This book was a pleasant surprise! I went into this not caring much about Ariadne and the Minatour, but I ended up being very invested in their relationship. The highlight of the book is learning more about the conflict happening within Olympus and getting more from side characters like Hera, Dionysus, Icarus, and Poseidon. I’m even more excited for the next book now!

Overall, enjoyed this book more than the last two combined. Were some thoughts a bit more repetitive in parts? Yes. But the forbidden aspect was amazing. Who doesn't love a well-written romance? Plus, time and time again, I love the little reminders that Katee Robert is just like us, with having Ariadne read fanfiction to disassociate and collect herself - it was genuine and like what many avid readers like to do when life gets hard. I found the plot to be a much-needed step forward from the last handful of books, and this one had plenty of insight that I am VERY excited to see how this series ends.

"Dark Restraint" by Katee Robert is a thrilling, steamy ride that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go. The chemistry between the characters is intense, and the suspense builds with every chapter. Katee Robert knows how to craft a story that's both gripping and full of heat, blending romance and tension perfectly. A big thank you to the publisher for the ARC! I’ve already grabbed a copy for my library system. If you’re into dark, edgy romance with complex characters and plenty of twists, this book is for you. Highly recommend it!

Every series I love has one book in it that I really just don’t love. I have a feeling this one is it.

I received the audiobook ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I felt like I was reading Haunting Adeline but not as thrilling. I get that HA is not a healthy relationship, but this one is beyond me. I don’t see it as healthy, especially at first, but CNC is a weird one for me. I don’t really love the stalker trope, and Ariadne drove me crazy at the beginning with the damsel in distress act. The character development is pretty good, though. The political background is the most interesting part for me in this one (minus a couple of very hot scenes anyway).

The smut is smutting. Fantastic. The romance aspect missed the mark for me though and I didn’t like the repetitiveness of a few lines, but that may be because I listened to it as opposed to reading.

2.75⭐️

I don’t know why. I just didn’t like it much. Sorry, Katee, you’re still the shit though 🥺

Overall, I still love the Dark Olympus series. However, this is my least favorite in the series so far.

I still enjoyed the political development of the book, but the characters fell so flat for me. I felt not desire to read about Ariadne and the Minotaur, their connection just didn’t speak to me.

I was briefly intrigued by Dionysus, and honestly kinda wish the story would have been about him. I felt he had far more promise.

This is a long series, and I’ve loved so many in it - this one just didn’t do it for me.

Okay, real talk: Dark Restraint wasn’t exactly my favorite in the Dark Olympus lineup… but am I still ride-or-die for this series? Absolutely.

This one gave big “waiting for something to happen” energy. Like, I kept flipping pages thinking surely the drama is about to pop off—aaaand we just kept simmering. And listen, I wanted to be obsessed with Ariadne and the Minotaur, but they just didn’t do it for me. The vibes were less “epic romance” and more “toxic situationship with a side of trauma.”

Don’t get me wrong, the spice was there (hello, Minotaur energy), and I did finish it. But compared to the other couples in this series that had me clinging to every word? This one was okay!

If you’re into dark, possessive, emotionally messy romances with a guy who’s obsessed and a girl who’s surviving? This might be your jam!!!

I love this series so much—it was my first real foray into spicy romance back in 2022. I find myself picking these books up and bingeing them in an afternoon—dark restraint is no different.

I loved that Ariadne was in a sham arranged marriage with Dionysus. He’s so surprisingly caring and not at all as aloof as he seemed in other books; I enjoyed getting to know Dionysus more in this book. Every scene with him in it was a joy.

Ariadne and the Minotaur had the kind of obsessive romance that made this story so bingeable and my dark romance loving heart soar. The fact that he’s there only for her and really SEES her had me melting. His simple pet name “sweetheart” for her had me gnawing at my enclosure—absolutely feral.

I really appreciate that Katee not only creates a queer normative world, but also does not shy away from heavy, real topics like abortion and mental health. While I’m not sure anyone is reading this series for the plot (except as it functions to move relationships along), I thoroughly enjoyed Dark restraint overall.

I can say with conviction that I am not a fan of the dark romance, mild stalker Trope but I sure had a good time reading this. I think the readability of this book came from the fact that Asterion is simply making assumptions about how well he communicates which is a skill that can be mastered. I also really enjoyed that we are finally getting more world building action that felt concrete and frontal to the plot instead of auxiliary to the smut. I’m very excited to get to the last three.

