Thank you to source books and NetGalley for an early epub of this book. I did enjoy this book and thought some parts of it were great. I was however not the biggest fan of the couple in this book, I thought they had there moments but they weren’t my favorite couple out of the series. I did love the political plot and seeing more of what was happening in the city. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book with how everything is going.

I love Katee Robert's Neon Gods series and was very excited to read this book in advance. I was not disapointed. The story of Ariadne and the Minotaur was a little different than the previous ones but nonetheless very exciting and suspensefull. What gets me the most though are the tiny hints and clues for the overarching storyline around the fate of Olympus.
I can only recommend this series and cannot wait for the next installment.

Katee Robert has done it again with another great installment in the Dark Olympus series. I’ve been a bit nervous with the series given I haven’t loved a few of the later installments as much as earlier ones but this was a strong addition to the dark Olympus line up.

I said it for ages: The Minotaur is gonna be SO HOT!! all my friends thought I was nuts, but KR proved me ABSOLUTELY right!!
Dark Restraint is probably my second favorite of the series so far (Can't beat Electric Idol). I also found a new love for Dionysus!

“If I’m to be a victim to my own foolishness; then he damn well will be, too”
~~~~~
Hi, yea…this one. Freaking loved every ONCE…every comma of it. I loved this pairing and this story. ALSO ONE OF MY FAVORITE ELEMENTS IS IN THIS BOOK! I freaking died at it!
And what’s even better with this book is IM GOING TO MEET KATEE FOR THE RELEASE IN MILWAUKEE, WI IN AUGUST!!!!!🥹🥹🖤❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
Was given an eARC copy through NetGalley. Obtained a physical copy by trading my soul.

✨Book Review✨

Dark Restraint - Katee Robert

📖 In this latest installment of the Dark Olympus series we are following Araidne and The Minotaur. Ariadne has traded her secrets for protection after leaving her father’s clutches, but will it be enough to truly keep her safe? The Minotaur has always done whatever Minos asked, because Ariadne was supposed to be his reward. Now that she’s marrying someone else in Olympus he won’t allow what’s his to be taken away. The outside force working to destabilize Olympus has just gotten started, is anyone really safe?

📚 OKAY. Katee Robert blessed me with an Advanced Reader Copy of Dark Restraint and I am in an absolute chokehold with where this book ended! So many believable and gut wrenching moments in this book. The relationships - perfect. The chaos being sewn by those desiring to take down Olympus - excellent. The inner chaos of the 13 being divided and only self-serving - brilliant. I will be waiting with bated breath until April when the next book comes out!

🌟 In true Katee Robert fashion there will be lots of streamy and outright explicit bedroom content, and I am SAD for closed door readers who won’t be able to experience the anticipation and excitement that comes with this plot. Katee has outdone themselves with this one.

Thank you x485237 to Katee and @netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of this book. I am so invested in this world that continues to develop.

#BookReview #DarkOlympus #Araidne #Minotaur #DarkRestraint #KateeRobert #BookRecommendation #Bookish #BookLover #Bookstagram

Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the chance to read early!!

While I did have a good time reading this one, it is sadly my least favorite in the series so far. This couple was already a bit of a tough sell for me coming into the book, as I hadn’t really formed any sort of connection to them in the previous books, but after reading I do think they had so much potential. An issue I am continuing to have with these books is that the political landscape of Olympus is taking the front seat in the latest additions, leaving me feeling like I needed and wanted more from the romances.

All that being said, I will absolutely be reading the rest of this series- KR never misses with the spice, and I am genuinely so intrigued to see how she will be wrapping everything up in the last three books.

While this wasn't my favourite romance of the series so far (although I ended up liking the Minotaur more than expected), it was one of my favourites for the overarching plot of the series. Things are getting tense and it was exciting to see a glimpse of how different members of the Thirteen are handling the threats.
I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the e-ARC!

Dark Restraint seventh book in the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert. This wasn’t my favorite book of the series and maybe even my least favorite. The previous book, Midnight Ruin, was such a big hit for me that I couldn’t help being a little disappointed by this one. Don’t get me wrong, it had good things going for it but it wasn’t enough for me to rate it more than the three stars that I gave it. And it’s a fair rating, in my opinion for this book.

This instalment features Ariadne Vitalis and Asterion who is also know as The Minotaur. In the story Ariadne is announced to be engaged to Dionysus while loving Asterion but seeing as he’s her father’s henchman she didn’t see any way forward with that. This is a very simple explanation of the romantic plot but I just didn’t love Asterion and Ariadne as some of the other couples in the other books. The spicy scenes were hot, yes. Katee Robert can write very intense and steamy romantic scenes. But with these two, I just didn’t feel it as much.

