This was indefinitely the best book of the series by far.

I am in love with Katee Robert's balance between storytelling and romance, she always manages to strike the perfect balance of plot, world building, romance, and allusion to the original greek myths.

I also love the normalcy in non-binary characters, and lgbt+ characters/relationships.

I cannot wait to read the rest of the Dark Olympus series.

Katee Robert does mythology spice like none other. This book had so much tension! I actually really enjoyed the conflict drawn out between Helen’s and Achilles’ desire for the Ares position. It definitely added a necessary layer to their relationship. Loved the smut (and sorta wished there was more oops). I think this may have been my favorite in the series yet!

4.25
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book to read and review. I really liked this take on Helen, Achilles and Patroclus. Katee Robert always knows how to make stories her own and I was immediately captivated in the direction she went for this one. The idea of the trials was so fun and it brought out a nice dystopian vibe. I also feel like this installment was the most plot focused rather than relationship focused. But don't get me wrong there, was plenty of wonderful spice! All three of the main characters were able to grow and open up to each other by the end which was sweet and I love when there's strong development. The end, however, felt a bit rushed to me. I would have loved to see more between the three characters. There was such a build-up with the role of Ares and I feel like the relationship got lost in that towards the end. I love this world though and Katee Robert tackles the politics of the thirteen so well. These characters are also so fierce and layered and I definitely admire that. Overall, book three is certainly a win for me and I can't wait to keep immersing myself in this world.

*2.5-2.75ish
The first thing I need to say about this book is that it REALLY isn't a retelling of any sort of Greek mythology. Aside from the names of the characters, this book had nothing to do with Greek myth. I honestly thought the dynamics in this book might make me angry because I like Achilles and Patroclus (although I'm not under any impression that they're cute or perfect). but it literally did not matter. This shouldn't be labeled as a retelling, just a normal low fantasy book with character names of mythology. It bears no resemblance whatsoever to mythology otherwise!
Now that we have that disclaimer, let's get into it. Honestly, every character felt more like a really common archetype than a person. Yes, I understand they all have their motivations and backstories, but their portrayals? Helen is Not Like Other Girls (not in a horrible way, just in that she's one of like four female characters and she low key assumes she's the only remotely unhappy person a lot), Achilles is an Alpha Male, and Patroclus is just a ball of anxiety. None of them were stereotypes or anything, but they weren't terribly original. Also, again, the characters have no resemblance to their mythological counterparts, yet another reason why this isn't a retelling. Achilles is not an orphan coming up from nothing, and while I sympathize with this Achilles, Helen, and Patroclus, again, if it bears NO RESEMBLANCE in plot and characters, is it a retelling??? Otherwise, I did like them, but I couldn't love the characters when they felt so thin (although they were well-developed otherwise).
In terms of relationships, this book had 'em! For those who don't know, this is an MMF triad book with an existing MM relationship at the start. One thing I think Robert did really well was balancing the relationship between the three. Although I haven't read a lot of poly books, when I see poly ships in fandoms with monogamous relationships, my thought is usually that because of the existing relationship and their individual relationships with the third character, there's a severe imbalance that would prevent a healthy relationship between all three. Although Patroclus and Achilles were together initially and had a rocky start with Helen and jealousy, the relationship absolutely worked by the end. I really wouldn't endorse a relationship between the three characters in the Iliad, but given that this isn't really them, I don't care.
In terms of plot, Katee Robert kept it simple: Helen wants to be Ares but also has to marry Ares so she has to beat everyone else to prove herself and escape a loveless marriage. It never really gets more complicated than that., aside from some really minor stuff clearly thrown in to hide the lack of complex plot otherwise. I really liked the trials and the overall idea of the book, but the plot just wasn't the main point. While it's okay that it was romance-heavy since it is a romance book, I wish we had gotten a little bit more.
Overall, I wouldn't say this book is a masterpiece, but that's really not the goal here. I liked the romance, but I didn't love it. It wasn't that I had issues with this book as much as it was that I wished I had more feelings at all. All in all, I wouldn't really recommend unless you already want to read it, but you should know regardless that if you're looking for romance, this is great, but the only Greek mythology is really the names.

