For me it’s not just the word p*ssy, it’s the context. I find a lot of authors will have an old fashioned fantasy setting and then using only use words like that during sex scenes. It’s like following a medieval knight and then in one scene he starts calling people dude, it doesn’t fit. I feel like we’re all really lacking in the language around sex that isn’t from modern porn.
Have you read fourth wing? I believe they wrote modern language in the fantasy setting on purpose but I cracked up every time someone swore saying "fuck" during like a battle in a dragon
@@kenzashenna Weirdly enough fuck is kinda a ancient word. You can find it going back to Shakespeares times and I have to be honest I am not a history person apart from knowing that it seems to be in common use then as its not explained in the plays its used in. I have know idea how much further back it goes. It’s funny. I think because we think of it as ‘ bad’ we think of it as new but it really isn’t. Even weirder Shakespeare has joke in Henry V about a pun with not only fuck but also should I just say ‘See you next Tuesday’ (I didn’t think I’d be aloud to put that word in the comments), but that is a word I definitely put in the modern category I would never think that it would be used by a man like Shakespeare.
The word “cunt” was the old word for the vagina and was used neutrally a long time ago, but American culture has labeled it a very taboo word. So unless people want to get comfortable seeing that printed in “olden days” settings for their books…
From the sounds of things, this version of Hades actually comes closer to matching the depiction of the original myths better than most adaptations. For some reason, every media adaptation of Greek Myths casts Hades as a villain, when in the myths, he’s not really all that evil, just gloomy and not a lot of fun to be around. In other words, Hades is the original emo.
His often cast as the villain because of thw association of the underworld with hell and therefore him with satan, it's pretty annoying because greek myth doesn't really work within the confines of Christianity thinking.
@@Queer_AuDHD_Dragon That's completely not true??? Apolo raises the sun, Demeter is the one who makes the plants grow in the spring, Hephaestus is constantly making tools, like one of most well known myth has athena doing her war thing, Zeus's has his myths of him doing his justice thing, like punishing people who where really bad hosts (killing their guests/eating human meat).
@@noname-kx4cu Demeter is the one who neglects her job due to personal reasons every year (plants would grow all the time if she didn't), Hephaestus is just pursuing his own hobbies and not his job, and zeus is a horny mf who barely does anything king-like except abuse his authority. The fact you say he has myths implies those are special occasions. Apollo is also pretty frivolous and likes to strut around doing his own thing and be as capricious as other gods. So yes, Hades is the only one who does his job not only well, but consistently.
I did not expect the audiobook to be that awful! Rachel, the face I made with that “do your worst” narration. I wished I could curl up so tight I turn into a black hole, because what the heck was that???? I’m glad you provided examples, but I also wish I didn’t hear that. 😂
As someone who's been reading books like these for over a decade, I'm *very* happy that it seems like more erotica writers nowadays are making it a point to mention or show enthusiastic consent in their books. I think that's super important because too many books have these quite frankly rape-y sounding scenes thinking it sounds hot, when really it just sounds like someone's two seconds away from getting SA'd. Even if Katee's prose itself isn't that great, I def appreciate it.
definitely! enthusiastic consent has been... absent in a couple of booktok faves (ahem.. coho), so it was great to see it here as well as a partner that is constantly checking up on the mc
@@zombieedrea a thought I had while reading your comment: if some authors are trying to go with a more kinkier vibe, great! By all means! But they need to know that kinkier (thinking something like consensual non-consent here) starts with heavy, enthusiastic consent and maintains enthusiastic consent throughout.
Hey Rachel, I just wanted to say I really appreciate you using inclusive language in your sponsored segment. "For all bodies" and other gender neutral language. I think most people won't notice, but to a non-binary person it means the world. Me. I am the non-binary person and it makes me really happy when inclusive/non-gendered language is used that casually and naturally.
I physically read Neon Gods and the amount of gratitude I have for past me choosing not to listen to the audiobook. Every time you played a clip, the cringe I crunged
@smanthajones5881 Some of the dark romances recommended there are usually isn't that dark at all. Like the mafia ones or the mc ones. I suppose if one is just starting out in the dark romance stuff yeah. But otherwise? Nah.
I’m ace so I haven’t really read spicy books but i loveeddd this video so I can get a breakdown of the plot haha. also I extremely appreciate fostering a sex positive space with the sponsorship! Talking about sex causally without shame is empowering
A friend got me to read one of the 50 Shades books, (by which I mean wouldn’t stop suggesting) so I caved….and my Aroace brain just went “boooring!” After the first “horizontal tango” scene and I gave up reading it. XD
@@kellymurray8998I'm also ace and mostly read romance and sometimes there is spicy scenes, most often than not I dont mind them but it does gets boring when it's multiple times in the books, so a skip it.
For Hades being meaner comment. Well, in the original mythology he's kinda just a dude, even in the most crude versions. Out of the OG brothers he's the nicest guy, depending on the versions of the myth he never cheated on Perse, which says a lot already (glares at Zeus' "imma fuck everything that breathes" cheating ass). He got a villain reputation just bc he's looking over the "death place", but he's really not one. Like he's very reasonable and forgiving, take Orpheus' myth for example. Anyway, i'm a Hades defender through and through, my man got done dirty, Zeus has always been the real villain
Well their start is very not good, he kidnaps and r-words persephone. The story is even called the grape of persephone. He sees persephone goes to her father to ask if he can have her(happens alot back in the days.) and he is like yah you can. Instead of asking what persephone wants, he opens a crack in the earth to swallow her. Then is like your my wife now and He doesn't let her go home even though she wants to go back to her mom and then when Zeus was like I know I said you could marry her but you gotta give her back to her mom. She is literally protesting. He was like okay and then tricks persephone to eating the seeds to force/bind her to come back to her for a few months of the year.
