I am rating this book 3 stars here but 3.75 on story graph and 3 stars on good reads.

First of all thank you so much Sourcebooks for the opportunity to listen to Radiant Sin before publication date. I think its safe to say that I would read anything that Katie Robert writes. There were many things that I loved about this book.

- Fake Dating
- Plus Size Representation
- Diversity of the characters
- Dual Point of view
- Audio book narrators chosen to read
-Spice

This book follows Cassandra and Apollo on a spy mission for the city. Cassandra is on this journey with Apollo as an agreement that it will result in her freedom.

While I did love the relationship and the build up I just couldn't truly get into the spy aspect. I think it definitely had potential as I was following along and enjoying for quite some time. However, I did find myself drifting away when there plans were discussed and further information/characters were introduced. I am gear for the next installment in this series and look forward to further opportunities reading Katee's work.

This was my first read from this series and I loved it! Cassandra is Apollo’s assistant and she adores him - but she can’t wait to get out of Olympus, so she keeps him at arm’s length. That is, until they find themselves at a “just one bed” week-long retreat. 😏 This had depth, mystery, and that ending was 🥹🥰 Fun read! And the narrators were amazing for the audiobook.
Thanks @netgalley & @dreamscape_media for this audio ❤️

Thank you, Netgalley and Dreamscape, for an Advanced Listeners Copy.

3.5

Radiant Sin follows Cassandra, a disgraced member of the Fallen House, now working under Apollo, the city’s spymaster. When things begin to arise in the city, Apollo persuades Cassandra to join him on a little espionage mission as his plus-one in exchange for her freedom from Olympus.

Things I loved:

-audiobook narrators were top tier; I absolutely adored their performance. I often have a hard time when there's more than one narrator telling a story because it feels choppy and takes me out of the story, but this one felt seamless.
-The romance. I will read any romance that Katee Robert writes. I always find them very enjoyable, and they bring a smile to my face. Cassandra was strong and witty and held her own as a character. And I loved Apollo. Like many others of Robert’s MMC, Apollo was charming and caring. I really appreciate Robert putting an emphasis on respect and consent in her romances, and they make the smutty scenes much more enjoyable. It’s just evident that her MMC’s care.


Things I didn’t like:

While I enjoyed the romance, the espionage plot that was used to move the romance forward was underdeveloped. It all felt as though it wasn’t thoroughly planned out, and I often questioned the actual point. I enjoyed the book while reading, but it didn't feel enticing enough when I would put it down. Making the mission clearer and raising the stakes would have helped with this.

I recommend this book if you like smutty romances about Greek Gods and Katee Robert.

Katee my queen never fails me. I had so much fun with this! Fake Dating & Forced Proximity?!?!?! THE BEST! This story of Apollo & Cassandra was hot; hot, hot & I really liked it. It was a very solid entry in this series I just adore so much. I personally love Katee's books on audio and think the narrators did a great job here. This was a quick listen and if you love Katee & this world you will adore this!

*thank you sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC copy to review

I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for my review. This book was ok. I will say that this is the first dark Olympus novel I've read and despite the claim that this can be read as a stand-alone, I felt like there was information established about the world that I didn't have going into this book. I was more interested in this because of Apollo in Greek mythology. I don't think these books follow Greek myths, or if they do it is very loosely. I didn't find myself that interested in this. It was a lot of spice and barely any other plot. Despite the two love interests working together for years and having secret crushes on each other, it still felt a little like insta love. That doesn't always bother me and they utilized some tropes I usually like, such as one bed and some fake dating. But this just felt like they were immediately hooking up and then that was most of the book. They tried to say they were trying to solve a mystery and people were in danger, but then they would get rattled and sneak off and hook up again. I think the author has an over arching plot potentially throughout all the books, but I can't be sure since I've only read this so take what I say with a grain of salt. If you like stories with all spice no plot (basically) then you probably wouldn't mind this like I did.

This series, Dark Olympus, was my gateway into the wonderfully weird and erotic writings of Katee Robert. There isn’t much that I’ve read from her that I haven’t liked.

Radiant Sun is the fourth book in her Dark Olympus series and I love how each edition dives into a different myth while making the story fresh and unique. In Radiant Sin we meet strong-willed and determined Cassandra, who only wants to do right by her sister and get the heck out of Olympus to save them both. She is crushing on her boss Apollo, the Greek God of basically everything. When Zeus approaches Cassandra and Apollo with an offer neither they or their lust for each other can refuse, a relationship of convenience is born.

Though this wasn’t my favourite in the series, it was still a great read. I loved how strong Cassandra was, and when her and Apollo finally got down to business it was well worth the wait. I think the story really hit its stride in chapter 23 and got better from there. I loved the Murder Mystery Mansion vibes.

