3.5 stars rounded down. Okay, so I approached this installment of Dark Olympus with minimal expectations and maybe thought it'd be better as an audiobook. Unfortunately that was wrong, but I did enjoy this one a bit more than books two and three.

Might as well jump into what I disliked: the continued lack of cohesive worldbuilding is so wild. I am trying to approach these books with no craft critique but it's really hard to turn my brain off and not grasp for some like, actual plot.
The attempt at a locked room, house party murder mystery vibe would've gone over better if there really was a mystery. The writing was also awfully repetitive and I think listening to the audiobook enunciated this - every time someone's horny brain "shorted out" or Apollo and Cassandra hissed at each other to be quiet or they'd be caught, I was just super conscious of the repetition. Lastly, this was atrocious as an audiobook, because of the male POV for Apollo. I'm sorry but the guy's voice was a nasal British accent, not sexy at all, and was ruining Apollo for me, who otherwise is my favorite of the Thirteen so far.

That brings me to what I enjoyed - Apollo, notwithstanding his bad audio portrayal! He's a tall, half-Korean hunk in this, and one of the nicest of the Thirteen despite his spymaster role. This diversity was what made me keep going with the series - it was so refreshing to have a caring and competent male lead after so many mediocre ones, besides Hades. People are complaining about the lower spice levels in this book, but it was fine for me, since Katee writes sex scenes with a lot of vocabulary I often don't particularly love. Instead, there were several instances of sexy situational proximity, a favorite trope of mine, and Apollo absolutely simps for Cassandra, who as a plus-size character was handled really well, I thought. The man's lines are nonstop appreciation and praise for her, and the part where Apollo was rueing the fact Cassandra shut a door and he couldn't watch her blowdry her hair was adorable! The quiet intimacy!

So what I enjoyed and didn't kind of balanced out in this book, at least. I think some big world-rocking business went down at the end of this book, but again, trying to grasp the threads of whatever's happening with Olympus as a weird city-state maybe-magical realm was like trying to grasp a cloud. Any actual goings-on besides the romantic plots are none of my business, LMAO, as far as I'm concerned moving forward in the series.

i'm excited about the overall direction of the dark olympus plot, but this one fell a little flat for me. I found Cassandra x Apollo to be a less exciting of a couple when compared to our first three couples/throuple. I feel like their only real obstacle was that "Apollo is too polite to abuse a position of power" and while we love this IRL, I think I prefer my romance heros to be a little more...rough around the edges. ESPECIALLY when we are talking about a spy master.

All that said, I am still a die-hard KR fan, and I can't wait for the next book. I am super excited about the new characters who were introduced these last two books!


----3.5/5

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What a ride. I adored this book from start to finish. This has become one of my favorites series and this book is a wonderful fourth installment. Cassandra and Apollo are such a good pairing and I loved seeing how they were written in this retelling. It’s full of tension and spice, while also keeping me invested in the Olympus politics and intrigue. Katee Robert is an autobuy author for me and she can do no wrong. If you’re looking for a smutty mythology-based series that will keep you drawn in, I’d highly suggest making sure the Dark Olympus series is on your radar.

3.25 ⭐️

This is the 4th book in the dark Olympus series by Katee Robert and it follows a member of the "13" Apollo and his second hand at work, Cassandra.

Cassandra is a curvy badass who's desperate to get out of Olympus where she and her sister can finally feel safe and free of judgement. Her parents were murdered by the 13, and ever since she's been ridiculed and scrutinized for making up stories regarding that. She's more clever than most and upfront about her wants/desires. She's fiercely loyal to her sister and works her butt off.

Apollo is Zeus's right hand man and Cassandra's boss. The two find themselves at the mercy of a kind of infiltration that they need to keep a close eye on, which translates into them fake dating to attend a party together. An unknown law comes to light that could threaten Olympus and the 13, so Apollo and Cassandra being there turns out to have been pertinent.


I really loved the first book so much, and this just couldn't top that.

Positives ✨

• body positivity
• Apollo got it bad for casssandra
• consent and forward communication
• Cassandra's wittiness
• smexyy scenes
• greek gods setting

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with an audio arc!

