First I want to say that there is no comparing Hades to MK. MK and her boys were young, they lacked open communication, their "bad assness" was backed by Hades and they leaned on her a lot to help with their challenges.

Hades embodies darkness, fear, and strength on her own. Her men trained MK's boys and proved they can and will put them in their place if needed. So keep that in mind if you see stupid discussions about WHO IS BEST...

Now... It has been a decade since a series hs kept me on the edge of my seat like this. I finished book 3, 8 hours before Timber dropped and during the wait I was unable to focus and I felt like my skin was crawling. THAT is how anxious and hyped I was to get answers.

Hades is officially imprinted in my heart. I love her strength, intelligence, her humanity, and selflessness. She is relatable to so many woman. She's a survivor not a victim. She empowers and exudes power and sexuality. As someone who is 5ft tall, I get annoyed when a female is described as 5'8 and petite. No that bitch is an amazon. I do not believe Hades height was ever stated (which I appreciate) but her small stature was mentioned several times, her love for tall heels, and how so many underestimated her made me love her more. The fact that so many big strong men stuttered and stumbled, that their hearts raced with fear and were rendered speechless at the sight of this tiny little red head was entertaining and appreciated.

Lucas my special Gumdrop. We are undeserving of him. From the jump he has been the most honest, understanding, supportive, confident, male counterpart I've ever seen. His shyness mixed with this alpha moments was just OMG the feels. I loved this acceptance and willingness to just go with the flow. He's so observant and analytical. I never once doubted is loyalty, I appreciated him stepping up and his desire to be an contributing asset to Team Hades.

Cass is only in his mid thirties! It killed me every time he was referred to as old. He's NOT old, he's experienced. THAT is why he was so perfect. I love how he stepped in as a mentor to Lucas on so many things. His self confidence allowed him to effortlessly ease into poly life. For me he was the most dangerous of all as he does not and has never needed a second.

Zed... saved Zed for last because while there are so many things I liked about him, there was just a vibe he gave off that I struggled with. YES he's sexy, suave, and violent. His loyalty and willingness to sacrafice for Hades was admirable. His paranoia, cooking abilities, and kinks were all turn ons in my book. BUT he was just so hard headed and enjoyed stirring the pot. His mama irked me. His lack of communication was not healthy. And knowing that he sabotaged Cass's chance was upsetting. Granted everyone get a HEA and as we learn EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON, he just rubbed me wrong so than not. With that said he's still incredibly bad ass.

As a whole this poly grouping for me was intense, entertaining, and just perfection. In many "reverse harem" books, the guys usually already have an existing bromance/loyalty that the female is introduced into. Yet here, the men all had to learn how to coexist. The overall storyline with Chase, the organize crime and power struggle(s) were consuming. It is going to be hard not to compare other Dark Mafia Romances to this series.

* Side notes: I don't care for Seph, I appreciate her growth but I have no interest in her having her own book series just putting that out there. Rex's boys, yep totally interested, Little A, love her and look forward to seeing her growth as more Shadow Grove content is released.