Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC.

This book had a fun, steamy setup with strong chemistry between the main characters think confident heroine meets broody, emotionally guarded hero. Their banter was a highlight, and the tension in the first few chapters definitely pulled me in. There’s a workplace dynamic that adds some intrigue, and a slow reveal of the hero’s past, which had potential to go deeper.

But once the romance kicked in, things felt rushed. The relationship leaned heavily on physical attraction, and I was hoping for more emotional depth or vulnerability between them. The conflict, while present, didn’t feel high-stakes enough, and everything wrapped up a little too neatly without much real growth or resolution. The side characters and subplots were fine, but not super memorable.

It’s a quick, spicy read with a fun vibe, but it didn’t quite leave a lasting impact. A decent 3 stars entertaining in the moment, but I probably won’t remember much about it later.

This is the eighth book in an alternative Greek myth series focusing on a love story between Poseidon and Icarus. I have not read any of the previous books, and honestly probably won't, so I was a little lost in this weird modern/fantasy/mythical world. Poseidon take Icarus captive after a stand off with Minos and Circe (I think...there's seven books of backstory here) and they start to appreciate each other and decide if they trust each other. I thought the romance was kind of sweet (and very spicy), though, so I finished it. I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley.

*3.5 stars, rounded up.

I started out loving this series and although this book was good it didn't feel as amped up as the previous books did. I am hoping this book is the calm before the storm of a massive ending to the series!

Icarus finds himself a captive of Poseidon after his sister gets away and his father is killed. Icarus has to learn how to navigate this new found predicament with a man who is truly good and not like the others he has persuaded and blackmailed into his bidding in the past.

Their relationship takes a sweet, yet spicy, turn as they spend more time together. It is nice to see them change and grow together but war still rages on around them. Circe is still out for vengeance, Hera and Zeus don't see eye to eye, and no one ever knows where Hermes is hiding.

This book is a slow burn, dual POV, enemies to lovers, MM romance, and so much more! And I really think it is the tipping point to chaos in books 9 & 10 of this series.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity for this ARC!

Arc Review Sweet Obsession
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC.

When I first saw I got this ARC, I literally screamed and jumped up and down out of excitement. Katee Robert was the reason I started getting back into reading some years ago with Neon Gods, so getting to review this book was absolutely amazing.

I loved this book beyond anything! Icarus and Poseidon might honestly be one of my favorite couples in the Dark Olympus series. Poseidon was such a softie, and I loved their dynamic—it made it really hard not to root for them!

I loved the way the kink scenes were written and how well-described and well-written they were. Plus the way Katee wrote the complicated feelings of Icarus and Poseidon was just amazing!

Their ending was so sweet and realistic and I have no idea how I’m ever gonna be patient enough to wait for the next book haha

Thanks, Sourcebooks and Dreamscape for the ARC and ALC. 

Well, the first thing I have to say is that at this point none of the books are standalones and rather episodes in the saga of Dark Olympus. You definitely need the info from the previous books to follow all that is happening now that Circe finally reached The Wall and is ready to attack the city. 

In this chapter, we follow Poseidon and Icarus. At the end of the previous book, Icarus sacrificed himself and stayed back so that Ariadne and The Minotaur could flee safely. Now, the story starts exactly at that point and Icarus is now held captive by Poseidon.

Poseidon is a gentle giant who doesn't know what to do with the charming, manipulative Icarus in his hands. Icarus immediately reverts to seduction as this is how he has survived till now and soon succeeds, while falling himself for the tender and unexpectedly submissive Poseidon. They eventually fall deeply in love. 

I must confess that for a book this long I hoped we'd have more development of their relationship. We shift from the romance to the political machinations all the time and I felt both needed more depth. 

I loved them together and completely bought their romance (they fall in love in two days!) because of the stellar narration. of the audiobook. Narrated dual style by Alex Moorcock (Poseidon) and Will Watt (Icarus), they sold me completely on the chemistry! Alex is still new to me, but it's no secret that I absolutely love Will Watt and he's amazing in this one - a very nuanced performance. I expected nothing less!

We have two more books until this royal mess leads to either victory of The Thirteen or the fall of Olympus. We shall see!

Rep: queer romance. Also, in this series, everyone is queer. 

