Definitely not my favorite from the series but still enjoyed the spice. There is way too much going on and different point of views. I feel like the book was longer than it needed to be.

This series has a chokehold on me and I reread every time there is a new book. Cruel Seduction lives up to the hype of all Katee Robert's books. The poly representation in this book is amazing. Highly recommend

there is nothing better than this series my god 😭 katee robert is the queen of my heart when it comes to greek mythology and romance wow

This book left me questioning some things - myself, Katee, the plot, the characters, just... a lot. I loved it. It was objectively terrible. There is so much happening and yet nothing at the same time. I don't particularly love Katee's style of writing, but I thought she did a great job developing a character arc here. I honestly don't know how to feel, even a few days after finishing the book lol.

This book was sexy and thrilling. The level of spice is exactly what I expect from Katee Robert novel. I loved the characters and would recommend to anyone looking for a modern Greek Olympic retelling.

I love that Katee Robert writes so many different characters. Volume five of the Neon Gods series is about a poly relationship between Aphrodite, the new Hephaestus, Adonis and Pandora. As always, Katee Robert has a wonderful writing style. This is easy to read, emotional and spicy. The erotic scenes are definitely not neglected here but there is still a good plot. This runs (partially) through almost all volumes and here we learn a little more about Mino's plans. However, many questions still remain unanswered.

All four characters were very well developed and it was easy to empathize with them all and understand their respective actions. You never lose track and the dynamic between everyone is very well portrayed. I like the interaction and the dialogues, so the feelings come across very well. All four are super different and yet they complement each other in their own way. The other characters of the Thirteen also appear again and you always learn a few new tidbits about the individual characters.

“Neon Gods: Aphrodite & Hephaestus & Adonis & Pandora” was another good book from this great series and I’m already looking forward to the next part. If you like Greek mythology and spicy books you should definitely check out the series.

As someone who loves action movies only slightly less than I love romance, this book hit an absolute homerun for me! The intricacy this series is building is phenomenal and my only complaint is having to wait for the rest of the books to come out. Twists and turns, heat and heart…it’s all there. Katee Robert is one of my all-time favorite authors for a reason and every single book she releases just cements that further!

I flew through this!! I really enjoyed this one and all the characters. Every book has so much story along with a healthy whopping of smut. I really enjoyed Pandora she's so witty and just caring. Aphrodite was super fun too as we're the men!

Thank you netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded down

Katee Robert has crafted a compelling series within Dark Olympus, and this book had the makings of a great, messy and sexy retelling of Aphrodite and Hephaestus.

Aphrodite agreed to marry the new Hephaestus after he killed for the title. It's the opposite of a happy marriage, especially since Aphrodite is still entangled with her ex, Adonis, and drawn to Hephaestus' friend and foster sister, Pandora. When Hephaestus sets out to seduce Adonis for a bit of revenge, things get even messier.

Robert has an incredible talent at weaving fascinating and compelling interpersonal conflicts. The complicated and overlapping emotions present here are fun and titillating to read, especially as the connections between pretty much every character in the polyknot grow. (Pandora and Hephaestus are not attracted to each other and do not engage sexually with one another). When I read the trope of "open polyknot" I wasn't sold on the idea. I wanted it to be closed, but actually the book makes it work. While rushed in the way of books, the boundaries of the relationship are clearly and consensually laid out.

As for the overarching plot -- the danger to the members of the Thirteen is growing, with assassination attempts increasing in number. Hephaestus isn't suited for his new position's duties at all and is failing Minos, his adoptive father, in his secretive, overarching plot to take over Olympus.

However, as is the case with Katee Robert books, the book is 90% sex and relationship drama and 10% actual plot, all of which is resolved quickly and simply in the last 10% of the book. Some of the other books in the series strike a better balance between plot and sex/relationship drama, but this one was especially lopsided and the ending felt exceptionally rushed. I ended the book feeling like it ended prematurely.

But the relationship and sex drama was deliciously messy. I particularly liked the way Hephaestus and Adonis's relationship grew from mutual revenge to genuine connection.