I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys;
🏺Plus-size heroines
🏺Fake dating
🏺Greek Mythology
🏺Rope play and light Dom/Sub scenarios

Thank you to NetGalley, Katee Robert and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy. This is my honest review.

3.5 Stars

Cassandra's family has a bad reputation in Olympus and all she wants is to get her and her sister out of town. She currently works for Apollo, keeper of secrets, and has always found him attractive but never acted on it. There's a new power player in town and he's hosting a house party, Apollo has been invited and Cassandra's going as his plus one. The two have to pretend to date while trying to gather intell on the parties host and his family.

This was fine. In my opinon it's the weakest book in the Dark Olympus series. It feels like a filler book to get the overarching plot/story from point A to point B without really standing on its own. I didn't feel like this was an office or boss/employee romance, which is what I thought I was getting into. The characters were great which is what kept this at a 3.5 but the story line was lacking interest.

Trope: Work Colleagues; retelling; One bed; Myth; Murder; Fake dating; dystopian government; duel POV; different social classes; Care taking; Boss and Employee;

Book Name: Radiant Sin (***Dark Olympus #4)***
Author: Katee Robert

ARC
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an Audiobook ARC of Katee Robert’s Radiant Sin.

Stars: 4.5
Spice : 4.5

Audiobook:
Multi Narrator: ****Zara Hampton-Brown & Alex Moorcock****
Zara Hampton-Brown
- accent is British/Mid-Atlantic fairly easy to understand on faster speeds
- Differentiates between female voices well.
Alex Moorcock
- British/Mid-Atlantic Accent
- extremely easy to understand on faster speeds

Book:
- #4 of the unfinished Dark Olympus Series
- Cliffhanger:
- Fast-Paced.
- Dual POV
- Mythological retelling with a modern/fantasy setting
- Similar to the Hades and Persephone series by Scarlett St. Clair
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Boss/Secretary
- Fake Dating
- Fighting their Feelings
- One Bed
- More world-building than prior books.

I have really enjoyed the Dark Olympus series so far, but this one I struggled with it.

The story follows Cassandra and Apollo and where they must fake date each other while they attend an event. Cassandra has strong opinions about the thirteen members. The story picked up pace when they finally attended a house party and people were getting hurt, and then the mystery was on. I really enjoyed that part.
The narrators, Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock did a fabulous job portraying Cassandra and Apollo along with the multiple characters that came to play as the story progressed. Their narration certainly kept me engaged. They used a variety of tones and inflections and I was able to easily distinguish the voices of Cassandra and Apollo.
Perfect for fans of fake dating, mystery, and slow burn romance. This story can be read as a stand-alone.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Pub. 2/6/23

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! Katee Robert continues her steamy and fun Dark Olympus series with the latest installment Radiant Sin. This book follows the current Apollo and his employee Cassandra into a world of intrigue. Apollo is the spymaster of the 13 leaders of Olympus, and he’s researching a new threat in the form of a new power player, who invites the 13 to a house party where chaos ensues. What follows is steam and mystery. I listened to this book, and the narrator was great. I was really brought in at the beginning, but then it kind of lagged in the middle and towards the end. I liked Cassandra a lot, but sometimes the relationship building between her and Apollo fell flat and I was kind of bored. But overall this delivered in a quick, fun, high steam book from Robert, and if you’re fans of this series, I think you’ll continue to be a fan. This book definitely delivers on the steam, but it also heavily relies on intrigue and drama within the world building of Olympus. I recommend this book for fans of Katee Robert, the Dark Olympus series, high steam contemporary dark romances.

I devoured Radiant Sin!
Each book in this series has been a delight to read and this one is no different. However, it does feel different from the previous books as this one has Clue house party mystery element to it. I also really enjoyed the romance and thought the fake dating was well done. I loved the mutual pining between both MCs. It really added a special element to them fake dating and brought a lot of angst (what I live for).
Katee Robert's writing is easy to read and always brings the spice! Apollo and Cassandra's mutual pining really makes the sex scenes seemed earned and extra hot.
I also loved the narration. I think the voices' really captured the vibes of the characters.
Overall, I loved it and can't wait for everyone to gush about it.
Recommend for readers who enjoy mutual pining, angst, fake dating, hero falls first, house party mystery, Clue vibes and spicy romances.

ARC REVIEW (AAC REVIEW?)
I received an advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review- Thanks NetGalley!

Honestly, I dont Know why I try With Katee Robert anymore- we just don’t fit. I decided This time to try an audiobook of hers to see if it were better. Big nope. I really Love a fake dating, boss/employee trope! This turned into some murder mystery/clue type of thing and I just wasn’t feeling it.

