[ 550 ]

[katara]

Finding Persephone by Rosaline Woodrow

Series:
N/A

Genre:
Hades and Persephone, Retelling, Mythology, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary, Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Short Story, Novella, Standalone, Romantasy

Publication Date:
November 15, 2022

Pages Numbers:
78

Read Date:
October 10th, 2023

Date Finished:
October 10th, 2023

Rating:
.5/5

Blurb:

Seven years.
For seven years, Hades has been looking for his beloved wife who disappeared from his kingdom.
Why did she leave?
Seven years ago, Stephanie woke up on the bench in the middle of a farmers market on Florida’s Gulf Coast, with no recollection of who she was, and pregnant.
Where did she come from?
Their time has run out, the gates of hell are opening, will they find the answers in time?
Are they ready for the consequences to the answers?

Review:

Seven years ago, Persephone disappeared. For those seven years, Hades has been trying to find her and when he does, she is going by Stephanie and has a new family. Even more, her mother is there trying to keep the two of them apart, but Stephanie is having flashes of memories and seeing Hades in her oldest son. But time is running short for them, the gates of the Underworld are weakening and the Titans are threatening to break it open to return to reclaim their glory once more.

While I love anything with the Hades and Persephone retelling, I had a lot of hope for this book to deliver a story that would keep me thinking about it even after I put my Nook down. This book, however, did not make me think of it in terms of a favorite retelling. Rather, I was disappointed by its characters, storyline, and anticlimactic ending. There was no connection felt for the characters. No growth for the storyline and characters. It felt bland.

I do understand that this was meant to be a short story. The storyline was already established - the myth of Hades and Persephone but with a twist of her going missing, her amnesia, and ultimately her being reunited with Hades. It was just the execution that really fell short of it.

Final Thought:

If you want something short, this will be the book for you.

Similar Books:

Radiant Sin by Katee Robert
In the Shadow of Demeter by Vic Malachai

[ 551 ]

[katara]

Bleed for Cupid by Aiden Pierce

Series:
N/A

Genre:
Erotica, Horror, Paranormal, Witches, Demons, Monsters, Fantasy, Contemporary, Urban Fantasy, Dual Points of View, Short Story, Novella, Horror, Angels and Demons, Romantasy, Supernatural

Publication Date:
February 14, 2023

Pages Numbers:
90

Read Date:
October 10th , 2023

Date Finished:
October 10th , 2023

Rating:
4/5

Blurb:

Roses are red, violets are blue. Hide your heart, little bird. Cupid’s Arrow is coming for you.

Callum is more than the CEO of Cupid Inc., the company that manufactures “love” potions and sells them to mateless supernaturals who want to take “fate” into their own hands. He’s an angel. Literally.

But even the devil came from Heaven.

So it’s just my luck that he also happens to be my boss… Until he discovers that I’m a mole for the organization protesting his company. Suddenly, I find myself as the test bunny for his most potent product Cupid’s Arrow. And my mate-to-be? Callum himself.

Call it vengeance. Call it an insane marketing stunt. Call it fate. Whatever it is…

There’s no escaping Cupid Inc.’s dark angel and his terrifying brand of love.

Bleed for Cupid is a plot-light, cupid-themed PNR novella featuring a winged monster with a wicked thirst for our human heroine. This story includes dark and graphic themes that may be triggering to some. Please check the author’s note inside the book for a complete list of content and trigger warnings.

Review:

It is that time of year when we decide to jump headfirst into the realm of monster romances. After reading, Burn for Jack, I caught sight of this one and the premise sounded really interesting. A biblical-correct angel? This is really the first. I have never come across a dark romance that offers something biblically correct, so I had to dive into this book.

Robin has been working for Callum for three years while being the mole for a supernatural hate group that is trying to stop the production of a brand new line called Cupid's Arrow that would allow supernatural creatures and humans to mate. Unfortunately, the product is not quite ready, and is looking for a human test subject to try it on.

When Callum learns that Robin is the mole, he decides that he has found his test subject. Que the delicious monster sex.

I love monster romances. This is the first time I have actually come across one where the angel is biblically correct. You never find anything like this in other angel-related romances and I can see why they don't always want to use the corrected version. Often it may not fit the narrative but here it does. It adds a layer to Callum's character and history. A mix of angel and demon. Robin does not care who Callum is and she is trying to show him that remaining in his father's shadow isn't what he should be doing. He needs to make a name for himself.

Robin is the mole. She has been secretly giving information to the supernatural hate group. But she is also very much in love with her boss. She knows she is not supposed to be in love with him because they are two different species and they would not mix. But when she is forced to consume Cupid's Arrow, all she wants is him. She doesn't want him in his father's shadow and encourages him that he is not like his father. I liked her character because she was in love with him for him. Not for the company. Not for the shadow he lived in.

Final Thought:

I definitely enjoyed this story and I highly recommend this one and Burn for Jack especially if you are looking for something during the Halloween season.

Similar Books:

Harvest Massacre by A. Briar
Riding The Headless Horseman by Molly Likovich
Scream for the Scarecrow by Violet Taylor

[ 552 ]

[katara]

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

Series:
A Dowry of Blood #1

Genre:
LGBTQAI+, Horror, Vampires, Sapphic, Romance, Gothic, Historical Fiction, Adult, Queer, Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Paranormal, Retellings, Book Series, First Person Point of View

Publication Date:
January 31, 2021

Pages Numbers:
292

Read Date:
October 8th, 2023

Date Finished:
Octorber 8th, 2023

Rating:
4.5/5

Blurb:

S.T. Gibson's sensational novel is the darkly seductive tale of Dracula's first bride, Constanta.

This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. . .

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things.

Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband's dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

"A dizzying nightmare of a romance that will leave you aching, angry and ultimately hopeful." --Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

Review:

This book is a queer reimaging of the brides belonging to Dracula. You always hear about Dracula and his exploits but you never get a story about his brides. This book gives this to you. From the moment of her rebirth, Constanta's love for Dracula blurs between obsession and devotion. She believes in everything he has and she goes with whatever he wants to do. He even gives her leave to enjoy whatever city they are currently residing in as long as it allows him to be alone in his work. When Magdalena joins, Constanta finds herself jealous believing that Dracula has been keeping her a secret. It is nice to see that Constanta is capable of jealousy. It adds a layer to her character that makes her more human than she is meant to be. When Alexi joins the group, there is a triangle of emotions from all three of them - love and hatred until it all blurs into love. You feel all these raw feelings from them and it draws you further into their story until you find that you cannot put the book down until you have finished it.

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the character growth. The raw feelings from our narrator. A story that had never been told until now. This was definitely something different within the Dracula universe and it was a really nice edition. It needed to be told. It needed to be said. Our narrator needed a voice, a history, and raw feelings we could feel just as she did. And this book delivered every bit of it until the end.

I also saw that there is to be another book in this series and I am excited to see how it will go further. I want to see how things progress now with them and how things may or may not end in the future. So, I am definitely looking forward to reading it as well.

Final Thought:

Overall, A Dowry of Blood is definitely a book that you should pick up and read especially if you are interested in reading something from the Dracula universe. It is well worth the read and something you could enjoy this Halloween season.

Similar Books:

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace