Review--A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair

 

Persephone's relationship with Hades has gone public and the resulting media storm disrupts her normal life and threatens to expose her as the Goddess of Spring.

Hades, God of the Dead, is burdened by a hellish past that everyone's eager to expose in an effort to warn Persephone away.

Things only get worse when a horrible tragedy leaves Persephone's heart in ruin and Hades refusing to help. Desperate, she takes matters into her own hands, striking bargains with severe consequences.

Faced with a side of Hades she never knew and crushing loss, Persephone wonders if she can truly become Hades' queen.

 

 

 

 

Scarlett St. Clair returns to the intensely heated relationship of Persephone and Hades in A Touch of Ruin. This book continues the couple's developing relationship and all the trials and tribulations that they are about to face in the coming weeks. Loyalties will be tested, feelings will be tested, let's just say, there's a lot of tests ahead and there's a lot threatening to tear the two apart. Will their love be strong enough to overcome it? Time will tell. 

This story pretty much picks up where the first book left off with Persephone and Hades pursuing a relationship with one another. And it seems all of New Athens is already made aware of Hades' new love interest as they are splashed all over the tabloids. It isn't long before Persephone finds herself questioning a lot of things about Hades and his past. Especially when a nymph, Louce appears who claims she's Hades' ex-lover and is making demands of him. Just how many women came before Persephone? She wonders if she's just another fleeting distraction for him. The secrets just seem to be piling up and Persephone finds herself questioning everything about their relationship.

Persephone's relationship drama isn't her only problem, her friend, Sybil has a major falling out with Apollo and she loses his favor along with her powers and everything else. Persephone gets into a rage and writes a scathing article about the god that pretty much puts a bullseye on her back and only Hades can protect her from the other god's wrath. If that wasn't enough, tragedy will strike once again and Persephone will find she will need Apollo's help and she will have to become indebted to the wrathful god in order to make things right once again.

I honestly thought when I started this book there would no longer be any strife between Persephone and Hades. After all they overcame in the first book, I thought their relationship would have more time to develop. Instead, they have a lot more to learn about each other, although, it's more Persephone learning more about Hades, who still remains very secretive. I'll be very interested to know what he was thinking and doing in his next book, which I plan to read before diving into Persephone's third book. It kind of amazes me that Hades is only now getting his side of the story, but I am enjoying it regardless! I almost wonder if a dual point of view story would've worked just as well, but perhaps not since Persephone continues to do a lot of growing on her own when Hades isn't around, but I would almost like to see how St. Clair would tackle that style of writing as well.

There was yet another small "conflict" you could say that popped up that I felt like wasn't given enough emphasis. I remember seeing the first sign but then it was there and gone and forgotten before we got a twist near the end. I guess I just don't understand how it fit since it wasn't given enough page time. When the connection is made at the end though, I guess you could say it was more prolonged than it was...it just felt weird to me. I don't quite understand how it fit into the story other than to add one more end problem. I know, I'm being vague but I don't want to spoil things. If there had been more buildup with this problem throughout the story it wouldn't have seem so off course, but yeah, it kind of threw me a bit. I wonder if this is something that will be more explored when we get to Hades' pov of this book or not. Time will tell I suppose!

I guess one thing that continues to nag at me regarding the romance in this series is how the lovemaking is referred to f***ing each and every time. I know this is a weird thing to get hung up on, but from all my reading over the years, I've pretty much associated "f***ing" as sex without the feelings and emotions behind it as that is how it's be written every time it's referred to as such. F***ing is pure physical, no emotions involved. But here, it seems to be the opposite as it's literally how the couple refers to their sexual activity. Legit at the end for one time only, "lovemaking" was used and it totally threw me when I read it. I know, I know! I need to let it go. It's just a word choice, but it nags at the romantic in me when one word refers to a physical act and the more flowery word--as cheesy as it is--feels a little more romantic on the emotional level. That when this word gets used, it really gets down to the nit and gritty of love where the other just sating a physical need for sex. Again, just my personal impressions or beliefs based on all the other romance books I've read all these years. So I'll get off my little soapbox here and end it.

I did enjoy the continuing growth of Persephone and Hades' relationship though. That it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows was refreshing, though oddly, I kind of thought they'd have that for most of the book before "the big problem" popped up. Since the third book is waiting for me soon, and I see that St. Clair plans to write another Hades' point of view book for the third "Persephone" book, I wonder again what problems will be coming between them to cause so much separation to warrant yet another book solely from the god's point of view. 

The ending was something of a surprise I guess you could say! I mean the last act, not so much, but the teeny tiny grand finale moment was very foreboding. I would have thought this meant for epic buildup to a grand finale, but I have since learned there will be a fourth Persephone book, so now I'm really curious as to what's going to happen next! I may be having a few personal issues here and there with this series to date, but I still find myself reading them! It's an addiction I guess! Lol. Scarlett St. Clair definitely puts a new spin on the Greek gods and since I've been a fan of Greek mythology since I was youth, I'm all for this passionate spin! I look forward to seeing what will happen next!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars