Be it in contemporary romance or a medieval fantasy setting, Hades and Persephone reimaginations are certainly having a moment right now. There are quite a few romance books out there featuring the trope, and we have compiled the best 'Lord of the Underworld kidnaps girl to bring into his world' stories out there for you.

• #21 The Bad Guy - Celia Aaron

  

  suspense contemporary alpha male dark romance love triangle

  My name is Sebastian Lindstrom, and I’m the villain of this story.
  I’ve decided to lay myself bare. To tell the truth for once in my hollow life, no matter how dark it gets. And I can assure you, it will get so dark that you’ll find yourself feeling around the blackened corners of my mind, seeking a door handle that isn’t there.
  Don’t mistake this for a confession. I neither seek forgiveness nor would I accept it. My sins are my own. They keep me company. Instead, this is the true tale of how I found her, how I stole her, and how I lost her.
  She was a damsel, one who already had her white knight. more

• #22 Awaken - Meg Cabot

  contemporary fantasy young adult demons mystery

  From #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, the dark reimagining of the Persephone myth comes to a thrilling conclusion.
  
  Death has her in his clutches. She doesn't want him to let go.
  
  Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she'd be forced to live forever in the one place she's always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.
  
  But now her happiness -- and safety -- are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: He revived a human soul. more

• #23 The Eighth House: Hades & Persephone - Eris Adderly

  fantasy

  Catch me, Darkness. Again and again. The life of a virgin goddess might suit Artemis or Athena, but Persephone, daughter of Zeus, wants no part of it. While the rest of the immortals cavort, she grows restless in the shadow of Olympos.
  
  Rules, rules. Always the rules. Her mother’s edict forbids her the company of any male god. She can’t speak to them, can’t look at them. Can’t even attend the Olympian feasts. As far as Demeter knows, her daughter remains a maiden.
  
  But Persephone leads a double life. She finds her affection elsewhere, and in plentiful supply. If only the sons of Man made her happy. If only she could put a name to this need she feels. more

• #24 Hades - Carly Spade

  fantasy paranormal urban fantasy

  Stephanie Costas has always had a passion for humanity. As a digital forensics examiner, she fights bad guys from the technical front. When a closed cold case is dug up, she finds herself becoming consumed to set things right. No amount of eighties music or repeated viewings of her favorite movie Dirty Dancing were enough to distract her. She needed a vacation in the worst of ways. 
  
  When she set foot in the gorgeous tropical resort in Greece, she had no idea she'd meet a man claiming to be Hades, god of the Underworld. And she certainly had no idea that he was telling the truth. Her Greek vacation was about to become very...interactive. 
  
  A Hades/Persephone re-imagining. more

• #25 The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter

  contemporary young adult fantasy dystopian mystery

  It’s always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall.
  
  Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
  
  Kate is sure he’s crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems amazingly possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride, and a goddess. more