| Title | : | Hades (Contemporary Mythos, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 319 |
| Publication | : | First published July 11, 2020 |
When she set foot in the gorgeous tropical resort in Greece, she had no idea she'd meet a man claiming to be Hades, god of the Underworld. And she certainly had no idea that he was telling the truth. Her Greek vacation was about to become very...interactive.
A Hades/Persephone re-imagining.
**The Contemporary Mythos series will feature a different Greek god in each book re-exploring their myths and combining contemporary romance tropes. Though they will all stand alone, the stories will also intersect for those that read them all.**
Hades (Contemporary Mythos, #1) Reviews
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Thank you to the author for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
“Low self-esteem doesn’t suit you, Hades. I hope to change that. See the version of you before you became battered and torn.”
I will admit, I did not expect this book to be so sweet and romantic, but Im glad it was!!
You have a brooding, heartbroken God of the underworld, and a clumsy, relatable workaholic who have this pull towards each other from the moment they met and each one of their encounters with each other will make you smile, laugh, and maybe even cry.
I really liked Stephanie. She was a very relatable character. She wasn’t some “I’m bad ass, and will prove I need no one” type of girl. She was clumsy, enjoyed 80s music and the movie Dirty Dancing.(which is also one of my favs)
I would’ve liked a little more action/battle scenes though. We didn’t get any physical action scenes until about 60% through the book, but once those scenes started, they were great. I just needed more.
Greek Mythology has always been interesting to me and this book actually taught me a lot about the different theories with Hades and Persephone. I can tell I’m going to seriously love this series and I recommend everyone read it once it’s released!
4/5 🌟’s -
Queen of the Underworld
I hoped that I would like the audio of this book but I didn't expect to love it. I'm still surprised by this fact. The reason? Mythology has never been an area of preference for me to read but I have come to realize that listening, as well as watching, is entirely different.
This book (series) mixes the mythological with modern times. Seeing the Greek gods take human form and interact with each other and humans was a treat. Stephanie and Hades gave quite an adventure as they navigated their attraction. Their story is filled with fun, heartbreak, lust, and unexpected tenderness.
I loved that Stephanie was so invested in her work that she didn't consider their future until the bad guy was justly dealt with in this realm. The Underworld was a whole other story.
I also loved that Persephone made a pleasant appearance. Then there were all of the 80's references, including an abundance of Dirty Dancing and Patrick Swayze. 😍😍😍😍
I have been putting off the newest book in the series until I finished this. Yes, that will mean skipping two books and going straight for
Eros but my plan is to rectify that down the road. I have every expectation that they can be read as standalones.
I liked the narrator, Stella Bloom. She did a good job with the various characters.
Story: 5 stars
Narration: 4 stars -
DNF at 30%
Not feeling it :/ I may get back to it some other time though. -
Amazon US *
Amazon UK
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I didn't expect to really like this book. I thought it was just another Hades & Persephone's retelling but it didn't exactly went there. It was vanilla at times (a term I used to say for softcore romance compared to my usual) and it was set in Greece, which sounded like a Harlequin romance guised as a normal contemporary romance.
But something about it, endeared me. Maybe it was the softcore romance or maybe my fascination with Hades retelling. Oh well, I loved it. -
Hades is now LIVE and I sincerely hope you all enjoy my perspective on a god I always found misunderstood and underappreciated. I know some may think this a dark romance, but let me clarify I wanted to explore the eventual lighter side of the King of Ash & Bone. *kisses*
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If I could give this 0 stars I would.
“Come undone for me, Stephanie. I sense a tigress in you that’s been leashed your entire life. Let me see her.”
Imagine someone saying this to you I’m d e a d.
“Let me see her, Steph. It’s been far too long since my own caged jackal has wanted to play.”
BYE.
His finger curled under my chin, lifting my gaze to his. “You are a tigress.”
“I never knew she was in there.”
ASIDE FROM THIS CRINGE the writing was god awful. In every way. I kept waiting for the plot to kick in. It didn’t. This book essentially follows Stephanie and Hades, who meet during a Greek vacation resort (lol). There was ONE AWFUL SMUT SCENE WHERE HE BASICALLY BEGGED HER TO BE A TIGER???? I read ~250 pages for that??
