Radiant Sin by Katee Robert

Title: Radiant Sin (Dark Olympus #4)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 345

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR; Romanceopoly - Killer Crescent (Mystery/Thriller of choice)

Spice Rating: 5

As a disgraced member of a fallen house, Cassandra Gataki has seen firsthand what comes from trusting the venomous Thirteen. But when the maddeningly gorgeous and kind Apollo asks her to go undercover as his plus-one at a week-long party hosted by a dangerous new power player…Cassandra reluctantly agrees to have his back.

On one condition: when it's all over, and Apollo has the ammunition he needs to protect Olympus, she and her sister will be allowed to leave. For good.

Apollo may be the city's official spymaster, but it's his ability to inspire others that keeps him at the top. Despite what the rest of Olympus says, there's no one he trusts more than Cassandra. Yet even as their fake relationship takes a wicked turn for the scaldingly hot, a very real danger surfaces… threatening not only Cassandra and Apollo, but the very heart of Olympus itself.

Another decent volume in this series. I do love returning to the Dark Olympus world and revisiting some of the characters. I wish that we would have had more appearances from past characters, but this one was much more of a limited cast list. Apollo and Cassandra are fun characters and I loved how the relationship between the two grew over the course of the book. We get some great quiet moments between them and some great steamy scenes. I would have liked more steamy scenes, but the ones included were good enough. The locked room mystery was an extra fun angle to the series. And now Robert has announced two more books int he series. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Dark Olympus

• #1 Neon Gods

• #2 Electric Idol

• #3 Wicked Beauty

• #4 Radiant Sun

• #5 Cruel Seduction

Next up on the TBR pile:

Court of the Vampire Queen by Katie Robert

Title: Court of the Vampire Queen

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2022

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Pages: 496

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; Romanceopoly - Fang Alley

Spice Meter: 8

Three Powerfully Alluring Vampire Men

And One Queen to Rule Them All

All Mina ever wanted was to escape her father's control. Half human, half vampire, she lived eternally torn between two worlds, never fully experiencing the pleasures of either―until her father chose her as the pawn in his latest political move, gifting her to the darkly powerful and dangerously seductive Malachi Zion.

Malachi is not a vampire to be trifled with. He rules with an iron fist and has a reputation for the darkest of sins. But the longer Mina spends with him, the more she realizes he's not the monster she first thought―and as fear bleeds into lust, then trust, then something more, Malachi opens Mina up to a world she never knew could be hers for the taking: including the love of Malachi's two closest friends and companions.

Now surrounded by all three men, the center of their shockingly seductive world, Mina may finally have the power to face down her father and take back the life―and crown―that by all rights should be hers.

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN.

CW (from the author): Dubious consent, blood play, breeding, abusive parent (father), patricide, pregnancy, blood, gore, murder, explicit sex, vomiting (cause pregnancy), discussions about abortion, abusive parent (father, historical, off-page), blood play, attempted sexual assault (alluded to, non-graphic), attempted drugging

I picked this up on the strength of Robert’s Dark Olympus series. I figured that this one was going to be steamy and no joke, the steam gets started in Chapter 1. And it doesn’t let up until the last page. Make sure to notate that this is a MMMF explicit romance. I was drawn in my the dark vampire romance and stayed for the good discussions and relationships. Mina was a bit of a naive character for the first section, but thankfully she grows and matures throughout the novel. Once we get to know Malachi, Wolf, and Rylan, the story kicks into gear and I really fell for this book. I especially loved the relationships between the men. They somehow balanced each other out. In the end, we get an interesting look at creating polyam relationships albeit ones with supernatural beings. I ended up taking a star off because of the pacing. The last section of the book felt incredibly rushed without the good resolution that I was craving. I understand that Robert collected three novellas into one. That explains a few of the weird pacing issues, but I still wasn’t a big fan.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

Title: Wicked Beauty (Dark Olympus #3)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 402

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR4

In Olympus, you either have the power to rule...or you are ruled. Achilles Kallis may have been born with nothing, but as a child he vowed he would claw his way into the poisonous city's inner circle. Now that a coveted role has opened to anyone with the strength to claim it, he and his partner, Patroclus Fotos, plan to compete and double their odds of winning.