The audio book narrators accents were so grating I felt I was Being condescended the entire book. I couldnt Tell the differentiation in voices when other sode characters were speaking and it confused me.

The spicy scenes are decent, I wish there had been less unnecessary chatter during the sex scenes, but that may just be me.
Despite the adult content, the whole thing felt very juvenile.
I really wanted more emotional maturity from every single character in this book.
I was told this could be read as a standalone, but I wonder if I'd read the first 3 books would I have been more invested?
I will still read at least the first book in the series since I already have it, but my hopes are sufficiently lowered going in.
Thanks NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for my ARC.

<b>The Good</b>
Cassandra is an interesting character. I love how she puts her needs and her sister before anything. Apollo is a great male lead. He is down terrible, he likes her so much. I like the plot here more than the previous book in this series. It's interesting to hear about the boundary and the creation of Olympus. The fake dating set up was great and I liked how their relationship progressed into them admitting their feelings for each other. The build up to their relationship and their chemistry was amazing. I loved that they both liked each other before hand and that they understood and cared for each other so much.

<b>The Bad</b>
I felt like the plot was so drawn out. This might be because I don't often read mysteries and want answers more quickly.

<b>The Rating</b>
I give this book a <b>4/5🌟 rating.</b> This was a fun and steamy mystery giving more noir vibes to this Olympus series.

Check out my socials <a href="https://linktr.ee/buffyreads"> here</a> for more reviews!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to consume the audiobook ARC prior to my physical copy arriving!

I have been a huge fan of the Dark Olympus series (I was OBSESSED after reading Neon Gods; Wicked Beauty is one of my favorites as well), and this standalone is absolutely incredible! I think this book is a great choice for individuals who aren't caught up with Dark Olympus but have been curious to get involved with the series. This book is a great standalone that gives a lot of good background info and does a great job building the world for anyone who isn't already familiar with our characters.

I was a big fan of the dual narration between Cassandra and Apollo. I think the chosen narrators did a phenomenal job - this was my first time listening to a Katee Robert audiobook and I was worried it might be a little embarrassing, but I was so pleasantly surprised with the quality of the narration. I felt like I was a kid again listening to a book on tape, except a very spicy one!

We all know that Katee Robert writes smut like no one else - she's definitely is the queen of smut, however, I feel as though she really took the time to balance out plot/story with the smut within this book in particular. Some of her books (like Court of the Vampire Queen) can seem like one big smut-fest after the other, but this one is definitely more balanced.

There is no doubt that Cassandra is a plus-sized queen, and she's proud of her curves. Apollo loves them as well - and we get to celebrate a non-traditional body type and embrace body positivity throughout this story.

I love that Cassandra is working for Apollo - the boss/worker trope is definitely spicy and will have you hanging on their every interaction. I love how Apollo is written like kind of a skeezy dude who is quite horny haha who tries to hide how he really feels. The chemistry is out of this world and will keep you hanging on their every word.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, mythology, and smut! Another amazing piece from the lovely Katee Robert.

First off, massive thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC. I am so grateful to get this morsel of a treat a little bit early. And like anything tasty, I devoured it far too fast.

Let me begin with saying that I did not love Neon Gods and gave this series a second chance begrudgingly. That being said, every book gets better and better. Wicked Beauty and Helen’s story is still one of my faves, but this was just as delightful and I loved the characters here overall much more.

Cassandra is a sassy, bratty queen who deep down is a cinnamon roll. She is the perfect balance of brilliant, sexy, independent but with that goey center that only some awesome sex and the only good guy in the thirteen can win over.

This installment of the series definitely had the perfect balance of fun adult times and plot. I know in theory each book is meant to be considered a standalone that you could read and understand, but this one definitely felt like if you hadn’t read Wicked Beauty you’d be quite confused.

Another thing I love is the awesome job Katee does with representation, across the board. Sexuality, body size, orientation, ethnicity, everything. She does such an amazing job of making sure everyone can have representation in her books and in a way. She really continues to grow on me as an author and I look forward to every new Dark Olympus story.

If you loved literally anything she has written before, this will definitely be your jam. If you’re looking for a fun romance that is mythology inspired, this also is likely going to be a win. Can’t wait for Cruel Seduction!

I loved that this audiobook was duel narration! I prefer to have the male and female perspectives in different voices especially in a romance novel. Hearing Apollo telling Cassandra what to do brings a whole new level to the spice scenes!
This is a workplace relationship and forced proximity romance between Apollo and Cassandra. This is a standalone, and while there are a few references to the previous books, you wouldn't miss any plot points by starting with this book in the series.

𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧.

“𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚, 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭…𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤, 𝐟*𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡!𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐞.

“𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.”

___________________________

We all know that Katee Robert is the undisputed QUEEN of spice. However I think it’s high time we start recognizing her for also being a masterful storyteller and this book is the mic drop confirmation that she can write it ALL and enthrall us with every single word, smutty or not.

Cassandra has worked for Apollo for years, keeping her head down after her parents’ ill fated attempt at murdering their way into the Thirteen, and has one single focus: find a way to get herself and her sister out of Olympus once and for all. So when Zeus approaches her with a monetary offer that she cannot refuse she accompanies Apollo undercover to a week long party with the newest residents of Olympus in hopes that Apollo can uncover their true motives. However putting her reservations about the Thirteen (and her quiet crush on her boss) aside may not be as easy as Cassandra hoped, and it soon becomes apparent that their fake dating ruse is not the only game being played. As the heat ramps up between them, so does the violence around the house as members of the party start dropping one by one begging the question who is truly pulling the strings in Olympus, and is anyone truly safe?

I’m not kidding when I say I was blown away by this book. I continue to be thoroughly impressed by the world building in this iteration of Olympus and while it gets a little tricky after all this time remembering the original names of characters vs the name they have assumed as one of the Thirteen (looking at you, Aphrodite), I have to say this book has done the best so far at working characters from the previous books back into the central story.

Cassandra was a fantastic, well layered character and I loved her strength and her ability to hold her own even when her general presence brought nothing but scorn. Apollo was absolutely everything!! Smart, cunning, and devastatingly sexy he had the suaveness of 007 with a heart of solid gold. In the bedroom, closet, and well pretty much anywhere else they found themselves they made a scorching pair and I will have to say of the Dark Olympus books so far this one may be the hottest yet!!

I received the audiobook for advance review (thank you to both NetGalley and Dreamscape Media) and I have to say both narrators were fantastic! They brought every emotion to the table from the spicy scenes to the general dialogue, and as the suspense grew so did their portrayal of the character’ frustration and it evoked the same sense of nervousness that you’d have reading an actual suspense novel. Through every chapter I felt like I was right there inside both Cassandra and Apollo’s heads and it was so easy to lose myself listening to these storytellers. I would highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys them and even to those who don’t naturally gravitate toward them. It was wonderful!

As long as you remember that the term “retelling” is used loosely and thematically, I think you’ll find that this book has it ALL. Hands down my favorite installment in this series yet and I am anxious to see what comes next for this world!!

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Casablanca and DreamScape for an audiobook arc of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Apollo and Cassandra were such a wonderful couple and the plot progression in this world was great. Also, spicy AF obviously it’s Katee Robert.

Quick Synopsis: Cassandra has worked for Apollo, the spy master and knowledge tracker for the 13 in Olympus for around 5 years; she’s also had a crush on her bos for … 5 years. Now, Apollo needs her help and they’ll have to go on a secret mission to uncover a dastardly plot, but to do so, Cassandra will have to pretend to be in a relationship with Apollo and as his fake girlfriend, things heat up between the two very quickly.

Trigger warnings: violence, assassination, murder,

What I liked:
-Apollo is an absolute golden retriever and while the man isn’t dumb by any means, he’s also very aware of his strengths and his weaknesses and recognizes where Cassandra’s strengths bolster his weaknesses.
-We don’t get any toxic masculinity from Apollo and it’s really refreshing
-I always appreciate Robert’s focus on consent. Apollo is constantly asking for Cassandra’s consent on everything to the point that Cassandra begins to anticipate the ask and readily agree before he can even voice a concern.
-We get to revisit some of our favorite characters from past books and also speculate on how future characters’ novels will play out. For example, I am chomping at the bit for Hermes’s book. I need it.

What I struggled with:
-I wasn’t a huge fan of Apollo in the beginning of the novel. While he did eventually grow on me, his overly golden retriever ways were sometimes more annoying than endearing in the first quarter of the novel.
-Cassandra doesn’t communicate with her sister. She does everything she does in this novel explicitly for her sister, but never asks if that’s what her sister wants? The entirety of this novel is centered around Cassandra doing everything to get her sister out of Olympus, but yet never actually checking in with said sister. In the end, this is the tipping point for our heroine, and drives the final plot point with our characters, but it fell flat for me in that it didn’t just did not seem believable.

This is spicy and hot and enjoyable and yes I will be buying a physical copy.

Truly Robert’s best work yet. Sexy as always, with lovable characters, and makes you want to live in this fantasy world where everyone gets a designated dark, brooding, kinky, and consent-conscious lover to worship them. The spice is what we’re all here for, but that being said, as this series progresses the politics of Olympus become clearer and more defined which gave this installment a little more intrigue. Well done!