Sweet Obsession picks up where Dark Restraint left off and I definitely enjoyed this book more than the last couple in this series. Poseidon seems like a big teddy bear, and all I want is for him to find his happiness and give him a big hug. However he finds himself stuck in the middle with some of the Thirteen and truly just wants what is best for Olympus and to avoid many people getting hurt. There is still a lot of mystery with the overarching plot, but we do learn some more information in this book.

What to expect: opposites attract, captor/captive, MM, pain/pleasure

Thank you to Katee Robert, Sourcebooks Casablanca, & NetGalley for letting me read/review an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my favorite of the Dark Olympus books so far, and I was so excited to be able to read it before its release. I found Poseidon particularly compelling and I enjoyed the development of his character throughout the book. The tension and excitement of the story continues to build in such a way that I eagerly look forward to the next book in this series.

4⭐
This was my first ARC, and I liked it so much. The love that I have to this series is wow but the last two books were letting me down; now this one saved it, it was perfect.
I just wanted to hug Poseidon so bad, he's just so cute, and like Katee Robert said, Poseidon is so damn good for this world.😫😫
I loved how they cared for each other since the beginning, they didn't want to do any harm to each other.
I was sooo invested in this romance, and the plot 👀...we get to see more of Hera ploting against Zeus 👀 while Circe is trying to attack Olympics, and now I just want to read the next one.
The only thing that thrrw me off was the "4 moths later", I just wanted to see how Circe goes down:( We only get - I meet you when all of this is over + three months. Overall, I liked it 👌🏼👌🏼
Thanks Katee and NetGalley for letting me read this book.

I love everything about her writing and can’t wait to see how each relationship between each couple or throuple works out. She never disappoints.

The way I am obsessed with this series. This is the first MM book in the series and Icarus and Poseidon are everything. I do believe this book was more plot heavy than the rest, but given we are at the end of the story with only 2 books left, it makes sense. I am thoroughly invested in the politics of Olympus.

I cannot get enough of this series. Icarus and Poseidon are my new favorites.

So excited to have received the Netgalley ARC of this book. I honestly haven't gotten around to catching up on the rest of this series yet, but jumped right in with this one when I got approved. Even without knowing all the details from the other books I was able to pick this one up and fall in love with the story just like everything else Katee has written. The love between these 2 is so heartwarming and pure even from the very beginning. Proteus is the epitome of a teddy bear, burly, manly man and it was awesome to see him getting the very best for himself.

The Dark Olympus series will always be my guilty pleasure, no matter how far reaching the romances and plots are. Sweet Obsession helps progress the over-arching plot of the political power struggle in Olympus and those in the middle of it having some crazy spicy times while the city crumbles around them.

The deeper we get into this series, the less I am liking the books. But seeing as we are 8 books in out of the 10 total, I will be seeing this through whether I like it or not.

I absolutely loved this one! It was exactly what I was hoping for. The spice, the genuine connection, the way the plot of the series moved forward. I loved it all! I just wish we had more of an epilogue! Cant wait for the next book!

Rating:

Review: This was my favorite book in this series in a while! I loved that it was pretty heavy on the overall plot of the series mixed in with the romance. I loved Poseidon's character and how he was always honest and not willing to play the games so many of the other Thirteen play. I loved how Icarus knew his strengths but was also able to discover his vulnerabilities throughout the book. I really enjoyed this one and I'm so glad I was able to read it early!

Synopsis: (POTENTIAL SPOILERS)
Icarus may not have flown particularly close to the sun, but he has fallen…right into the rough hands of Olympus's own Poseidon. Being held captive by the gentle giant wouldn't be so bad if Olympus wasn't on the eve of destruction…or if Poseidon stopped looking at him with those irresistibly stormy eyes.

Poseidon doesn't have time to babysit his increasingly bratty prisoner, but he has no Olympus is officially at war, and someone has to keep their best bargaining chip out of harm's way. The thing is, the longer Poseidon is with Icarus, the more he starts to care for his sworn enemy...and the more he realizes that Icarus isn't the villain he's been made out to be. There's a warmth to him, a vulnerability, that Poseidon finds difficult to ignore or deny.

ive loved every book in the dark Olympus series. anything by Katee Robert i will read.
you can also always count on the 10/10 spice!

Thank you netgally for giving this arc in return for an honest review.

Katee Robert has done it again. Every single book I think the couple is my favorite until I read the next one and fall in love with the next character. And boy oh boy did Poseidon and Icarus make me fall for them.

We start off slow with Icarus and Poseidon getting to know each other in the first half. Poseidon really surprised me with how soft and good hearted he is. I expected him more broody and got golden retriever instead but I love him for it. And Icarus, oh Icarus, the character grow he’s made. I especially love the sentence “I may be a villain to Olympus, but I have no desire to be a villain to you”. I love the dynamic between the two, Icarus with his bratty mouth and Poseidon with his pain kink.

