I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley which I am grateful for since I got to read this delicious book!

OMG Hot Hot Hot!!! This thruple has my heart thrumping!!! Yes, I know it's not a word but it fits! I loved this book. Book 3 in the Dark Olympus series by Katee Roberts hits a home run.

Helen Kasios, daughter of the old Zeus, sister to the new Zeus and new Aphrodites (if this is a spoiler go back and read books 1 and 2 because you're missing some great stories), is completing to be the new Ares. Problem? No one is happy about it, especially since she is supposed to be part of the prize for the winner. Achilles Kallis and Patroclus Fotos are also competing for the Ares position and they are already a couple before the competition begins. And wow are they a spicy couple from the start.

I’ll be honest I didn’t like Achilles at the start, but that changed fast enough and by the end, he had won me over! Patroclus I was hot for from the very beginning. New characters to the Dark Olympus series, Robert does a great job of giving you all their background without feeling like an info dump. I appreciated that.

What I didn’t like -
The story ended fast, and though I think I understand why (and if I’m right I can’t wait till the next book!) it still felt a little abrupt. I wish Helen, Achilles, and Patroclus had been able to have a lengthier close, but if it plays into the next book I can understand why.

Also, I’m going to admit, calling this story a retelling is a bit of a stretch.

What I did like -
The spice was excellent, a good mix of a lot and really hot, and not enough to deter from the story.

The story, Robert has a way of telling a spicy story that just wraps you up and sends you into her world.

The way Robert tells these retellings! As I said above calling them retellings are really kind of a stretch, but honestly she has taken them and created a beautiful new world with her own new mythology. I’d worship her version of Hades any day, and Helen, Achilles, and Patroclus are much better than their mythological counterparts (in my opinion).

I first consumed Katee Robert in the form of Neon Gods and from that point I was completely hooked on Dark Olympus. To say I was obsessed with Neon Gods is an understatement. When I read Electric Idol, I thought maybe the series had peaked and Neon Gods would remain the favorite… but upon reading Wicked Beauty, I’m delighted to report that I have a new favorite in the Dark Olympus series.

Wow, where do I begin? This could be classified as the perfect novel - this story is action packed from the get-go, there’s always something happening that keeps you captivated and giddy as you click through the pages. There’s absolutely no time to be bored with this book - between the three trials throughout the competition to become Ares and Helen’s addition to Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship - this book barely gives you time to come up for air… and I mean this in the best way possible. I was drowning in the best way.

The romance was so spicy and the polyamory was so tastefully done. I love the way this book was written from multiple POVs so we really got a look into what was going through Helen, Achilles or Patroclus’ mind throughout this budding romance. It’s refreshing to see how empowered Helen is with her choice to participate. She owns her sexuality and feels empowered. Patroclus and Achilles have an interesting relationship to say the least and watching them share Helen gives recognition to the validity in polyamorous relationships. This was not the romance typical novel - which is probably why I loved it so much. Without giving too much away let’s just say no matter what your sexual preferences, I can guarantee you’ll find satisfaction as you explore the complexities of human relationships with my new favorite throuple.

Helen, Patroclus and Achilles are well-developed throughout this book. Helen is STRONG and determined to prove her worth is more than just in her beauty. Helen is not a damsel in distress that needs rescuing. She is a BAD ASS with a heart of gold. She is definitely one of my new favorite MCs.

Lastly, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC. I am without a doubt waiting excitedly for my physical copy to arrive when this comes out on my birthday! I’m so excited to see what the future holds for the Dark Olympus series.

I received an arc approval granted by sourcebooks casablanca for Wicked Beauty-Katee Robert. A unique retelling of Helen of Troy/Sparta, Achilles and Patroclus; the 3rd book in Katee’s Dark Olympus series, following prequel Stone Heart, full novels Neon Gods and Electric Idol, all could be read as standalones in a way.

If you enjoy a light brush of Greek mythology, MMF (male-male-female), LGBT, polyamory, forced proximity, entertaining, competition with high stakes and a whole lot of spice. For anyone who is familiar with the author’s taboo series especially the book “Gifting Me to His Best Friend” could already see Katee would work the dynamic between a MMF throuple.

Olympus is run by the Thirteen rulers so if you are not ruling you are following the words of those ruling. Helen, daughter of the last Zeus and the sister to the new ruling Zeus and Aphrodite, is tired of living her life as a pawn, as a prize especially for her beauty. Training in silence…waiting for her moment.

