I am not a fan of insta love in a story so this one was not my favorite by this author. To me (no matter who is writing it), the insta love trope always feels rushed, over the top, and unbelievable. I liked the characters though and the plot kept my attention enough for me to finish the story.

I am definitely intrigued and will be checking out the other books in this series.

I am a sucker for a mafia romance. I'm also a sucker for Katee Robert. So a book that combines BOTH? I'm sat.

This book did not disappoint, it kept me hooked at all times and I immediately wanted the next book in the series.

While I felt like this set the scene perfectly for a series, majority of the book felt like character and setting introductions with the rest being traditional tropes and lots of sex. Generally not a fan of this one.

*Dark Succession* by Katee Robert is a thrilling and steamy entry in her *Dark Dynasty* series, blending high-stakes family drama, intense romance, and dangerous intrigue. The story centers on the complex and sizzling relationship between a powerful heir and a determined woman caught in the web of familial betrayal and passion. Robert masterfully crafts characters with emotional depth, creating an irresistible tension between them as they navigate love, loyalty, and the pursuit of power. The plot is full of twists, with enough suspense and sensuality to keep readers engaged. *Dark Succession* is a must-read for fans of dark romance and family-centered thrillers.

I always love a Katee Robert book! They are such great escapes into a fictional world with the romance, drama, and storyline! When starting this book you are thrown into the world which I really enjoyed. You get right into the thick of the plot. The only aspect that didn't work well for me was the timeline. Although it definitely can work with the plot as everything in their world is fast moving. However, for me personally it impacted me enjoyment overall. But Katee does pining and steam so well! I couldnt get enough of the characters tension!

Dark Succession by Katie Robert offers a mix of mafia romance and dark romance with plenty of steamy. While the premise is intriguing, I personally didn't feel as drawn into the story as I expected. The characters and plot had potential, but the emotional connection between the protagonists didn't fully resonate with me. Fans of dark romance may still enjoy the intensity, but it didn’t stand out as much as other works from the author.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the advanced reading copy.

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.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ (I didn’t get a ton of tension because of the elements of instalust here)
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 (It’s hard to tell on audio! But a bit more than average length??)
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (at least….note taking got bad. Might be 5/6 scenes total)
Humor: a bit
Perspective: third person from both hero and heroine (and a few minor scenes from some other characters, villains, etc)
More character focused or plot focused? a mix but probably more plot
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: not too far in, about 7% or chapter
Cliffhanger: this ends with a happy ever after for the couple but a bit of a cliffy for the plot and other couples that their books are next in the series.
Epilogue: no

Should I read in order?
This is the first in Robert’s The O’Malleys.

Basic plot:
Teague and Callista are forced in an arranged marriage for their families.

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- Boston setting
- arranged marriage
- protective hero
- mafia romance
- who did this to you??
- touch of heroine nurses hero back to health
- higher steam – note taking was bad but I’d say at least 4-5 scenes between the mains and another scene between side characters

My thoughts:
I did like this one overall. It was fun to have as an audiobook while I was doing other tasks. It took me a bit to get into the narrators here, though it may have just been the Boston accents too.

I didn’t get a ton of feels in this one though because of the elements of instalust between the mains. I liked how the hero was pretty much all in after meeting the heroine and very protective. I didn’t know what this one was about going in, and I’ve been wanting to try more ‘mafia’ plotlines so I liked that it was a pleasant surprise in that way!

I was annoyed with a few things here. I felt like I wanted the mains on page more. There was a lack of trust and communication between them while fucking which always leaves me with less feels...I guess I want that build up more...I would maybe read another in this series (specifically Kerrigan’s story) because I was kind of drawn into their story but that also bothered me a bit because I definitely prefer books that are focused on the main couple only.

So I’m not super eager to continue with the series but might at some point!

2.5 stars...
the pacing of this story was not great. While I loved that we got straight to the plot, the romance was very much insta love and never felt believable or well thought out. The spice was well written, and that's the reason for rounding up to 3 stars here. The plot was very cheesy, and I was more interested in the relationship of the side characters than our two main characters.

