esfuerza por salvarlo, se siente algo borrosa porque lo considero como relleno tras relleno.
Fue muy gracioso el que ninguno de los personajes tiene la misma personalidad del primer libro, enserio que la cambiaron al 100%
Los escenarios y problemáticas dejaron de ser como “oh no tengo que trabajar en Plutus” a “estamos en el río estigia”.

Te juro que estoy muy decepcionada porque neta tenía expectativas y pensé que esta historia se iba a arreglar pero es tan mala que al final termina gustandote porque es divertido el poder del guion y la escritura para lograr cosas absurdas.

Le doy 1.5 porque es algo de Hades y Persephone además de que se incluyen elementos de la mitología griega que me gustan.


EDIT: ADEMÁS QUE ONDA CON LA TOXICIDAD DE LA RELACIÓN? Wey neta parecían niños de secundaria, te lo juro que ni con mi primer novio fui tan inmadura como estos dos. Estamos hablando de adultos que no podían tener una conversación seria porque aplicaban la ley del hielo y literalmente GHOSTEABAN y hacían GASLIGHTING AL OTROOOOO WTFFFF

[Alexandria Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Rose & Star, Jeanette, and Alexis for the chance to read The Mistress & The Renowned in advance!!!

In going to go as spoiler free as possible for The Maiden & The Unseen (the first book) and this one... so I will try to avoid talking plot points.

The Mistress & The Renowned picks up right where TM&TU left off. With Persphone being transported to The Underworld to be Queen, a title she has no desire in holding. And with Hades in a complete void with roots burying into is very being..fighting to keep his powers. Can Hades and Persephone overcome their nightmares and accept their destiny? Or will it all prove to be too much?

Persephone,our FMC, resident baddie!!! She is still as fierce and as accepting as ever. I love how she stepped into and fully embraced her role as Queen of the Underworld. I did wish she would have reassured Hades in their relationship a bit sooner. But I get that she was grappling with the curse and fate. So, in reality it feels very realistic to not have the mental capacity to fix things for others...when you are dealing with issues of your own.

Hades, our MMC, I love that he is supposed to be this big bad God of the Underworld, and he is... but he is vulnerable. The love and commitment he has for Persphone is so heartwarming and heart wrenching. I know a conundrum but his insecurities are very real and raw.

Now onto the side characters. I'm so glad we got a cameos of Mellie and Helios. I really want their story *wink wink* ... I'm manifesting this. And I loved seeing the other Gods and Godesses coming on the board for the game.

What To Expect:
▪︎NA Urban Fantasy Romance
▪︎Book Two in the Love and Fate Series
▪︎Hades and Persephone Retelling
▪︎Curses
▪︎Magic
▪︎Fated Mates
▪︎Nicknames
▪︎Dual POV
▪︎Shorter Chapters
▪︎"Berry" IYKYK
▪︎Emotional Damage
▪︎Trigger Warnings ⚠️ (May Contain Spoilers):
*PTSD
*Child Abuse..Emotional & Physical (Historic)
*Torture
*Trauma
*Fantasy Violence
*Explicit Sexual Content
▪︎Cliffhanger
▪︎and so much more

Once again Jeanette and Alexis' writing captivated me from the beginning and held my attention the whole time. I found myself wanting more and more. And it's been quite sometime since I've felt this way. I'm sonexcited for when book three is written and released. I need to know everything and truly this is my favorite Hades and Persphone retelling. I'm obsessed with these characters. Congratulations! And I can't wait for what you have in store for us.

[Del Neethling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Rose & Star publishers & Good Girls PR for having me on the team.

What really worked in book 1 for me was the smut. There was plot, pacing and character development issues but because the book was basically just really good smut none of that mattered in the grand scheme of thing.

With book 2, they took away all this really good smut and for me it flopped.

The plot didn’t get interesting until nearly the end of the book, the pacing was all over the place (multiple cases of specific scenes or events being written in a way that felt like days but were said to have lasted weeks) and the world building felt non existent.

The characters felt like 2 angsty teenagers having fights about dumb shit around every corner with no character development throughout the book.

Overall the romance fell flat, especially for a NA romantasy (because once again why were Hades & Persophone 2 16 year old playing at being gods?) and the spice was just not good enough.

