If Katee published their grocery list I would read it lol Overall I am so interested in seeing where this series goes. The spice was immaculate, and I fell in love with the characters.

I am a big Katee Robert fan but for some reason this one wasn't for me. I am still loving her Dark Olympus series though!

Katee Robert could write a grocery list and I would read it. Seriously. I love her work, I love the rebinding of this older story, and I love love love devouring her writing.

I’m really loving this series! The mafia life is the one for me!😂

Spoilers ahead:

we meet James and Carrigan in book 1 as rivals who accidentally hook up before James takes Carrigan hostage. Thankfully James helps Carrigan and Cali escape in book 1 but the two are still so insanely attracted to one another months later. Carrigan is told she needs to find a man off her father’s list to marry for political reasons and goes on several dates with these suitors while hooking up with James and falling in love with him. All the men are duds except a Russian new comer who seems dangerous but the most willing to make things work.

At the same time James is dealing with the fallout of his father going to prison and becoming the new head of the family. His younger brother Ricky is a hot head who causes the death of Carrigan brother Devlin in book 1, making him an impossible candidate for her marriage pact. Determined to turn legit and curb his brothers antics, he has big dreams for his family despite those who want an all out turf war.

This was a great story and I love James and Carrigans chemistry and banter! Can’t wait to continue with the story. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this series!

This is also a love story set on a track for disaster with a hero and heroine determined not to end in disaster. It's a modern day Romeo & Juliet with a different end :) It's ridiculously intriguing. I honestly didn't think I would like it as much as I did. It's passionate and fast-paced and will keep you on your toes. Your emotions will run thru the entire rainbow with this story but in the end, you will be smiling ... a lot :)
Family plays an important rule in the Mafia culture and Katee Robert made sure to represent that thoroughly and accurately in this story. Props for her for getting spot on!

It is even better rereading it after republication. It is a Katee Roberts novel you want the best spice pick her books because she knows how to write the spice

Unfortunately I don't think I like this series as much as I love the Dark Olympus series. I truly did not like first book in this series (The Wedding Pact? Dark Succession? Whatever). Teague bothered me but Katee did such a good job in reeling me in that I was sucked in. When I finally finished the book and came to, I realized how many issues I had but she is very distracting.

Luckily I liked Heated Rivals much more than it's former release but not as much as Neon Gods. Again, another author competing with herself. I'm not a big fan of the whole "you need to marry so go on 8000 dates to find "the one" meanwhile they have already met "the one" and this isn't necessary" storyline. It is just a waste of everyone's time. I went into this knowing that was coming and still felt like we could've done something more useful in that time.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I'll probably come back to the series. This one is a one and done though rather than a book I'd reread somewhere down the line.

Katee Robert can do no wrong. Truly no wrong. Heated Rivals is book 2 in The O'Malleys series. The series is contemporary, dark romance about Irish crime families that's full of angst and spice. Definitely major Romeo and Juliet vibes with this series (hello classic forbidden romance trope).

While this might not be my favorite Katee Robert series, it's certainly still a fun read if you want a steamy series to fly through quickly!

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

3/5 Stars

I love Katee Robert so much but this series shows that it was written early on in her career. I was hoping that maybe this one would be better than Dark Succession but it had all of the same issues. There were too many characters for a romance book that were not in the main couple and it would randomly switch characters in the middle of a chapter without any warning. I listened to the audiobook of Heated Rivals and I struggled with it. I am of the opinion that for romance books, especially contemporary romance the POVs should only be of the people in the relationship.

Carrigain O’Malley always knew she was destined for an arranged marriage but when she starts to have feelings for a man who couldn’t be more off limits she wants to fight for her chance to choose what makes her happy. James Halloran is dealing with the aftermath of his father being sent to prison but he can’t get Carrigain off his mind. They both want to fight for their chance to be together but things keep getting in the way.

The romance in this book is between Carrigain and James, and it’s a forbidden romance that is complicated by so many outside factors. I liked them together and I liked how strong Carrigain was at times but I do think there were a few moments she could have fought more.

My issue with this book is I can’t even tell you how many POVs there are, pretty much every O’Malley except one of Carrigain’s sisters has a POV as well as James. It is too many to keep straight and in a romance book where it is centered around Carrigain and James I think this book would have benefited from not having those other POVs, it would have added to the suspense elements and would have lessened the distraction for the reader so they could focus on our two main characters.