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

🖤
[3.5 stars]

After the sudden death of her older brother, Callista Sheridan becomes the heir to the Sheridan crime business empire. Her new responsibilities include solidifying a fragile peace between the rival clans the only way these empires know how—marriage. into other powerful crime families to forge strategic alliances. Within 24 hours of her first betrothed's murder, Callista is thrust into another arranged marriage with a different family, which may result in more fracturing than mending in the Boston crime world.

Teague O'Malley is the second eldest son of the O'Malley family who has been consistently torn between his family's criminal empire and his desire for a different life for him and his younger siblings. As he tries to navigate his obligations (including marriage), his initial reluctance towards his new bride begins to deepen into something more genuine as they face threats from both their families and enemies, putting this newly formed "partnership" to the test.

🖤

Shockingly, I believe this is my first Katee Robert book, but as a sucker for crime/mafia romances it seems like a reasonable place to start. This is definitely on the "tamer" side of this genre, both of our main characters I would consider good people just raised in crime families. Callista basically just wants to run a business and has essentially never gotten her hands "dirty" and Teague might be grazing the line of grey morals... but barely. As such I did find it kind of mundane and tame at times, and this is definitely on the verge of insta-love, one of my least favourite tropes. But hey, if you're getting into an arranged marriage with someone, nothing better than immediately having chemistry with them and they're hot!!

It did feel a bit different from some of the other books in this genre as instead of getting the dual POVs from the main love interests, we also got other character POVs, which as you get further along you realize it is essentially setting up the relationship to come in the sequel.

Overall an enjoyable read, and it did suck me into the second book, because those characters are definitely in a much more messier/darker place than Callista and Teague.

For a mafia romance, this was exactly what you expect! Family feuds, arranged marriages, dead family members, and getting revenge.

Cali is set to marry one of the most despicable mafia men and being naive, sought him out before their arrange marriage is announced. Due to a turn of events, she accidentally kills her would-be fiance and all hell lets loose. Her fiance is quickly replaced with a new one, Teague O’Malley, from another rival mafia family. This only fuels the Boston mafia family revenge schemes.

There’s tender moments, heartbreaking deaths, and a beautiful love story between arranged marriage turn true loves.

Thank you Netgalley & forever publishing for this arc!

I will be honest and say that I barely remember anything about this story other than that I enjoyed it for what it was: a mafia romance. It was hot. Families feuded. Perfect.

Dark Succession by Katee Robert promises a gripping tale of power, passion, and danger within the notorious O'Malley family. While the premise sets the stage for an intense and steamy romance, the execution falls short in delivering a truly compelling narrative.

Teague O'Malley's vow to avenge Callista Sheridan's suffering hints at a promising dynamic, but the character development lacks depth, leaving the emotional stakes feeling somewhat hollow. Despite moments of intensity and undeniable chemistry between the protagonists, the plot ultimately feels predictable and fails to fully captivate.

While fans of steamy romances may find moments to enjoy, Dark Succession struggles to distinguish itself in a genre filled with similar tropes and themes.

I think this book delivers on all the basic promises: steamy mafia romance with a marriage of convenience. I just found every aspect of it to be rather meh. The romance was very insta-love, despite being a very dangerous plot, I never felt like the stakes were that high. It was just kind of boring.

Thanks to netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Katee Robert never fails to impress me with her work 😈 I devoured this one - obsessed is an understatement.

Katee Robert is a god, and I absolutely love her characters and plots. Dark Succession was my first read of hers outside of her Olympus series, and now I know I'm hooked! This was a great read packed with action and chemistry. I'm looking forward to devouring the rest of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Compulsively readable and incredibly sexy. There's not much to say -- Katee Robert knows what she's doing.

Teague and Callista... how I love thee! This author is known for her super steamy scenes, and she did not disappoint.

The set up for this book was very intriguing and I was very curious to see where the story would go however this book was a little too chaotic for me. There was a lot of POVS going on and a lot of characters being introduced which made the book confusing. I also didn't love the romance between Teague and Callie and I wanted more build up from them. It felt too insta love for me and that's something Im just not a fan of.

This book was a super easy and quick read!Insta-love, mafia romance. 3.5 stars from me! Kate Robert never fails and definitely knows how to write a sexy book.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book! This is my honest and free review