Release Date: December 2, 2025
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Spice Level: 4 out of 5
Cover Grade: A
Audiobook Narrator Performance: N/A
Synopsis:
TENDER CRUELTY is the long-awaited book nine of the Dark Olympus series by Katee Roberts. Following book eight, the protective barrier of Olympus has fallen, and chaos befalls the Thirteen as they struggle to defend themselves and their city. Amidst the upheaval, Hera is determined to see Zeus dead; she has a plan, and it must happen, no matter the cost.
Yet, when Zeus and Hera are forced to face Circe, their battleground of a marriage transforms into something ferociously steamy and unexpected. As they come together to face their foe, Hera begins to question her long-standing disdain for Zeus as all her efforts to protect her sisters deteriorate around her.
Strengths: Great pacing, action, and drama. The world-building is tangible, deceptive, and seductive. The sex is, as per usual, steamy and passionate, and a dastardly cliffhanger for the win!
Weaknesses: The character's growth from hate to love felt rushed. Hera’s reaction to certain things was not in character early on in comparison to the series as a whole. Will that stop me from loving it? Nop.
Verdict:
Roberts did not disappoint! This is a series I have followed from the first book, and squealed when I got to read the first pages of Zeus and Hera. The brutal beauty of their story was off the charts hot! I couldn't put it down, so Hera fell for him quicker than it felt right, structurally speaking; hell, I would fall too quickly too, who am I kidding? I have no clue how this series will end, but I can’t wait to find out in the next book. (8.5/10)
Thank you, Katee Roberts and Sourcebooks Casablanca. I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Pre-Order Your Copy
Aber Stoat Books (print)
Bookshop.org (eBook)
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Other Books by Katee Roberts:
Dark Olympus Series
1. Neon Gods (eBook | audiobook) 🎧
2. Electric Idol (eBook | audiobook) 🎧
3. Wicked Beauty (eBook | audiobook) 🎧
4. Radiant Sin (eBook | audiobook) 🎧
5. Cruel Seduction (eBook | audiobook) 🎧
6. Midnight Ruin (eBook | audiobook) 🎧
7. Dark Restraint (eBook | audiobook) 🎧
8. Sweet Obsession (eBook | audiobook) 🎧
From the Publisher:
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 9781728284781, 1728284783
Series: Dark Olympus (Book #9)
Paperback, 304 pages
Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
Fiction / Romance / Billionaires
Fiction / Romance / New Adult
Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Description:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert brings the heat in this series of sizzling modern Greek myth retellings
The barrier that has protected Olympus for generations has fallen. The enemy has breached the gates and the Thirteen are scrambling to protect themselves, their loved ones, and the city they have been sworn to protect. At least they would be if they weren’t at each others’ throats instead.
Hera has no intention of letting her husband, Zeus, survive the oncoming storm. She will be the death of him, even if that means selling her very soul to see it done. But despite the white-hot hatred that burns between them, when Hera and Zeus are forced to work together in the first wave of the onslaught, enmity crystalizes into something brighter. Hotter. Just as likely to emulate them from the inside as it is to destroy their now-shared enemy.
Hera never bartered on falling in love with the man she married—the man she once swore to kill. But now, standing back-to-back in the ruins of Olympus, she may be forced to admit that she’s been wrong about Zeus all these years...and there may be something about their marriage worth saving if they can survive long enough to turn enemies into something more.
Author Bio:
KATEE ROBERT is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of spicy romance. Entertainment Weekly calls their writing "unspeakably hot." Their books have sold over a million copies. They live in the Pacific Northwest with their husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.
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