Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert ARC Review!

 

Title: Wicked Beauty (Dark Olympus #3)
Author: Katee Robert
Publish Date: June 7th, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review!

*A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Helen of Troy, Achilles, and Patroclus that's as sinful as it is sweet.*

In Olympus, you either have the power to rule...or you are ruled. Achilles Kallis may have been born with nothing, but as a child he vowed he would claw his way into the poisonous city's inner circle. Now that a coveted role has opened to anyone with the strength to claim it, he and his partner, Patroclus Fotos, plan to compete and double their odds of winning.

Neither expect infamous beauty Helen Kasios to be part of the prize...or for the complicated fire that burns the moment she looks their way.

Zeus may have decided Helen is his to give to away, but she has her own plans. She enters into the competition as a middle finger to the meddling Thirteen rulers, effectively vying for her own hand in marriage. Unfortunately, there are those who would rather see her dead than lead the city. The only people she can trust are the ones she can't keep her hands off—Achilles and Patroclus. But can she really believe they have her best interests at heart when every stolen kiss is a battlefield?

Penelope's Review

I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this, as it's my first book by this author (this is one of those series that doesn't really need to be read in order) but I really enjoyed it! I liked the writing style, enjoyed the tropes, and loved the overall plot. The world-building here is great - lots of details are given but in a "show" rather than a "tell" way if you know what I mean. I am a sucker for any kind of competition in a book, so the fact that this was trial-based hooked me right from the beginning!

The sexual chemistry just FLIES off the pages - Helen is a gorgeous, layered character who fits into the story well, and fits in with Achilles and Patroclus even better! I've never read a book with a ménage à trois before, so again, wasn't sure what to expect but it ended up being SO HOT! The sex scenes are written well, you can feel the emotions and tension and it just works! Achilles is a man who knows what he wants and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals whereas Patroclus is the one with a head on his shoulders and a penchant for seeing 10 steps ahead of everyone. The two are complete opposites and yet they work so well together. With Helen thrown into the mix, who's personality is almost like a combination of the two, it just makes everything that much better.

I loved the trials that they had to go through to become Ares - though I will say that I thought there would be a bit more when it came to the two "outsider" competitors... maybe that will go somewhere in the next book?? But in this one, the villain aspect that I thought was going to play a larger role, sort of fell flat for me. Other than that though, really enjoyable read! I like the twist on mythology and look forward to trying the other books in this series!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!