I loved everything about the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert so far. This one, however, just missed the mark for me.

I think it really boiled down to that there were four perspectives in the book, and it didn't leave a lot of time for any of the characters to really be expanded. It felt rushed, and by the time the pacing sped up, the book was over. The book was also very, very short. I felt that there could have been another hundred pages which may have made it better.

If you are an avid fan of this series, then you know the politics going into the book of Olympus. For me, after reading five books taking place in Olympus, I'm kind of bored of it. This is personal, of course, but it was the same story as all four other ones. The book mostly went in circles. Problems with The Thirteen, their titles, somebody wants to execute someone else... It was tiresome.

The relationships in this book were perfectly messy, which I loved. I would have loved it more if there was, as I already mentioned, maybe another hundred or so pages where we draw out the problems regarding having such a messy, polyamorous relationship. I find it hard to believe that they just easily fell into this sort of relationship, given that there was so much turmoil in each of the character's hearts at the start of the novel. I would have loved to read more about that, but sadly, there just wasn't enough time. I also believe that none of them truly had a personality. I can't recall any interests of any of their characters. Their sole purpose was each other and The Thirteen. That is a recipe for a very forgettable novel.

All in all, it wasn't a bad book. Not at all. It was enjoyable, quick, and it had few cute moments and your expected amount of steam for a Katee Robert novel. I saw what it was attempting to do, I just think it could have been better had it been longer, had there been more page-time given to each of the characters.

This story in the Dark Olympus series has all the feel-good naughty tropes, including; enemies-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, second chance, and plenty of spice!

I jumped into this series after falling in love with Radiant Sin but had already been a fan of Katee Robert, and Cruel Seduction didn't let me down, but I admit is not in my top books by Katee, so I recommend for avid fans and vote to start at one of Katee's other novels in the series if you haven't checked out her books yet. (You'll likely love them and come back to this one wanting more.)

Katee Robert knows how to bring the spice and whewwww this did not disappoint. This book does have the insta-love trope while also exploring an enemies to lovers marriage. While I enjoyed this book, parts of it definitely felt rushed. Because this book had a poly relationship with 4 characters, there was a lot to get into involving motivations and desires that could have had more fleshing out. Overall it was a great addition to the Dark Olympus series and I’m always excited to see what Robert will do next!

Cruel seduction is to me the highly anticipated follow up to Radiant sin. I couldn’t wait to get peek through the enemies eyes into what they were truly up to and that didn’t happen. At least not how I’d expect. You get some crumbs about the next plot against the thirteen because duh. But you don’t know too much. But what you do see is the interactions and family dynamics between Minos and his children.

What the author attempted by having a poly relationship ended up hurting the story a little because there just wasn’t enough time to build on the relationships between all four people. She relied on Hephaestus and his previous relationship with pandora and Aphrodite with her relationship with Adonis. And it would’ve worked if we had gotten a better sense of their respective relationships in previous books but didnt get the full Monty that I know this book could’ve delivered.

That’s not say that there aren’t spicy scenes because duh it’s Katee Robert and while the spice was nice seeing the further dynamics between the thirteen within themselves as a group and them versus their citizens are what truly made this book shine. There are some HIGHLY anticipated couples coming up at least for me. And while I can’t wait for Zeus and Hera to me Poseidon and Icarus are my curveball.

I loved reading this book! I love this series and Katee's writing, and this book, I knew it was going to be good, with enemies to lovers, and the whole I'll seduce this person close to you to torture you dynamic. I really enjoyed reading about this foursome!

The hints and nods to greek mythology were really great. Like how Hephaestus has the limp, which in this series he got when he was competing to become Ares. It’s the kind of detail that proves that this series has been plotted out and I loved it!

There are two main things about Aphrodite-that she has her son Eros (which was a previous Aphrodite in this series) and that she has her husband Hephaestus, but also has something going on with Ares. That things are changed that the relationship between Aphrodite and Ares is sisters, that was really great!

I was a touch confused, because I thought that Pandora and Hephaestus were romantically linked, but no, they're just friends. Which honestly makes things better by turning expectations on its head. We got all 4 characters perspectives, as they were dealing with their relationship problems, that were tied into that they were on opposite sides, with Hephaestus being on Team Minos, with Pandora being on the sidelines. Things were further complicated by Adonis having been hurt by Aphrodite, in that she chose the city over him. It was all just so entertaining and chaotic to read! Loved how things developed, and oh, that ending was fantastic and I'm so excited to see how things go from here!

This was a fantastic read, and I can't wait for more!

I have been a big fan of the Dark Olympus series since Neon Gods, and Katee did not disappoint in Cruel Seduction. Cruel Seduction takes off where Radiant Sin ended, Olympus and the Thirteen are still having issues, as Aphrodite makes a sacrifice to marry the new Hephaestus, also known as Theseus, to try and get a leg up on Minos. Cruel Seduction follows Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Adonis and Pandora as they try to save Olympus and navigate their messy feelings towards one another. I also loved that I did not see the ending coming and was shocked by the events that led up to it. I highly recommend this book if you've started the Dark Olympus series, love a good Greek Mythology retelling, or just like a dark romance with lots of smutty scenes!!

Spice rating: 4.3/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5

This book mostly follows the same formula as the other four books, but I think after this one, I am okay not reading the rest of the series. It's difficult to keep all the names straight, but I don't enjoy the sequels as much as Neon Gods. I wish there was a little more plot, but I also knew what I was signing up for; 2.75 stars.

