Aphrodite is not afraid to play dirty to get what she wants, and right now that means marrying Olympus’s number one enemy – Hephaestus. In order to keep him off balance, Aphrodite plans to seduce his best friend – Pandora. Pandora is just as beautiful as she is sweet.

Hephaestus isn’t afraid to play the same game as Aphrodite and it seems that seducing her ex, Adonis, would be the perfect solution. What he doesn’t plan on is falling for Adonis.

With so many hearts involved, feelings might get in the way. Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Pandora and Adonis, an unlike quartet, but can it work?

AH! I was so excited to get an arc of the next installment of the Dark Olympus series. It is one of my favorite series and I love it so much. I absolutely loved this book and I think that it is my favorite in the series. Wicked Beauty was probably my favorite before, but this one took the cake – it was just so good. I loved the enemies to lovers. Hephaestus and Aphrodite were both so wonderfully written, their story was fantastic. I loved how they were developed, and the story played out. I also loved Pandora and Adonis as well. It was a little jarring in the beginning to be thrown back into this world as there are the character names and titles and sometimes, they only go by the title. But once I got things situated in my brain, I was able to be fully immersed in the story and didn’t want to put the book down.

I highly recommend this one! You won’t be disappointed.

I am so happy to be gifted an e-arc of this book by Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Netgalley @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: romance influenced by Greek mythology

Aphrodite has agreed to marry the new Hephaestus, adopted son of Minos, as a way to keep him off-balance and destabilize his quest for power. Of course, he’s more than she’s bargained for. But then again, so is his best friend, Pandora. And Aphrodite’s ex-lover Adonis, always the most charismatic person in the room, may be exactly what Hephaestus is looking for. Only together can they attempt to thwart the assaination attempts and look for something all four of them can definite as a happily ever after (or for now), with two on each side of the power struggle for Olympus.

This one was always going to be messy, but if anyone could pull it off, it would be Katee Robert. While I think she’s been successful at what she set out to do, this may be my least favorite of the Dark Olympus books (but still four stars from me!). One thing I’ve loved about the series is Robert’s unique ability to dive into the psyches of her characters and give us their perspective on the crisis Olympus is facing along with the unexpected perils of falling in love. With four points of view, it becomes harder to dive as deeply into each perspective.

That said, Katee brings the heat, which is what you come to expect in this series. By 50% into the book, we get four bangs with different combinations of the characters. And as with all of the books in this series, gender identity and sexuality is all embraced. The questions around polyamory are “Will it work with these four characters” not “Will it work” or “is it acceptable.”

The early bang - which I know many readers love - does mean that most of the plot is shifted into the last 50% of the book. I’m not always a plot driven reader, but I felt adrift for the first half while I waited for the external plot to put pressure on the burgeoning relationships and to give me a little reminder of what’s going on with the rest of Olympus.

I don’t recommend starting with this one for your Dark Olympus journey - but you can start with any of the first 4 books to get you here.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for an eARC for review. Cruel Seduction is out 8/8/23.

Book: Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: Enemies to lovers, Marriage of convenience, Polygamy
Publication: 8th August 2023

Katee Robert is back with a new installment in the Dark Olympus series, and I want to express my admiration for this author for consistently delivering amazing stories in this highly popular series.

Cruel Seduction is a retelling of the Aphrodite and Hephaestus story, but let me assure you, dear readers, that you are not prepared for the intense passion and excitement this book will bring. Despite its fast pace, the story reaches a crucial point in the series where new characters in town are causing confusion and mistrust, ultimately posing a threat to Olympus. Now, it falls upon the thirteen individuals to take matters into their own hands and engage in powerful games. Aphrodite is prepared to play dirty and ensure the survival of Olympus, regardless of the cost or sacrifices she must make. Aligning herself with the enemy seems to be the only way forward, but no one anticipates the sensual twists this new relationship will take, rekindling hope for happiness that once seemed lost.

The plot and character development seamlessly transport readers into the world of Dark Olympus, and the unfolding narration is truly awe-inspiring.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC copy.

