Following Theseus claiming the Hephaestus title, the 13 scramble to keep an eye on him, and what better way than a marriage of convenience.
Forced to break it off with her long time love Adonis, Aphrodite steps up to keep tabs on her husband. But when the 13 find themselves all in danger Hephaestus will have to choose between his wife, and the only life he has ever known.

Book 3 was my favourite, this one was similar to book three, but... different.
I like the actual story about the 13 and what's going on in Olympus, so I like that this book really focused on that.
I wonder how long this series can really last, but I am still enjoying the ride.

This series just keeps getting better. Cruel Seduction is my current fav! ❤️ I usually don’t care for enemies to lovers tales but this one was just too juicy to deny. Aphrodite and Hephaestus and Adonis and Pandor…. oh my! 😱❤️ 🔥 🌶️
I’m a big fan of how this series grows on all the previous installments so there are always machinations and developments percolating. I can’t wait to see what happens next in Olympus!
I also love that we’ve got the same narrators for the series. I was a bit of a sceptic for the first book but now I can’t imagine any other narrators for these characters.
This whole combo is a win!
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audiobook copy for review.

Miss Katee does it again! This series never fails me. I am not someone who loves fantasy but the way this is written is the perfect blend of modern day and mythology! I was a little surprised by the direction this book took romantically, but I didn't hate it. Keep them coming, please!

Another fantastic and sexy addition to the Dark Olympus universe. This is so refreshing to read about a healthy polyamorous group/relationship. Our two main characters must chose between their duty and their hearts as they struggle with their personal connections and the new ones they forge with each other and their new partners.
Katee Robert can write anything and I will read it. The narrators for this story were *chefs kiss* absolutely fantastic. As per usual!

Full review on Pages n' Pages podcast (episode post date 8/22/23- Chapter 112).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

As with the other books from this series, here for the spice, stay for the political intrigue! Can't wait to see what we get in the next book!

I find the Olympus series hit or miss - I loved Neon Gods , didn’t love Electric Idol. Loved Wicked Beauty but wasn’t big on Radiant Sin.

This one was a winner though. The politics are super insane but so is the spice and that makes up for the plot holes. Aphrodite was the villain in book 2, and having more insight into her was surprisingly enjoyable . I’ll still keep up with the series for sure

This is the fifth book of the Dark Olympus series. I was immersed in a world of Greek mythology with a twist. Aphrodite's forced marriage to Hephaestus for political gain leads to a tangled web of seduction and emotion. The polyamorous dynamics, second chances, and revenge elements added depth, though the heavy focus on political intrigue sometimes overshadowed the mythology I craved. Narrated by Alex Moorcock and Zara Hampton-Brown, the audiobook enhanced the experience. Their alternating voices brought the characters' emotions to life, even during the steamy scenes. While I enjoyed the world-building and character exploration, the story's complexity left some relationships feeling underdeveloped. Despite this, the series' unique blend of mythology and romance keeps me invested, eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I really like this series and plan to continue reading it. It flows well from the previous book but I had trouble with the male narrator. I wouldn't recommend the audio. The 1 male narrator voices 2 male characters and it was very hard to keep track of who was who. There was just not enough difference.

Another winner from Katee Robert 😍🔥

Cruel Seduction follows Aphrodite and Hephaestus’ deep enemies to lovers story. It’s filled with so much sweet venom and had me swooning the whole time. I think my favorite thing about this installment of the Dark Olympus series is the focus on politics - and how relationships play a huge role. Aphrodite is forced to marry the enemy of the state, and their deep hate of one another creates serious heat.

Fans of Dark Olympus are going to love this installment!

A very explicit fantasy story narrated well with multiple scenes running through it sometimes difficult to listen to ..

Cruel Seduction is the fifth and latest installment in the Dark Olympus series, a loose retelling of Greek mythology in a fantasy urban setting. The story follows Theseus, who became Hephaestus in the last book, Aphrodite, Pandora, and Adonis. I love this series and was very excited to listen to an advanced reader's copy of the audiobook!

I was a little nervous about this book because that is a lot of POV characters. The most we had previously was three in Wicked Beauty, which I thought worked really well. And I think it worked really well here too! Hephaestus and Aphrodite are very morally gray characters and I liked having the balance between them, Adonis, and Pandora. I wasn't sure how a redemption arc for Theseus would happen after the events of the last books but I thought it was great! I really liked the relationships and how they progressed. It was nice seeing the nuances of a poly relationship with multiple people, some of whom are not dating each other. Once the characters actually started talking to each other, I thought that it worked really well.