I received a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I've never read a book by Katee Robert before, and WOW! It's not only some of the best smut I've read (and I have read fanfiction online) but the author has created a vibrant, breathing universe with some incredible characters. (When can we have a Hermes book?!) I immediately went back through and read the earlier books in the series in about two days, and have been recommending her work to all of my like-minded friends. The only reason I'm not sure we'd purchase it is partially because we don't have the earlier books, but also because it doesn't seem appealing to the vast majority of our patrons. I'm very tempted to try anyway, it was just that good!

Absolutely OBSESSED with this series. This one is definitely more political Olympus than the last few, but the setup for the remainder of the series is necessary and appreciated.

Another winner in the Dark Olympus series! Spicy story with interesting plot twists. I always find myself wondering when a series is going to fizzle out, so I was very pleasantly surprised that this one holds strong so far. We have patrons that have read the novels before this one, so it's a definite purchase for the library's collection.

This series is intense (mostly in good ways)! I didn't realise that this was the 5th book so I scrambled to read the previous titles.

Wow... this series is managing to hold strong 5 books in! 

Cruel Seduction had me on the edge of my seat all the way to the last chapter, which left me kind of numb?  It felt like enough was left open for the following books, but so much for the focus characters here was wrapped up in a neat little bow just in those last few pages. 4.5 stars 🌟

I'm still so very appreciative of the arc, thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for giving me access!

likes
-love the representation of different gender identities and different relationships.
-very steamy and very hot.
-fun interpretation of modern day olympus characters as humans.

mixed/neutral
-while reading the previous books in this series isn’t super necessary, i definitely feel like it would have helped. (this is the first book i have read in this series)

dislikes
-i’m not a fan of books written in first person pov but then switched the character each chapter. it interrupts the fluidity of things and can get confusing at times.
-i feel like the romantic relationship between pandora and eris was simply in the book just so they can have some girl on girl sex scenes. their relationship felt like the odd man out for sure.


Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I can’t believe 5 books in Katee still manages to knock this series out of the park.

Although not my favourite of the lot, Cruel Seduction was still a fantastically fun read and a great set up for the rest of the series.

I do wish the final few chapters hadn’t felt so rushed, with all the action happening and resolving at such a quick pace. I think this story could have benefited being another 50-100 pages long (though maybe i’m just sad it’s already over!)

The biggest thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC.

The Musewatch was really clever and quick to give us the backfill on the events :)

It definitely brings the Katee charm. Fans of her prior books will enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Some of my favorite myths come to life again as author Katee Roberts creates a twist on the Olympus of old. Roberts creates a modern Olympus where the titles of the Gods are won over and over again by worthy champions. Some are deemed worthy by birthright and position others have to fight to the death or kill one of the 13.

In the book, Cruel Seduction, Aphrodite is marrying a complete stranger who managed to kill Hephaestus and assume his role. Both understand the importance of their marriage, but neither were prepared for the hate and lust that erupt as they consummate their marriage and try to leave each other alone.

Roberts does an excellent job of weaving the modern with the way Gods interacted in all the myths. She weaves both the sexuality of Greek Gods with the happily ever after that seems to never arrive in most myths. Although I read this book out of order, I was able to follow along, and it held my interest. Leaving the reader wondering who the great power that is moving against the Thirteen really is.

Graphic sex

I appreciate that this is an open poly knot, hey, why not. I do think there needed to be a little bit more length and depth to everything but I'll read the next one and however many more after that.

This series has me in a chokehold and Katee Robert has written another winner that really stokes the plot along and still delivers the personal stories of the characters involved. The development of the plot within the book and the series overall in this book really makes this shine. The characters have such a great range and their growth is really interesting. I also think that this being a story that's wrapped up plot wise but clearly indicates further growth really will hook the readers!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert

This is the 5th book in the Dark Olympus series. Have your fans ready ladies (and gents)--it’s about to get hot 🔥!

This book opens with the marriage of Aphrodite and Hephaestus, neither of which likes/loves the other. Aphrodite is marrying Hephaestus to keep him from destroying Olympus while Hephaestus is marrying Aphrodite at the request of his foster father, who has sinister plans. Yet on their wedding night, they consummate their marriage and quickly learn that even though they hate each other they can tolerate each other in that respect. But oh yeah…they both do in fact love someone--enter Adonis and Pandora. And well, you can probably guess the rest of the story if you’ve read any of the other books. Let the spice (and conflict) begin.

Katee Robert is a phenomenal writer and superb story teller. As with the rest of the series, the world building is magnificent and the character development is exquisite. (Hades--from Neon Gods--is still my book boyfriend 😍.) It’s a very entertaining world, riddled with strife, struggle, love, and spice! I have wholly enjoyed this series and can’t wait to read the next one! If you’re a 🥵 reader, strap on your big girl (or boy) britches and get ready because this is right up your alley. Even though this could probably be read as a stand alone, it would be much better to start from the beginning--you can thank me later!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

Robert is back in her element with this installment of the Dark Olympus series. The characters are messy and rash, have history, and all come together to push the larger mafia-meets-mythology story forward. But the plot never overwhelms and instead is balanced with funny, sad, smart, sexy people. It's romance, and intrigue and smut all in the best most delicious combination.