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5 Reasons Why I Love Neon Gods by Katee Robert

Aug 15, 2021

I didn’t want to just do a normal review for Neon Gods by Katee Robert. I wanted to share my love for it in a different way, so I thought I would share five reasons why I love reading it.

This has been on my tbr ever since it came out and I finally got around to it recently. And while I don’t regret that I didn’t pick it up sooner, I hate that I have to wait for the next book. Neon Gods is seriously a fantastic modern Greek Mythology retelling of Hades and Persephone. I just want to say I will never get sick of a Hades and Persephone retelling but this one does stand out above the rest.

Neon Gods (Dark Olympus #1) by Katee Robert

Pages: 380
Publish date: June 1st 2021
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 9781728231730
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

He was supposed to be a myth. But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell… he was, quite simply, mine.

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth… a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…

A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.

I just want to make a quick note. This book will not be for everyone, it is a romance but it does come with a few warnings. This includes triggers for Abuse, Parental death (historical, off-page), assault/attempted assault, explicit sex, guns, blood. It also includes content warnings for exhibitionism and BDSM.

1. The Romance

I love Hades and Persephone together in most retellings, but the romance in this one really does stand out. They are sexy, adorable and hot together. I pretty much smiled throughout the whole book because of these two. They were brilliant together and made the reading experience even more enjoyable.

From the start, the reader is able to feel and see the spark between the two – even before they admit it. And what starts off as a fake relationship turns into something much more. I just couldn’t deal with these two, at all. I adored them.

As I said in the content warnings there is exhibitionism and BDSM included in this book. So please this is another warning before you jump in. I really enjoyed how this was intertwined into the book and it didn’t feel out of place at all. Not only did it explore the relationship between Hades and Persephone more, but it also introduced some very interesting characters. And I’m intrigued by this and looking forward to seeing where it’s taken in the future.

Hades and Persephone were hot together, they were fire and these scenes just added to it. And it’s not just the scenes that they do, but when they are alone you can see that they truly do care for one another, even if they don’t want to admit it.

Photo by Miltiadis Fragkidis on Unsplash

2. It’s Sexy

This book isn’t just smutty and spicy it’s sexy. And I was thinking this before any of the real sexy things started to go down. I don’t know if I can explain this right and make sure that it makes sense. Not only are the characters sexy, but the writing is as well. The way that everything comes together just works brilliantly. Together Hades and Persephone are just sexy. They could be talking about nothing, but their interactions alone are sexy.

One of my favourite conversations in Neon Gods – is when Hades and Persephone are talking about consent and safewords. Not only does it make me happy that this conversation takes place, but it adds to the sexiness of the book.

This concept is just so hard to explain and maybe if you have read the book you can see where I’m coming from. There is heat before any sexy time. There are these fantastic conversations and Hades and Persephone bring the heat.

3. Hades is a Cinnamon Roll

Hades is a puppy dog. I don’t think that is something that you would hear very often, but he really is. On the outside, he has this grumpy exterior that we all know Hades to have, but Persephone sure does break him down.

From the start of Neon Gods, we can see that there is more than meets the eye with him. We can see that he isn’t just that hard god of the underworld, but something way more than that. And slowly as the novel goes on readers get to see that. And it’s not something that stands out, it’s the little things. The conversation about consent. Making sure that Persephone is taken care of. Making sure that Persephine is eating. And my favourite way – Hades and the puppies. I seriously couldn’t contain myself.

Hades is badass don’t get me wrong and he won’t take shit from anyone – but Persephone turns him to pudding and it’s just fantastic to witness. I also loved that everyone around him just watched it happened and laughed.

Photo by Praveen kumar Mathivanan on Unsplash

4. Fantastic Retelling

Another reason I loved Neon Gods so much was the retelling aspect. I think that Katee Robert intertwined so many different elements of the original tale into this modern story. I love how the small things were just slowly intertwined into the story. And if you don’t know the story well then you might not have picked it up.

The fact that pomegranate was the safe word, the names of characters and their jobs. It just all worked fantastically. Another aspect of this that I really enjoyed was how Persephone came to Hades. It was a clever way of doing it and the fact that she went willingly is a massive tick for me.

The concept of the world is also really interesting and how Gods and picked for their role. How the thirteen are chosen. It wasn’t hard to really understand, everything made sense, but I’m also excited to learn more about it.

I’m really excited for the rest of the books in the series, there are some really interesting retellings picked for the rest of the series so far and that just makes me even more ecstatic. I just want the rest of the series now. Electric Idols is set to come out in January next year. With Wicked Beauty set for mid-2022.