Cruel Seduction picks up right where the last Dark Olympus left off with Aphrodite marrying Theseus (aka the new Hephaestus). Aphrodite’s goal is to distract Hephaestus so that he can’t focus on whatever nefarious plans he has with his foster father, Minos. She does this by seducing Hephaestus’s best friend, Pandora. But it comes back to bite her as Hephaestus plays the same game by seducing Aphrodite’s ex, Adonis.

The storyline continues from the previous couple books with Minos moving his secret plan forward to destroy Olympus. But not a lot actually happens in this book to move the plot forward. It kind of felt like it could be a filler book between Dark Olympus 4 and 6 with sex scenes being the main focus. Which, no real complaints here. Just good to know before jumping in.

Katee Robert really said "Oh, you want messy??" and then she delivered it beautifully.

MF, FF, MM, MFM (DVP!!)

Aphrodite agrees to a political marriage to Theseus because 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' and what's closer than marriage? They straight up hate each other. She decides to seduce his best friend, Pandora. He teams up with her jilted ex, Adonis, to not make her look bad. And then, oops, sex ensues between a lot of different parties. And then, double oops, now feelings are also involved.

And of course, all of this is happening while the crazy politics of Olympus is going on in the background.

I love the polyamorous group dynamics in this one, especially because it is a little more nuanced than some relationships I've seen depicted as polyam. However, my biggest complaint is with Pandora and Aphrodite's relationship. I wish it had been more developed and given the same attention as the other relationships. The Aphrodite/Theseus/Adonis situation was given way more depth and it felt like Pandora was just a convenient addition to the drama rather than a relationship that made sense.

So, overall, I do not think this was my favorite from the series. Nevertheless, I am still so invested in this crazy world that Katee has put together. (And truly, all of the little nuggets related to Zeus/Hera… I am so excited to finally get their story)

Another great read. I love this series. I love katees writing and clear and distinct each character is.


As always, we get a beautifully done polyam! But Lord, was it messy getting there.


Eris and Theseus are Aphrodite and Heaphestus respectfully. Bound for a marriage of power and control, neither wants to be in.

Eris has Adonis, and Theseus has more important things to be concerned with than The Thirteens Darling.

Eris throws her whole being into xaring for the people of her city, and even if they mean losing the man, she'll never admit she loves to marry the one she can't stand she'll do it.


But when these rivals start playing close to home, it gets MESSY AF!!!!

No one gets out unharmed.


I will say Pandoras character seems less main character energy and more body to be fucked.


Aphrodite could absolutely step on my next

I thoroughly enjoyed the series, including 'Cruel Seduction,' although I felt that it needed more content to fully develop the dynamics of the foursome. At times, the story felt a bit lengthy, but what made me less invested was the unexpected love interest between Theseus and Helen. It seemed like a drastic shift for his character. Nevertheless, these books are addictive, and despite their flaws, I eagerly anticipate the next installment.

{4.5 stars, rounded up} CRUEL SEDUCTION • Katee Robert • Pub Date: August 8, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is the eagerly awaited FIFTH installment in the Dark Olympus series. If you have not started this series yet, stop reading this review and go pick up the first book (Neon Gods) right now! These books are a delicious combination of romance and smut with some thriller-vibes (aka a love story with an intriguing, fast-paced plot and some STEAMY sex scenes).

Abridged Goodreads Synopsis: Aphrodite has never flinched at getting her hands dirty, and she's not about to start now—even if that means marrying Olympus's enemy number one, the new Hephaestus. She has a wicked plan to keep her deadly new husband off-balance, seducing the one person he seems to care about most in this world: Pandora, a woman as beautiful as she is sweet. Two can play the seduction game, however, and Hephaestus is all too happy to put his new wife in her place. Her ex, Adonis, seems like he'll do the trick. The only problem with using seduction as a weapon? Hearts are all too quick to get involved. But a broken heart may be the least of their worries. With unrest in Olympus reaching new heights, these bedroom games may have deadly consequences for themselves, their city, and everyone they've come to love.

Within 10% of this book, I quickly realized this was book going to become my favorite in the series. The stakes in Olympus are HIGH. The political tension had me stressed in the best way! Robert does not forgo the romance either. This book has the perfect balance of plot and character development as we get to watch this polyamorous relationship unfold after Aphrodite ends her on-again, off-again relationship with Adonis to enter into a marriage of convenience with Hephaestus. From there, things get wickedly messy. This book may also be the steamiest book to-date.

TL;DR: Read this book if you like marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, multifaceted characters, second chance romance, open relationships, political tension, revenge plots, etc.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Katee Roberts for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a solid book, but I honestly was expecting more from it. After the events of the last book, it felt like the overall plot was really picking up. There were so many questions at the end of Radiant Sin and I couldn’t wait to dive in and see what this meant for Olympus. However, this book did very little to advance the plot. It was mostly smut with a bit of plot added to the side. Also, the lack of Hermes hurt the book in my opinion. She was built up and had such a role in the last book, that he absence was really felt. I did like Theseus’ journey and the bits of insight we got into Ariadne, Icarus, and the Minotaur, I just wish we had gotten more!

Cruel Seduction was messy af, and I absolutely ate it up! This is my first book by Katee Robert, even though it's the fifth book in the Dark Olympus series. It can be read as a standalone, but I think I would appreciate it even more if I read the rest of the series.
The beginning was a bit confusing, which I expected because as I said I haven't read the other books but it didn't bother me that much. The chemistry between the characters was amazing and I loved the interactions and connections as they were forming. There was a little bit of everything - enemies to lovers, second chance, arranged marriage, lgbtq+ rep.
I was in a slump, and this was exactly what I needed to get me out of it! Now I can't wait to go back and read the series from the beginning. Highly recommend to check out this series if you haven't already.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This installment of Robert's romance-mythology retelling is high in drama, suspense, and a really really really slow-burn side plot. At first I was not enjoying the "forced to marry my enemy" trope and the games being played on both sides of the marriage, lukewarm sex scenes didn't help either, but I warmed up to the characters as their stories progressed. What I couldn't get over was the super stretched out side plot that Robert's has employed from the beginning of this series. I'm ready for the end of Olympus already (a.k.a. the not so secret side plot) and don't even need all the Gods/Goddesses to get a retelling at this point.

Cruel Seduction is book 5 in the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert. I have read all of the other books in this series and have enjoyed all of them. I have read many other Katee Robert books so for me she is an instant buy. If you want to find your gateway into romance with darker themes and taboo she is the author to try.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Polyamorous Romance

I appreciate the author representing love in all its forms. Spicy scenes 🥵 MM, FM, FF, MFM

I felt that this book was not as good as the other books in the Dark Olympus series. There was just so much going on. The book could have been longer and we would have had more time to really bond with he characters more. There wasn’t the same level of passion that we felt during other books in the series.

Pandora was more of a side character. It was almost as if she was just added in, and didn’t necessarily fit into the relationship as much as Aphrodite, Hephaestus, and Adonis did.

Aphrodite marries the new Hephaestus in order to keep an eye on him. But they end up way more tangled than they could have imagined. Aphrodite hopes to be able to distract citizens with gossip, but assassination attempts on the Thirteen are rampant in the city, and it puts everyone in danger.

I am obsessed with this series and this newest addition doesn’t disappoint. The story of Aphrodite and Hespestus has all the elements we love: mystery, murder, scandal, and love. The twists are subtle but beautiful. I love how this series evolves.

I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC of Katee Robert’s upcoming Dark Olympus novel 𝐶𝑟𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑆𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. This story follows Aphrodite and her new husband Hephaestus as they navigate their relationship in conjunction with their attachments to Pandora and Adonis and the growing threat of the newcomers to Olympus.
This book has it all: queer love, polyamory, enemies-to-lovers, second chances, intrigue, politics, assassins, spice, and quite a few sweet moments.
Unfortunately, this book took a while for me to get into. I remember when I reviewed 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑆𝑖𝑛 I said I was excited for more of the overarching plot concerning the city to come into play in this new book, but for the first 60% or so I found myself growing bored with Aphrodite and Hephaestus and their “I hate them, I want to kill them, why do I like them” internal monologues. It was so repetitive. But once things got going MAN DID THEY GET GOING.
All in all, this wasn’t my favorite entry into the Dark Olympus series but I still liked it, and I definitely still plan on buying the physical copy once it comes out. 3★

