There were several aspects I liked about this:
Enemies to Lovers trope? Sign me up!
Greek gods as main characters? I LOVE it!

I also really enjoyed the plot lines for the side characters. Epiphany and Temi, the sisters of the two main characters, are fed up with the patriarchy and want to change something about their situation. I am all for feminists takes on mythology so I am excited to see what those two get up to in the next book of the series!

However, I did struggle a bit with the actual romance part of the book. I feel like we barely got enough interactions between the two characters to believe their development from enemies to friends to lovers or to be fully invested in their relationship.

Nevertheless, the ending was a pretty great set up for the next story, so I am definitely looking forward to see how everything develops!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Veil of Gods and Kings is the first book in Nicole Bailey’s Apollo Ascending series. It follows Apollo, a deity who refuses to take his position as god of the sun until one day his father gives him an ultimatum. Apollo can either ascend immediately, or he can train under the arrogant Prince Hyacinth. Apollo chooses to spend the year mentoring with Prince Hyacinth, and has they grapple with their disdain for one another an unexpected fire begins to burn between them and new emotions start to form.

I really enjoyed the different approach to Apollo’s story, and how easy the world and plot was to understand while also keeping the intrigue of the mythological and romance side of the story. I was a little hesitant to read this as Apollo isn’t one of my favourite Greek Gods, but in this story I really enjoyed him and the version that the author created. There is also a nice slow burn romance that has the hate-love trope, and lots of sexual tension which I always love. Both of the main characters learn to respect each other and constantly push one another to try new things.

If you enjoy Greek Mythology retelling, hate-love tropes with lots of sexual tension and a little sprinkle of spice, beautiful writing that helps you imagine the world, then this book may be for you!

That was a great introduction to the story of Apollo and Hyacinth, leaving me wanting more as it ends on a cliffhanger. I adore greek mythology and it makes me so happy to see the LGBTQ+ representation in those stories. The narration is fluid and so enjoyable, I almost didn’t wanted to finish this book just so I could have the characters with me a little while. Absolutely loved and will recommend it to everyone I know!

As a big fan of Greek mythology I really, really wanted to enjoy this one but unfortunately it wasn't for me. I love the idea -- finally Apollo/Hyacinth, a story we haven't seen a dozen times before! Unfortunately the writing style just didn't work for me I struggled to feel invested in the story. As writing style is a very 'personal taste' issue, A Veil of Gods and Kings could well be a great fit for other readers.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review A Veil of Gods and Kings before it’s actual release date.

I love Greek mythology and I love reading books retelling certain stories. I have read short tales about Apollo and Hyacinth but I was very thrilled to have a whole book possibly more, to indulge in. The romance between them was swoon worthy and the side characters made the book that much better and the “forbidden” type love was just as cute. I have a lot of hope for two certain characters in this book.

As I said; I did really enjoy his book but I do feel like it didn’t really have a plot or if it did, I guess I missed it. Maybe this book really just helps set up the rest of the series? It has a lot of potential and I’m really excited to see where it leads.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book!

Overall, an excellent first book for this series! One of the main things that stood out to me was Bailey’s gorgeous world setting, some absolutely beautiful descriptions really set the scene of the novel.
Characters were an absolute treat to read about and share in the story with, I thought characters were really thoughtfully developed with a ton of love and attention
All in all, very excited to see where this series goes and I can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

A Veil of Gods and Kings is a retelling of the story of Apollo and Hyacinth. Which meant that I immediately requested an arc, because I absolutely love retellings of Greek myths. And I was not disappointed.
This book was pretty much exactly what I wanted. The characters were really interesting and had me rooting for them pretty quickly. Plus I really enjoyed that their relationship is more of an enemies-to-lovers kind of thing, which is another trope that I absolutely love. So the characters were definitely my favorite part of this book, but the last few chapters also set up an interesting conflict that gets a bit more political and makes me super excited for the next book.

I definitely recommend this book to everyone who’s interested in retellings of myths. It’s a super quick read and will definitely keep you engaged for the entire book. I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel as soon as it comes out because I can’t wait to see what’ll happen next.

This book was awesome. It was enrapturing! Is that a word? IDK but it was great. God retellings are all over the place but I definitely will agree this one is a keeper. The world-building took me to another place entirely. Multiple POVs. Action. Fast paced. A good story.

