Look, I know good pacing and plot isn't why people read these books in general but please, Katee, I beg you. A drop, a crumb, a morsel of good pacing. There are so many times where NOTHING is happening and then everything is happening. I still don't understand the way the world system in this book works but c'est la vie. This author is hit or miss for me (mostly miss, tbh) and this book is, alas, a swing and a miss. I think the only one I've liked is this first one but I shall persevere. I liked about one character in this book.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

I mean, it's Katee Robert, how am I not going to give it five stars?! That said, if I were just comparing it exclusively to her other titles, I'd give it four stars. It's still a great story, but felt like it relied a little bit more on the character development elsewhere in the series than usual, and thus it felt like it was a little flat by comparison. Still a great work, still a shining beacon of consent, diversity, and healthy kink and polyamory; just not quite as sparkling as her other works. It also feels like there's more about this book being a plot vehicle for the overarching story, which considering how many works there are in this series and how involved the story is becoming, I can't say is unusual. Just a little less amazing than the standard she's set thus far, but overall an enjoyable read that is vital for the plot contribution.

The preview of the next book, though? WHEW! Really looking forward to it!

An enjoyable fast paced read. I've only read this one and Neon Gods in the Dark Olympus series, so I was worried if the story would make sense, but it was easy enough to follow without having read the other books. I would have to say I liked Midnight Ruin way more than Neon Gods, because this novel had a better balance of plot and spice. The romance between Charon, Eurydice and Orpheus was written well, and was believable. I routed for all three of them to end up together happily. The three characters I thought had good chemistry, and the romance didn't feel rushed. The only complaint I have is that the ending felt very abrupt, and it would have been nice to have another chapter to tie everything together. But overall I did like this one, and it makes me want to go back and read the other books in the series, to know more about the other characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC!

This is such a great series and I will say this keeps you hooked with the political intrigue and the relationships. I will say though that the last couple of books have had ending that have felt unfinished. I know we are building to the finale but the ending, especially for this one just felt very rushed and quickly tied up for the sake of the overarching story.

Another steamy romance! This continuation of the Dark Olympus universe fits in perfectly among its fellow Katee Robert books. Overall, the plot is somewhat rushed, but few readers who ask me for these books are interested in the plot - I think they will love this as much as any other KR book.

Thank you to Sourcebooks via NetGalley for the eARC of Midnight Ruin. All opinions are my own.
I have been a fan of the Dark Olympus series since Neon Gods. However, Cruel Seduction didn't really do it for me and unfortunately neither did its successor. The main issue I had with this book specifically is how rushed everything is. There is no build up or tension or anything between Eurydice and Charon. Within a chapter they're just madly in love and the steamy scenes begin. The same thing happens when the polyamory comes into play. Charon knows next to nothing about this person and Eurydice hates him, but boom - out of nowhere they just want to move in together and talk about the future? The romantic scenes in general in this book read like a poorly written fanfiction.
That being said, I didn't hate the book. It was a quick read and we finally find out details about the barrier and everything that's been building up to that point until now. I love that this series has a continuous story and I want to see more of that, not just rushing through it. I want to really SEE what someone looks like when we meet them, not just pronouns and one sentence about their skin and hair color. I want to see more buildup and more story, even if that means the book has to be longer.
Overall I'm giving this one 3 stars. I'm hoping future books in the series get more into the style of Wicked Beauty and Radiant Sin.

I love everything Katee Robert writes (even if it doesn't quite hit the mark for me!) She's an auto buy/auto read author since I started my journey with Neon Gods and this was no different.

Like Cruel Seduction and Wicked Beauty, this one has multiple partners. Usually I am not a fan of that ONLY because it slows down the story and makes the pacing wonky. I found that to be true with this book as well as the previous one. This far into the series, I couldn't care less about the politics of their world, but I keep reading because if there's one thing done right it's the smut.

