The Temple of Persephone by Isabella Kamal is a captivating blend of mythology and adventure that transports readers to ancient Greece. The story is rich in atmosphere, with vivid descriptions and an intriguing plot centered around Persephone and the mysteries of the ancient temple. Kamal does a wonderful job weaving mythological elements with a modern narrative, creating a story that’s both engaging and thought-provoking. While I felt some moments could have been more developed, it’s a solid read for anyone who loves mythology-based fiction with a touch of mystery.

This was another book I received without requesting it as an apology for not having another book. As a result, it was also not for me.

I am not a historical romance girlie but for those who are, I am sure they would love it. I did like the unique premise of combining mythology with a regency setting. If I were into either of those things, it would be a lot of fun.

DNF at 15%

I absolutely love this story, it drew me in being about Greek mythology which I have loved since I was a kid. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down it's such an enchanted story. Bring the world of mythology and regency together in a fun way.

The temple of Persephone by Isabella Kamal is an innocent romance with outcast characters.
This is an inspiring telling of the Persephone/Hades myth. The audiobook narrator did a great job with the voices and kept me engaged. Aiden and Persephone were likeable. But the plot was not that interesting for me... there were some mystery about the lord of the death and so on. In the end, I thought it was a bit off and it could be organized better. Overall was an okay audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for the ARC of this book.

this was a fun book. I needed a regency itch to be scratched and this worked. I'd read more from this author.

This was a DNF for me.
The narrator, I couldn’t get over. I’m not sure what it is but I think it’s the cadence of her voice. Like everything seemed like a question? I couldn’t enjoy listening to the book and I stopped 75% of the way. The voice was just too distracting.

Bridgerton meets Greek Mythology. Super cute retelling of Hades x Persephone. Mild spice to me, may be more chilis on the scale to others. Audiobook narrator’s voice was calming and smooth, very easy on the ears and enjoyable.

This was a really fun Regency romance - mythologically inspired, that features one of the best meet cute in the history of Regency romances (or romances in general). Sneaking into his library looking for a book? Yes, please! More of that!

The characters were great - including the secondary characters too, although the focus is heavily on the hero and the heroine. We do have a plot throughout the novel, but it's way more character driven as a novel. I do feel like things were not fully completed. Our heroine has some self-esteem issues, our hero has some daddy issues of his own, and they do work on them but it did not feel like a resolute conclusion.

The hero really really really cares about consent. Loved to see that.

There were around 3 spicy scenes or so - but all of them kinda happened in the middle of the novel and there's not much space between them. I think I prefer to have them more distanced throughout the book. I like balance.

It was a really fun read, although a bit repetitive at times - we have a dual POV but fore some reason scenes and words are repeated between the two POVs. And the whole big Lord of the Dark secret? Not so big or interesting. I expected more on that part of the novel. But overall, loved me a Persephone retelling. Eat all the pomegranate seeds, my dear!

3.25 stars

"...and she felt a thrill shoot up her spine at his admission. He'd wanted this. He'd wanted her. The day they met at Gallows' Gate. Her! Undesirable, unlovable Persephone who had paled in comparison to the lovely Venus her entire life. That she felt any surprise at all, made her realize how often her mind refused to accept the simple truth, 'Persephone Honeyfield had never been one to attract affection.' What a terrible belief to hold on to, and what a difficult belief to shake."

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It's a marriage of convenience with two outcast main characters, what's not to love?! Parts felt a little formulaic and forced (which is not bad! I love the formula!!!), but it just didn't stand out that much, or took me out of the story I guess. I think the author wanted to make this "big scary secret" for Aiden and it just didn't hit, but it'd be harder to go darker without shifting the tone. It was a solid Hades/Persephone re-imagining, but like meh? idk.

thank you Netgalley for the audiobook galley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. This was a cute, not quite retelling of the Persephone/Hades myth but more an inspired telling. The audiobook narrator did a great job with the voices and kept me entertained. Aiden and Persephone were very likeable and I found myself rooting for them to get through their conflicts. I quite liked this and the spicy bits which were hot but not scorching.

The temple of Persephone
Author : Isabella Kamal
Narrator : Susan Duerden
Rating : 4/5
Storyline : 3.5 /5
Characters : 3/5
Spicy : 3/5

Contain : Death of parents, Gambling

Fl: Persephone honeyfield
Ml: aiden Barrington (lord of the dead), 2nd son

Persephone has a sister venus (beautiful sister) and father who is a barrien. She loves book like her mother who also like her.
She was looking for a book that was annotated by her mother.
Her father told her that bool was in the library of Aiden 's family home Gallos gate

AIDEN: he work in a funeral furnishings and thats the reason everyone in the ton called him Lord of death.
He has a brother who gamble and ask money from him for gambling after he lost all of his allowance . His mother and father is died. His father before him works in the funeral furnishings and after his death aiden took over.
His father was an ignorant husband and left his wife and son in the Gallos gate.

Their meet cute was interesting. Persephone was in his library to find the book her mother annotated. She did not know aiden was there. When she saw him, she felt from leader and ge caught her before she fell. ( that was sweet)

At that time her father, his friend and gossip monger lady found them in this compromising situation. This led them to marry.

I would like the wedding scenes too.

