Bonds of Hercules

Villains of Lore #2

by Jasmine Mas

I've awakened my powers, and things are not well.

When I turned twenty years old, I discovered I had horrifying secret powers, got trapped into marriage with my enemies, accidentally joined a cult, and signed up for a bloodthirsty Gladiator Competition. To make matters worse, my terrifying husbands are trying to seduce me, and my old mentors are acting really strange.

Now, someone is killing Olympians—and it’s not Titans. Things are spiraling out of control.

I’m fighting for my life and drowning in secrets.

It doesn’t help that Titans are mutating and getting stronger. Chthonics are also revolting against Olympians and ghosts from my past are coming back to haunt me.

Everybody better beware.
Things are about to get very messy.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Audiobook, Mythology, Dark Romance, Why Choose

544 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2025

About the author

JASMINE MAS is a New York Times bestselling author of fantasy romance. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages. She has a degree in ancient Greco-Roman classical studies from Georgetown University, and is a former lawyer who spends all her free time writing about strong women in magical worlds. She lives in Florida with her husband Evan and cat named Boo. She loves connecting with readers on TikTok and Instagram at @jasminemasbooks.

Join her newsletter at blog.jasminemasbooks.com for early access and perks. Her website is jasminemasbooks.com

Reviews

[SK · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She was divine.
She was my wife.
She was my other soul."

That was quite a ride. So easy to binge and so much fun, yet not as perfect as book one. The more I think about it, the more flawed it seems but my rating is based on how much fun I had. The vibes were pretty amazing and I did sort of inhale it all.. 🤷‍♀️

I think the pacing could have been better managed. It was a bit too fast for my liking. Some of the important conversations and action sequences were rushed. Like the characters made huge emotional revelations in the midst of action scenes and yet it was all brushed past but then we get long internal monologues, it could have been better executed. Like no one addressed those revelations after properly? Everyone just casually accepts it all?

Secondly, Patro and Achilles, I'm conflicted. There was a lot of potential and a lot of room for growth. They're made to seem an important part of Alexis life and yet there's not a proper closure in sight. It's all left hanging. And I do see where their story is leading but I won't be lying if I said that their character arcs were done dirty.

Kharon and Augustus have my heart. I swear I was on my knees for them. They stole the show?? Like I cannot make you understand the chokehold these two professors have on me, especially Kharon. Every time I read their POV, I swooned. I gasped. I screamed. I giggled and blushed like crazy. I want two feral, obsessed men like these two 😩😩 Someone get me a Kharon 🫠

Alexis was quite impressive and the sense of humor is elite as always. I loved how she's grown but there was definitely room for more bite especially towards the end. Or maybe I'm just nitpicking.

I loved the romance and tension between Alexis and her husbands. Like yes, please give me more of that. I was down bad by how obsessed they were. The spice towards the end was satisfying. I loved how the focus was more on emotional stability, intimacy formed through genuine trust rather than just figuring things out with sex. The groveling in particular gave me inner peace 😌 The love and the devotion was felt.

The ending was a bit rushed which circles to my first point that pacing was not done well in this book. But other than that, I had a lot of fun with how easy it was to binge. I did enjoy it a lot but it was nowhere as perfect as the first book.

I do have to ask though, is it really a 'why choose' romance if she makes a clear choice? Something to think about I guess...


~•~•~
I'm so ready to devour this book. Watch me swoon over Kharon and Augustus 🫠😩

[blasphemy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish authors would do a bulk release cause I have zero patience when it comes to waiting. I’ll check there has been a release in this like 5 times a week even though there is a clear released date for it 😓.

[Lucie V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

✅ Multiple POVs & narrators
✅ Sharing a bed
✅ Taking care of her while she is hurt
✅ “Who did this to you?”
✅ Poco
✅ Pace / Quick read
✅(🆗) Plot
✅(🆗) Romance / Male characters
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: blood and gore, brief mention of sexual abuse
❗️❗️Mild spoilers of the ending of the first book in the review

3.5 stars, I think...

So many mixed feelings… I flew through the book and liked it overall, but at the same time, I was expecting more, and many details bug me.

I liked the book, but not nearly as much as the first one. I’ve been a huge fan of Jasmine Mas since the very beginningwhen I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Psycho Shifter, and this is the first time I am not giving her book 4 or 5 stars…

The greatest trick Spartans ever played was convincing humanity they were civilized. I missed the nuclear wastelands of Montana.

