HOT HOT HOT, I love this series by Katee Robert and each book just makes me love the lore and world more. I never want it to end.

Whilst I would read Katee Robert’s grocery list, I fear that Dark Restraint is not my favourite of her works. The Minatour and Ariadne were a relationship i’d be waiting for and it unfortunately fell flat under those expectations. Fingers crossed Icarus and Poseidon bring it back around.

Loved seeing the other side in this series, though it's getting on a bit. I'm ready for the conclusion now. I definitely love the angst and spice though.

Ariadne and the Minotaur have been separately and secretly each other’s since they were teenagers. The two of them go through a lot to get to each other. A book full of double crossing, wars, and love. Makes me want to read more about the gods of Olympus as I am still new to the world.

I love this next chapter in Katee Robert’s dark Olympus. All of the books have been fantastic with the characters having more and more depth as she goes further in.

Anything that Katee Roberts writes is wonderful in a sexy sorta way. I have adored her writing since Neon Gods , but with that
I do have to say . I do have the habit of reading books out of order , so when I picked up this book I was still curious. I had already
picked up several follow up books from neon gods.
But I do have to say , this is one of the most will draw you in stories but I do recommend reading the books before this one to truly
understand the series and the characters that are together and their backstories. So I was reading and trying to understand off reading
just one book. With some of the characters it was easy to understand but at the same time , I was confused with some interworking's so I definitely recommend reading the other novels so this one is easier to understand all the backstories.

Oh man this is another great installment in this series about Ariadne and the Minotaur that I didn't see coming. I loved this and it was great to see an outsiders perspective on the gods and I love a curvy main character. I love how there relationship grows and weathers what the Minotaur has to do for Minos. I loved all the side characters and getting to learn more about the conflicts brewing in Olympus. This was another fun and fast read.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I was a little anxious going into this one with how the minotaur was portrayed in the series up to this point but as soon as his first chapter hit I fell in love with him! I love him and Ariadne. I hate how awful their lives (and Icarus's) have been thanks to their evil, no good father/benefactor Minos but their feelings for each other are so pure. This is probably up there with Neon Gods and Wicked Beauty for my faves in the series.

katee has once AGAIN knocked a book out of the park!! I loved reading about the Minotaur and Ariadne, and how their relationship grows. I really liked being able to see the Olympians from an outsider perspective, because we get to see how the characters we've read about already percieve and treat the outsiders, and it gives the court politics a nice extra layer. I loved seeing a plus sized FMC be absolutely worshiped and I loved being able to see the character development between Minos's people.

This was a good addition to the series. I did find that it was fast-paced and that the timeline is short for this book. I found that by having these character have a backstory, it helped make the romance believable. I feel like we got to know some of the characters that have been background characters until now. This helped set up the next three books well. Overall, I enjoyed it and will continue to read this series.

One of my new favorites from Katee Robert! The story was just the right amount of spice. The story itself propels forward at a nice pace.

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