The plot contrivances were a little much for me, but it's pretty similar to the other books in that way and didn't bother me that much. Now that I'm this far in the series I know what I'm getting, I'm also coming for loose Greek mythology and interesting relationships instead super heavy plot.

I listened to the audiobook and really liked the performances. Both narrators did an amazing job doing the POV of two people but made all four feel distinct. Highly recommend listening!

Overall, I thought this was a great installment in the series and I look forward to the next one! 3.75 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I have historically loved the Dark Olympus books, but this one fell flat for me. The choice to have two separate romances happening at once meant that we spent half as much time with each pairing/coupling. As a result, the romances felt a bit rushed and fell flat for me. Looking forward to the next installment, but this was probably my least favorite of the set so far.

what a simmering, SPICY read. the narrator did amazing and of course miss katee can naturally do no wrong. this was just as compelling as the rest of the books in the series and i cannot to see where it continues to take us! i’ll be right there to eat it all up as per usual

Thank you Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

CRUEL SEDUCTION is my favorite Dark Olympus installment to date! This book was MESSY and political and very very spicy and I ate it up! Katee Robert's writing is so addictive and she always makes me fall for her characters. Even the ones who are terrible human beings. Olympus is in turmoil which means I can't wait to see what Katee conjures up next in MIDNIGHT RUIN.

As always, Zara Hampton-Brown and AlexMoorcock bring these characters to life with their performances. I am eagerly awaiting the next book. January cannot come fast enough!

A very sexy book. It was a good, but I felt like there could have been more. I liked Hephaestus and Aphrodite and enjoyed the enemies to lovers story for them. I even liked Adonis and Pandora and their roles in the book, even though I wanted more scenes of them together. The relationship part was good, but again I wanted more interaction with all four of them together. Also, I wish there was more movement with the overall storyline of the series.

KATEE ROBERT DOES IT AGAIN!!

I fall more in love with this series after every book. I can’t get enough. I NEED IT.

The romance 🤌 the spice 🤌 the plot 🤌 UGH

Holy. Friggin. Crap. The squeal I squealed when I was approved for this through NetGalley may have been embarrassing if I wasn't so stupid excited! This one was EVERYTHING! I wasn't sure how it was feeling when it all started, but finding out this was going to be Poly I quickly came around to how the relationships all were coming together.

Aphrodite and Hephaestus are getting married and neither are happy about it. Aphrodite will do whatever she can to keep her city and people safe, even if that means marrying someone she hates and leaving Adonis who she loves. Adonis and Pandora are just along for the ride trying to hang on to a couple people they love.

This one was probably my favorite since Neon Gods. I struggled to see how Pandora was going to fit but she does fit and I was just overthinking it. This series seems to have a solid following running with a 3.5 star rating each. I'm going to be a 5-star and occasional 4-star rater of these books. They're worth it.

If you loved the the other books in Dark Olympus, then you will also enjoy this. It has they same sexual tension, messy and complicated character, and spice that you would expect from Katee Robert.

This story follows the political marriage of Aphrodite and Hephaestus in and attempt to form an alliance to protect Olympus and minimize Minos' power grabs. However as they are both looking for ways to annoy each other Aphrodite's ex Adonis, and Hephaestus' bestie, Pandora, get pulled into the mix and what was an unstable and volatile couple starts to settle down into a beautiful constellation, if they can survive the political intrigue of Olympus and it's weakening barrier.

Plot wise the book was exactly what you would want from a Dark Olympus story, and it is loads of spice held together with just enough plot to keep the series going.....

For the audio, while the narrators were very expressive, they weren't particularly versatile, which was a significant challenge to follow when there are 4 points of view. Hephaestus and Adonis I could usually tell apart, but Pandora and Aphrodite's voicings were practically identical, which mad it difficult to tell who was talking. But this may just be me, and these narrators may work really well for you.

Cruel seduction by Katee Robert published august 2023. Warning this is a very sexual explication book of mythological gods and goddesses,. Set in modern times

Cruel Seduction is the 5th book in the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert. I've been following the series sense shortly before the release of Electric Idol, and I generally find the books to be a pretty fun time. In Cruel Seduction we follow, Aphrodite (formerly know are Eris), Hephaestus (Formerly know as Theseus), Pandora, and Adonis as they navigate the newly extremely messy politics in the wake of the events of Radiant Sin. This is a Poly romance so if that's not your thing, this isn't the book for you.

I enjoyed the story of this one, I think that the consequences of the events of the last book where well thought out and carried through and I enjoyed the story going on the background a lot in this one. I'm not big on poly romances but this one was fine, even if I think its a few to many povs in a book this short.

Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.