I did enjoy this book overall, and it was a quick and entertaining read. The first half was fast-paced, violent, angsty, and also funny, thanks to Alexis and Nyx. I read the first 50% in one sitting. However, the second half got a little repetitive after a while. It was more focused on the Spartan Gladiator Competition, and the structure of the writing was very similar from one chapter to the other; day 1: description of the fight and party after, day 2: description of the fight and party after, day 3: description of the fight and party after (you get the idea, there were 13 days). I feel that the story lost its momentum in the second half… The action scenes were very well written and engaging, though.

Still, I was expecting the plot to be stronger, more intense. At first, I thought it would focus mostly on Alexis joining the Death Assembly and being forced to fight Titans, but that got swept under the rug quickly. Then I assumed it would be about something big going on during the SGC, a big reveal (bigger than the “revelation” that uncle Zeus was crooked at least, because that was not a surprise for anyone), but no, it was simply about Alexis witnessing the fights, almost-magically developing romantic feelings, and quickly (and almost too easily) exposing Zeus along the way. It was not bad, but the plot felt weaker than in the first book.

While I enjoyed this book and read it in 2 days, I was expecting more. To begin with, I was expecting epic grovelling, and it was okay-ish grovelling, except for 1 grand gesture from Kharon. I wanted more angst and grovelling. Patro and Achilles were also disappointing in the grovelling department. Actually, they didn’t even try. I was also hoping to see more moments between Alexis and Charlie, now that they have been reunited, but Charlie is barely there. I kept waiting for him to become more relevant to the story… And I am still waiting.

We finally know what happened to Alexis when she was a baby. It was satisfying to get the whole story at last, but the way Alexis just had a hunch and guessed it all was not as satisfying. There are still some plot holes or aspects that will need more explaining in the next book:
-Who and what is Charlie exactly?
-How come Alexis can communicate with animals, but not Poco?
-Why the need for Fate to be involved when Alexis was already determined to expose Zeus?
-Who was the guy who disappeared in smoke in the trailer park?
-How come Augustus can understand a Siren? I thought only Alexis could (exhibit A: I’d memorized the face of a male siren who’d shouted, “Ride my face, Angelus Romae,” from the front row of the stadium.)

Another thing that didn’t make much sense to me is how Kharon and Augustus found out that Alexis grew up with an abusive foster father, yet they were still surprised to discover new scars on her, and asked her how she got them, when the connection between the abusive home and the scars seems obvious.

Apparently, I wasn’t asexual; I was just into tattooed, violent, Machiavellian men. A fate worse than death.

The real headline of The Falcon Chronicles should have read: “Two Deviant Chthonic Royals Seduce Unsuspecting Prudish Woman.”

I loved seeing Alexis discovering she was a pervert deep down. She is still an introvert, shy and socially awkward at times, but she discovered that she was not asexual after all. She is driven and fierce, and it shows even more in this book. Her conversations with Nyx always make me smile, and it was nice to see her become more confident and assertive in this sequel, even if her personality felt a little erased at times.

Alexis is still a funny character, but she seemed more naïve in this book. Alexis decided to rescue an imprisoned Muse, believed to have worked with the traitors from the first book. Everything eventually gets explained, but until it is, it seems naïve for Alexis to trust Ceres and refuse that Patro questioned her with his gift. It is a minor aspect of the plot, though. There is still the author’s signature silly inner monologues and ridiculous conversations, and Alexis is just as silly and intense as Sadie and Aran.

He was such a walking red flag it wasn’t even funny.

Kharon swore viciously in the hall, like he’d just realized verbally attacking his wife was not yielding a positive result.

Kharon is the definition of a red flag. Despite that, he managed to be almost nice and kind a few times in this book. The intensity of his devotion to Alexis was equal parts scary and equal parts swoonworthy. I like that we ended up seeing a more vulnerable side of him, but I do feel that he lost a little bit of his crazy edge somewhere in this book.

Either we were the loneliest beings on earth, or we loved obsessively, with our entire soul. Complete devotion or nothing. There was no in-between.

Seeing Augustus care for Poco made me melt. It gave him a softer side, and paired with his more mature and confident vibe, it is a winning combination for me. That being said, I was not impressed with the way Kharon and he couldn’t seem to understand why Alexis was angry at them, only to completely change during the book and become sweet lover boys to Alexis.

Things between Alexis, Kharon, and Augustus are very strained at the beginning of the book, and I was not sure if and how they would be able to mend things between them. Especially since even before they betrayed her, they were never close, and Alexis didn’t have sweet feelings for them; she was scared of them, until she started hating them for their plot to force her into a double wedding. They did end up mending things and being able to find a way to live together, but it felt a little sudden and underdeveloped.

