Reviewing A Touch of Darkness is not an easy task, considering there are two ways to talk about this.
A) By letting the mood reader who loves to indulge in smut take over.
Or B) by letting the reader who loves some good plot, development and logic do the talking.

Either version of myself would deliver a different outcome to this review, but it would also feel incomplete to just offer you one point of view. Therefore, you have to deal with two versions of myself describing their review experiences. However, I think I‘m not the only one who is torn between two sides if it comes to this book, so maybe hearing both outcomes, will be more useful than just one.

If I let the first version of myself - the one who loves to indulge in a steamy romance and binge a book just for vibes - take over, then I would tell you this: A Touch of Darkness is a fun, quick, addictive and very hot read that is perfect for a weekend where you just want to turn your head off and mindlessly read. The setting of a modern world with the Greek Gods and Goddesses roaming it is fun, and seeing some known names from Greek Mythologies walking around feels like hunting for easter eggs which I definitely enjoyed. Especially to see how these characters were placed in this modern world was something I enjoyed. I mean there’s no way Hades would be anything but a club owner, making bargains with mortal, right? As for the story of Hades and Persephone, it kicks in rather quickly, not letting you wait too long for these two to share a scene together, and definitely is anything but the definition of slow-burn. Hades wants Persephone, Persephone wants Hades, and we want them. Together. Undressed. And it‘s common knowledge that that is what we get.

However, if I let the logical part inside of me take over, the outcome looks rather different. As the main focus is put on Hades and Persephone‘s relationship, we don‘t get to see much of the events that happen in the world which makes some aspects feel underdeveloped or unlogical. I would have loved to see more of the world than just clubs, and I would have love to see some more depth to the characters themselves. The secondary characters are rather flat, and while Persephone and Hades do have more aspects to them, they as well are mostly overrun by their lust for each other. And while the first version of myself enjoyed this being anything but slow-burn, the other part of me - the one speaking now - would have wished for someone to hit the brakes in terms of their relationship. Especially since it‘s the lust that is dominant in this story, and not the aspect of love, no matter how much the characters claim those feelings for each other.

But the part in me that binged this book, and enjoyed it, didn‘t mind the flaws and issues that came with it. On the contrary, I had a hell of a time with it, it was addictive, and I flew through the pages. At the time of me reading this, it was just the perfect story to escape. Especially because I‘ve been reading fantasy novels with big worldbuilding before picking this one up. Therefore, it was just the right book to mindlessly read, spend my evening with, and enjoy. Without needing to put too much thought in it. I needed a steamy romance, and I got one. Hades surely delivered what he is promising. That part in me would have come here, and rated this book with delicious five stars.

The logical part of me that saw the issues, though, wouldn‘t have gone higher than maybe 2.5 stars. Because as much as I enjoyed the stories, some aspects were not developed enough to make sense. Aside from the steamy scenes, no other plotline had me intrigued enough to care much about it, and I craved for some more development.

So what am I gonna do now?
I let version one and version two of Aleksandra sit down together, and came with a decent rating of three stars, maybe even giving it the .5 if we do the math (okay that would be 3.75 but since GoodReads won‘t let us even do halfstars, and I never use .25 to my ratings, we stick to 3.5!).

This is an okay book. It‘s far from perfect and lacks things that I would have wished to see - especially considering the hype it had received over the last years - so it would wholly have its grip on me. However, it kept to its promise to be a steamy romance one can have fun with reading, and therefore I generally enjoyed this book for what it is. Depending on what you‘re looking for and what you‘re excepting, you will either end up enjoying it and binging it in a sitting or two, or be left disappointed if you‘re looking for some grand worldbuilding and deeper character development. Overall, it really comes down to what you‘re looking for, and if you‘re looking for a steamy read you can mindlessly read, one that is addicting and delivers some good smut, then this might one you‘d enjoy picking up!

I for, my part, will continue with this series nonetheless what the rational part in me says!