3.5 stars.
This is definitely my favorite out of this series. I love a good romance mystery!! I’m starting to learn that I might not mesh with the authors writing style, but it wasn’t as noticeable in this book. The spicy scenes were fantastic. I read through the audiobook and the narration was fantastic.

Of all the Olympus books so far, this one has been my favorite. The romance was good, the spice was hot, and the plot was great. It had the most substantial plot outside of relationship building of any of the Olympus books released so far, and that definitely gave it substance. This book was like a sexy "knives out", and I was here for it. I enjoy the subtle nods to previous couples, and the foreshadowing of those to come.

I also really loved that Cassandra is plus sized, and is trying to be comfortable with it. She's obviously had some struggles with acceptance in the past, but is self assured enough to assert herself as the need arises, or to staunch impolite comments before they even begin.

I listened to this book, and really enjoyed both narrators. They each portrayed their character with emotion and conviction, and it definitely added to the story.

4/5 stars
3.5/5 spice

God I love this series 😩

This book follows Apollo and his assistant, Cassandra. Several members of the 13 and their guests are invited to stay at Minos’ property, and Apollo and Cassandra go to investigate what Minos is really up to. In order to not look suspicious, they start a fake relationship—except they’re both already in love with each other and neither of them knows it (*squeals*). The whole thing also kind of feels like a murder mystery party.

What I liked:

- What can I say, I’m a sucker for the fake dating trope. And Katee Robert does is so good. This isn’t the first time she’s used the trope in this series, but it’s done differently every time and it WORKS. Cassandra and Apollo have instant chemistry and I screamed every time they had a lingering touch.
- THE SPICE!!!! It’s so good I die. Like I can’t even put it into words. Katee Robert writes some of my favorite spicy scenes ever.
- I really love the audiobooks for this series, specifically because of the narrators. They both do a great job of creating distinctive voices for different characters. How the heck does Zara Hampton-Brown manage to sound like a sexy man??! She nails it.

What I didn’t like:

- The only major thing that stood out to me was that the ending felt kind of abrupt. I’m guessing the Hephaestus situation is going to be dealt with in the next book, but it felt like it was just left unresolved. It does have me excited for the next book, but I do wish there was a little more closure.

Tropes: fake dating, forced proximity, forbidden love, there’s only one bed, he’s her boss, alpha hero

I swear every book I read from this series becomes my new favourite….what magic has katee put in these books I swear!!!!

It had the amazing spice and adorable relationships that I have come to expect from katee’s books and the plot is so good!!!!! It’s so intriguing and I am so excited for the future books because the way katee sets up little hints and things for the other couples is brilliant, like truly.

I’ll have more coherent thoughts in a bit since I JUST finished but I love this series so much

(Disclaimer I haven’t read any origin stories for the mythology, I just enjoy inspired by/retellings)

Thank you NetGalley, dreamscape media and sourcebooks for the audio arc of radiant sin. All thoughts are my own without any influence I just love this series

Thank you Netgalley & Dreamscape Media for providing me with an early copy audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion!

Before I received this audiobook, I was lucky to be able to read the first 5 chapters through Netgalley. When I read those chapters, I already knew I was going to love this book. Now to confirm, I did love this book, and is in a tie to be my new favorite book with Wicked Beauty.

TW: Murder/Blood/Guns, Brief mention of Body Shaming (Historical)
Tropes: Fake Dating, Boss/Employee Relationship Plus Size FMC, Snarky Heroine, Shares One Bed, Slow Burn Romance, "Hates Everyone But You"

Kinks: Pining, Dom(Soft)/Sub, Bondage, Praise

In this book, we follow Cassandra (employee) and Apollo (boss). Cassandra has a strong personality and has a different perspective than all of the characters that are in this world. I feel like her reactions are more realistic to the outrageous stuff that does on in Olympus compared to the other members of the Thirteen, which makes this book enjoyable. Apollo is more to himself, he does not like anyone besides Cassandra. He's been in love with Cassandra since he hired her, but he has been afraid to say anything to her because they work together. Apollo is a mysterious being, you don't know much about him, but I like it.

Out of all the books in the Dark Olympus series that released, I would have to say that this book has less smut. I can say that the smut that was in this book was SEXY. Apollo cracks out of his shell in every smut scene, and it's HOT.

I look forward to continuing this series when Cruel Seduction comes out!

*Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Katee Robert is one of my absolute favourite authors and this book is NO DIFFERENT. She is able to weave romance, sex, and a whole-ass MYSTERY in one book. I am on the edge of my seat about what will happen in Cruel Seduction and I am so excited.

I love Apollo and Cassandra. They are both rounded out so well, and I love how both of them have been in love with one another but are so f*cking clueless about one another. I absolutely loved how Apollo was careful with Cassandra and didn't want to make a move on her because of the power imbalance between their jobs. And the fake dating??? Turned real?? Absolute FAVOURITE trope that Katee writes.

Radiant Sin is also funny, just like every other Katee Robert book. The way she just weaves in funny lines in times of dire need is amazing. "It is hot as Hades out here." "Hades isn't that hot." "*Yes he is*." PLEASE I love that interaction so much.

Radiant Sin is now my favourite out of Dark Olympus, but at the same time, I gave the first three 5 stars, so really, I love Katee Robert.

Cassandra is so independent and I love it! Her and Apollo as a team is even better! I have always loved Greek mythology and modern retellings, so this was definitely a spicy surprise! Why did I not start this series sooner? To start with the 4th one felt like cheating, but I couldn’t stop! It was so good! You don’t HAVE to read them in order because they can be read as a standalone, but I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I read them in order, so brb while I go do that!

Katee has done it again! I loved everything about this book. I'm not normally a fake dating girl, but this one something else. I've enjoyed every Dark Olympus book I've read, but this is the first one that I've listened to. After this, I might only listen to spicy books from here on out bc holy hot. Definitely my favorite Dark Olympus book to date and I am so so glad that there will be 10 (?) books in this series.

Political Clue, Fake dating your crush and boss/employee, and a Greek Myth retelling!

Myth background: Cassandra is a priestess of Apollo who true prophecies are never believed.

How does that connect to this story? Well Cassandra's parents tried to pull off a coup to gain power in Olympus, now she is a social pariah and no one takes her seriously or believes her. There is one exception however, Apollo!
Nice to get a greek myth retelling in which Apollo is not the absolute worst, in this story he is actually the best.

With the continuation of this series we are getting more into the nitty gritty of Olympus political inner workings and just how ruthless you have to be to survive and thrive in the 13, while still being very sexy. The outsiders from book 3 are back and causing more chaos and I love it!

The audio book is quite good, very much enjoy the narrators. Two downsides to it, each story surrounds different characters however the narrators are the same. So no new voices for the different characters. Secondly and this is a personal preference thing, don't like when the male narrator will do a feminine voice for the female speaking parts when there is also a female narrator that could just narrate that instead. Same opinion with the reserve. If you have both narrator use them to the full extent please.

This book reads very much like a regency country house party book, which is one of my favorite historical drama tropes. Stolen kisses in corridors, big and exciting secrets, gossip, I live for it.

Every book in the series we get a bit more of the politics of this universe, which I love, but as always, my one small complaint is that it's never quite enough. The writing, the characters, the spice, and relationship building are all there, but the world building is a tad bit lacking. For example, if Katee added just a few more paragraphs explaining a little bit more of the history and motivations, it would go from a fun smutty series to something on another level.

The romance however, did not miss a beat, Apollo was as swoony as could, and the chemistry was electric.

Having read a physical arc of this, loved the audio narration. Totally hooked and intrigued on where the rest of this story is going to go!

I honestly love this series - it is quick paced, the child in me will never be over greek myths so as an adult, retellings really scratch an itch in my brain, and they are perfectly spicy. The Dark Olympus series feels like a case study of what happens when Gods are absolutely obsessed with the goddess in their lives and how to reconcile those feelings within a world full of societal pressures and power dynamics. Katee Robert has another hit on her hands.

Our narrators were great fits for the characters. Big shoutout to the voice for Cassandra because she also did a great job with 'voicing' Apollo in her chapters. Talent <3

We are getting into just how in danger Olympus is from this external threat, especially as a game of cat and mouse begins with Midas and Olympus guests. It adds to the urgency PLUS adds to some sweet desire between Apollo and Cassandra, and it was GOOD!

Holy shit, the twist was unexpected! I love this series; it is darkly delicious, and Katee Roberts sprinkles so many crumbs and twists in the stories for future book set-ups and leaves you WANTING!