There are certain romance book series that captivate you as a reader and Dark Olympus is one of mine. Katee Robert crafted such an interesting world with a plethora of characters, storylines and relationships you can’t help but root for.

The Dark Olympus series is going to be 10 books long and we’re now on book 9 which is Tender Cruelty. For those who haven’t read the series or aren’t current with it, then I’m going to try to keep this review as spoiler-free as I can.

If you aren’t caught up though, now is the perfect time. We only have a few more months to wait until we get Shattered Gods. This is a romance most of us have been craving since it was teased. While I won’t talk about the characters it involves, it’s bound to be an action-packed story with plenty of tension-filled romance and lust to wrap up an excellent series.

With that being said, I’d like to thank Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me a finished copy of Tender Cruelty. It’s already proudly displayed on my shelves and was the perfect read to pick up in December.

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Even if you’re not familiar with the Dark Olympus series, you’ll know that Zeus and Hera have always been paired up. Zeus is the King of the Gods while Hera is his wife. Of course, their relationship isn’t easy and Katee Robert put that on full display in Tender Cruelty.

While the story focuses on Zeus and Hera’s relationship, it’s also about these two as characters aka Perseus and Callisto. Perseus is dealing with the trauma from his childhood and also trying to right the mistakes his father made as Zeus. Meanwhile, Callisto is doing her best to protect her family while also killing her husband.

As you can see, these two are working towards different goals but somehow, Katee Robert manages to make them fall in love in the process. Obviously, Hera wanting to kill Zeus is a hard thing to overcome. Even so, the gradual shift of their relationship and their eventual love for each other makes for such a compelling read.

Coupled with the intense political plot, there is so much to enjoy about Tender Cruelty. Despite it being a little shorter than some of the series other installments, it kept my attention and I didn’t want to put it down. While I’d recommend reading the previous books before picking up this one, you won’t be disappointed by it.

Ultimately if you love Katee Robert and have been craving Zeus and Hera’s romance, you’re in for a real treat. How this book ended really has me excited for Shattered Gods to release in June 2026.