| Title | : | Radiant Sin (Dark Olympus, #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 172825700X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781728257006 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 345 |
| Publication | : | First published February 7, 2023 |
*A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Apollo and Cassandra that's as sinful as it is sweet.*
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.
"Deliciously inventive...Red-hot."—Publishers Weekly STARRED Review for Neon Gods
"I get shivers just thinking of their interactions. SHIVERS."—Mimi Koehler for The Nerd Daily for Neon Gods
Radiant Sin (Dark Olympus, #4) Reviews
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3.5 Stars. I appreciate what this book is for the overarching plot of the Dark Olympus series, but as an individual entry this is the weakest book so far for me.
As far as the characters (Cassandra and Apollo, in this book) and the romance go, I liked Cassandra as a character but Apollo falls flat for me. Cassandra has a pretty strong personality on page and given that she's neither in a leadership position nor connected to any of them (unlike previous main characters) she has a different perspective that I enjoyed seeing. She has more realistic reactions to the crazy shit that goes on in Olympus than members of the Thirteen and surrounding families who are pretty numb to a lot of it, and that was fun to see.
Apollo, on the other hand, feels very generic and lacks much of a personality. When I'm looking back on the series months/years from now I think I'll struggle to remember much of anything about him.
Smut-wise, I'd say this has the lightest amount of smut in the series to date and what is there is relatively tame. And as someone whose favorite romance trope is Fake Dating, the Fake Dating in this book really did nothing for me and to be honest I forgot it was supposed to be a Fake Dating trope until I started writing this.
In terms of plot, Katee Robert went in a new direction with a sort of locked house party mystery plot that I think could have been a lot more fun and high stakes if it were tightened up a bit and explained more, but as it is it drags in some areas and the suspension of disbelief to accept that people are just playing along with the circumstances is...a lot.
What I like is that, like I mentioned above, this makes some waves in terms of the overall series plot and introduces some new factors that I'm looking forward to seeing play out in future books. This feels like a transitional book away from the more individualistic first books and over into a more interconnected plot heavy direction which I think will be fun and perhaps this one just floundered in the middle of that.
It's a relatively quick read (I read it in one particularly stormy Saturday) and if you're into the Dark Olympus series I definitely say continue on with this. I'm still very excited to see how the story progresses from here.
Big thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me an ARC of this book! -
update 05/27/2022: Obsessed with the colours in the cover, and can we talk about the synopsis? Ready to fall in love with Apollo and Cassandra.
I don't even know who this one is about, but I'm ready to love it. -
praying to the gods this one is about callisto and zeus!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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I pinky promise to write a full review but for now, ya’ll need to be made aware 🥴
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3.5* this was good but I wanted more smut and less politics 😅
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Radiant Sin by Katee Robert
#4 in the Dark Olympus series. Paranormal romance. Dark. Can be read as a stand-alone. First person alternating POV’s.
Cassandra is from a disgraced and fallen house on Olympus. She is very close to her goal of having enough money to move her and her sister away from the Thirteen and Olympus. In the meantime, she works for Apollo, trying to keep him on track, at the same time trying to keep her crush on him hidden. When Apollo asks Cassandra to be his plus-one for a weekend event, it’s for her insight and support, yet at the same time he wants to convince other guests that she’s his girlfriend. As a cover. They both have lusted after the other for years and this weekend, sharing a bed, will be a huge change for them and Olympus.
Treachery, trickery, and alliances are all part of the powerful Thirteen. Huge changes are on the horizon. Will the Thirteen be able to keep the power?
🎧 I listened to an audiobook version of this story narrated by Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock. The performances are compelling and gripping. Chapters alternate with POV and narrator and each do a fantastic job of keeping the reader invested and actively listening. The steamy scenes are hot and the political dangers are hair-raising. I think the audiobook experience focuses on the intensity of the emotions in the story.
I listened to this at 1.4 which is slightly slower than my usual.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. -
༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚. BOSS X ASSISTANT FT. GREEK MYTH RETELLING?
