Hermes

Mythologay #4

by B.J. Irons

The darling of the Olympian gods and goddesses.
The cunning trickster whose deceit knows no bounds.
Hermes, the messenger and herald of the gods, is admired by all.
Yet, there is someone that Hermes admires that he cannot have.

This is a tale of the many plots and ruses pulled by this deceitful god.
Yet, the one thing he is truly deceiving all along is his own heart.
When Hermes encounters the male mortal, Crocus, he thinks he has found a true friend.
But what he really has found is someone he wants a lifelong companionship with.

Genres: Queer

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 24, 2023

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, as I really enjoyed Meduso. Unfortunately I didn’t feel that Hermes was on the same level. This felt like a disjointed history of Hermes’ life in brief, told from his perspective, without really making me care about Hermes as a character. The romance with Crocus was not particularly compelling, nor were most of Hermes’ actions. I can understand that, when telling a story from the perspective of a god, the desires and goals will be different. But with the random time jumps and confusing time line (ex: Crocus is Hermes' first kiss, but then later it says Hermes has had hundreds of years making love to mortals and other gods many times), coupled with not a whole lot of character development or relationship building, this was a miss for me.

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 54% (the end of Act I)

Warnings: Animals were harmed in the making of this book 🐄🐢

I think it's time to DNF for much the same reason as I stopped Madeline Miller's Circe. That said it might be a case of it's not you, it's me. As much as Hermes initially appealed to me he is a greek god and that entails a level of entitlement. There is something of a realism to the representation of Hermes as a privileged, entitled, egotistical, manipulator that I'm severely struggling with. I refer to it as an aspect of realism because Hermes is the son of Zeus and a full-blooded god. It's like the blue bloods of today but on steroids. As much as Hermes initially appealed to me after a time he became irritating and frustrating. I cannot deal with his voice anymore in much the same way as I struggled with Cirice there is a 'woe is me' aspect that just rubs me the wrong way. 50% of the book is gone, and we've only met Crocus once, while he did have an instant impact on Hermes it isn't enough to keep me interested in that plot line.

I do believe this is a good representation of Greek and specifically the Hermes myth. I stopped at the end of the first act. That first act concludes with the Hades and Persephone myth. I really do not like this interpretation of the myth. It removes nearly all of her autonomy making her a puppet of Hades and Hermes. I feel Irons is trying to paint Demeter as something of a malice actor rather than a mother using the only power she has available to try and get her daughter back. If I'm honest this was where I just thought enough is enough I'm out. In the interest of fairness some of this may just be seeing it through Hermes' eyes, Hermes isn't the most reliable narrator (we're back to the privilege thing) but this is as yet unproven.

That all said Iron does have a wonderful style of writing that suits his MC. Please have a sample of some of the lines I liked...
• The menace.
The conniver.
The trickster.
The thief.
The deceiver.
The corruptor.
Yes, I may have been known for these things and more. Yet, those who referred to me as such were accurate in their statements. — These are the opening lines and I like them. They are so strong.
• “You were kidnapped, you fool!” I informed him. “Artemis and I came to rescue you. Now that we have freed you, can we please leave this dreaded place?”
“Yes, but I still need to know what happened,” Ares demanded. I shook my head.
“We will tell you all about it on the way back to Mount Olympus. To sum it up, you were captured by two ridiculous giants while in battle… some God of war you are.” — I do really like the representation of Artemis, she is represented as a badass. I like Ares as something of a himbo too. I think it could be why I dislike the treatment of Persephone. Other goddesses got treated with respect. Aphrodite, Artemis, Hera.

I have never read any of the series before so I cannot judge this in relation to others in the series. What I will say is as much as I like the Hephateus myth I will absolutely not be reading that. I cannot read the prominent parts of his personality taken to his extreme. This isn't for me but I can see why people would appreciate it.