Neither expect infamous beauty Helen Kasios to be part of the prize...or for the complicated fire that burns the moment she looks their way.

Zeus may have decided Helen is his to give to away, but she has her own plans. She enters into the competition as a middle finger to the meddling Thirteen rulers, effectively vying for her own hand in marriage. Unfortunately, there are those who would rather see her dead than lead the city. The only people she can trust are the ones she can't keep her hands off—Achilles and Patroclus. But can she really believe they have her best interests at heart when every stolen kiss is a battlefield?

Another solid very open door contemporary romance retelling of Greek myth. (I apparently have a thing recently for Greek myth retellings.) I had been intrigued by Helen from the second book in the series and was glad to see that she gets her own story here. I was initially not sold on Achilles as a character, but immediately loved Patroclus. How different are this two men? Ultimately, I really enjoyed watching these three people come together to create their own version of happy. On the other hand, I was a bit disappointed in how the action sequences and the romance sequences where jammed together. The transitions between the two weren’t the best and it felt like a bad porn movie a few times. I still ended up reading this in just a few days and enjoying my time. I’m looking forward to the next story featuring Apollo and Cassandra.

Dark Olympus

• #1 Neon Gods

• #2 Electric Idol

• #3 Wicked Beauty

• #4 Radiant Sun

Next up on the TBR pile:

Electric Idol by Katee Robert

Title: Electric Idol (Dark Olympus #2)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 375

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR

In the ultra-modern city of Olympus, there's always a price to pay. Psyche Dimitriou knew she'd have to face Aphrodite's jealous rage eventually, but she never expected her literal heart to be at stake...or for Aphrodite's gorgeous son to be the one ordered to strike the killing blow.

Eros has no problem shedding blood. Raised to be his mother's knife in the dark, he's been conditioned to accept that he's more monster than man. But when it comes time to take out his latest target...he can't do it. Confused by his reaction to Psyche's unexpected kindness, he does the only thing he can think of to keep her safe: he binds her to him, body and soul.

Psyche didn't expect to find herself married to the glittering city's most dangerous killer, but something about Eros wakens a fire inside her she's never felt before. As lines blur and loyalties shift, Psyche realizes Eros might take her heart after all...and she's not sure she can survive the loss.

I went from a light and frothy romcom to a very steamy thriller romance. Now that’s more like it. I enjoyed the first book in the series and was looking forward to Psyche and Eros’s romance. We get to see more of the Thirteen and their political machinations. I have really enjoyed that part of the series. And then we get to the actually romance. I really enjoyed getting to know Eros and Psyche. They were a great enemies to lovers situation. Their particular brand of romance wasn’t as exciting to me as Hades and Persephone, but still enjoyable. I spend through this volume desperately wanting to see how they would outwit Aphrodite. Overall a very enjoyable steamy romance.

Dark Olympus

• #1 Neon Gods

• #2 Electric Idol

• #3 Wicked Beauty

Next up on the TBR pile:

Neon Gods by Katee Robert

Title: Neon Gods (Dark Olympus #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2021

Genre: Romance

Pages: 386

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that's ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city's dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil's bargain with a man she once believed a myth...a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he's spent years craving, it's all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he'll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close...

Hmmm.. Overall, I enjoyed this contemporary romance. I have always enjoyed the myth of Persephone and Hades. It was nice to see a contemporary version of the story. I liked the connection between the two main characters. The occasional appearance of Hermes was a delightful inclusion. I very much enjoyed the steamy scenes. Although I warn you that they are very open door. Nothing I haven’t read before, but very open door. Be forewarned. I would have liked the author to be a little less on-the-nose about the who each character is and I don’t quite understand the logistics of the River Styx. But overall, I really did enjoy the book. Another book as part of my slightly lighter weight September reads.

Next up on the TBR pile: