Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Cruel Seduction

Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert

8 reviews

withlivjones's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I really enjoyed this book! It delves more into the politics of the city since two of the MCs are members of the Thirteen, and the overarching plot of the series is getting exciting. I also really enjoyed all four POVs equally, which is quite a feat! Aphrodite is wonderfully morally grey, Pandora and Adonis are both delights, and Hephaestus… I really didn’t like him in the previous books, but after exploring his past and his motivations in this book, I definitely found him a lot more likeable and sympathetic. The spicy scenes are still the weakest part of the book in my opinion, I swear some of the positions these characters take defy the laws of physics, but the romance is actually really sweet.

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jj7twin's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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batchy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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imskylow's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I really disliked the voice for Eris. It doesn’t feel like she was written to be a whimpering, breathless sort of girl but more of a seductive, raw-voiced yet bold woman. Someone who sounds like she knows what she wants. She’s written like an alpha woman who isn’t going to take anyone’s shit but the woman reading for her (who is the same female voice for all the books. Not that I mind! I thought she did a great job with the rest!) didn’t make her sound like the intense and sensual powerhouse she should be. It made it hard for me to be interested in Aphrodite chapters. I liked all the other characters and how they were read though.
Yay for a poly positive book. I think they made quite the charming polycule; though, I think Eris and Adonis should have talked more and worked through the prevalent issues in their relationship rather than slapping polyamory on like some sort of band-aid.
Yay for male-female platonic friendships that stay just friendships too.
Yay for briefly mentioning male recovery time between rounds. It’s such a small thing but most erotica these days act like all men can keep going and going and going. All it took was a few words and it really grounded the scene. A++

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rosemaryandrue's review

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Eris must wed Theseus, who made his way into the Thirteen through murder, to keep a closer eye on him. To irk him she takes up with his best friend Pandora; to irk her he takes up with her ex-boyfriend Adonis. But it soon becomes apparent that there’s greater dangers out there than each other.

This is quite a complicated romance – it involves four individuals, but they are not all in a relationship with each other, so this messy polyamorous knot consists of both romance and friendship, most of which must develop from scratch over the course of a single book. I certainly don’t envy the author her balancing act!

Even with this tricky premise, I found myself swept up by the characters and their story. It was fun to see all the relationship dynamics that were on display here and how the knot was eventually swirled together. Of the leads, Eris and Theseus get the most development, probably because it is their power play that drives the plot. Both are important and willing chess pieces in their families’ plans, and both come to realize that there is a life to lead outside them, which was satisfying indeed.

However, I did wish that we got more from Adonis and Pandora. They are also lead characters in this romance and the relationships they have with Eris and Theseus did seem to have equal weight to the other ones in the story. But their character development felt shallower and their stories seemed to play second fiddle to those of Eris and Theseus. I was also confused why it was Pandora who was the fourth member of the romance – I had hoped to get some clarity when I read the book, but Robert did not bring forth any mythological link that explained things to me.

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olivialandryxo's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Katee has done it again. I started this book not particularly attached to any of our four protagonists, and ended it loving and rooting for all of them. Each one felt distinct in their personality and motivations, and watching them initially clash and then eventually come together was a wild but intensely fun ride.

Honestly, the whole book was a wild ride. Olympus is falling apart at the seams, and I’m so very concerned for all of my favorite characters. I said in my Radiant Sin review that I have absolutely no idea what state things will be in by the end of the series, and that’s still true. It’s true and it’s terrifying, and I want more but the next book is SO. FAR. AWAY. :’)))

Representation:

three bi/pansexual polyamorous protagonists (includes one Black man & one Black disabled man, with a permanent limp in one leg)
sapphic polyamorous fat protagonist
various queer side characters, some of which are of color (includes bi/pansexual, asexual, polyamorous & nonbinary rep; also includes Black & Korean rep)
sapphic relationship (f/f)
achillean relationship (m/m)
MMFF open polyam knot

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kherndon927's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Ugh..... im disappointed. I liked Eres as Aphrodite. I wanted her to keep it. She's fierce and awesome. Why can't she have love and her title?!

I dislike Thesus and this book didn't help. He doesn't feel like a real person like the other characters.

Now the spice was

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frantically's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I struggled getting into this because GOD(s) there's so many people and so many names and so much politics, we've really come far since Neon Gods 💀 It did pick up after the 50% mark and I loved all the relationships! I wish we could've spent more time with Pandora & Aphrodite, as other reviewers have said, sometimes there was just wayyy more focus on the guys and their relationships. There's loads of drama and ensuing protectiveness, especially towards the end. The ending itself was quite abrupt but I think we can just come to expect that from this series! There've definitely been better installments but still a fun read and still loving this series.

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