Aphrodite will do anything to protect Olympus, even if it means breaking Adonis' heart and marrying the enemy. Theseus will do anything to keep Pandora safe and Minos' plan moving along. What happens when this groups' interests get tied in knots and nowhere is safe?

Did I enjoy this book? Yes. I think it could've been a little longer and slower paced (something I rarely complain about) but overall, wonderfully did enjoy. Eris (much like her siblings) is ruthless and cunning. Pandora: perfect. Adonis: perfect. Theseus had the most growth in this story, the most ability to learn and come back different.

The poly-knot aspect was really interesting but we only got one or two really good scenes to explore that. Otherwise it was all potential murder tension.

Book 5 in the Dark Olympus series has not disappointed…I could not put this down. I was literally reading it on the treadmill at the gym.

Things are really starting to heat up now in Olympus with the politics and the games starting to get JUICY. Cruel Seduction is the story of Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Adonis, and Pandora. Yes, it’s polygamous and yes, it’s glorious because Robert is the #1 at inclusivity and diversity in romance.

I found this to be the book that has finally shifted the series away from just the romance aspect and is now looking at the wider world-building and political turmoil coming to Robert’s Olympus.

Whilst undoubtedly 🔥, what sets the book apart from the others so far is its ability to create even more mystery surrounding Minos’ plans, who his mystery benefactor is, and also the insight into their family dynamics.

Having chapters from Theseus’ point of view was also a delight and dare I say he might be one of my new favourites? 👀

Thank you to Casablanca, and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In "Cruel Seduction," Katee Robert weaves a gripping and sinister love affair that will leave readers breathless. The story introduces us to a compelling protagonist whose complexities make her an intriguing and relatable character. Set amidst an intoxicating blend of passion and danger, the chemistry between the main characters crackles with tension, keeping readers engrossed as they navigate through a web of deception and desire. Robert's writing style is spellbinding, and her skill in creating characters with hidden depths adds richness to the narrative. As secrets unfold and betrayals emerge, the story takes unexpected turns, leaving readers eager to uncover the truth until the heart-stopping climax. With its masterful blend of romance and intrigue, "Cruel Seduction" is a must-read for fans of steamy and suspenseful tales.

I've read and enjoyed Katee's entire Olympus series so I was really excited for this one. Unfortunately, I was relatively disappointed.

I think because of how ambitious the story/relationship dynamic was there was simply too much going on and therefore too little when it came to the relationships themselves. This open knot poly relationship could have worked well but we would have needed way more time and depth with each dynamic.

The pairings also were moving way too fast in my opinion. Eris and Adonis made sense – they'd loved each other for years – but the others were just really going from 0-100 in like 2 chapters. Plus, with the underlying plot going on sometimes there was information I didn't care about/need that made things feel like they were droning on.

Overall, I appreciated the representation and loved the idea, but the execution unfortunately just didn't work. I did enjoy it enough to finish, however, and will continue this series as Katee drops new additions.

Cruel Seduction took me a little while to get into. After reading the other books in the Dark Olympus series, this kind of felt like a slow build in the beginning.

When it did pick up though, it was a heck of a ride and I couldn’t put it down! The stacks are at an all time high and the twists at the end really surprised me. And I’m a hard person to surprise!

All in all, Robert really gave us some messy characters that we could fall in love with and made me beg for the next book.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this amazing installment!

Wowee, this book was a journey!!! I'm really loving the plot set up, and the future that Katee has planned out for these series. If you follow her on Insta you can see her plans for future books and those webs TOTALLY show through her writing! This book was sizzling! I really enjoyed the multiple dynamics at play here, and each character felt pretty much fleshed out- I'd say with the exception of Pandora. At least for me, I didn't really care for her at all, but it's possible I'm not really getting the role she has here. I just found that I wasn't invested in her character, but literally everything else about this book was awesome!!

My favorite part of reading this was I felt the author did an excellent job of making these mythological characters her own. The overarching story didn't really feel as meaningful as I would've liked it to but that can be overlooked for the spice.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of these characters, but I do wish that it would have expanded a little more. The tension (sexual and otherwise) between all of them was clearly there, but I feel like the ending could have been explored a little more. Overall, this was excellent. Katee Robert never does anything poorly. She could write a smutty version of the phone book and I would read it.

Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert is book 5 in the Dark Olympus series. This one is about Aphrodite and Hephaestus, and it's the perfect example of "keeping your enemies close" vibes. They both use seduction as a tool to get under eachothers skin, at least until those lines are blurred!

I enjoyed every single moment of this book. The plot was full of danger and mystery. The character development was so good! Aphrodite was cunning, brutal, and will to do anything to protect what she loves. She was the gem of this book. It's a real enemies to lovers, its poly, has marriage of convenience, morally grey characters, and the spice is unreal! I truly enjoy Katee Roberts' writing so much.

Book 2, Electric Idol, has been my favorite of the series, but this one is right up there with it

I would read absolutely ANYTHING Katee Robert writes. She can write a Greek smutty tale better than any I have ever read. This story about Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Adonis and Pandora was DELICIOUS. The character dynamics were immaculate. The tension palpable. The politics were brilliant, the story riveting. I cannot wait to see where this world goes next.

Thank you Netgalley for the amazing ARC.

Sadly this was my least favorite in the series so far. I didn’t care for this group of characters nor did I feel connected to any of the relationships. I did enjoy the enemies to lovers aspect and I wish it had been expanded upon more. The book was really too short to make any of the relationships believable and it all happened in a matter of days. I am intrigued by the Minos storyline though and I like where the overall plot is going, so I’m still looking forward to the rest of the series.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC!

Another solid entry in the Dark Olympus series! The over arching plot continues to twist and turn and the spice level is just right. Can’t wait to see what the next book has in store!

"It's not the heroes who slay monsters . . ."

I dove into the world of Dark Olympus with three books already published and Radiant Sin's release date following soon after, so I was ecstatic when I saw Cruel Seduction available to request on NetGalley. I cannot wait for more─a teaser, an epilogue (I so wish this series had epilogues!), something to tide us over! 

The four POVs (Aphrodite & Hephaestus & Adonis & Pandora) are great, I just wish there were more pages─always─to really develop all the facets of the various relationships. Plus we're still totally clueless as to what is happening! Robert's is really building up the suspense. The emotions, the spice, the political intrigue, the drama, and mystery all make for a fantastic read. I love what this series is building and am so eager for book six!

If you have not delved into the world of Dark Olympus, catch up with Neon Gods (Book 1, Hades & Persephone)Electric Idol (Book 2, Eros & Psyche), Wicked Beauty (Book 3, Achilles & Patroclus & Helen), Radiant Sin (Book 4, Apollo & Cassandra).

I love this series so much.......and this book was another wonderful addition to it. Enemies to lovers, political plots, and oh so spicy!!! Can't wait to see where this series goes. Only negative is waiting for the next book to come out........

2.5 stars

I’ve read all the books in the Neon Gods series because I love the play on Greek mythology but this one missed the mark for me.

I absolutely love the steaminess of Katee Robert’s books but I feel like this book is solely trying to stand on the polyamory among four players in Olympus without giving us any plot or character development to make it a fully fleshed out book.

Sure, the idea of the four of them trying to make a “relationship” work is compelling but it wasn’t compelling enough to carry this story.

I felt like the same things were repeated over and over for the first half of the book without sufficient character development for me to really care about these characters.

I can be all in for instalove but it just didn’t work in this one. Basically these people meet and are all in from the start which just didn’t fit.

I actually really like the mystery of what is destroying the border and who might want to tear down Olympus but we didn’t get any answers in this book at all which was disappointing.

If anything, I really just want Zeus’ book but feel like this one didn’t add anything to the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Well this series continues to have it's hold on me.

As we come to expect, Katee Robert does a great job with all the fun that is the Olympus mess. And of course we get her signature spice and inclusivity. My one note is that with the four POVS, it did feel like we didn't get enough of each character. But I'm not sure how you'd remedy that without the book becoming twice as long. Overall, it definitely worked. I think this was the most plot heavy of the series so far.

I am already itching for the next one!