While not my favorite of the Dark Olympus series so far, I really love the world Robert continues to build with these. Plus the characters are so dynamic and strong and just work. I saw on her instagram that she called this book a "whole lot of messy" and honestly yeah, that's it in a beautiful nutshell. All three of the protagonists are heavily flawed but yet... they work. I cannot wait for the next in the series!!

I loved this book. It was thrilling, steamy, and full of so much drama!

Wicked Beauty, the third book in the Dark Olympus series, centers around the competition for a new Ares. Ares is not an inherited position. In fact, candidates from anywhere can compete for a coveted position in the Thirteen, a group of leaders who control Olympus.

Helen Kasios (sister to the current Zeus and Aphrodite) wants to compete to become Ares. However, Zues surprises her by announcing that in addition to becoming Ares, the winner of the competition will also get Helen as their wife. Helen is not thrilled with becoming a prize and decides to compete anyway.

This is the first MMF relationship in the series, and the story is told in multiple POVs. In addition to Helen, Wicked Beauty also gives the perspectives of Achilles and Patroclus. Achilles and Patroclus have been together since they were 18, and are also in the competition to become the next Ares. Achilles was not born in the inner circle and wants to fight to become a part of it. Patroclus is only joining the competition to help Achilles.

Helen was a fantastic character. She has been a pawn her entire life. She is constantly underestimated and is so much more than her public persona. I was rooting for her the whole time. Achilles is a charismatic warrior, but can be a little impulsive. Patroclus prefers to be behind the scenes. He strives to be two steps ahead of everyone else, and is constantly weighing the consequences of their next move.

The plot moves quickly and it was really hot. This book had all the spice with all different pairings and group scenes. Achilles uses sex as a coping mechanism for when Patroclus gets stuck inside his own head. Turns out, that works for Helen too!

I loved the dynamic that Helen had with each of the guys and how the three of them really complemented each other both in and out of the bedroom. When the book starts, Achilles and Patroclus are already in a long term relationship, and it was interesting to see how Helen shook things up. There was definitely jealousy and other feelings to navigate. Not to mention they were all directly competing against each other.

This book was such a fun read, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the fourth book, Radiant Sin, with Apollo and Cassandra.

As the third book in the Olympus series by Katee Robert, Wicked Beauty is a bit different from the others. The two previous books were not on the nose retellings, but they were far closer to original lore than Wicked Beauty. As a whole the book is fun and plays really well into the world Robert has established. However, as a retelling it fell a bit flat.

Every time I think I’ve read my favorite Katee Robert book, she just goes and does it again.

This was so incredibly messy and I loved it.

The emotional depth of Helen, Achilles, and Patroclus was incredible. This book was a little more isolated and focused almost entirely on our three MCs, rather than Olympus as a whole. Katee Robert is, in my example, the best example of an author who doesn’t give up any characterization or world-building for the spice. If anything, the outstanding character building is what made the spice in this book so wonderful. I’m generally not a fan of Achilles-like characters but, by the end of this book, I was so in love with how soft he was.

Compared to the previous two Dark Olympus books, this one was a little more action-packed. I really enjoyed the competition element and, though I knew how I wanted it to turn out, I really didn’t have a clue how it would.

I also think Katee did a great job of steering the series in a really clear direction by the end of this book.

My only criticism, as is the case with pretty much every Katee Robert book, is that it was over way too soon. I would quite happily spend 600 more pages with this trio and I’m really excited to see how they show up in the background of future books in the series.

And in case it wasn’t obvious, considering Katee Robert wrote it, the spice was next level.

Content warnings, as noted on the author’s website: Abusive parent, assault, attempted murder, blood, abusive ex, miscarriage (side character, off-page, historical)

Let me just start off by saying I wouldn’t normally read anything by Katee Robert only because her books aren’t really my taste but randomly a couple of weeks ago I decided to request for this ARC and got accepted to read it. I don’t have much to say other than I really liked it. I enjoyed the plot and the characters were pretty good. Overall a 4/5. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book!

Dear Katee Robert, you beautiful magical creature of words.
Please use a time turner, so you can write books faster.
Thanks,
A Rabid fan

In full disclosure. I received a free ARC from NetGally for Katee Robert's newest Dark Olympus series. I also have read all the books in this series so far and most of Robert's other work. So my expectations were high but they were also meet with glorious achievement.

Wicked Beauty is the mythology version of The Hunger Games where Peeta, Katniss, and Gale all decide that a triangle is an awesome thing and love should be shared among all. It was high stakes, high action, and also I'm in love with that cuddle bug of Patroclus.

To determine the next Ares, a tournament is declared and anyone in Olympus can enter it. They will become the Ares and also get to marry Helen. Which does not sit well with her. In true Merida "I'll be shooting for my own hand" fashion, Helen enters the tournament to become the next Ares. She didn't see Achilles and Patroclus' messing up all her plans.

I love this book. Want next book now.

Katee Roberts continues to dazzle with her Dark Olympus books. While Wicked Beauty was a more loose interpretation of the mythology than previous books have been, it's still a great story and, as goes without saying, a deliciously spicy scorcher. Roberts' deft maneuvering of the couple to a triad is leaps more successful than any other depiction of polyamory I have seen. I enjoyed the characters and the story and felt that they were more than just an adequate vehicle for the sex as is the issue in a lot of books in this genre. I feel that if the reader does not go into this book expecting it to be a spicy "The Song of Achilles," rather sees it as a work to enjoy on its own (less depressing) merit (as some have failed to do), they won't be disappointed. I devoured this book just as I have its predecessors and I eagerly anticipate the next installment.

Katee Robert is going to be the reason my book budget goes over this year. Wicked Beauty is a perfect polyamorous, pitted against each other but somehow falling in love anyway read. Several shades of spice and the plot makes it difficult to put down.

Not my favorite out of this series or others Katee Robert has written, but still very much enjoyed it. This was a little more action, with the trials to become Ares and I always enjoy the smut and the level of consent of her books. It just lacked something other books had that this didn’t. Still good, and would definitely recommend especially if you’re a Katee Robert fan

With each new installment this series just keeps getting better (at least in my opinion). I immediately loved Helen when we were 1st introduced to her in Electric Idol so I couldn't wait for her story. Helen is tried of taking crap from everyone because of her family name and refuses to be reduced to just somebody's wife. She is a strong, fierce woman and she refuses to let anyone (even her own family) get in the way of what she wants (which is to be taken seriously for once). I really enjoyed the addition of Achilles and Patroclus. They were both such fun characters and really added to the story. Patroclus was such a gentle soul while Achilles was almost frat boy-esque. Both were fiercely loyal (almost to a fault at times) and once they accepted Helen into their dynamic they weren't going to let her go.

I enjoyed having the three very different perspectives to tell the story. We (the reader) got to see this throple's relationship develop and evolve from every side and I could not get enough. The competition aspect of the story was another major draw for me. We got to see our throple compete with some very prominent characters in Greek mythology (the Minotaur, Theseus, and Paris just to name a few) and it was interesting to see what direction Roberts took these characters.

At this point I think it is safe to say that as long as Katee Robert keeps writing mythology retellings I will keep reading them. Now I will sit here and not so patiently wait for the next book to be released.

A big thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced digital copy.

This series just gets better with every book! Katee Robert writes some of my favorite MMF relationships. Furthers the ongoing Olympic politics story lines and I am really exited to see what happens in the larger world in the next book.