“Some of us are actually authentic when it comes to love and don’t resort to trickery and schemes when wanting to seduce someone.”
She gasped at my brazen remark, placing her hand over her chest. “How dare you!” Aphrodite shouted. “I’ve never tricked anyone into loving and adoring me. They are naturally intrigued by my beauty, charm, and wit.” — Hermes and Aphrodite

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

Just because I need it here. I saw the word Crocus and like the good little Stardew Valley player I am I instantly recognised it as a flower. They bloom in the earliest parts of spring with petals in bright colours, purples, yellows, oranges and blues.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to BookSirens for the ARC!
I was hoping to like this one because I love mythology retellings, but, I don't know, it just didn't click with me. I'm surprised that it's 227 pages because it reads so quickly and didn't feel very long at all and it's very fast-paced which I think is a bit of a detriment to this book. It's in Hermes' POV and the first half just tells you point-blank Hermes' history without adding any extra in-depth thought to his actions or emotions, just sort of like an "Oh I felt like it" from Hermes. I couldn't connect to him; for the whole book, he felt like a whiny, spoiled brat. I didn't really get the whole "love story" aspect either because Crocus is hardly here. There's no development of their relationship at all, just one conversation and then boom "I love you Crocus, but I'm going to ditch you for a few years bye", that's not a love story to me. I liked the ending though, I thought that was an interesting buildup to a bigger story but unfortunately, it was the end.

[Walter Roper · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ HERMES by B J Irons is the tale of the cunning trickster and darling of the Olympian gods and goddesses. This deceitful god, well known for his many plots and ruses may have also picked up and enemy or two along the way. When Hermes encounters the male mortal Crocus, he quickly realizes he has just come face to face with his one true love. But will an enemy try to thwart his happiness?⠀
⠀
Hermes is the fourth installment, and the pearl, of BJ Irons’ successful Mythologay series. The characters are skillfully crafted and breathe new life into these stories of Ancient Greece. This book is slightly shorter than the others in the series, but it proves no handicap. The plot is tight and fluid, and the gods and goddesses of Olympus have never been more approachable. The author has manages to deliver yet another captivating and entertaining read that leaves us eagerly awaiting his next offering. ⠀

[Kkhmonrai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my introduction to the Mythologay series, and I think it can stand alone. I enjoyed it and the idea of gay mythology retellings, and I liked the tales of Hermes and his antics. That said, it was rather tame heat-wise for me and I would have liked more steam. I might go back and read the preceding books in the series to see if there is more fire.

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking forward to this one because Hermes is a mythological character I knew absolutely nothing about. It was interesting to find he was a character I totally disliked but I very much enjoyed reading about him in this story. The style of telling seemed to fit with his personality of always keeping you on your toes, never taking anything for granted and always being left a bit on the backfooted. Looking forward to more in this series.

[BrittReadsALot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so.. on one hand if you like Greek mythology this whole series is amazing and you would definitely enjoy it.. on the other hand this book was tame in regards to spice for me.. and it seemed disjointed... it was still good.. but overall a miss for me

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hermes is adored by all but there is one he wants but is unable to have. Will he try anyway? How will it go? Will it end in love? Will it end in disappointment? See just how he gets on

[Geboyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise retelling mythology this way but this was just a miss for me. It was very disjointed and did not flow well.

[Emma K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle Review: Hermes by B.J. Irons

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

The darling of the Olympian gods and goddesses.
The cunning trickster whose deceit knows no bounds.
Hermes, the messenger, and herald of the gods, is admired by all.
Yet, there is someone that Hermes admires that he cannot have.

This is a tale of the many plots and ruses pulled by this deceitful god.
Yet, the one thing he is truly deceiving is his heart.
When Hermes encounters the male mortal, Crocus, he thinks he has found a true friend,
But he has found someone he wants a lifelong companionship with.

I felt like this was more his backstory than a love story. I felt like you got very little of his and Crocus's story. I wish there would have been a little more smut, but then again I think it was more of a retelling for Hermes than it was a romance. I might read Meduso just to see if I like it better. This gave me first-novel vibes.