Cora has it all—wealth, loveliness—but she doesn’t have a man. They just keep dying on her.
She is the immortal Greek goddess Persephone, living in a Malibu beach house in the twenty-first century. And no matter how much therapy she undergoes, nothing can ease her pain after the recent murder of her husband.
Until she meets Mr. Gabriel Cartwright, a prim and proper young East Coast realtor who’s hired to arrange transfer of her things to her new home in Toronto. Cora likes him. He’s tall, dark and yummy.
But Gabe holds a secret. He has Napean nymph blood, an ancestry that Imada, a despicable secret society of gods and goddesses, has been hunting for centuries. Cora knows this. That’s why she hired him. She wants to be close to him. She wants to care for him. But Imada cares about him too—they want him dead.
Cora can heal wounds and move clouds, but she can't bring back her husband. Can her attraction to this new guy help her forget her loss? She has her ancient brutish lover Hades, the God of the Underworld, on her side. And Gabe has such a kind, sweet heart and is so handsome. Yeah, she’ll keep her man or tear Imada apart trying.
A.L. Hawke is the author of the bestselling Hawthorne University Witch series. The author lives in Southern California torching the midnight candle over lovers against a backdrop of machines, nymphs, magic, spice and mayhem. A.L. Hawke writes fantasy and romance spanning four thousand years, from pre-civilization to contemporary and beyond.
I have no idea what the hell this was about. The plot/plots (cause who knows at this point) were so over the place. We have Cora/Persephone who is 1. Grieving for her dead husband 2. Avoiding Hades her ex-husband but also asking him for help/information 3. Trying to befriend/sleep with her realtor Gabriel Cartwright who is a nymph of some kind?? 4. Avoiding actually selling her house and throwing random parties 5. Sleeping with random people and getting wasted 6. Possible revenge scheme against her Olympian family 7. Seeing a therapist were everything she says contradicts itself and 8. Randomly acting on prophecies that are not explained to the reader in a sensible way.
This had a really interesting premise, but there was no coherent plot line for me to follow that would've led to this being an enjoying read. Plus Cora is an absolute mess, her personality does random flips between a mature being I could believe was a goddess and acting like a spoiled child. Most the time I could not believe she was Persephone.
There were too many things that did not work for me in the 100+ pages I read. And then there was the writing. So many sentences were strung together in the most chaotic and confusing way, it made it hard to really immerse myself in the story.
The two events that sealed this books fate for me was 1. Cora blaming Gabriel for being sexually assaulted at a party in her house he did not attend. and 2. Cora randomly shooting her only ally in the head for no apparent reason. Like wtf?? WHY. Something is wrong with Cora and she's not going to fix it by the end of the book. So I am done with this book.
I unfortunately had to DNF this book. It was not safe for me and I got a hella uncomfortable. I would recommend it to anyone who likes extreme erotica. I am too conservative for this book lol.
I enjoy reading books about the Gods/Immortals interacting with humans. And this one did not disappoint. Cora also known as Persephone has suffered much in her long existence. All she wants is to be cared for. With lots of twists and turns, Cora finally gets her wish. I voluntarily read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
She is the immortal Greek goddess Persephone, living in a Malibu beach house in the twenty-first century. And no matter how much therapy she undergoes, nothing can ease her pain after the recent murder of her husband. Until she meets Mr. Gabriel Cartwright, a prim and proper young East Coast realtor who’s hired to arrange transfer of her things to her new home in Toronto. Cora likes him. He’s tall, dark and yummy. But Gabe holds a secret. He has Napean nymph blood, an ancestry that Imada, a despicable secret society of gods and goddesses, has been hunting for centuries. Cora knows this. That’s why she hired him. She wants to be close to him. She wants to care for him. But Imada cares about him too—they want him dead. Cora can heal wounds and move clouds, but she can’t bring back her husband. Can her attraction to this new guy help her forget her loss? She has her ancient brutish lover Hades, the God of the Underworld, on her side. And Gabe has such a kind, sweet heart and is so handsome. Yeah, she’ll keep her man or tear Imada apart trying. This was a pretty good story adapting mythical characters to modern stories. I really enjoyed following Cora through her journey with Gabe. I recommend. **I voluntarily read and reviewed this book
Gods and goddesses living in the Modern World is what this book is about but its also about Love, Loyalty and petty back-stabbing. Like children getting one over each other except these Gods use people like pawns in their own game of revenge. Cora aka Persephone (MFC) has been living in the human world for a long time. Living a normal life with her husband Danny. Until Danny is murdered and she suspects that Gods have had a hand in it. Her Ex-Husband and the lord of the underworld Hades has now taken over as a peacekeeper between the Gods. He wants to avert a war that someone seems to want. Hes trying to protect Cora in the process. Gabriel her hot real estate man is also someone on her radar but her interest in him is not about starting a war. Its more sexual and for other reasons. I really liked this book. Cora is and acquired taste and sometimes she came across like a brat but she has a loyalty to the folks she cares for. I just felt like the story wasnt finished or maybe i was just hoping for another book, lol. Still a pretty good book all round though i think
Honestly, I was excited by reading the synopsis and couldn't wait to sink my teeth in to it. But was quickly disappointed, especially by the main character Cora, who comes across more like a spoiled teenager than a mature Goddess. I really love the idea of the book, but the flow and consistency could be improved and also it could get a little confusing at times. I loved the incorporation of the Greek Pantheon and it's fun to read about them in the human world. The cover is absolutely stunning and beautiful.
