First of all, thank you to the author, to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I would like to preface this review by saying that there are some really serious trigger warnings for this book. The ARC was accompanied by a statement saying that there are dark themes that may distress some readers. This is absolutely true but in the interests of full disclosure, and in case this is relevant to you, please be aware that this book includes the following: rape, physical abuse, emotional abuse, mental abuse, lack of consent, questionable consent, murder, witnessing death of family members, and probably more things that I'm forgetting to list. Some of these things are in flashbacks, some of them happen on page, some of them are alluded or mentioned.

Nonetheless this was such a good book. I was really, really, really surprised by this; it wasn't what I expected. I thought it was going to be some sort of variation on the myth of Hades and Persephone reimagined. To an extent, it was, but that was really maybe 5% of what was going on.

The heart of the story is an incredibly damaged man, Acheron, who overcomes incredible amounts of past trauma and tragedy to find love with Kora. He is hampered by massive amounts of lingering PTSD (or so we would call it today) and, to a certain extent, the common historical male attitude towards keeping a woman safe at home. All Acheron believes he is good for is fighting and killing and he has so much trouble allowing himself to be vulnerable enough to open himself to Kora.
Meanwhile, Kora has her own past trauma due to a near drowning as a child which gave her resultant paranormal abilities (she can speak to ghosts). She tries her hardest to break through to Acheron with very incremental success. At times it might seem that Kora's progress is so slow, but when you consider what Acheron went through it's really a miracle he can make any progress at all.

There are also certain mythological elements from Greek history the reader might recognize, as well as some much needed humor and levity in the form of Oz, Acheron's sole friend and fellow former polem (like a Greek gladiator).

Yes, the book is dark. Yes, it is violent. Yes, it is definitely, DEFINITELY, adult. And somehow I gobbled it up like a bag of Cheetos in mere hours. Ms. Diane's writing was smooth and evocative, and POVs and characterization well done. Most of the characters have grey areas, which is both enjoyable and realistic. The fighting scenes were convincing; the historical period seemed very accurate. All in all I really enjoyed this, dark themes notwithstanding, and would be very interested in reading more from the author.

4.5 stars happily rounded up to 5 for Goodreads.

I am a huge fan of everything related to Ancient Greece. The clothes they wore, the gods they worshiped, the gladiator fights and the art they created and we can still admire nowadays. When I came across this book and read the synopsis, I knew that I was going to adore it and I was right.

Before starting the actual review, I wanted to mention that Her Lord of Death contains some adult content and dark themes such as sexual abuse, rape, torture etc. so take that into account before getting into this book. It is not explicit but it is mentioned and the effects on the characters are obvious.

Kora and Acheron are forced into an arranged marriage, none of them happy about it. After Acheron is wounded by the creature that he has commanded to kill, Kora takes care of him and feelings start to appear between them, something that they didn’t expect and that complicates Acheron’s nightmares and internal debates. This whole situation follows Queen Medea’s plan to get something that was stolen from her back. Kora and Acheron are not safe and they will give everything to protect each other.

One of the things that fascinated me the most was the complexity of the two main characters, each one for different reasons. On the one hand, Kora is a woman with the ability to see the dead and that takes advantage of it to do good and help them get into the Underworld. She has such a beautiful heart, compassion and inner strength that allowed me to empathize with her right away. Perhaps her evolution is not as huge as Acheron’s but she changes a lot and I think that the author managed to build a very complete character within her.

On the other hand, Acheron blew out my mind with his development. He has a very dark and difficult past because of the people that surrounded him throughout the years. He starts off as a someone really complicated to understand and to like but the author gives him such depth that it is impossible to not connect with him and his problems. Acheron has a spectacular evolution, facing the demons that torment him and overcoming the traumas of his past. Just because of him, I would recommend you to read this book.

Apart from them, I wanted to give some credit to Oz, a secondary character that has quite the importance in the plot and that tells some chapters from his point of view. I think he is an incredible friend and I also really liked him as an individual. I would have loved to know more about him.

Her Lord of Death combines a dark romance with action and adventures, magic and the presence of greek gods in a way that, whatever your favorite element is, you are going to enjoy the rest of them anyway. I usually prefer the later but, in this case, what kept me reading was the relationship between the two protagonists. It is not an easy relationship because of their personal circumstances but I think that is what makes it different. The scenes in which the feelings are developing are so worth it when you get into the more intense ones.

