This was my first novel that I have read by Katee Robert and it was amazing! The story had me intrigued right from the start. I felt this had just the right amount of steam and steamy scenes, and I didn't feel like the plot was rushed at any point. Once I got really into the book it was hard to put down! Would definitely recommend. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a ARC to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you Forever for the complimentary paperback of Dark Succession (The O’Malley’s #1). This is a REISSUE of The Marriage Contract with some updated language, published for the first time in trade paperback with a brand new title and cover.

This mafia romance has morally corrupt individuals, forbidden love and some STEAM. Callista Sheridan is the sole heir to her mafia family dynasty after her brothers sudden death. Her father has negotiated her marriage with a rival family in hopes to foster bridges to prevent an ALL OUT WAR.

Teague O’Malley is trying to rid himself of his families ways, only to be drawn back in as he’s been asked to marry Callista. These two must prevent the blood bath that threatens the streets of Boston. Is their marriage the solution?

This romance also introduces us to future characters I am assuming have books in the series - James and Carrigan. To quote James - “You and me, lovely, we’re not fucking finished. Not by a long shot.” I NEED THE O’MALLEY’s #2!

Swoon over these smokin’hot Irish siblings!!!

This one had me hooked! I loved the characters. There's plenty of tension and suspense. The romance is sexy. I can't wait to read more of this series! This author never disappoints on the steam factor.

Dark Succession is the perfect book to dip your toe into the dark romance/mafia romance sub genre. The mafia -‘s organized crime setting was done perfectly. The romance between Teague and Callie did fall into the insta-love category, but the pace of the story and their sort of forced proximity made their relationship come together somewhat seamlessly, I would have liked to have more of a courtship between the two, but that’s just nitpicking because I like the build up of tension. Katee Robert just writes a smooth story, no matter the subject matter. I’ll continue to read her books moving forward because I know she’ll deliver the goods.

This one is definitely everything I love in a Mafia romance!! It starts off with action right off the bat! We have an arrange marriage, irsh mafia families trying to come together and also at war! I loved Callie our main character I thought she was so strong! She was the perfect mafia princess ! But than we have her arranged husband Teague and he was everything!! He is part of the mafia world with his family but he wishes for a better life for his family especially his youngest brother and his sisters. Him and Callie are throw in an arranged marriage to get their families to work together but by doing that they start a war with the other family when the man Callie was suppose to marry ends up dead. Her in Teague have so much Chemistry!! They are kind of insta love but it works in this story! I loved them together! I also loved the little bit we get of Teagues sister! Her book is up next and I can not wait for it!!!

Dark Succession is a thrilling and intense read with unpredictable plot twists, emotionally charged characters, and sensual undertones; this book will surely keep you on the edge of your seat. From the gritty and raw descriptions of the setting to the action-packed scenes that will leave you breathless, Dark Succession is a must-read for anyone who loves a good thriller.

Dark Succession by Katee Robert is a reissue of The Marriage Contract. The series centers around the O’Malley family, one of three mafia families in Boston. Teague O’Malley is told that he will marry Callie Sheridan, who is from another mafia family. When the meet there is an instant attraction and they realize that they have more in common than they expected. Their arranged marriage is intended to unite their families but Callie has a secret that sets off a chain of events leading to a mafia war.

This is the first book in the series and I thought there was a lot of set up happening for the rest of the series in this book. We got other POVs in addition to Teague and Callie’s, which sets up the next book in the series. Read this if you enjoy:

🖤 mafia / dark romance
🖤 arranged marriage
🖤 insta love
🖤 open door romance

Thanks to @netgalley and @readforever for the advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

this book definitely goes to show that writing can improve overtime. as much as i love katee’s newer works, this one really didn’t do it for me

i’m not sure if it’s just me but the plot was extremely hard to follow towards the beginning, we are just sort of thrown into this mafia world with a lack of prior information and little to no explanation

it also didn’t help that this was in 3rd pov (even though that wasn’t the problem) the problem was we were in 3rd pov, yet getting EVERY SINGLE CHARACTERS POV???? like why am i hearing from the mmc’s sister?? and to just switch off in the middle of the chapter? a mess

i will say though, the plot started to pick up a bit towards the end, but not enough for me to continue this series

thank you netgalley and forever publishing for the reissued edition of this book

Okay, I went into this one knowing I’d enjoy it, because I love all the things that Katee writes. But this book has sparked an addiction.

We have warring mafia families, a forced/arranged marriage, an overprotective sweetheart of a man, a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it, and a healthy dose of the best kind of spice.