Radiant Sin is the fourth book in the Dark Olympus series and I'm so happy I got to read it already. It's definitely such a nice ride and I had a lot of fun reading Apollo and Cassandra's story. I was kinda scared and nervous because after reading Wicked Beauty, I wondered who would be able to top Helen, Achilles and Patroclus. And tbh, though Apollo and Cassandra were amazing, I still feel like Wicked Beauty is still the number one book in this series.
This book reminded me of the board game Clue and it definitely has a murder-mystery vibe. I love it completely. Apollo gets invited to a house party hosted by an enemy of the city. But he needs a plus-one and who better to bring as a companion than his perfect assistant, Cassandra. That's not all though! Because they need to pretend to be a couple in order to not draw suspicion of the reason of their arrival.
A fake-dating romance with a hero who has been in love with the heroine for about five years, I think? *chef kiss* Cassandra has also been keeping her affection for Apollo a secret, so as you can see, THERE'S A LOT OF PINING AND ANGSTY MOMENTS BETWEEN THEM. Cassandra hates everything to do with the Thirteen so she's ready to walk away for good. So even though she feels Apollo is the one and no one will be able to make her forget about him in the future, she knows she cannot stay. SO WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO NOW? You'll just have to read and find out for yourself.
I really love this series. I think it's entertaining, so easy to read and get into, and you get this enormous cast of characters who you constantly see in other books in the same series. You get to see where they at after their book ends. And even though they're standalones, I do believe there's a tiny thread throughout all the books that you might miss if you don't read them in order. -
MANIFESTING ZESUS AND CALLISTO 🤞🤞
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Happy Release day!
Thanks to Dreamscape Media - who have changed their ARC acceptance emails for the better after I complained lol - and Netgalley for this advanced audiobook. Radiant Sin will be out just in time for Valentine's Day, and gets about 3.5 stars from me, rounded down.
Okay, so I approached this installment of Dark Olympus with minimal expectations and maybe thought it'd be better as an audiobook. Unfortunately that was wrong, but I did enjoy this one a bit more than books two and three.
Might as well jump into what I disliked: the continued lack of cohesive worldbuilding is so wild. I am trying to approach these books with no craft critique but it's really hard to turn my brain off and not grasp for some like, actual plot.
The attempt at a locked room, house party murder mystery vibe would've gone over better if there really was a mystery. The writing was also awfully repetitive and I think listening to the audiobook enunciated this - every time someone's horny brain "shorted out" or Apollo and Cassandra hissed at each other to be quiet or they'd be caught, I was just super conscious of the repetition. Lastly, this was atrocious as an audiobook, because of the male POV for Apollo. I'm sorry but the guy's voice was a nasal British accent, not sexy at all, and was ruining Apollo for me, who otherwise is my favorite of the Thirteen so far.
That brings me to what I enjoyed - Apollo, notwithstanding his bad audio portrayal! He's a tall, half-Korean hunk in this, and one of the nicest of the Thirteen despite his spymaster role. This diversity was what made me keep going with the series - it was so refreshing to have a caring and competent male lead after so many mediocre ones, besides Hades. People are complaining about the lower spice levels in this book, but it was fine for me, since Katee writes sex scenes with a lot of vocabulary I don't particularly love. Instead, there were several instances of sexy situational proximity, a favorite trope of mine, and Apollo absolutely simps for Cassandra, who as a plus-size character was handled really well, I thought. The man's lines are nonstop appreciation and praise for her, and the part where Apollo was rueing the fact Cassandra shut a door and he couldn't watch her blowdry her hair was adorable! The quiet intimacy!