Zeus is a cheater in the myths I will not deny that but to call actual religions justice god an villain isn't right. When not focusing on the cheating (some of those myths from are from people that wanted to slander the name of the religion) that Zeus is very often the guy that steps in and goes you guys chill out, here is a compromise. Or punishes corrupt powerful people. Like that wealthy guy that kept on killing his guests in their sleep. when he turns a king and his sons to werewolf because they fuckin killed and cooked one of the other sons and served it to Zeus. Yah Hades was villainized because of Christianity hell is a bad thing so hades must be like Satan!!! He doesn't even kill the people. it's like you don't say your management's name or they might show up. XD thats poor thanatos's job. (He once got locked in a chest for a few days. Which was a problem cuz no one could die for as long as he was trapped.) but he isn't the soft bot that people like to make him out to be.
@@noname-kx4cu in that time and place, Hades wouldn’t have needed Persephone’s permission to marry her; he just needed Zeus’ (as her father), which he got. Also, it’s very important to note that the meaning of the word rape has changed meaning/severity over the centuries since the myth has first written down. For example, marriage and kidnapping were basically synonymous in Ancient Greece, hence why the Trojans had to acknowledge Helen as Paris’ wife when he kidnapped her from her original husband (despite them both previously being married to other people). Otherwise they would have just returned her to the Greeks. Long story short, Hades is the most moral of his god brothers by the standards of the time.
My favorite thing about Katee Robert's books is how sex positive they are. The dynamic, agency, exploration, freedom, themes; both for beginners and non beginners feels like a safe place. I haven't read this one, but I enjoyed many others. Like you said, it's erotica and it definitely does the deal. Most of them make a fairly decent character and relationship development considering how short they are and their lack of plot.
I had to check the calendar because I thought I spent the whole day thinking it was Friday! There’s a “came early” joke around here somewhere. Also, they should have had Rosalyn Landor narrate because she has THE BEST impression of a man’s voice
I can tell you right now; Black women writers write the BEST spice. Best kind of spicy books I’ve read: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi, Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola. Best outright spicy books: Rafe by Rebekah Wetherspoon and it’s sequel Xeni (it has peg ing), or the Ravenswood series by Talia Hibbert.
i need audiobook producers to figure out how to let the men do male voices and women do female voices, especially in romance. her doing Hades’s growl made my p word seal shut.
SOOOOO much this. There’s a narrator for a bunch of thrillers who makes all male voices sound slightly like Butthead from Beavis and Butthead. It’s maddening 😂
Yes! I don't have the time, energy or spoons to read physical books right now. So everything is audiobook for me at the moment. It sucks because I just can not stand some of these narrators but feel like I might like the book otherwise.
"p word seal shut" 😂 I could not get into this book's sex scenes. It was fine to listen to (I did the audiobook... to my horror), but I never felt like it was arousing from an outsider perspective. The dialogue was... something!
Why when the lady narrator does her own character's voice, is it also higher and fakey, just like when Morecock did it lol...did they coordinate? I got questions
I don’t know about y’all but I straight up can’t deal with spicy scenes in audio books. I don’t know why it’s almost like a sensory thing like a bad texture idk how else to describe it.
“Taking Charge” by Ruth Cardello has the female lead start a side hustle testing and reviewing sex toys! Just needed to mention that. Love the eyeshadow ❤
My husband walked through while I was watching this and now he's been talking in an outrageous British accent and asking me if I would mind, terribly, if he polished my silver. LOL
Idk how people can get into these spicy ancient Greek fics Persephone was likely Zeus’ daughter definitely his niece and was kidnapped by her other uncle like I want out before we even starr
Hey Rachel, a couple of other commentors have already expressed this, but thank you for using inclusive language in your ad read. As a non-binary person I really appreciated it! Also, I've bought from Bellessa before and their toys are really great! The demi wand is excellent and definitely a fave toy of mine!
18:50 On that note, I don't understand the idea that "i'm good enough to not need to use toys" bc toys also require a level of skill and knowledge to use? At minimum, you need to know your partner's preference for toy use. A person who says they don't need toys is no whereas impressive as someone who often uses toys on their partner imo. And really, toys help make things better for all parties. I'm glad you brought this up bc it made me think through what I've written, and so far I haven't showcased toys! I'll need to change that lol.
Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon is pretty sex positive and has a whole scene based around sex toys. The main couple even goes to a sex shop together to get them :) Also, looove the makeup look today!
Fwiw, all of the other books in the Dark Olympus series have more plot to them than Neon Gods. The second book, Electric Idol, is my favorite and has a plus size heroine, third book has mmf polyam, and fourth book definitely had a lot more overarching plot. and it seems like the series is getting more complex in terms of relationships too, not just plot (still erotica first and foremost tho 😂)
I’m so used to these books that it’s not weird to me the voice changing between them. And I dig hearing that hades is a soft boy cause often he is the broody mean boy bordering noncon stalker vibes.
I really hope you check out the other Dark Olympus books because they are all interconnected and the stuff that happens in the last book impacts the second book. Wicked Beauty is probably my favourite so far by I'm excited for the Poly Knot in Cruel Seduction. Also Katee Robert has set the standard for me with consent in smut, because all of her books have it.
Not a booktok book but Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites Flirting With Fangs Edition. Author wrote a sexy Funtime version and a fluffy no sex version of the book and intends to do so with the whole trilogy. This is her debut novel. There is polyamory in it, but the first sex scene is just between the two male leads. Their lovely lady pops up now and then but she doesn’t meet them till the last half of the book. It’s fantasy, got Jane Austen vibes, and has a plot and some fun world building
Omg I could never listen to Spice Novels on audiobook!! I'm not surper into Spice Novels themselves, but an author I like, A H Lee, had a series so I read them and they were very good. For anyone interested, the first book is Incubus Caged. Fantasy with s3x and death magic and bisexual/pan characters ❤❤
So this isn't erotica, but my all-time favorite romance author is K.J. Charles. She primarily writes m/m historical romance, but also has a filthy m/f book, and a ton of books with supernatural and fantasy elements. My personal favorite is The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal, because ghosts and gothic spookiness. And good news, she loves plot! She also seems like a pretty good person based on her social media, and often includes discussions on class and race in her books instead of sweeping them aside in favor of the fantasy of "the good ole days". One more thing: The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian is soft, spicy, and involves a dominant woman absolutely having her way with the sunshine male lead. That one is an absolute delight, and one I recommend all the time at work. (I'm a librarian.) Cheers to spicy books! I hope you find one you love. ❤️
i think one of the reasons toys arent really in books is because a lot of authors dont really know their characters on that level? like you have to really think about what kind of stuff theyd like and im not sure some of these writers know how to do that past a surface level. which is why i think a lot of these spicy books kinda read the same. its more of a story written for the author's fantasy and audience rather than really thinking about what the characters would want and would be doing in a situation. dont know if that makes sense. im not a writer but i have some characters i draw sometimes and thats one of the things i take into account
The male narrator pronounces gyro like gyroscope.. Its said so many times in a 5 minute period I almost lost my mind. I played it for my partner and we had a good chuckle.