I’m sorry no. Someone on Instagram read the Zeus one and me being me wanted to start this series from the beginning. Clearly I will not be continuing. -
Did someone say Greek Mythology? Yes? Well, you can already guess that I did whatever I could to get an ARC of this book and I can very happily say that I got it! Twice. I got the ARC e-mailed after I found it on Booksprout. Well, I was a double happy kiddo! I was very curious how this story would work out. Because, the thing with being a Greek mythology nerd is that something either works for me or it doesn't work at all. So, a little bit nervous I started reading this morning.
And, to start with the most important thing, I loved the Greek Mythology part. I was very happy to see Hades not as the bad guy, but as a lonely guy with a heavy job who is slightly stuck in time. On top of that I was quite surprised that so much mythology made it into the book. Persephone, Cerberus (and his nickname), Apollo, Thanos, Zeus, the Underworld and so on. And most of it was kind of how I always imagined this world and those characters.
On top of that, Stephanie had a quite natural reaction to all of it, which is also a rarity in books. Of course, she gets a hold of herself much sooner than any real person would, but else the story wouldn't be interesting anymore. And although I wouldn't say that she and Hades have this all consuming passionate relationship, I did enjoy them together. Because, they did respect each other, did understand each other and didn't attempt to change the other into something they were not. And I personally think that's way more important than burning passion.
Plot wise the story isn't too heavy or deep. The biggest part of the book is used to get Hades and Stephanie to spend time together and there's a small side plot that leads to a few exciting action scenes. However, this makes the book a perfect light read for this summer. Now we're all stuck at home and can't go that far, this book is a nice little vacation to Corfu and the Underworld. And, from what I've seen of Apollo in this book, I'm really excited to read the next one in the series! -
Somehow these two stars are too much for this story.
Let me not start a tirade and I will just say that absolutely nothing here was convincing to me.
Nothing.
H/h both are so annoying, plot nonexistent and so on on on.
I finished reading only because of a readable writing style. -
DNF @ 43%. I don't understand why Stephanie was so obsessed with Hades. It was weird when she listened in on him talking to Zeus and even weirder when she bought binoculars to spy on him. I also don't understand why she had such an emotional response when he said to leave him alone, she didn't even know him. I didn't like the fact that she was basically stalking him after a few conversations.
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This review was originally posted on
Addicted To Romance
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
First Impressions
Hades is the first book in the Contemporary Mythos series. This is a book I honestly randomly notices as I was browsing my kindle app looking for some good KU recs. And I found this series and the minute that I saw the covers I was so fascinated, I was like what are these beauties and why haven’t I heard of them before.l Well I instantly grabbed up book one and was so fascinated. This is such a unique world. I would recommend this if you are a fan of Neon Gods by Katee Robert, it’s somewhat similar to it. It’s set in a contemporary setting where the heroes are Greek mythological gods (so far all the well-known ones) but with a unique twist to the stories. This book is a slow burn romance, so the heat level is minimal, but the scenes that do happen are moderate steam level. The world-building is done very well and the romance is a solidly written one.
What I Loved
I really had a blast with this story here, it had such a unique start to the story and I was really intrigued by this story and seeing what was built within this world. I would say that it has some similarities to Neon Gods but is very different. In Neon Gods by Katee Robert, its more isolated from the mythological world. In this setup, it merges a contemporary setting to a mythological one in a way that was so unique. I really found myself so attracted to the world-building and invested in the romance. We have a strong heroine who is balanced out with her own vulnerabilities and has such a kind heart. Then we have a hero, who is so stern and serious and anti-social to the extreme. But he is drawn to the heroine even though he knows it’s impossible for him to be with her. I really was intrigued by the slow burn, because there is definitely chemistry between the two but its well built and even though I would have enjoyed more heat, it felt well balanced with the evolvement of their romance. The setting is beautiful Greece and the islands and there is such a picturesque feel to the story. I also really enjoyed how the story progressed. There is such mystery surrounding the hero and I found that mystery to be so addicting. I found the ending to be so satisfying and is a definite HEA and I can’t wait to delve more into the other books, I have a feeling they will be highly entertaining.
All those things pale in comparison to the fact you possess it all and yet humility and kindness blossom in you.
What I Struggled With
There wasn’t much that I struggled with, the writing didn’t pull me into a factor of a five-star, but it is engaging and fun.
Overall View
I found Hades to be a power-packed romance that delivered in creativity, authenticity, and unique detail that had me thirsting for more!
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Oh man. I was really excited to jump into Hades. Mostly because I absolutely love Hades and Persephone retellings. Well, at least I recently have since I've been reading a bunch. So, it actually pains me to say this, but this was just okay. Borderline okay really.