This was not for me but I'm sure that it could be for someone else. I am definitely a fan of mythology retellings, especially Greek mythology retellings and the story of Helen of Troy as well as Achilles and Patrocles are some of my favorites of all time. This book just did not deliver the way I wanted it to and I REALLY wanted to. For starters, this was just not the kind of romance I am into and that's more of a personal thing than a real critique of Katee Robert's writing. The first half was just really hard to get through and I'm not sure if I felt like the payoff was worth it in the end. However, the writing itself was full of drama and intrigue. It is definitely glamorous and Katee Robert delivers to her readers a captivating tale of an MMF relationship in a modern and extremely SPICY retelling of this myth. Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was stepping out of my comfort zone when I requested to review this book. But I liked the two previous books in the series so I decided to give it a go. It wasn’t bad, and I overall liked it. But it was just like there were all these problems and then BAM at the end everything in solved in a few paragraphs.

Not to mention I feel like Helen and Achilles had zero connection. I feel like they were tied together by Patroclus—who is just perfection.

Overall the book was okay to me.

This was probably my least favorite out of the Dark Olympus series… now that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It felt like the entire subplot was build up for the next book and we didn’t really get closure at the end.. Wicked Beauty follows Helen, Achilles and Patroclus in the trials for becoming the next Ares. The prize is to win Helen as their wife but Helen doesn’t want to put her life into someone’s hands so she takes matters into her own.

I enjoyed all three of our characters. Helen is badass and let’s no man take advantage of her. She will now bow down to be married off to some stranger so she decides to create her own future. I admire her ambition and strength. She is often described by others as a spoiled princess living off the last Zues but there’s so much more to her than others see.

Achilles and Patroclus are already in a relationship at the beginning of the book. Achilles is trying to win to become the next Ares and has Patroclus there to help him win. Their dynamic is interesting. Felt like a sub/dom relationship till Patroclus finally started to get a backbone. Helen fits well with them and I liked them all together. The sex scenes were good but I know Katee Robert can do better.

Now for the disappointing part… the ending. That’s just it though. It just ended… we got no conclusion for the relationship. The main issue in Olympus was just talked about but we learned absolutely nothing about it. I’m assuming we will learn more in the next book but it just felt incomplete. I hope we do learn more in the next. This book just felt like a the hunger games.

I received this book as a NetGalley ARC.
To be honest I would give this book 2.5 stars....maybe three if I was in a really generous mood, but my conflicted feelings make me lean towards 2. The premise, spice and some of the character interactions were really good.
This is the third book in the Dark Olympus series...but at this point we have ventured so far from the world of a retelling that it just doesn't make sense. I liked Helen, I really did, but I cannot understand why she was the one involved with Patroclus and Achilles and not some fictionalized version of Briseis. I understand it was to fit with the already established dynamics within this world, but it just felt like such an extreme departure from mythology that I couldn't take it seriously. They might as well have completely different names at this point.
Also the worldbuilding is very confusing. I truly cannot understand how it works. Is there or isn't there magic? What is this 'barrier' and is it magic or not? Who are Olympus' enemies? It's just a lot.
Still good and worth a read, but in the world of retellings there are some that have been done more skillfully.

Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: none
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

My God, KR has some solid brass bollocks (non-gendered brass bollocks, physical bollocks not required to possess brass bollocks) and—whether one of her books is working for me or not—I will never not adore her for that.

So this is a mainstream book. A trad published mainstream book. Of which the first two books—focused on queerish m/f couples—hit several bestseller lists and created a very, uh, shall we go with opinionated? expressive? fanbase.

And what did KR do next? An mmf triad. For which, I’m sure, a non-zero percentage of the reactions will boil down to “how dare she insert a woman into this beautiful m/m relationship” or alternatively “how dare she insert another man into this beautiful m/f relationship.” It’s a lose/lose from page 1.

But, romland, I would love it if you proved me wrong.

Because this book deserves to win. It is an absolute fucking barnstormer.

