📖 Title: Sweet Obsession- Dark Olympus #8

✍🏾 Author: Katee Roberts- I've read all the books in the series

📅Publication date: 4/1/25 | Read 3/27/25

📃 Format: eBook 336 pgs.

Genre:
*Fantasy/Sci-Fi
*Dark Romance
*Adult Fic

Tropes:
*M/M romance/LGBTQIA+
*enemies to lovers
*Greek mythology retelling
*politics

👆🏾POV: 1st person dual-Icarus and Poseidon

⚠️TW: rough s*x/kink, imprisonment, torture

🌎 Setting: Olympus

Summary: Icarus has been kidnapped by Poseidon and is willing to manipulate him through sex to escape. Icarus learns that Poseidon is protective and is willing to help his people against Circe.

👨🏾 Hero: Icarus-was a disappointment to his father Minos

👨🏾 Hero: Poseidon-One of the Thirteen

🎭 Other Characters:

* Circe-was married to Zeus, invading Olympus with Aeaens
* Hera-planning a coup to kill her husband Zeus
* Ariadne + Minotaur-Icarus's sister and her lover-escaped Olympus
* Minos-Icarus's father, deceased
* Hermes-has a plan to take stop Circe's invasion and stand up to the Thirteen


🤔 My Thoughts: This installment had a nice balance of steam, action, and politics. Circe was a real threat while the Thirteen pursue their own interests.

Rating: 4/5 ✨
Spice level 5/5 🌶️ explicit sex

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Katee Roberts for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Sweet Obsession dives into the eighth thrilling book of the Dark Olympus saga! Make sure you've gobbled up the previous stories to savor every twist and turn!

Picking up right where Dark Restraint left us hanging, Icarus finds himself in the hot seat, wrestling with the wrath of the Thirteen and holding the weight of his father's Olympian antics. Enter Poseidon, the elusive figure who's been a whisper in the wind until now. Though he swims in the same circle, he's not one for the "bang-bang, ask later" ethos. And while Icarus might look like a dashing heartthrob, don't be fooled—he's got his own crafty tricks up his sleeve.

I can't wait to see where this rollercoaster of a series will take us next!

I love this world so much! I am always anticipating a new addition to the series. Not my favorite, but still enjoyed it. This book was very on brand with what to expect from Katee Robert. My obsession with this series is still in effect as we await the next installment. Solid 4 out of 5 stars

3.75/4 Stars

The Dark Olympus series continues on with another solid installment from Katee Robert. In this 8th installment, we begin RIGHT where Dark Restraint left off, with Icarus now being held captive by Poseidon while the rest of Olympus deals with the threat that is upon them.

Katee can truly do no wrong in their books. This may start as a captive/captor situation, but Icarus is not a man to let himself get stuck in a helpless situation. He grew up with an awful, abusive father and has always had to use his brain (and body) to get his way. And Poseidon may be a large man, but he has a gentle heart and Icarus has no doubt that he can seduce his way into freedom.

I loved this take on Poseidon and Icarus. It was a very fast burn, with the lust between the two being there pretty quick and interest (and circumstance) having them move fast. I love how the power dynamic was dealt with though, and how hesitant Poseidon was to do anything that would impact Icarus. Katee always does a fantastic job in the spice department, and this one is no different. It has a little kink and pain play involved, but also so much heart.

Icarus had a lot of growth throughout this book. He started out as the playboy son of Minos, enemy of Olympus who will do whatever it takes to gain his freedom. He doesn’t really care about anyone but his sister and will find a way to get back to her again. But throughout the book, he really starts to open up and we see the man he is inside. He also starts to see how corrupt these governing bodies are (both in Olympus and Aeaea) and what role he could have in turning that around. Poseidon also has a bit of growth in coming to terms with his role on the Thirteen and his responsibility to Olympus. I really enjoyed seeing some of their growth both as individuals and how their relationship pushed the other to be better.

We also furthered the plot with the person knocking on Olympus’ door and the plot set us up VERY nicely for Zeus and Hera’s book next. I cannot WAIT to see the icy exterior on Zeus crack and just know that those two enemies who happen to be married are going to bring FIRE down on Olympus.

While I had a fantastic time with this one, it did feel like it lacked a little of the depth of connection between the two MMCs like we normally get. They were still great, but I think that I would have liked a little bit more of them getting to know one another and really seeing that connection for it to be perfect for me. It wasn't my favorite of the Dark Olympus books, but still a really solid installment and an enjoyable, quick-read!

Overall, another fantastic installment of DO. The spice is hot, the characters are engaging, and the plot continues to thicken!