So what I enjoyed and didn't kind of balanced out in this book, at least. I think some big world-rocking business went down at the end of this book, but again, trying to grasp the threads of whatever's happening with Olympus as a weird city-state maybe-magical realm was like trying to grasp a cloud. Any actual goings-on besides the romantic plots are none of my business, LMAO, as far as I'm concerned moving forward in the series. -
The Dark Olympus series has been my jam, but this has left me puzzled
1) Radiant Sin lost me with the whole murder mystery plot, hard pass. There were way too many characters involved, and just everything involved with it made zero sense.
2) Cassandra and Apollo’s characters were not fleshed out enough for me to believe that two people who have NEVER hung out outside of work or had any sort of communication outside of the professional are suddenly in love after fucking?
3) Cassandra’s parents death and her societal ostracism make no sense when the majority of Thirteen placements involve murder. Plus there’s little information on what truly happened with her parents and again makes no sense 🤣
4) Hermes?????? Girl what
JUST MAKE IT MAKE SENSE -
Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ARC 🌈
I’ve followed this series since Neon Gods was released and I’ve loved each book more than the last. As additional characters get written about and introduced the world gets more complex. I love seeing previous characters come back and it’s fun to wonder who the next book will highlight.
Radiant Sin had everything you need if you’re a fantasy romance reader: adventure and spice! The plot flowed seamlessly from the previous books and, even though I did not reread the series before diving into this one, I was not lost. Katee is fantastic about rehashing background details when they are needed without it feeling like an info dump. I read a good bit and sometimes it’s hard to pick a series back up after being out of the world. I never find that to be the case with anything Katee writes.
The characters in this beautiful addition to the series were Cassondra and Apollo. Both characters were fully fleshed out and dynamic- their motivations were clear and aligned with their actions. Some fan-favorite tropes made their way into this book with my favorites being fake dating and one bed. I loved the setting and how it was wrapped in mystery and intrigue. Side characters from the previous book (Wicked Beauty) became key points of interest and, while some are unsavory, I’m interested to see how it’s going to continue to progress.
I’ve read all of the previous books on my kindle so the audiobook was a different experience for me. I’m usually not a fan because they don’t hold my attention. However, the voice actors chosen for Cassondra and Apollo did an excellent job and, while I did have to keep the pace at 1.5x, it was easy to follow and immersive. It made the book seem like a light read because time flew by.
All in all, I always love Katee Robert. She is a great author and, if you follow her social media or newsletters, it’s glaringly obvious that she puts her whole soul into her books. She is a wonderful author as well as just a wonderful person. I am always thankful for her representation and inclusivity of full sized women. -
This is probably the most boring book I've read this year, and that's not saying a lot since we're not even a full two months in, but my God, was I bored.
My expectations were probably too high, because the previous book was the best in the series so I thought it would go up from there. I was wrong.
As a whole, Katee Robert's books have never really worked for me so that might be a part of the reason why I didn't enjoy this.
Before starting Radiant Sin I added the next book to my tbr, but when I started it I ended up removing it because honestly, I don't like this series. The first book was okay, I didn't like the second, the third was the best like I said and I did like it, but this one I hated.
So I don't need to be a completionist and finish a series I'm not enjoying. Especially one that isn't even super connected storyline wise. I just don't. And I think I'll take a long break from Katee Robert's books, unless if something truly amazing - never been done before - can't resist reading it etc etc appears. -
Had a great time with this one! I really loved the overall plot that is being moved forward with this one. I actually gasped out loud a few times and was shocked with where we were at the end. I immediately went to look up the release date for book 5 and I can't wait to see what will happen there.
Apollo and Cassandra were just delightful. They both are under a lot of stress with their personal lives and with the city drama as a whole. I loved how they are pushed into fake dating by Zeus but really they both hate that they want it so bad. They've worked together all these years and had to deny their feelings. Apollo is such a simp for Cassandra and I was here for it!
I do wish I had gotten a bit more of them actually together and a few more steamy scenes which were limited due to our truncated timeline in this one.
But overall I enjoyed this entry very much and seeing so much of the politics and maneuverings of those in power was intriguing. I will be eagerly awaiting the next entry.
