4 Stars Katee Robert is the QUEEN of spicy mythology retellings! Cruel Seduction is a continuation of her Dark Olympus series and you definitely need to have read the rest of the series first to understand the characters and dynamics in this one. Robert is great at bringing representation to the legends of Greek mythology and Cruel Seduction has great LGBTQ+ and polyamorous rep. As always, the spicy scenes were hot and the sexual tension throughout kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. Can’t wait to keep reading this series!

This one took me a while to get into it, but once I did? It was amazing. It left me wanting more. Aphrodite is hot and playing games. Theseus is grumpy and hot. Adonis is heartbroken and wanting revenge. Pandora just wants peace. But when these four get together? Things get hot! This one does have a much more political plot than the other four. It definitely feels like a turning point in this series. Highly recommend if you have read the rest of the Dark Olympus series.

Cruel Seduction is a romance novel for the record books. Robert’s Dark Olympus series continues to knock expectations out of the park. Aphrodite and Hephaestus may have the most unbelievable plot to date, but that’s not why we come back to this series. We come for the raw emotion, the tension, and the release. Cruel Seduction has it all.

Is it getting hot in here?

Okay this book, like every other book in this series, is ADDICTIVE! I love a good spicy mythology and Katee Roberts had the perfect bled of political intrigue and spice to keep you entertained the entire time!!

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a little (a lot) of spice with their mythology retellings/reimaginings!

The Dark Olympus series continues to pull out all the stops. After the less than savory installment of the new Hephaestus, the thirteen find themselves in a precarious position. Ever the dutiful Olympian, Aphrodite, marries Hephaestus to keep an eye on him. The plotting and scheming from these two is amplified when Aphrodite pursues Pandora(Hephaestus’s best friend) and Hephaestus pursues Adonis (Aphrodite’s ex). Will they survive their marriage and the chaos that’s breaking out in Olympus?

These two seem like they’re going to kill each other for like 70% of the book which is utterly delightful. There is nothing better than the “I hate you but am so attracted to you I don’t know what to do” steamy scenes on the page. They’re such a whirlwind of tension and then you add in Pandora and Adonis and my gods I thought I was going to bubble over. Katee knows how to keep readers on their toes and I know I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next book to see how Olympus fairs.

Katee Robert does it again! I've always enjoyed her willingness to break molds and write about non-traditional relationships. Not everyone fits into a mold. After Radiant Sin (I loved Apollo's story) I didn't think I was going to like the new Hephaestus book because he was an absolute a**hole in that book. But Cruel Seduction was a wonderful surprise.

The four main characters all worked well with one another and I felt their story arcs weren't pushed or forced. It was so nice to see how things went from literal enemies and an arranged marriage to save the city to real feelings and protection of one another.

Spice was at its usual level with Robert's books... there was a threesome that was 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. Robert did this scene so well unlike some authors (looking at you Jennifer Armentrout!). You knew exactly who was doing what and it was so steamy and delicious.

And can I just say how much of a gem Pandora is?!?! Loved this book. If you've liked Katee Robert in the past, you'll love this one. If this is your first time reading Robert, definitely go back to the first one and work your way from there. These stories are all intermingled so you'll need to know what's happened in the past to understand this book. So much is going on! I can't wait for this series to conclude and see how it all wraps up.

I am so unbelievably invested in the political intrigue of this world. This series has evolved into something so gloriously intricate. I couldn't even begin to understand how Katee has managed to keep track of so many moving pieces but witnessing them fall into place in insane. This book has brought the series to a whole new level.

With every Katee book you know the spice is going to hit and hit hard and this did not disappoint. I could gush for hours over the poly representation and lgbt+ representation in general. To cut down the time that would take I gotta focus on how much I absolutely adore seeing a truly unique open poly knot that is so rare and hard to find in fiction (my poly heart is overjoyed).
I am so so so ready for the next installment

Oh. My. GODS!!! Katee Robert has done it yet again!
I was honestly unsure how I was going to enjoy this one, given the poly knot premise, but this is definitely immediately one of my favorites. No one does a hate-fuck like Katee Robert! The world of Olympus is continually getting richer, and honestly, I couldn't tell you where we're heading, which I love. Definitely on the edge of my seat for what's next!

I have been invested in this series since the first book, so I was so excited to receive the ARC of this one. Following the pattern of the other books in the series, this book was fun and an enjoyable read.

Cruel Seduction is the story of Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Adonis, and Pandora and how they all fit together.

Honestly, 4 narrators woven together in a polyamorous relationship proved to be a little too much for me. I loved Wicked Beauty (book 3) with Helen/Achilles/Patroclus in which I thought Katee Robert did a phenomenal job in selling their relationship to me.
In this case, there felt like a bit too much inequality in terms of how much everyone was loved (does that make sense?) I also thought there were too many narrators for the story, and the outside plot of Olympus was not as engaging as I found it in both Wicked Beauty and Radiant Sin (my two favorites in the series).
That being said, it was still a solid dark romance with a mafia feel story and I will obviously continue with the series.
3.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary ARC.