This is my 1st read and review for this author and it’s a fantastic story. Cora is Persephone living in the 21st century she is in deep pain over the murder of her husband until she hires a realtor Gabriel who has secrets of his own but that’s why Cora chose him. I loved this story it’s very emotional I was sad for Cora then I was happy that she had found Gabriel, it has a great mix of characters and I highly recommend this book.
“Cora” is a wonderful read with fully developed characters with such authentic depth that you feel a part of the story. This is definitely an emotionally driven tale that I absolutely could not put down until I finished the story. I highly recommend this book!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This fantastic and well written book. An intense storyline that holds your attention as you get caught up in the fierce twists and hot chemistry. Lots of excitement. A thrilling must read.
4 1/2 stars - I chose this book to read and review because I have a fondness for "any" romance books related to Hades and Persephone. This story is more about Persephone alias Ms. Cora Aregard. Persephone is in a mental depressed mess after the death of her husband Danny. She's moving out of their house in California and starting over in Torondo. Mr. Gabriel Cartwright who works for Platinum Properties is helping her transition to a new house. Persephone hired Gabe because he is a rare male Napean nymph. Meanwhile Imada, a secret society of gods and goddesses is hunting and killing all the Napean nymphs. Persephone is determined to protect and care for Gabe. Will she succeed with the help of Hades? This story was enjoyable to read. Cora the main character had a lot of mental problems affecting her behavior which made her a harder character to understand. Hence the 1/2 star off. The bottom line in this story is everyone is looking for someone to love them, even Gods.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I was really excited to read this book, as Greek mythology is one of my favorites. I have to say i wasn’t disappointed at all, i got what i was waiting for: drama, romance, love, erotica, anxiety and so much more feelings, what comes along with the Greek Gods. In my opinion this book is a really well written fantasy about how Greek gods would be living in our world nowadays. They seem like spoiled kids who have everything except one thing which they are longing for: love. That’s what this story about, Cora alias Persephone has everything, and still wants more, even when deep down she wants only someone, who loves her. ( )
She is reeling the loss of her lover who was murdered, she is a god but she could not prevent him being killed. Now she will move house and hire him and she knows others want him dead but she will do anything to keep him alive no matter what. Will she fall for him? Will he fall for her? How will life treat them both? See how they get on I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I want to review
Cora aka Persephone is devastated after her husbands death, Gabe is a Napean Nyumph and is helping Cora move away from her memories of Danny. The problem is that Gabe’s race is being hunted by Imada from a secret society of gods and goddesses to kill all Nyumphs. It’s an exciting read with a blend of Greek mythology, a little crazy and a little darkness.
Highly addictive story that I couldn't put down. Interesting well detailed storyline. Lots of plot twists. Very suspenseful well written book. Lots of secrets between main characters. Many hurdles to overcome in their relationship. A must read book.
Not what I expected but entertaining none the less. Lots of Greek mythology woven into a modern setting. The ending is inconclusive and leaves room for further books.
I loved the writing of this original and bewitching story of passion, revenge and immortality. Only one part of the book made me pause but even then, I finally came back to it. As Gabe to Cora. Their bond is inevitable but dark and the pressure of the fallen gods give it an even more sinister turn. I think, the madness expressed by the immortals is right on point with their past and their situation: fear of love, fear of death but above all fear of losing those they love. This a very human trait that even them seems to have. The story let you guess glimpses of how the tides turn, how their choices shape the future and give you hope. That this imperfect lifeline might finally put Cora at peace with herself and her actions. I could picture the faces of the characters as well as the many landscapes and interiors described, and I think I got addicted to such a nice style. I definitely recommend this book and will probably soon another book by the author.
am voluntarily leaving a review. Because I ❤️ it , I love Greek mythology and God's and I like how the author brought this to modern times. It's spicy and lots of excitement. Love Cora and hope to see a sequel due to how it ended so pen to paper A.L HAWKE and thank you for the great read
Cora by A.L. Hawke is about the goddess Persephone, who lives as a mortal on Earth. Her mortal husband has just been murdered. She begins to develop feelings for new guy Gabe, and juggles her developing attraction to him with finding her husband's killer and protecting Gabe from the other gods.
I did not like Cora as a main character. She was bratty and annoying. She giggled way too much for a goddess. The dialogue was sometimes hard to follow because it jumped around without smoother transitions from one subject to the next. Even in writing, conversations need to have some sort of flow to make sense.
The world built by the author does not replicate traditional Greek gods and goddesses, instead providing a unique twist, which was refreshing. I did like Hades as a character, also Hashan. If there was more character building in general, I think I would have liked this book more, but sadly there was not.
I wish this book had been better, because it had so much potential. However, I wasn't completely satisfied.
*ARC generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*