Cruel Seduction is the 5th book in the Dark Olympus series. This book centers on characters Aphrodite and her husband Hephaestus.

Aphrodite has always gotten her way. She has never flinched about getting her hands dirty - even if that means marrying Olympus's number one enemy, the new Hephaestus. The only reason she is marrying him is because she knows that with marriage she will get the upper hand. The best way to keep her new husband off-balance, is to seduce the one person he cares about. His best friend, Pandora.

Hephaestus is no stranger to a game. Aphrodite is paying a game of seduction and he is happy to play along. Her ex, Adonis is the perfect ploy for his game, it does not hurt that he is beautiful as well.

While the two hate each other, as the game goes on, lines begin to get blurred between Aphrodite and Hephaestus. How far will they go to destroy each other? How many hearts will they break? Their games become the least of their worries, when issues in Olympus rise to an all time high. These games have some dangerous consequences, not only for themselves, but for their city and the people they love.

This book is a little hard to follow, but it is messy in a good way. Each chapter switches between characters which did make it hard for me at times. I do think it was unnecessary to have some character's point of views such as Pandora and Adonis, as they acted as a buffer between chapters. This book is a lot to process when reading, and I did get bored at times. Overall, if you enjoy Greek Mythology, drama between couples, and a poly relationship then this book is for you.

I really enjoyed this book which follows Aphrodite who marries Hephaestus for her wicked plan and decides to seduce Pandora which he then seduces Adonis but everyone's hearts are involved. This was a pretty good novel and I enjoyed learning more about Dark Olympus. I do have to say that it was hard figuring out who was who at first because the status changes after every book and their old names are still being said in the book. I liked the plot of the book but it's not the same as the first three where it was amazing. Now the plot mostly focuses on the romance of the MCs without many conflicts in the story. I still enjoyed the story and exploring the setting. The pacing was good and I finished this book in one day!

This book follows the pov of Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Pandora, and Adonis though Aprohodie and Hephaestus are the MCs of the story. I liked each of these characters and the way they explored their relationship with one another. I do have to say that there wasn't much character development with Pandora and Adonis and Aphrodite and Hephaestus had a bit of character development. There are a bit of side characters in the story, some we have seen in previous books. I was a bit disappointed not to see my favorites in the book. The romance is LGBTQ+, marriage of convenience, why choose, enemies to lovers, and forbidden love with quite a bit of steamy scenes.

The ending was well done and overall this was a great book. I enjoyed the story but I do wish there were more conflicts in the book. So far my favorite books in the series are Neon Gods and Wicked Beauty and I don't believe anything would top those books. I do wish the author will include character lists in the beginning of the book to keep readers updated so they will have a better experience with the book. Overall a great book and I can't wait to read the next one.

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Katee Robert is back with another Dark Olympus story, this time focusing on Aphrodite and Hephaestus along with Adonis and Pandora. I do believe Robert is improving with the plot throughout the series, however, I wished there had been a little more character development. Writing a love story with a power struggle in an enemies to lovers sort of scenario takes a lot. With four characters in that struggle in needs a lot more development to be convincing. But the scenes were hot and I am still curious as to see what the fate of Olympus is. She got me hooked and I can't stop.

4.5 delicious stars <3

Absolutely loved this. So fun, so queer, so sexy, so steamy.
I adored each of these main characters, what they went through and the new alliances that were forged. I was on the edge of my seat in the last 1/4 of the book when sh*t hit the fan!!!

Definitely a series I will continue to pick up, I am absolutely stoked that we aren’t done with this world yet!

Such a messy book but in all the best ways. I have read almost all of Katee Roberts catalog and I absoultely love the way she tells a story. The multiple plotlines (the series and the main couple) are handled so well - pulling the book (and series) forward without feeling rushed or dragging on. I also appreciate how she balances the spice with actual plot and character development.

I can't wait for the next book in this series!

While this wasn’t my favorite in the series, Cruel Seduction was another great addition to the Dark Olympus series.
I loved the relationship between Adonis, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. I loved the animosity in the beginning and seeing each of them develop a meaningful relationship individually and within the triad. Personally I felt pretty neutral about Pandora and Aphrodite’s relationship. I think if the book was a bit longer so there was more time to see their relationship develop romantically I would have been more on board.
Plot wise this book focused mostly on the development of the relationships between the four main characters rather than the overarching plot of the series. I would have liked to see more of Olympus’ secrets revealed, but I will have to continue speculating until the next in the series.
Overall I thought this book was a bit light on the spice in comparison to the others in the series. I would rank it a fast burn with a 2.5 / 5 on the spicy scale.
Again, while not my favorite in the series I will absolutely be continuing the series and Katee Robert will continue to be a one click author for me.

This was my first poly knot. Initially I was intimidated by reading a story with four POVs. I don’t typically even like 2 POV stories, but I’ve been entertained by Katee Robert’s books previously and there are overarching plot lines that I needed to see where they went. Ultimately, I enjoyed this story and found it easy to keep track of the different relationships and the different character voices, so my worries were unfounded.

