I was so excited to get this title before its release, and it was in fact my first pre-release audio! I am a big fan of Katee Robert's mythological retellings, and the fifth installment in the series did not disappoint. The steamy scenes are still there, as well as the great character interactions. I also enjoyed how this book took on relationships and how it can take on different forms and look different from certain perspectives. Politically and personally, Olympus is about to burst. Everything is bubbling at the seams and the books just keep drawing you in with all of the intrigue!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me this in exchange for an honest review.

As always katee delivered in the smut area and her open poly knot was exquisitely done. I was a little disappointed about how fast the feelings progressed though and the lack of plot development, I feel that if anyone misses this book in the series they would still know exactly what’s going on in Olympus because not much happened and what did happen I’m still not completely happy about.
Regardless I devoured it and I adore the poly knot so I’m really happy I was able to read an advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGallery for an advanced audio of this book by the incredible Katee Roberts in exchange for my honest review. Once again if you are looking for spice this series delivers…. Katee added extra seasoning in this book 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🥵. She said oh you liked the thruple in Wicked Beauty ok I see your thruple and and another. What this story brought with the spice it lacked story line. Most of the book is steam and didn’t really add to the Dark Olympus storyline except for maybe the last chapter. All in all Katee doesn’t dissapoint!

Nothing too new or exciting in this latest installment in the Dark Olympus series. Full of great queer relationships, polyamory, a marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers and political intrigue galore. Steamy AF as you would expect from any Katee Robert book. While this wasn't my favorite in the series it was still entertaining and good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I continue to love the Dark Olympus series with every new installation! It’s dark and sultry and the plot is amazing. I got so sucked into the world of the Thirteen and the drama and politics that go along with that, that I hadn’t even realized I had slammed through this entire audiobook until it stopped. I couldn’t be more excited for more installations in this series.

Giving 4 stars because I was left wishing there could’ve been more involving Pandora and the other 3. I feel as though Pandora was left out for a good portion of the book.

Summary:

Aphrodite agrees to marry Hephaestus in order to keep an enemy of Olympus close. In order to destabilize Hephaestus, Aphrodite decides to seduce his oldest friend Pandora. What she doesn't count on is Hephaestus seducing her ex Adonis in turn, all while their marriage grows more and more contentious...

My review:

This is my first audiobook ARC review and I thought both narrators were good overall. My only note is that the female narrator sounded panicked every time she was narrating a sex scene. This was fine for Pandora's POV since she's a little unsure and out of her depth initially, but for Aphrodite, who's mostly a very confident woman, it just doesn't work tonally.

This is a poly romance with mm, mmf, and ff relationships. Hephaestus and Pandora are just friends, and as far as I can tell, Pandora and Adonis are just friends as well. Katee did a good job of developing all four characters individually and in the context of their romantic relationships.

This book has big Hurt/Comfort energy; both Aphrodite and Hephaestus (and Pandora) had fraught, abusive childhoods and as a result, initially struggle to connect with each other. Cue the classic marriage-of-convenience-but-we-hate-each-other. Perhaps as a result, they seek emotional comfort outside their marriage; and even if their initial reasoning is that they want to fuck with each other, Aphrodite is drawn to Pandora the way Hephaestus is drawn to Adonis, because they find some measure of peace with them. And it's through Adonis and Pandora that Aphrodite and Hephaestus come to an understanding and eventually fall for one another.

There is a lot of Olympian politics in this book. Aphrodite is a key player in city politics and Hephaestus... well, poor man is trying. Adonis is an expert at PR manipulation (which Hephaestus takes advantage of), and there is the ongoing mystery of what Minos's plot to destabilize Olympus entails, and how his children play into it. Oh, and there are multiple assassination attempts. You've been warned.

The sex:

Excellent, as per Katee's usual. I enjoyed the unique dynamics between all the characters within the polycule. Here's what I enjoyed the most:

a) I GASPED at a "fuck me like you love me" sex scene that occurred just barely midway— it really hit on an emotional level because honestly, these two need some emotional comfort even if they're lying to themselves about this being "just lust".

b) At one point Hephaestus basically smushes Aphrodite and Adonis together and is like "kiss her better" which..... he does. In more ways than one. And that really sets the tone for that scene and this particular triad.

c) There is many a "husband" and "wife" during sex (mostly ironically until it's very unironic) and the odd "good boy", which I appreciated

d) Like I said, every dynamic is different but Aphrodite getting some of her moves from Hephaestus and using them on Pandora made me smile because she's barely willing to admit she likes him, and yet...

