4.5 rounded up! "Radiant Sin" is a treat. It's got a hearty helping of the fake-dating trope, a mystery surrounding a strange newcomer in Olympus, and some toe-curling scenes between Cassandra and Apollo that were just delightful. I think some of the mystery aspect could be stronger at points (if you know your Greek mythology things felt a bit easy to figure out) but lets be honest: none of us are reading a Katee Robert book for the whodunit. ( )

The heroine was so prickly in the first half, that I really didn't care much for her, but she eased up considerably by the end and I liked her well enough to feel pleased for their HEA. The hero was solid throughout. I did start to lose some interest with the house party and mystery, but overall I was glad I read it. ( )

Still enjoying this world, and it’s fascinating to only start with names as I don’t think we even encountered Apollo in the previous books. There was a lot of house party action happening which negated some character development, so I honestly didn’t feel as though I learned much about Apollo, but he was a good man who loves Cassandra. Her backstory was interesting yet still a bit vague, and I wish there had been a bit more about it all (especially since their ages are never said, so I have no idea how old she was when the whole thing with her parents happened). Interested to see how this world is going to continue to play out. ( )

I liked the concept of this book a lot. House party with a mystery that our leads are trying to uncover, with a dash of fake dating and chemistry thrown in the mix—what’s not to like? However, the middle section seemed to drag and the mystery seemed a bit too obvious for a spy master and his right hand woman to take 300 pages to uncover. While I still enjoyed the characters in this book, it felt like it was laying the ground work for later books instead of standing on its own. While series are interconnected, I personally felt like a bit more focus could have been on these characters stories, rather than the stories that are yet to come. However, all in all, I still enjoyed this book. ( )

⭐⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶🌶 / 4

Greek Gods / Characters Reimagined: Apollo & Cassandra

Back into the twisted and nefarious world of Dark Olympus we go. This time around we have Apollo & Cassandra in a workplace romance crossed with fake dating, all while under cover to spy on other members of the Thirteen at a country estate party, a la Clue, twisty mysteries and a wee tad of murder included. As with all Katee Robert books, the spice was on point, the dual POV gave great perspective into the minds of both main characters, and the sexual tension will have you fanning yourself throughout the book. However, the overall character development wasn't my favorite cup of tea compared to some of her other works and series, and managed to leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth by the end.

Will I stick with the series? Yes. Am I waiting with baited breath for book 5 aka the promised super messy poly knot? You know it. Will this book (4) make it to any of my favorites lists? Nope. See below for some spoiler filled thoughts on why that is.

**This is where the spoilers and a bit of a rant start**

We spend the entire book hearing Cassandra say over and over how much she hates Olympus and the Thirteen for what they did to her family. All of her efforts go into making enough money and deals to get herself and her sister out to start a new life elsewhere. This is her mantra, her guiding light. Everything she does is to eventually be free of the backstabbing, shark infested waters of Olympus before she drowns. We know she and Apollo have been pining over each other for the longest time, but her sense of self preservation and desire to protect her sister override that.

So those are her feelings.... until they aren't? People are dead, the Thirteen are in danger, Hermes is maybe a traitor? Everything is thrown on its head by the second to last chapter, not to mention Cassandra's sister doesn't actually want to leave Olympus at all, so half of her reasons for leaving just go up in smoke. In the span of the last chapter we see Cassandra give up all of her remaining personal reasons and convictions for leaving, decide she'll just "have to learn to swim" in the aforementioned shark infested waters, all so she can be with Apollo. Part of that has a Hallmark "I'll give up my dreams for love" vibe...

But instead of focusing on the fact that she can't bear to be away from Apollo, the man she loves, I felt like the focus was on the increased danger he would be in due to the recent power changes. Cassandra admits she loves him, sure, but also spends a whole lot of time also convincing herself that she needs to stay to help protect Apollo aka the only good member of the Thirteen (how many times did he have to be called the good one, the perfect one, the best one, before we believed it? Ma'am. We get it, he's the white knight. Stop selling it so hard). Not to mention she finally realizes she does in fact sort of have friends who she maybe doesn't want to see hurt either. And maybe she kind of cares about the people of Olympus being caught in the crossfire. Maybe. Meh. Undecided on the last few points (she is, not me / the reader).

I don't know. Love changing her mind I can believe. But for the ENTIRE story, Cassandra is portrayed as someone with a VERY spiny exterior and an IDGAF attitude about all things Olympus and the Thirteen. Hell, most of the ones we see her interact with respect her for it. For her entire shell to just... disappear in one chapter and for her to start being even somewhat selfless in wanting to protect others outside her own family and relationship.... I don't buy it. I liked the fact that Cassandra was this unapologetically sassy, confident, even mean-spirited FMC, with a plus size body of sexy curves to boot. A character, even a female one (contrary to popular belief), doesn't have to be selfless and a proper hero to deserve their own love story. I really liked the fact that Cassandra broke that mold. Apollo is definitely a knight in shining armor, but for the most part Cassandra was NO damsel in distress. She was out to help herself, her sister, and Apollo, that's it. She had clear priorities and she was unapologetic about them. For her to just... change her entire priority list, or at least greatly expand it, over the span of the last chapter, it left me reeling.

With all of the upheaval headed to Olympus, I would have preferred if Cassandra just stayed because she loves Apollo, because she wants to watch his back, and because her sister removed a big reason she wanted to leave in the first place. I could have done without the supposed "character growth" that Cassandra did at the end that just felt disingenuous. We don't expect anyone else in power in the KR universe (Wicked Villains, Sabine Valley, Dark Olympus) to be morally good or morally driven... except maybe Apollo now. Don't make Cassandra all the sudden fit the "good" mold just to match him. It's unnecessary. He can be shiny all on his own, and he can still be attracted to someone a wee bit more morally gray than himself. That's just being human. ( )