Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Dark Romance
Formats: $16.99 paperback | $9.99 ebook | $16.99 audiobook
Released: January 16, 2024
Katee Robert (she/they) is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of spicy romance; their books have sold over two million copies. Entertainment Weekly calls their writing “unspeakably hot.” Midnight Ruin is the sixth book in the Dark Olympus series, and Robert’s 70th novel across 22 series.
In Midnight Ruin, Eurydice Dimitriou has always been the innocent sister, but she’s finally ready to step out of the long shadow cast by her powerful family—and the ex who shattered her heart. Perhaps rough hands on soft skin are exactly what she needs to forget her heartbreak once and for all?
Charon Ariti has been Hades’s right-hand man for years. He’s given everything to the lower city, but now he’s ready to take something for himself. He’s only too happy to give Eurydice a special kind of education, but is her heart really free enough to be claimed?
Orpheus Makos will do whatever it takes to make things right. Once the golden boy of the upper city, he’s now a shadow of his former self. He’ll do anything to get Eurydice back, even if it means she’s not coming into his arms alone. Three hearts. Three futures.
When asked what contributed to the book landing on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, Robert said: “I think three main components went into it. The first and possibly more important (as far as moving the needle is concerned) is that I had intense marketing and publicity support on this title from my publisher, including a four-stop book tour. I also had a significant amount of support from booksellers and librarians recommending the book. And, finally, there’s a level of fandom surrounding the series now that has readers coming back for book after book, and they often show up during release week and with pre-orders.”
Robert credited Sourcebooks Casablanca for their work with bookstores to promote the events and ensure enough stock for attendees to purchase while there. The publisher also got the novel into the hands of booksellers and influencers they foster relationships with and who enjoyed other books in the Dark Olympus series, “because having the book hand-sold by people who like it is worth its weight in gold.” They said there was likely an advertising component as well.
Robert maintains a website with author resources, a merchandise store and bonus content, a newsletter, and an active social media presence across X/Twitter (35K), Facebook (18K), Instagram (76.1K), and Threads (19K), which they use to build relationships with readers and other authors and share new releases.
Robert advises, “Take [bestseller lists] with a grain of salt. There are often moving goalposts and a lot of factors outside the author’s control, but the one thing you can control is writing your best book and leaning into a series that your readers already love.”
Emily Wenstrom is a freelance writer and platforming expert and writes award-winning speculative fiction for teens and adults as E. J. Wenstrom.
E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. She writes dark speculative fiction for adults and teens, including her new release, a young adult dystopian novel titled Departures (August 10, 2021). When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributor to DIY MFA and BookRiot, and co-hosts the Fantasy+Girl Podcast. Learn more at her website.