i love hearing about mainstream "super spicy" books because half the time they're a very mild M rating on AO3 (nothing against reading that i just find it very funny how flustered people get over sex scenes i find very mild)
Yeah, it’s hard to take spicy recs serious when you’re used to AO3. Rachel mentioned sex toys being lacking in sexy books while my AO3 history has plenty of the toys 😂
Well I am now certain that spicy book audiobooks are not for me because I couldn’t handle it 😂. Also I know you like plot and so far this series is the one that has the most plot by this author that I’ve read so far. All the other ones I’ve read has interesting plots but they fall behind the spicy scenes. Also Katee Robert, uses that word you don’t like in every single book. So if you read any more of her books just know it’s there…a lot…
This rant felt so strange, it sounded to me like Virgin Crisis, a 2000 erotica manga, where the main girl summons the devil himself by accident trying to cast a spell to atract her mortal crush. Of course she fells for the devil and he has the same attitude as Hades, he takes her to hell, trains her to do what he loves in bed (but still being kinda gentle) and when they fight, threats her to do it with her in the Sabbath in front of every demon and witch. Maybe the author knows it and took some inspo. Mayu Shinjo is a master of the smut and erotica for women from the early 2000
I absolutely love that you used the Disney Hades in this video and once again you are a comedic genius. I wish I had some spicy recs to give, I'm just now getting back into romance, lol. I will say that I personally think the second book in this series (Electric Idol) is the best one! If you decide to get into monster spice, definitely try the Duskwalker Brides books.😅
I absolutely loved this review your personality is so fun and approachable. The Life of Anna stays as my #1 spicy recommendation but it is on the darker side
@@ReadswithRachelI loved this book…that said I do almost regret reading it. It’s the darkest book I’ve ever read content wise. The child abuse is why I almost regret reading it…all the terrible things possible happen to Anna. Just a warning that there is fetal abuse/death, etc. I know you’ve said before that you don’t read books with miscarriages. So I just wanted to warn you. :)
I kind of want to see your opinion on Demon Court now :D Also, the way I laughed when you said Zeus falls out of the window - I think I woke up half the building!
I was just about to type something on that - I tried the first book and just finished it today and it is shockingly sweet, reflective, and insightful. When the spice started, I actually found myself going 'aww, good for y'all!' which... was unexpected that a sex scene would actually warm my heart, but very welcome.
When I read this I couldn’t help but be disappointed with the level of spice 😅 It’s really well written, but I remember everyone hyping up the spice so much and then we get to the s3x theater and I was like “oh.” I guess exhibitionism doesn’t seem super spicy to me 😂 I guess that says quite a bit about what I usually read.
ok a spicy book series I'm loving so far is the Arden St. Ives series by Alexis Hall (who is one of my favorite authors). superficially it's basically fifty shades but gay and like... better. I love how alexis hall crafts characters, they're always deeply flawed in fun and enjoyable ways. another series by the same author is the "something fabulous" series which is regency era and completely ridiculous, like absolutely ludicrous plot-wise but really fun and again with those characters that are all slightly terrible and incredibly endearing.
And one of my random KU recent reads had a small *vibrator* scene, from the pov of a male in a females body and discuss consent through a body swap... yes, there's swapped 🎉😂 It was called The Toss Up, can't remember the author, sry.
I started on the Audio of this and had a really hard time since the narrators were British but the were writing text that was so clearly written by an American (slang, key word choice differences, etc). I also found the spicy scenes kind Meh, but I was invested enough in the actual narrative to finish (I’m weak for anything Greek mythology related)
My favorite Spicy book series that I found on Booktok has to be the Mead Mishaps series by Kimberly Lemming. They just keep getting better, That time I got drunk and saved a demon was so much fun. Each book has made be laugh out loud.
The Kraken’s Mate by Jennifer Cody. I was crying laughing so hard I kept choking and legit almost threw up while voice recording most of it for my gf. It uses some of the worst hilarious language choices I’ve experienced so far, among other things. I don’t want to spoil it in case you read it, but wow. I would love your reaction to that. I’d commission it if I had the funds, but I’ll recommend it and hope lol.
As a sex educator and a queer and trans disabled woman I'd probably have to give the nod to the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey Particularly the first trilogy as it's erotica that both works as erotica but also holds up as a book. Caveats being CWs for BDSM, non descript SA and possibly religious theming. It's not for everyone but it's honestly one of the better depictions of sex work .which does still address the issues within it.
I’ve loved Neon Gods and the whole Dark Olympus series thus far, but I’m definitely more of a character driven reader, and the plot that was there and vague “world building” worked for me. I don’t read much in the erotic side of things, so I can’t give recs, but I’m also curious to try more of Katee Robert’s work!
@@citlalialvarado666 I want to read that so badly, but I’m too cheap to buy all of those at the current price point, and the library doesn’t have them (probably because they’re indie). I heard Hades from DO and Hades from WV are father and son (can’t remember which is which), and she even wrote a short where they interact!
i will give this series this, making demeter a girlboss who was preying on zeus’s downfall is so funny and i wish more pers/hades retellings would do that instead of making her a very flat helicopter parent
The audio narrators do genuinely sound like old school BBC* continuity announcers. Lady sounds less like she's begging for a public tarnishing and more like she's only got ten seconds to tell you that crufts will be on ten minutes later than advertised after this special breaking news bulletin or whatever. * That's the British Broadcasting Corporation. To be clear.