We know what amazing spice can be written but we didn’t even get a fraction of that during the spicy scenes that were added to this book. They were mostly no foreplay, over quickly, missionary sex scenes and it wasn’t a vibe.

The redeeming factor for this book was the overall good use of language and an ending that has you questioning what happens to them next.

[Julie 🕊️ ~books.and.chocolat3~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️rounded up to 3⭐️

It’s probably a me-problem with the good rates so far .. I really tried , I read until the end without DNF it .. but I just can’t ..

First .. I really enjoyed the writing and Hades’s emotions throughout the entire book .. what’s better than an alpha man showing his feelings and tears ? Nothing !
So yes , there is that .. but that’s it for me ..

It started good but annoyed me pretty quickly.. because for me everything was too much .. the ambiance was depressing.. the push and pull between Hades and Persephone because of miscommunication throughout the entire book made me lose my interest, I know some people love that but I don’t when it’s too long , especially for miscommunication..

Persephone’s behavior was the second reason I couldn’t enjoy my read .. « do what I say , but not what I do .. » I couldn’t understand her .. at all .. and her last decision after the pull she threw at Hades during the all book ? Too much for me ..

The worldbuilding was nice , the cellphones in the underworld a little weird .. and I know some people love the dynamic between cerberus and our dark couple, but I didn’t.. again too much and took a lot of pages..

I like the cliffhanger. Nice touch

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Rose and Star for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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, smutty, 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 the 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 this more clear.

[Cal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welcome back ladies! After a month long hiatus I am back with more trashy reads. On the docket today we have the series that may or may not have contributed to my slump. That was def not my favorite read but we made it through. I will commit to the rest of the series though. Why might you ask? Because of Mellie. The end!

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3.5~

The end of this book, while I could call it, still broke my heart :( I was a little confused about the events that took place in the first half. Then it got to the point where they tried to share their experiences and emotions and while they thought they were, Persephone was not. I think that threw me off a little, but again, I love a retelling and had to keep going. I enjoyed the second half and the set up for the next book was so intriguing, I can't wait!

Reviewing an arc copy sent to me by Good Girls PR, thank you!

[⚡eli⚡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

''My heart aches to make this better for him, to make him whole again, but how can I when I'm not whole myself?''

Thank you Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune and Rose & Star, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

I can't resist a retelling and especially if it's Hades and Persephone. So when I got the arc for TMATR I inhaled book 1 and went straight into this. We pick up right after Persephone finds herself as the Queen of the Underworld, and Hades is nowhere to be found. P has couple of chapters where she is alone and it broke my heart a bit. And when they finally reunited (after the events you will go trough), my heart broke even more for them. But, this is still romance book in it's core, so there's enough spice for you, dark spring.

I very much enjoyed P meeting other Gods and the dynamic between Helio's and Mellie - YES DAMN! I need their book haha

But that cliffy? Jail!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author/publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

3.5 ⭐️, rounding up to 4

Really solid start, which gave me hope that book 2 would be different and not leave me feeling the same as book 1. This installment is set completely in the Underworld and just had an overall more ancient feel to the story, which I actually really loved. As with book 1, I thought the writing was well done, I enjoyed the mix of older and somewhat modern dialogue. Really enjoyed Persephone's exploration of the Underworld on her own and then her journey to save her king and love, Hades. I also really liked the whole aspect of incorporating the other older gods and lore from those times within the memories of Hades, as well as the role they play in Persephone's pursuit of freeing him from captivity. The plot points themselves and the solid spice are definitely keeping me interested. The spice was great in this one, much more intimate it seemed than book 2. Still fierce as all get out, but just felt a lot deeper between the two of them, which I loved. Despite my frustrations, the spicy bits always brought me back into it for sure (I guess relatable to the characters a little in that way, haha!) The ending had me cursing up a storm for multiple reasons, kinda wanted to throw my kindle across the room, not gonna lie.

Once again though, the enormous amount of insecurity and mis/lack of communication between Hades and Persephone left me kinda disappointed. They have so much progress and go through so much to get back to each other only for them to, what almost seems to be...despise each other for it at the same time...I don't know the right words to describe my feelings of annoyance. And I know they both have their trauma related to what happened to them at the end of book 1/beginning of book 2. And yes, I know everyone processes trauma differently, but this just felt a little extreme. Like book 1, both characters take 5 steps forward, only to then take 4 steps backwards with their relationship/communication.