This is the next installment in the erotic Dark Olympus series. Circe, former Hera and great enemy of Olympus, has positioned ships in the waters around the city-state that appear ready for attack. Poseidon pledges to protect his people, but the politics involved in dealing with the ruling council takes all of his patience. Then there is the problem of Icarus, who, as the book opens, has just failed in killing him. Icarus becomes Poseidon's captive, then his lover, and then his true love. But can Icarus be trusted with the plans to save Olympus, not to mention Poseidon's heart?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this digital e-arc.*

Another great installment of this series. I loved this one both the plot and the characters. I can't believe there are only two books left in the series!! <spoiler>I especially loved the epilogue! Someone finally left this god forsaken place!!!</spoiler>

Another incredible book in the Dark Olympus series.

I still have a couple of books in this series left to read, but I can't get enough of them.
Not only is the spice incredible, but the conversations and character interactions are also exceptional. The world Katee Robert has created is so interesting and I Iove all the political intrigue as well as the relationships between the characters.

I haven't read all of the books in this series, I haven't read the prior book yet, but I don't think that was an issue. Yes, it starts off right after the last book, but I learned what I needed to know to enjoy this one. I gotta say I don't really know why I enjoy these books so much as on paper they don't seem like they would be for me, but I do. I am not that big of a Greek gods fan, I don't really know who they are besides their names, but I love seeing them fall in love. And I'm enjoying the overarching story as well.

This is the story of Icarus and Poseidon. Icarus who is held captive by Poseidon. It was so much fun. I really enjoyed the interactions between these two. How they both saw the other person for who they are and how good they both are. Poseidon is a great example to Icarus of how you can lead by something other than fear. That there are good people who have power even if they are rare. I can't really say much else without spoiling things, but if you enjoyed the other books in this series you will probably enjoy this one. It was so much fun and I am looking forward to what comes next.

Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert is the eighth installment in the Dark Olympus series, following the romance between Poseidon and Icarus in a captivating MM storyline. While this book was different from what I initially expected, it exceeded my expectations in the best way. The writing is excellent, with a compelling plot and well-developed character arcs. Watching the characters grow, heal, and learn to trust and love was truly rewarding. The emotional depth in this story offers valuable insights into emotional intelligence, making it more than just a romance novel. Overall, it was a fantastic read—definitely a 5-star book!

This was the pairing that I needed 🥹. This picked up right where Dark Restraint left off and I love when books do that. No gaps in between let's just keep the story rolling.

Things are heating up with the impending war and with the captive Poseidon has. Oh no however shall they pass the time?? They really both just needed each other and they deserved the love and all the feels and it just makes my heart melt a little bit. I feel like Icarus was a bit more openly flawed than some of the characters we've seen in the past and I really liked that about him.

I do kind of feel that with so much overarching plot a couple of things got lost. I would have liked it to go further into the emotions of the relationship itself. We did get a fair amount but I just wanted more. I tend to feel that way though with more plot heavy romance books.

I'm locked in for this series until the end, but this entry felt more like it should have been a novella because I just want to get to the A plot and the invasion and Perseus/Callisto already! I liked Icarus and Poseidon as a couple well enough, but I at this stage I want to be all in and I feel like every time things get drawn out for yet another book with yet another couple I don't care that much about, I get a little more series exhaustion. (That said this is a problem with the series as a whole, in that there have only been a couple of books where I cared about both the plot and the romance, but I mind that much less when it's at least burning plot than the other way around.)

‘Sweet Obsession’ by Katee Robert is a spicy, emotional rollercoaster that had me hooked from the start.

The dynamic between Poseidon and Icarus is intense, and I loved the slow burn as they go from enemies to something more. Robert does a fantastic job as usual to providing a twist to original stories of Greek mythology and it always has me at the edge of my seat.

There was so much depth and layers to the charcaters in this book compared to her other books in the series. Poseidon’s fierce protectiveness and Icarus’s vulnerability add layers to their chemistry that made me invested in their story. The tension was up the roof and it honestly had me giggling and swooning like crazyyyy.

But, while I really did enjoy the romance and the high stakes, this was not my favorite from all the books. I think the tension in the room is sizzling until I get my hands on Zeus and Heras story which I’ve been waiting forever for. So just snippet of other characters was enjoyable but I suppose made me enjoy this story less. Which is my fault of my own. I’m just that kind of person lol.

Nonetheless, this is a solid, captivating read with a sizzling slow burn and plenty of twists that will keep readers going until the next story. Definitely a 4-star worthy to be read🤩

I loved the next book in this series! It brought together Icarus and Poseidon and I fell in love with Poseidon, especially the way Katee developed his character. Icarus was also a delight. As always, this was a fantastic addition to the series and made an incredible romantic story (and brought the heat, too!)