Achilles was born from nothing and has worked hard to make a name for himself. Striving for more and more, he wants everyone to know his name, he was made to rule, to be on top. With his partner/lover Patroclus by his side to help him reach the top. They have a plan in place.

Ares is dead-a competition is underway to find Olympus newest Ares. When Zeus decides that Helen will be the prized bride for the new Ares champion. Helen can not wait to show them what she is made of and that she is worth more than just a pretty face. Entering the competition herself. It complicates things for Achilles who also enters the competition. Patroclus by his side to ensure he wins Ares.

I enjoyed the book. I am a big mythology buff even if this series is LIGHT on the mythology aspect of it but I can say I like the author’s take on a modern day Olympus and the dynamics behind it. When I go into a Katee Robert book; I can automatically ensure that it’s going to have a lot of spice. The book was Plot, Spice/smut, Plot. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and loved the characters. My favorites were Patroclus and Atalanta. The chemistry and bond between the male leads is ugh amazing. I was engaged throughout the entire book, as always: Katee just knows how to hook me in. Throw in politics, a bit of drama and upcoming chaos and I am ready for the next book before finishing the one at hand. Can not wait to see what happens next and getting to see more of the characters already introduced and those in the future.


I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley/Publisher Casablanca and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I received an electronic ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have previously read only one Katee Robert book - The Neon Gods, the first part of this series - and really enjoyed it. I then completely missed the second installement but was lucky enough to get approved for the third part. Fortunately, the books can be pretty much read as standalones as each centers around a different couple with events taking place in the same city with the same cast of secondary characters. I wasn't worried to get spoilers for the second part (even if you are, I think they are minimal) and immediately started reading Wicked Beauty.

This book is about Helen, Achilles and Patroclus who among others enter a contest to win the seat of Ares, one of the Thirteen who rule the city. Achilles and Patroclus are in an open relationship and are in equal measure attracted to Helen and wary of her as the daughter of previous Zeus as well as a competitor. Tensions run high and the stakes are even higher.

One of my favorite tropes on books is any sort of contest or competition involving main characters and this book delivers. I loved the Ares contest with its three various trials and the character dynamics we are able to see through them.

Rationally I understood the relationship the characters formed and saw how they fit together but I just didn't get the butterflies when they interacted. Don't get me wrong, the book is plenty spicy but it was hard for me to believe they fell in love with each other so fast.

I still gave it 5 stars for the plot and the spice because it was a very quick and easy read for me.

This was a great re-telling of Helen and Achilles. It had action, romance, and a good plot line. It was fast paced and expanded on characters in previous books.

Wicked Beauty is a Helen/Achilles/Patroclus retelling. I think that what put me off about this book (from the others in the series and other Achilles/Patroclus stories) was the addition of Helen into their relationship.

The saving grace for me was the competition for Ares. That's probably what got me to finish this book. I think that the relationship was fine, but at the end of the day, Helen's boss babe energy is what made me like this book.

Pros: Helen & Patroclus & the competition for Ares
- Helen was a well written character that had a strong backbone and a reasonable goal
- Patroclus (ANOTHER SAVING GRACE FOR ME) was so sweet and I loved him

Cons: Achilles :( & the whole relationship
- Achilles was just such a frat boy and that's my only comment

overall: easy to read but felt a little cringe at times :) would recommend since I still want to read the rest of the series

Another hot one from Katee Robert. Sign me the fuck up for a hot throuple. Helen/Achilles/Patroclus were great. I’m not sure if I liked this more than I liked Electric Idol or not but I definitely did like it.
I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of plot there is in this book. We are clearly headed towards some kind of war in Olympus or invasion or something. Excited for the rest of the books for all of that. I think she has like 7+ books planned and I will read every single one.
The 🥵🔥🌶 steam and spice is there just like you expect from a KR book. The first scene where all 3 parties were present, well fuck me. Achilles can boss me around anytime he wants to 🤣. I think there are 4 or 5 scenes total? Definitely frequent.
I really loved Helen. She was a bad ass and really just took control of her life. Excellent heroine. She’s my fave of the 3 books so far.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advance copy of this book! Release date is 6/7! I would suggest reading the books in order if possible but they can be read standalone. You will just miss some of the world building and background plot if you read out of order.
This will be posted on my Instagram @katebrownreads as well. Will update with link once it is posted.

