REVIEW: Radiant Sin by Katee Robert

In Radiant Sin (Dark Olympus #4) by Katee Robert, Working for the past five years as Apollo’s executive assistant has given Cassandra “Cass” Gataki an insider view of the immense power the Thirteen hold over Olympus. Not that she didn’t already realize that. After what happened to her parents over a decade ago, leaving her to raise her younger sister Alexandra on her own, Cassandra has lofty plans for them to leave Olympus for good. Then she’s given the opportunity to make it happen. All she has to do is pretend to be Apollo’s girlfriend for a week. Easy, right? Not with her years-long crush on her boss–who just happens to be the nicest member of the Thirteen in her opinion. And the fact that she, Apollo, and the other guests at the house party are threatened–with some even going missing. It’s because Cassandra wants her sister to have every chance to flourish that she pledges to Apollo that she will stay and figure out who and what is behind the evil misdoings.

‘I know what happens to people who get tangled up with the Thirteen. They die.’

Apollo knows the danger being a member of the Thirteen brings to his daily life and what it will mean for Cassandra to accompany him to the party. But he didn’t realize that he and several of the other members would basically be hunted down during ridiculous parlor games and receive very specific threats from more than one source. But Apollo knows brilliant Cassandra will manage to have insight as well as ideas he’d never come up with on his own. Plus, spending alone time with the voluptuous woman won’t be a hardship. Parting ways once their fake relationship runs its course is a different matter. If they can somehow survive the party and make it back to Olympus safely, Apollo will do what he must to make sure Cassandra gets everything she deserves and has worked hard for in life. Even if it means letting her go.

“I would like to have my filthy way with you again the first opportunity that presents itself, and also as often as can be managed before this thing between us ends.”
“Consider it a promise.”

In a series where every couple is so unique that each book has its own feel, Radiant Sin was a decidedly tender romance that still had the moments of passion and heat I expect from Katee Robert–plus some major shake ups amongst the Thirteen and in Olympus itself.

“I will not risk you.” Not for Olympus. Not for anything. “I love you, and I will let this city burn before I intentionally put you in harm’s way.”

Katee Robert didn’t disappoint in the least with Radiant Sin. While Apollo and Cassandra’s love story was on the sweeter (but just as complicated) side as compared to the previous couples, it was no less important. Out of all honesty, this actually felt like a transitional book in the series to me. Particularly with the events that took place in the last quarter of it. The big changes that will push the Thirteen toward an uncertain future were only getting started as Cassandra and Apollo finally admitted to their feelings in this installment.

Speaking of our dynamic duo, I loved how Apollo–ever the protector–was always trying to do right by those around him, especially Cassandra. He was basically the spymaster of the Thirteen, but he didn’t use the information he gleaned from his sources in a negative manner. Not as much as the others, at least. Apollo was kind and caring, but he was more than capable of handling threats. That came in handy when he and Cassandra needed to appear as a couple to the outer world at an event that put both of them as well as several others in harm’s way.

Cassandra was a fun heroine. She was feisty, sassy, not afraid to stand up for herself and her beloved younger sister, Alexandra. But she had hidden depths underneath that brazen persona. And as we got her backstory, including how much she gave up to take care of Alexandra, I came to adore her. As did Apollo of course. There were so many touching moments between them filled with love, understanding, and a longing to find a way to make a relationship work. It was heartbreaking at times, the way Cassandra and Apollo consistently sacrificed for those they loved. But the way Robert ended their story was oh so satisfying.

QOTD: Do you have a favorite couple either in Greek mythology or in the Dark Olympus series so far?

Book Info:

Publication: Published February 7, 2023 | Sourcebooks Casablanca | Dark Olympus #4

There’s nowhere more dangerous than Olympus…and no one more captivating than its golden god: Apollo. Keeper of secrets, master of his shining realm…and the only man I am powerless to deny.

As a disgraced member of a fallen house, Cassandra Gataki has seen firsthand what comes from trusting the venomous Thirteen. But when the maddeningly gorgeous and kind Apollo asks her to go undercover as his plus-one at a week-long party hosted by a dangerous new power player…Cassandra reluctantly agrees to have his back.

On one condition: when it’s all over, and Apollo has the ammunition he needs to protect Olympus, she and her sister will be allowed to leave. For good.

Apollo may be the city’s official spymaster, but it’s his ability to inspire others that keeps him at the top. Despite what the rest of Olympus says, there’s no one he trusts more than Cassandra. Yet even as their fake relationship takes a wicked turn for the scaldingly hot, a very real danger surfaces… threatening not only Cassandra and Apollo, but the very heart of Olympus itself.