For most of this book, I was bored out of my freaking mind. Not a whole lot happened and if something came up, it was quickly brushed aside. It didn't really make sense to me how so many of their conflicts, drama or not, were easily solved. In a way, it left me frustrated and annoyed because I just wanted something to spice things up.
Then we get to the romance part. Which, yes, I liked but I need so much more to happen plot-wise to make this likable. It definitely had potential to be a lot better in my eyes but ended up disappointing me. The only good thing that came out of this was seeing the other gods and Zeus making her Queen.
In the end, this book made me like Zeus. Which I honestly didn't think would ever be possible. -
This book felt more like a joke to me than a novel. There was no real romance, a lot of the scenes were just ridiculous—as were some of the lines, and I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters. It was like I was being told I should like them, instead of being shown why and actually falling for them. Which seriously sucked.
But I will give some props. There were a few scenes I laughed. And I liked Stephanie’s profession. I feel like the novel needed to be built more. It was very rushed. A lot of the plot points just didn’t flow together. And their was a definite lack of detail in my opinion.
I just didn’t like the characters, the complete disregard of her aura abilities, the romance, and some of the scenes. I also didn’t understand the random drop of background knowledge about Stephanie. Like her tragic past, and random grandmother intuition thing at the end...it just didn’t flow with the story. And neither did the background serial killer case. It a good idea, really. But it just didn’t flow with the story and it should have.
I also really didn’t like the lack of mythology in the book.
Now hear me out...
There was some mention of myths and some gods obviously showed up. But they weren’t actually gods. They acted like they were from the twenty first century and were basically just portrayed as cocky. That’s it. AND we never go any details outside of the surface. Especially the underworld. Honestly kinda pissed about it.
The book was just lacking. A lot. -
I loved the twist Ms. Spade gave these characters as a human clashes with a dark god to create an enemies to lovers story.
Steph is exactly the type of nerdy, quirky heroine I enjoy. She’s introverted and tends to get caught up in her work rather than live life, but she’s appreciative of her best friend’s attempts, and successes, to get her out of her comfort zone. I loved her reactions to Hades from their first meeting until she learned the truth about him. She was just so cute and perfect for the Dark Lord.
Hades is the type of hero you would expect, except perhaps more grumpy than angry, which I adored! We didn’t have his point of view and I would have loved to know what he was thinking as he interacted with Steph. She was definitely the type of person he isn’t used to dealing with and getting a look into his thoughts would have been hilarious. Nevertheless, I did connect with him and felt his own torture at what his existance entailed.
Together, Steph and Hades worked. The development of their relationship felt organic, which I especially enjoyed. The steam level doesn’t hit until later in the story making this a slowburn, but once it does, it absolutely burns the pages. This has a fast pace and a storyline that kept me engaged and moving forward until I reached the end.
This was an amazing romance centered around Hades and includes a few other gods as well as other witty secondary characters to round it all out.
Heroine POV
Safe
Triggers -
DNF at 30%
This book just does nothing for me.
I don’t feel the chemistry, the heroine is irritating and the hero seems to think so too. There’s no story development whatsoever.
Nothing is pulling me to find out what happens further on so I decided to quit and I really don’t care about these characters.
Shame. I really thought I’d love it. -
This was a very nice, easy, in between read. It read very easily, and I really loved the way the Greek mythology elements were incorporated. Stephanie was a very nice character (that I sometimes wanted to slap, but well... I don't necessary need to like everything from the characters... girl, let go of your work sometimes, there is more in life), and I loved how Hades was characterized in this book, even when I sometimes had a bit of trouble combining him with Dirty Dancing :D. All in all, a perfect summer read, especially when you're at a pool with a drink. Don't expect too much of the plot, because it's mainly centered around the romance (which is why I gave it 3 stars, I prefer my books to have a bit more plot than this), but it did the romance very well.
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I DNF'd at 40% thru. I just...couldn't anymore. Hades is Greek, but American born, blonde, and with a Southern accent? Not for me. And then our leading lady is supposed to be super shy and antisocial, but she continually seeks out Hades to talk with him, question him, and flirt (poorly). The premise just wasn't for me and neither of the characters had any depth or good banter. It was all just...awkward.
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Nobody puts Hades in a corner!
This was such a fun read! Loved the spin Carly Spade took in modern mythology. The pop culture references throughout were just 🙌 I constantly laughed reading this book. Stephanie was such a sweet and dorky character. Perfect match for sad, brooding Hades. Just love how much he adores her!