I fell in love with the cover but the story, even if it's well written, didn't keep my attention. I'm always a bit wary of the Greek myth retelling because they very complex and this one was nice but I missed the complexity of the original myth.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

As soon as I saw that this was a retelling of Apollo and Hyacinthus myth, I had to request it. I really really really wanted to like this book. The book is classified as NA, but aside from one spicy-ish scene the tone felt really YA. The tension and romance is the main focus, for sure, but if you're someone like me who reads mainly adult books even with NA characters this is not it.

It wasn't bad, but there definitely were some pacing issues and some of the politics surrounding the romance were quickly forgotten. The conflict seemed to resolve too quickly in the last 10% of the book.

All in all, it was an ok read, but unfortunately this didn't persuade me to read the next book in this series.

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

BUY THE DAMN BOOK! I love everything GODS and this did not disappoint sucked me in and had me read it in one sitting! This book made me wish I was in their world so hard and gave me a book hangover. I couldn’t be happier with a book like this one it exceeded my expectations and just blew me away! The author did a FANTASTIC job with this 10000/100000 will recommend.

I read this book in a day, well almost I did have to go to sleep. The pacing of the book I think fit the story wonderful. Also now I don't see Apollo as an a$$ like I used to and that took me by surprise. Yes the attraction between Apollo and Hyacinth was instant but it wasn't insta love which I really did enjoy. I started guessing the twist in the middle of the book, that is the only thing I really didn't like. Other than that I need the next book ASAP.

thanks to Netgalley and Victory Editing for the e-arc!

I absolutely loved A Veil of Gods and Kings. It's an easy five stars! The story is told through three POVs and there are a couple main storylines. To begin with, there is Apollo and his avoidance of ascending. Zeus sends him to be "mentored" by Prince Hyacinth, who Zeus believes to be a perfect, disciplined son. As the king is traveling, Hyacinth is left to rule the kingdom on his own - a task he is finding to be quite challenging and tedious. Hyacinth and Apollo's relationship is definitely one of enemies-to-lovers. The banter between the two is excellently written and their chapters are so fun to read. In addition to Apollo and Hyacinth's storyline, the reader follows Epiphany, Hyacinth's sister, and her preparation for (and avoidance of) her big presentation (essentially, finding a suitable husband). I really enjoyed her friendship with Temi, Apollo's sister. They are both strong female characters and their chapters definitely added to the book. Fair warning, while satisfying, the ending is a cliffhanger.

Overall, the book is fast-paced, easy-to-read, and fun. I'll definitely be recommending A Veil of Gods and Kings, and I can't wait for the sequel!

With thanks to NetGally, Victory Editing, and the Author Nicole Bailey for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 overall

When you take two gorgeous and powerful men with secrets, each repressed in their own way, and force them together for a year … you get sparks.

This is a fun story and the writing is easy to read, additionally the plot is an interesting take and you really do start caring about the characters quickly.

The relationship between Cyn and Apollo is remarkable, Bailey has managed to fold doomed romance/real love/destinies aligned tropes into a multifaceted relationship that genuinely pulls at your heart strings.

I’d have loved to spend more time with Temi. I adore her. And I want to be her. And the whole *spoiler* thing? Yes. Love it. I am hoping that she is the primary focus of forthcoming books.

Great and accurate inclusion of content warnings by Nicole Bailey, major respect for them there. Low level spicy scenes, they’re on page but I wouldn’t call them graphic.

Overall A Veil of Gods and Kings is a great New Adult read, I will be excited to read the series as it unfolds.

My only two issues:

The authors note references the fact that while this is a Greek myth retelling the world building is new, and to expect unrealistic and unhistorical aspects like ancient Greeks saddling up their horses. Which is fine. I like that they gave you a heads up, but it wasn’t the saddles that got me it was the acutely modern turns of phrase like “grab a shower” and the king wearing ‘shorts’. I don’t expect accuracy from mythological retellings but I would like consistency within the confines of itself. The things that broke my immersion were subtle, and I genuinely believe would be easy to change (‘grab a shower’ to ‘bathe quickly’ for example), wouldn’t change the story, and would elevate the reading experience.

I did find the time bleeding a little, and the character chapters were sometimes difficult to tell apart especially at the beginnings of chapters. Eg, occasionally “few months’ would be used to reference the time left together, then reference spending a year there. Or when swapping from Apollo to Cyn, I’d have to check the chapter title to make sure I was attributing the actions to the right character.