5. Imagery and Writing is Fantastic

I’ve read a few Katee Robert books now and each one of them has such fantastic imagery and the writing is excellent. Sometimes in romance novels, the writing can lack a little, but that is not the case here in Neon Gods. And while this is traditionally published, I have read Katee Roberts indie-published romances as well. And they are still to this standard.

I find that I sometimes struggle when delving into a new world, but I never felt out of place here. I always knew what was going on, what was happening and how things looked. As well as struggling with new worlds, I sometimes can’t imagine how the world or characters look. And while I did have a little trouble at first, it wasn’t long before I was pretty comfortable with where I was.

I was fully immersed in the world from the start of Neon Gods and I didn’t want to leave. It was pretty epic and I loved the combination of the traditional elements of Greek Mythology while also still being very modern.

Photo by Echo Wang on Unsplash

Overall, I adored Neon Gods by Katee Robert. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. It’s sexy, smutty and just so addicting. I couldn’t put it down, and all I wanted to do was keep on reading. Hades and Persephone are fantastic together, they just made me smile and I didn’t want it to stop. Like the rest of the book, they have this great balance of being sexy, smutty and absolutely adorable. This is my fourth Katee Robert novel and I think she might just become an auto-buy author for me soon. Eek. I’m so excited for the rest of the series and picking up some more of her books.

If you are looking for a fantastic modern retelling that is spicy, then pick this up if you haven’t. You will not be disappointed.

Have you read Neon Gods by Katee Robert yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What is another Katee Robert book that I should pick up? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: With You Forever by Chloe Liese

Jul 25, 2021

With You Forever (Bergman Brothers #4) by Chloe Liese

Pages: –
Publish date: September 14th 2021
Publisher: –
ASIN: B092TJXSND
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Axel
Rooney Sullivan is sunshine incarnate. Warm, bright, always smiling, she’s everything I’m not and the last person I have any business desiring. Desperate to hide a hopeless attraction, I’ve done everything possible to keep my distance…until a charades game gone wrong brought that to a grinding halt.

Since then, steering clear of Rooney has been impossible. In a matter of months, she’s kissed me speechless, commandeered my art career, and infiltrated not only my dreams but my home. The woman who was once avoidable has become the last thing I needed: temptingly within reach.

Rooney
Axel Bergman is a gorgeous grump who doesn’t have the time of day for me. Thankfully, I’ve kept my crush under wraps…well, until I kissed him. Charades got away from me, okay? It was an accident! I haven’t seen him since, which is for the best. My life is a mess, and the last thing I need is to embarrass myself further with the man who avoids me like that’s his job rather than painting modern masterpieces.

It seems the universe, however, has a different plan. When Axel and I unexpectedly find our paths—and problems—converging, a marriage of convenience proves the perfect solution. At least, until I’m facing my most serious problem yet: a once-loveless marriage of convenience that’s inconveniently become a love match, after all.

With You Forever:

I received an earc of With You Forever by Chloe Liese via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

It’s shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that I love this series. I picked it up for the first time last year and each time there has been a book out since I jump on it. As soon as I heard who this book was going to be about, I knew that I needed it even more. And let me tell you, it’s fantastic and I wasn’t disappointed.

With You Forever by Chloe Liese follows Axel Bergman, a brother that I feel we don’t know too much about till this point. But we know how the last book ended and I have been hanging to know what happens next. Rooney’s life isn’t what she thought it would be. It’s a mess. And after the charades game that leads to the kiss between Axel and Rooney, she doesn’t want to see him any time soon. But that doesn’t go to plan. Then one thing leads to another and now a marriage of conveniences is where Axel and Rooney find themselves landing.

Photo by Dai Nguyen on Unsplash

Axel is a grumpy pants and I love it. He has a lot going on in his life as well, and sadly, he cannot deal with it all. I have always found Axel really interesting throughout the series, but we never knew too much about him for me to get to really know him. But throughout the whole of With You Forever, the reader gets to slowly see him. Axel likes the quiet, he likes to be alone. So when Rooney breaks this quiet life he lives, it shakes him up. But it’s in a good way. While he doesn’t change who he is, he comes out of his shell a little and lets those around him help a little. I adore that he is an artist and the reader gets to see him not only struggle to create but also get to see him live through his art.

Rooney, I would say, is quite the opposite to Axel and I think that is why they fit perfectly with one another. But her life has currently been shaken and she doesn’t know who she is anymore or where she wants to go. After life-changing health news not only does Rooney need time to recover, but also figure out what she wants to do with her life now. I really enjoyed seeing Rooney grow throughout the novel. At the start, she feels weak and like she doesn’t know herself. But after spending some time with herself, Axel and just relaxing – we see that she can find herself again.