The whole plot with circe had me stressing for the whole book. With most books you can kinda guess where things are headed but while reading sweet obsession (or any other dark Olympus book) I really had no idea what they were going to do. The ending was kinda abrupt, but no doubt that’s going to continue in Zeus and Heras book. Zeus also surprised me this book, makes me even more curious about their book.

I loved reading the ending, bawling my eyes out like the emotional wreck I am. Will be thinking about this for the next few months.

(Funny coincidence while reading I kept thinking and singing Jorge Rivera-Herrans concept musical Epic just for katee to mention him in the acknowledgements)

SWEET OBESSION • Katee Robert • Pub Date: April 1, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Abridged Synopsis: This is Book No. 8 in the Dark Olympus series. The couple? Icarus and Poseidon. The city? In trouble! Picking up where the last book left off, Icarus's father is dead, and his sister is safe. But him? Not so much. Icarus may not have flown particularly close to the sun, but he has fallen...right into the rough hands of Olympus's biggest enigma, Poseidon. Being held captive by the gentle giant wouldn't be so bad if Olympus wasn't on the eve of destruction...or if Poseidon stopped looking at him with those irresistibly stormy eyes.

How are we already on Book 8 of 10 in this series!? I am equal parts excited to see how it ends, and grieving the end of my time with the Thirteen & co. As for this latest installment? I'll keep it short because either you're already this deep in the series with me, or you haven't started yet (GO START! Book No. 1. is Neon Gods!).

I think I am in the majority of readers when I say that the last few books have not been my favorite. I found myself substantially more invested in the overarching plot than I have been in the featured couple, which obviously tempers some of the enjoyment. But this time? UGH. I loved Icarus and Poseidon. Dominating (ha) troupes are Captor/Captive and Instalust/love. Their relationship is formed in a pressure-cooker of chaos and grief, yet we still get to see such growth and consideration from them both. There is open communication, there is kink, and there is patience. As for the overarching plot? Very clearly building towards a conclusion worthy of the series. There are so many moving pieces swirling around, and I have complete confidence they are all going to come together to wow us readers.

TL;DR: We are on an upswing with this couple. Knowing that the next books will be Zeus x Hera, and Hermes x ??? makes things even sweeter.

Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Book 8 in the Dark Olympus Series
Release Date- April 1st 2025

My goodness, I did not expect this book to suck me in the way it did! This spicy retelling of Poseidon and Icarus has a great balance between plot and spicy romance. I've always enjoyed stories with political maneuvering and high stakes choices, and this series doesn't disappoint in that area either.

This story picks up after the events of Dark Restraint. We find Icarus being held captive by Poseidon, who intends to keep Icarus alive and unharmed to get information from him. But when Icarus is badly wounded by one of Poseidon's men, Poseidon himself makes it his mission to keep Icarus from further harm while he is his captive. There is an immediate spark between the two, a spark that ignites into a flame when the pressures of Olympus and an impending war become too much to bear.

With the barrier protecting Olympus down, the thirteen unable to find common ground, and Circe literally on the Horizon, the political side of this story had me as enraptured as the love story!

The spicy scenes were very well written, and I love that Katee can write kink while always making sure there is clear consent between characters! I also love the neuro-divergent representation we get from Poseidon.

With the end of this book I truly can't wait for Tender Cruelty so we finally dive into Zeus and Hera's story!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casa for access to this advance read! And Katee Robert for taking us on this wonderful journey!

2.5 stars

This series is starting to lose me… Sweet Obsession started off strong and ended so abruptly. I wasn’t a huge fan of the couple in this book, mostly because I find it so hard to believe you can have that deep of feelings for someone after a handful of days. It felt very rushed to me. The overarching plot was so interesting to me until the end. I am very interested in Hera and Zeus’s story, so I definitely will be reading that one, but I have just been a bit disappointed with the turn this series has taken for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Dark Olympus series has been on my TBR for a while, so when I was given the opportunity to read Sweet Obsession, I took it, even though it’s the seventh in the series.

First, the good parts. I had no trouble jumping into the middle of the series. There was enough background information given that I was up to speed quickly, and it never felt like an info-dump.

I loved the political intrigue and wish there was more of it! The first half of the book was slow for me, with not much happening and a lot of talk about Circe’s ships off the shore of Olympus, but in the second half the characters sprang into action with blackmail and secret plots and it was a fun ride.

Now for the negatives. The characters thoughts are overly narrative and got on my nerves early on. Icarus keeps referring to Poseidon as good in his mind. Ok I got the picture, you think he’s good! The entire first half of the book is the two main characters getting to know each other and a lot of thinking about each other and not much else happens.

I also felt the romance is somewhat lacking. The two only know each other for a short time, the whole book is only four or five days (except for the final chapter which happens months later). So their relationship moves pretty quickly and suddenly they’re all in. I like a bit of pining and some relationship development so I can really feel the characters’ feelings.