And yet another perfectly written novel by katee Robert! I’m obsessed with this series and each one gets better and better! I can’t recommend this enough a mythology 50 shades of grey.

While I have enjoyed this authors work in the past, this one just did not do it for me. There were weird development issues with characters and major editing that needs to happen especially towards the later half of the book. I feel like it will be a lot of people's new favorite book by the author - which is why I want to sell it in our stores, but on a personal level I thought I would have more fun than I did. I'm still likely to pick up more books by this author, but slightly disappointed for such a hyped title.

I love the Dark Olympus series so much so I was beyond excited to read this early. I’m not really familiar with poly relationships but this absolutely exceeded my expectations. The addition of Helen to Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship was so well done - Patroclus and Achilles are pretty much opposites and Helen is the perfect balance between the two. And the spice, y’all. It was incredible.

I have to admit I kind of hate Achilles in general and I had many angry feelings toward him for a good chunk of the book but Katee managed to make me soften up to him by the end. I love Helen and how determined she is to prove that she deserves a place in the Thirteen. She’s let people mistreat her in the past, but she’s finally ready to prove that she’s more than just a pretty face and can compete with any man. Patroclus is just adorable and brainy and awkward and all around my fave.

This book was super fast paced - the competition to become the next Ares was action packed and there was never a dull moment. I loved the close proximity element and how Katee managed to keep things interesting even though it was mostly set in one location. I also want to point out that this is Katee’s interpretation and it doesn’t need to be historically accurate to be enjoyed.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was spicy and I loved it. I liked the take on Helen, and I really enjoy the world that Katee Robert built. Every time I read one of these books I throughly enjoy them. They're such a palette cleanser from heavier books.

I love these characters! This new take on an old mythology is unique. Olympus is like a soap opera set. In this one we get Helen's story. She's strong and determined. Achilles is an alphahole you can't help but love. Patroclus was my favorite. He's sweet and sexy. There's a lot of action and it gave me Hunger Games vibes. The romance is unconventional. The steamy sex scenes will make your kindle sweat! While I loved the poly relationship between these three I was a bit disappointed that certain words were spoken only between the men. I hope we see these three in the future with an update. I'm enjoying this series and can't wait for more.

I loved this so. Made me blush but I also loved the communication and trauma healing and enthusiastic consent.

I am a big fan of mixing mythology but if you’re a purist, put that away and read it anyway.. 😉

Katee did it again! I absolutely loved Wicked Beauty, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about Helen being part of the thruple (I love Achilles and Patroclus) but wow I really adored their dynamic. I also appreciated introducing what i assume will be a new series plot point with the barrier breaking...does that mean perhaps a cross over with Wicked Villains or another series? I can't wait to see! Thank you for the early copy!

Wicked Beauty is a perfect addition to the Dark Olympus universe. With a new chance to grab for power Helen, Achilles, and Patroclus must make important decisions regarding themselves, their desires, and each other. The three main characters have such complex stories that will hook you in from their first introduction. Katee Robert does it again with a wonderful mix of humor, spice, and political intrigue to keep readers on their toes.

This book was absolute fire!
I was sitting on the edge of my seat the entire read. I could not wait to see what happened next!
I love getting the view inside Helen's mind, and the ability to immerse myself back into this world was an amazing retreat. My only regret? That I will not get to experience reading this book again for the first time. I can not wait to see what Katee comes out with next!

5/5 Stars

4/5 Spice

CW/TW : Abusive Parent and Abusive Ex, Assault, Attempted Murder, Violence (Including blood), Miscarriage (side character, past, off page)

Rep : Gay relationship (MLM), Poly relationship (FMM), Queer characters

I received a Free E-Arc in exchange for an honest review through Netgalley. Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley.

I had originally received the 5 chapter advanced copy and loved it, so when I got the email that I was approved for the full copy I was extremely excited. I loved this book so much, the characters have complex pasts that were slowly revealed and overall were complex characters, the trials were well developed and were very interesting and engaging to read. I devoured this book just like I always do for Katee’s books in only a couple of days because it kept my attention throughout everything and I didn’t feel like there were a lot of slow moments.

While all the books in the Dark Olympus series are technically retellings this is really not, so if you are looking for an accurate retelling this isn’t it. But if you would like to see a happy ending for Achilles and Patroclus, maybe stick around for this book. This book is set in a modern day Olympus where all of the “gods” are mortal people and aren’t actually gods but instead take up mantels of the gods and are rulers of the city.

