Katee Robert returns to the Dark Olympus series with Wicked Beauty, an explosive tale of power, scheming, and spicy times. With the former Ares gone, the coveted role as part of Olympus’ inner circle has opened up to anyone with the strength and desire to claim it. Achilles Kallis has long since vowed to do anything to become part of The Thirteen—together with his partner Patroclus Fotos, he enters the competition in the hopes of doubling their odds of winning and finally having the power they need to keep afloat in the dangerous world. Neither expects the infamous Helen Kasios to be part of the prize—but when Zeus determines that whoever wins Ares will also get his sister as their wife, the stakes become painfully high for everyone involved. Determined to be in charge of her own fate, Helen enters the competition as a middle finger to the Thirteen. She knows she can’t trust anyone to have her best interests at heart with so much at stake—but she can’t help but be drawn to Achilles and Patroclus time and again. As reluctant alliances turn into something more and sparks fly between the three of them, Helen, Patroclus, and Achilles will have to work together to face the worst Olympus has to offer.
You know, I keep thinking this series can’t get better and then Robert goes and throws me the Helen-Patroclus-Achilles pairing of my dreams and proves me wrong again.
This was the adult Hunger Games-esque romance of my dreams! I’m a sucker for stories in which women basically give the upper crust the middle finger by fighting for their own fate (yes, this also just made me think of Pixar’s Brave), so a bloody competition between Olympus’s crème de la crème fighting for the position of Ares was right up my alley. There’s so much tension, angst and rooting for the underdog in these pages and I loved every second of it. Sometimes, competitions in stories can feel lacklustre because you know who wins in the end but in Wicked Beauty, you not only have the constant question and fear of who’s going to become Ares (and what they might do to Helen if she’s not the one who comes out on top) but as the chapters pass, you also find yourself rooting for not one, not two, but three characters for different reasons. There are heart-pounding moments of uncertainty, frustration at the audacity of dirty players and alliances that would shock you—it’s a nailbiter, y’all. And that’s down to the fantastic cast of protagonists.
Truly, there’s so much to love about these characters on their own—from reserved, yet fiercely loyal and wholesome Patroclus who loves with his whole heart and has the mind of a genius, dominant, impulsive and savage yet somehow also gigantic cinnamon roll Patroclus all the way to Helen, the badass self-actualised woman fighting to determine her own fate while also rocking a glam outfit while playing other power players against themselves who try to make her their puppet. They are so vibrant and enrapturing that it’s hard to pick a favourite and thankfully, you don’t have to. Instead, as they become reluctant allies while still being fierce competitors in other parts of their lives, they truly blossom under each other’s care which makes for one hell of a good reading time.
I also loved the way power dynamics were handled in Wicked Beauty. We have three very headstrong characters with goals and ambitions of their own—especially Helen and Achilles demand their pound of flesh time and again while Patroclus is the one that grounds them when they might go too far in their pursuit of something greater. It makes for a captivating exchange and demand of power between the three and I loved how neither of them had to forfeit who they were in order to fit perfectly together—instead, each interaction between them was filled with tension, mutual respect and of course, a ton of spice. If you’re a longtime fan of Robert, you know by now that this woman can write a polyamorous relationship like no other and she does not disappoint in Wicked Beauty. You really have all the delicious, steamy encounters in here: from total hate sex to fulfilling dark fantasies and battling it out in the sheets, there is no doubt in my mind that Helen, Patroclus and Achilles were made for each other.
Lastly, one of the highlights in Wicked Beauty is that we get to see a new, unexplored side of Olympus. As the power players clash and try to gain more influence by becoming Ares, we finally get glimpses at the political machinations behind it all and, thanks to Zeus in part, we learn so much more about what makes Olympus tick— and what might turn out to be its downfall as things get complicated. And it promises to be an absolutely captivating future for readers who cannot get enough of Dark Olympus.
In a lush, scorchingly hot instalment in the Dark Olympus series, Wicked Beauty features a bloody Hunger Games-esque competition for power with three headstrong, captivating leads that make for an unputdownable romance with twists you won’t see coming!
Wicked Beauty is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 7th 2022!
Will you be picking up Wicked Beauty? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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?