Content notes: mentions of parental abuse, attempted spousal murder. Torture (on page, but brief), violence, murder, elements of duchies consent (due to captor/captive dynamics), panic attack (on page)

4⭐️ 4🌶️
- MM
- Captor/Captive
- Opposites attract
- Kink Exploration

Wow! I can’t believe we’ve made it to the 8th book in this series but here we are with Poseidon and Icarus. I have been waiting for their story, mostly because I feel like Poseidon has been such a mystery.

Poseidon was the definition of a gentle giant. Olympus and the Thirteen didn’t deserve him. He was so kind and strong with ironclad morals. He was the complete opposite of Icarus in so many ways but it was obvious that they were meant for each other. It made me positively giddy to see how easily Icarus could make Poseidon blush.

I loved the two of them together so much. After a bit of a rocky start they quickly became each other’s safe space and while I knew they would get their HEA, there were definitely some moments that had me on the edge of my seat.

I feel like there wasn’t a whole lot of new developments as far as the over arching plot of the series. The focus was definitely on the relationship between the MCs.

The spice in this book was amazing, as I knew it would be. I love the switch up to their power dynamic in the bedroom and how Poseidon felt safe enough with Icarus to explore a whole new world of play.

We love a big sweet softie! The care with which Poseidon loved Icarus. Ugh!!! This really is a great take on such a tragic story.

With an attack from Circe looming, Poseidon and his captive prisoner from an unlikely bond. All while trying to figure out what is true and what is all an act.

I have really enjoyed all of the Dar Olympus books and thought they couldn’t get better. I was wrong. This was by far my favorite one. The love story was so well written, the character growth was immaculate. This is my first mm romance book I have ever read. I’m not sure any other will live up to this one. I also appreciate the variety of characters that are in the story and learned new words when writing non-binary characters. As with all of the Dark Olympus books the spice is spicy and this one delves into some different kink than previous books.

The way Katee Roberts explores kink is unmatched! While this wasn’t my favorite in the series just because it focused more on plot than relationship building, it was still an absolute delight, as always.

Dark Olympus continues with Sweet Obsession, a M/M romance between Poseidon and Icarus. I loved the glimpses we got of Icarus in the previous books-a spoiled brat who had an easy life but it unravels very quickly. He winds up as Poseidon's prisoner.

Dark Restraint left us not only with Icarus in Poseidon's grasp, but on the brink of war with Circe and the Aeaens. So, you have two things happening-the romance between Icarus and Poseidon and the possible fall of Olympus. Of the two, I enjoyed the pending war more. Poseidon and Icarus weren't my favorite couple. Poseidon has that grumpy vibe, but he is so caring. Icarus is one of those "Do whatever it takes to survive and damn who gets hurt". I get it-he had a HORRIBLE upbringing, but man he was hard to love for me. They do have a sort of insta-connection/love vibe I am usually all for, but something kept me from really rooting for them.

Despite my struggle with Icarus, I did enjoy Sweet Obsession. I love this series and am really excited for where Robert takes it from here.

This story was not what I expected. As a lover of classic Greek mythology I was nervous to try a new take and I have to say I wasn't blown away. I appreciate retellings but this one seemed a little bit more out there and didn't quite land. I'm not sure if part of that is because I haven't read the first seven books in the Dark Olympus series—I only realized this was installment #8 after NetGalley approved me to read it—and for that reason I give 3 and not 2 stars.

A redeeming story for this series!!

While I loved the first few books in this series, I found my interest waning in the last few. Several of them had been about characters I didn't feel invested in and felt stagnant in terms of the over arching plot.

While I've been desperate for Hera/Zeus' book and Hermes' book, waiting to get to them has been akin to torture.

That said, the end of Dark Restraint (book 7) actually piqued my interest (knowing I was waiting for books 9&10 to get the stories I've actually been wanting) by introducing the the next couple as Poseidon and Icarus.

While not a ton actually happened plot wise, it still felt like more than what we've seen happen in the last few books. There were some attempts at plays being made and chess pieces being moved on the board. And the spice? It was spicing!

I loved this pairing and the dynamics between Poseidon and Icarus. With Icarus being the petite dom while also being Poseidon's captive?! And Poseidon being the big burly blushing man? So good.