Photo by nine koepfer on Unsplash

I adored the romance in this one. I mean I’ve loved the romances in all the series but there is something about Axel and Rooney that just makes me so happy. When Axel finds out that it’s going to cost way more money than he has to fix his families getaway house he knows that there is only one way. But it comes with a cost – and then Rooney just happens to rock up. And a marriage of convenience is born. It’s one of my favourite romance tropes and it’s done so well here. Both Axel and Rooney have a history with one another and we get to see this tension. It’s fantastic. We get to see them go from friends to lovers and gosh it hits.

Another reason I adored this book so much, is the conversations about consent. It was just so fantastic and made me smile even more. They both cared about one another just so much, but not only that they cared about each others health and the limits that they both had.

This whole series has been fantastic in regards to disabilities and it hits the spot again here. But characters are living with different disabilities and health issues, some new ones and some older. I always find it so interesting to see how both the author and then therefore the character deal with health news that changes the way someone lives. And I think the way that Rooney dealt with it was fantastic.

Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash

Overall, With You Forever by Chloe Liese is the perfect addition to the Bergman Brothers series. I absolutely adore the romance, the plot was fantastic and the writing was just as great as always. This is a fantastic marriage of convenience, grumpy hero, friends to lovers romance. It just made me smile so much. If you haven’t picked up any books in this series please do. Each book explores disability in many forms as well as having sweet a spicy romances.

Have you read With You Forever by Chloe Liese yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any of the books in this series? Let’s Chat!

Madison Kate by Tate James | Series Review

Jul 15, 2021

The ‘Madison Kate’ series by Tate James has been on my tbr for some time now. I didn’t know if I was going to ever read it, but it had always been in the back of my mind. Recently after joining TikTok my need to read this series so I did it. I love that it’s on KU – it makes reading these series so much easier and I can do it. And after reading it, I thought I should share my thoughts with you all.

Just a quick preface, this series does include a reverse harem, dark themes and is 18+. The ‘Madison Kate’ series follows Madison after she is set up and charged with a string of offences and made an example of by her father. Now she is back in town and wants revenge. But what she doesn’t expect when she arrives back is Archer D’Ath and his merry men to be living right down the hall. There is a thin line between hate and love – and many lines are crossed in this series.

WARNING – There will be small spoilers from each book in this discussion. I’ve tried not to spoil too much, but there might be some here and there.

Hate: The first book in the series is an interesting one. A lot is going on and the reader is thrown into the thick of it. I actually liked it that way. I think it’s a great way to start not only a book but a series. It’s not only engaging but demands the reader to keep on reading the book. Hate starts off the night that kicks of everything. It’s intense, will keep you on the edge of your seat and you won’t be able to put it down. You know what is going to happen but you don’t know how and when. And then it does.

When Madison Kate returns she is out for revenge. But she is in for one hell of a surprise. Archer D’Ath and his boys and her new housemates. What starts as revenge turns into something more and MK doesn’t know what to feel.

MK is a very interesting protagonist throughout the whole series. She isn’t easy to like – but that made me like her even more. I really enjoyed that she wasn’t likeable, it added another dimension to this book and the series. She isn’t nice, she doesn’t want to be nice and she does not care what people think. That makes for a protagonist that is sharp-tongued, smart and knows what she wants.

The romance is very interesting. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a romance here in the first one yet. While it does become that in the rest of this series. There is still a lot of hate going on in this book, which stops all of them from having feelings. I enjoyed the tension between all of them. MK and Archer have the most hatred between one another. But that doesn’t stop her from having feelings for him. Or having any feelings for Kody or Steel.

Archer is a dick – but I still really enjoyed getting to know him. Kody is crazy and I loved it. He was the first of the men that I was able to connect with. And then there is Steel, who I think just needs a big hug and someone to hold him tight. I feel like the men didn’t have massive arcs in this book.

I did find the pacing a little strange for the first half of this book. However, I can’t exactly pick up what I didn’t like about it, however towards the end it really picked up and I couldn’t put the book down.

Overall, this is a fantastic start to the series and I’m taken aback by how much I did enjoy it. It has elements that I enjoy reading from other books – so it shouldn’t have been a surprise.

Liar: After the previous book’s ending, I just right into Liar – and let me tell you it was a ride. I think this is my favourite of the four books. It’s that great combo of being intense and full of high stakes, while also having those quiet moments that you love in a romance.

Liar pretty much starts from the ending of the first book. So the reader is thrown back into the world of MK and her men. At the moment a lot of what is going on between them is full of hate and dislike. This drives each of them to do some questionable things.