I still struggle to care about Patro and Achilles (let’s be honest, I don’t give a shit about them after this book). We didn’t see a lot of them in the first book, and I was not impressed by what we saw of them in this sequel. Patro seemed really intent on proving to Alexis that they cared about her and would be good for her, but every time things didn’t go his way, he would lash out verbally at Alexis. This is not how you show you are repentant, or how you convince someone you would be good for her. It made him appear immature. Achilles does not seem to have any personality besides his obsession with Patro. His defining trait is that he has a muzzle, and that’s about it. I hope the mentors will be more likable in the next book, since I imagine they will be the main characters in it.

The romance took a different direction than what I expected. I loved it, but it is not exactly a “why choose”. The author kept asking readers if we were team mentors or team teachers, and this series is sold to us as a “why choose”, but I was expecting more suspense about who Alexis would choose, and if she would end up with 2 or 4 husbands. Instead, it was pretty obvious who she would pick, and the “why choose” aspect of the book was lacking. I am not complaining about the romance, but it did not truly feel like Alexis was hesitating or that there was a chance she would change her mind.

That being said, I am still satisfied with the way things ended for Alexis. I was just surprised because this is not the “vibe” I was expecting when it came to the romance.

“Yesss,” Nyx hissed encouragingly. “Ruin him. Men don’t deserve to feel good about themselves. Make him cry.”

Nyx, Poco, and the other animals stole the show. I would like to petition the author for a protector-centered novella all about them, their sass, and their shenanigans.

I will still read the next book, for sure, hoping to find something more similar to the first book, and a story that feels a little less all over the place.



1. Blood of Hercules ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Follow me on Instagram 🙂

[Hanna (lapetiteboleyn) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hey so what the actual fuck. Genuinely one of the worst books I have ever read. Though it does win an award for the most anticlimactic sex scene in all of literature. After two books, and probably nearly a thousand pages of all the male leads talking big about the filthy depraved things they want, the result is- two pages of the most vanilla sex where everyone has an orgasm and is then like 'wow, I need to take a nap now'.

[Em]

10/10-24
IT’S BEEN DELAYED TO OCTOBER😭😭😭😭 ONE YEAR
HOW AM I GONNA LIVE


1/8-24
The way I always seem to read Jasmine’s books way too fast. What do you mean I have to wait almost a whole year for the next book? Why the hell did I read the first book so fast? How does one write such amazing books in the first place? Jasmine Mas, you have yourself a big fan in me.


Jasmine Mas’ books>>

[Eleanor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve been so excited for this book for months. So disappointed, feels like a money grab because the series has done so well on ticktock. So sad :( what was the point in all of the POVs from the first book from Achilles and Patro for that to be the ending???????

[Emms-hiatus(ish) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over-hyped, under-developed, mis-marketed. One would think a traditionally published book would have much better editing?? This had word for word repetitive sentences in the same paragraph??

Is the Why-Chose in the room with us???

The plot devolved in the second book and went straight into unintelligible. The characters devolved to even more two-dimensional.

The first book was trash, but the trash you dive right into and enjoy. This?? Trash you just want to burn.

[Youssra (semi ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up for the audio

Strictly off of vibes and entertainment, this was very fun. If you want men GROVELING AND YEARNING, then read this book. Kharon and Augustus were PERFECTIONNNNNNNNNN!!! 100/10, NO NOTES, ABSOLUTEY DELICIOUSSSSSS!! Alexis is so lucky😭 I too want to be worshipped by two hot professors😭 Alexis was also so great here, she grew a lot from book 1 and was such a badass! Nyx was hysterical as always, Poco the raccoon was absolutely adorable, and my favorite scene (besides the chair scene iykyk), was the dear diary scene🤣 It was sooo funny🤣

The plot was fun but it did drag a bit in the middle and some things were rushed... I didn't mind it that much though because well.. Kharon and Augustus 🤰

ok now the ending..I totally get why it annoyed so many readers.. it basically changes the book from RH to why choose with only two men instead of four and kind of sets up a new character. Personally, I didn't mind it strictly because I didn't see how it would work with all 4 of them from the very beginning in book 1. I really truly am here for the vibes and as long as it is still fun, I will keep reading😅

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

did patro and achillies so dirty

[HawkHatesYou]

perfect book to get me out of a reading slump. honestly i loved this book more than the first 10/10

[ariyel ୭ · Rating 2 out of 5]

── ⋆˙⟡ 2.75 stars! ★
﹒⌗﹒contains spoilers﹒౨ৎ˚₊‧

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ “sometimes what we were made for was different from what we wanted.”

﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹

⟢ ⌗ ⋮ my thoughts♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ i genuinely thought this was gonna be a good time. like yeah, my excitement died a little after rereading book 1, but i still went in curious. unfortunately that curiosity died by page 10. first cringe happened there and then it just kept getting worse. if i wasn’t doing no dnfs this year i would’ve dropped it at 35% without hesitation. i was that over it.

the worst part is that i had fun with the last book the first time around. it was unhinged and weird and barely made sense but it was entertaining. this? this was just disappointing. and so much of that disappointment came from how boring it was. like yeah it was dramatic and ridiculous, but underneath all that it was just so boring. nothing was happening. for a book that’s supposed to raise the stakes, it felt like it had no urgency at all.

the pacing was awful. half the book was filler, the other half was just vibes and drama, and the plot didn’t even show up until we were already too far in. the whole gladiator competition plot barely mattered until halfway through the book. and even when things did finally kick in, they weren’t satisfying. i didn’t care about the fights, i didn’t care about the tests, and i definitely didn’t care about the stakes.

but despite all that, the last 30% wasn’t completely terrible. i don’t know what happened, but something finally clicked near the end and i actively stopped hating it. i still wasn’t enjoying it, but i wasn’t suffering. so.

﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹

⟢ ⌗ ⋮ characters♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ alexis was genuinely awful to read. she’s somehow even more frustrating than she was in the last book. and she doesn’t feel like the same character at all. her personality just flipped completely. no progression. no actual arc. she just went from traumatized survivor to vengeance hungry with no in between.

and she contradicts herself constantly. like she talks about not wanting to fight, but literally volunteers for the gladiator competition just to be petty. she says she doesn’t need help, then gets hurt because she refuses to accept it, then does it again five pages later. she says she hates the men she’s married to, but then thinks about how hot they are, kisses them, and spirals over the idea of them with other women.

the annoying part is that she talks like she’s this strong, independent heroine, but the book keeps proving she’s not. and i don’t even mean that as an insult—it’s fine to need help. but don’t spend the whole book yelling about how you don’t need anyone while almost dying every time you’re left alone.

ৎ kharon & augustus were fine. i still liked them! but they felt different from book 1. and not necessarily in a bad way, i just wasn’t as into them this time. i don’t know if it was more depth or just inconsistent characterization. they were still better than patro though. god, i hated him. pushy, antagonistic, just genuinely unpleasant to read. i don’t even think he cares about alexis—he just wants someone who won’t interfere with his relationship with achilles. speaking of which, achilles was probably the only one with a brain. mostly because he didn’t seem interested in alexis at all. he was clearly here for patro and patro only. i liked that.

ৎ side characters? who.

﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹

⟢ ⌗ ⋮ romance♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ if there was a way to make this romance worse than book 1, this was it. it’s just general surface level tension and possessive vibes but no emotional connection. they’re obsessed with her for no reason. and she clearly doesn’t hate them the way she keeps saying she does.

like. you don’t kiss someone and think about how hot they are and want their approval while also claiming they betrayed you and you hate them. she says it constantly. that she’s angry, that she’s vengeful, that she doesn’t want them—but her actions never match up. and it’s so performative. if she actually hated them, she would’ve done something about it. but she just talks and talks and then folds the second one of them looks at her the right way.

and on top of that… these guys were friends. like actual friends. some of them are even brothers. and now they’re all fighting over a girl who keeps saying she doesn’t want them??? it’s so stupid. this dynamic is not worth destroying their entire bond over. and the annoying part is that the book doesn’t even do anything with it. they fight. they yell. nothing changes.

﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹

⟢ ⌗ ⋮ extras♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
— the competition plot that was hyped in book 1? underwhelming. totally forgettable.
— pretty sure i was promised all four guys would be love interests and that straight up did not happen.
— zero vengeance. no follow through. she talked big game last book and then fumbled it.
— her weird insistence on doing everything the hard way for no reason. like you’re bleeding out but too petty to accept help. ok suffer then.
— patro and achilles were ruined the second the author decided not to do poly. especially patro. i don’t even want him on the page again.
— the “big realization” that made alexis shift her entire stance came out of nowhere. they almost die and suddenly she loves them? that’s the arc??
— she literally didn’t learn how to use her powers???
— i still don’t know why they like her. she gave them nothing.
— and if the next book is about patro and achilles and medusa? yeah not reading that.

﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹

⟢ ⌗ ⋮ overall♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ maybe i would’ve liked this more if the first half wasn’t so bad. or if the characters actually made sense. or if the romance went anywhere. or if the plot followed through on even one thing it set up. but none of that happened. so here we are. disappointed again. and i’m not reading anything else by this author. i tried. twice. i’m good.


‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ ‎ ‎ entry 0365 ❞


☆ 🖇️ pre-read 𖥻 ＜꒱
i’m still interested i swear. but after rereading book 1? my confidence in this has absolutely tanked. hoping it proves me wrong but i’m not holding my breath.


𓏲 ⟡ villains of lore ⊹◞
⌗﹒ 01 blood of hercules — 3.75 ☆
⌗﹒ 02 bonds of hercules — 2.75 ☆

[Kaitlin Yzaguirre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book was purchased at books a million. I burned through this book pretty quickly. I think it’s safe to say everything is super 2 dimensional. No one has any real personalities. There was so much hype and I’m pretty disappointed. The main character has a stutter but it’s hardly even really used accept for one word every maybe 15-20 sentences the character speaks. Suddenly she no longer had the stutter bc she’s no longer afraid of her love interests???? But stutters when talking to quite literally everyone else? The character obviously has some severe child hood trauma but the single example that was written for a coping mechanism was so weak and was only used once the entirety of the 2 books. It’s almost as if the author had no real insight or did any kind of research for coping mechanisms or mental health. Also I can’t look past the lame descriptions of how someone smells or tastes “he smells like ozone” or “he smiles like lightning” thats just lazy writing and also what does that even meeeeean?! What does lightning smell like…I didn’t realize the ozone layer had a scent??? The main love interests or her husbands were also all one dimensional all 4 characters were basically a copy paste accept with minor difference like one had a more “diplomatic” energy and one was more psychotic. None of the characters had any kind of change until the last 3rd of the book and it was like….somehow it took the husbands a full year to finally “take her feelings into consideration”. Everyone seems to be blinded by the whole tall and broody “I’ll murder anyone who touches her” (which by the way is fantastic I like the whole ill scorch the earth for her thing) but this was just a lazy attempt of the villains get the girl plot. I’m apologize for the harsh review I could never even attempt to write a whole series but I was definitely bamboozled by the hype. Also main character has cardboard energy her personality consists of lame sarcastic quips, lame nicknames like “arthritis” and then proceeds to put “(Artemis)” every time after the nickname Arthritis is used. No real character development and suddenly unlocks the biggest new power she has the whole time but was considered a myth in their world and was referenced once the whole series as the secret unknown thing that everyone thought didn’t exist for like a split millisecond. Also everyone needs to stop leaving 5 star reviews on a book they haven’t even read yet.

[naz · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖—” 𝑲𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒏’𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔 “—𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑰 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 … 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅.”

I finally have time to go back and write some reviews hehe 😌 First off, let me be clear... TEAM PROFESSOR GIRLIEEEE THANK YOU 🙌

Now I can get on with my review. Sadly, this book didn't hit as hard as the first, but it was still enjoyable for me. I loved all the tension between Kharon and Augustus with our girl Alexis. The plot, which had a continuous setup from the last book, definitely made it seem like there was a purpose to why we had more tournaments and trials… but again, I was kind of over it hahaha 😅 ALL I WANTED WAS MORE ROMANCE AND YEARNING, which we got, but not as heavy as I expected from the professors since, HELLO, MARRIAGE 💍.

Meanwhile we do get a glimpse of our Mentors as well, but it wasn't as prominent as I hoped. I don't know maybe I wanted a borderline dark romance at this point.. lol

One thing I will say for sure is that this was a bit more fast-paced compared to the previous book. Nevertheless, having this plot drag into book 2 and ending with more questions than answers has me a little worried for the last book… so we’ll see what happens, especially with how it ended. I wasn’t that impressed 🤷‍♀️

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 ꪆৎ ˚⋅ are you team professors or team mentors 😮‍💨 brb

[Laura❄️📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this book ❤️‍🔥I thought I loved the first book but this one just blows the first book out of the water completely, it was just brilliant. I have no words to describe how much I loved it, this is the best book I’ve read this year so far to date.

After the first book I had no idea if Alexis would forgive Kharom and Augustus for tricking her into marriage, so things are very strained between them at the beginning of the book. Alexis has to enlist in the Assembly of Death but she still hasn’t figured out what her power is yet and what is going on with poor Fluffy Junior, all while the Spartan Gladiator Competition is looming. Vengeance is the name of the game for Alexis and someone is going to pay.