This installment in Katee Robert’s series is one that I really enjoyed! At first it took a bit to understand all of the characters since there are more perspectives than usual. In this particular story we get 4 perspectives: Aphrodite/Eris, Hephaestus/Theseus, Pandora, and Adonis. Their relationship is messy and chaotic but it made for a fast, steamy read! I’m excited to get my hands on the next installment.
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️ rounded down

Aphrodite is ready to walk down the aisle and marry the man she absolutely - hates. Determined to stop whatever plans Minos has next, Aphrodite forms her own play- marry his adopted son and take them down from the inside out. Too bad messy feelings start to get in the way and not to mention more exes and lovers keep getting involved in the marriage and marriage bed. Will Aphrodite and her new husband be able to play the game the city wants them to play, and stay in power- or will their marriage (as fake as it is) and they crumble along with it.
Delectably messy, and full of characters you want to win and lose at the same time. I love this series and can't wait to see what happens next.

I have been a big fan of this series and I remember looking forward for Neon Gods to be released and the hype was undeniably worth it. Each book has added so much world building and her relationship development never ceases to impress me (especially with her condensed timelines). But I absolutely fell just a little in love with Eris, Theseus, Pandora, and Adonis.

And big oh boy does she know how to write (and make) tricky romance pairings work. Not everyone could write a successful polyamorous romance with an eventful plot but she managed to pull it off in a way that is perfectly suited to the rest of this series. We had excellent character development, plot advancement, deep and meaningful conversations, and of course SPICE. Honestly, my only real complaint is that we only received one group scene, but I’ll wait patiently for the next few books and hope we get a few more from her because as always, her work is delightful.

(Or maybe we will get lucky and she will write some short stories like she did for her Wicked Villain series!)

All in all this book is a good stepping stone for the rest of the series and yet it can stand on its own. I’m so excited to see where this goes and can’t wait for the next installment. It almost makes me sad that I finished this in less than a day knowing I have to wait for the next book, but at least I can go find my highlighted sections 😎.

I think the coolest part about this book is the fact it follows four people like I love that polyamory is being featured in a traditionally published book. And I think the setup for all four people works really well. For example, I understand what Aphrodite is receiving from the others and why these multiple relationships fulfill her.

I think this is Katee's most niche book I've read so far and I don't know how others will like, but I really liked the steam and the normalization of polyamory and the character development.

What was missing for me here was there wasn't enough time for any romantic build. Since we have four characters not just two, there's less page time to service everyone in the proper way. I think the only way this book could've been truly successful to me would've been if it was 600 pages and we saw more of a development of some of the couples in the poly knot. Because thinking about the lack of romance is actually upsetting me.

Out of all the combinations of pairings here, I'd say my favorite was Aphrodite's and Hephasteus's. They were so explosive and I loved them arguing and their arranged marriage trope in the beginning felt like a mafia romance I was loving.

The plot here was really interesting too, but toward the end I feel like it was anticlimactic. Wicked Beauty remains to have my favorite plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m obsessed with this series! I love the modern take on Greek gods and the ongoing power/political/love conflict that makes up Olympus. I love how the books pick up where the previous one left off.

This book follows Aphrodite (Eris) as she navigates self-sacrifice for the good of the city versus what she wants as Eris. She agreed to marry the new Hephaestus (Theseus) who has taken advantage of a little known clause - if you kill a member of the Thirteen, you can take their place. Theseus has done just that to become Hephaestus and is forced to marry Aphrodite. She goes through with it with the intention to learn Theseus’ plans and his string puller Minos’ plans for destroying the Thirteen and Olympus. Feelings are an unexpected side effect as their lives intertwine and further entangle with Adonis and Pandora. But with the public’s knowledge of the clause apparent, the lives of the Thirteen are at stake. Can Aphrodite and Hephaestus come together to keep each other alive? Can they put their wants and feelings ahead of Olympus?

I enjoyed the book and can’t wait for the next one in the series. I’m still hoping for a Hera/ Zeus book!