If you haven’t read the first book of this series Blood of Hercules, go do that. Seriously. If I can binge read it, forgetting to sleep, eat and sometimes breathe, then you can too. Plus, I can then tell you all about Bonds without having to worry too much about previous spoilers.

Stepping back into Mas’s Greek-inspired world was like getting home from a long day at work, slipping out of your clothes and getting comfy in pjs, but with a lot more pain, torture and despair. Yep, Alexis just doesn’t catch a break. even with two incredibly hot husbands, who she still doesn’t want but kind of does. It’s complicated. While book one had the overall theme of “surviving” Bonds focuses more on “getting shit done”. Yes her parents are all powerful deities, yes, she’s trapped in a bit of a messed up marriage and yes, the corruption of the gods in the grand scheme of things is a problem, but Alexis doesn’t back down from any of these issues, giving the impression that at the end of the day, it’s always the woman who has to save the day.

I think what actually shines through this book is how much it feels like a Greek epic. While not all aspects are mythologically correct (and let’s not get started on the spelling of Hercules. If it’s Greek, it’s Heracles, Hercules is for the Romans.) It feels right. I am not comparing Bonds to the works of Homer or Hesiod here, but the vibes are immaculate and I don’t feel like I am reaching when I say it would fit into the rich tapestry of myth quite snugly.

It’s not a light easy read. Alexis has more thrown at her before breakfast than most “strong female characters” experience in a whole trilogy. Over and over again she’s facing horrific monsters, terrifying deities and it’s honestly pretty relentless. She doesn’t even get the reprieve of comfort from her husbands, it’s not really that kind of relationship. Conspiracy lies everywhere and even at the end of the book, I’m still not entirely sure on who she can trust. There’s hope, yes, but it’s inevitable that it will get stamped down until something breaks, and I’m not sure how much more our heroine can take, especially with long neglected dreams being within reach.

Despite how much I may love the characters of Kharon and Augustus, I can’t say I love the relationship. The feelings Alexis accepts towards them feels far too forced and not solid enough to be good enough for her. Maybe I just feel bad for the poor lass, she is forever tied to two men but it’s only after nearly losing them both (and her own life in the mix) that she manages to say I love you and I just don’t believe it. It’s almost like she has all these battles to fight so to lessen the load she surrenders the one for her heart. I’m not saying it’s doomed, but I think they need more time and less impending doom facing them to really work things out. The spice is pretty spicy though, so in that sense I’m happy for her. Even if everything else is falling apart, she’s getting some pretty fantastic orgasms out of the situation.

Bonds of Hercules will take you on an absolute ride. Its gut-wrenching, horrific, tense and yet full of spirit and life. Mas strips back all the flounce and glitter from the world of gods that we’re used to and gets down to the dirty, the way myths used to be, full of hard truths, harder circumstances and gods who don’t care whether you live or die, only bothering if you get in their way. This is a romantasy that really lets the heroine shine, leaving the hot, broody guys as the support characters and I immensely respect that. While Kharon and Augustus are powerful, domineering and as alpha as you can get, they recognise the immense force that Alexis is and are happy to be her backups and watch her as she razes what they knew to bring a new era in, and I am so here for it.

Bonds of Hercules is available now – you can order your copy from Bookshop.org