I’ll be honest in that this was not my favorite book of the series...but don’t get me wrong—I still love the series!

I feel as though for this one, we’re largely waiting for the big thing to happen. And for some reason, I’m just not a fan of Ariadne and the Minotaur. I mean, I like them enough, and I finished the book, but it wasn’t as captivating as some of the other couples Katee has written that have mesmerized me and kept my attention every step of the way.

That said, I was incredibly excited to pick up book eight and figure out just what was about to go down in Olympus by the time I finished this one!

Tropes:
- Forbidden romance
- Opposites attract
- Secret romance
- It’s always been you
- Sneaking around

Katee Robert never misses with the Dark Olympus series. I always finish these in one day & am counting down the days until the next one comes out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC of this! I'm trying to catch up my backlog after being swamped and somehow didn't even realize I had this as an ARC when I read it to get to Sweet Obsession. I borrowed the audio from the library and that was very well done!

This was a good addition to the series, but not my new favorite couple. I was convinced most of the way through that Dionysus being asexual was not going to matter (and couldn't remember if he's also said he's aromantic) and that he was going to be part of the romance just without the sex (or would be demisexual) and then I disappointed myself when that didn't happen and we didn't actually see very much of him. I did like the known each other forever vibes to Ariadne and the Minotaur, I like some backstory and drama already set up over some instalove almost always.

While I liked the political aspect of this book the couple was not it for me. And honestly after book 4 the couple just have not hit for me. I’m loving the power shifts and all of the different political things happening in Olympus though. It has gotten so complex, but I love the MuseWatch newsletters in the beginning of each book that help bring you back up to speed. Ariadne and the Minotaur were a strange pairing in my opinion. They did have a back story which helped their cause a little, but I just didn’t find them to be the most interesting couple. I am excited to see what happens in the next few books as we wrap up this insane series!

Loving the way the Dark Olympus series keeps leveling up the drama, but this couple? Ehhh, I have feelings—and not all of them are swoony.

Dark Restraint throws us into the tangled mess that is Ariadne and the Minotaur’s relationship. He’s obsessive, she’s traumatized, and together they are… well, a lot. Sure, the attraction is there (🔥), but a happily-ever-after? I’m not convinced. That said, I did appreciate how the book tackled abortion with care and nuance—props for that.

On the plot side, the larger world-building twists have me very intrigued for what’s next. If you’re into dark, possessive romance dynamics, you’ll probably vibe with this more than I did. And for the audiobook folks—same narrators as the rest of the series, so if they’ve worked for you before, you’re in good hands.

I was a little nervous going into this one because I had reservations about a stalking storyline. I should have known better. Katee Robert knocked this one out of the park.

Another spicy masterpiece from Katee Robert!!! Her portrayal of the Greek myths today we grew up with, but with *Happily Ever Afters* not tragedy!

As always, Katee Robert's did not disappoint. While this book may have taken me a little bit longer to get into, mostly due to the fact that I am not a huge fan of the Minotaur or Ariadne, I still enjoyed this book. It still had spice without it taking over the entire story. I also fell in love with Dionysos. I hope we get to see him have a happy ever after. I am also very intrigued for Icarus and Poseidon's story. If that blush was any indicator, I cannot wait to see Icarus get under his skin!
#netgalley #advancedcopy #darkrestraint #kateerobert #greekmythology #ariadne #minotaur #icarus #spicy #familyissues

I just don’t think we should be sleeping with guys that are hired to murder us, but what do I know?

This series is a fun palette cleaner between bigger books and I’ll keep reading them as long as Katee keeps putting them out

Very Dark and super steamy. Political games intensify setting up the next story. The Minotaur is violent except with Ariadne, but he is very possessive of her.
Nothing, in capital letters, in this book is on my preferred troupes list, yet I continue to be compelled to indulge.

Katee Robert is that girl and will continue to be that girl. I did not have much back ground on the characters but I still fell in love with them anyways. If you thought Greek Gods were horn dogs before, Katee really drives that idea home.

⭐⭐⭐

Dark Restraint is the 7th book in the Dark Olympus serie but this book can also be read as a standalone.

I have to say I didn't care for the couple that much in this book but the spice was still good and i loved the story of Olympus. I find this book the weakest in the whole series and it felt a bit like a filler to be honest.

I liked the writing style of Katee Robert and especially this series, I definitely look forward for her next book!

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.