Ariadne and the Minotaur's story was just what I wanted. As always, the plot and spice were fantastic, and I couldn't put it down once I started it. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book :)

This was a great addition to the Dark Olympus series. It was interesting learning more about those on Minos's side, although can we really say Ariadne and the Minotaur are on Minos's side?

I've enjoyed seeing Ariadne throughout the previous books, so I liked seeing her perspective of the conflict in Olympus. It was also great seeing more of Dionysus! I wasn't expecting that, so that was a fun surprise. The Minotaur was obviously different than we've seen him before.

I'm interested to see the ramifications of the events of this book and how they will ripple out to effect the others in Olympus. As always, I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!

i am Katee Robert's biggest fangirl. she honestly can not do any wrong. this book is just a continuation of how much i love her writing. this series rocks.

3.5⭐️ | 2🌶️ | 📖

I thoroughly enjoy the Dark Olympus series and for this one, the political machinations of the plot stood out. However, for some reason, the chemistry of the FMC and MMC felt lacking. I really appreciated that Katee incorporated abortion into their story and truly made it about a choice. Normalizing that experience matters, and I appreciated that upfront.

The story's pacing felt a bit drawn out. But the ending and its twists salvaged some of it in my mind and set up the next book to be an *interesting* pairing. I am ready for Poseidon to jump into the mix! As always, Katee's spice is fabulous, and this one is no exception.

Tropes/Elements:
- Forbidden romance
- Virgin FMC
- CW: abortion, surprise pregnancy
- Opposites attract
- It's always been you / He falls first
- Curvy FMC

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and to Katee Robert for an eARC. The decision to read and review was my own and represents my opinion.

I adore Kate’s Robert’s books and I really liked Ariadne and the Minotaur but this book just felt like a filler episode. Not in a bad way. I just would’ve loved to get more Ariadne and Minotaur scenes rather than everyone else’s agenda. Again, I loved that she furthered the overall plot of the series it just gave more of a filler episode vibe.

Ariadne and Asterion were just not that interesting, though the childhood friends to lovers trope is one that I enjoy.

This book focused mostly on the plot of the series, but I found myself bored throughout the whole thing.

YAY FOR THIS ONE!!!

So, as background info, I have only read books 1 and 2 (Neon Gods and Electric Idol) and I know these can *technically* be read as standalones which is why I decided to try this one out.

Now, I did download this one in like April and was convinced by August I'd read books 3-6 but let's LOL @ me cause I did not. However, reading this one actually got me super excited to see what happens plot-wise in Olympus to make ALL THIS TENSION.

I was a little thrown off by the constant capitalization of The Minotaur and had to keep reminding myself to look at book art on Katee's page where she shows him NOT as a minotaur and also with NO capital lmfao.

Spice was very good!!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review.

The honest answer is that I don’t know about this one. The politics of the series have become increasingly convoluted with each installment. There are so many characters at this point, with more being introduced with each book, that quite frankly I find myself lost a lot of time.

On top of that, the romance did nothing for me. What I like about Katee Robert is that they push boundaries. They frequently explore sexuality and gender in a way I don’t see in other popular contemporary romance books, and I especially like their books that feature polyamorous couples. So, to have a monogamous hetero romance between a nerdy introvert and her father’s henchman just felt… vanilla? To call it the darkest of her dark romance series only feels correct because it’s hard to imagine what makes Asterion appealing to Ariadne. She wouldn’t hurt a fly but is in love with a murderer because he truly sees her?... I have questions. On top of that, I felt like the characterizations in this story were weak. The last book in the series, Midnight Ruin, felt like it had stronger characterization, more backstory, and more growth for Ariadne than the novel that features her as a main protagonist. Ultimately, the relationship between Ariadne and Asterion felt underdeveloped, and I enjoyed reading about them less than I usually do in a Katee Robert novel.

I will also say the pairing of Ariadne and the Minotaur felt weird. In other iterations of the myth, the Minotaur is Ariadne’s brother. This is obviously not the case in this story, but I kept having to remind myself that they are not related in this version. I just found it a challenging pill to swallow.

2.75/5 stars

This one actually had more plot than the others in the series. I did like that for the most part kind of. So I listened to the majority of the audiobook but switched to the ebook occasionally. I feel like I was more invested in the story/plot when I was reading the ebook. Since this did have more plot than the others in the series, the audiobook made it a little harder for me to focus on that since I’m typically listening while working and doing household chores and getting interrupted a million times. I like the narrators and found the book to be easy to listen to, but again, hard to focus on the plot. Overall, if you are looking for a book that furthers the plot a lot in this series, then you will probably enjoy this one.