Cruel Seduction isn’t as steamy as some of the previous books, which was a surprise. This story was more focused on the relationship development of all parties and the carried over plot of the political dynamics of Olympus. Part of me wonders if this book was used to “set the stage” for the drama next few books.

I would have liked more sexy times, and I think this novel could have benefited from another 50-100 pages to explore and deepen some of the plot lines. Katee Robert is definitely an author that could add another 100 pages to a manuscript and I could absolutely devour each and everyone one. Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for the arc in exchange of an honest review. 3.5 stars.

Cruel Seduction continues the events of the Dark Olympus Series, but following Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Pandora, and Adonis specifically. As the plot continues, more lines are drawn on where citizens in Olympus truly stand.

This series has had me locked in from the first book and I love how the political plot develops throughout this one. Having two members of the Thirteen together is not something we have seen until now. However, the relationship of Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Pandora, and Adonis all seemed a bit underdeveloped. I would have loved to see more between Aphrodite and Hephaestus specifically. This book gave a great foundation for the next installment though by giving more development to Eurydice. Overall, I would recommend not only this book but the entire series.

Fast-paced and aggressive. It finally feels like we are getting somewhere with the plot but still are missing the broader context! How does the mythology fit in? Is Olympus a contemporary city in our world, or is this a Greek mythology retelling in its own world without that history? What is the barrier? Does it matter if it falls if I have no clue what it is?

Anyways. The romance plotline takes a long time to develop, and there isn't much chemistry, so the heat is lacking. They are all so angry! The exploration of polyamory is interesting, though. Not exactly a cliffhanger, but a very abrupt ending.

Very readable, but the lack of plot in each book and world-building in the series is frustrating. Would not read as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

I've always loved Robert's words, but I was not confident on the relationship dynamic of the main characters. I don't know why I doubted her for a moment though, because she is phenomenal.

I absolutely love this series! Katee Robert always delivers a hot, sweet, and fun ride! Another great installment! I hope it never ends!

Loved the mix of sweet romance with twisted seduction games. So much fun. Great chemistry. And the "unrest in Olympus" plot line is getting juicy.

Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5
Plot: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is the fifth installment in Katee Robert’s deliciously crafted Dark Olympus series, and it exceeded every one of my expectations. I would recommend if you're looking for:

-MMFF open poly knot
-everyone is queer
-plus size rep
-marriage of convenience
-second chance romance
-hurt/comfort

There are very few authors who I’d trust to pull off an open poly knit romance with as much experience as Katee Robert. She is one of my favorite romance authors and easily my favorite queer author ever.

One of my favorite parts of books with poly romance is how the different characters interact with each other. Aphrodite and Hephaestus with their marriage of convenience, and their obvious sexual attraction despite being enemies. Every time he called her wife had me screaming. Adonis, with his broken heart, trying to fight his attraction to his ex’s husband. And Pandora's adorable friendship with Hephaestus and impeccable chemistry with Aphrodite. The dynamics of this book are what make it electric.

Each book in this series ramps up the stakes even higher, and I am so intrigued to find out where the rest of the series takes us. I absolutely adore this series and all of Katee Robert’s work that I’ve read so far.

Cruel Seduction is out now!

🫦 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝑺𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕
🗓 𝑷𝒖𝒃 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒆: 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
📚𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Romance

Thank you @netgalley, @sourcebooks and Katee Robert for giving me early access to this ARC.

🌶 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘴! 🌶

✍️ 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: “Even as a child, I knew I wouldn’t marry for love.”

🪶 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞: "Love is a fairy tale, a fantasy built on lies as fine as gossamer wings."

🤔 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞... of all the vicious seduction in this story.

📖 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛: Unfazed by getting her hands dirty, Aphrodite plans to marry Olympus's archnemesis, Hephaestus. Her scheme: seduce his cherished companion, Pandora. But Hephaestus retaliates by enlisting Adonis, Aphrodite's ex-lover. As lines blur and emotions flare, their dangerous dalliance amidst Olympus's turmoil could have dire consequences for all they hold dear.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲:
‼️ Greek Mythology
🗣 Multiple POV
💥 Complex relationships
🎭 Political Drama
📝 Retelling
📖 Short chapters
🖤 MMFF/Poly Romance

💬 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: I know some of the fans of this series might strangle me for reading the last book first but I had no choice, I was trying to make it to my deadline. 😂 You'd be glad to know that it bit me back in the a** because I felt so lost with all the political drama in the book. She did insert some helpful lines that would talk about the past so it'll help me understand the background of a certain character.

🌟 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I wanted to rate this higher but I honestly felt like I was reading just smut with a sprinkle of plot. It started off strong but then fell flat. There is nothing wrong with a million spicy scenes but for me I’d like it better if it was balanced. It was too instalove for me, the instalove in this case just didn’t work. I would still recommend this series to those who are like mythology retellings.