4 stars
3 on the spice scale
I received an audio from Netgalley and an eARC from edelweiss. -
3.5 ⭐️ Apollo and Cassandra’s story.
This is the fourth instalment in the Dark Olympus series, and it’s very much in tune with the rest of the series. Its spicy scenes are hot, with some k!nk thrown in there for extra fun, and the machinations and back-stabbing are at an all time high.
Apollo, as part of the Thirteen, has a very prominent and high profile life. Cassandra however, as his personal assistant, exists both close and completely removed from this life. Her parents were both murdered by the Thirteen after trying and failing to claim one the titles by right of might. Now, all that Cassandra wants is to make enough money to get herself and her sister safely out of Olympus. So, when the new Zeus offers her more money than she could possibly make for herself to spend a week pretending to be her boss’s girlfriend, she really can’t say no.
For the most part this book followed the structure most Katee Robert books do, and it’s one that I thoroughly enjoy so there’s no complaints there. What I will say it’s that this was just as bothersome and clanky as the last book. Wicked Beauty, much like Radiant Sin, was hot and cute at times, but when it came time to mind the overall plot -the one regarding the city and that’s supposed to tie all the books together- I found myself more and more disinterested with each chapter that went by. I understand the whole secrecy and conspiring, since it’s important to keep the world-building consistent, but I really don’t get where we’re going with any of it. It’s getting confusing, and too convoluted with no real answers for books at a time. What’s wrong with the city barrier? Why is it failing? How is it that no one is actively freaking out when there’s no answers? This was Apollo’s book, and since he’s the keeper of secrets, we truly should have gotten some more answers.
Overall, it was entertaining enough, but I don’t think it’s up to scale with Neon Gods (#1) or Electric Idol (#2). I really hope we start to get answers soon.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5
🌶️🌶️.5 / 5
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*I've only gotten my hands on the first five chapters thanks to Net Galley. I will do a more in depth review once I read the whole book*
What a little tease! These first five chapters went by so quick!
I really can’t wait to read the rest of Cassandra and Apollo’s story. I’ve read every single Dark Olympus book prior to this one, and I’ve been excited about a new book coming out soon.
The main tags I would use to describe this romance book are Greek gods re-imagined, mutual pining and forced proximity – which in my opinion is a recipe for delicious, wonderfully angsty romances.
February can’t come fast enough! -
4.5 stars
Gods, I love this woman. The way Katee Robert has written this entire series blows my mind. I always get so into the story to the point where I can’t put the book down!!! This was the perfect next addition to the Dark Olympus series.
The story gave me clue vibes because of the mystery aspect AND BOY OH BOY WAS I OBSESSED WITH CASSANDRA & APOLLO. They. Are. Perfect.
Apollo is so different from the other male main characters of the series & I loved everything about him!!! We gotta appreciate a workplace romance with mutual pinning that has been ongoing for years!! Cassandra is a mean, grouchy little thing with the biggest heart and would do anything for those she loves. The fact that Cassandra works for Apollo, & they both have had mutual pining for yearrrrrrs makes it that much better.
Okay I’m already ready for the next one!!!
Tropes:
Workplace romance
Employee/Boss
Fake dating
Forced proximity -
5 Stars on the Spicy Foreplay and the use of Shibari, actual steamy sex was ok, but not spectacular, though.
The mythological connection was mostly subpar. There was a severe lack of tying Apollo and Cassandra into the mythological characters they embody, and I love that about this series. Disappointing for me.
The new wrench thrown into the shit show that is the political structure of Dark Atlantis was great.
The ending was a bit weak.
Still thoroughly enjoyable. I will keep reading all of this series that Katee Roberts writes.
4 Stars. -
Katee my queen never fails me. I had so much fun with this! Fake Dating & Forced Proximity?!?!?! THE BEST! This story of Apollo & Cassandra was hot; hot, hot & I really liked it. It was a very solid entry in this series I just adore so much. If you love Katee & this world you will adore this!