Overall:

This is another solid addition to the Dark Olympus series. It kept me on my toes and I enjoyed all four of the main characters and their romantic arcs. I'd recommend this book to any fan of the series, and if you're interested in giving Cruel Seduction a shot, I'd recommend reading the books preceding it.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Thanks #netgalley and dreamscape media for this ARC!

i tend to just read and not review smut, so yikes. but here goes nothing.

In olympus, the newly appointed aphrodite and hephaestus have a lot of baggage to carry into their fresh political marriage- namely that they totally frickin hate each other and want to destroy each others families to stabilize/de-stabilize the city's ruling class. Aphrodite plans to hurt her husband by manipulating/seducing his best friend, and he in turn teams up with her ex to improve his public image and make her jealous. However, nobody keeps their pants on for long and things get very spicy and complicated.

I dont expect much from the plotlines of smut, but this whole series bring a lot of "us v. the world energy." There's legitimate danger to the characters on the outside and a lot of trauma from the past as well, which functions to bond the characters and add to the stakes. Some of the series is more successful in this than others (i.e. electric idol, which i loved) and i had a hard time with some of the minos stuff....like if this is such an exclusive group and theres a literal barrier insulating this city, how did minos's people rise to power so fast and whats their motivation for wanting to destroying everything? I'm ready for more answers about this and you get none in this book. But the spice is VERY SPICY, and starts in like chapter two, so you can definitely choose to ignore the plot in totality if you choose.

I got this as an audio ARC, and had previously listened to neon gods, then read the rest of the series. I had no idea this book was performed by the same narrators, which was a good thing because i did not like them in the first book. i don't know if time and experience in this fictional universe has been a catalyst for growth, but they are MARKEDLY improved.

4 stars

Wow! This had so much going on in this fifth book. I would at this point definitely recommend reading the other books in the series first before picking up this one. I'm not a political intrigue person usually, but I was super invested in how everything was going down and how loyalites were changing. I loved the hurt comfort and the messy relationships between everyone. I thought between some of them, the relationship was a bit too insta love, but it didn't take away from the central plot. I couldn't put it down. It is definitely a stand out in the series for me.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

CAPTIVATED from start to finish! Highly recommended to anyone who needs a spicy Greek God retelling! Katee Robert can do no wrong and does not disappoint you with this audiobook!!!

This was a fun and good read. In typical Katee Robert fashion there was a good amount of smut, character development and some plot movement in the Olympus world. This book has 4 povs with the main being Aphrodite and the new Hephaestus. They have an arranged marriage but both hate each other and are plotting against each other. In comes Aphrodite’s ex Adonis and Pandora and they all caught in each others plot and seduction and basically are sleeping with each other.

So the relationship in this is a polyamorous MMFF. Once they were all on the same page it was cute how they all complemented each other. The only issue I had was that I feel like their relationship wasn’t developed enough. Them coming together happened really quickly and I feel like I needed more. I’m really into the Olympus political intrigue and the 13 and I can’t wait to see where that goes.

The narrators for this audiobook did a good job and allowed me to be wrapped in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this arc for an honest review.

I adore this series. I was so curious about how Theseus was going to be redeemed in an acceptable away.
Aphrodite has been groomed to be in power and she’s finally made it. She broke the heart of Adonis, the man she loved. Now she’s married to the asshole who murdered Hephaestus. Not exactly her plan but oh well.
Theseus understands that he’s a pawn but he owes so much to the man who rescued him & Pandora.
I loved how these people have to figure their shit out to be able to move forward . Honestly for Katee, it’s low on steam. That doesn’t mean there’s none, it’s just less than I expected.
I can’t wait for the next book.

Another fun Katee Robert book!

This felt like a filler and bridge to the rest of the series, but I enjoyed the ~vibes~!

I would’ve preferred 4 different narrators for the 4 different POVs, but I still think the voice actors did a great job.

Thank you to Katee Robert, Netgalley, and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I have always supported Katee's Dark Olympus series, but this new addition sadly fell flat. I think the process of trying to fit four people into this polyamorous love square ended up taking away from any real relationship building between the 3/4 separate couplings and any true character development. The forced marriage/enemies to lovers couple we were promised ended up f*cking on the first night and falling in love within days. If you take out all the interactions they have with other people, they had maybe 10 conversations and 2 bedroom sessions before they are willing to die for each other. Pandora was cute, but she seemed pointless as a character at points it felt like she was added just for the purpose of having a few girl on girl scenes. Adonis was sweet but also underutilized. Overall, pretty messy

The fifth book in Robert's "Dark Olympus" series, Cruel Seduction brought me right back to why I enjoyed this series in the first place. With enjoy spice and story to keep me hooked, I binged "Cruel Seduction in 2 days. For fans who didn't like the throuple angle of "Wicked Beauty" I implore you to at least try with "Cruel Seduction". The 4 characters are, in my opinion, way more intriguing than Helen and her boys (though they do make a reappearance in this book). My only complaint is that I feel this book's ending was a bit abrupt and knowing that the author tends to only cover the current couple in her titles, I will admit that I wish there was more to the ending since we won't see the detailed dynamic again.