I do recommend this series but only if you are prepared for it having a lot going on constantly.

Heated Rivals is a typical enemies-to-lovers with a mafia twist. It's a fun read for those who like Katee Robert's books.

Thank you so much NetGalley for my copy of Heated Rivals. This is the is a republished/rebranded Katee Robert book and it did NOT disappoint.
And that’s without me being a huge fan of Katee’s writing style. It’s easy and easy to connect to. And this book was no different. I can’t wait to get my hands on some physical copies of every book in this series.

The second book in Katee Robert's "The O'Malleys" series did not disappoint! This was my second mafia romance read and it had the drama, the steam and the heart. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

This picks up after the events in Dark Succession, Carrigan and James having a hard time staying away from each other, which is a bad idea for several reasons.  The biggest reason is the rivalry and possible war between their two mafia families.  Throughout the book we find the two faced with big decisions.  Carrigan is being forced to choose a husband from a list chosen by her father while James is having to make decisions between what’s best for his family, not what his heart wants. 

I loved the forbidden romance aspect and I loved all the sneaking around.  These two could not stay away from each other.  Carrigan is a strong character with a lot of depth, faced with trying to be true to herself while also trying to do what is expected of her.  I loved how much James saw who she truly was. Let’s just say I was not prepared for James.  He may be the new head of his mafia family, he had the characteristics of an alpha but Carrigan turned him into a cinnamon roll.  

Written in third person, with multiple POVs, this forbidden romance, family saga is fast-paced and spicy.

I’m enjoying the series and can’t wait to find out what’s next for the family, and their love lives in the next book.  I recommend reading the series in order to understand the families best.

I am obsessed with this series!! I think I liked Heated Rivals more than Dark Succession--there's just something about a forbidden romance. Oh, and that spice? Whoo boy... I do wish the ending hadn't been so abrupt, I felt like more needed to happen in order for everything to conclude the way it did, but I'm not going to knock a HEA.

I enjoyed this book, although it felt very different from her other books. I enjoyed the plot in the romance and the characters.

This was such a fun read I loved it so much I couldn't put it down and was completely hooked from the first page

I could not put this book down! Mafia enemies to lovers, with the hottest forbidden love story. James and Carrigan can’t keep their hands off each other, but also know they can’t be together. Carrigan’s father is trying to marry her off to the first alliance he can, while she just wanted to be with James. With an explosive ending, and hot romance, the perfect read.

i'm beyond biased. i just love katee robert and like all the books ever she writes (ok there's a few i don't LOVE but the mass majority of her library is pretty much 5/5 amazing).

this one wasn't my normal vibe of reading--but she still delivers the spice

Thank You so much to Netgalley and Forever for letting me read an eARC or Heated Rivals! I’m really loving the O’Malley mafia family books, and I knew I would for sure enjoy Carrigan’s story, and I definitely was not wrong!
Heated Rivals 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert continues her smoking-hot series about the O'Malleys-wealthy, powerful, and full of scandalous family secrets.
Carrigan O'Malley has always known her arranged marriage would be more about power and prestige than passion. But after one taste of the hard-bodied, whiskey-voiced James Halloran, she's ruined for anyone else. Too bad James and his family are enemy number 1.
Hallorans vs. O'Malleys-that's how it's always been. James should be thinking more about how to expand his family's empire instead of how silky Carrigan's skin is against his and how he can next get her into his bed. Those are dangerous thoughts. But not nearly as dangerous as he'll be if he can't get what he wants: Carrigan by his side for the rest of their lives.
I really liked James after I read the first book in this series and of course I loved Carrigan, so seeing them together and watching them interact was exactly what I wanted. Neither of them could have each other, because of course he’s the reason her younger brother is dead and she’s the reason his father is behind bars- but that doesn’t stop the fact that the two of them have ridiculous amounts of chemistry. I really liked them together and how when they were with each other, they were who they really were and not who their families needed them to be. I liked how this book ended, but I know that this isn’t the last time that we’re going to see the Russian man that Carrigan was supposed to get married to. Overall, I think y’all should for sure pick up Heated Rivals!