*thank you sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC copy to review -
DNF 76% - I am just 0% invested in the actual plot of this book. In the last dark Olympus book, Wicked Beauty, the spice was hot, but the plot also had me in a chokehold. I needed to know who would come out the victor in the end. In Radiant Sin, the spice is hot once it starts and while the plot has all the things that SHOULD intrigue me, the dialogue surrounding it is just the same thing over and over which has left me annoyed and lacking interest. “Why is he here? Why are we here? What is his plan? Things aren’t what they seem!” And repeat. I found myself 20% back wishing they’d just get to some type of answers, and now I’m at 76% and I couldn’t be bothered to finish this one. Plus if I heard the word condom one more time I was going to scream. We got it. They are using condoms. The voice actors are incredible and I think anyone who enjoys a mystery where it goes in circles quite a bit will enjoy this one. I’m giving up because if I finish it I’ll rate it and I don’t think my rating would be great.
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In case you find yourself at this review and have never read a Katee Robert book, I need to point out a few things. Her writing is some of my absolute favorite. It always makes me feel seen and safe. It’s inclusive, diverse, and there’s something for everyone. It’s always the perfect amount of sexy and fluffy. Plus the books are nearly always very queer and that in and of itself is top tier. Katee Robert could publish her grocery list and I would want to read it.
The male MCs in this series aren’t just men written by a woman, they’re men who go to therapy. iykyk. That being said— Apollo is daddy. That man speaks and I’m sat. Her told Cassandra to earn it and I was feral. I couldn’t get enough of how obsessed he was with her.
“You like hearing me talk, don’t you?”
“It’s one of my favorite things.”
I absolutely adored Cassandra! Her attitude and her confidence. How she dedicated her life to protecting her sister. The two of them together— THE BANTER?! *fans face to cool down*
I enjoyed how we got more of the background plot surrounding the city of Olympus for this book. It felt like a combination of a game of Clue and that 2019 movie Ready or Not.
Tropes in this book—
Alpha hero, but he’s a marshmallow for her
Fake dating
Forbidden love
Forced proximity
He’s obsessed with her
I’m supposed to hate you, but you’re so nice to me
There’s only one bed
I’m so excited for this release and the continuation of this series!
I received the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own. Thank you Sourcebooks and Katee! -
2.5 stars rounded down to 2 for goodreads.
This book doesn't release until February 2023 but as soon as I was notified of getting approved for the advanced copy I knew I had to dive in immediately because I am a tad obsessed with the 'Dark Olympus' series so far!
I am so beyond saddened that I am rating this book so low, but I cannot lie to myself to even give it a 3 star rating. I found 'Radiant Sin' to be nothing like Katee Robert's first three books in this series. This one was hardly spicy whatsoever. If I had to rate it on a scale of 5 chili peppers (5 being 'Neon Gods' type spice) this one would be .5 of a chili pepper, so mild, no burn, just a tiny tingle that dissolves instantly.
The storyline was so scattered and honestly I found it a tad ridiculous. Played out kind of like a murder mystery with these weird "games" involved, which felt scattered and confusing.
I loved the two main characters, Apollo and Cassandra. That being said though, the story mostly revolved around everyone else rather than them.
The ending was so sudden and abrupt, leaving me with no emotional connection at all between Cassandra and Apollo.
I still love this 'Dark Olympus' series as a whole and will definitely read the next 3 that will be released in the future but phew, I sure hope the next one redeems itself for me!
Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing me with this advanced E-copy in exchange for an honest review. -
Thank you Dreamscape Media for providing with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the fourth installment of the Dark Olympus series. It's considerably less spicy than the other books but don't let that deter you from enjoying it. Katee Robert spends a good amount of time setting up the politics of the world for the forthcoming books. I have a good feeling the next books are going to be INSANE!