The deal here is … oh God, I can’t believe I’m going to have to try and explain the nonsense premise on which these books are founded. Err, I don’t mean that a criticism of the books. It’s just, it’s a truth universally acknowledged that one does not read KR for the plot. So these are books are set in a kind of alt-reality neo-modern city of bonking, gossiping and politicking. The city is called Olympus and is ruled over by The Thirteen, who are all named after the gods of ancient Greece. Anyway, the old Ares (did we know the old Ares? We were supposed to care?) is dead. And apparently Ares is the only one of the Thirteen positions that’s open to any and all candidates. This is because in order to win the title of Ares you have to compete on an episode of Ultimate Beastmaster: I mean, not literally, but it’s basically an episode of Ultimate Beastmaster. Why is this? Seriously why? Why does being able to run an obstacle course make you a good military leader? I HAVE LITERALLY NO IDEA.

Anyway, the present Zeus—Helen’s brother, Perseus—announces at the Ares Position Opening Tournament (or whatever it is) that he’s throwing his sister in as a prize, and that whoever wins the Ares title, gets to marry her too. Helen, needless to say, is highly unthrilled about this and was always intending to run for Ares anyway. Zeus has like politics blah blah politics reasons for treating Helen like chattel that are disrupted by her—no pun intended—self entry. But self-entered she has, so the competition moves forward. Two of the other entrants are long-term (non-exclusive) lovers, Achilles and Patroclus, with Patroclus only entering the competition to support Achilles, who has long dreamed of becoming Ares. Patroclus knew Helen when they were kids, Achilles assumes she’s a sheltered, selfish princess type.

Ultimately everyone wants to bang each other.

Poly romances are super hard to write—just in the sense that the number of relationships you have to write in the same page count increases exponentially because not only are you writing everyone’s individual relationship with each other, you’re also writing the relationship of the grouping itself—but KR seems to have a knack for them. I don’t know if I liked this MORE than I liked Learn My Lesson (my second favourite KR book of all time) but I definitely didn’t like it LESS. I think it’s certainly more ambitious because, while we get other POV segments in Learn my Lesson, the dominant voice and emotional arc is ultimately Meg’s. In Wicked Beauty I felt both the voices and the perspectives of all three central characters fully realised and sufficiently distinct that I’m pretty sure I could tell which chapter belonged to which character from a random sample.

Though Helen still stole the show. Not that I’m complaining. Something I remember struggling with very slightly in Neon Gods in particular was that the narrative kept insisting on this sunshine persona that Persephone was forced to inhabit within the world of Olympus … except she was in extremis and in flight almost immediately so the tension between her public and private self never really manifested on page. This is a little bit true with Electric Idol too: the person Aphrodite made Eros become is in flux from his first meeting with Psyche. Having seen Helen in fully Party Girl mode in Electric Idol, however, prepares the ground beautifully for us to meet the “real” Helen in Wicked Beauty: a woman only too aware of the paradox of power and powerlessness created by her own physical attractiveness.

She’s one of my favourite KR heroine types, complicated and damaged and betrayed, and yet undaunted when it counts. But, while the fact I read far too much KR—seriously, my Mastermind specialist subject or PhD pitch is something something the novels of Katee Robert—makes me unduly conscious of recurrences in her work (either in terms of themes or dynamics or character beats), Helen still felt notably like her own person, even though aspects of her character reminded me why I love Meg and why I love Tink. I know the way this series uses its mythological references is divisive in that the stories aren’t exactly re-tellings (probably a good thing, all told, because otherwise Neon Gods would be a romance about a guy who kidnaps and assaults someone – unfun) and the characters map thematically rather than more literally to their namesakes. Maybe Helen isn’t the obvious choice to menage up with Achilles and Patroclus but if we think about Helen herself it’s hard to come up with a better option. Anyone who has any sort direct “relationship” with her in the historical/mythological sense is also directly involved in stripping agency from her: Theseus literally abducts her, Menelaus wins her in a competition, then Paris steals her from Menelaus after Aphrodite tells him Helen belongs to him now. Exactly how shitty a time of it Helen had varies from account to account, some say she was happy in Troy, others say she was miserable as benefits a treacherous woman, some say Menelaus kills her after the Trojan war, others claim she was too hot to kill. It’s not even certain whether this poor woman—after spending her entire life being re-gifted from one man to another—gets to spend her afterlife on Mount Olympus.