I would say it definitely leaned insta-love, built on lust and trusted developed through their dom/sub scenes.

Thank you to netgalley and SourceBooks Casablanca for the ARC!

I enjoyed Sweet Obsession. Icarus and Poseidon were very sweet from an emotional standpoint, and it was hard not to root for them. Poseidon was a big teddy bear that you just want to curl up with, so I got Icarus. The book was the perfect amount of steamy but I would expect nothing less from Katee Roberts. I enjoyed the parts with Hera and Zeus, and I can't wait for their next book. In general, I could have used more interaction with past characters in the series but that is me being greedy. Overall a good read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc~I'm beyond ecstatic.

YALL HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, I AM DEEP DOWN INTO THE DARK OLYMPUS SERIES BECAUSE OF THIS PARTICULAR BOOK. LIKE ITS THE ONE BOOK I'VE ANTICIPATED OF 2025 AND TO SAY THAT I WAS SO HAPPY TO GET TO READ THE ARC? YEAH YOUR GIRL ATE IT UP IN ONE SINGLE NIGHT.

Firstly, forget everything else, yow the romance and the spice in here slaps. I love it. I WISHED I HAD MORE. It was the same feeling that I had with Eurydice's book. ITS SHORT.
I. NEED. MORE.

And the built up between both Poseidon and Icarus somewhat felt............. a bit fast. Faster than I liked but, in this instance, I'm willing to close one eye cause I liked how Katee Robert actually explored the power dynamics in here that makes me giggly at most. And what I liked is that, we get to see two individuals that has been traumatized in their own ways, in the verge and surge to find their place in a world where they have to prove to others that they are worthy to be loved. Even if their relationship felt almost insta-love-ish, I liked that both of them communicated really well in that sense.

What I don't really enjoy was the power dynamics and politics and how everything is happening in Olympus. It feels like we're going in circles and I'm somewhat annoyed with Hera already cause honestly, I don't really care about her and Zeus, but , since I'm way in too deep now the series, will need to know the ending.

I liked that both of them were realistic towards the end of the book. And again I WISHED FOR THIS TO BE LONGER. That's it.

Petitioning for Katee Robert to write more about some of the characters cause THESE TWO WERE ROBBED!!!!!!!! I needed more :')

3.75🌟 overall!

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley for sending me this arc - I did receive it a few hours before publishing day, but luckily I was able to finish this book by April 5.

I love this story so much. This world that Katee has created is so unbelievably special, especially to me. I know this story is insta-love, but it never felt like it to me in the way I expected. Every moment, every memory formed between them was creating their path together.
I believed in every blush, every vulnerability, every confession. Their love felt genuine and honest and realistic in a way I have never found insta-love to be as a trope.

These two characters were created with a level of vulnerability that was palpable in each page. They went on a journey both together and alone, and it was just another reason to love this book. Their trust, communication, and longing (I know it seems like it can't exist in insta-love but I BEG TO DIFFER this time) were beautiful in their own ways. They took care of each other in ways each had never experienced before, and it was in those moments that I started to fall for them together. To be loved it to be seen, and they saw every piece of each other.

I am so thankful to experience this world our author has created, and I cannot wait to continue on the final two journeys of this series.

This book is about Icarus falling in Poseidon’s waters and being taken captive to answer for his family’s sins. But sweet bb big guy Poseidon may just turn out to be the sub. I continue to love this series. They aren’t standalones and I know 10 books may feel intimidating but they go by faaast and the emphasis is on romance when it comes to this urban romantasy, the overarching plot is very easy to understand.

This spice and forced proximity in this was my favorite part. The outside plot I felt a bit meh about. The book prior to this is a top one for me for the series and I felt it balanced the political plot with the romance better. This one I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a plot hole or unrealistic blah blah, I'm not in it for that anyway, but if there is going to be a background plot I just don't know why with only 2 books left that's all that happened. And how integral Poseidon is to the decision making and the literal ports to what we actually saw.. that's just my reason for the 4 vs 5 stars, but out of 10 books I have yet to rate any under 4 so that's totally fine.

Thank you to sourcebooks casablanca for the eARC!