Disclaimer: I kindly received an ARC for this title in return of an honest opinion.

A Veil of Gods and Kings is the story of Apollo and Hyacinth. Apollo is avoiding his ascension to Olympus and, as a punishment, he is sent to a kingdom where Prince Hyacinth is ruling while his father is away. Zeus purposely sent Apollo to this kingdom due some observed animosity between his son and Hyacinth, when Hyacinth appeared to be eager to do everything possible to please the deity.

This book was initially described as an enemies-to-lovers, however I would say there was a light disagreement between them instead of being enemies. Nonetheless I was super pleased with how this book conducted the main characters development of Apollo and Hyacinth. Even though Apollo is my least favorite god I picked this book because I am addicted to Greek Gods retelling and at the end I was rooting for him and his relationship.

If you think this book will be similar to other steamy Greek gods titles, it is not. Although is very much focused on the main character’s relationship, the romantic scenes has very light spice and it fades to black.

This book also counts on multiple POVs, which I like a lot. However I found that adding Epiphany’s POV (Hyacinth’s sister) was a bit unnecessary and it broke the momentum of the story at some times. I understand that they might have a bigger part to play in later books, but here it just fell flat for me.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and I’m excited to see what happens afterwards with the interesting cliffhanger at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for the eARC!

3.5 stars

There is quite a bit of world building and plot set up in this novel, but the ending makes it so worth it! The characters are loveable and their stories are easy and enjoyable to follow. Two female characters have such a beautiful friendship, something unfortunately not seen in a not of fantasy novels. The slow build of the romance is written so well I just wanted to reach in and force them together. This was a fun read and I'm looking forward to the sequel!

This will be published on April 27th, so add to your TBR!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review this eARC.

I really enjoyed this book.

I love a greek retelling and this is no exception, be warned, if you do love Greek retellings, the author has taken some licence on certain elements which is explained at the beginning of the book. Honestly however, this didn’t impact the story for me at all.

I loved all of the characters and how they develop and grow together throughout and the twist at the end is just perfect.

This book has enemies to friends to lovers, forced proximity, a little bit of spice (not overly detailed or graphic), forbidden love.

There’s a lot going on but it’s really well written and felt well paced and not overloaded. I’m really looking forward to the next instalment

This is a nice queer romance set in an alternate time of Greek and Roman gods that inhabit the world along with mortals. I thought Apollo was such an interesting character, very clearly misunderstood but equal amounts infuriating and hilarious. And sweet Hyacinth, who's just doing his best but suffers from the classic Pride and Prejudice trope when it comes to Apollo's character. While I thought that the relationship between the two characters was endearing, the plot lacked a bit of movement for me. It's a story very much based on the romance between our main characters, as well as the lives of their sisters—the stakes overall seem fairly low outside of the potential for heartbreak, even with the threat of political turmoil. While in comparison A Veil of Gods and Kings is more lighthearted with room for some more world building, fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Blood and Ash series or C.S. Pacat's Captive Prince series will likely enjoy.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own.

Rating 3.5 stars

This is the retelling of the myth of Apollo and Prince Hyacinth. The story is told from both of their perspectives as well as a third POV of Epiphany, Hyacinth’s sister. Apollo in this story is a half mortal man who is trying to avoid his ascension into godhood. His father, Zeus, angry at Apollo not taking his proper place gives him an ultimatum. Ascend immediately and leave everything and everyone, including his sister Temi, behind or spend the year mentoring under Prince Hyacinth.

Now while this is said to be enemies to lovers, I wouldn't exactly call Apollo and Hyacinth enemies at first. They are both wearing masks to be who they are expected to be and it takes a while for them to see the person behind the mask. Their relationship evolves from complete disdain for each other to lust to love. Meanwhile Epiphany spends her time also teetering between who she is meant to be as princess and trying to find her own happiness, with Temi helping her along the way.