My point is, in romance terms, every man in Helen’s story is a fucking villain. In this story, Achilles and Patroclus are a CHOICE she gets to make for herself. Let’s not pretend KR didn’t know what she was doing by choosing “she was never theirs to claim” as the tagline for this book.

Although blah blah some accounts blah blah Helen hung out with Achilles in the underworld blah blah: I am not a classical scholar, I have no idea what I’m talking about: all I’m saying is that while Helen doesn’t necessarily seem like the obvious fit in a story about Achilles and Patroclus, they very much make sense to me as participants in a story which is also about Helen.

Her whole arc—whether it’s about taking part in the competition for which she’s supposed to be the prize, or banging Achilles, Patroclus, or Achilles AND Patroclus—is about her claim to personhood. It’s impossible for her not to be shaped by the ways other people perceive and treat her, and she’s clearly very damaged by the constant objectification to which she’s subject, but it’s so satisfying to watch her fight her way to agency. To being someone who can allow herself to be imperfect and messy, and for those qualities to not only be accepted but celebrated by the men who love her.

<blockquote>I’ve never been cherished. I’ve also never been tossed around like an equal, my strength taken as a given instead of a fantasy.</blockquote>

I liked Achilles and Patroclus, the former is an impulsive solider with a chip on his shoulder, the latter a thinker to a fault—but, while Achilles at least has his own stakes in the tournament, they have less going on, emotionally and narratively, than Helen. Their relationship with each other is pretty stable, at least until their mutual desire for Helen starts causing conflict. I liked the exploration of jealousy that initially characterises Helen’s introduction to the couple (even comfortably non-exclusive relationships can sometimes faces challenges) but I half-wish it had been resolved verbally as well as sexually. Early on Achilles, in a fit of jealousy, forbids Patroclus from seeing Helen, only to then hate-bang Helen himself because he can’t resist her either. This genuinely hurts Patroclus and I never felt Achilles truly got to grips with his own fucking hypocrisy here: he just sort of concludes they should be a threesome in a scene that initially has Patroclus and Helen interacting sexually while Achilles watches and directs, while feeling all sorts of complicated things about being involved but excluded. The dynamics here are extraordinary sensitive, with all three partners needing to transition from trust-damaged conflict to sexual unity, and I personally felt some of the necessary emotion got buried in the sheer hotness.

I am not, I hasten to add, complaining about the hotness. One of the things I love about KR as a writer that the sex IS the emotion and vice versa, but in this particular case I think I needed them to have at least one more conversation. I don’t know if the reason they don’t is because Achilles and Patroclus have an established history of working out their emotions between the bedsheets – like their first sexual encounter is Patroclus giving Achilles an apology blowjob which, err, struck me as a little peculiar. I mean, is this a thing? Have I been saying sorry wrong all these years? Or it might just be because they’re both sort of action-orientated dudes but, if anything, that’s even more reason for them to learn to use their words. On top of which, before Helen gets involved, they’re both convinced the other is going to leave them because reasons at some point. This concern seems to just … go away in the latter of the half (maybe after Achilles goes back for Patroclus during one of the trials?) and it was never addressed if their relationship was going to remain non-exclusive when it became a threesome instead of a twosome.

None of this meaningfully damaged my belief in or appreciation of the love story. Given the participants—Achilles and Helen, at least, who are both messy benches—it’s quite a bombastic dynamic in general, so it makes a degree of sense that sex and emotion would overshadow pragmatics. But they keep saying they’re going to have a serious talk … but distracted by drama, assassination or lust, they never quite manage it. Maybe that’s going to be a newsletter special? The three of them sitting at the kitchen table with cups of tea and a notebook, negotiating the emotional boundaries of their relationship, and talking about their feelings.