Katee Robert books are like a guilty pleasure and this one is included. The characters end up on a poly knot which was a first for me, but was fun. Definitely spicy and as always, I love the twist on Greek Mythology! There’s never enough plot for me, but it’s okay. I’ll keep reading this series no matter how wild the pairings get and no matter how much plot is there. I'm hooked!

As I delved into Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert, I was unsure of what to expect. This enemies-to-lovers tale isn't just about clashing personalities; it's a story of passion and danger with a deadly twist. Aphrodite, determined and cunning, takes on the ultimate challenge—marrying her sworn enemy, the new Hephaestus. Her wicked plan involves seducing the person he cherishes the most, Pandora, a woman as sweet as she is beautiful. But in this seduction game, two can play, and Hephaestus retaliates by using Aphrodite's ex, the alluring Adonis. As lines blur and emotions entangle, they discover that their hearts may be at risk, and the consequences of their actions could affect their city and everyone they love.

I must admit, this book surprised me in the best way possible. The drama and angst, paired with suspense, kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters were well-developed, and the chemistry between Aphrodite and Hephaestus sizzled with intensity. The steamy romance added an extra layer of excitement to the story, making it an enthralling read.

The glimpses of future pairings, such as Eurydice and Charon, and Zeus and Hera, added to the anticipation of what's to come in this intriguing series. Cruel Seduction is a captivating and intense read that will leave you yearning for more from this compelling world of gods and passion.

Aphrodite, never one afraid to get her hands dirty, has married Olympus's enemy number one - the new Hephaestus. Hephaestus, seeking to secure his place as one of the Thirteen will do anything to keep his new wife in check, including seducing her ex (Adonis). Throw in Hephaestus's alluring best friend (Pandora) and you have a messy (but sexy) game of seduction.

One thing about Katee Robert is that you will always have a good time with her characters. She is definitely an auto-buy author for me. I really enjoyed the experience, plot, and of course, the spicy scenes they were FANTASTIC!

This story is told from the POV of 4 people, which made me initially nervous. My nerves were slightly justified in some aspects and unfounded in others. Due to this book capping around 380 pages, it felt like we did not get the full expression of these characters in the way I would like. For example, Aphrodite and Pandora’s budding relationship was such a sweet spot in this story yet we spend the least amount of time with them. I couldn’t tell if this was due to the characterization of Pandora or the need to give the turbulent state of Olympus more page time but it felt like the female connection in this polyamorous relationship took a bit of a secondary position to Aphrodite’s relationship to the men in this story.

This leads me to another slight gripe I have with how some of the relationships developed that I noticed to be a pattern in not only Katee’s books but also in many other romance + romantasy authors. There is a moment where Aphrodite is vulnerable after a traumatic event and I felt myself tensing up a bit because I knew what this was going to lead to– a sex scene. And while intimacy is a valid and common form of dealing with traumatic events, it never fully feels right in context to trauma as it's usually never framed as a shared moment of vulnerability. In this case, I feel like the scene actually imposes on the connection and blocked off an important line of intimacy for this relationship to feel solid. Finally, we get to the point where Aphrodite and Adonis have their talk about their relationship and Hephaestus’ solution is to essentially, “Fuck it out.” I was honestly pretty disappointed by this.

Additionally, one thing that wasn’t quite working for me was the development of Theseus as Hephaestus. I loved that we got to see how bad he actually is at holding this position but it was only something we saw for a brief moment only to be referenced once or twice afterwards. I also felt there was so much more to be explored with Theseus and Pandora’s friendship that would allow Pandora to be more of a participant in this story. Additionally, he didn’t come off as tough as he seemed to be and I think it was mostly due to him and Aphrodite spending a significant amount of page time questioning their attraction to one another rather than us getting to know him fully.


I know I have a lot of elements that I am not quite happy with but I am really excited about this new direction that Katee Robert is taking in this series. I hope that as the conflict of Olympus is developed there is a consideration of expanding the final page count of the books. At this point, the length of the book seems to be unintentionally cutting off the complexities of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited to read the next book in the Dark Olympus series and devoured this one. While the plot wasn't my favorite, the spice was great. The plot seems to be building to something higher in other upcoming books though so I am excited to keep going. Worth the read.