First off, I almost fell off my chair when I was accepted for this review! I was beyond excited!

I was fortunate enough to be able to listen to Dark Restraint by audiobook! The dual narration was performed by Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock. They were both fantastic and have been the narrators for the series thus far (which I love!). I have no issue with either and they make listening to the story so smooth and enjoyable! 🎧

As with all of the books in this series, you are brought to that line where you may or may not feel comfortable (depending on you and you alone) with the topics presented and I would recommend checking out any listed trigger warnings and descriptions for these modern retellings in order to decide if it’s for you or not. For an overall sense of story line (which continues throughout as a subplot) and character identification, I do recommend reading/listening to these in their recommended/published order.

The storyline, for book 7 of the series, brings the focal point of Olympus to Ariadne and the Minotaur.
This book has action, deception, tension, and spice with the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus. While Ariadne and the Minotaur haven’t been my favorite so far, they still add to the series as a whole and I will keep coming back for more! 🐂

Whether you like Greek Mythology, modern retellings, spicy situations or none of the above, I will STILL recommend this series to you! This series has my heart!

Thank you to the author, Katee Robert, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley, for the opportunity to listen to this book. I received an advance audiobook copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#DarkRestraint #DarkOlympus #KateeRobert #NetGalley

3⭐️ 3🌶️ 5🎧

I’ve been waiting for Ariadne and the Minotaur’s story for what feels like ages now! I love a good forbidden romance with mutual pining. But I have to say I was a little underwhelmed.

In the previous books the MCs were often treated as pawns by others only for them to find their own power, even if they ultimately abandoned it. This book was interesting in that both Ariadne and Asterion were Midas’ pawns but they had zero desire for power. Only the desire to be together and out from under Midas’ thumb. Ariadne’s just wanted to travel the world with Asterion and read fanfics. He just wanted to be with her.

I feel like I was left hanging when it comes to these two more than any other characters in this series and I can’t decide if I’m disappointed by that or if I even care enough about them to want to know more about their future. This felt a bit like a filler book with filler characters. Very little happened that these two characters were needed for. Yes something massive happened, but in the end it probably could have been accomplished without either of them.

However each book makes me more and more excited for Hermes’ book and Zeus and Hera’s books.

The highlight of this book was the beautiful narration by Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock. I love these two so much! Zara brings such sweetness to the FMCs and Alex is amazing at brooding growling MCs. I think I would have been even more disappointed in this story if I hadn’t been listening to their amazing performance.

2.5 stars

Ooof, unfortunately this one was kind of disappointing to me! I did not feel invested in Ariadne and The Minotaur at all... The plot was honestly kind of all over the place, but I am excited to see where the rest of the story goes. I think this book works as a plot device to move the overarching plot of the whole series forward, but it just didn’t work for me the way the other books in this series did. I am looking forward to Hera’s book and Hermes’s book the most.

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

I enjoyed Dark Restraint for the overarching plot that goes through the Dark Olympus series a whole. We’re getting to something that’s been going on for a while in the background. The romance was fine, not my favorite tropes but it was still enjoyable and the Katee spicy standard. Would recommend to fans of the series.

The narrators are the same as I believe the rest of the series. They did great as usual.

the plot is coming together making sense of what is happening in this world, it was darker than previous books, the good kind of dark. Ariadne and the Minotaur is the best couple in the series, with tropes like childhood crush, its always been you probably my favorite so far.

Dark Restraint is a fine addition to the Dark Olympus series, but nothing more than that.

My biggest strife with this book is that I just don't like the couple it focuses on. Adriadne is fairly meek and has no backbone and there is no real explanation for why she is head over heels with the Menotaur. Menotaur doesn't really have any personality traits other than kind to Adriadne and cruel to everyone else. Both their feelings are basically explained as they've always loved each other since they first saw each other. Also, since they are both outsiders to Olympus their story feels squeezed in rather than necessary.

I did like how we got more Dionysus in this book and enjoyed his and Adriadne's interactions. The spice, as always with Katee Robert, is pretty good and I did enjoy how this book advanced the macro plot, but I could've easily skipped this couple.

I just really always want more Hermes (MY ABSOLUTE FAVE).

3.5 stars

I can’t get enough of this series! From the deliciously kinky spice to the ongoing drama unfolding in Olympus it has me on the edge of my seat. This installment focuses on the relationship between Ariadne & the Minotaur. We get an arranged marriage, more betrayals and the major conflict coming to a head. The narrators do a bang on job, quite literally. 6 of the 7 out so far I’ve listened to the audio of and I’m sooo happy they’ve stuck with the same narrators. This is my favorite series of its genre, it’s dark without being traumatizing, it’s inclusive of body types and relationship styles, exploratory of multiple kinks as well as being tastefully descriptive of its spice & has put such a unique spin on the Greek gods.