The only problem that I had with this book was the pacing. It took me a while to get into the story but then I just couldn’t stop reading. From my point of view, it is a very entertaining book with funny dialogues and beautiful descriptions.

Thank you Net Galley and Victory Editing for letting me read this title in exchange for a honest review!

I really enjoyed Her Lord of Death. Giving it a 4.5/5 rating.

This story was centered around the gladiator Acheron who is set to marry his wife Kora. After forced into this arranged marriage they start realizing that there is something more between the two of them, than just a marriage agreement. However they fall prey to the hidden agenda go the Queen Medea. Causing them to be taken hostage where Acheron realizes he is now fighting for something more than himself.

This was easily one of my top five favorite reads this year and I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy greek mythology or just enjoy a good dark romance with a lot of added action.

I also enjoyed Katherine's writing style and the realm she created within this book.

“What? Some has to burn your worthless carcuss, or whatever the monsters leaves of it.”

-Katherine Diane Her Lord of Death

*Spoilers Below*

In this world of Ancient Greece, the Gods walk the Earth as does the monsters. In this mythical world is the infamous warrior and former slave Acheron. Even though he had won his freedom, Acheron becomes an unknowing pawn in Queen Medea's plan. The Queen Medea's plan being Acheron killing a beast and marrying the niece of a nobleman as a reward for his heroic efforts.

A lover of Ancient Greek history and mythology, this book was quite entertaining. Of course, the one complaint is that the story was confusing, for example, the subplot with Hades the Minotaur. There are so many unanswered questions regarding the subplots. A lingering question, will Oz get his book? Oz, by far, is the undeniable favorite in this story. From his over-drinking to his overbearingness towards Acheron's health.

However, the story does have moments of distraction. In the beginning, Acheron kills the monster plaguing Kora's city. After, the marriage between Kora and Acheron has Medea entering their life to exploit Kora's ability. Then the story shifts to Medea selling out Acheron to force Kora's help.

Regardless of the distracting subplots in the story, the love story of Acheron and Kora was an interesting one. Witnessing as Kora's disdain for Acheron shifted to love.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

WARNINGS: Sexual assault, Slavery, Arranged Marriage, Violence, PTSD, Anxiety/Panic Attacks

This book has very dark themes throughout a majority of it and some are in quite graphic detail so I found part of this book a little bit hard to read. While I found both of the main characters interesting, I felt like at times there were too many things happening at once which made some of the plot confusing and sometimes distracting.

Some of the side characters were interesting but some felt just like props rather than a part of the story which also gave the dissatisfaction at the end for their part of the story.

Rating: 3⭐
Would I Read It Again? I would have to be in the mood which can be rare for dark romances
Would I Recommend it? Yes, if you are into dark themes

I went into this book not knowing what to expect but excited because I knew the topic was interesting. The book focuses on two characters- Acheron and Kora. Acheron was a slave, but gained his freedom in return for being the fighter for a King. Acheron is tasked with killing a monster, and in return he is supposed to marry Kora, the nephew of a neighboiuring king. There are so many reasons why these two would not be right for each other, but I really enjoyed reading how they grew together and learned to take care of each other, and accept each other's care.
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There is a lot of mature themes in this book, including rape, sexual assault, torture, abuse, and explicit sexual content. The only part that made me uneasy was the explicit sexual torture scenes. I can respect why the author was so explicit but I did not enjoy that part. Overall though I really enjoyed the story!

A tale taking place in a mystical ancient greece. A Story filled with violence, revenge, magic, loss and love.

It had a lot of elements I love, but for some reason I did have a hrad time getting into the book. At times the story dragged, some storylines didn’t get an ending or got added in without any background.

This copy was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher for review: all opinions are my own.