I need you to know when you said you had a problem with the audiobook and played the clip, I out loud with full confidence said, "It's because he's British." Anyway I agree with your point about the narrators imitating each other's voices. I'm very picky about audiobooks in general so I almost never listen to them.
1. The makeup is *chef's kiss* 2. I second the recommendation i saw for Talia Hibbert and Rebekah Weatherspoon - great spice, and they have a plot (mostly). Talia Hibbert also has great representation for neurodivergent and autistic people, it's a breath of fresh air. 3. The Carlos insert had me rolling, i love that you kept that in
Tiktok and spicy together in a phrase should be considered a red flag; but at least it wasn't that bad... unless you know greek mythology, it was bad, like someone checked wikipedia but fast checking not actual reading. Idk because Im neutral to spice but if you put plot you should do plot idk that's me anyways. But the guys being called Morcock was HILARIOUS! Iconic! Btw your eyeshadow is amazing! I always enjoy your make-up; the rainbow is cool. Also we love sex positivity discussion and stuff, we need to talk about it and normalize toys and stuff
Very much not the book for my Ace self, but I loved your recap and review of it as they always make me chuckle. Absolutely agree on the audiobook readings making me cringe (though major respect for the attempt, it's not a job I could do with a straight face). I also find it hilarious that Zeus dies from falling out of a window since in mythology he's the ruler of the sky.
I heard about this book before, on Tumblr. Greek mythology tumbler pages really hate it, and coused at least two blogs started writing they own Hades and Persephone story.
I read these over a year ago and I hated it so much I bought the whole series😂. It's so clear Katee had a word count minimum because she says the same sentence eleven times within 3 pages. All the books have a "plot" that is resolved in the last three pages. I thought they'd get better but naw
spicy audiobooks can be real rough lmao 😂 i am pleasantly surprised that there is so much healthy communication between persephone and hades! so many romance books (esp spicy ones) do NOT have well discussed dynamics and are very cringe and concerning. also hell yeah bicons
I’m pretty sure the thought process around them not being together was that the whole deal centered around waiting for her to get access to her money so that she could leave Olympus so to them it was a temporary thing bc she wanted to leave and he didn’t want to hold her back. Eventually she comes to the conclusion that she would rather stay and be with him now that she has freedom and the threat of Zeus is gone. And tbh I thought the world was suuuuper fascinating just really underdeveloped and I would’ve read a book twice as long just to be able to explore that world more. I also agree that hades getting something more out of the deal and being more active in plotting Zeus’ downfall would’ve made him a more balanced character of moral grayness rather than being the complete foil for Zeus
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That “you’re welcome” is legit… suction mode is a total game changer.
It’s not working for me :(
👀💦
For me it’s not just the word p*ssy, it’s the context. I find a lot of authors will have an old fashioned fantasy setting and then using only use words like that during sex scenes. It’s like following a medieval knight and then in one scene he starts calling people dude, it doesn’t fit. I feel like we’re all really lacking in the language around sex that isn’t from modern porn.
Have you read fourth wing? I believe they wrote modern language in the fantasy setting on purpose but I cracked up every time someone swore saying "fuck" during like a battle in a dragon
@@kenzashenna Weirdly enough fuck is kinda a ancient word. You can find it going back to Shakespeares times and I have to be honest I am not a history person apart from knowing that it seems to be in common use then as its not explained in the plays its used in. I have know idea how much further back it goes. It’s funny. I think because we think of it as ‘ bad’ we think of it as new but it really isn’t. Even weirder Shakespeare has joke in Henry V about a pun with not only fuck but also should I just say ‘See you next Tuesday’ (I didn’t think I’d be aloud to put that word in the comments), but that is a word I definitely put in the modern category I would never think that it would be used by a man like Shakespeare.
@@kenzashenna Fuck is actually a pretty old word. It's just that traditionally fantasy is pretty tame in the curse words area.
The word “cunt” was the old word for the vagina and was used neutrally a long time ago, but American culture has labeled it a very taboo word. So unless people want to get comfortable seeing that printed in “olden days” settings for their books…
@@alisontheanimal4009The "C" word is also ancient, I think it's used a fair bit in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales?
From the sounds of things, this version of Hades actually comes closer to matching the depiction of the original myths better than most adaptations. For some reason, every media adaptation of Greek Myths casts Hades as a villain, when in the myths, he’s not really all that evil, just gloomy and not a lot of fun to be around. In other words, Hades is the original emo.
His often cast as the villain because of thw association of the underworld with hell and therefore him with satan, it's pretty annoying because greek myth doesn't really work within the confines of Christianity thinking.
@@bluester7177or maybe because he kidnaps and rapes his niece??? Idk man the other gods deserve to be vilified too
Hades is pretty much the only god that does his job
@@Queer_AuDHD_Dragon That's completely not true??? Apolo raises the sun, Demeter is the one who makes the plants grow in the spring, Hephaestus is constantly making tools, like one of most well known myth has athena doing her war thing, Zeus's has his myths of him doing his justice thing, like punishing people who where really bad hosts (killing their guests/eating human meat).
@@noname-kx4cu Demeter is the one who neglects her job due to personal reasons every year (plants would grow all the time if she didn't), Hephaestus is just pursuing his own hobbies and not his job, and zeus is a horny mf who barely does anything king-like except abuse his authority. The fact you say he has myths implies those are special occasions.
Apollo is also pretty frivolous and likes to strut around doing his own thing and be as capricious as other gods. So yes, Hades is the only one who does his job not only well, but consistently.
I did not expect the audiobook to be that awful! Rachel, the face I made with that “do your worst” narration. I wished I could curl up so tight I turn into a black hole, because what the heck was that????
I’m glad you provided examples, but I also wish I didn’t hear that. 😂
It lives rent free in my brain and I want it evicted
We are literally 12 years old giggling at "morecock"
Is it bad that Keanu Reeves looking Hades def works for me but like....Disney Hades kinda does too...😂
Tbh same and idk what that says about us
Nah. Disney Hades can get it.
