A Touch of Darkness (Hades x Persephone Saga, 1)

From bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair comes a dark and enthralling reimagining of the Hades and Persephone Greek myth.

"Let me worship you," he said.

She remembered the words she had whispered to him in the back of the limo after La Rose. "You will worship me, and I won't even have to order you." His request felt sinful and devious, and she reveled in it.

She answered, "Yes."

Persephone is the Goddess of Spring in title only. Since she was a little girl, flowers have only shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hoped to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. All of that changes when she sits down in a forbidden nightclub to play a hand of cards with a hypnotic and mysterious stranger.

Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible. But nothing has ever intrigued him as much as the goddess offering him a bargain he can't resist.

After her encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead, and his terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever. The bet does more than expose Persephone's failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows--a love that is both captivating and forbidden.

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400 pages

Average rating: 7.32

573 RATINGS

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46 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

xlabiba
Jan 07, 2025
1/10 star
DNF. I read more than half and just had to stop. It’s so frustrating. Scarlett turned Persephone into a reckless, overly lust-driven character who can’t think straight. Despite Hades being honest and validating her, she barely absorbs it—just long enough to give in to her desire—only to immediately spin around and accuse him of lying. She clings to gossip about him being "this and that," even though when she visited his realm, the people loved him and clearly explained who he really is. She dismissed them as fools, and now she’s acting like one herself. On top of that, she’s constantly playing the victim—crying about how she’s going to be a prisoner or whining about how unfair everything is. It’s exhausting and makes her impossible to root for.
lizac
Dec 09, 2024
4/10 stars
i kind of hated this? but also kind of enjoyed it? idk how to feel and idk if i’ll keep reading the series. oh well.
Anonymous
Nov 10, 2024
8/10 stars
There have been a few reboots to the Hades and Persephone mythos in the past few years, and this one has certainly become a new favorite of mine. I think one of my favorite elements of this version of Persephone was her growth. At the start of the book, she's trying to reach for her independence but is very afraid of her mother and what that entails. By the end, she was kicking butt and taking names and I was there
JT Penguin
Nov 06, 2024
10/10 stars
I loved this retelling of Hades and Persephone and I'm excited there are more books in the series! I was confused at first about how the Greek myths interact in the modern world but you pick up on it pretty quickly. I like the characters and the growth they go through.
LoveAndLore
Nov 03, 2024
7/10 stars
I love Hades! Persephone can be a little grating at moments but the two of them together!

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