After this read I’m unsure if I want to go back and start the Dark Olympus series from the beginning. Maybe I’ll get a bit more backstory or maybe I’ll just be more annoyed at being in the heads of the Dark Olympus characters.

Katee Robert delivers another enthralling addition to her Dark Olympus series with Sweet Obsession, a modern retelling of Poseidon and Icarus that combines tender romance with gripping political intrigue.

Unlike many romance-driven stories, this book places the stakes of Olympus's looming destruction at the forefront, making the romance between Poseidon and Icarus feel like a natural and heartfelt subplot within a much larger, tension-filled narrative. Fans of the Dark Olympus series will appreciate the intricate alliances and strategic maneuvers that drive the story forward, as well as the tantalizing reveals about characters like Zeus, Circe, and Hermes.

That said, the romance is far from overshadowed. Poseidon and Icarus’s connection is both sweet and profound, a refreshing dynamic that counters the intensity of the war brewing around them. Their mutual trust and vulnerability shine, and seeing their love story unfold after glimpses of them in earlier books is deeply satisfying. Their bond proves that the "villains" of Olympus are often underestimated, bringing depth to both characters and highlighting their emotional resilience.

The pacing balances high-stakes tension with moments of quiet intimacy, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. This installment also builds anticipation for what’s to come, with Circe’s ultimate goals and Hermes’s motivations remaining a tantalizing mystery.

If you’re invested in the Dark Olympus saga, Sweet Obsession is a pivotal book you can’t miss. With its perfect blend of romance, political intrigue, and a touch of suspense, it delivers everything fans of the series crave and sets the stage for an explosive continuation.

Perfect for fans of:
✨ Mythological retellings with a modern twist
✨ Political intrigue with romantic subplots
✨ Sweet yet passionate love stories
✨ High-stakes world-building
✨ Complex, morally gray characters

I'm a huge fan of Katee Robert so I was really excited the opportunity to review one of her books before publishing day. This was a different in many ways. This was her first book with man loving man and reasoning for that is a beautiful message in my opinion. But also this was not her typical character that's shy or pretends to be innocent while exploring BDSM. I will be honest, the captor and hostage didn't appeal to me at first but leave it to Ms. Robert to address the power dynamic being unequal. While I usually like her outsider character who is trying to break the mold i.e. Icarus, I was drawn way more to Poseidon.
As someone who is around individuals who may be on the spectrum or just quirky in social cues, I really appreciate this character and representation. Discussing the need for safety and the trust that goes into these relationships is often overlooked in these romance/erotic novels. Very few novels has someone who is on the spectrum (at least how I interpreted Poseidon,) and discusses them as regular individuals who want emotional and physical connections with others. How Icarus was in awe and never insulted of Poseidon's blunt and honest nature of wanting to help others without any thing in return. They really were a match made in heaven and this is probably one of my favorite stories Robert has written.
How this woman can write these romance books but creating complex emotions that everyone can relate to, is a sheer testament to her talent. This book doesn't use the erotic scenes to keep you interested as a reader. I never felt those scenes were there for a page count or to help resolve issues the characters had with each other. In fact, I applaud several scenes where one character stops a moment because he recognizes sex is a tool and not about creating a connection. The other big thing is I loved the ending. I won't give it away but I was actually surprised at the twist towards the end and respect that Robert didn't just do a quick and easy ending. Is there happily ever after? Of course, its Katee Roberts but not in a way we've seen before with her. I can't wait for the next book in this series because she continues to amaze me with this world.

I liked both Icarus and Poseiden as characters. I liked most of their interactions and their overall dynamic. I just never felt their connection - especially compared to the last book (Ariadne and the Minotaur) where the connection was very strong. I just wanted something more. So overall, I liked this book, but it felt like filler to 1) move the Circe story along (I guess - not much actually happened), 2) try out a MM only story, and 3) return to the more kink-centric feel of Neon Gods. I recommend it if you're already invested in the series, but it's not one of my faves.

First up, thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks casablanca for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
SECOND absolutely loved the neuro-divergent rep here with Poseidon. I saw a lot of myself in him, and the communication between him & Icarus was like really healthy, which i love to see. I love how Katee writes diversely in ALL aspects (gender, race, etc) because they want to, not because they feel like it will be a selling point for their book. I very much enjoyed this romance and the plot progression; the spice was spice-ing, but also i'm SO CURIOUS to see what happens next!! The last chapter closed the romance for Poseidon & Icarus but had some very interesting plot things that were "skipped" as we will likely see them through in the next couple of books. Yes this is a spice-y series, but i find it the perfect blend of plot x spice, especially in this particular book. Can't wait to see where we go from here!

One of my favorite books of the series. The dynamic between Icarus and Poseidon was so good. The relationship of captor and captive took an interesting turn. The smut and the plot of this story was so well done and so well balanced. The shake up of Olympus is getting interesting and I can’t wait to see what Katee has in store for us next