As soon as she mentioned Hades’ beard, I couldnt help but imagine Keanu Reeves too haha
One thing Katee does so well is enthusiastic consent! It's really refreshing! Also I don't think she's ever written a straight character. haha
As someone who's been reading books like these for over a decade, I'm *very* happy that it seems like more erotica writers nowadays are making it a point to mention or show enthusiastic consent in their books. I think that's super important because too many books have these quite frankly rape-y sounding scenes thinking it sounds hot, when really it just sounds like someone's two seconds away from getting SA'd. Even if Katee's prose itself isn't that great, I def appreciate it.
definitely! enthusiastic consent has been... absent in a couple of booktok faves (ahem.. coho), so it was great to see it here as well as a partner that is constantly checking up on the mc
@@astridtot Oh we could have a WHOLE conversation on why CoHo being a fave on booktok is such a problem!
@@zombieedrea a thought I had while reading your comment: if some authors are trying to go with a more kinkier vibe, great! By all means! But they need to know that kinkier (thinking something like consensual non-consent here) starts with heavy, enthusiastic consent and maintains enthusiastic consent throughout.
So....the bare minimum for a positive romance book???
Come on, people
The eyeshadow is GORGEOUS 🌈
Thank you!
And that lipstick shade is incredible!
Hey Rachel, I just wanted to say I really appreciate you using inclusive language in your sponsored segment. "For all bodies" and other gender neutral language. I think most people won't notice, but to a non-binary person it means the world. Me. I am the non-binary person and it makes me really happy when inclusive/non-gendered language is used that casually and naturally.
Just wanted to add that as a fellow non-binary person, I also noticed this and really appreciated it!
Rachel is great with inclusivity and I appreciate her for that. ❤
Same🤎
RAINBOW EYESHADOW LESGO
Yes! Loved this look so much
Ooh I thought it was dawn and sunset theme
Hell yeah!
How long would that take to apply?
I physically read Neon Gods and the amount of gratitude I have for past me choosing not to listen to the audiobook. Every time you played a clip, the cringe I crunged
“sometimes we want to be defiled” i feel so seen
Katee Roberts is quickly becoming a favorite for me. Her inclusion of consent is a breath of fresh air. The Gargoyle's Captive is my favorite so far.
Firstly, love the rainbow eyeshadow. Secondly, why does his voice for her sound like Dobby and her voice for him sound like Snape? 😂
Stop, nooooo 😂😂😂😂
"Dobby asks master to wear a sock"
Omg can't unhear it now
Whenever TikTok says a book is SPICY it really isn't and when they say dark romance....LOLOL. It really isn't.
Wait what do you mean by the dark romance one😭
@smanthajones5881 Some of the dark romances recommended there are usually isn't that dark at all. Like the mafia ones or the mc ones. I suppose if one is just starting out in the dark romance stuff yeah. But otherwise? Nah.
@@smanthajones5881they just like rape and abuse
The audiobook voices are rotted, mama. I imagined Hades to have growly New Yorker vibe
I’m ace so I haven’t really read spicy books but i loveeddd this video so I can get a breakdown of the plot haha. also I extremely appreciate fostering a sex positive space with the sponsorship! Talking about sex causally without shame is empowering
Also ace, sometimes I read erotica and just skip over the spicy bits haha. "I only read for the articles, I swear!"
A friend got me to read one of the 50 Shades books, (by which I mean wouldn’t stop suggesting) so I caved….and my Aroace brain just went “boooring!” After the first “horizontal tango” scene and I gave up reading it. XD
I'm also ace but unfortunately have a libido so reading spicy books (and manga lol) helps.
@@kellymurray8998I'm also ace and mostly read romance and sometimes there is spicy scenes, most often than not I dont mind them but it does gets boring when it's multiple times in the books, so a skip it.
Fellow ace here. I don’t read erotic books but I do read erotic manga. I prefer pictures.
"Yeah, I'll eat gyros. Yeah, I'll eat - No, wait" had me dying 😂 That was hilarious!
For Hades being meaner comment. Well, in the original mythology he's kinda just a dude, even in the most crude versions. Out of the OG brothers he's the nicest guy, depending on the versions of the myth he never cheated on Perse, which says a lot already (glares at Zeus' "imma fuck everything that breathes" cheating ass). He got a villain reputation just bc he's looking over the "death place", but he's really not one. Like he's very reasonable and forgiving, take Orpheus' myth for example.
Anyway, i'm a Hades defender through and through, my man got done dirty, Zeus has always been the real villain
Well their start is very not good, he kidnaps and r-words persephone. The story is even called the grape of persephone. He sees persephone goes to her father to ask if he can have her(happens alot back in the days.) and he is like yah you can. Instead of asking what persephone wants, he opens a crack in the earth to swallow her. Then is like your my wife now and He doesn't let her go home even though she wants to go back to her mom and then when Zeus was like I know I said you could marry her but you gotta give her back to her mom. She is literally protesting. He was like okay and then tricks persephone to eating the seeds to force/bind her to come back to her for a few months of the year.
Zeus is a cheater in the myths I will not deny that but to call actual religions justice god an villain isn't right. When not focusing on the cheating (some of those myths from are from people that wanted to slander the name of the religion) that Zeus is very often the guy that steps in and goes you guys chill out, here is a compromise. Or punishes corrupt powerful people. Like that wealthy guy that kept on killing his guests in their sleep. when he turns a king and his sons to werewolf because they fuckin killed and cooked one of the other sons and served it to Zeus. Yah Hades was villainized because of Christianity hell is a bad thing so hades must be like Satan!!! He doesn't even kill the people. it's like you don't say your management's name or they might show up. XD thats poor thanatos's job. (He once got locked in a chest for a few days. Which was a problem cuz no one could die for as long as he was trapped.) but he isn't the soft bot that people like to make him out to be.
@@noname-kx4cu in that time and place, Hades wouldn’t have needed Persephone’s permission to marry her; he just needed Zeus’ (as her father), which he got. Also, it’s very important to note that the meaning of the word rape has changed meaning/severity over the centuries since the myth has first written down. For example, marriage and kidnapping were basically synonymous in Ancient Greece, hence why the Trojans had to acknowledge Helen as Paris’ wife when he kidnapped her from her original husband (despite them both previously being married to other people). Otherwise they would have just returned her to the Greeks.
