Captured by Linsey Hall

Title: Captured (The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone #3)

Author: Linsey Hall

Publisher: Bonnie Doon Press 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 192

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The god of hell wants me to be his queen.

I’ve screwed up. Big time. A day ago, I mistakenly released the evil Titan Chronos onto the Earth. He’s spreading devastation in his pursuit of ultimate power, and it’s all my fault.

The only way to stop him is to fulfil an ancient prophecy and unite with Hades. Problem is, Hades plans to rule in Chronos’ place, spreading the underworld to earth. He wants me to rule by his side, a dark queen to his dark king.

As much as I want Hades—I might even be growing to love him—I can’t be part of something so terrible. Underneath Hades’ dark exterior, I know there is goodness inside. My only hope is to convince him to turn to the light, because I’m afraid I can't live without him.

And we arrive at the end of this particular story. While I enjoyed most of the storyline, it did seem a bit rushed at time. I wanted to spend a bit more time working out how Hades and Seraphia have connected to each other throughout this story. There were elements of emotional connection, but a bit more would have been better. I did enjoy seeing the rest of the Shadow Guild come together to help them defeat Chronos.

The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone

• #1 Infernal

• #2 Awakened

• #3 Captured

Next up on the TBR pile:

Awakened by Linsey Hall

Title: Awakened (The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone #2)

Author: Linsey Hall

Publisher: Bonnie Doon Press 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 226

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

I'm going back to hell, and Hades awaits...

Two weeks ago, I escaped Hades fortress. He might not admit it, but we’re on opposite sides of a war. He wants to spread eternal darkness; I want to stop him.

To succeed, I must master my magic before it destroys me. But Hades still thinks he can seduce me to the dark side. I let him think he’s right, because he’s the only one who can teach me how to use my magic.

But this practice requires that we touch, and once we do, our connection is impossible to resist. Soon, I’m torn between my goals and Hades. If I can’t resist his darkness that calls so sweetly, we’re all doomed.

I’m still really enjoying this trilogy based on the Hades and Persephone myth. This is definitely my fluffy romance pick for the month, but sometimes that’s exactly what I want. I liked how this book really did move the story ahead. We get to Seraphia accept her identity as a goddess and embrace most of her powers. But she also makes a stronger connection to Hades and learns more about his world. The chapters narrated by Hades aren’t quite as exacting but we do get to see some growth of understanding in him. I already have the last book in this series ready and waiting on my Kindle, but it’ll have to wait for my library books that will be due soon. My biggest complaint with this book is that it suffers from not enough Lucifer.

The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone

• #1 Infernal

• #2 Awakened

• #3 Captured

Next up on the TBR pile:

Infernal by Linsey Hall

Title: Infernal (The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone #1)

Author: Linsey Hall

Publisher: Bonnie Moon Press 2020

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 356

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Hades never saw me coming...

Tuesday night in the library started out normal--alone with cheap beer and a murder mystery. Partying, librarian style. Until the god Hades appears.

When he abducts me, I try to say he's got the wrong girl--I'm no goddess. At least, I don't think so.

Suddenly, I'm in his world, captive. The upside? I live in a castle with a lethally beautiful god who wants to make me a queen. The downside? He's scary AF and also wants me to help him destroy the world.

Obviously that gets a big 'no' from me. I'll do whatever it takes to escape, including seducing the god of death. But together, we're an inferno, and the heat is impossible to resist. His touch fogs my mind, but I must succeed. Otherwise, everyone dies.

Sorta random pick for this month. A FB group centered on sci-fi and fantasy books picked this as a random buddy read. It was cheap on Amazon, so I picked it up and started reading. And surprisingly, I really enjoyed this one. We get a very different Hades and Persephone pairing in this book. The tone is fairly dark and more horror-minded. There is the beginnings of romance, but we definitely end on a big cliffhanger. This was a nice contrast to my other Hades and Persephone stories (Neon Gods, Lore). I will continue this series.

The Shadow Guild: Hades and Persephone

• #1 Infernal

• #2 Awakened

• #3 Captured

Next up on the TBR pile: