Wicked Beauty (Dark Olympus, 3)

Rating: 4 Stars

"The woman is a princess in a tower, and what's a princess good for except bait?"

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 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 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?

I was really excited for this one because it just felt like it was going to be so different from the other's in the series. And really it did not disappoint. I liked that while the politics of Olympus was still important, this time we had like a Hunger Games equse fight to win the title of Ares. I really enjoyed that I had no idea who was going to win until they did. It was an intense part of the story that I really enjoyed as a side to the romance. It was hard not to like the Helen we get in this book, she simply is tired of being a pawn and wants to have the control over her life that she's lacking and so she enters the tournament. I think she is constantly underestimated until Achilles and Patroclus and that is why they work so well.

So the romance in this one is probably the best of the Dark Olympus series so far. I mean Achilles and Patroclus are adorable and perfect and sweet and cute and all the things. They balance each other and have this dynamic that just works so well... and then enters Helen, who complicates things for a minute but ultimately adds strength to the duo making an incredible trio who are hard to beat. I loved that they all became so protective over each other so quickly, and both Achilles and Patroclus offer Helen very different things. I really enjoyed how real the characters and romances felt in this book. I was really invested in the outcomes because they felt so relatable. So yeah this one is by far my favorite of the series so far. Be prepared to be on the edge of your seat for the outcome of Ares and the fate of this relationship... because you will be haha.