For readers who might like Greek myth fanfic with a hint of BDSM and Survivor.
Cassandra’s predictions of doom come true, though not for her own love life with Apollo, in a new Dark Olympus novel.
Following the events of Wicked Beauty (2022), which introduced a new player to the oligarchy that runs the city of Olympus, this story spotlights Cassandra Gataki and her boss, Apollo. She’s the oldest daughter of overreaching parents who tried to murder their way into the circle of the Thirteen who control the city. Haunted by the ignominy, she’s focused on raising her younger sister, Alexandra, and keeping everyone at bay with her prickly personality, even the man who holds the title of Apollo—and with whom she’s in love. Her goal is to save up enough to leave the city with Alexandra, but the plan is both accelerated and derailed by political events that put the ruling powers on high alert. When Minos, who clearly has plans to upend Olympus, invites Apollo to a weeklong house party, he asks Cassandra to accompany him under the cover of a fake relationship so she can help him snoop out information. Even as the high-stakes games commence, the tension and forced proximity lead them to give in to their feelings and have sex. Written in the present tense and from Cassandra's and Apollo’s alternating first-person perspectives, the novel has a sense of immediacy. But the couple’s emotional lives feel limited and the kink-light scenes, with some references to rope play and safe words, feel forced onto the narrative. The political coup plot is less of a whodunit than a when-will-they-do-it. Moreover, the high-concept idea that the Greek pantheon is made up of job titles that can be inherited/earned/stolen necessitates an explanation of which character is/was whom; keeping track of histories, past relationships, and alliances becomes taxing as the series progresses. The romance is quickly wrapped up even as the story ends on a cliffhanger regarding the longer arc of the series.
For readers who might like Greek myth fanfic with a hint of BDSM and Survivor.Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-72825-700-6
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
Business and personal proposals collide in Hazelwood’s strongest book yet.
Two people meet for a hookup before discovering they’re on opposite sides of a hostile business takeover.
Rue Siebert is used to approaching everything the same way—at a distance. Though she has good friends and professional success as a biotech engineer at Kline, a food science startup, her dating life is nonexistent. Meeting guys on apps for the occasional hookup keeps things uncomplicated, but it also means she’s never opened herself up to the possibility of a deeper connection. Enter Eli Killgore, whom Rue initially views as another one-and-done—except that he looks at her like she’s the best thing he’s ever seen. Just as Rue begins to reconsider her approach to dating, she discovers a problem she could never have anticipated. It turns out that Eli is leading a hostile takeover of Kline, and he has personal reasons for wanting to see this deal through to the bitter end. Neither expects to run into the other in the Kline office the morning after an unforgettable date, and Rue’s first instinct is to tell Eli to lose her number. Yet the harder they try to fight their mutual attraction, the more Rue and Eli keep giving in to it at the worst possible moments. Agreeing to a no-strings-attached affair is supposed to be a compromise, a way for them to get each other out of their systems, and other complications could throw a wrench into even the possibility of something deeper and more lasting. Hazelwood shows every indication of continually outdoing herself with this latest romance, her lush, evocative prose making Rue and Eli’s shared scenes dynamic and engrossing. While the story is set at a science company, allowing the author to incorporate her usual STEM backdrop, the plot is rooted more in boardroom warfare than in the lab. Dual perspectives also provide a change of pace from Hazelwood’s previous books, though having Rue’s sections narrated in the first person and Eli’s in a close third can feel incongruous. Still, this is a stirring romance.
Business and personal proposals collide in Hazelwood’s strongest book yet.Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9780593550427
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.
Two people with bad luck in relationships find each other through a popular Reddit thread.
Emma Grant and her best friend, Maddy, are travel nurses, working at hospitals for three-month stints while they see the country. Just a few weeks before they’re set to move to Hawaii, Emma reads a popular “Am I the Asshole” Reddit thread from a Minnesota man who thinks he’s cursed—women he dates find their soulmates after breaking up with him, and the latest one found true love with his best friend! Emma has had a similar experience, which inspires her to DM the man and commiserate. She’s delighted by her witty, lively interactions with software engineer Justin Dahl, and is intrigued when he suggests that if they date each other, maybe they’ll each find their soulmate afterward. Emma upends the Hawaii plan and convinces Maddy to move to Minneapolis for the summer so she can meet Justin in person. The overly complex setup brings Emma and Justin together and the two hit it off, with Justin immediately falling head over heels for Emma. Jimenez then pivots to creating romantic roadblocks and melodramatic subplots centering on each character’s family of origin. Justin’s mother is about to serve six years in prison for embezzlement, which means Justin must move back home to care for his three much younger siblings. Emma was traumatized by her own mother for much of her childhood, left to fend for herself and eventually abandoned in the foster system. When her mother shows up in Minnesota, Emma must face her traumatic childhood and admit that she has prioritized her mother’s well-being over her own. There is little time devoted to Emma’s painful efforts to heal herself enough to accept Justin’s love, which leaves the novel feeling unsatisfying.
A wallowing, emotionally wrenching family drama that leaves little time for romance.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781538704431
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