To be honest, it felt like Hades had a lot more of a grip on his healing/triggers/reasoning for actions than Persephone did. Don't get it twisted, I was frustrated with him too! Mans couldn't just say what he felt at the right moment to save his LIFE! And that hurt me so much for him, because there were times when he was so open and vulnerable with her, I just didn't understand the constant back and forth. And then for him not to explain his 3-day absence?!? Come on Hades! You're better than that.

I felt like I kinda understood P and what was going on with her eventually, but I was a little confused at first as to why she was so upset after rescuing him. She made it seem like it was her trauma from Tartarus, but then it's like that never happened, so I was confused. Then she seemed to just gloss over the fact that the curse was activated the way it was and what her new situation was...like she wasn't really bothered by any of that. Then she'd be presented with a perfect opportunity to address things and deal with them "in her time" like she kept demanding and she would just throw it in Hades' face. I just thought that was a little unfair, to both Hades and herself. I completely understood her argument of discussing things "in her own time", but then when she actually did, she seemed to just simplify things to the point where I was even more annoyed that she made Hades suffer emotionally the way she did due to her stubbornness and unwillingness to just talk to him. She really annoyed me with that. Again, I got her reasoning for being upset, once she FINALLY told him/us. But for her to put the distance and strain on them the way she did for the actual reason she gave? I thought that was unfair. The way she handled things and how she treated Hades up to that point...especially after telling us how much she loved him, wanted to be with him, and how much she now loved the Underworld and all that...it just made it difficult to read. I was incredibly frustrated. Not to mention it seemed to create an unnecessary lull in the story. It did make for some great spicy moments, though...silver linings.

Once I got to about the 70% mark, things started to get better, and the overall plot seemed to kick back in a little more. I went from being annoyed with Persephone back to loving her for the bad bitch that she is. That's something that I have enjoyed about her in this version of their story. She is truly Hades' equal in so many ways and I love the fact he is mesmerized by that. She is the natural warrior that he really doesn't want to be, except for her. Even when it comes to the Underworld: his realm, the realm that he loves and would do anything for; it's only when she is in peril, that has him doing the most and going all in and that's what gets me giddy. Then him realizing that she doesn't actually ever need him but that she continues to choose him because she just can...once he finally realizes that and it clicks for him, I'm proud of him for how he handles it.

Needless to say, I hated the way this book ended. I'm gonna throw up a spoiler blur here just so I can rant cryptically. Of course I despise the fact that Persephone made the decision she did and the way she went about it. Hades was exactly right, 100%. And in the end, it didn't matter anyway, so it was pointless. That's the part that gets me the most. She made this "decision" knowing ALL of the information about what would happen (well with one big exception), but she got it completely wrong and now things are so f*cked sideways. But they would have been anyway, so it doesn't really matter I guess... Uuuggghhh!!!

There were a lot of aspects about this book that I enjoyed, but I felt like they kept getting overshadowed by the lingering problems between Hades and Persephone. As with book 1, I would still recommend if you are new to the Hades/Persephone story world, as long as you don't mind a little of the comm difficulties I've laid out previously. Some might not find them the same way. I'd be interested to see where they take the story next, but please, for Fate's sake...give them better communication skills! 🤙🏼💕

[Debria]

Currently this is a DNF for me, which makes me so sad. I think there is a good premise here but I'm not vibing with the execution and pacing of this book. I have made it 32% and I just need a break. I hope to come back to this and give it another shot!

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

So like is there another book coming because I simply cannot keep doing these cliff hangers with the next book not being out my sanity cannot take it

[Katie Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow.. did I say wow? Because I am honestly speechless.

I thought I loved The Maiden and The Unseen but this book absolutely blew it out of the water. Honestly when this ARC dropped on my kindle I was at a concert and silently snuck off to the bathroom so I could start the first chapter (don’t judge me👀)

I was honestly so happy to dive back into Hades and Persephone’s journey because the cliffhanger of the first book is something I thought about DAILY. This book picks up right where book one left off where Persephone finds herself as Queen of the underworld and Hades has been taken. The first few chapters my heart was breaking for poor Persephone, all she wanted was Hades by her side.