Eurydice has been there since book one and I have always been curious about her. I was happy to see her grow her wings and come into herself in this book. I enjoyed the relationship she had with Orpheus and Charon (i mean come ONNN) and it was quickly devoured.

This book serves as a bit of a pivot for this series. The love story is still hot and steamy but it takes a second place to the bigger story events unfolding and escalating. I’m excited to see what is coming and for some of the big plot developments that are ahead. It’s a solid addition to the series but would be a tricky book to start with as it stands solidly in the middle with lots of references to previous books and setting up future books.

-MFM contemporary romance
-friends to lovers
-pining
-puppy play
-second chance
-forced proximity
-suspense

// Per usual, I am obsessed with anything Katee Robert writes. I’ve been religiously following this series and it just keeps getting better and better. The dynamics in this were amazing, especially Charon and Orpheus. I’ve truly been waiting for Charon to show up since the very beginning, I needed more of him. I also have been wanting Eurydice’s story for just as long so I am a very happy lady.

And they just keep getting better. I don’t know if this one was actually better than the last two, but definitely on par. Just really, really good.

I am so glad that Robert has more fully leaned into “everyone is bi” in these later books, because I absolutely adore how queer these are. Just, like, really fucking queer, and not in the lip servicey kind of way that the first couple books in the series felt. I wonder if she was perhaps playing it safe with a new series? I don’t know, I don’t entirely care, I just want this level of amazing sexy queerness to continue for the rest of the series.

In this one we have Charon, Eurydice, and Orpheus. Orpheus did a bad to Eurydice a year ago (in Neon Gods) and they’ve both been in a bad place ever since. Charon wants to be with Eurydice, but she won’t be with him because she’s still hung up on Orpheus. I feel like you can figure out where things go from here. I enjoyed the slight delve into some light kinkiness in this one, as it led to some 🔥🥵🔥. Phew!

The political upheaval in Olympus continues and a key player is revealed! (also, I totally called it!) I’m very much enjoying the mafia-esque storylines of these books, with a lot of hot sexy times thrown in.

I am continually blown away by how good this series has become and I absolutely can not wait for book 7. The Minotaur and Ariadne?!? Yes please!

This was a really enjoyable addition to the Dark Olympus series, but it felt like there was simultaneously too much happening and not enough happening at moments throughout the story.

I loved learning more about Eurydice and seeing her find her place. She really comes into her own in this book and it was great to see. I also loved Charon. He's a great character and it was interesting to see more of Hades and the inner circle in the lower city. We also got to see a lot of Hades and Persephone in this one which was nice.

I didn't love Orpheus. I wanted that man to GROVEL but it felt like he went too hard about it and was forgiven too quickly. I enjoyed the dynamic between Eurydice, Charon, and Orpheus, but I feel like the relationship moved too fast.

ALSO that ending. I actually gasped when I got to the last page because I was so sure there would be more. I feel like the ending was very abrupt and I would have loved at least an extra chapter to tie it all together.

I'm still really looking forward to the following books now that we have some more information about the conflict and the key players who are going against Olympus.

Katee Robert really cannot stop winning with this sizzling series. As searingly hot as it’s predecessors, with the building intrigue beginning to (pardon the joke,) climax, Midnight Ruin is a delicious gem of a book. Frankly seeing this ARC available for download drop kicked me through the brick wall of an 8 week reading slump, and I read it with an urgency I’ve been unable to muster, even for my most anticipated releases, in months. And oh it paid off, it delivered, it came through. In a period where every page is a slog of effort Robert’s bracingly fast pace was exactly what I needed, generating an eagerness to turn the page. I adored this latest set of characters as well - fierce Eurydice out from under the thumbs of her controlling elder sisters, stoicism-hiding-deep-wells-of-emotion Charon, and reformed-reduced-to-begging-for-scraps Orpheus. This book is fucking delicious, first and foremost on its own merit, but also by being exactly what my brain didn’t know it was craving.