- beginning was a bit slow but i really like the 2nd half
- his brother was annoying but looks a bit one dimensional
- i was caught off guard by the "Accidental Pregnancy" but i can understand why. ( thats was nice)
- i like the all the insinuation of hades and Persephone ( the pomegranate jewelry, her going home for few days etc)

-Persephone's character is more flush out than Aiden ( her cutting her hair because of stress 👍)

- i love this scene where aiden send a letter to Persephone to explain. In the end of the letter he wrote and cut a sentence.
" I ache for you."
Awww. Thats was sweet☺️

When i was read this book i was imagining "Lore Olympus" (webtoon).

The Temple of Persephone was such a great historical romance. Persephone and Aidon both stuck out in society and were joined by fate. Their love story was’t typical but it was unique and perfect for them. Aidon was known as the lord of the dead which turned away many prospects for a wife while Persephone didn’t fit the typical standards for a lady. Together they make the perfect pair. The combination of Greek mythology and Bridgeton vibes made for a great read.

I thought this was a great story with fun tie-ins to Greek mythology. Set in a regency-era London and outskirts of London, it follows a young lady named Persephone. As she’s searching for a beloved book that belonged to her mother, she meets Aiden. To cover up what could have become a scandal, they quickly marry and what follows is the two of them growing as individuals and as a couple. I did feel the mystery surrounding “the lord of the dead” was a bit of a let down but overall I enjoyed this book a whole lot!

This was a delightful, light romance book with an arranged marriage, secrets and mythology references/metaphors.

After all the heavy fantasy and horror reads I've had lately, and my very emotional romance read, I really needed something sweet and light.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.

"The Temple of Persephone" is a captivating and enchanting novel that transports readers into a world of myth and romance. Aiden, also known as The Lord of the Dead, is the epitome of the dark, brooding hero with a heart of gold. His magnetic presence on the page is sure to leave readers blushing and swooning as they follow his journey.

Persephone, the spirited and independent heroine, is a refreshing portrayal of a real woman with her short, unruly hair and fierce determination. Her dynamic character adds depth and authenticity to the story, making her a protagonist readers can truly root for.

The legend of Persephone and Hades is beautifully mirrored in this novel, adding a layer of depth and intrigue to the romance. Fans of the Bridgerton Series will appreciate the similar feel and captivating storytelling that "The Temple of Persephone" offers.

As the pages turn, readers will find themselves immersed in a world of forbidden love, tantalizing secrets, and undeniable passion. And with the tantalizing mention of Venus and her potential adventures, this reader is eagerly hoping that the author will continue the series, allowing readers to delve deeper into the enchanting world they've created.

This was a fun Persephone and Hades retelling. I loved watching Persephone and Aidon find their HEA. Like the Persephone and Hades in the original myth there was more to Persephone and Aidon and their own story than they each thought of each other, than others thought of them, than they thought about themselves. I enjoyed it. I'll be sure to read Isabella Kamal's future books.

I would give the book a 3.5, rounding to a 4 for the purposes here. I thought it was a sweet story and enjoyed Persephone's relationship with Aidon. I did find the reveal of Aidon's deep, dark secret to be very anti-climactic, and I didn't find the characters to be very three-dimensional, while I enjoyed them at face value, they aren't characters that will hold a special place in my heart. I also found the narrator for the audiobook to be distracting. The cadence of speaking felt unnatural.

I enjoyed this one but am not sure that I would buy it now that I've read it. But I do have some ppl to recommend it to!

I'm a big historical romance fan. Huge. And I definitely have my favorite authors, and a list of more I want to try. But still I'm a sucker for checking out a debut author, especially if the premise is intriguing. Isabella Kamal's melding of HR and Greek mythology definitely intrigued me, and happily I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found both lead characters charming, and liked that they were attracted to each other from the beginning, even though they were very different in temperament. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow and evolve from being a marriage of convenience (initiated by "necessity" borne of having been caught in a compromising position). It has the usual communication breakdowns and bad relatives and other familiar tropes, but they're nicely done. And the narration Susan Duerden was excellent. I'll absolutely keep an eye out for more books from Isabella Kamal.
Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to get with this historical romance, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results!

The use of Greek mythology, explicitly the story of Hades and Persephone is a fun starting point for these two laws find each other and quickly find themselves married!

Persephone Honeyfield doesn’t have a lot of hopes for finding a husband in her small town. She’s always played second fiddle to her bright and beautiful younger sister… so she is surprised to find herself in the arms of her mysterious and elusive neighbour Aidon Barrington.

Mr. Aidon Barrington Is known in the gossip rags as the Lord of the dead- with a reputation like that how is he ever going to find a wife? No wonder he grabs on to the first one that falls into his arms!

Quickly married, Aiden and Persephone Now need to find a way to become husband and wife, but Aiden’s secrets and infamy are threatening to tear them apart before they even come together!

I absolutely loved both these characters and how they developed after being able to flourish in the bounds of matrimony.

The narration provided by Susan Deurden turned out to be a perfect match for this story. Her sultry voice added an extra layer to the character’s pining through the narration. Her voice work for both leads was well done and fit. The characters and the side characters were nicely represented as well. Deurden’s voice is very recognizable, and I was worried it would take away from the story, but it ended up having the opposite resolved and made this book come to life!

The audiobook of The Temple of Persephone by Isabella Kamal and narrated by Susan Deurden is available now.