Ok, excuse me while I move on to reading Apollo next! -
I really, really liked this book, a lot! It spoke to my Greek Mythology loving heart. I didn't know I needed a light hearted Hades romance, but I did! I devoured this book in two days and I'm bummed I have to wait until December for the next one in the series. (These books can all stand alone, so it's not a cliffhanger.)
Synopsis:
The story is about a young digital forensic examiner named Stephanie. She devoted all of her time to her work and putting criminals behind bars - all while behind a computer. Since she spends most of her time at work, she has not taken a vacation in over two years, which prompts her best friend Sara, a detective, to plan an elaborate vacation to a resort in Greece.
Hesitantly Stephanie agrees and is whisked away to Greece. Sara wants to make sure that she keeps work at home and let's lose, even if that means drinking and flirting with guys. One day as she goes out to the bar, she sees a man, dressed all in black, drinking alone. Unable to help herself, she immediately goes over and strikes up a conversation with him. Although it did not last long, Stephanie is drawn to him and can't seem to get this man, named Hades of all things, out of her mind.
Over the course of her stay, she continues to meet up with Hades and the two grow closer and closer, until he finally tells her that he is THE Hades, God of the Underworld. Although knowing she can't possibly have a normal, mortal life with the god of souls, she continues to see him up until their very last day where they have to part, maybe forever.
Stephanie now has to make a decision - continue on in her ordinary life without Hades, or leave everything she knows and loves behind to pursue a brooding God.
Things I liked:
- I really liked Stephanie, which surprised me because I typically don't enjoy characters like her. However she is so well written and rational. Yet she still knows that everything that is happening to her is crazy, but takes it in stride.
- Hades, I want one.
- Sara and Stephanie's friendship was so pure. There was no jealousy or backstabbing, just two very best friends. I loved seeing that.
- Fast paced, easy to read, fun plot
- The beginning of each chapter is beautiful.
Things I didn't like:
- I do not like that Hades had a southern accent. Not in the least. It explained why he did later on in the book, but I still was not a fan. Plus he never said y'all, so not really that southern.
- Some characters I thought would play a bigger role were nearly nonexistent or random
- Needed another steamy scene! But I think that is just me. -
⭐⭐⭐.5
🌶
This was cuter and more lighthearted then I expected. -
It has been a long time since I’ve been so engrossed in a book that I have finished it in a single day. Hades leaves the reader entertained with a slow burn romance and wonderful 80s references throughout! The pacing was great and it was effortless to get through. I loved the ending as well! All in all, this is the perfect fun read for a day of leisure!
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Carly SLAYED this take on mythology! I couldn’t put the book down. I want a Hades in my life! The instant connection of the characters and the trials of finding an immortal happily ever after! One of my top 2020 reads!
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Wow, this was even worse than I expected. I feel bad saying this, but there are retellings out there that don't feel like an American-tourist-abroad-cringeworthy experience. Oh my.
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2.5 stars
There have been a lot of Hades and Persephone retellings over the last few years and I have to say I like them a lot more than Romeo and Juliet. Hades is much darker and I like when he finds someone to be his light and make his life complete. It's kind of a grumpy/sunshine trope and I enjoy the opposite personalities.
The plot for this felt surface level, with the dramatic parts being easily resolved and not much character development. I also thought Stephanie working on a cold case was sort of a random addition and didn't add much to the story. I would have liked it to be more prominent and maybe add some suspense.
I did like seeing the different gods as they pretended to be human and how things are adapted to a contemporary setting. This was a quick and easy read. -
3.75 Stars
The author has created her own flavor of mythology set in today's world. A fun, easy read.
Contains:
-Sexual content -
Book Title: Hades
Author: Carly Spades
Format: E-Book
Book Title: The book title makes the story kinda obvious.
Book Cover: The cover is HOT.
My review:
The story is based on the re-imagining of Hades and Persephone but there is a modern twist to this one! Instead of Persephone, the love interest here is a human girl called Stephanie Costas. When she set foot in the gorgeous tropical resort in Greece, she had no idea she'd meet a man claiming to be Hades, god of the Underworld. And she certainly had no idea that he was telling the truth. Her Greek vacation was about to become very...interactive.
I picked this book up solely based on the title because I am a sucker for Hades and boy was I glad that I did! Hades's personality described here is exactly how I sometimes imagine him to have - prickly, irritated, tough and just to sinners but companionate to beings that deserved. Step on the other hand is this nerdy, helpful and someone who is unable to say NO when someone asks something from her. I was so glad to see that Step at least had a friend that made her push herself out of the comfort zone.