I loved this book so much, I loved the relationship between Alexis, Kharon and Augustus, yes they are complete psychopaths and monsters but they are perfect for her as they would make the world burn for her. This book was everything and it was worth staying up to midnight last night to read most of it, I would have stayed up and finished it but I was tired. So when I came home today I devoured the rest, if you loved the first book and haven’t read this one yet I think you are going to love this one. I truly don’t have the words to describe how much I enjoyed and loved this book.

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a self proclaimed hate reader of JM’s books, it always floored me how much I LOVED Blood of Hercules. That book was seriously immaculate (and I guess a fluke?!!) but oof 😅 Bonds of Hercules did not live up to the hype for me at all unfortunately.

Bonds started out strong—I loved watching Alexis come into herself a bit more this book, as well loved watching the shift in dynamic between her and Augustus/Kharon, and ate up the tension and sarcastic banter.

However, it lost me in the second half. It all started to unravel once the SGS started, which was super drawn out and then even further with the set up for book 3 to follow a new FMC. I was also super bummed that SPOILER…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Patty and Achilles aren’t going to be Alexis’s love interests, but are instead Medusa’s. I was really hoping for a redemption arc from them, but nooooooo 😒

As it stands, while I’m curious to see where the series goes I’m not certain I’ll continue.

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ★

“For you, my goddess, always. It was a promise. If I can’t move heaven, I will raise hell.”

listen, as team professors i was eating up all the scenes with Kharon and Augustus. Alexis is still sarcastic and entertaining to follow, especially with Nyx being so chaotic. i honestly could not care less about the plot though and the book started dragging about halfway through. i think this series tends to have a lot of filler moments that are very unnecessary in my opinion. it started to feel like the romance between Alexis, Kharon and Augustus turned to “love” too quickly and I honestly didn’t see how they all felt that way for eachother outside of the fact that they’re all bonded.. i was wondering why Patro and Achilles were such assholes to Alexis, to the point where it felt out of character and just plain odd. i kinda feel like the author slandered them a bit, not gonna lie. the ending might’ve put me off from continuing the series altogether, it’s just going in a direction that im not a fan of.. it was so random?


———————————————

SPOILERS

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️


why would it be painted out that all 4 men would be Alexis’ love interests, only for the crimson duo to be thrown to the wayside in the end? 😀 I guess it makes sense why they were so obnoxious towards Alexis, it was building up the fact that they’d have another woman entirely to zero in on. im also confused as to whether Alexis will remain an fmc at all, or if it’ll switch to Medusa.. unless she’s just added as pov with the rest. i don’t like any of this regardless though lol

[itsjessamess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ADORREEEEE JASMINE MAS SO MUCH

[Liv (Taylor’s Version)]

Like Alexis I would sell all my organs (including my skin) to get this book right now

[Astreeeks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book 2 was a major flop. There’s nothing I hate more than reading a book that is repetitive. Repetitive scenarios, repetitive plots. O M G! They held a gun to Jasmine’s head and told her we need X words and book 2 out by X date. Everything that happened in book 2 could be summarised in 50 pages but of course they had to drag out 50 pages worth of content and make it into a book.

I ended up skimming 40% in and you know what I still didn’t miss a thing!

Was the 1st book a literary masterpiece? No, but it was a fun ‘trashy’ read. What I liked most was Alexis’s determination and need to succeed.

Book 2 Alexis, however is just a mess. It does not feel like she’s the same person, she is weak and indecisive.

Patro and Achilles behaviour throughout I mean wtf? The aim was clearly to make us hate them and you know what, it was a success.

I was looking forward to this release and just wanted a cute little book to help me decompress but it’s left me feeling agitated instead.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

What in the fuckery was this…

[Amy Whittaker · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm actually so sad that this was shit, I was really looking forward to it 😭😭

[Alison McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m honestly so disappointed in this. Disappointed is an understatement. I had been looking forward to it since I finished the last book a year ago.

I found it lacking in almost everything! The first book had so much humour with Alexis/Hercules and I was laughing non-stop. This one only made me laugh a couple times.

Where do I start? First of all, team professors weren’t even professors any more. It was some strange battle training and then battle this whole book. I found the love between Alexis and her husbands hard to believe. It really felt forced or a trick and it took my until about 80% through where I told myself I think I need to just accept that it is real 🤣 they seemed to play so many tricks and to be hiding things (that were never actually revealed).

Patroclus and Achilles seemed to be scowling the whole time and also trying to use Alexis. I hardly even believed in their friendship with her. What the hell is Patroclus’ problem?

Then you get to my favourite trope ever (who did this to you?) and they didn’t really act on it? What the hell? Also, who was the random guy in the trailer park who disappeared in black smoke??

