thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

"The Mistress and the Renowned" is a captivating romance novel that takes readers on a journey through the intricacies of love, passion, and power. Written by the talented duo of Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune, this book weaves a tale of forbidden love between a mysterious mistress and a renowned artist in the bustling city of Paris.

The authors skillfully create a rich and immersive world filled with complex characters and vivid descriptions that transport the reader to another time and place. The chemistry between the two main characters is palpable, and their forbidden romance is both heart-wrenching and exhilarating to follow.

One of the standout aspects of the book is the attention to detail in the historical setting, which adds depth and authenticity to the story. The authors' prose is elegant and evocative, drawing readers in from the very first page and keeping them captivated until the satisfying conclusion.

While the pacing of the story is well-executed, there are moments where the plot feels predictable and familiar. However, the strength of the characters and the emotional depth of their journey more than make up for any minor shortcomings.

Overall, "The Mistress and the Renowned" is a beautifully crafted romance novel that will appeal to fans of historical fiction and passionate love stories. Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune have created a memorable tale that will linger in the hearts of readers long after the final page is turned.

Best quote from the book:

"Love knows no boundaries, not of time, nor of place. It is a force that transcends all obstacles, binding hearts together in a bond that is unbreakable."

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune
When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

Oooo this one was so good. Better than the first one. Less spice though unfortunately. Well worth the read. Can’t wait to read the next one

This was such a fun time! We pick up right where book one left and are straight into the Underworld. The Hades and Persephone retelling is done well, there’s also some other Gods that we get to see alongside them adding to the richness of the story.
I love the fact there’s an animal companion!!
At times the romance was slightly repetitive when they constantly say they love each other, I wanted more depth. Some good spice though.
Looking forward to the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

solid 3 stars

🥀 what I enjoyed
- Berry... just all of him really
- I need more Mellie and Helios
- the personal growth and journey through PTSD was moving

🥀 what didn't do it for me
- Persephone... you are the problem babe. She constantly created unnecessary conflict between her and Hades. Just. Pushing him away for no apparent reason, saying she was fine when she clearly wasn’t, and overall just not communicating. I wouldn’t even call this a miscommunication trope, really it was her being annoying.
- The plot just dragged for me. The pacing was all over the place, and I couldn't tell you when or how long some events took place because it just all ran together.

One of the better Hades & Persephone retellings I’ve read. However, if you are looking for something that stays true to the original story, it may not be for you. It’s also quite spice-heavy.

It’s refreshing that Persephone isn’t quite as docile in this as she is in other retellings. We love a strong FMC!

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first book. The first book had too much spice for my taste. But this one was a lot more balanced. The story was very well developed from the first book.

3.75 ⭐️

The Mistress & The Renowned is the second book in the Love and Fate trilogy following a modern day Hades and Persephone. I enjoyed book two a bit more than book one. The spice felt more balanced in this one. The Maiden & The Unseen had smut scenes nearly every chapter once you hit the halfway mark. The Mistress & The Renowned, however, used smut much more sparingly. Don’t get me wrong, there was still a fair amount, but it was much more balanced with plot in this book. There was also just more plot in general in this book compared to book one. I said before that if you removed the smut from The Maiden & The Unseen, the plot would not be able to stand on its own. That is not the case for The Mistress & The Renowned. This book’s plot would absolutely be able to stand on its own if you removed the smut.

I enjoyed Hades character a lot in this book. He opened up a lot more and was honestly pretty mature and wanting to communicate to work through his and Persephone’s issues. Persephone was wildly irritating throughout a lot of this book though. She was the cause of a good 90% of her problems, which was frustrating. She acted like a petulant child way too often for the literal Queen of the Underworld. I’m not saying Hades was innocent but she blamed him for way more stuff than she should’ve. Their miscommunication was…a lot. I hope Persephone works on herself in the next book because Hades honestly does not deserve this treatment.

It does end on a cliffhanger, which I expected given that it’s part of a series. I will be reading the next book because I need to know where their story goes and I have found that I’m enjoying the books more as the series progresses.

Thank you NetGalley and Rose and Star Publishing for the ARC of The Mistress & The Renowned!

This book did not disappoint! I'm in love with this series. These books have everything you need. perfection just perfection. Can't wait for the next book.

I like the writing style of these books and am enjoying the series. Promptly moved on to the next book in this trio!

I had mixed feelings about The Mistress & The Renowned by Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune. First, the cover art on this book is gorgeous, in fact it was one of the reasons I choose it. I have been on a "story re-telling" kick lately and just love Hades and Persephone as the main characters. Unfortunately, this particularly missed the mark. I love a good slow burn, but the back and forth between Hades and Persephone felt childish for such a spicy story. As for the character development, even though we learned more about Hades and his feelings, Persephone's character didn't connect with me, especially in how she dealt and interacted with Hades. If you're into the whole miscommunication thing and the cycle of fights, makeup, and more fights, this book might be for you, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Absolutely loved this book. Had me at the edge of my seat with all the twists and turns. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this author's work. Definitely would recommend.

