Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - A Touch of Malice

I felt like it started very slow and got back on track about 40% into the book. I really enjoyed all the twists and where this story is headed but overall felt like a lot of times the spicy scenes took away from the severity of the events that happened shorty before which started to annoy me unfortunately. Made it seem like they can’t talk about stuff without it resulting in sex.

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yarisbooksandbevs's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Liked this one a lot more. It’s nice to see Persephone start to step into Her power

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ninahuynh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

3 things:

A few of the sex scenes are confusing, some of which I think could do without. As the amount of explicit scenes increase and how they arrive to it feel... sudden and might I say, cheap. I makes their relationship's foundation as sex. In some cases, it just feels out of place.
I like how Scarlett St. Clair illustrates the deep trauma that comes with boundaries violation and sexual assault. I like that it wasn't just glossed over or simplified; everyone deals with trauma and heals from trauma differently.
Who is Theo? Dunno if that's a typo in my ebook but could not find who Theo is. First scene with Theseus.

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renee_fae's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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r1vana's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

"I love him, Hecate. The world wants to take him from me, and I fear if I do not release him, there will be war."

"Oh, my dear," Hecate said, a note of melancholy in her voice, "No matter your choice, there is no avoiding war."

Character growth for Persephone. FINALLY! Such a difference from the first two books.
Surprisingly I enjoyed this book better then the previous ones. She is still whiny but tolerable . I don’t like the excessiveness of smut in this. So out of place and repetitive.
In general, this whole story could have needed in two books.

"You are my everything, he said. "My first love, my wife, the first and last Queen of the Underworld."

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mmontemurro's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this final book from Persephone's POV (with the exception of one final chapter). Synopsis --- Adonis (Aphrodite's favored) is found dead and there is suspicion that this was an act against the divine. Persephone is called a "Lemming" by a mortal stranger (blind follower of the Gods). This stranger, Lara, was raped by Zeus, and has an understandable hatred towards Gods because of it. Harmonia, Aphrodite's sister, is assaulted and nearly dies. A net was used to restrain the God and make her lose her powers. Demeter is suspected to have something to do with the attempted murder. Persephone is tasked to determine who is doing these acts, as she is close with both mortals and Gods alike. Persephone finds out that Hades cannot father children, as he has given up the ability to give a mortal woman divinity. Persephone meets Theseus, the leader of Triad, and immediately senses his off-putting nature. Hades and Persephone have sex at Demeter's temple in retribution for her snowstorm. Persephone learns how to heal herself (by cutting herself over and over again), and gets help from Hypnos to sleep, as she is having nightmares about the kidnapping she endured. Helen leaves Persephone's business to join with Theseus in Triad. Thanatos is spending time with Lexa in Elysium, and they are becoming more intimate. The goddess Tyche is killed at the Panhellenic Games by Okeanos, a son of Zeus. Persephone is hurt by her own power and Hades arrives just in time to heal her. Whisking her away to their island of Lampri, they spend a weekend together away from the chaos. Hades is summoned to Olympus for a meeting about Demeter's storm. Persephone listens with The Helm of Darkness, making her invisible. Tyche tells Persephone that Demeter kept her a secret in part because of Hades, but mostly because Demeter was raped by Poseidon. Zeus refused to punish Poseidon for this, and it could have led to Demeter's hatred for the Olympians. Hades postulates that Triad is restraining Gods with a new version of Hephaestus's net and stabbed with a Hydra-poisoned arrow - a relic. At the Olympian engagement party, Zeus' oracle predicts that their "marriage will produce a god more powerful than Zeus himself." Hades convinces Zeus that this is not possible, as he cannot father children. If ever their was a child, it would be killed. Hades and Persephone marry that night, so as to not wait for Zeus to change his mind. Persephone and Thanatos talk about Lexa - Thanatos knows Lexa will one day reincarnate, and he does not want to fall in love with her because of his fear of losing her. Persephone wishes for Thanatos to tell Lexa he loves her anyway. Persephone finds Theseus in Sybil's apartment, and Sybil and Harmonia have been kidnapped to make Persephone cooperate. Hades owes a favor to Theseus for him returning a relic back in book 1, and claims it by making him stay behind while he kidnaps Persephone. Persephone knows Hades will follow, so she restrains him, and leaves with Theseus. Theseus takes Persephone's ring, seemingly knowing that Hades can track her through it. They are all held in a hotel room (Persephone, Harmonia, and Sybil). Zofie tries to save them, but is killed by Theseus in the process. Theseus wants to enter the underworld through Lerna Lake and wants to use Persephone to help him get The Helm of Darkness. Hades tries to find Persephone by tracking her ring, and ends up in a maze made of Adamant which could bind Gods. A net traps him as he finds the ring, and he is unable to move or use his power. Persephone leads Theseus to the arsenal, and Hecate helps to save Harmonia and Sybil. Demeter arrives and Persephone unintentionally kills her with the weapons in Hades' arsenal - Hecate informs her that Demeter's thread is cut anyway, and there is nothing they can do. At the end, Theseus releases the Titans from Tartarus. Hades' fate is unknown.

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jazzmarie22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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