Along with all of this, MK’s stalker is now becoming much more dangerous. You have no idea what is going to happen next and that is what makes this book so intense. I have said this before, and I still stand by it. I don’t mind when I can guess a few things that might happen in a novel here and there. Especially in regards to a mystery. I think that makes for good writing. The author has left enough crumbs for you to figure out what is going on. And I think that is what happens here. I was able to guess a few things – but then other things were thrown at me. And I loved that.

The romance in this one is very interesting. You can see that all the boys care for MK and she cares for them. But they don’t nearly let themselves see it. There were so many times throughout this book that I wanted to just scream at them all. In saying this we do get some moments here and I loved it so damn much.

I also feel like we get to see more of Archer, Steele and Kody throughout Liar. They get to really become their own people here. They start to form a great character arc that goes through this book and the whole series. The reader also gets to see the men a little vulnerable here. Their walls start to break down just a little and they let MK in.

The ending on this one was intense! It was so intense that I had to put the book down just to wrap my head around what was happening. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It’s full of high stakes, the romance is intensified and I couldn’t put it down.

Photo by Nikola Jovanovic on Unsplash

Fake: I was not prepared for this book. I was not ready to be hurt. I was not ready for the pain. But also some of the confusion. I didn’t particularly like the way that this one started. It just felt like we lost something as a reader because of the time jump and what happened in it. Because of this, I felt very disconnected at the start. It took me a little while to get back into the story. But once that I did get into it, I wasn’t able to put it down.

This whole series has kept me engaged from the start. I managed to read the whole series in about a week because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. And this one especially kept me on the edge of my seat. There was just so much tension not only between characters but because of the plot as well.

MK is having a really hard time in this book. She feels alone, disappointed and betrayed. She trusted Archer and the boys and now she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Because of this, she puts her trust in some old and new faces – and things aren’t exactly how they seem.

Things are also starting to heat up in regards to MK and her stalker in this one. Things are getting out of hard. And while she knows that she can’t trust Archer, Kody and Steel. She does know that they will protect her. She is feeling helpless and she doesn’t like that at all.

I think we really get to see another side of not MK, but her men as well. MK starts to become not just physically but mentally stronger – and with what is coming she has to. The reader can see Archer, Kody and Steele vulnerable side. Which isn’t something they want anyone to see.

The romance in this one has its many ups and downs. After we find out the big news at the end of book three, there is a lot of hate going on between MK and the boys. There is also a lot of hurt in this one. But slowly as the novel goes on and the stakes get higher MK walls to start to break again. And she can’t help but let her men back in.

Overall, this was a great third novel in the series. The stakes are becoming even higher, the romance is heating up and MK is even more dangerous than before. But she not only has Archer, Kody and Steel by her side, but a few others that she didn’t know she would have.

Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash

Kate: I know I said it before but the intensity of this series is insane. I had to jump on the last book right away because I needed to know what on earth was going to happen next. If you thought the other books in the series had high stakes, then you are not prepared for this one. Everything we know has been leading up to this book and it didn’t disappoint. It’s high paced, intense and exactly what I wanted it to be.

Following the events from previous books, MK just wants everything to end. She has been stabbed, tormented, stalked and everything in between. She wants to move on, she wants freedom. And she wants her men. This is the book where we finally get to see them all let down their walls and let each other in.

As I said before, there were a few things that I already guessed in the previous books in the series. But there were a few surprises in Kate. I loved that I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen next, it made for a more intense and entertaining read.

The romance absolutely intensifies in this one. MK finally lets her walls down full and lets all her men in. She knows that they would do anything for her, especially love her. Archer was the most stubborn of the lot, but that is what makes their relationship much more interesting. It was fantastic. Both Kody and Steel were sweet and charming, but you never wanted to mess with them. You know from the start that they would do anything for MK. It was just great to see them all work together, try and figure everything out.

I haven’t really talked about this much, but I did want to make a quick mention of it. The writing style of Tate James is very easy to read. It just flows nicely, and I was never really stumped by anything. Sometimes I did feel that the pacing was a little off here and there, but it wasn’t a major deal. These are long books, and if you don’t like long romance books these aren’t for you. But I really did enjoy it.

Overall, this was a great ending to the series and a great pathway to the Hades series. MK was such a fantastic protagonist. She isn’t easy to love, but that is what makes her so interesting and addicting. Archer, Kody and Steel are rough and tough, but they protect their women with everything they have.

Photo by Sophie Keen on Unsplash

Overall, I had a blast reading the Madison Kate series. It’s not going to be for everyone. It’s dark and rough and it has a reverse harem. But it was so enjoyable. And now not only do I want the physical books of this series, but I can’t wait to start more from Tate James. I’m waiting till the Hades series is finished before I pick it up. But does anyone have an idea of what I should read next?

Have you read this series before? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read many darker romances before? Let’s Chat!