If anything, the overarching plot with the Olympus politics and everything was more interesting to me than the romance between Ariadne and Asterion. It’s not like I hated them or anything. They were okay characters but in the end I wasn’t as much invested in them. I ended up liking, like I said, the overarching plot more and also loved the secondary characters like Dionysus, Hera and Psyche (from book 2, Electric Idol) who made an appearance as well, more than the main couple.

The book did a good job to set up for the series slowly ending, which I might cry about because I don’t think I’ve ever read a long series like this one where I’ve consistently have been reading it. It’s going to be a 10-part series so we should be getting three more books. And I’m really looking forward to reading those as I’m really interested to see how it’ll all end and for the stories of the couples in those books. Book 8 will be about Icarus and Poseidon which I’m really exited about since we haven’t seen much of Poseidon yet. I wonder what their vibe is going to be. Book 9 will be about Hera and Zeus. I’m the most excitedly about them with everything I know. And the 10th and final book will be about Hermes and two characters but we don’t know who those will be. I’m hoping for at least Dionysus since he was in Dark Restraint and I really liked him but we shall see!

Dark Olympus things have been heating up for a while now, mostly in bedrooms, playrooms, and other public areas. While the bedrooms (doesn't have to have a bed or be in an actual private room per-say) are still "unspeakably hot" we cannot ignore the politics and threat of war are even hotter...and is mutiny afoot?

Dark Restraint gives us a deeper insight to the plans of the outsider Minos' family and the former unknown brains of the Olympus take down plot (Circe). This is also a reimagining of Ariadne, the Minotaur, and Dionysus Greek Myth.

Quick Greek Myth recap - Ariadne's father King Minos of Crete has a Minotaur trapped in a labyrinth and the people of Athens send 14 people to be sacrificed as meals to the Minotaur as penance for killer Minos' son. The Minotaur is Ariane's half-brother technically in the myth - her mother was forced to fall in love with a bull by Poseidon since Minos did not keep up his end of a bargain with the sea god, and gods are petty. Prince Thesus from Athen is one of the "sacrifices" for the Minotaur, Ariadne foolishly falls in love with him, helps him slay the Minotaur and is supposed to run away with and marry Thesus. Unfortunately, Thesus is a dick and leaves Ariadne alone on an island to perish, then marries her sister to put a truce between Crete and Athens. While on this "deserted" island, turns out it is actually an Island belonging to the god Dionysus and he falls in love with Ariadne and marries her.

Katee Robert Version -
The Minotaur, Asterion street orphan kid gets "adopted" by Minos to become a weapon for him. Ariadne was kind to him as a street kid giving him money and the handmade glove her dead mother made her to help keep him warm. This act of kindness made Asterion fall in love with Ariadne, so when he had to opportunity to join her household, he took it. He continued to carry a torch for her but had to hide it because Minos is awful. Ariadne was none the wiser to his feelings, though she started to develop her own for him, but denied them for years.

Well, they are both adults now and Minos coupe to have 2 members of the 13 killed was only semi successful with his other "adopted" son Thesus killed Hephaestus, but the Minotaur let his target get away. Asterion knows that Ariadne gave intel on Minos' plans to the Olympians and is planning on turning sides to try and save as many lives as possible and Asterion goes where Ariadne goes, so time for him to betray Minos too, just a little more secretly and strategically. Ariadne still cannot see the romantic gesture for what it is, slightly understandable for a girl who has never been good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, etc in her father's eyes. When girlie is actually a computer hacking genius, but her overthinking, self-doubts, and inner saboteur gets in her own way to unlocking her full potential of being a badass.

Through a series of unfortunate events Ariadne finds herself at the mercy of the Olympians, thankfully they plan to marry off to Olympus's most eligible bachelor Dionysus. Dionysus has no sexual interest in Ariadne and can tell she is a good girl in way over her head. While this is the best of a fucked scenario the Minotaur ain't having it! Ariadne is his dream girl and his alone, he just has to get her to realize it too! Oh, and try to go against killing people, which is what Minos raised him to do, get him Ariadne and her annoying also self-sabotaging brother Icarus out of Olympus before the war arrives when the wall comes down. No problem, right?!?! There are so many problems, as one plan after another fails. At least Ariadne has finally given her body over to Asterion, but he is truly after her heart.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced digital copy of Dark Restraint!

I LOVE the Dark Olympus series. I devour every single installment. So to say I was excited when I was given an ARC of Dark Restraint from Netgalley was an understatement. I started it almost immediately.
To say I was disappointed is kind of an understatement. I wanted to DNF this book like four times while reading. Every previous installment of this series were devoured within a week... This one took me over a month to finish cuz I kept pushing it to the side. I was honestly so bored and I hated this couple. Ariadne and Asterion felt like they were a forced coupling. Ariadne felt almost one-dimensional, not fully flushed out. I wanted to see more of her hacker side, but it was more of a side note just to make her slightly more interesting. The Minotaur was such a boring MMC... literally rolled my eyes so many times at his overprotectiveness.