Long story short, Hades is the most moral of his god brothers by the standards of the time.
My favorite thing about Katee Robert's books is how sex positive they are.
The dynamic, agency, exploration, freedom, themes; both for beginners and non beginners feels like a safe place.
I haven't read this one, but I enjoyed many others. Like you said, it's erotica and it definitely does the deal.
Most of them make a fairly decent character and relationship development considering how short they are and their lack of plot.
I had to check the calendar because I thought I spent the whole day thinking it was Friday! There’s a “came early” joke around here somewhere. Also, they should have had Rosalyn Landor narrate because she has THE BEST impression of a man’s voice
I can tell you right now; Black women writers write the BEST spice. Best kind of spicy books I’ve read: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi, Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola.
Best outright spicy books: Rafe by Rebekah Wetherspoon and it’s sequel Xeni (it has peg ing), or the Ravenswood series by Talia Hibbert.
Rebekah Weatherspoon and Talia Hibbert write the BEST spice!! I remember tearing through the Ravenswood series, it was so good.
I screenshoted that and I'm gonna start hunting for these books !
And Kennedy Ryan!
@@abigailb8206I haven’t read any of hers yet (the list is long to get Before I Let Go from my library!) but I really want to!
RAFE!!! I forgot about that book but it was soooo good! I need to reread it now!
The inserts of Hades works so well and made me giggle each time. Thank you ♥️
I can't do the word "p*ssy" either.
I also can't stand the word "panties." The most unsexy word ever. Immediately takes me out of it.
i need audiobook producers to figure out how to let the men do male voices and women do female voices, especially in romance. her doing Hades’s growl made my p word seal shut.
SOOOOO much this. There’s a narrator for a bunch of thrillers who makes all male voices sound slightly like Butthead from Beavis and Butthead. It’s maddening 😂
Yes! I don't have the time, energy or spoons to read physical books right now. So everything is audiobook for me at the moment. It sucks because I just can not stand some of these narrators but feel like I might like the book otherwise.
Graphic Audio does this well. I need them to produce more books
"p word seal shut" 😂
I could not get into this book's sex scenes. It was fine to listen to (I did the audiobook... to my horror), but I never felt like it was arousing from an outsider perspective. The dialogue was... something!
Why when the lady narrator does her own character's voice, is it also higher and fakey, just like when Morecock did it lol...did they coordinate? I got questions
I don’t know about y’all but I straight up can’t deal with spicy scenes in audio books. I don’t know why it’s almost like a sensory thing like a bad texture idk how else to describe it.
I can't help but imagine them doing their readings in the sound booth. It makes me feel very awkward.
“Taking Charge” by Ruth Cardello has the female lead start a side hustle testing and reviewing sex toys! Just needed to mention that. Love the eyeshadow ❤
My husband walked through while I was watching this and now he's been talking in an outrageous British accent and asking me if I would mind, terribly, if he polished my silver. LOL
I physically cringed when the male narrator said "p***y". 😂
23:00 legitimately sounds like Persephone is being seduced by Gollum 😭😭
Idk how people can get into these spicy ancient Greek fics Persephone was likely Zeus’ daughter definitely his niece and was kidnapped by her other uncle like I want out before we even starr
Hey Rachel, a couple of other commentors have already expressed this, but thank you for using inclusive language in your ad read. As a non-binary person I really appreciated it!
Also, I've bought from Bellessa before and their toys are really great! The demi wand is excellent and definitely a fave toy of mine!
18:50 On that note, I don't understand the idea that "i'm good enough to not need to use toys" bc toys also require a level of skill and knowledge to use? At minimum, you need to know your partner's preference for toy use. A person who says they don't need toys is no whereas impressive as someone who often uses toys on their partner imo. And really, toys help make things better for all parties.
I'm glad you brought this up bc it made me think through what I've written, and so far I haven't showcased toys! I'll need to change that lol.
26:18 "68% in"
OPPORTUNITY MISSED BY 1%!
Oh. My. God. I have failed you all.
The woman VA makes Hades sound like an old man on his death bed 💀
i nearly died choking on my water when you cut to hades saying "NUT--"
(also your makeup looks amazing)
Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon is pretty sex positive and has a whole scene based around sex toys. The main couple even goes to a sex shop together to get them :) Also, looove the makeup look today!
Oh my god the setup is literally Mor's backstory in ACOTAR. I can't believe this
I'm 100% for Nice guy Hades in the myths he is helpfull,caring,good husband (outside of kidnaping),etc
“I didn’t take a lot of notes, I have a lot of feelings though” 😂 me too
Fwiw, all of the other books in the Dark Olympus series have more plot to them than Neon Gods. The second book, Electric Idol, is my favorite and has a plus size heroine, third book has mmf polyam, and fourth book definitely had a lot more overarching plot. and it seems like the series is getting more complex in terms of relationships too, not just plot (still erotica first and foremost tho 😂)
I’m so used to these books that it’s not weird to me the voice changing between them. And I dig hearing that hades is a soft boy cause often he is the broody mean boy bordering noncon stalker vibes.
I really hope you check out the other Dark Olympus books because they are all interconnected and the stuff that happens in the last book impacts the second book. Wicked Beauty is probably my favourite so far by I'm excited for the Poly Knot in Cruel Seduction. Also Katee Robert has set the standard for me with consent in smut, because all of her books have it.
My favorite is Radiant Sin, but Wicked Beauty's close!
as someone that LOVES the movie Hercules... this video having a bunch of scenes from it inserted throughout is just PERFECT lol
Not a booktok book but Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites Flirting With Fangs Edition. Author wrote a sexy Funtime version and a fluffy no sex version of the book and intends to do so with the whole trilogy. This is her debut novel. There is polyamory in it, but the first sex scene is just between the two male leads. Their lovely lady pops up now and then but she doesn’t meet them till the last half of the book. It’s fantasy, got Jane Austen vibes, and has a plot and some fun world building
I love that you included so many disney Hades clips XD the best Hades interpretation possible
Omg I could never listen to Spice Novels on audiobook!!