When our couple eventually reunites it honestly breaks me even further as they don’t believe that they both have reunited once again😭 I mean Hades left Sephy wrap her vines around them while they slept, my kindle was covered in tears.

On a lighter note I absolutely ADORE how they both slipped into the role as dog parents for Cerberus, it was honestly just the absolute cutest thing ever😩 I feel Persephone has really grown as a character from book 1 to book 2 she has embraced her role as Queen of the underworld and when she told of Zeus and Poseidon - I WAS LIKE YES GIRL ABSOLUTELY SLAY💅

Hades, I mean what is not to like about the man??? Because I cannot find one thing. An underrated moment for me in this book is definitely Hades removing Persephone’s makeup and doing her skincare. #husbandmaterialrightthere

Can I also just say the spice was absolutely top tier🌶️

All I can say is be ABSOLUTELY PREPARED for how things will escalate in the last few chapters (I expected as much because yes it’s only book 2 but damn my jaw was nonexistent and my tear ducts need to be replenished). If I could describe this book in one word it would be ‘ROLLERCOASTER’ because my emotions were absolutely all over the place.

Jeanette and Alexis absolutely killed it and while I am in utter complete shock from finishing I cannot wait to read more in this series✨

Thank you so much to Jeanette/Alexis/ Rose and Star Publishing for providing this e-arc🫶🏼

[Castalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟💫/5 & 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

I am a sucker for Hades and Persephone retellings in basically any form. This is probably one of my favorite types of retelling. I also really loved the new take book one had with its enemies to lovers, boss, office romance tropes so I was really excited for book 2. I knew based on the ending in book 1 that this would venture much more into the “Fantasy / Paranormal” side of the story that I am typically used too when the storylines follow the usual God/Goddesses so I was ready for the Underworld.

We started right where book 1 ended. There really wasn’t any unaccounted for time lapse between the ending of book 1 and the start of this one like some breaks between books can have.

I love Hades so much in this installment. I loved how “human” he felt with his hidden insecurities and vulnerabilities despite being one of the most powerful Gods and ruler of the Underworld. My heart broke for him when he was suffering and his main concern was still not putting that on Persephone’s shoulders. He is so fully committed her and I never doubted his love for her once, regardless of what was happening.

I have a love / dislike relationship with Persephone. I had to really try and give her the understanding and benefit of doubt when it came to her actions and inability to move forward and resolve things. I won’t go into more detail as to not spoil things but I was like “FFS COME ON” many times. What I love about Persephone are the relationships she is starting to build with her subjects in the Underworld. I love her friendship with Mellie and how she immediately makes Cerberus her “baby”. She also becomes a total baddie as her strength, power, and overall bravery continues to come out the longer she is in the Underworld where she belongs.

Also, excuse me…that cliffy…. Totally uncalled for lol.

Overall, while the story did progress forward it felt very much more of an emotional character driven book / part of the story than book 1 did. I am however interested in how this resolves.

[Sydney Victorson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

The Mistress & The Renowned is the second book in the Love and Fate trilogy following a modern day Hades and Persephone. I enjoyed book two a bit more than book one. The spice felt more balanced in this one. The Maiden & The Unseen had smut scenes nearly every chapter once you hit the halfway mark. The Mistress & The Renowned, however, used smut much more sparingly. Don’t get me wrong, there was still a fair amount, but it was much more balanced with plot in this book. There was also just more plot in general in this book compared to book one. I said before that if you removed the smut from The Maiden & The Unseen, the plot would not be able to stand on its own. That is not the case for The Mistress & The Renowned. This book’s plot would absolutely be able to stand on its own if you removed the smut.

I enjoyed Hades character a lot in this book. He opened up a lot more and was honestly pretty mature and wanting to communicate to work through his and Persephone’s issues. Persephone was wildly irritating throughout a lot of this book though. She was the cause of a good 90% of her problems, which was frustrating. She acted like a petulant child way too often for the literal Queen of the Underworld. I’m not saying Hades was innocent but she blamed him for way more stuff than she should’ve. Their miscommunication was…a lot. I hope Persephone works on herself in the next book because Hades honestly does not deserve this treatment.

It does end on a cliffhanger, which I expected given that it’s part of a series. I will be reading the next book because I need to know where their story goes and I have found that I’m enjoying the books more as the series progresses.

