This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
About The Book
She was the face that launched a thousand ships,
The fierce beauty at the heart of Olympus,
And she was never ours to claim.
*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?
My Review
First Impressions
Wicked Beauty is such a delightful read. and I am loving what this author has been doing with this series. It’s such a delight to see with these books and this unique worldbuilding. This world can be really complex but I think of it like a combination of contemporary with a mythological fantasy type of twist. I also was highly intrigued with this one as it was a a menage which I knew that this author could implement, And I also can’t wait for book four (as its a qruple —which is two couples that come into one relationship which I have never read before and I don’t think I know of anyone that has written that) Katee Robert has become very creative with this series and I really love what she has done here, because it shows that she is capable of writing whatever type of story she wants that will satisfy her base and bring in more readers outside of it as well. Wicked Beauty was a kick-ass romance, and I truly was endeared by the menage build-up of the relationship. The steam is similar to her previous two books, so not like what she gave us in her erotic series, but closer to the mainstream level. You also could read these as standalone if you needed to,.
Summary
Achilles Kallis is determined to win the role of Aros, as it has been his dream to be the rule as he has worked his way up to the top with grit and determination. His partner, Patroclus will match with him to plan in the competition and increase their chances of winning. Then enters Helen Kasios. She is determined to be more than just a prize for the winner. She is beautiful and fearless and well-revered among the political circles. Her brother is furious when Helen puts herself into the chance of becoming the ruler over the thirteen. As Helen enters the competition there is powerful chemistry that is built with Achilles and Patroclus. She admires both differently but never expected that they would be drawn into a relationship together. But as tensions rise, and they go through the competition, will they be able to find a way to be together or will their love be enough over their dreams to win…
What I Loved
I absolutely adored this book in many ways. I was intrigued to see how the menage would be handled in the story. All three characters are fighters and highly capable. I loved what a powerhouse they are together and separately but their personalities are so different from each other. Achilles is the dominant and alpha of the group, he is a natural leader. Patroclus is the brain, he also is a solider but prefers to think through to solutions. Then we have Helen who is a politician and strategical thinker. I loved seeing how they work and fit together both in the bedroom and out of it. It was also a delight to see them compete against one another and fight to win to the top. In the first half, there is quite a bit of angst though. There are divided emotions that happen and you really see loyalties that become split between them as they decide where they fit but once they decide to become a triad, then it becomes so much more solidified and concrete and their relationship will begin to blossom. They are all such strong personalities though so it was interesting to see how that balances out in the end. I was actually not expecting the ending but I felt like it really worked out well in the end. Helen has been treated so badly by her family, that she deserved to have two men treat her and put her value above their own. I really respected the way that this author developed their relationship and I was cheering them on all the way through.
What I Struggled With
There wasn’t too much, I think I just didn’t completely connect with the situations in the first half of the story, there is a ton of angst and I wasn’t feeling it too much. So I did struggle with this aspect that is built within it.
Overall View
I found Wicked Beauty to be a majestic and tantalizing addition to this epic series that has won my heart so quickly. it’s a story of personal growth, sacrifice, and devotion to those you love.
Title: Wicked Beauty
Author: Katee Robert
Genre: Mythological Fantasy Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC
Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Length: 400 Pages
Book Links
Amazon| Barnes and Noble| Kobo| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club
Book Evaluation
Storytelling Quality: 4.25
Story Itself: 4
Character Development: 5
Writing Style: 4
World Building 4.5
Feels + The Romantic Heart 3.75
Pacing 4
Plot 4
Cover Art: 5
Ending 5
Book Ratings
Overall Rating of the Book
Steam Level
Simmering—soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
Series Order
Dark Olympus
Stone Heart-Pub 2021 #0.5 in the Series
Neon Gods-Pub 2021 #1 in the Series
Hades and Hades-Pub 2021 #1.5 in the Series
Electric Idol-Pub 2021 #2 in the Series
Wicked Beauty-Pub 2022 #3 in the Series
Radiant Sin-Pub 2023 #4 in the Series
About The Author
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it ‘a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension.” When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
Oh man! I’ve been seeing this book EVERYWHERE lately! Especially over on booktok. I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, and they’re not my typical picks, but I might have to cave and give them a go just to see what the hype is all about 😉 Love seeing your rave review here!
oh Stephanie! You need to read these books, they are so so fun! Yeah they are all over booktok haha but they are amazing so you definitely need to try them out!
Hm… As much as you enjoyed this one, I think I might skip it. This isn’t really my genre, and it has worked okay for me with the series but not great. I think the stuff you mentioned about the first half of the book would bother me.
Oh I understand completely, This won’t be for everyone as it is different from your regular contemporary. I am actually shocked a trad publisher is going for this to be honest haha but Katee Robert does play with these that most authors don’t so I get it if you don’t think it would work for you!! 🙂
I can’t believe that I haven’t started this series yet. I keep hearing AMAZING things! I may have to get the first one this month. 🙂
Yes this book is so amazing….the first book is my favorite!! I can’t recommend it enough.