The romance between Apollo and Cassandra was very soft and tender. Cassandra is prickly and Apollo is the definition of "boy obsessed". I LOVED THEM! And the spice we did get!? WHEW! I really loved this one and as always, I am eagerly waiting for CRUEL SEDUCTION to come out in August. -
The romance was a little soft, lacking some intensity of previous books in the series. But the political intrigue was INTENSE! Shit got real in Olympus - damn! I cannot wait to see what happens next!
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I was really excited to read this one. It was a good read but the romance didn't intrigue me as much as earlier books in the series, and I was more interested in the mystery. It works better as a part of the series because it builds on what was set off at the end of the last book and raises more questions about the next book.
Also, I personally have never cared about Apollo and Cassandra in Greek mythology, so maybe that's why this didn't work for me.
I'm still excited for the rest of the series though. -
dnf @ 60%
boring. yawning. sloppy. lazy. -
Rating this book hurts me. If it was anyone other than Katee Robert it would probably be less than two stars.
First the characters: Apollo and Casandra are two of the least engaging protagonists of this series. Especially coming off the high of Wicked Beauty that had such strongly written characters. I understand now why people aren’t a fan of friends to lovers because there tends to not be enough tension. Their spicy scenes were good don’t get me wrong but the tone was very different from any of the others in the series.
Second plot: I would say the biggest downfall of this book is how choppy the plot progression was. I totally respect that she was going for the locked in a creepy house murder mystery vibe, but the story as it is written, does not sustain that. There were several times that the supposed schemes of our main couple didn’t match their actual actions that I was left wondering what the point of their attempts at espionage, if you could call it that, were. Additionally, most erotica books even ones is a series like this don’t end with so many open plot lines. Of all the books in the series this one ends rather abruptly and without meaningful resolution.
I know the author has struggled with over committing in the last year and had to scale back some release dates. I wish this one had gone through a similar process. I would rather a better book even if it is delayed.
Rep: fat bisexual FMC, queernormative -
Very excited to read this but also wondering how true it stays to the original story because Apollo was a huuuuuge douche to Cassandra xD
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2 stars because the spice was good when it was there and the last fourth of the book had promise (that didn’t follow through, but it was engaging all the same).
This plot was so broken. It had all the elements needed to be a really decent story, but I really feel like we see the chink in Katee’s writing armor in how she attempts to maneuver her characters into the box this plot sticks them in. Established savvy and powerful characters acting like absolute idiots to ensure her plot twist could be successful. It was frustrating because this could have been a really great murder mystery if the plot evolved more naturally.
Cassandra and Apollo were less than wonderful to read too. Both felt one-dimensional, and their romance was hard to buy at times. The spice was there, but the love was lacking to me.
I’m beginning to like this series less and less as new books are released. At this point, I’m just along for the Zeus and Hera train.
Spice: 3/5 🌶️ -
3.5 stars! Radiant Sin is the latest addition in Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series, book 4. Besides the first book, I’ve had a good time with this series so when my audio library hold came in, I jumped in! While I don’t care too much about the sort of strange, contemporary-fantasy hybrid world created here and still don’t think it makes much sense, I’m here for the (light) Greek mythology-inspired romances since they are entertaining, hot, and sometimes just what I’m in the mood for! 😅
In this one we follow Apollo and Cassandra and we have some fun tropes: workplace romance (she’s his executive assistant, he’s the boss), fake dating at a house party they have to attend, grumpy-sunshine (she’s the grump, he’s the sunshine), and loads of pining (he’s wanted her for yearssss)! Cassandra has been working for Apollo for 5 years and he’s been trying to keep his distance since he hired her, but he’s also sooo into her. I loved seeing them work together and the tension and chemistry they have! They have to fake date at a house party they are to attend with some of the new ruling Olympians.
We do see lots of the side characters in this and a whole lotta talk about the “Thirteen” (the rulers of Olympus in this world). Which I honestly could have done without because I’m not interested in all of that. 😅 But the romance between Apollo and Cassandra was equally sweet (the mutual pining!) hot (their times together 🔥!) and so fun!