I’m happy to see Greek mythology where Zeus is bad and has to disappear because he fucked up.

The thing that made me the most angry was the Medusa storyline. Finally they portray Medusa as a victim, like she truely was, and Patroclus and Achilles treat her like shit. It seems like there is going to be another book but I thought this was only a two book series.

I still have so many questions…

Wasn’t Nyx still waiting for her previous bonded owner? That’s why she couldn’t bond with Alexis?

What is Charlie going to do?

Why couldn’t Hades and Persephone do a bit more? Especially once Zeus disappeared?

Where was the spice?? So much talk and only a couple scenes.

Patroclus better start treating Medusa better! I suppose I will read that book just to find out…I’m guessing they could marry her?

[•°Dahlia ( hiatus ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⤿"You’re my Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor.”

𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖5 🌟
HAHSGWGHAH SCREAMING AND KICKING , cant believe am done 💔

I love kharon and Augustus so much , I swear.
While Kharon was possessive and his love for Alexis made him impulsive, he gave her his ear (giggles) .
Augustus was calm and very careful with Alexis that scene when he held her broke me, but hey don't get me wrong both of them are so possessive and earning I LOVE them.
Whenever they were mentioned I was either screaming or giggling or kicking my feet like please? am officially obsessed with them 🙈😭

The fuck hapenned with Achiles and Patros here ? what's the sudden obsession with Alexis please just leave her be with my two husbands 🤭 They lowkey were done so dirty , like sure mentors but the whole "we want Alexis" thing was so annoying , they really didn't get any exact ending 🙏
BUT they have so much potential with Ceres aka Medusa , no book for achilles and patro and medusa hello ?

This was really easy to read , just what I needed, but the pace was lowkey in a rush but still I loved it and I need Kharon and Augustus like I breath air 💔

⤿“I'm yours," I said as the rain roared around us. "You can break my legs, but I'll still crawl after you. If you're injured, I will carve myself to pieces to make you whole... every... single... time. This is not a temporary arrangement. We will be together. Forever. Or I'll be dead.”

-
yeppies jumping straight up into book 2 , its not one Professor but two 🙏🤭

[Becca 🌻 (The Mood Reader)]

I’m scared to see what their reactions will be when they realise how deep Alexis’ past really affected her 🥲 I already know I’m gonna cry lmao

[roibean · Rating 1 out of 5]

genuinely wtf did i just read

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it's a good thing I went in open for whatever because this was definitely a new perspective.
-------------------
I don't even know what to expect

[dak ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣, 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡.” ★★★★★

i loved every second of this book. the humor? the world? the plot? all so good🥰 giggling and kicking my feet for all 500 pages

🏛️ 🩸 🐍 🖤 👁️ 🏹

𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬 queen!! i absolutely loveeee you🦁 she is just so relatable. a shy nerd who isn’t the cookie cutter romantasy fmc and i ate it up. and once again nyx delivered in this book🤏🏻 “𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬. 𝘔𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.”

𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐬 HEHEHEHE i love them both so much. kharon my morally grey king. he is definitely my fav, since his first time on page in book 1. and augustus🥵 “𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦.”
also shoutout to poco🦝

𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐨 i will be so real with you patro annoys me so much. i wish he wore the muzzle😀 i do like achilles tho and wish he would come join kharon and augustus🤭

im going to be needing that next book ASAP!!

[Reese 🌌💙 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope, massive downfall from the first book.

[minnie.reads (not cute anymore ver.) · Rating 3 out of 5]

⤹ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎:: started: oct. 29, 2025 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎꒱
꒰ ‎ ‎ ‎ꕤ finished: nov. 8, 2025 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⊹

note: if you see me changing my formats for reviews...(uh no you did not) i'm just trying out different formats to see which ones i like best :)

minnie's journal ᯓ⟢ review #18

── .✦Spoiler Free Review Until Mentioned

3.5 stars!

"'Ask me...What my favourite colour was before you.'" [.....] "'Nothing, I didn't notice colours before you.'"

── .✦Now playing:
꒰PEACE & VIOLENCE - Faouzia꒱
1:29 ─〇───── 2:56
╰┈➤ “I’d watch the world burn down - just to see you in the lighting of the embers”

᯽Age rating: 13+
᯽Spice level: 2.5/5
᯽Content warnings:
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⟡Blood/Gore
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⟡Extreme violence and fighting scenes
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⟡Childhood trauma
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⟡Swearing
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⟡Morbid thoughts and sarcasm
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⟡Sexism/Misogyny
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎⟡Slurs/Discrimination against fantasy species

✮⸝⸝𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬; 𝐭𝐥𝐝𝐫 ✧ˎˊ˗
I liked this one, but it wasn’t as good as the first book. I overall enjoyed it, and had a good time reading, but I did feel a little bit disappointed. Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely; this series is really wonderful. The 0.5 extra stars is simply for Nyx being a diva and Poco being the cutest raccoon ever.

