Sweet Obsession
Dark Olympus
Romance
Sourcebooks Casablanca
April 1, 2025
Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook
336
He was mine to protect. Mine to adore. Mine to lose forever.
*A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Poseidon and Icarus.*
Icarus may not have flown particularly close to the sun, but he has fallen…right into the rough hands of Olympus's own Poseidon. Being held captive by the gentle giant wouldn't be so bad if Olympus wasn't on the eve of destruction…or if Poseidon stopped looking at him with those irresistibly stormy eyes.
Poseidon doesn't have time to babysit his increasingly bratty prisoner, but he has no choice: Olympus is officially at war, and someone has to keep their best bargaining chip out of harm's way. The thing is, the longer Poseidon is with Icarus, the more he starts to care for his sworn enemy...and the more he realizes that Icarus isn't the villain he's been made out to be. There's a warmth to him, a vulnerability, that Poseidon finds difficult to ignore or deny.
Now with Circe and the Aeaens at the gate and Olympus a hair's breadth away from falling, Poseidon will have to make a difficult choice: about himself, about his allegiances, and about the man who woke his heart from its long slumber only to threaten to break it for good...
Welcome Back to Dark Olympus
Readers have been on the Dark Olympus rollercoaster for some time now. “Sweet Obsession”, the most recent release from Katee Robert, builds on the power struggles and corruption of Olympus view through the eyes of Icarus and Poseidon.
If you are new to the Dark Olympus series, I would recommend going back and starting from the beginning with “Neon Gods”. While each book focuses on one set of characters, each new novel advances the overall plot enough that you’ll feel the missed details starting in the middle.
If you’re already a series reader but need a bit of a refresh, you can read my review of “Midnight Ruin” and Jes’ review of “Radiant Sin” at www.thelitbuzz.com.
Let’s Get Into It
One of the most enjoyable items in the new releases is the ‘catch up’ notes from Muse Watch at the beginning of the story. They’re super helpful “news items” from the fictional gossip media outlet that covers the shenanigans occurring all over town. Titles like “Olympus Under Attack!” and “New Blood in Town!” share details of plot advancement, while other scandalous headlines like “Apollo Finds Love at Last?” fan the relationship rumor mill and the blush in my cheeks.
Icarus is captive after aiding in the daring escape of Ariadne and the Minotaur. He’s at the mercy of Poseidon, a ‘salt-of-the-Earth” legacy with a rough voice, “a broad chest, a thick gut, and thighs” as big as Icarus’ waist. The dichotomy of these two men couldn’t be more apparent, from their physical characteristics, the way they speak, and even their bedroom behavior. Katee Robert seems to find a groove writing these men that seems to have been missing throughout the middle of this series. “Sweet Obsession” and the sparks from Icarus and Poseidon are reminiscent of Achilles and Patrocles and the way they burned for each other.
Getting Hotter
All I have is my beauty. The moment time whisks that away, I’ll truly be as worthless as my father always said.
Icarus
I thought I knew how the power dynamics were going to shape up after reading the summary and the content/trigger warnings. Boy, was I wrong!
It was nice to feel surprised even after 8 books into a series. Icarus, bratty, provocative, and altogether docile in light of the political circumstances, made for a really dynamic dominant in the bedroom. He’s gorgeous and he knows it. He acts like the world owes him something, but really, he’s just desperate to be seen for something other than his looks.
By all rights Poseidon has all of the power in the relationship, but he willingly submits to his lover in spite of their positions in society. Poseidon sees Icarus for who he is, not what he looks like. He likes what he sees.
What kind of strength must it take to survive someone like Minos? To snatch up a gun and hold it to my head, to sacrifice himself so his sister could escape? It’s one of the bravest things I’ve ever witnessed. I may not have said as much to him, but it’s the truth. Most people wouldn’t have done that.
Poseidon
The flipped script and changed narrative had me rethink what I thought I knew about character development.
Final Thoughts
Katee Robert writes one heck of a compelling story. I always crack the book open and I’m already in the thick of it before I realize I haven’t set it down once. Their strongest books of the series are Neon Gods, Electric Idol, and Wicked Beauty, where there was a blend of focus between the relationship development and the plot advancement. Some of the middle books flip-flopped the priority and made them feel weaker, but Sweet Obsession rights the ship (pun intended).
I say this with a heavy heart, but I’m ready for the Dark Olympus series to be over. While the city take over is intriguing and I am desperate to know how it will all turn out, the plot doesn’t seem to move enough throughout each new installment, and the city siege starts to feel a little stagnate. I’m hopeful that “Tender Cruelty” and “Shattered Gods” will be a spectacular fireworks show of an ending for this beloved romance series.
I’m Val, and I’m excited to share my love of books with you! I’m a sassy Sour Patch kid from New Jersey, dog mom to Chance the beagle, and much like the rest of the Hive, I’m a coffee lover (I think it’s a requirement to be here). The first book I remember reading voluntarily involved a boy wizard who lived in the cupboard under the stairs, and I’ve been chasing magic ever since. I love Happily Ever Afters, and I love love. My favorite genres are romance and rom-coms, fantasy, and young adult/new adult. If I’m not reading, I’m probably kayaking, watching the Great British Baking Show, or discovering a new craft beer.