While this book had a very similar start to Neon Gods it is almost nothing alike plot wise. The book is centered around the Ares Trials and we see our main characters Achilles, Patroclus, and Helen all competing for their own reasons. Starting off the book it’s announced that there is gonna be a competition for the Ares title after the old Ares passed away, but during the announcement it is also announced that part of winning the title is winning Helen’s hand in marriage which she never agreed to. This throws Helen for a loop as she didn’t think her brother Zeus, aka Perseus, had it in him to do something like this and she was originally planning on competing for the title. Helen decides that she is gonna compete still just instead of stepping forward during the event for the announcement she would sign up in private to go around her brothers back. Achilles and Patroclus were both already competing so Achilles would win the title with the help of Patroclus’s intellect but when Patroclus sees Helen sign up for the trial it throws a small wrench in the plan as she was a wild card they weren’t expecting to compete especially after she was announced a prize. The rest of the book follows them all competing and slowly becoming closer even though Helen and Achilles & Patroclus should really be the furthest thing from close.

I loved the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus and how as the book progressed we learned more about their relationship which they had been in for years before this trial. They had always been in an open relationship but never did they plan that it would become a relationship with Helen Kasios. I loved seeing how the inter-dialogue of Achilles and Helen slowly shifted further into the book as they became closer because there was a slow shift from I hate this person to maybe I’m in love with this person with many steps between point a and point b.

Out of all of the Dark Olympus characters Helen is my favorite that we have gotten a point of view of so far. She’s such a strong badass woman that is having to fight against many of the most powerful men in and out of Olympus just so she could keep some amount of independence after being put up as a prize to be won. I loved seeing how she was still trying to work against some of the toxic mindset she had gotten from her abusive past relationship while also competing against her ex and putting up with him. I loved seeing her character from different points of view because in Electric Idol, she very much seemed like just a spoiled princess but we got to see why she puts up that act and what she is really like.

If you enjoyed other Katee Robert books or are looking for a good polyamorous relationship in a contemporary romance book or want a contemporary romance book with some hunger games like trials in it this is it. It has a great plot and great characters and it’s overall a good book.

I really enjoyed this book!

First, this book was much spicier than both Neon Gods AND Electric Idol (Electric Idol was a normal romance level of spicy, so it did not take much to top it). All of the pairings were well written and the spice was HOT, and I also appreciated that (as per usual with Katee Robert books), consent was ongoing and enthusiastic during each encounter.

If you're someone who is a stickler for accuracy in Greek myth retellings, this book won't be for you. HOWEVER, if you are someone who loves Achilles and Patroclus and are desperate to see them have a happy ending, you'll definitely enjoy this! Making Achilles, Patroclus, and Helen a triad was an interesting choice, but I think it worked really well within this Dark Olympus universe.

One thing that I absolutely love about Robert's most recent releases (The Dragon's Bride and now Wicked Beauty) is the way she includes nonbinary characters. First, it's still relatively rare to have non-binary characters in books, so while they aren't the main character I really appreciate the representation. Second, and most importantly for me, I LOVED that she includes them in such a casual way. When the character Bellerophon, there is no stopping to explain their pronouns and no one misgenders them and needs to be corrected, everyone automatically switches to the correct pronouns, just like with she/her or he/him pronouns. I know in real life you can't always tell someone's pronouns by just looking at them, but in a book world, it makes perfect sense and is a great way to normalize non-binary people and they/them pronouns. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a non-binary lead character in a future book!

Anyway, I loved this book and I am so excited to see more from this universe!

WOW

This book was such a fun read. I went in to this knowing very little and I had the best time reading it.

The relationship between Helen×Achilles×Patroclus was absolutely amazing. I loved the way each of them had so much love for the others and the balance between the three.

The whole story is a thrill ride, with fun characters and just the right amount of spice!

I highly recommend you check this out when it hit shelves!

I myself am off to buy more books by Katee Robert!

Thank you to #netgalley for the chance to read this advance copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this eArc.

I read this in a sitting, yep! Loved this, loved the spin on the myth, loved out MCs, all the POV, their personalities, how well they are written, every interaction. Love it!

This will give you what we all got used to from Kate Robert, it packs the spice and it delivers a proper kick. But what i loved about this one more than the ones before is the amazing fun i had with all the Olympian dynamics, events, politics and where the world is headed.