❤️‍🔥Sweet Obsession❤️‍🔥
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4 Star Review
🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️ - 4/5 Spice Level
Dark Olympus Series Book #8.
This book is MM, Poseidon and Icarus’ story. Poseidon and Icarus have been included in the other books so their individual characters are not new. Their fiery connection, however, IS new with this book and so well put to page that you feel soulfully connected to them. You want their love story to have a HEA! As with all books in this series, they will get their HEA… though, as always, it is hard won! Poseidon and Icarus could not be more different. The two of them together is magical, like that fiery, jaw-clenching, near combusting, but also heart-melting… magic.
My absolute favorite line in this book is this:
His. Knees. Buckled.
(Swoooooon 🫠)!!!

I was excited to read this next book in this captivating & intense book series. Each book offers the story of a new couple (…or throuple… or more 😏). This series must be read in order. With each book, even though it’s a new love story for the main characters in it, the series in itself is telling a bigger story of politics & intrigue that begins in book #0.5, Stone Heart. Katee Robert has done a magnificent job of world building & character building that brings such anticipation for the next love story and the continuation of the story of Olympus & her people! Katee Roberts’ writing contains the most inclusivity than any other author I’ve read so far. Also, check her trigger warnings, if needed. Happy reading! 📖 ❤️‍🔥

The barrier protecting Olympus from the outside world has fallen, and Icarus is held captive by Poseidon while his sister, Ariadne, manages to escape with the Minotaur and his father, Minos, has been killed.

“I may be a villain to Olympus, but I have no desire to be a villain to you.”

Icarus KNOWS how to seduce and he knows that his only chance at survival is to get Poseidon to let his walls down by seducing him until he’s emotionally compromised and chooses to keep Icarus safe. What he probably didn’t expect was for Poseidon to be as receptive as he is. I could FEEL the tension between the two of them before their first kiss - which was electric, by the way. It also gave hints on the dynamic between them - obviously Poseidon is one of the Thirteen and uses his power to rule his land and his people - but when it comes to Icarus he’s almost submissive? He gets flustered easily - like he somehow had hit his switch when he’s around Icarus. I enjoyed reading these two discover, not only their chemistry, but themselves as well. As the novel went on you really got to see these two develop into who they were meant to become and it had me locked in from the start.

A big reason I enjoy the Dark Olympus series is because of the ongoing plot that connects the series together. Although it came close, the main storyline of the series was obviously not going to end in this novel as there are still more novels to be released in this series. That being said, I do wish we got more closure? I understand why Poseidon did what he did because it was necessary but a part of me wanted to see what happened in those 4.5 months rather than just having it be a time skip. I wanted to read about what the two of them had done during those months rather than a couple of paragraphs summarizing it. I feel like it would’ve enhanced their (already great) character development.

Tropes
- MxM
- Captive romance
- Modern retelling
- opposites attract

Stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you thank you thank you SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this ARC! I have been waiting to get my hands on the next installment of Dark Olympus and Sweet Obsession did not disappoint!! 👏🏾👏🏾

Book 8 in the Dark Olympus series jumps right in where we left off in Dark Restraint, with Icarus being captured by Poseidon and his men. After a very unfortunate filleting if you will 🥴😩, Icarus requests to never leave Poseidon’s side in effort to seduce him to keep him alive and protected. But even Icarus gets more than what he bargained for with a genuine and very perceptive Poseidon.

Poseidon is the epitome of a tender, burly man and now IM OBSESSED! At first, I was worried he’d be too submissive in this dynamic for my tastes, but the times and places he exerted his dominance and strength were perfect! ☺️😏Ugh I LOVE a big, strong man who doesn’t need to lead or dominate every room and conversation. A man who also uses his words, SWOON!! 🥹😍

Icarus had to grow on me as I’m not usually captivated by characters with his particular skillset, but nonetheless I was rooting for him in the end.

Ahhhhh thank you for not leaving us on a cliffhanger! I would’ve been besides myself if we didn’t get to see what happens after the dust settles. But I’m still very eager to see how the dust was settled… 👀🤔

Thank you again SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I enjoy all the Olympus books, but this one rates in my top five! Unfortunately I think this would’ve worked better as a slow burn for me but I definitely did still ultimately enjoy.