Enter into an ancient Greek world both harsh and beautiful, a place of gods and magic—and love worth every sacrifice. A solid 4.75. this book was great and I could hardly put it down. I loved the characters, the action, the Greek mythology interwoven throughout. The steamy romance and suppressed angst-y feelings. Ugh, I need so much more. I honestly can not wait to read more by Katherine Diane.
Kora has a secret. Ever since her family's death and nearly her own, she has been able to communicate with the souls who are unable to cross into the land of the dead. Part of her feels that she never fully returned to the land of the living herself. Acheron is a rival country's champion, once a slave bought from Crete who fought for his freedom. He does not fear death, only the parts of himself he thought dead and buried. Forced together in a marriage of convenience, they will battle not only monsters and a sorcerer queen's dangerous magic, but their feelings for each other and parts of their pasts that aren't quite ready to let them go.
I LOVED THEM SO MUCH, I can't even put into words. I loved the dichotomy of Kora who just wants to talk things out and Acheron who would rather run than talk about feelings. Sometimes this can be annoying trope for me as a reader but it was done so well in this book that I never got frustrated. Coming to understand Acheron's emotional and physical trauma was painful to read but let us learn so much about him as a character and why he avoids it; he so wants to connect with Kora, but feels he is undeserving of her. That his past has made him less than and dirty.
I will give a trigger warning for sexual abuse and rape . Its not a trigger for me, but definitely could for someone who has experienced it. I think that the author handled it really well ; it wasn't just swept under the rug by characters. It was confronted by them, and the stemming body issues Acheron suffered were not magically gone by the end. And body issues around sex does he suffer. It was NOT abuse between the two main protagonists (that's a no no for me) but between Acheron and his past. It handles the topic of sexual slavery which is not often covered in history lessons..
My only qualm with this would be part of the main plot is kinda lost at the climax, like we get there, we know what happens, but then that leading conflict is brushed to the side for a different direction and is then only mentioned at the very end. Maybe its leading into anther book (i really hope so), but that part felt unresolved for me.

TW: Rape retold in flashbacks, vivid sexual assault, slavery, emotional abuse, PTSD, incest, and sexual sadism.

Her Lord of Death follows Kora, a young woman in ancient Greece who is set to marry the champion of another king. Acheron, the king's champion, fights his inner demons after surviving and escaping a sadist who brutalized him. Kora and Acheron are merely pawns in a game of life and death but they realize that they actually like each other.

I will admit that I knew what I was getting myself into when I started this book. I knew that it had dark themes and I know enough about myself that I seek some problematic stuff when the mood strikes. The romance in the book was meh at best. Kora and Acheron interact a handful of times before they are married. I am not opposed to a marriage of convenience in books but I need plenty of interactions that sell me their relationship. Kora takes care of Acheron and he mows down a few soldiers in her honor but that's it. Suddenly they love each other? Sureeee. There were some positives such as portrayal of a male rape survivor and his struggles in being intimate after the ordeal. I think that the book tried but it failed to hit the mark for me. Acheron was brutalized by a sexual sadist and while that is bad enough, it is revealed towards the end that it was his own BROTHER who raped and brutalized him. Sure, the brother is only by his father but why write this way? Also, the why the scenes with Acheron almost raped in front of Kora? What was the point? This soured the book for me and brought it down to 1 star. I understand that it was supposed to be ancient Greece and the brutal ways they lived but no thanks. Also, the modern speak? I cannot believe that I read "live, laugh, love" in a ancient Greek inspired book.

***Warning! If you are a victim of sexual assault or abuse, you may not want to read this particular book!***

Acheron, a Crete slave, has worked hard over the years to finally be granted his freedom. But is he truly free as the King’s Champion? One who has lived his life can never be totally free, especially when his chains are of the invisible kind. Being tossed into a plan that was not of his making and being forced to marry a woman he had never met was enough to prove that.

Kora, the niece of a King, has ties to the Underworld and is moved to help the dead pass to the Underworld when they are left behind. Seeing her parents pass over the river Styx has left her with a respect for the dead and a heart in need of seeing them at peace. She sees a new kind of peace that is needed for Acheron. Helping him will not be as easy as helping the dead.

How can two people so different be together in the mythic, mystical world of Ancient Greece? Easily, through meticulous and dangerous witchcraft all that it entails.

Queen Medea has a plan and it isn’t to rule a kingdom.

For the new take on Greek mythology alone, I give this review 5 out of 5 stars! It is a read again!

3.5 stars. I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was a heartbreaking tale about a man who was once a slave, and a woman who experienced the tragic loss of her parents and now feels the pull towards Hades. Acheron is the king’s champion. He had experienced horrible things in his life that have left him physically and mentally scarred. He has no intention of marrying and keeps everyone away emotionally. He’s known as a trained killer. Who wouldn’t be after his years fighting and killing for the pleasure of others?
Kora is a sweet girl with a gift that is not accepted by others. She had a wonderful soul and enjoys helping those who are sick and injured.
A queen with only her desires to think about causes Kora and Acheron to join together in a way neither one wants. The queen does not care who is hurt or killed, so long as her plan works. Acheron and Kora will go through many trials and much pain before the end of the story. Can they find affection or love? Can they overcome and destroy those who harm them?
This was interesting, even if the scenes made one cringe when imagining it.

