I adore C. Rochelle’s Villainous Things series (my reviews of book one, book two, and book three), so naturally I’ve been eyeing her other works. When she announced Herculeia: The Complete Duet + Bonus Content, I was sold. I knew I needed this duet in my life (I love Greek mythology, monsters, fancy peens, and tentacles) and to have the entire shebang in one package — The 12 Hunks of Herculeia, Herculeia the Hero, the epilogues, bonus scenes, and NSFW art — was an instant ‘I’m all in’ moment.
Affiliate Disclaimer: I participate in the Amazon Affiliate program. As such, if you make a purchase through one of my links below, I’ll earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Herculeia: The Complete Duet + Bonus Content
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
(you can find my rating and spice system here)
POV & Tense: Multi POV, first person, past tense
Genre: Monster Romance, Why Choose? Romance, MM Romance, Greek Mythology Fantasy
Tropes/Themes: Sassy Heroine, Mythic Beasts, Vengeful Gods, Forced Proximity, Found Family, Enemies to Lovers, Idiots to Lovers, Second Chances, Public Relations, Mystery, Telepathy, Tentacles, Premonitions, Dragging Hercules (it never gets old), Feminism, Consent is Sexy
Synopsis:
The 12 Hunks of Herculeia
After catching her boyfriend in bed with her boss, Leia (Herculeia) goes on their couple’s cruise solo. But when she’s thrown overboard during a freak storm, she washes up on a mysterious Greek island filled with hot, monstrous men. And it’s possible her arrival is no accident. Loosely based on the twelve labors of Heracles, she must ‘conquer’ the hearts of the beasts, her fated mates. But someone sinister lurks in the shadows, and if she fails, she and her monstrous matches will be in grave danger.
Herculeia the Hero
Following Iola’s arrival and a bumpy ride to Tartarus, Herculeia must continue her journey with new information and new abilities. But twists and turns lurk in every shadowy corner, and not every beast wants to be claimed. Can she put all the pieces together and set everyone free? After everything that’s happened, does she even want to be free?
Bonus Content
I’m not going to go into depth here, because spoilers, but the Herculeia collection contains two epilogues, three short stories — Calm Down Monster Fucker (Timyn’s POV), Three Heads are Better Than One (Cerberus’ POV), Get Stuffed (Leia’s POV) — and two NSFW art scenes by the talented Mon Reyes (Leia, Krysos, and Ambrose; Vann and Timyn) who also made the gorgeous cover art. This content was previously only available via newsletter signup and Patreon subscription, so it’s amazing to have it all collected in one place.
My Review:
Plucky Street-Smart Heroine
Leia is a character you can immediately get on board with, reminiscent of Elle Woods from Legally Blond and Veronica Mars, but with a ‘New Yorker with Greek ancestry’ twist. Her inner voice shines through via the first person POV and she’s a delight as the main narrator. You’ll constantly be in stitches with her anecdotes and habit of dropping present-day analogies into ancient Greek situations. I love her sass, boldness, vulnerability, and willingness to try new things and be open with her monstrous matches.
I was a New Yorker, born and raised. We survived like cockroaches on a diet of black coffee, dollar slices, and an intense hatred for anyone who walked slower than 20 miles per hour.
Monster Smash with All the Tropes
Monster romance has a special place in my heart—the lure of a human falling for a monster—and in The 12 Hunks of Herculeia and Herculeia the Hero, we experience it twelve times. Twelve monstrous fated mates, sixteen fancy peens, one cockpocket, and an abundance of tentacles—it’s a good time.
And it’s jam-packed with tropes I love:
Forced proximity—they’re literally stuck on an island with no way off.
Fated mates—each monster is irresistibly drawn to Leia, whether they like it or not. But it takes a while before Leia can feel this bond in return.
Enemies-to-Lovers—not all the monsters are happy to have a human nearby, much less for her to be their mate. Some monsters have been previously betrayed by humans, while others were raised on a diet of human flesh.
Second Chance and Idiots-to-Lovers—many of the monsters have previously existing relationships with one another that have become strained after centuries of banishment. Leia is a catalyst to heal these wounds and prove there is bountiful, unconditional love to go around. I love that there are lots of MM romances (with their own relationship arcs) and that it’s shown through their respective POVs.
Before I could finish my question, a thick tentacle shot out of Vann’s back to wrap around me, pinning my arms to my sides. Instinctual fear mixed with undeniable desire as I was yanked, squealing, toward the predator who’d captured me. Tie me up, Tentacle Daddy.
Found Family
Found family is another of my favourite tropes and you’ll find it in abundance throughout the Herculeia duet. Leia finds a family with her fated mates, and the monsters find love within their motley crew. Leia and her niece, Iola, are also very close, both in age and in relationship; they’re just like sisters. I love the bond of sisterhood, and their relationship is touching (and a source of humor).
For reasons I couldn’t explain, I suddenly felt simutaneously cared for and deeply destroyed—inextricably connected to these men, even though I still barely knew them.
Feminism
Another theme running throughout the novels is feminism. Leia recalls frequently being talked over during meetings in the modern world. She intrigues her mates because she speaks her mind, and they encourage her to do so. Prior to meeting Leia, their opinion of women wasn’t very high, as the women of their time were fragile. But they are willing to learn, and Leia teaches them well. There’s lots of Heracles-dragging in this book—it never gets old. One of my favorite moments is when Heracles faces off against Queen Hippolyta.
My eyes filled with tears at the item I was holding and who it belonged to. A woman who was such a threat to the status quo that she was systematically diminished in the tales told by men after her death.
Final Thoughts:
Reading Herculeia: The Complete Duet has left me vibrating on a high — it’s one hell of a story capturing all the feels amid a great adventure. I love that C. Rochelle included all the bonus content in this collection. I wasn’t ready to leave the world when I was done with the duet, and I didn’t have to. The epilogues and three bonus stories add to the main story and help ease any book hangover situations—as does the NSFW art (which is fabulous, prints are available through C. Rochelle’s shop).
I highly recommend reading the Herculeia duet and then reading through C. Rochelle’s other books. You won’t be able to stop.
Herculeia by C. Rochelle (The Complete Duet + Bonus Content)
Author Stalking (but not in a creepy way):
C. Rochelle writes hilarious, feel-good, spicy Why Choose? MFF, and MM romance novels with monsters, witches, and superheroes.
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Patreon
Goodreads
Bookbub
Banner Image Credit: Ocean Coastline
~~If you like spicy books with tentacles, check out my SPICY TENTACLE REC LIST~~
Leave a Reply