The only other thing that mildly bothered me, and I suspect this is personal, is that … okay. How can I say this? So. As we all know because I’ve written about it 3937383 times now, I love the way KR writes about sex, and sexual dynamics, and in particular … she has what comes across to me as a really expansive understanding of female sexuality. As in, her women characters are allowed to like what they like, and be confident in liking what they like, and what they like never has to mean anything beyond the fact that they like it. You can be confident woman who wields power effortlessly in her own domain … and you can still enjoy calling your lover ‘Daddy’ as he spanks you like a naughty schoolgirl. The man you’ve entered into a marriage of convenience with can gift you a fivesome to show how much he truly care about you. You can crawl to a man as an act of power, not as a display of weakness. I’ve seen KR approach this with characters like Hercules in Lesson My Lesson but, in general (and, again, this is just me – I’m not the queer dude pope, handing down infallible decrees of righteousness) I find her men, especially when they’re interacting sexually with other men, more … constrained than her women in terms of both the sexual acts and the sexual dynamics they’re willing to embrace, or that the text is willing to let them embrace.

Achilles, for example, is equally rough and exuberant with both Helen and Patroclus, and definitely touches Patroclus as much as he is touched by him. Their sexual encounters together express a range of emotions, including sheer mutual affection. But it’s still taken as almost axiomatic that Achilles will be the sexually penetrating partner, and Patroclus sexually receptive, the same way that Beast is the penetrating partner with Gaston, and Hades with Hercules. Of course, it’s absolutely fine for characters (and, indeed, people) to have preferences: some people prefer to top, some people prefer to bottom, some people don’t like anal sex at all, and that’s coolbeans. But my nagging feeling with all of these characters is that it’s less about preference and more about … ack. Both Achilles and Gaston are the most physically imposing (the most conventionally masculine) of the men they interact with, Hades—for all his geeky glasses—is the most socially and politically influential. Basically, it feels that there’s an unquestioned connection between penetrative anal sex and power when it comes to male characters in KR books that is exactly the sort of unquestioned connection she consistently deconstructs when it comes to the women she writes.

And, of course, it’s fine. These are the sort of dynamics that lots of writers (and, indeed, a lot of porn—but then erotic romance isn’t porn and is governed by a more complex series of interactions than simply the quickest way to stir and satisfy genitals) either take as read or actively prefer. And I’m not here to tell anyone they’re doing it wrong because they aren’t writing things in ways that specifically interest me.

However, it does make me a little sad that KR can allow her female characters such generous vistas of sexual self-expression whereas her men don’t seem to be quite as liberated.

My slight, personal discomfort around KR’s m/m dynamics aside, I enjoyed the hell out of Wicked Beauty. In some ways it’s the most plot-driven of the Dark Olympus books, on account of Ultimate Beastmaster is going on in the background. Because I’m a sucker for fictional competitions (I still feel bad by how much I fucking loved The Hunger Games, I mean, I know it was a dystopia where children were murdered for public entertainment, but I was GRIPPED) this is a rare occasion of KR book where I was as interested by the excuse to get the protagonists in proximity as I was the protagonists themselves. Well, almost as interested. There’s also some bigger arc stuff about the barriers around Olympus weakening and Zeus, therefore, seeking political alliances with a nation of literal misogynists which … I wasn’t at all interested in.

But, then, I do not come to KR books for world-building and I don’t mean that as a jab. I come for complicated, self-actualised heroines with plenty of agency, consent-focused, communication-driven sex scenes, nuanced power dynamics, and plenty of swoony romance feels. And on these fronts, Wicked Beauty delivers in SPADES. Perhaps my favourite of the Dark Olympus books so far?