Thank you so much for a beautifully crafted story. It is raw, it has depth, it’s believable. The characters grow along the story, and you can not but cheer Kora and Acheron in their journey, feeling anger and being sorry for the ugly in their lives, and hoping they can work through it all and get the end they deserve.
Looking forward to your next story!

Her Lord of Death, A Mythic World Romance, Katherine Diane

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Sci-fi and Fantasy

I love quirky, unusual reads and this book promised that. A bit of ancient mythology, romance and a touch of the supernatural – I had such hopes for this. Sadly it wasn't a great read for me. The writing is very good, but for me the story fell short.

I expected more of the supernatural, given we know Medea is a witch/sorcerer and Kora can see the dead. And of course its ancient Greece, with all the Gods that encompasses. Somehow though apart from the very end, the supernatural parts are very minor.

I felt for a long while I was reading the story but nothing was actually happening - apart from Acheron's cock constantly twitching...the guy had a real problem, as that seemed to happen every few pages.
I know there are warnings about the sexual side of this novel, and given the time and subject matter the abuse was very well written, very believable but – I didn't need to know every little detail of the sex scenes repeated and repeated. It just got boring, once or twice would have been enough, I found myself skipping those pages. It didn't add anything to the story, we know what happened, reading it a couple of times is fine. Reading it for the Nth time gets old.
I wanted more of Queen Medea's nasty side, I wanted to know how the King excused letting her do things, what he told himself to make it OK.
I liked the progression of respect to love that formed between Kora and Acheron.
I loved OZ, certainly one of the best characters and for a side one, he's the one I felt I knew best by the end.

I felt so much of the story was bogged down, day to day stuff, conversations that led nowhere, another journey, Kora's pregnant cousin – BTW what happened to her? One moment she's there, playing a fairly major part of the tale, and Kora is worried for her, and then she's dropped from the story.
While the first half dragged, at the end I felt things became rushed. I had so many questions. I wanted to know how the Minotaur got there, I loved the Hades connection but that was soon done with, I was confused at how Drogas could be himself when....well, I can't say because that would spoil it, but I didn't really feel that part fully worked. Of course I was also puzzled at what would happen next for Kora and Acheron, where would they go, how they could be beyond the reach of Medea given her talents? Would Acheron would feel bound to return, putting them both in danger. Too many lose ends for me there. I like things tucked away neatly.



Stars: Three. It had lots of promise, it was well written, the romance was well done, the abuse scenes realistic, but there were parts I wanted more and parts I could have been happy with a lot less. The lose ends too, I don't like that in a book. But that's me, not everyone is concerned with these things.

Arc via Netgalley and publishers

This story had me going. Wow! There is so many emotional layers to this story and it was not what I expected at all. There probably should be a trigger warning because a lot of what Archeron, had to endure in his past was really hard to read and my heart broke for him. Even with all that I loved his relationship with Nora and how it grew over the pages. Katherine Diane has a way of drawing you into all the characters, and man does she take you on a ride. I had so many questions at the end, because I was so infested in the life’s of all the characters that I wanted more and I feel like she left it to where there could possibly have a sequel in the future, or I can at least hope for one. 🤞🏻🤞🏻

I really liked this book. It was well written, the characters were well developed and engaging. The subject matter (which may be distressing to some readers) was sensitively handled and the overall story arc was great as well. I would definitely recommend it.

Her Lord of Death by Katherine Diane is quite possibly one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading for 2020. I was captivated from the first page with its dark undertones of sexual abuse, rape, and violence while still paying homage to classic Greek/Roman mythology. The blend of these themes, while unexpected for this genre, was superbly written and I particularly enjoyed the unconventional approach to Hades and the underworld.

I was impressed by the layers of intricacy developed by Katherine and her ability to present a cadre of uniquely brilliant and highly entertaining characters without overwhelming the reader. Her characters were larger than life and lept off the pages straight into my heart.