I'm not surper into Spice Novels themselves, but an author I like, A H Lee, had a series so I read them and they were very good. For anyone interested, the first book is Incubus Caged. Fantasy with s3x and death magic and bisexual/pan characters ❤❤
Can I just mention that the husband interlude [29:52] is really sweet? I love the look on your face. Just genuine love.
Zeus: "You ran thru"
Omg not this
So this isn't erotica, but my all-time favorite romance author is K.J. Charles. She primarily writes m/m historical romance, but also has a filthy m/f book, and a ton of books with supernatural and fantasy elements. My personal favorite is The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal, because ghosts and gothic spookiness. And good news, she loves plot! She also seems like a pretty good person based on her social media, and often includes discussions on class and race in her books instead of sweeping them aside in favor of the fantasy of "the good ole days".
One more thing: The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian is soft, spicy, and involves a dominant woman absolutely having her way with the sunshine male lead. That one is an absolute delight, and one I recommend all the time at work. (I'm a librarian.)
Cheers to spicy books! I hope you find one you love. ❤️
I literally cannot handle how fucking funny the audiobook clips are... the idea of porn in an audiobook format is so awful but hilarious
i think one of the reasons toys arent really in books is because a lot of authors dont really know their characters on that level? like you have to really think about what kind of stuff theyd like and im not sure some of these writers know how to do that past a surface level. which is why i think a lot of these spicy books kinda read the same. its more of a story written for the author's fantasy and audience rather than really thinking about what the characters would want and would be doing in a situation. dont know if that makes sense. im not a writer but i have some characters i draw sometimes and thats one of the things i take into account
The male narrator pronounces gyro like gyroscope.. Its said so many times in a 5 minute period I almost lost my mind. I played it for my partner and we had a good chuckle.
Hahahhaha
i love hearing about mainstream "super spicy" books because half the time they're a very mild M rating on AO3
(nothing against reading that i just find it very funny how flustered people get over sex scenes i find very mild)
Yeah, it’s hard to take spicy recs serious when you’re used to AO3. Rachel mentioned sex toys being lacking in sexy books while my AO3 history has plenty of the toys 😂
You are so much stronger than me because if I listened to that audiobook I would've dnf'd the first time I heard Hades' voice
Well I am now certain that spicy book audiobooks are not for me because I couldn’t handle it 😂.
Also I know you like plot and so far this series is the one that has the most plot by this author that I’ve read so far. All the other ones I’ve read has interesting plots but they fall behind the spicy scenes.
Also Katee Robert, uses that word you don’t like in every single book. So if you read any more of her books just know it’s there…a lot…
This rant felt so strange, it sounded to me like Virgin Crisis, a 2000 erotica manga, where the main girl summons the devil himself by accident trying to cast a spell to atract her mortal crush. Of course she fells for the devil and he has the same attitude as Hades, he takes her to hell, trains her to do what he loves in bed (but still being kinda gentle) and when they fight, threats her to do it with her in the Sabbath in front of every demon and witch. Maybe the author knows it and took some inspo. Mayu Shinjo is a master of the smut and erotica for women from the early 2000
I absolutely love that you used the Disney Hades in this video and once again you are a comedic genius. I wish I had some spicy recs to give, I'm just now getting back into romance, lol. I will say that I personally think the second book in this series (Electric Idol) is the best one!
If you decide to get into monster spice, definitely try the Duskwalker Brides books.😅
I bust up laughing when you showed the clips of the audiobook omg I THOUGHT THE FOURTHWING AUDIOBOOK WAS BAD LOL
I absolutely loved this review your personality is so fun and approachable. The Life of Anna stays as my #1 spicy recommendation but it is on the darker side
Thank you so much! I’ll put it on the list
@@ReadswithRachelI loved this book…that said I do almost regret reading it. It’s the darkest book I’ve ever read content wise. The child abuse is why I almost regret reading it…all the terrible things possible happen to Anna. Just a warning that there is fetal abuse/death, etc. I know you’ve said before that you don’t read books with miscarriages. So I just wanted to warn you. :)
I kind of want to see your opinion on Demon Court now :D Also, the way I laughed when you said Zeus falls out of the window - I think I woke up half the building!
I was just about to type something on that - I tried the first book and just finished it today and it is shockingly sweet, reflective, and insightful. When the spice started, I actually found myself going 'aww, good for y'all!' which... was unexpected that a sex scene would actually warm my heart, but very welcome.
I accidentally read this book with my coworkers because we thought a little book club would be fun, and I just picked a book off my tbr... OOPS
That title already says so much to me
When I read this I couldn’t help but be disappointed with the level of spice 😅 It’s really well written, but I remember everyone hyping up the spice so much and then we get to the s3x theater and I was like “oh.”
I guess exhibitionism doesn’t seem super spicy to me 😂 I guess that says quite a bit about what I usually read.
ok a spicy book series I'm loving so far is the Arden St. Ives series by Alexis Hall (who is one of my favorite authors). superficially it's basically fifty shades but gay and like... better. I love how alexis hall crafts characters, they're always deeply flawed in fun and enjoyable ways. another series by the same author is the "something fabulous" series which is regency era and completely ridiculous, like absolutely ludicrous plot-wise but really fun and again with those characters that are all slightly terrible and incredibly endearing.
Those voices definitely had the opposite of the intended effect on me. 😅
And one of my random KU recent reads had a small *vibrator* scene, from the pov of a male in a females body and discuss consent through a body swap... yes, there's swapped 🎉😂 It was called The Toss Up, can't remember the author, sry.
I’m gonna go look that up! Thank you!!
I can't get over Rachel's eye makeup 😍 it's so well done I'm obsessed. I wish I had the talent to do that kind of look.
I don't know why but the "Please" at 6:17 made me laugh so hard and now I'm going to be stuck thinking about it all day.
I started on the Audio of this and had a really hard time since the narrators were British but the were writing text that was so clearly written by an American (slang, key word choice differences, etc). I also found the spicy scenes kind Meh, but I was invested enough in the actual narrative to finish (I’m weak for anything Greek mythology related)
Ever time she says gyro wrong take a shot (pronounced euro)
I’m so sorry 😭
The thing about how they do each others voices!!! I ranted at my husband about it for so long!
My favorite Spicy book series that I found on Booktok has to be the Mead Mishaps series by Kimberly Lemming. They just keep getting better, That time I got drunk and saved a demon was so much fun. Each book has made be laugh out loud.
Same
Yes. here to support Kimberly Lemming!! so hilarious!
Holyyyy crap your eyeshadow look is absolutely amazing in this! That blend is flawless!!
The amount of usage you got from using clips from Hercules is hilarious. They are perfect.
The Kraken’s Mate by Jennifer Cody. I was crying laughing so hard I kept choking and legit almost threw up while voice recording most of it for my gf.
It uses some of the worst hilarious language choices I’ve experienced so far, among other things. I don’t want to spoil it in case you read it, but wow.
I would love your reaction to that. I’d commission it if I had the funds, but I’ll recommend it and hope lol.
Did anyone else see the cover and immediately think of Lore Olympus?
Also, that make up is *chef's kiss*
As a sex educator and a queer and trans disabled woman I'd probably have to give the nod to the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey Particularly the first trilogy as it's erotica that both works as erotica but also holds up as a book. Caveats being CWs for BDSM, non descript SA and possibly religious theming. It's not for everyone but it's honestly one of the better depictions of sex work .which does still address the issues within it.
I’ve loved Neon Gods and the whole Dark Olympus series thus far, but I’m definitely more of a character driven reader, and the plot that was there and vague “world building” worked for me. I don’t read much in the erotic side of things, so I can’t give recs, but I’m also curious to try more of Katee Robert’s work!
I recommend her series Wicked Villains, I haven't read Dark Olympus so I have no comparison point, but I really enjoyed it.
@@citlalialvarado666 I want to read that so badly, but I’m too cheap to buy all of those at the current price point, and the library doesn’t have them (probably because they’re indie). I heard Hades from DO and Hades from WV are father and son (can’t remember which is which), and she even wrote a short where they interact!
Gyros is usually pronounced “yee-ros” or “yee-ro”
I’ve been pronouncing it like ‘hero.’
My life is a lie.
@@-alovelygaycat-that sounds about right! Just don't say gy-rohse
@@kenzashenna
Is ji-row correct in any way? That’s how my mom pronounces it (and it’s how I refer to specifically the meat).
Love your review but is it weird i couldn't stop looking at your rainbow eyeshadow! It's lovely.
i will give this series this, making demeter a girlboss who was preying on zeus’s downfall is so funny and i wish more pers/hades retellings would do that instead of making her a very flat helicopter parent
LMAO I love all the Disney Hades clips in this video, very funny visual
watching this while my kitten Hades climbing all over me to sit on my shoulder is a very weird experience...
The audio narrators do genuinely sound like old school BBC* continuity announcers. Lady sounds less like she's begging for a public tarnishing and more like she's only got ten seconds to tell you that crufts will be on ten minutes later than advertised after this special breaking news bulletin or whatever.
* That's the British Broadcasting Corporation. To be clear.
The use of Hades clips from Hercules fucking sent me EVERY SINGLE TIME
Girl, this is giving me Lore Olympus but less vapid vibes lol.
The cut section “let’s shake on it, I don’t have time, got plans for august” FREAKING SPOT ON 😭😂
I need you to know when you said you had a problem with the audiobook and played the clip, I out loud with full confidence said, "It's because he's British." Anyway I agree with your point about the narrators imitating each other's voices. I'm very picky about audiobooks in general so I almost never listen to them.
1. The makeup is *chef's kiss*
2. I second the recommendation i saw for Talia Hibbert and Rebekah Weatherspoon - great spice, and they have a plot (mostly). Talia Hibbert also has great representation for neurodivergent and autistic people, it's a breath of fresh air.
3. The Carlos insert had me rolling, i love that you kept that in
I’m dying at this fucking narration omg it’s so funny
The way she says peeeeerSEPHOKNEEEEEE
Tiktok and spicy together in a phrase should be considered a red flag; but at least it wasn't that bad... unless you know greek mythology, it was bad, like someone checked wikipedia but fast checking not actual reading. Idk because Im neutral to spice but if you put plot you should do plot idk that's me anyways.
But the guys being called Morcock was HILARIOUS! Iconic!
Btw your eyeshadow is amazing! I always enjoy your make-up; the rainbow is cool.
Also we love sex positivity discussion and stuff, we need to talk about it and normalize toys and stuff
Your eyeshadow is amazing in this review. 😮
Very much not the book for my Ace self, but I loved your recap and review of it as they always make me chuckle. Absolutely agree on the audiobook readings making me cringe (though major respect for the attempt, it's not a job I could do with a straight face). I also find it hilarious that Zeus dies from falling out of a window since in mythology he's the ruler of the sky.
Lets not forget that Zeus is Percephanie's dad
I heard about this book before, on Tumblr. Greek mythology tumbler pages really hate it, and coused at least two blogs started writing they own Hades and Persephone story.
I read these over a year ago and I hated it so much I bought the whole series😂. It's so clear Katee had a word count minimum because she says the same sentence eleven times within 3 pages. All the books have a "plot" that is resolved in the last three pages. I thought they'd get better but naw
spicy audiobooks can be real rough lmao 😂 i am pleasantly surprised that there is so much healthy communication between persephone and hades! so many romance books (esp spicy ones) do NOT have well discussed dynamics and are very cringe and concerning. also hell yeah bicons
I’m pretty sure the thought process around them not being together was that the whole deal centered around waiting for her to get access to her money so that she could leave Olympus so to them it was a temporary thing bc she wanted to leave and he didn’t want to hold her back. Eventually she comes to the conclusion that she would rather stay and be with him now that she has freedom and the threat of Zeus is gone. And tbh I thought the world was suuuuper fascinating just really underdeveloped and I would’ve read a book twice as long just to be able to explore that world more. I also agree that hades getting something more out of the deal and being more active in plotting Zeus’ downfall would’ve made him a more balanced character of moral grayness rather than being the complete foil for Zeus
Thank you soooo much for this. All of this.
Thank YOU for being here!