I think perhaps I am done with the Mount Olympus series. I remember her first few actually being well written and clever, and the twists on the gods and demigods of Olympus being really inventive. Now it's just sex. Which I don't usually mind! But it's almost like Robert is writing for shock value as opposed to storytelling, or to just keep pushing the envelope in terms of how creative she can be with the sex scenes. I don't mind books that have a lot of sex and smut, but not when I feel like the writing has the potential to actually be good and support these scenes.

I have read some of Katee Roberts other books in the Dark Olympus series which I think have been fun and interesting and Cruel Seduction is equally fun (though probably not my favorite out of all the other books). It took me awhile to get into the premise and get a feel for the characters but I will say, the action starts RIGHT AWAY. There is never a dull moment in a Katee Roberts book which is partly why I enjoy them so much. Definitely recommend for a quick/easy read especially if you like Greek Mythology retellings.

I love anything by Katee Roberts. That being said, I don’t think these last few Dark Olympus books have been her best. They have little to no references to actual greek mythology, and the names constantly switching around make my head spin 360 degrees. The art at the front of my book also teased a foursome and we never got that?? But, we did get a twenty page threesome scene yet only two pages of a F/F scene. Disappointing, to say the least. The ending was way too sudden, as well. I will recommend the Dark Olympus series to my customers, but it makes me sad to know I didn’t enjoy all of them.

4⭐️2🌶️
I was honestly unsure about this one when I first started it but I ended up really liking it. It’s not my favorite of the series and I really wanted to see more of the relationship with all 4 of them since we don’t really get that. But I enjoyed the story.
This was actually less spicy than I thought it would be and there is no scene with all 4 of them like the picture in the front of the book depicts, so that was kind of a let down.

Overall I enjoyed it, I just wanted more from it

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (4 Stars)
Steam 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (lots of steamy scenes with graphic description)

No spoiler review 👇🏻

This is the fifth book in the series “Dark Olympus”. Since it’s the fifth in a series I will not be saying much about the plot as these books do need to be read in order to understand them.

I love Katee Robert. She writes such good inclusive and steamy romances. This series is no exception! Overall I enjoyed this one.
This is a MMFF romance, it starts with a Marriage of convenience, it also has enemies to lovers vibes. It’s very spicy! Which I enjoyed. It also has sweet and romantic moments. I really liked the 4 main characters.

There was a lot of Olympus politics in this one and it got a bit confusing and convoluted for me, so this is a reason I’m giving it 4 stars.

I will be continuing with this series.

If you want a fun take on Olympus, that’s super spicy I recommend this series.

Thanks to and Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

CW: violence, attempted murder, attempted Sexual assault (past), physical abuse (past),
Panic attacks

When it comes to romance books, no one does it like Katee! They are my go to author for when I’m in the mood to read something spicy that I know I’ll love! The Dark Olympus series has been such a freaking delight to read and I’ve loved every single release, Cruel Seduction is the newest release and it’s chef’s kiss! It was so fun to read about this chaotic open poly knot, these four were messy in the best ways possible! The steamy parts were so hot and they had me blushing haha! I cannot wait for Midnight Ruin next!

Katee Robert always is such a treat to read and Cruel Seduction was no exception. This series is slowly starting to unravel itself and I feel like with each book we are learning a little more about the overarching plot, which I love. These four characters are smoking hot! I loved the forced marriage dynamics of Aphrodite and Hephaestus’ relationship. I really enjoyed getting to know each of the characters as individuals.

Listen, I will read however many of these books Katee Robert decides to write. I love stories about polyamory and I thought this one was done really well; I especially liked the representation of a platonic relationship among all the others. This book was HOT and tense and I really enjoyed it.

Set up fan or be ready for a cool shower breaks before you start reading!

Whenever I read books from this series I find me myself constantly looking around wondering if people can see me blushing!

I love this series! This wasn’t my favourite but it’ was still great and definitely worth the read!

If you haven’t read any of the other books read those and this one!

Smut but also super fun and intelligent story lines!

This was different and intriguing enough to get me started and then the complexities that were handled beautifully kept me invested.
I adored the dynamics in the book so the plot took a massive backseat which was okay because nothing much happened anyway.

A steamy entry into the worlds of not so gods and goddesses. This one was a twisty relationship knot that tested the boundaries of the characters and made them grow in a way that they needed. I
'm still interested in the overall plot itself and like how it's moving forward.