The love story of Kora and Acheron is one for the ages. It was abundantly clear to me that time, love, dedication, and attention went into penning this emotionally gripping relationship that started off very casually and slowly morphed into an epic love saga. I appreciated the progression of the relationship from strangers to lovers as it added more realism and depth instead of the typical "hop into bed and magically fall in love." Their relationship was fraught with trials and tribulations from the beginning and it was quite intriguing to see how they navigated this new relationship together, especially as it relates to the darker themes.

The emotional scarring from sexual abuse was evident in Acheron from the earlies and I respect how Katherine was able to allow him to fully express his disgust, sadness, anger, hurt, rejection while still maintaining an aura of strength and resilience.

Katherine has woven such an enigmatic host of characters that I easily found myself emotionally investing in all the secondary characters which, in my humble opinion, is integral to character and plot development. Each character is powerful enough to stand on their own, from the sultry and commanding presence of Madea, to the loyal and carefree Oz.

I highly recommend Her Lord of Death for anyone who enjoys Greek/Roman-inspired novels with a healthy balance of romance and darker genres.

Immense appreciation to Katherine Diane and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for providing me with a digital arc. All views and opinions expressed above are my own.

I received an advanced reader's copy of Her Lord of Death by Katherine Diane from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book by Katherine Diane that I had read and I was pleasantly surprised to find an enjoyable new author to follow.

Overall, I felt this was a solid historical fiction/romance and I found it to be extremely well written. I've always been a fan of Greek (and Roman) mythology so seeing how the author wove some of my favorite myths into her story was especially interesting.

I quite liked the dynamic between Kora and Acheron from their first meeting until the end. There was no insta-love (which is good), but the pace of how the two primary characters found common ground, formed a relationship, and then fell in love was believable. My heart broke for Acheron and all that he had been through, but it was interesting how the author made him both fragile from that tragedy and superhuman for overcoming it by force of will alone in many respects. Then after he became close with Kora and allowed her to share his pain, is when his mental healing really began. I really respect how the Katherine Diane illustrated that without dragging things out OR making Acheron a two dimensional "sad, mopey" character. She gave her characters lots of layers and it made for a fantastic story.

All in all, Her Lord of Death by Katherine Diane was an exciting read and I would recommend it for any historical fiction/romance fan.

I have never read a book by Katherine Diane and I do not usually gravitate towards romance novels that take place during ancient times. I think I was immediately drawn to the cover which made me think of the movie 300. When I read the description I like premise of Kora marrying Acheron, the champion of a neighboring king. I am drawn to stories where the hero has a reputation for being brutal and deadly, but there is something more complicated about him.
I found that there were a variety of extra characters that kept the story interesting. Poor Kora and Acheron were always having new obstacles put forth by the different people in their life. I liked the paranormal aspect of the story and the fact that Kora assists spirits to cross over. I felt that the story had a sound plot, good characters and flowed very well.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series, J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood or Christine Feehan’s Dark series. While this book is set in the past I had the same feeling that I usually have when reading these series. I would highly recommend this book.

I read this book in a day. I really like greek mythology and like Madeline Miller and Pat Baker, I enjoyed this story. I was sad when it ended. I wanted more from the characters. I want to know what happens next. Does Medea come back for revenge? Will Achreon found out who his right father is? How power could Kora be? I have some many questions with a few questions. I hope she can do another book about the characters.

This was brutal and absolutely heartbreaking in the best way. I have to start off by saying this book was HEAVY. The cruelties and trauma that the characters endured was heartbreaking and honestly disgusting. WARNING: there is rape, sexual assault, and other dark themes. I felt so bad for them and I just wanted them to get the happiness they deserved. The storytelling was interesting and told from both Kora and Acheron’s POVs. Acheron was a slave who earned his freedom but is forced to marry Kora, and Kora is a girl who watched her family die and is haunted by the ghosts of the undead everywhere she looks. Both are being manipulated by kings, queens, and past tormentors while facing the looming danger of the Minotaur. Acheron is an extremely traumatized character struggling to just get by day by day while Kora is a very compassionate yet brave character. The romance that slowly buds between them is quite sweet and caring, Kora is a nurse who continues to tend to Acheron despite his adamant refusal to accept any of her care. They both care for each other but are struggling with either their past demons or the present danger at play. The story was definitely unique and I liked the added magical element of the gods and monsters mythology into it. Both Kora and Acheron must rely on each other to survive and make it out of the looming dangers while also facing the dangers of the romance budding between them. I liked how the story wrapped up and I am so pleased that these characters got the happy ending they deserved and are slowly healing.

*Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*