Dark Restraint follows Ariadne and the Minotaur. I was absolutely obsessed with this series at first, but it is slowly going downhill. I will continue reading the series but unfortunately this one just wasn't one of my favorites.

I continue to be equally intrigued and confused by this series. "Dark Restraint" indeed takes a darker turn. The story moves fast with lots of action and violence. The romance takes a backseat and is not so much developed as demanded. Other than that, I have completely lost the plot and the setting is less clear to me than ever.

So many characters are presented here that they are blending together. We also suddenly have mention of happenings in Europe and dreams of traveling to Brazil....but also the people outside Olympus see it as a myth?? The weak point in this series continues to be the world building. It's all fun and games to run around and stage a coup, but it's meaningless without any wider context. I'm baffled.

One element of writing from Katee Robert that is so consistently well done is plus-size representation. Ariadne is presented as desirable and worthy, with no qualifiers. Dimples and stretch marks are shown as beautiful and normal. The only negative aspect of having a plus-size body is the very realistic challenge of finding plus-size clothing - and it's presented here without shame! Unmatched.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Thank you to Netgally for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As a long time lover of this series this was a great next installment for the overarching plot, the romance fella little flat for me. Adriane was annoying to read, and the minotaur was just a little too possessive to be healthy for either of them.

I enjoyed seeing the overarching plot of this series come to fruition in this book. However, I think that this book had a darker tone to it, and the themes of dubious consent were not my personal favorite. Overall though I still enjoyed reading the book, and learning about the characters and how they fit into the story.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

When Katee Roberts said that things happen in this book, boy do they! I have been so impressed with how she has moved the overarching plot of these books forward book by book. Some books feel like all romance all the time and some move the other plots forward. Roberts manages to do both in Dark Restraint, mostly because she skips the building up to the romance. Everyone knows that the Minotaur is obsessed with Ariadne. Everyone knows that Ariadne loves the Minotaur. So let's just get to it.

And get to it they do! Everywhere! But hey, danger is sexy and they are absolutely in danger and as they hurdle towards the big reveal, sometimes you got to pause for sexy time. Regardless, the reveals are satisfying, the action good and I love that there is still more to reveal as the book closes. I can't wait for the next one, Robert's books are must reads.

So freaking hot! Katee knows what my soul needs I swear. I was instantly swooning in this book. The characters and plot was wrote so amazingly well.

Dark Restraint by Katee Robert
Dark Olympus series #7. Dark mythology Fantasy romance retelling with erotica elements. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Ariadne Vitalis grew up with a strict and cruel father. She defies her virginity required destiny, aka political manipulation and has a steamy encounter with the Minotaur she’s always wanted. Complications and betrayal plus political maneuvers had Ariadne engaged to Dionysus.
The Minotaur was promised Ariadne and he will do whatever is necessary to have her. She’s meant for him. And while she knows her father has ordered the Minotaur to kill her, she cannot resist the passion they share.

Very Dark and super steamy. Political games intensify setting up the next story. The Minotaur is violent except with Ariadne, but he is very possessive of her.
Nothing, in capital letters, in this book is on my preferred troupes list, yet I continue to be compelled to indulge.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley as Wish Granted on release day.

I have really loved all the Neon Gods books, but this one felt different. It was still a great story, good characters, an okay plot. I was a little disappointed that nothing seems to happen? It is all hurry up and wait... for nothing. Ariadne and the Minotaur were inevitable and adorably obsessive as a couple, but they were so inevitable that it seemed like the book drug on. I would still recommend reading it to keep up with the series but its not my favorite Katee Robert's book.

I think Katee Robert can do no wrong. These books just keep getting better! The background story/politics are so fascinating. Can’t wait for the next one!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I always have a good time with Katee Robert books and the books from the Dark Olympus series. After the last book when we saw what is going on with Ariadne, I have been looking forward to Dark Restraint since then. I loved the passion, the steam, and the devotion Asterion/The Minotaur had towards Ariadne.

I think this is the first book from this series where I wanted more from the plot than just the romance. I want to know what is going to happen with this upcoming threat so I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Was this hot? Did I binge it in one sitting? Did I realize a little too late it is step-brother erotica?