꩜ :: What I liked ⌢⌢‎ ‎
Alexis still has that slightly self deprecating dark humour, which I really liked. Also, in this book, Alexis does more fighting, which I enjoyed because well, it’s nice to see her fight back; she’s suffered a lot. As readers, we watch Alexis grow and be confident and stronger in her abilities, and I was really looking for the character development going into this book. The other characters also developed, including Kharon. I loved Kharon so much this man is my roman empire for realll 🤭😩🫠 like i NEEED a Kharon in my life. Also Augustus was great too. I’m glad that Patro and Achilles got more page time, but honestly the way they were written in this book I didn’t love. Okay, the tension between Alexis, Kharon, and Augustus was so delicious, I ate that right uppppp 😩😩🤭 I’d say the aspect of the book I really appreciated the most was the emotional development and attachment. It was great that the relationship between Augustus, Alexis and Kharon were built upon emotional stability and trust, not just sex. Also the grovelling was actually really good and honestly just an amazing scene. The whole gladiator tournament was a great addition to the plot, and I liked that it incorporated a little of the original myth of Hercules, with the twelve labors.

꩜ :: What I disliked ⌢⌢
To be completely honest, I am a little bit disappointed about this novel. I expected Bonds of Hercules to be a continuation of the first book that was just as good, and perhaps a little more romance heavy. It did not deliver. The ending was rushed, and for all the tension between the characters, the smut was anticlimactic and just did not add up. Like I said above, I liked that their relationship was built on trust and not sex, but like the one sex scene was supposed to be like, idk, the build up of all the tension (and everyone consented, yay!) but it just flopped. It was just off, and did not work. So like these men be rambling about all the “depraved things”they were going to do to her, and then they have the most vanilla sex ever and go to sleep after one round. Like make it make sense? huh?

And Patro and Achilles. Help my soul because I actually hated them so much in this book–actualy Achilles did nothing wrong, it was all Patro. Ugh I actually hated Patro so fucking much. He was fine in the first book, and I was glad that he got more page time in the second book because he seemed like a decent guy in book one. But nooooooooooo he’s a literal piece of shit and hes sexist, racist and a total dick. I can’t lie, I despised Patro. Based on the ending, we know the next book is going to be Achilles x Patro x Medusa and I’m lowkey praying for my girl Medusa, like she does not deserve a bitch like Patro in her life, calling her slurs and belittling her and being sexist. I literally cannot survive the next book if Patro gets more page time, I will literally die of disgust and hate. Maybe I will read it, just to hate review.

Alright, Alexis: not to bash my girl but uh vengeance where? I liked Alexis a lot, but she kept going on about revenge that she never delivered. Like it would have been great if she could have, but she just like, didn’t. The “big reveal” was honestly anti-climactic. Oh, and the plot twists were so obvious. the healing rod/staff that Alexis gets? Yup, I saw that coming. Saw that coming a looooonng time ago; I recognized the symbol the moment it entered the page. And Fluffy Jr. being a pegasus? It was so obvious, I can’t. Like, how did you all (the characters) not see that coming? It was so obvious. The only twist I didn’t see coming was Medusa. Also Alexis was so obviously biased toward Kharon and Augustus, Patro and Achilles didn’t stand a chance. You cannot call this a love triangle 😭

This book was binge-able in the way that I didn’t have to force myself to read, but not binge-able like the first book was, if that makes sense. AND what about Charlie??? I kept waiting and waiting for Charlie to become relevant like it took them an entire book to get reunited and then he’s just shoved to the side???? Jasmine Mas, what is this??? There are so many plot holes left unfilled, like about Alexis’s powers, abilities to talk to creatures, and so many other things. I could go on, but I think I’ve ranted enough for the day.

ﾒ𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭⏾◞
⤿ Poco and Nyx (yes they had to be the first bullet point)
⤿ Why choose - ish
⤿ Tension filled romantasy
⤿ Greek mythology and loosely Hercules inspired
⤿ Gladiator trial/competition

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILERS

It was good but it felt disconnected from the first book, she felt like a new character, nyx and Charlie were hardly involved and she no longer cared about Carl Grauss. The Medusa and crimson duo plot line is ok but feels a bit like a money grab