Cruel Seduction
by Katee Robert
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Book 5 in the Dark Olympus Series
He was my enemy. My lover. My husband.
And the one man I swore by all Olympus I would destroy.
Aphrodite has never flinched at getting her perfectly manicured hands dirty, and she's not about to start now—even if that means marrying Olympus's enemy number one, the new Hephaestus. She has a wicked plan to keep her deadly new husband off-balance, seducing the one person he seems to care about most in this world: Pandora, a woman as beautiful as she is sweet.
Two can play the seduction game, however, and Hephaestus is all too happy to put his new wife in her place. Her ex, Adonis, seems like he'll do the trick. It doesn't hurt that he's gorgeous in the way of fallen angels, either.
The only problem with using seduction as a weapon? Hearts are all too quick to get involved. With Hephaestus and Aphrodite trading venomous strikes that feel a whole lot like foreplay, lines become blurred and emotions entangled. But a broken heart may be the least of their worries. With unrest in Olympus reaching new heights, these bedroom games may have deadly consequences for themselves, their city, and everyone they've come to love.
Genre
Triggers
Violence
I'm so behind on my reviews.
I read this back in September. SEPTEMBER!
Why does adult responsibilities have to get in the way of doing what I enjoy?
Cruel Seduction is ... meh.
I really enjoyed the characters. The situation. The sex. And as I have said in the past, I also love the uniqueness of this series, and the fluidness of sexuality. I really wanted to love this book. But it was just too rushed for me.
When it comes to enemies to lovers, I need the build up. I need the characters bond to be nurtured.
This does happen in this book.
Not because it involves four characters, but just because Katee didn't put a whole lot of substance into weaving these characters together. These characters go from hating or misunderstanding one another, to loving one another in a week. Pants come off pretty much right away.
And I know, I know - I love the spice. Katee writes great sexy scenes.
But I want substance. The chemistry was there. There just wasn't any tension, and it just fell flat to me, which sucks. I loved the dynamics of these relationships.
While Cruel Seduction didn't do it for me, it did do it's job seducing me to read the next book. Katee does that. Even if I didn't love the book, her cliffhanger endings always have my pulling my hair, and wanting to read the next.
Aphrodite: "I chose this, Adonis. I chose…him.”
Adonis: “Don’t lie to me. You hate him.”
Aphrodite: “I would rather take a knife to his throat than slip his ring on my finger.”
Aphrodite: “Morning.”
They eye me.
Sele: “You look…oddly happy.”
Aphrodite: “Thank you, Sele, I’ll take that backhanded compliment.”
Hephaestus: “Your place or mine?”
She blinks and finally shakes her head.
Aphrodite: “Mine. Gods alone know what you have stocked in your fridge. It’s probably beer and ketchup.”
Hephaestus: “I’m a man of taste. There’s mustard, too.”
Adonis: “You hate her.”
Hephaestus: “Yeah, I guess.”
His gaze tracks toward Eris’s closet.
Hephaestus: “Feels more complicated than hate these days. She’s a monster, maybe even my monster. I don’t like seeing her declawed.”
Pandora: "I’d ask how you’re doing, but you look both thoroughly sexed and kind of stressed. Apparently Theseus took the old ‘when you’re holding a hammer, every problem looks like a nail’ approach.”
Hephaestus: “You look better this morning.”
Aphrodite: “Yes, well, you fucked me damn near into unconsciousness. It’s amazing how little capacity a person has for fear when they’re that exhausted from orgasms.”
His lips quirk. Not quite a smile, but on him, it’s practically bursting into laughter.
Hephaestus: “A mutual benefit. You’re much more agreeable when you’re coming. I only thought about strangling you once last night. Twice at most.”
Hephaestus: “One would think you’d paint the target on my back yourself,”
I say slowly, testing these new, uncharted waters.
Aphrodite: “That’s just it, Husband.”
She smiles sweetly, only the tiniest edge present.
Aphrodite: “I’m the only one who gets to kill you. I’ll bury anyone else who tries.”
Perseus: “Don’t get killed, Eris. If you do, if Helen does, I’ll become the villain they want me to be.”
Hephaestus: “You’re my wife, Eris. I haven’t wanted to strangle you in nearly a week. That’s love, don’t you think?”
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