This book was a lot different from the first one but not in a bad way! There was more plot and less spice but it was still spicy for sure! It was darker and you gained a deeper understanding of Hades and Persephone's backstories and psyches! I loved that some groundwork was laid down for potential spin-off books or series with other characters and maybe even pantheons which would be soo fun!! I hope they do more after the third book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars
🌶️🌶️.5 spice

This is the second book in the Hades & Persephone retelling portion of this series that focuses on the central character's love story, and I have mixed feelings about it but will definitely still be finishing the series because now I'm invested and need to know how it ends after that devastating ending!

I loved the new universe this was set in, as it really dove head first into the fantasy vibe that we didn't get in the first book. The Underworld setting was so interesting, I loved the dark gothic palace and haunted house elements, and pretty much any of the scenes where Persephone was putting Zeus in his place.

We got to know lots more about a whole host of different gods and titans, but what was missing for me was the same level of tension and spiciness between Hades & Persephone because they were being so godsdammed annoying for most of this book and not resolving their issues! I did not understand what the deal was with Persephone not wanting to talk through their shit, it made some of the plot in the middle of the book drag on unnecessarily and overall I ended up liking Hades much more. I loved that he was kind of insecure and a hot mess over her, but she really wasn't doing herself any favours. Frustrating.

Towards the end, the action and intensity really ramped up, so overall it finished on a high with some great action scenes and displays of power, some hints at higher layers of plot at work, plus a twist i didn't see coming, which is always a win for me.

Tropes:
💕 Fated Mates
💕 Hades & Persephone Retelling
💕 Gods/Mythology
💕 Miscommunication

My review is also posted on Goodreads!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc copy!

The second book of this series had me on an emotional rollercoaster. The length Demeter will go to in order to make sure Persephone and Hades are separated is insane. I could not put this book down! Im excited to see where the third book will go!

The Maiden & The Unseen by Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune was absolute fire so I thought to myself, I have the very kind opportunity to read the next one so don't pause for breath, don't wait, get back into it! (So glad I did as I am really not good at the whole cliffhanger malargles)

Persephone is now Queen and who knows where Hades has been whisked away to?

A pet hellhound! C'Mon, I think anybody that follows my reviews knows I am a sucker for animals, especially a pet hellhound! 3 dogs, one set of poop bags, what's not to love??

Now, we know Hades has to be all "ruffty-tuffty mean" on the day to day, but we can certainly get behind a cinnamon-roll king of the Underworld, am I right?

However, don't let all the sugar and spice lull you into a false sense of security, be on your guard and strap in as you will need it, the last 25% of the book is setting you up for the next book so be oh so very well prepared, Rose and Rune are taking no prisoners with the storyline! I need a sit-down and a cuppa!

Thank you to Netgalley, Rose and Star Publishing, LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles and the authors, Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune for this double-double 2Oh My Crikey!" epic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Thank you to Netgalley and the authors for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

The Mistress and the Renowned is the second book in the Love and Fate series. I had fun with this one!

Synopsis: The curse has been activated. Persephone wakes up in the underworld without Hades by her side. While discovering her new realm, she realizes that something is wrong and there is a sinister reason as to why Hades hadn’t returned with her.

Opinion: I enjoyed this second book more than I did the first. I was excited when I figured out that this book was set in the underworld as I prefer that much more than the real world setting.

I thought the romance between Persephone and Hades was much more clear and enjoyable in this book. Less, pretending to hate each other and more being in love and I really liked that.

I’m not sure if this counts as a spoiler, but I loved that Cerberus was a cute and cuddly coward. I love when he is made to be big and scary, but actually a softy!

Furthermore, I mention in my review of the first book that I was mostly annoyed with Persephone and while I found her better in this book, she still came off slightly annoying. Not ignoring that Hades could be at times too.

I thought the use of the word “lie” after every lie the characters told was repetitive and could be replaced with a better alternative. Like a sentence that expresses how it feels or just says it was a lie.

Small thing…having a cellphone in the underworld?

In the end, I rated this book 4/5 stars and I’m excited to jump into the next one in the series!

I really liked the first and the last part of the book, but the middle was a bit of a struggle for me.
Hades and Persephone behave like lovesick teenagers, who doubt their every word and this goes on for about a third of the book. It annoyed me a lot and made me put the book down more than once. The cliffhanger ending was amazing though and I really love Cerberus (I want a Cerberus too 😍).

There's not as much spice as in the first book, but these spicy scenes are fantastic.

Overall a nice and fast read, even though it dragged on a bit in the middle.


Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. My opinion and thoughts are my own and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

Let me start off by firstly saying that I love a Hades x Persephone retelling and secondly that this second installment is far better than the first book which I almost dnf.

I was hesitant starting this book, but was immediately drawn in by the higher quality of writing and storytelling. This kept me intrigued 40% into the book.

There was character development, a proper storyline and a few very good action scenes.

But then, the book fell into the same pitfalls I struggled with in the first book:
Persephone's character is immature and spoilt,
The miscommunication trope just carries on for pages,
Inconsistency with pace and story.

There were also inconsistencies such as Persephone wearing a Tshirt, but in the next chapter she is unbuttoning a shirt?

Overall, I would round up to 3.5 stars because the series improved so much that I will read the next and final installment.

I am really holding thumbs that this series will deliver on its potential.

As a final note, Mellie and Helios are wonderful side characters and I am here rooting for them!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for the ARC.