When Step finally meets Hades, the attraction between them is palpable. The slow shimmering love reaches its peak by the end of the book and it is so satisfying. The curious and mystery solving nature of Step actually coaxes Hades's loneliness and prickly nature to brood alone to lessen. The references of Dirty Dancing are also adorable.
Overall, if you like some Greek Mythology, sexy southern accent, a hilarious and nerdy heroine with a side of some fighting, read this book. I am so eager to see what the author comes up with next in this series!
Final Verdict
Title: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Plot:3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Language and Vocabulary: 3.5/5
Final overall rating: 3.5/5 -
Y’all—WOW—I enjoyed this SO FREAKING MUCH!
Told from the perspective of a compassionate digital forensics examiner, I fell head over heels with the premise of Hades from the start. The protagonist, Stephanie, captured my entire heart, and it wasn’t just her infatuation with all things 1980s that won me over (which was utterly amazing and as a 90s kid myself, so damn relatable). What really got me is that Steph is fully dedicated to helping the families of homicide victims who desperately need answers.
Her bestie Sarah, concerned she’s becoming overly obsessed with solving a certain cold case, books a trip to Greece and the adventure begins, complete with bottomless cocktails and 80s references galore! It seriously felt like home to hang with Steph and Sarah by the swim up bar. Sarah is an exemplary friend and detective who brought a ton of comedy to the dialogue which I appreciated to no end.
And then there’s Hades...SWOON...So Hades is described a “Sawyer from Lost look alike”, a total babe who sports an adorable southern accent. The banter and chemistry between Steph and Hades is steamy and so much fun—definitely what I looked forward to most! There were equally dark AND delightful moments in their romance which kept me completely entranced and dying for more.
One of the most fascinating elements of this book were the brilliant references to Greek Mythology. The story is set primarily at a Greek Resort, with mysterious characters who keep popping up with ties to mythology. I’m steering away from spoilers here of course, but the ending was gloriously satisfying and I’m SO READY for book 2: APOLLO!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 -
Buddy Read
This book just hit all of the themes for me and i enjoyed every moment of reading this story so much!
I adored Steph as a mc, she is a lot of fun and relatable. Her love of the 80s music, putting into conversation and of course dirty dancing which i adore. The attraction is such a nice slow burn with Hades, i enjoyed her chasing him and trying to get him to open up it was lovely.
Hades is stunning, i loved the southern charm he used and that his still cunning. His a little mysterious, uncertain and cautious yet Steph grabs his attention eventually. Seeing him go out of his comfort zone for her was so sweet, the swimming and the dance was wonderful.
I adored the romance its very slow burn, feel good and full of chemistry. Every moment between Hades and Steph made me smile, as see them gradually fall in love it was pure feel good.
I must mention Sara too, who is the amazing best friend of Steph and an incredible character. She is a badass and i loved her pulling Steph from work, jumping into activities together. Dancing to Push it, i loved their friendship.
This book gave me tons of holiday feels with all the entertainment and chilling at the hotel, drinking and hanging by the pool. I cannot wait to travel again!
Overall this book was perfect for me in every way. I loved how everything resolved in the end, their happy ending was lovely and the epilogue is amazing 💕 -
ONE SAND SHIFTING LANDSLIDE!!!
Fantastic! Carly brought her A-game with this incredible spin, delivering all the heat and magic, laying it on thick and spreading it thin, wrapping this baby up sleek shiny and tight. A blazing vortex of surprising circumstances and thrilling events, thrusts those swirling emotions into play front and center, blasting this jewel to staggering heights. Obliterating the lines and shattering boundaries, limitations are amplified and exploited, riding the current and breaking waves, kicking this gem into overdrive, slamming it into a frenzy with far reaching impacts. Chicanery runs rampant and havoc is rife, twined, combined and tightly coiled, exposing the soaring ups and agonizing downs, breathtaking in it's simplicity and impressive in it's depth, testing our characters in ways they could have never saw coming. The raw magnetism, undeniable attraction and sizzling chemistry collides with such intensity, pulling you in deeper until you feel the electrifying hum running rampant under your skin. The characters and interactions along with relatable qualities and individual traits adding diversity and depth, transforming into genuine approachable personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and vivid descriptions creating an elaborate backdrop that makes the storyline explode. Fabulous job Carly, thanks for sharing this awesome little gem with us.