Thank you NetGalley and Rose and Star Publishing for the ARC of The Mistress & The Renowned!

[KayLuvsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big thank you to the authors, Rose and Star publishing, and Netgalley for this arc!

"I am the Queen of the Underworld, but I am also the Goddess of Spring, and I have lived too long being one without the other, existing as half of myself, ashamed of an entire part of me."

I really enjoyed this sequel! It definitely did not go in the direction I thought it would after the first book which in a way made the story more interesting to read. The character development was interesting and I loved getting to revisit these characters!

"How do we piece our souls back together when neither of us knows where to start?"

My one complaint would be I felt like the plot got lost in the story. Certain events were rushed through so we could focus more on the emotional effects of the events. It was hard to connect to the trauma the characters were experiencing when the trauma event itself wasn't a focus of the book. The story just really got bogged down by the character's miscommunication and the storyline getting buried under the weight of the character's emotional baggage.

"My brothers collect weapons and power. I collect knowledge. In the end, the weapons that always stood the test of time were between the pages of a book."

This isn't a profound and complicated story, but it isn't supposed to be. Did I have fun? Yes, and that's what counts. Thus, four stars.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is now my fav Hades and Persephone retelling

Omg where do I begin?! I really hope Persephone and Hades give Demeter a good ass whooping in the 3rd book!

The story follows hades and Persephone in the underworld. Persephone is now Queen and hades is missing. I really loved how we got a backstory to Hades and how hades and Persephone grappling with the fact her fate is always tied to someone. We see them fight and makeup and work through their problems and try to heal from their traumas separately and together. I absolutely love Cerberus and how Persephone calls him berry! (Mind you he’s a three headed dog that acts like a marshmallow)

The ending was left on a cliffhanger and all I want is Hades and Persephone to get their happy ending

Thank you Good Girls PR for the arc!!!!

[CaiReeds ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been waiting to give my feedback on this book because I felt I needed to re-read the 1st book too.

There are a LOT of Hades and Persephone retellings out there and while I enjoyed this one, I think if you're just now getting into Hades and Persephone, there are better ones to read before this one.
However, if you have read everything that's out there and are itching for more, this book is a great option.

I LOVE Persephone but I felt this storyline didn't do her enough justice and I didn't feel connected to her throughout the book.
Now Hades......I could never not love Hades ;)

Overall, this book kept my attention and it was a good read. It just simply was not in my top favorites.

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Kendal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free arc of this book for a review

I fell in love with the first book in this series and was so excited for this sequel. Unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. I think I just was really against the miscommunication Hades and Persephone were having throughout 90% of this book. Aside from that the individual things they went through was so unique and I loved seeing both characters trying to deal with their emotions.
Both gods felt almost human as they dealt with their struggles and their grief and just not knowing how to put themselves together after dealing with such an ordeal.
These authors also kill the cliff hanger game. I’m back on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book in the series.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay...wow 😭 I should've read book 1 first because omg 😭😭❤

This is now my favorite Hades and Persephone retelling!!! SIR!! HADES!! WHO ALLOWED ALL THE 🥵🥵 ....ugh my heart!!

I definitely recommend reading book one first (I didn't know about it lmao until after recieving the ARC for this hahahah) but it was still so good. The love is just...wow, and its just so detailed that you can just easily imagine everything in your head. Well written 👏🏻

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy these books. I love Hades, Persephone, and Ceberus. Their relationships are so nicely written, from the love they share to the heartache and especially the funny moments. There were a few slow parts, but I did finish the 2 books in a day each, then rushed through the Internet to find the 3rd book at the end of book 2. It's safe to say that I'm going to go crazy waiting to see what happens next in their story.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a very big fan of Hades and Persephone's story so anytime I can read a retelling of them I take the chance. So let me just say this book was phenomenal and was extremely hard to put down. I did not want the story to end it was that good and addicting to read. So if you love any story about Hade's and Persephone than give this one a chanced.

[Chelsea Robichaud · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t get into this one. I appreciated there being more plot than spice but Hades and Persephone just don’t know how to talk to each other it’s infuriating. And Hades was such an annoying pinning man in this one- “do you love me” and “are you going to leave me” boy SHUT UP! Still going to finish the last book of the series because why not 🤷‍♀️