Features lots of political intrigue involving many larger than life characters. That was the strongest feature of this book - moreso over the romance in my opinion. I mean, obviously the spice was there, but the story was much, much larger than the two leads trying to be together. Definitely engaging!!

I am just not a fan of where the series has went. I was really looking forward to this couple but it started out rocky and didn't get any better. I miss feeling like the romance was front and center. I don't feel like there was enough character growth to make me believe their love story.

I also don't care for the politics of Olympus anymore. I didn't mind it when it was the undercurrent, but now it just feels like it's beating me over the head. It's hard to want to move on from this series but I think I'm just not connecting anymore.

The narration performance was excellent as always and kept me reading when I might have given up. Very talented narrators.

I was so excited to receive the audiobook for Dark Restraint! I've enjoyed all of the books from this series, but as the series has gone on, I just have gotten kind of over it and haven't been all that interested. This story was different and I think I enjoyed it a lot more than some of the last few that have been released.

Dark Restraint is the seventh book in the Dark Olympus series, and it is about Ariadne and the Minotaur. When I first read the description of this one, I initially thought I wasn't going to enjoy it. The Minotaur has been portrayed as a terrible person in all of the other books, and I truly was not excited to read about him. But this book definitely changed my mind. Ariadne is forced to marry Dionysus after she has betrayed her father.

The thing about this one was that the romance was good, but the plot was great as well. It was very quick paced and interesting. The relationship between Ariadne and the Minotaur was unexpected but made sense. And it was sweet, to say the least. The Minotaur would do anything for Ariadne, and it SHOWED. I'm excited to continue this series and see where things go.

Read if you enjoy:
- great world and politics
- m/f dark romance
- childhood crush
- childhood friends to lovers
- "its always been you"
- dual pov

Thank you to NetGalley, Katee Robert and Dreamscape Media for the audioArc of Dark Restraint, available August 6th!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

THE PLOT REALLY THICKENS HERE. There's always been an underlying plot of something happening to Olympus, someone from the outside coming to attack them AND IT'S HERE. IT'S HAPPENING!! I was so nervous this entire novel because Ariadne and Asterion were literally FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES TO BE TOGETHER. I'm almost sad that Dionysus didn't have more of a roll in this novel because he really did seem to care for Ariadne in is own way (even if it wasn't romantic). I didn't expect Asterion and Ariadne to leave but I guess it makes sense. I'm just now very worried for Icarus. I always loved reading the OG Icarus myth (even if it's really sad) and I used to imagine that when Icarus fell, Poseidon tried to protect them. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM IN THE ENXT BOOK TOGETHER. But what I'm more excited for is Zeus and Hera which I'm almost positive is book 9!!!

Finally! This series is back 👏🏻 on 👏🏻 track!!
I don’t know if the story of the Minotaur is my favorite of the series or any of the romances - BUT we finally learn more about Circes invasion and even MORE about Dionysus and Hermes.

I’m excited to see where the next goes and honestly, how this series ends up. I hope we stay as committed to the plot as we have been in this book and the last!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced ebook in exchange of my honest review.

Publication date set for Oct 6 2024

Admittedly, I missed two of the Dark Olympia books before this one so I was a little behind in the story outside of the romances between characters. That said, this book was less about the Ariadne/Minotaur romance than it was about the political intrigue building in the larger world. If you’re coming for the spice, maybe skip this one but stay for the story if you’re into it. For me, it’s all feeling a little more “mobster” than I like in my fantasy so this book turned away quite a bit from what brought me in initially. The “romance” was not for me either. Maybe I missed something in the previous book but I just didn’t buy it as a love story. It was a lust story and it wasn’t convincing.

Another great installment to the Dark Olympus series!!
This one was action packed and was non stop from page one, I couldn't stop listening.
I loved the relation between Ariadne and The Minotaur
Plus that ending!!! I can't wait to see what it going to happen next.

Love how the macro-plot is developing, not so sure how I feel about the couple.

Dark Restraint is well into the Dark Olympus series, this time following Ariadne and the Minotaur. He is very possessive of her and while they're drawn to each other, they are also both so deeply traumatized it doesn't seem like it's actually a healthy relationship. Attraction sure, but an HEA? Eh, I don't know about that. That said, I do appreciate how this handles the question of abortion with care and nuance. There are some major developments in the larger world that have me excited to see what happens in the next book. I suspect readers who like this kind of darker, more possesive dynamic in a romance will get on better with this book that I dd. The audio narration is with the same narrators as the rest of the series so if you like them, you'll like this too. I received an audio review copy via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

4.5 stars! Miss Katee Robert!!!! How dare you make me swoon over the Minotaur 😭 This continuation of the series is absolutely incredible and I genuinely have no idea what’ll happen next! The stakes have been upped since again and now I have to wait even longer for the next book which I know will be amazing like the rest of this series!!!