All in all, I just didin't care about the main characters at ALL, and the story didn't get truly interesting until the last 10%.
Just glad to finally be finished. Ugh.

I loved this next book in the Olympus series!! We are on the precipice of all out war, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!! The Minotaur and Ariadne were EXCELLENT and I love the obsessive love the Minotaur has with Ariadne. They fit so well together and their love story was intoxicating and beautiful in its own way. LOVE LOVE!!

So if I'm being honest the blurb is a little misleading about the story you'll be delving into. First off unfortunately for my fellow MFM fans, this is strictly a MF read. While Ariadne does become engaged to someone else it's only because she's running from loving someone she believes will never love her back. In fact much of the book occurs because Ariadne runs away from her problems and this time it just so happens her dire circumstances play perfectly into those of the scheming Olympians. If you've read other books in this series than you should know better than to trust anything out of a God or Goddess's mouth but when you're in a bind like Ariadne it's easier to work with the enemy of your enemy. The sexual chemistry between Ariadne and her Minotaur Asterion is off the charts. Honestly even with all her running away Ariadne is putty in Asterion's hands and they can barely keep their hands off each other. There is a lot of drama given his role as her father's right hand man but nothing will keep him from his woman. May take him a while to prove his love but they have eternity and he is one determined guy. The history between these two is adorable and I love that they have known each other for so long as it makes their coming together that much sweeter and looooong overdue. The writing is easy to get sucked in to and the end will leave you wanting more.

I loved seeing all the plot development for this book and how it sets up the remaining books. I really can't wait to see what happens in book 9 with Hera or in the last book with Hermes, I'm obsessed with learning more about each of them.

The couple this book wasn't my favorite. They had a darker dynamic than other couples in this series, and I just didn't love it. I also just didn't enjoy their chemistry the way I have previous couples in this series. Solid book and I can't wait for the last three!

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

❣️🖤 Dark Restraint ARC Review 🖤❣️

Thank you so much to Katee Robert and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

Dark Restraint is a standalone dark romance and book 7 in the Dark Olympus series. Ariadne is her father’s pawn - to be used for a marriage of political gain. She feels trapped by life and to make things worse, she’s attracted to her father’s weapon, the infamous Minotaur. Can she cross the line into betrayal of her family to get everything she wants?

I loved this book so much! I wasn’t sure what to expect from the mysterious Minotaur, but his story was wonderful. Ariadne was such a great match for him and I loved them both in this story. I enjoyed the continuation of the overarching storyline and can’t wait to see where this story goes next!

Overall this was a solid five star read! I love this world and these characters! This book does have some darker themes, so please check triggers if you’re sensitive. This book started off quickly with the spice and it continued throughout, so overall four flames for spice

If you’re a fan of strong characters, great spice and political intrigue, then absolutely pick up this series! Even though this can be read as a standalone, there is an overarching story and I recommend reading them in order.

Dark Restraint is the seventh installment in the Dark Olympus series.This book follows Ariadne and the Minotaur. To avoid spoilers I am not going to supply a summary with my review.

Katee Robert did it again with this one and I hate that I am going to have to wait for book eight! I loved Ariadne and her personality. I really felt like the plot started to unfold in this book and really set up the next book. The drama in this book was top notch and I can't wait to see what Hera and the rest of the Thirteen do next. I can't say enough how much I love this series, and this book went above and beyond my expectations.

I love the Neon Gods serious, and the story of Ariadne and Asterion/The Minotaur is a surprisingly strong and sweet entry in the series. Their love story is so emotionally satisfying and the spice is nicely spicy. Can't wait for the next entry.

I received an ARC of this book. This was definitely in my top favorites of the Dark Olympus series. I loved the couple. The plot was plotting for sure. The spice was the perfect amount, and I felt like we got some serious in sight into some characters we haven't had a book for yet. Cannot wait to read the next one. Review is cross posted on Goodreads.com

4.5/5 ⭐️
Another great book in the Dark Olympus series. The background story to these books are so interesting, and the political climate slowly changing through the books has me hooked.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

As this series has progressed, I have found myself more invested with the subplot of the political power struggle in the city of Olympus. While that part of this book continued to deliver, the romance fell flat for me. I struggled to connect with Ariadne as our FMC, often finding myself annoyed with her internal dialogue. The writing felt more abrupt and choppy in this book compared to Robert's other installments in the Dark Olympus story, leaning on the intended emotional impact of emotional one-liners rather than actually building emotional connection between Ariadne and the Minotaur.

And that first scene was jarring to say the least.. not my cup of tea but I don't want to yuck someone else's yum. It skewed my perspective for the rest of the book sadly but that was more of a me thing rather than an actual critique of the book.