The ending saved this book quite a bit for me; I didn't see Katee going in that particular direction in regards to titles/jobs, but I really enjoyed that! It set this installment apart from the others in the Dark Olympus series. Unfortunately, there was more that I was bored with than I was delighted in the book, especially in regards to the characters.
The biggest weakness, in my opinion, with "Cruel Seduction" is that most of the characters are just not given enough time to really be developed and let the reader truly connect with them. I found Eris to be the strongest-written character and was really rooting for her. I also quickly grew to like Pandora and then, near the very end, Adonis, but even then both felt like they lacked that spark of personality that truly brought them to life. Hephaestus? Can't stand him. Even with his whole sob story I found him to be so dry and unlikeable that it started to taint my perception of the other characters for wanting to be with him. I also accidently called him "Hepatitis" out loud on while on a plane, which really shows how much I cared to remember him or his name lol ( )

Again Robert hits it out of the park. She is a master, and this book is excellent. ( )

Another sexy romp with a good plot - this serious sparkles! Here Aphrodite, Adonis, Pandora, and Hesphates are the protagonists. ( )

Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert
Dark Olympus series #5. Retelling mythology. Romance with erotica elements. Can be read as a stand-alone but better as part of the series.
Aphrodite is forced to marry the new Hephaestus for political reasons, and the 13. She plans leverage by seducing Pandora, the only person he seems to care about. He retaliates by seducing Adonis, her ex-lover. Lines blur and emotions get entangled. But Olympus is far from stable and enemies may be closer than they realize.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook version of this book, narrated by Alex Moorcock and Zara Hampton-Brown. These two have done the full series to-date alternating chapters by POV between Aphrodite and Hephaestus, female and male. The two narrative voices complement each other in tonal quality, timing and inflection. Passion is clearly portrayed as is hate and worry. I enjoyed this at a speed of 1.5 for the best conversational comfort. And I admit I turned the sound down a few times for privacy. Don’t want the mail carrier or FedEx delivery person tripping down the stairs. 🤣

This episode of the series does little to advance the series arc. It’s panting melting romance erotica throughout the entire book. Steamy hot over and over again. Some political barbs and rearranging but love seems to be a higher motivation these days.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Dreamscape Media. ( )