Dark Restraints is advertised as a standalone dark romance and the 7th book in the Dark Olympus series. I didn’t read or listen to any of the prior books. There was a news brief at the beginning that I think is supposed to offer a recap of the prior books. Frankly, it was just an info dump for me. Did it ultimately add value or help with my understanding? Not sure honestly. I am quite rusty with Greek Mythology, so I Googled a character map for a bit of help.

This is like a mafia story overlayed with Greek Mythology characters. There is an overarching plot and politics which if you did not read the other books in the series, you don’t really know what’s going on.

And apparently the names of the Greek gods are like titles/status symbols in the Dark Olympic series. What I mean by this is… if Zeus dies, the successor is called Zeus. Another example, Cersei was the old Hera but now there is a new Hera. This is all rather confusing.

So let’s just focus on our main characters for this book. Ariadne shared her father, Minos’ secret with one of his enemies, Apollo. Her father will punish her for this betrayal. The Minotaur, or Asterion to Ariadne, is suddenly pursuing her. She gives in to her base desires and ends up pregnant. Scared, Ariadne runs to her father’s enemies, the Olympians for help. Hades helps her with an abortion, Hera and Aphrodite offers her protection by arranging her marriage to Dionysus.

Minotaur, Minos’ foster/fixer, finds out the woman he became a killer for has left him, got an abortion and is engaged to someone else. To make matters worst, Minos has ordered him to kill Ariadne.

Ariadne and Asterion are sort of friends to lovers. She has always turned to him but doesn’t realize that she loves him. Whereas, Asterion fell for her the moment she showed kindness towards him fifteen years ago when he was poor, starving and freezing. Because of Asterion’s image as the ruthless Minotaur, he is misunderstood by Ariadne. She eventually realizes he would never hurt her. It’s a sweet relationship really. The characters are in the boring side. Their story is a simple plot. The overarching series plot may still be developing in this book.

This book touches on many characters, but I found Hermes, Dionysus (the fiancé) and Icarus (Ariadne’s brother) to be most interesting. They are all perceived to be weak, outliers and partiers of sorts. But Asterion and Ariadne soon learn that looks can be deceiving. They all have a facade and all have a secret agenda.

Overall, this was an interesting read/listen. I may pick up Neon Gods (book 1) since it is in my TBR pile and is the most popular of the series. And maybe later books if it features Hermes, Dionysus or Icarus.

Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock co-narrate this book. Zara does a great job with Ariadne but her Asterion voice is not the best but tolerable. I like Alex’s different male voices.

A big thank you to Katee Robert, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing a free audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased honest review.

TROPES/ THEMES: unplanned/accidental pregnancy, abortion, dubcon, child abuse off page, Greek myth

Dark Restraint is the twisted tale of Ariadne and the Minotaur. The chemistry between Ariadne and the Minotaur was amazing.

Ariadne and the Minotaur honestly have a pretty sweet romance. The Minotaur is possessive and protective. Ariadne fiercely independent. they learn to trust each other and start to plot an escape from her father and Olympus. I loved the cameos of Hera, Dionysus, and Hermes. I can’t wait to see what happens next! I listened to the audiobook and thought Zara Hampton Brown did an excellent job and Alex Moorcock does a fair job.

Thank you to Katee Robert, Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for a free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I have reviewed the actual plot and characters of this book elsewhere, so this review will focus entirely on the audiobook and my enjoyment as a listener.
Zara Hampton-Brown, who voices the chapters from Ariadne’s point of view, does an excellent job with the material. When the character’s internal monologue demonstrates just how frightened Ariadne is for her safety in the middle of this city at war, Hampton-Brown speaks with a restrained tremble in her voice that captures the emotion of the writing just beautifully. She also did a great job with the rest of the characters, particularly Dionysus.
Alex Moorcock does a fair job with voicing the chapters from the Minotaur’s perspective, but I do think it was an extremely odd choice to cast someone with his particular accent to voice a character who is so plainly written in a brusque, American dialect. The Minotaur uses an almost absurd amount of profanity, usually as deeply unnecessary intensifiers, and every single time I heard Moorcock saying that something was “annoying as f—k,” I found myself cringing. It isn’t that he’s a bad narrator; it’s that he doesn’t mesh well with the voice of the character.

Ariadne and the Minotaur (Asterion) have a passionate encounter, leading Ariadne to seek refuge with Hades and Eurydice after their meeting. Despite being engaged to Dionysus, Asterion promises to find her. The trio, accompanied by Ariadne's brother Icarus, becomes embroiled in war and politics as they try to escape the city. The epilogue, featuring Icarus and Poseidon, left me eagerly awaiting the next book. The story's worldbuilding, political intrigue, and new mythology captured my attention, overshadowing the romantic aspect. Hera's significant role in Olympus's political landscape was enthralling, portraying a strong female leader.
Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock expertly craft a suspenseful and captivating narrative.