Cruel Seduction

The electrifying fifth romance in Robert’s blockbuster Dark Olympus series (after Radiant Sin) returns to the dystopian city of Olympus, ruled by a council of 13 politicians whose titles and roles are derived from the ancient Greek gods. To keep the peace in unstable Olympus—where political assassinations are becoming ever more common—enemies Aphrodite and Hephaestus enter into a political marriage, despite the fact that Aphrodite is in love with Adonis. At first the feuding duo go out of their way to provoke and anger each other—Aphrodite sleeps with Hephaestus’s best friend, Pandora, and Hephaestus seduces Adonis—but all four become a tight unit after an attempt is made on Aphrodite’s life. As they endeavor to protect one another, the quartet settles into a high-heat polyamorous relationship. The steamy sex scenes are punctuated by escalating danger culminating in a knife attack that could take one of the four out of the group forever. Robert’s celebration of both kink and nontraditional relationship structures sets this apart, and her ability to paint morality in shades of gray makes for complex and enjoyable conflict. This sizzling story will spark readers’ desire for more erotic fare from the Dark Olympians. (Aug.)