Thank you to the publisher for this arc this is the newest installment in the Dark Olympus series and I thought the audiobook production was done very well. The audiobook narrators did a great job in portraying both main characters and I loved that they brought so much life to the story and the romance. I give the audiobook narration 5 stars!

For the actual story and plot, I loved all the worldbuilding, politics, and new lore from the world, that was the best part for me while the romance was just there. I wasn't as into the romance and the two main characters but the spice aspect was really good like most of the spice in Katee Roberts's books. Overall this is an okay installment in this series that moved the plot ahead.

The narrators did such a fantastic job with this book! The book itself was fantastic! I absolutely loved it and can't wait for the next in the story!

Dark Restraint- Dark Olympus Book #7

By Katee Roberts- I've read all previous books in the series 3/4 ⭐ reads

Publication 8-6-24, Read 7-21-24

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media LLC for this ALC❤️! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal

Tropes: dual POVs, forbidden romance, surprise pregnancy, arranged marriage, dystopian city of Olympus

⚠️TW: h virgin, kidnapping, abortion, child abuse, dubious consent

🏃🏾‍♀️Run Time: 9:11

🗣️Narration: Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock read all the characters. The narrators' voices fit the characters with standouts from Asterion, Icarus, and Minos. Asterion was brooding and intense, Icarus was always shaky and frightened, and Minos acted like their fearless leader. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story that was over too quickly. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

Summary: With the imminent demise of Olympus, Ariadne and the Minotaur/Asterion get caught up in passion and sleep together. Ariadne has to flee her father and seek refuge with his enemies-Hades and Eurydice. Asterion vows to get her back, even though she's promised to marry Dionysus. Ariadne, Asterion, and Ariadne's brother Icarus, are thrust into war and politics trying to get away from the city alive.

🤔My Thoughts: This was filled with passion, steam, and plenty of action. Asterion/The Minotaur was redeemed a little with how he protected Ariadne. He knew he wasn't boyfriend or father material, but was willing to try for Ariadne. Hermes was the MVP again, coming in at the right time to save the day! I was intrigued by Icarus' subplot of him feeling like he disappointed everyone and slept around gaining information and blackmail material. The epilogue with him and Poseidon made me ready for the next book.

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendation: I loved the audiobook and would recommend it because you can adjust the speed and skip (when desired).

Did I already read this? Yes. Did I absolutely need to reread this in audio form? Also yes. I just love this series so much and I adore hearing each book read by Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock.

The chemistry between Ariadne and Asterion had so much history behind it, and so many years of longing, which made it especially satisfying seeing them give into their love.

I also really enjoyed getting to see more of Dionysus and his place within the greater picture. The political intrigue and shady dealings were amped up in this installment and I am chomping at the bit to see what happens next. The setup for a future romance with Icarus and Poseidon was perfection and I NEED to see what Hera and my beloved Hermes get up to next!

Thank you so very much to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Dark Restraint is the 7th book in the Dark Olympus series of interconnected mythology retellings. This time, the series is focused on Ariadne and the Minotaur. Unfortunately, these two aren’t my favorite couple. I loved Ariadne’s character, and while I believe the Minotaur loves her in his own way, I think she deserves better. I actually really liked the partnership between Ariadne and Dionysus. While they clearly aren’t set up to be a love match, they did make a great match all the same. I did find the plot aside from the romance between those two to be highly interesting. I loved seeing how the different characters were playing each other to achieve their own ends. It’s always fascinating trying to determine who is going to betray whom first. I will say this, though, Robert knows how to write a spicy scene. They were steamy and spicy in all of the best ways which went a long way in making up for them not being one of my favorite couples. At least they know how to have a good time together. I’m really interested to see where Robert decides to take the overarching plot line next. I read this via audiobook and really enjoyed Ariadne’s narration. I wasn’t as sold on the Minotaur as some of the lines felt stilted and didn’t seem to go as smoothly as Ariadne’s narration. It wasn’t enough to take away from my enjoyment, but it was something that I noticed during my read. Overall, I would still recommend the audiobook for Dark Restraint.

I've loved the Dark Olympus series from book one so I was really excited to read Dark Restraint by Katee Robert. I binged this book in one sitting and really enjoyed it. One thing I really enjoyed was the ratio of plot to spice. We got so much interesting plot that really moved the story along. Ariadne and the Minotaur both showed a lot of character development by the end. And that ending left me really excited for the next book. I did wish we got to see more of Dionysus but he ended up being a very minor character in this story. That was really my only complaint so I thoroughly enjoyed this. And the narrators did a wonderful job at bringing the characters to life and making everything feel even more real.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this alc in exchange for an honest review.