{"id":58333,"date":"2025-10-06T23:54:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T23:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/58333\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T23:54:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T23:54:12","slug":"read-katee-roberts-tender-cruelty-excerpt-see-shattered-gods-cover-reveal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/58333\/","title":{"rendered":"Read Katee Robert’s \u2018Tender Cruelty\u2019 Excerpt, See \u2018Shattered Gods\u2019 Cover Reveal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Katee Robert<\/a> is getting ready to say goodbye to the Dark Olympus series<\/a>, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have special gifts from the gods to still give us as the countdown begins. The beloved and absolutely scorching series is set to be completed with the upcoming 10th novel, but there’s still so many secrets to reveal as we get closer and closer to the end!<\/p>\n

Cosmopolitan has an exclusive first look at the final two books in the Dark Olympus series: Tender Cruelty<\/a> and Shattered Gods<\/a>. The first book, Tender Cruelty, will be released on December 2, 2026, while Shattered Gods will come out on June 23, 2026 to bring the whole series to an end. Before we dive into a special exclusive excerpt, we’re first revealing the cover for Shattered Gods that gives us a glimpse into what we can expect from Hermes and Atalanta and Circe.<\/p>\n

\"shattered<\/p>\n

Sourcebooks Casablanca<\/p>\n

Here’s some info about Shattered Gods from our friends at Sourcebooks Casablanca:<\/p>\n

She was Olympus’s Queen. Its sacrifice. Its savior. Its destruction.<\/p>\n

Long ago, Circe was Hermes’ entire heart. The two women lived on the outskirts of Olympian society, content with a quiet life away from the spotlight. Then Circe caught the eye of Zeus\u2026and was forced into a marriage that would take her freedom, her future, and in the end, her life. In the wake of the tragedy, gossip swirled about the woman Zeus married and (allegedly) murdered\u2026but in time, everyone forgot about beautiful, tragic Circe.<\/p>\n

Everyone but Hermes, who vowed on that day to bring Olympus to its knees.<\/p>\n

Now, fifteen years later, a new Zeus rules the city, a new Hades protects his people, a new hope dawns\u2026and Hermes has begun to think there may be things about Olympus worth saving. With Atalanta by her side\u2015and slowly rebuilding her heart\u2015Hermes may finally be ready to set aside her fury and seek the city’s rebirth instead of its total annihilation. But there is a beautiful devil on Hermes’ other shoulder: a devil who rose, blood-soaked, from where Zeus left her for dead years ago. A devil who has waited all this time to have her revenge.<\/p>\n

And no matter their past, no matter the desperate love they once shared, no matter the complicated triad forming between the three women, Circe will not rest until all of Olympus lays shattered at her feet\u2026and the gods help anyone who gets in her way.

A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Hermes and Atalanta and Circe. <\/p>\n

But before we can get to their story, we need to find out what happens to Hera and Zeus first! You can check out an exclusive excerpt from Tender Cruelty below! Just make sure to pre-order <\/a>Tender Cruelty<\/a> and Shattered Gods<\/a> before diving in!<\/p>\n

An Excerpt From Tender Cruelty
By Katee Robert<\/p>\n

1
Zeus
<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all coming apart. Tonight should have been a victory that cemented my reign as Zeus and eliminated the threat against Olympus once and for all. Instead, four out of five Aeaean ships sailed off into the night, possibly about to turn around and attack us the moment we aren\u2019t looking\u2014and Circe has once again slipped through our grasp. <\/p>\n

My father must be rolling over in his grave. The bastard might have been a monster of the most dangerous variety, but he reigned as Zeus for nearly fifty years of peace. More or less. I\u2019ve held the title for less than a year, and during that time, the assassination clause has become public knowledge, resulting in unprecedented violence against the Thirteen, we\u2019re facing an external enemy for the first time in Olympian history, the barrier that protected our city from the outside world has come down, and I\u2019ve staged a coup with the other legacy titles, betraying everything Zeus is supposed to be. <\/p>\n

Truly, a spectacular failure all around. <\/p>\n

I sit in my car in my building\u2019s parking garage for long enough that I start getting odd looks from the guards positioned near the elevator. It doesn\u2019t matter how long I take or how deep and slow my breathing; there\u2019s no banishing my father\u2019s derisive voice from my head. He might be dead, but he haunts me still, even though this is all his damn fault. <\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t a neat solution to the Circe problem, and she wouldn\u2019t even be a problem if my bastard of a father hadn\u2019t kidnapped her off the street, marched her down the aisle, and then attempted to murder her on their honeymoon. Up until very recently, we all assumed she was dead\u2014another Hera fallen at the hands of a violent Zeus. <\/p>\n

The worst part is that I don\u2019t blame her for her determination to get vengeance. She was horribly mistreated by both my father and the rest of the Thirteen at the time. Not a single person tried to step in to help her. <\/p>\n

But my father is dead and gone\u2014at least to everyone who didn\u2019t spend their entire lives being trained to become the next him. Of the Thirteen who held the positions when she was Hera, only three remain\u2014Poseidon, Athena, and Hades. Even if there were more left, no one stands against Zeus. At least the Zeus my father was. She\u2019s striving for vengeance against people who hold no blame in her pain. More than that, she\u2019s endangering the civilians of the city. <\/p>\n

What the fuck am I doing? I have all this power, and all I\u2019ve managed to do with it is stumble around in the dark. <\/p>\n

I sigh. I\u2019m not going to solve this problem by sitting in my car and berating myself in my late father\u2019s voice. There will be no peace up in the penthouse either, not with my Hera swishing about, plotting my death. She wasn\u2019t successful in her most recent plans, but she\u2019s not a woman to give up easily. Sleeping peacefully at her side should be out of the question. <\/p>\n

And yet it\u2019s the only time I get any rest these days. <\/p>\n

I shove out of the car and stalk past the guards, forcing myself to nod at them in greeting, and take the elevator up to the penthouse. It\u2019s late enough that dawn is a short time away, so I don\u2019t expect Hera to be awake. I sure as fuck don\u2019t expect her to have company. <\/p>\n

But as I walk through the door, there\u2019s a deep voice intertwined with her more musical tones. <\/p>\n

One of the first lessons my father taught me was that emotional reactions are handing a weapon to your enemy and exposing your throat. He was the enemy back then, but the lesson remains. No matter how Hera strives to incite my fury, I don\u2019t react. I will notbe my father and terrorize those in my household. The more my wife acts out, the thicker the ice I use to keep my temper under control. <\/p>\n

I find her sitting on the couch with Ixion, one of the new guards who follow her everywhere. She acquired him and the other two from Ares at some point in the last two months. I approve of her keeping herself safe. I sure as fuck do not approve of the way Ixion allows his thigh to press to hers. <\/p>\n

They look up as I stop in the doorway. Hera gives me nothing, but that\u2019s to be expected. People accuse me of being an ice king, but she\u2019s all blades and no softness. She has one reaction to any given situation\u2014strike first. She leans back and crosses one long leg over the other, which is right around the time I realize she\u2019s wearing a robe and nothing else. Her dark hair is mussed a bit, too; she must have run her fingers through it recently. <\/p>\n

Or Ixion ran his fingers through it. <\/p>\n

Ixion gives me a smirk as if he has a better claim to the woman I married than I do. The fact that he might be right nearly has me reaching for the gun in my shoulder holster. I can even see what she finds attractive about him\u2014he\u2019s a white man with short blond hair, a neatly trimmed mustache, and the kind of muscular body that one gets from a life of work. The mustache alone should write him off, but he\u2019s a handsome fucker and charming enough to make it work for him. <\/p>\n

I hold his gaze for long enough that a bright pink takes up residence in his cheeks. Only then do I speak. \u201cGet out.\u201d <\/p>\n

Ixion doesn\u2019t immediately obey. He looks to her first, waiting for her nod, then rising easily to his feet. \u201cI\u2019ll see you tomorrow.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBright and early.\u201d She even manages a smile for him, which is more than I ever get from her. \u201cHave a good night.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou too.\u201d He doesn\u2019t shoulder check me as he walks past, but he clearly wants to. I let him have my back as I listen to him walk down the hall to the door. When Hera acquired her trio, I had Apollo look into them. They all held exemplary records with Athena before they resigned and came to Hera. There was literally nothing to criticize, no good reason to step in and demand she retain the guards I handpicked for her instead. <\/p>\n

It irritates me deeply. <\/p>\n

\u201cZeus.\u201d I hadn\u2019t realized there was warmth in her tone for him until there\u2019s none for me. \u201cYou\u2019re home late.\u201d <\/p>\n

If I were a better man, I wouldn\u2019t relish the thread of jealousy beneath her question. It\u2019s faint enough that I\u2019m not entirely certain it\u2019s real, but I want it to be real. I want Hera to care enough to worry about whose bed I might be spending time in. Because of that weakness, I can\u2019t bring myself to address it directly. \u201cAnd you had Ixion here late.\u201d I make a show of looking at my watch. \u201cHe must be costing a fortune in overtime.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou have no idea.\u201d Her hazel eyes flash. \u201cTake a shower. You\u2019re not coming straight from someone else\u2019s bed to mine.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou first, Wife.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cGladly.\u201d She\u2019s off the couch and across the room in seconds, disappearing through the doorway leading deeper into the penthouse. <\/p>\n

Hera represents another failure in my year as Zeus. Marrying her accomplished my goal of getting Demeter and her formidable alliances on my side, but if I had tentative hopes of this marriage being a true partnership\u2014let alone something more\u2014they died on my wedding night. My home has since turned into a battleground again, each interaction another fight in an ongoing war. Sharing a bed? It\u2019s just another facet of that. <\/p>\n

I should deny her. She\u2019s actively trying to orchestrate my death and I highly doubt that the most recent failure will set her back for long. Letting her be close enough to access me when I sleep is foolhardy to the point of being suicidal. Having sex with her is even worse. Even knowing exactly how intensely she wants me dead, I\u2026forget myself. <\/p>\n

Knowing that doesn\u2019t stop me from walking to the spare bedroom and taking a quick shower. It isn\u2019t enough to keep me from pulling on a pair of shorts and padding barefoot across the hallway to the primary bedroom. Opening the door allows a sliver of light into the darkness. Hera has pulled the curtains already; can\u2019t entertain even the slightest possibility that someone might see what happens in our perfect darkness. <\/p>\n

She steps out of the bathroom, a silk robe wrapped around her lithe body. She meets my gaze boldly and reaches without looking to shut off the light. My breathing feels unnaturally loud as I move unerringly toward the bed. Toward Hera. The faint slither of her robe dropping down her body to the floor makes me so hard it\u2019s difficult to think. It\u2019s always like this. No matter how cold we are in the daylight hours, no matter what violence her plots entail, in the dark all I can think about is the feel of her, the way she tastes on my tongue. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s because of that desperation that I hold back. That I have to hold back. I have to be sure. \u201cHera.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cGods, you are unbearable.\u201d <\/p>\n

I ignore that. \u201cSay yes.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m naked and waiting in your bed, you utter bastard. Get over here and do your husbandly duties so I can get some sleep.\u201d <\/p>\n

When we were married, we signed a contract explicitly spelling out that an heir and a spare are required, but she demanded a full twelve months before actively attempting to get pregnant. I was more than happy to oblige that particular demand. Hades already has an heir on the way, which creates pressure for me to do the same, but there are few horrors I can imagine beyond forcing a pregnancy on a person, so even after the year is up, I\u2019ll wait for Hera to decide for herself that she\u2019s ready to stop taking her birth control. <\/p>\n

That year should mean we aren\u2019t fucking, but that small detail got lost somewhere in translation. Every single night, when the lights go out, we find each other in the dark. And every single night, I refuse to touch her before getting verbal consent. \u201cSay yes.\u201d <\/p>\n

She curses. \u201cYes.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hera. My queen. The person in Olympus who hates me the most. <\/p>\n

But when my fingers brush her hip, she grabs my wrist and pulls me down to her. No hesitation. No ice. Just a heat so intense I\u2019m certain it will burn us both away to nothingness. She\u2019s not sharp as I pull her close and kiss her. She\u2019s soft and fiery and full of need. Her fingers dig into my hips, urging me to line up with her, to get this over with. <\/p>\n

Despite everything, stress and rage and a deep sense that I\u2019m fucking things up beyond all repair in every facet of my life, I smile against her lips. \u201cSay yes.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI hate you.\u201d <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the truth. But not in this moment. When she\u2019s moving against me, a battle of wills where we both win, I can almost see the partnership we could have if we\u2019d just get out of our own ways. If she wasn\u2019t Hera, determined to stand apart from her predecessors and survive. If I wasn\u2019t Zeus, trapped in a long shadow of all those who have held the title before me. We would be unstoppable. We might even be happy. <\/p>\n

But we are Zeus and Hera, and I can\u2019t afford to forget that. I drag my mouth along her jaw to speak directly in her ear, as soft as a secret. \u201cSay yes, Hera. Spread your thighs and let me taste you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Her nails prick my hips, but when she speaks, she\u2019s the same cold creature I married. \u201cI already said yes, Zeus. Don\u2019t be a bastard and try to make me beg. You\u2019ll fail.\u201d <\/p>\n

We both know that\u2019s a lie, but I allow her the illusion that it\u2019s not. She always begs in the end\u2014for me to go harder, deeper, to not stop. Tonight, I don\u2019t test the limits of her patience. I never do. Instead, I kiss my way down her body and settle between her thighs. <\/p>\n

Here is where Hera is sweetest, and she proves that to be true yet again at the first slow drag of my tongue through her folds. Instantly, her legs fall wide open. She laces her fingers through my hair and lifts her hips to meet my mouth. <\/p>\n

These stolen moments of peace never last. They\u2019re a fantasy I can\u2019t help engaging with, an alternate reality that I only allow myself to entertain when there is nothing to illuminate the lie. Dawn will come soon enough to pierce the illusion that I have a wife who actually wants me. <\/p>\n

But for now, we have this. <\/p>\n

2Hera<\/p>\n

I hate Zeus. I\u2019ve hated Zeus since I was a little girl and realized exactly how much power he holds over Olympus\u2014over my family. It doesn\u2019t matter that this Zeus and that one are two different men. Zeus may be a title passed down from parent to child since the beginning of Olympus, but they\u2019re all monsters. <\/p>\n

This particular monster currently has two fingers inside me and is licking my clit in a rhythm that has my toes curling almost painfully. <\/p>\n

It only makes me hate him more, yet it doesn\u2019t matter how little I like the man between my thighs. When the lights go out, I can almost pretend he\u2019s someone else, someone whose pleasure I can accept without choking on it. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s unfortunate I\u2019ve never been all that good at playing pretend. <\/p>\n

Zeus crooks his fingers inside me again and again, driving me into an orgasm so strong it almost wipes away the bitter taste of failure. If I\u2019d gotten my way, I\u2019d be a widow by now, my husband crushed in a truly unfortunate accident in that eyesore he calls a workplace. Instead, I\u2019m shoving him onto his back and straddling him, taking his ridiculously large cock into me. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t need to fuck my husband any more. I got what I came for\u2014an heir to take his title, a clear path into a future without him in it. I\u2019m months along at this point and all signs indicate that the little parasite in my stomach is perfectly healthy and will continue to be until the moment they come barging into the world, no doubt to grow up to be a monster just like every Zeus before them. But they\u2019ll be my monster. <\/p>\n

We have no shortage of those in my family. <\/p>\n

So, no, I don\u2019t need to keep having sex with Zeus. Every night, I tell myself that this will be the night I\u2019ll go sleep in the spare bedroom, or will at least resist telling him yes the way he keeps insisting before touching me. <\/p>\n

And every night, I\u2019m back here again, riding his cock and letting pleasure sweep over me until this entire interlude hardly feels real. <\/p>\n

In the morning, I\u2019ll wake up to find him gone and I\u2019ll hate him all the more for his absence. And maybe I\u2019ll hate myself a little for the sliver of disappointment I can\u2019t quite banish. I\u2019ve always had more than my fair share of hate to spread around. <\/p>\n

He grips my hips, pulling me down in a grinding motion while he presses against the sides of my mound with his thumbs. The squeeze isn\u2019t direct contact to my clit, but after coming so hard from his tongue, I\u2019m sensitive to the point of pain. It\u2019s as if Zeus has a map of my pleasure in a way that no one else ever has. He\u2019s so fucking methodical that I think he clocked me on our wedding night. He\u2019s only gotten better since then. <\/p>\n

Bastard. <\/p>\n

Through it all, he never says a word. Not even when I lose control and dig my nails into his chest. \u201cMore!\u201d <\/p>\n

He gives me more. He always gives me more. Until I overflow with it, my body going tight and hot and gushing all over him. Normally, it\u2019s enough to pull him over the edge with me, to end this awful, wonderful moment where nothing makes sense. Then we\u2019ll clean up and retreat to our respective sides of the bed and sleep. Or he sleeps. I lie there, filled with loathing for him, for this city, and for myself. <\/p>\n

Not tonight. He rolls us and shifts back to kneel between my legs, pressing my thighs wide until I\u2019m bent in half. Then he\u2019s inside me again, fucking me in long, punishing strokes that rub deliciously inside me. I don\u2019t mean to reach for him. I sure as fuck don\u2019t mean to grab his hips and pull him deeper yet. \u201cHarder,\u201d I gasp. <\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t hesitate to give me exactly what I ask for. It should be enough to make me feel in control, but I\u2019m the one unraveling and he\u2019s still the perfect ice king. He fucks me like he\u2019s mad at me, like he\u2019s punishing me, but that doesn\u2019t make any sense because who punishes with pleasure? <\/p>\n

My orgasm has barely faded and it\u2019s already building again, even stronger this time. If I were more in control, I would shove him off and walk away, leaving him with only his hand for comfort. But I\u2019m too greedy. Instead of pushing him away, I pull him closer and then it\u2019s too late\u2014I\u2019m coming again, and this time he\u2019s coming with me. <\/p>\n

In this one perfect moment, my mind is still. I\u2019m not a peaceful person by nature, but I can almost wrap my hands around the concept of it. The fact that my husband is the source of the sensation is beyond my ability to reconcile. So I don\u2019t. I\u2019ve lived with plenty of dichotomies in my life; what\u2019s one more? <\/p>\n

Zeus\u2019s hands flex on my thighs, holding me open even as my body pulses from the strength of the orgasm, drawing me back into the present. \u201cNo more, Hera.\u201d <\/p>\n

I blink into the near-perfect darkness. I can\u2019t even see his outline above me. Why is he talking to me? We don\u2019t talk in bed. \u201cWhat?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re discreet enough that not even MuseWatch has caught wind of your lover, but I don\u2019t give a fuck. I don\u2019t want him here.\u201d <\/p>\n

My\u2026lover. <\/p>\n

It takes my pleasure-drunk brain a beat to catch up. He means Ixion. He\u2019s jealous of Ixion. The thought would make me laugh if I had the breath for it. I\u2019m not fool enough to sleep with anyone except Zeus, not when the parentage of my parasite is so vital to my plans and, by extension, the safety of my family. That\u2019s why I accepted this marriage, after all\u2014to protect my sisters. <\/p>\n

But admitting that Ixion and I aren\u2019t having sex feels like giving away a piece of vital information\u2014and power with it. Especially when I\u2019m sure Zeus\u2019s late nights at the office aren\u2019t spent alone. I see the way people watch him. Even though he\u2019s not charismatic like his father, he\u2019s got power and that\u2019s enough to make him attractive to a certain type of person. Ganymede missed becoming Hera and now he practically throws himself at Zeus every chance he gets. And he\u2019s just one person. There are a dozen more young, beautiful things willing to play paramour, and those are only the ones I know about. <\/p>\n

Not that I\u2019m jealous. I\u2019m not. I don\u2019t care what my husband gets up to as long as it keeps him distracted from what I\u2019m up to. <\/p>\n

\u201cHera,\u201d he growls. \u201cI don\u2019t demand much of you, but I\u2019ll be damned before I let you make me a cuckold in my own home.\u201d <\/p>\n

It\u2019s on the tip of my tongue to tell the truth, but that\u2019s just the endorphins from sex clouding my thinking. If Zeus believes the reason I\u2019m sneaking around is because I\u2019m fucking the head of my bodyguards, then he won\u2019t be worrying about what I\u2019m actually doing. Mainly: plotting his death. <\/p>\n

\u201cI will keep my extracurricular activities outside the penthouse,\u201d I finally manage. It\u2019s a good idea to leave it there, but I can\u2019t quite help myself. I grab his shoulders and pull him down until I can feel his harsh breathing against my lips. \u201cAnd you will give me the same courtesy. I don\u2019t want to find someone else\u2019s underwear in our bedroom.\u201d <\/p>\n

Zeus is silent for a beat. Then he thrusts into me, his cock already hardening again. We don\u2019t do this. We don\u2019t have sex more than once a night. I open my mouth to remind him of that, but he kisses me before I can get the words out. He nips my bottom lip. \u201cAre you jealous, Hera?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d And I\u2019m not. It\u2019s about respect, not about wanting him all for myself. I don\u2019t want him at all. The words feel a little insubstantial, so I shove at his shoulders. \u201cWe\u2019ve met our requirement for the night.\u201d <\/p>\n

Instantly, he retreats. I tell myself that there\u2019s no regret in my traitorous body as I sit up and scoot toward the edge of the bed. \u201cNow you got me all sweaty. I need another shower.\u201d The words are harsh with recrimination, but I\u2019m not sure if I\u2019m more pissed at him\u2026or myself. <\/p>\n

Shutting the bathroom door between us doesn\u2019t offer any clarity. Strategically, it makes sense to keep having sex with him. He doesn\u2019t know I\u2019m pregnant, and I have no intention of telling him. My parasite is the path forward into the future. One where I\u2019m set up as regent of the Zeus title until the kid comes of age. There\u2019s no space in that future for this Zeus. If he knew what I intended, he\u2019d stop me. It\u2019s best he suspects nothing. <\/p>\n

The logic is solid enough. It\u2019s the smart move. If I also get extreme levels of pleasure out of the bargain? Well, Zeus is a giant pain in my ass and being his wife is downright torturous most days. We essentially have a business partnership with a side of fucking, except neither one of us would have chosen the other if there were any other option. <\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t choose me. He was in negotiations with my mother for Psyche\u2019s hand in marriage when that shit with Eros and Aphrodite hit the fan\u2014two Aphrodites ago, which defies belief when titles usually shift once a generation. My sister married Eros in a truly reckless effort to live, and that left only me and Eurydice as candidates for our mother\u2019s ambition. I couldn\u2019t let Eurydice take that hit, so I stepped forward to do it instead. Zeus needed Demeter\u2014and her allies\u2014at his back, so he wasn\u2019t in a position to refuse my offer. <\/p>\n

I turn on the shower and step in before the water has a chance to warm up. The shock of cold clears my thoughts and shatters the strange spell Zeus wove around me in the bedroom. I duck under the spray and make myself hold that position until the persistent desire to go another round disappears. It takes longer than I want to admit. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t rush through drying off and braiding my hair back. With any luck, he\u2019ll have fallen asleep by the time I return to the bed. As the racing of my heart finally slows to something more normal, I can\u2019t help wondering at what happened tonight to cause him to break our silent rules. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s been coming home later and later in the evening, and even with Ixion and the others doing their best to keep track of his whereabouts, he slips away every time. Either he\u2019s meeting with a lover\u2014multiple lovers, even\u2014or he\u2019s up to something in relation to Olympus. Possibly both. Probably both. <\/p>\n

But I don\u2019t know what, and so I can\u2019t bargain that information to Circe in return for my family\u2019s safety. I\u2019m not even certain where she is right now, if she\u2019s still on that ship in the bay or if she\u2019d already moved forward with whatever her plans are. I deeply resent not knowing. <\/p>\n

Exhaustion rolls over me in a wave. Before the parasite, I could operate on little sleep for weeks on end without issue. Now, I need to be in bed by midnight or I\u2019m weaving on my feet. I\u2019m well past that time tonight\u2026or this morning, more accurately. I should have sent Ixion away and tried to get some sleep, but I can\u2019t stand the thought of being in that big bed and being surprised by Zeus coming home unexpectedly. That\u2019s all. <\/p>\n

I scrub my hands over my face, apply my lotion, and pad out to the perfect darkness of our bedroom. Or near-perfect. Dawn is making itself known in between the cracks of the curtains. Really, I should skip sleeping entirely and go about my day, but my body has other ideas. <\/p>\n

The sheets are cool against my skin, the heat from Zeus\u2019s sleeping body not reaching my side of the bed. I settle into place, moving gingerly to avoid waking him and potentially starting another conversation I don\u2019t have capacity to deal with right now. Or ever. <\/p>\n

A few hours. In a few hours, I\u2019ll be able to think again, to plan, to find the angle needed to see us through the coming conflict\u2026 <\/p>\n

Text copyright \u00a9 2025 by Katee Robert. Reprinted by permission of Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks. All Rights Reserved.
<\/p>\n

Tender Cruelty, by Katee Robert will be released on December 2, 2025. To preorder the book, click on the retailer of your choice:<\/p>\n

AMAZON<\/a> AUDIBLE<\/a> BARNES & NOBLE<\/a> BOOKS-A-MILLION<\/a> BOOKSHOP<\/a> APPLE BOOKS<\/a> KOBO<\/a> LIBRO.FM<\/a> TARGET<\/a> WALMART<\/a> POWELL’S BOOKS<\/a> HUDSON BOOKSELLERS<\/a> GOOGLE PLAY<\/a> EBOOKS.COM<\/a><\/p>\n

Shattered Gods, by Katee Robert will be released on June 23, 2026. To preorder the book, click on the retailer of your choice:<\/p>\n

AMAZON<\/a> BARNES & NOBLE<\/a> BOOKS-A-MILLION<\/a> BOOKSHOP<\/a> APPLE BOOKS<\/a> KOBO<\/a> TARGET<\/a> WALMART<\/a> HUDSON BOOKSELLERS<\/a> GOOGLE PLAY<\/a> EBOOKS.COM<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Katee Robert is getting ready to say goodbye to the Dark Olympus series, but that doesn’t mean they…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58334,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[412,2139,43515,637,146,1345,85,46,1975,43514],"class_list":{"0":"post-58333","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-content-type-feature","10":"tag-contentid-38141b5e-fd41-4f47-8bb6-49134fb33d9b","11":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-hasproduct-true","14":"tag-il","15":"tag-israel","16":"tag-locale-us","17":"tag-shorttitle-katee-robert-gives-us-first-looks-at-tender-cruelty-and-shattered-gods"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}