I have always been a fan of Greek mythology and I was excited to find a retelling of a myth that may not have been widely known. And this didn't disappoint. I would have liked that it stuck closer to the mythology, but the story that Nicole Bailey told was wonderful in its own right. I was a sucker watching Apollo and Hyacinth’s relationship bloom. And the ending did leave a few questions unanswered with a last minute twist, but since this is the first in a series I should have expected that. Look forward to the next book, apparently due out in June. At least I wont have to wait long.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

*This is really a 2.5 star-review, but I’m rounding up to three because writing a book is hard and I’m not trying to tank this author’s average.*

First of all, I’m going to go ahead and say that if you’re a regular fantasy romance reader who wishes fantasy romance was a little less straight, I think you’ll enjoy Veil. Premise: Zeus wants Apollo to ascend (which is like, becoming fully a god) and Apollo doesn’t want to because he thinks deities suck, and for some reason ascension will mean Apollo will also be a horrible deity/person(?)…I’m honestly still unclear on this part. Anyway, Zeus gives Apollo one year to ascend, and sends him to the mortal Prince Hyacinth to learn how to be a good, obedient son. The premise is a little flimsy, but hey, it's fantasy. I’ve read (and liked) flimsier.

I enjoyed parts of this book: it’s lighthearted and occasionally funny, the romance is pretty cute (dislike-to-lovers, if you’re a trope person). If you’re a serious Greek mythology person, fair warning, this is *not* a retelling of the Apollo and Hyacinth myth. It’s more like…fanfiction of the Apollo and Hyacinth myth. Which is fine, no hate to fanfiction on this account. It’s told in three first-person perspectives, Apollo, Hyacinth, and Hyacinth’s younger sister Epiphany. I think this was a mistake on the author’s part, because the voices were not sufficiently distinguishable to have all of them in first person. But, hey, I didn’t write the book. Anyway, it’s a very quick read and it’s fun and fluffy and if that’s your thing, I recommend Veil. Spice is somewhat limited, if you care about that. Personally I am spice-indifferent, but I know some of you get real mad about the fade-to-black, so just FYI.

Although I enjoyed parts of the book, I do have some bones to pick with the author.

1. The writing is sometimes kinda bad. Listen, I hate to be the person who is taking sentences out of context to make a writer look bad because I know that’s mean, but “Feelings fluttered within me” has to be one of the worst sentences I’ve ever read, and I like trash fantasy. What kind of feelings??? Just because it’s alliterative doesn’t mean it’s a good word choice!

Also can we as a community unite and get authors to abandon the word “chuckle”? This would benefit me, personally, for the personal reason that I hate it.

2. At its core, this book is just rich, privileged people realizing the working class exists and their lives are difficult. If you’re going to do a “privileged person realizes their privilege and decides to do better” storyline, maybe make someone who is not rich or privileged a major character (Valerian doesn’t count). The thematic elements of this book feel like I’m reading the journals of three suburban white teenagers gasping in shock when they walk into a poor urban neighborhood. I’m not trying to do an in-depth political analysis on a fluffy fantasy romance, I’m just saying presenting this kind of theme in the way Bailey does it is both a) annoying as hell, and b) boring. Multiple rich, privileged characters have arguments about which one of them is more privileged, and, oh my god I do not care.

3. OK, I think I’m actually supposed to be talking about character development or whatever, as if there is such thing as a correct “character arc.” The only thing any of these characters developed into was being either more or less annoying. I don’t think anyone had a character arc in this book, except maybe Epiphany.

I did appreciate the low-key aroace rep for Temi. Or at least I’m choosing to interpret her as aroace (there is evidence in the book to support that reading, it’s just not made, like, *explicit* explicit whether Temi is aroace or just anti-marriage.)

4. The dialogue is not great a lot of the time, which really hinders the story because the story is mostly dialogue. While there are some funny lines and some good banter in places, a lot of the time the characters don’t really speak to each other, they just make speeches about morality at each other. This makes the dialogue pretty stilted and awkward.

5. The setting could have been better. We’re in ancient Greece! It’s beautiful! Why is this not more atmospheric! Give me FOG and THUNDER and togas and erotic murals and fancy columns…and whatever! This is NOT a call to be historically accurate because like, it’s fantasy, who the hell cares, but can we at least make the setting interesting? Especially if you’re going to do a sort of derivative of very well-known mythology, there needs to be more thought put into the story’s mood and atmosphere, in my opinion.

Anyway, despite these critiques, I didn’t hate this book. It’s fine for what it is and what it’s trying to do, which is a funny, cute, gay romance. But it’s definitely not my favorite, and I don’t know that I’ll be reading the rest of this series.