A Touch of Darkness

I have been experiencing lots of anger and resentment lately. You won't see it on the outside, but my heart feels as if it blackens by the day. It comes out of me baring its fangs and claws. My victim faces its wrath even though they are innocent of the crime. My past is haunting me but has recently tired of my taste and has decided to lash out towards others.Anger is the mask of fear, pain, sadness and distrust. The shame I feel is probably just the refusal to admit that I am vulnerable. Listening to Jordan Peterson I learned a lot about anger, I needed to read A Touch of Darkness by @authorscarlettstclair to truly understand that there is strength to be found in anger.Persephone feels weak, she is the goddess of spring yet she can't grow a single flower. Her mother is her dictator and decides her every move. With her mother's permission, Persephone is free to move to the big city and live the student life of mortals that she dreams of. By studying journalism she lands herself an internship where she can do what she is good at. Journalism (in Perseohone's eyes) is her power.Living the mortal life and meeting Hades, while constantly being watched by her mother, has shed light on the dark parts of Persephone's soul she had hoped to bury. She tries to run from this until she can't. She can't because she is her own jailor. That's when the book becomes so beautiful and bare that I wonder if the author has personal experience with it.* If you are oppressed in your life, or if you are oppressing yourself, then you are going to notice that you are feeling angry, resentful and bitter. And you have to decide what you need to do in order to remove yourself from that bitterness.Usually that means that there is something you have to say.And you have to say it.Your soul depends on it. *(Transcript 'Jordan Peterson - How to Develop Your Dark Side' video on youtube)There is strength to be found in anger and it's nothing to be ashamed of!

I had no idea this book/ series existed before I started bookstagram but I'm so glad I stumbled upon Scarlett and this sexy series. I LOVE greek mythology, I always have and this modern retelling of Hades & Persephone was a delight to read! Its funny, its fiery and oh so freakyyy.. (not that I'm complaining) I never imagined Hades to be quite so attractive either but it's hard not to love him and his sexy seductive ways while reading this gem.. Cant wait to read a game of Fate!!!!

Firstly, I absolutely love the story of Hades & Persephone and I an always on the lookout for retellings, so let me know if you have any recommendations!I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I want to start off by saying! It was very addictive and at times I found it hard to put down. I absolutely loved the characters within this book, but I definitely need to touch up on my knowledge of all the gods/goddesses in this lore! It was interesting for me, to see how the author tangled the lore in with the modern day setting, and I found it actually was well written and fleshed together. I’ll admit I was sceptical going in and finding out it was a modern setting, I at first didn’t think it would work, but the author really did a good job of working it!The writing style at times was a tiny bit cringey, particularly with certain male characters and “romantic scenes” especially the kind of “alpha male” trait which doesn’t do it for me personally (probably doesn’t help I’m gay) but the dynamic and dialogue at times was very normal, and not completely bonkers- if that makes sense. It’s always been a pet peeve of mine whenever books/characters use dialogue that no one would ever use! Luckily this book doesn’t fall into that a lot.I am eager to see the development of the characters introduced in this book, particularly Persephone. In this book she’s only starting to understand and acknowledge her powers and I’m very eager to see how the author does with Persephone’s character growth. As well as how the dynamic changes with her relationship with Hades and other characters surrounding her. I also wonder what on earth the sex scenes will be like in the sequel if the ones in this book are what they are! I found some of them a tiny bit cringey in this book, but that I think is more a me thing, and it is a romance book so it’s to be expected!I absolutely loved the hate/lust/love dynamic with the characters of Hades and Persephone and liked the build up of the relationship- personally I would have liked to have seen the enemies to lovers trope drag on a bit longer to avoid falling into instalovey territory, but it holds up really well as it is. I’m eager to read the sequel, I’m aware that it deals with much more sensitive and heavier things and does fall into that romantically strained trope that some sequels do, which is something I like the least with romance books. However, I have heard good things regarding the plot twists, so I’m eager to give it a go!For such a lover of the tales of Persephone and Hades that I am, I’m ashamed to admit I’ve struggled to push myself to pick up any books about them. Simply as I worry they won’t be what I am looking for or expecting, but overall I enjoyed this book a lot, and I was enthralled for a lot of it. I think I’d rate this one between 4-4.5 stars, and I’m definitely going to pick up the sequel soon!

I managed to completely devour this book in a measly several hours. I was hooked from the first page and found the development of characters fast-paced and detailed. I truly believe this is one of the most amazing retellings of Persephone & Hades that I’ve ever read.I absolutely adore the world-building and the mixture of modern and ancient. It’s a beautiful contrast and one I have thoroughly enjoyed. The author really goes into depth with the surroundings in a way which makes it easy to imagine in your own head.Finally the romantic tension throughout the book is otherworldly (quite like the two it involves). It’s a beautiful creation of forbidden love, lust, destiny, betrayal and ultimately growth. I loved every second of the journey and the sharp quips from some of the characters made me chuckle fiercely.I can honestly say I couldn’t recommend this book more if you enjoy Greek mythology, romance, enemies to lovers and a slight sexual tension. It’s definitely recommended for those 18+ purely due to the several different sexual scenes found throughout.

The story is a modern retelling of Hades and Persephone in a world where the Greek Gods live among the humans (mostly) and flaunt their power and wealth. Persephone stumbles into Hades nightclub and unwittingly enters into a bargain with the god of the Underworld.I absolutely loved this book! I thought it was really fast paced and before I knew it, I’d finished it and was out buying the second one. Hades was the perfect misunderstood villain who you loved from the beginning, Persephone was the stereotypical dewy-eyed MC with little experience of the world/her powers and when they finally gave in, it was spicy! There were a few choice words that made me itchy (impaled should only be used as a verb to describe a stabbing) but that’s a personal preference and the actual scenes themselves didn’t detract from the plot too much.Overall, I don’t think there were any real surprises in the plot but they weren’t so blatantly obvious that I got bored. If you’re looking for a smutty, modern retelling that’s an easy read, this one is for you.Rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