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List Price: $12.95 | | Publisher: Phaze Books
Salesrank: 898021
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| Our Price: $11.68 |
| Used Price: $15.98 |
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| Media: Paperback |
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Editorial Review:
Sheltered Persephone, Goddess of Spring, never gets to do anything--thanks to the suffocating love of her mother, Demeter. Sephie is being carefully groomed to follow in the footsteps of the two "virgin" goddesses, Athena and Artemis, and while they sure do have a lot of fun together, she longs for something deeper--and darker. When Aidon, the God of the Underworld--generally known as Hades--appears in his chariot to claim Persephone for his bride, the young goddess gets more than she wished for. Held captive in the Underworld, she suddenly longs to return to the safety and security of her mother's protection, but the dark and commanding Aidon binds her to him, claiming her bit by glorious bit as his own. Her coming of age is one of sexual awakening as she learns the bondage her new master imposes fulfills her darkest desires. Persephone finds herself submitting to and obeying Aidon's command and discovers being taken and consumed in the heat of passion by a man--a god--is what she was truly made for. Persephone can't deny her own nature, or her growing feelings for Aidon, as she submits to his domination and surrenders as his wife and prepares to rule as his Queen. As she finally admits her own feelings, Persephone faces the looming specter of her history, which threatens to shatter the newly formed bonds between the couple. She must now face not only her past, but her present, and her future--no longer only the Goddess of Spring, but also as the wife of Aidon and Queen of the Underworld--and the choices she will be forced to make will change the world forever. Elements: Intense scenes
The Surrender of Persephone Reviews:
Mixed bag 
2009-11-26 - I am a big fan of the Hades and Persephone myth and when I heard about it, I was definitely curious to read it! Persephone felt like a real character to me, smothered by her mother and all. Her thoughts and emotions felt real, and Hades sounded very hot. The story was overall faithful to the original myth and the main characters were concrete enough to be convincing.
However, this story took a turn into BDSM with several painful scenes that I didn't expect. Ms. Kitt is a good author who has a wonderful way with words, and many scenes in this story was wonderful, but several scenes bothered me as well as the enforced nudity, though the author did have a decent explanation for that. This is also the first and only Ms. Kitt work that I have ever read, so perhaps her other books also had similar themes in them and Ms, Kitt (and BDSM) fans would enjoy this book more than I did.
The Surrender of Persephone 
2009-05-16 - The Goddess of Spring, Persephone, feels like a child under the shadow of Demeter, her over protective mother. She longs to experience new wonders but is limited to consorting with virgin goddesses Athena and Artemis. Although she enjoys spending time with her friends, Sephie is drawn to the opposite sex. Her curiosity is satiated when Hades, called Aidon, God of the Underworld, appears. Before she can think, he snatches her up and takes her to his underground home. It's there that Persephone discovers that she is a submissive, and comes to relish Aidon's dominance, and her role as his wife and Queen of the Underworld.
Will she choose to remain by his side? And if so, how will she ever face her mother again after submitting her mind, body and soul to Aidon?
The retelling of The Rape of Persephone is a decadently erotic story of dominance and submission. Various gods, goddesses and players from the Hesiod and Greek/Roman legend and lore drop in to The Surrender of Persephone to recall various stories revolving around the underworld and its rulers. Each encounter between Persephone and Aidon is lavishly lurid. Their exploits explode throughout the realm of the dead. This dark place becomes Sephie's new playground and it's interesting to watch her blossom into womanhood under Aidon's dark mastery as she accepts her role as his wife and equal. Be warned. The sexual escapades are explicitly intense, equipped with instruments and acts to test your knowledge and comfort zone. I was thankful this pair falls deeply in love.
Alas, my only issue is a reoccurring one. Although these are gods and goddesses, they display human traits which seem to overshadow their supernatural posture. Maybe it's a device used to connect Sephie and Aidon to the audience but it's never worked on me. Where's the fun in reading about immortals when they're too much like people? Reaching the end, I still had to concede that Selena Kitt does an excellent job of fine tuning an old story with vigor, humor, intelligence and passion.
Patrice
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Surprising, and Seductively Erotic 
2009-04-05 - The Surrender of Persephone by Selena Kitt (2009; Phaze Books) retells the Classical Greek myth of the virgin goddess of spring, Persephone, and her abduction by the god of the Underworld, Hades. In myth, Persephone grows into her role as queen of the Underworld to become a powerful and mysterious goddess. In Kitt's uncensored version, Persephone chafes at her mother Demeter's restrictiveness and dim view of males, both human and divine.
On her way to gather wild flowers for her mother's harvest festival, Persephone pauses to watch a mortal laborer bathe in a stream, entranced by his beauty. She gets sidetracked by the goddesses Artemis and Athena, "virgin" goddesses who are off-limits to males but more than happy to dally with other immortal women. Despite such pleasurable divine intervention, Persephone still wonders, "Will the ache between my thighs only be satisfied by a man?"
Up from the depths of the earth comes Hades, also known as Aidon. He lifts Persephone into his chariot and takes her to the eerily lovely splendor of his Underworld kingdom, the land of the dead. In his mind, this is a perfectly acceptable arranged marriage, a deal between Aidon and Persephone's father Zeus. Persephone feels a mixture of fear and attraction to the handsome, amber-eyed god. Slowly, he introduces her to a world of sensual delights balanced with controlled pain.
I'm not usually a fan of books about bondage, dominance and submission. If I were, I would probably prefer the women on top. Aidon dominates Persephone, and from Kitt's skillful writing, it is also abundantly clear he loves her. The couple comes to love one another and seem to be meant to be together. The sweetness balances the S&M themes.
Only two things slightly mar this darkly romantic tale. One is the implied heterosexism. Why shouldn't Persephone's encounters with Athena and Artemis be as satisfying as her encounters with Aidon? The other is Debi Lewis's cover art. The models are beautiful, but don't quite match the book's descriptions of its divine beings.
Otherwise, The Surrender of Persephone is a highly enjoyable erotic romance.