❓ QOTD: Have you read this series❓

3.5⭐️ 3.5🌶️ 5🎧

I’m not going to lie, I was terrified of this book as soon as Katee described it as an open poly knot. I generally like my books to have closed, committed relationships, no matter how many people are in that relationship. It doesn’t help that I’m still reeling from how uncomfortable the bonus epilogue of Wicked Beauty made me. But I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

This book was so messy and spicy! I can’t help but feel the Greek gods would have approved. This book was pretty heavy on the spice and light on the plot for a good portion of it. Not that I’m complaining.

I love a good enemies to lovers, arranged marriage book and oh man were Aphrodite and Hephaestus enemies. But I loved how they brought out a softer side of each other and how their feeling took them completely by surprise. I also loved seeing the four of them together. It all really worked.

What I didn’t love about this book was how Aphrodite treated Adonis and how Hephaestus treated Pandora. Aphrodite was too cavalier with his feelings. I couldn’t believe that after becoming Hephaestus, he didn’t remove Pandora from Minos’ household when he knew how she felt. Aphrodite was a better friend to Pandora than Hephaestus and Hephaestus was a better friend to Adonis than Aphrodite.

The plot didn’t really pick up until end of the book and while I anticipated one of the plot twists the second took me completely by surprise! I loved it and I cannot wait to see what this means for the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed this fun and spicy poly Greek retelling involving Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Adonis, and Pandora. Cruel Seduction is the fifth book in the Dark Olympus series. Although this book can be read as a standalone, I think the reader would have the best experience if the books are read in order.

At the end of Radiant Sin, Theseus has become the new Hephaestus by killing the last one at a house party. He is set to marry the current Aphrodite (Eris) for political reasons. Now, everyone knows that they can become a member of the Thirteen by killing one of the current members. While their community was already unstable, this adds another level of danger to the residents of the city, especially the members of the Thirteen.

I really like the way the relationships directly impact the politics of the story. It was a cool connection. Not only are Aphrodite and Hephaestus on opposite sides of the conflict, the addition of Adonis and Pandora complicates things even further. I loved how so many different dynamics are represented within their group.

While there are some delicious group scenes with Adonis, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus (so freaking hot), Pandora and Hephaestus have an entirely platonic love. The relationship between Aphrodite and Hephaestus had some great tension and I loved the way they’d snipe at the other while using the titles “husband” and “wife.”

I can’t wait to see the author talk more about this book when she is in the Philly area on August 21!

I’m liking this series more and more with each new instalment. Book 5 focuses on Aphrodite and Hephaestus in an open poly relationship with Pandora and Adonis. The rep in this one was great as Hephaestus suffers chronic pain and many of the characters are bisexual, but the relationships are where this one really stands apart. I love the tension between them and the games and the twists. I love the focus on each relationship within the group and how each was different. I love the spice!!! I’m also really enjoying the ongoing plot with Minos and how precious couples are being brought into other stories. Can’t wait for the next one!

4.5 stars. This is probably my favorite Dark Olympus book yet! The political drama aspect of the plot was super engaging! I will say, for this being a 4 person polyamorous romance, and this being Katee Robert, it was less spicy than I was expecting. But I don’t even care! This was SO GOOD! Adonis is my new favorite character in the whole series. He is literally me.

I think h fortunately this was my least favorite of all of them in the series. I think the two different names of the thirteen and given I’ve been reading similar Roman gods books, I hand a hard time keeping them all straight. I think I’d much prefer if each character had one given name. I also think the 4 different POV made it harder to keep track of as well. Just honest opinion I think I would have rather had two POV for this one. I know that probably would have been hard given the four characters involved.

As this was one of my most anticipated reads this year, I'm really sad to say that this one missed the mark for me big time. Not in the way you'd think though. For me what I've loved so much about Robert's structure to these books is the balance between plot, character growth, and spice. However this one read like it was spicy scenes strung together on a very loose thread. For me this just did not match the rest of the series. Especially after the world and politics was blown wide open in Radiant Sin, it felt like this book had so much more potential.

While the polyamory aspect was done well, it did feel like there was one relationship we needed more of, Adonis and Pandora, even in a platonic manner would have added more of a connection to the story. I did love getting to know Aphrodite more. While we've seen her from afar since book 2, Electric Idol, having her perspective helped to see other characters motivations for certain things in the earlier books.

Overall, I think this book needed to be longer with a lot more plot to feel more akin to the rest of the series, to reduce the fatigue from reading so many great spicy scenes back to back, and to see more character interactions between our 4 main characters. The voices started to blur towards the end of this and the ending felt rushed in regards to how quickly the characters resolved their issues. Yes it is understandable as to why the characters choose the ending they do, but it felt like. cop out because of the lack of growth throughout the book.

I'm still incredibly excited for Midnight Ruin and I hope it is a bit of a comeback book after this one. Thank you to Sourcebooks for an ARC of this!!