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Katee Robert's Dark Olympus series is, as always, fantastic. (I feel this is one of her best series I've read/listened to.) No book disappoints with the Dark Olympus world. Cruel Seduction can be read/listen to as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the whole series.

Cruel Seduction is a retelling of the drama between Aphrodite and Hephaestus, which I have been highly looking forward to reading as the "real" story of Aphrodite says she was very promiscuous. I love how Katee Robert turned this retelling into a drama-filled polyamorous mix.

Four stars because the smut is there, but I know Katee Robert could have done us dirty by giving us more memorable scenes if you catch my drift... lol (But don't get me wrong, it's still fantastic!) Now let's talk about the ending. Without spoilers, it does wrap up nicely, BUT I feel there could have been one or two more chapters to make it more final. The ending is acceptable, but I feel it needed more of a harder finalization.

Now because I was graciously given the audiobook. 😁😁😁 (Thank You!) I was able to gobble this up so fast! Alex Moorcock and Zara Hampton-Brown are great narrators; my only complaint is within my own mind, I know Aphrodite and Hephaestus are Greek, and we are retelling Greek mythology; I felt that Zara's English accent was a little weird. Her voice levels are high tone, and I think it would be better if a female narrator were more mid-tone since I'm pretty sure there aren't many female Greek narrators who want to narrate smut. lol (This is why I mention voice tones instead.)

NetGalley provided Cruel Seduction Audiobook; thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the copy in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love every book from this series and have always read them on release date so when I got this audio ARC from NetGalley I literally screamed and told everyone I knew. This book did not disappoint but I knew it wouldn’t. I finished it in a day because I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended to anyone who needs a spicy Greek God retelling. Thank you NetGalley and Katee Robert 👸

Anything by Katee Robert is sure to hit the mark and Cruel Seduction was no different! I love the Dark Olympus series and each installment keeps getting better and the additional layers of political intrigue keep me waiting for more! This one had an unusual amount of attempted murder but where Olympus stands in the political balance is still quite up in the air! I know we will need to wait many more months for the next books but I'm already impatient for more. Guess we will have to tide ourselves over with a new series by Katee Robert coming in November called "Hunt on Dark Waters."

Overall, for Cruel Seduction we have forced marriage, ex-lovers and best friends, the very comfortable and lovely development of a polyamorous relationship, and, again, many attempts of murder. I loved learning more about Aphrodite & the new Hephaestus both learning to trust and to question the world around them and the ideals they held dear, then you have Pandora and Adonis learning what they are and are not willing to live without.
This one certainly requires reading the rest of the series, in my opinion, but it is so worth it. These books are practically candy to be with their great mix of heart, plot & spice.

Utterly cruel to leave me hanging for the next book, especially when each book keeps getting better & better!
Gods damn it, Cruel Seduction was good!

This is my favourite of the series so far!
Katee Roberts gave me almost every single trope I am obsessed with; enemies with benefits, sunshine x grump/manipulator in two versions (Pandora X Aphrodites & Hephaestus X Adonis), found family (it isn't straightforward, but it is there), political games & 'why not share?'. I LOVED IT!

The spicy scenes left me giggling and blushing. The chemistry and sparks between all the characters were heavy in the air; you could feel it. And while you feel that tension from lust/love, you can feel the tension building for the overall world-building; the danger of the enemy within the 13 and having the public now know, a hint, of how to take one of their positions has left all the 13 on edge.

In this book, we see more behind enemy lines. Getting more of a sense of the plan from Minas, well, what he shares even with his own family/team. Hephaestus becomes one of the 13, gains an inner view of life in the city, and truly questions why he plays/works with Minas, finally catching up with his friend Pandora. The connection between the four characters and their experiences changes his perspective and interest.
All of this makes me excited about where this is heading.

Note on Narrators:
This pair of narrators do a phenomenal job with this series. They add and make each book genuinely embody the characters, so you picture them as the character and do not confuse them for past books.