This book summed up in few words: messy af. This book builds on the events of the previous one, there is a lot more political maneuvering and intrigue than what’s been present in the previous books. It is a polyknot cluster between Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Adonis, and Pandora with a fine line between love and hate and amazing friendships. I devoured it.

I was given an advanced copy by the author in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

It's another swing and a miss for me from Robert. While the action was a little better this go around than in Radiant Sin I still didn't think it was as fun or political as Wicked Beauty.

There was also a lot of insta-love, which is not my jam. And while hate fucking might be cathartic it doesn't lead to serious relationships.

Also. That ending?

This is the next addition to Katee Robert's Dark Olympus series focusing on Aphrodite and Hephaestus (with Adonis and Psyche). I enjoyed this book and it definitely pushed the Olympus in trouble narrative forward but I wanted more. There were so many relationships in the book that it didn't feel like they were explored enough. Considering we won't be visiting these couples again, I really just wanted to see more.

Wow! Katee has done it again! Cruel Seduction picks up where Radiant Sin ends. This book is based on the mythology of Aphrodite/Hephaestus/Adronis/Pandora. It was perfection. The smut is on point! But the development of the events that are happening in Olympus had me on the edge of my seat! This series just keeps on getting better and better. I can’t wait for the next story to be released. Katee is such an amazing storyteller and plot development just keeps getting better with each book in this series. Highly recommend !!!

Having waited for this telling from the first book in Katee Robert's Dark Olympus series I am so excited to say it did not disappoint~

There were so many dynamic relationships in this book. Aphrodite and Hephaestus and their marriage of convenience, Adonis navigating his feelings and Pandora's adorable friendship with Hephaestus and amazing chemistry overall was such a fun and yes spicy read.

“𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬. 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭.”

Cruel Seduction is book 5 in the Dark Olympus Series and follows Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Adonis, and Pandora. This book was definitely messy, but in the best way. We have a marriage of convenience between Aphrodite and the new Hephaestus, romance between Hephaestus and Aphrodite’s ex, Adonis, and romance between Aphrodite and Hephaestus’s best friend, Pandora. MESSY. Add in all the political drama with the Thirteen and plenty of action and you’ve got yourself a book that’s unputdownable. 4.5⭐️

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥:
💋MMFF poly romance
💋Marriage of convenience
💋Second chance romance
💋Revenge
💋Multi POV

“𝐈 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨. 𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭.”

“𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐝. 𝐒𝐨 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭. 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬?”

“𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝.“

“𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐬.

“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐖𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐤.”

“𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫. 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭. 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞. 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.“

I don't know how she keeps doing it, but K Robs has managed to make me fall in love with even more of Olympus' key players.

This time, we're following Eris/Aphrodite as she chooses to marry her enemy, the newly appointed Hephaestus, in a bid to find out his game plan after he claimed the title by triggering the assassination clause. This new relationship means leaving Adonis, a man she loved, but she will break her own heart and his, for the good of Olympus.

Who freaking knew that I'd come to have a sweet spot for fricking Theseus? The man is all tough exterior and soft marshmallow centre lol. Speaking of soft marshmallow, Pandora 😍 I loved getting to know her, and I adore her determination to take care of those she loves. I really enjoyed getting to see behind the curtain of these characters we've previously seen who present such an unruffled exterior to the public. Eris thought she knew what she wanted, and felt she needed to follow in her father's footsteps to protect Olympus at all costs. And sweet Adonis. Ugh. Just love him! Put all four of them together and you have a recipe for the sweetest, most loyal and protective, and sexiest foursome I've read to date 🥵🥰

I cannot wait for the next instalment in Olympus!

Classic Katee Robert again, but a fun twist with the dynamics between the characters and the outcomes of the power plays happening in Olympus. Only downfall for this one for me is it wasn’t as sexy as others in the series!

I’ve only read part of Neon Gods but I want to read all the Dark Olympus books eventually so I was super hyped to get this ARC! I loved the Aphrodite x Hephaestus x Pandora x Adonis setup, the enemies to lovers, and the smut!! I wasn’t as interested in all of the politics and plot with the families, some of it felt too drawn out. My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Aphrodite and her husband don't want to get married and use each other's exes to make the other jealous, which backfires since they all end up loving each other.
Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert is the latest book in the Dark Olympus series. It features Aphrodite, Hephaetus, Pandora, and Adonis. Personally, I like the Dark Olympus, but the last couple of books have been a bit lack luster. This one is the same. I did not like this book. It had little plot to it and was more focused on everyone having sex with each other. I expected more but unfortunately did not receive it. I did not enjoy this book and would not recommend it to others, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.