Although I enjoyed the story and the spice, I felt a little let down by the end. The other books in the series have had much bigger climaxes and this just seemed to fizzle a little. I enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed.

I’m sure I’m not the only one, but I do have some deep-seated emotional attachment to Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series. I can still remember listening to the first book in the series in my car while I was driving to my college classes that were an hour and a half away. Now, I have graduated, worked two separate post-grad jobs, and I am still DEVOURING these books. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I picked this one up right after finishing “Dark Restraint”, which I still enjoyed but felt it had a lackluster plot. HOWEVER, “Sweet Obsession” had plot for DAYS and a sizzling romance that kept me nice and toasty. Once you grab this one, you will not want to put it down (nor will you). Not to mention, it will have you scratching at the door for the final two of this series, both of which will ABSOLUTELY knock it out of the park, I have no doubts.

This book starts right where the last one left off and the author did a great job of reminding you where that is. There wasn’t an info dump, and the way it was set up made it feel like a very natural part of the story. I was impressed with how well the writing brought me right back to where we were in a story I haven’t read for several months.

The writing was great, if not fantastic. Sometimes with these kinds of stories you tend to get plot or characters over writing, but it never felt like this was the case. The writing didn’t bring me out of the story at any point, and it was good enough that I noticed that it was good.

Poseidon had a lot of repetitive thoughts, but it made sense within the story. He feels guilty and is fighting the relationship hard, so it made sense for him to have the same thoughts over and over. Despite the fact that it made sense, it was still kind of annoying.

As with all of Katee’s books, there are trigger warnings in the front. This one has a similar TW to the last one, but it felt considerably less icky to me in this book. It might have been that it was between two men instead of a man and woman. It might have been that it felt like Icarus had more control or was more conscious of what he was doing than Ariadne had or did. It might have been the difference between how Poseidon and Minotaur acted. I’m not sure, but I remember that I felt considerably less comfortable with it in the last book than I did in this one.

Overall, I’m still enjoying the books in this series for the most part. I like when there’s world-building in the background from book to book that we’re following. It does feel like this one should wrap up soon, though, or we’ll likely get to the point where we’re stretching out the story just to publish more books. I feel like we’re working up to a conclusion, and I hope that’s true.

This book, though, did a little skip over some major world-building at the end. It was a little jarring, but I assume that storyline will be covered in another book with much greater detail which the author didn’t want to spoil. I feel like it still gave you some info about it, which I’m not actually sure I wanted at this point.

I definitely enjoyed this novel more than the last few, and I hope that trend continues.

Well, Katee Robert has done it again! This story was beautiful, heartbreaking, and a perfect transition into what I think will be the next phase of the Dark Olympus story. The way she took two completely different characters, with completely different flaws, and effortlessly brought them together was a stroke of pure genius. They each had their own wounds to heal and allowed a terrible situation to turn into something beautiful and full of love. I loved the vulnerability both Icarus and Poseidon showed, and the ending had my gut twisting in knots until the very end. I simply can not wait for the next chapter in this story.

An enjoyable read that followed on nicely from the last book. Interesting (if a little heavy) plot line and I loved that we got to know more of the background of the characters however the romance and spice lacked a little for me.

First of all thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC!

Where do I start? This one didn’t do it for me like the other books in this serie have so far. I know the plot of Dark Olympus is moving quick, but this entire book only took a few days and there are speaking of being in love? Nope, not on board with that. Roberts did try to build some tension before the first intimate scene, but instead of feeling like a slow burn, it just made everything up until that moment feel stretched out and dragged on unnecessarily.

The worst part for me was how the plot behind the smut - that has been built up throughout the previous book - has basically not developed much. I’ve been reading about Circe’s potential attack for two books now, and not only did it never happen, but there was also no other significant development to justify the delay.

And then Icarus... His sudden realisation that maybe he can be a good person, despite never really trying before, felt more like a shallow plot device than real character development. But I suppose that’s to be expected when the book only gives you a few days with these characters.

To be fair, some of the previous books didn’t span months or years either, but they still managed to make you feel like you’d lived through that time with the characters. This one, however, felt rushed and underdeveloped.

My will to finish this book was for all the wrong reasons and I hope the next book gets me into it again. I gave it 2 stars, but honestly, it’s more like 1.5 stars rounded up.

My gods I love this series and this is no exception Katee Robert could write a menu and I’d read it immediately. Greek Gods and spice always a win