I loved Teague so much. He was such a softie who wants to protect everyone around him so badly when his reach only extends so far. And Callie was amazing, holding her own against the mafia men.

Sure, there is insta-love and there is quite a bit going on that is separate from the main romance (which dilutes it a bit) but I think the story that Katee is beginning to weave makes up for it.

Now I just want to get lost in this Boston mafia world, I’m hooked!

I’ve had a good variety of katie, Roberts work, from her monster romances, to the Greek gods, to her contemporary kink, and even some cowboy romances, but this was my first mafia romance from her. I found that the story still felt like her style, just a different genre.

Dark Succession tells the story of three mafia families fighting for supremacy in Boston. After Calista’s (the Sheridan family heir) fiancé, and rival family heir is murdered , her family quickly set up another arranged marriage to the air of the O’Malley family dynasty.

Both parties are not excited about the arranged marriage, but once they meet, they find a quick attraction and desire to be with each other, and keep the other safe… Which turns out to be harder in this case, since the third rival family is out for blood and revenge .

Full of “ who hurt you?” and “ I’ll keep you safe”, and plenty of steam and violence, this was your typical mafia romance.

I found that I liked both the characters of Calista and Teague and they are accompanying family side characters. By the end of the story, I was pretty invested in the family, dynamic and find myself needing to know what happens next these three family dynasties!

Thanks to Forever Romance for my advance reader copy. Opinions are my own.

#DarkSuccession #KateeRobert

After her brothers death, Callie Sheridan is the heir to her family’s empire whether she wants to be or not. She was able to dodge one arranged marriage, to Brendon Hallorian, but was quickly ordered to marry Teague O’Malley- another family enemy in hopes of forming an alliance. What starts as an unwanted, arranged marriage morphs into an emotional love between the two. But both are keeping secrets from each other. Callie feels as though she has caused a war between their families. So what will happen when the secret come to light? Will their love be enough to forgive?

I loved this story and the characters so much. I was hooked as soon as I started reading it! I’m newer to mafia romances, but was still able to keep up and understand what was going on which I was worried would be a problem. All in all, it was a great read and I was happy to see that Callie and Teague’s love was undeniably strong enough to conquer all that they faced. Can’t wait to read more in this series!

While this was a quick, and at times, addicting read, I was surprised at the smattering level of steam. This needed a bit more of anything. More plot to have the story hold more, more mafia violence to at least make this dark, more smut to at least fill the romance vacuum, but none of it felt strong enough. Add to that the shifting POV focus from Callie to Teague, to even some of the O’Malley siblings left this feeling…disjointed. It would have been better to just focus this on the two main characters, giving us tastes of the other siblings through interactions instead.

I’ll look to read the next book or 2 in the series, if only because Carrigan seems like a very interesting lead.

Smack me in the face, I LOVED THIS.

Forced marriage, instant attraction, he falls first, overprotective MMC, mafia romance. I need to say it again: I LOVED THIS. Teague and Callie are forced to be marry after Callie's ex-fiancé is murdered--by no one than Callie herself. In order to stop a war between the three families, Teague is determined to find out who murdered the dangerous man before his family is destroyed, but what will happen when he finds out it's the love of his life?

This was magnificent. I really enjoyed everything about it, and it was the book to get me out of my reading slump. It was spicy, well-written, and well-paced. The ending went a little too quickly for my liking, but I'm glad things were wrapped up.

And I am even more excited to read the second one because boy, oh boy, it sounds electric.

Tropes/Themes:
-MF dark mafia romance
-Arranged marriage
-Instalust
-Enemies to allies to lovers
-“Who did this to you?” hero
-Feuding crime syndicate families
-Multi POV
-Book #1 in an interconnected standalone series

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Dark Succession was originally published as The Marriage Contract back in 2015. This new printing has a new title, cover, and updated language.

Huh….this was a pretty big miss. I usually love arranged marriage romances where the couple becomes reluctant allies to friends to lovers, but there was just something about this book and the relationship as a whole that didn’t really work for me. Which isn’t super surprising, since Katee Robert is historically a very hit or miss author for me.

If I had to summarize my thoughts about it, I would have to say that the entire book felt very surface level and underdeveloped. I never became invested in the relationship between Teague and Callie, which ultimately reduced all of the angst and stakes for me. I also didn’t like the excessive number of characters and POVs introduced throughout the book. It got to the point where I couldn’t figure out which character we were following or what their relevance to the plot was. I am intrigued enough about the setup of James and Carrigan’s relationship for the next book, but I’m a little wary about continuing on with the series. We’ll see what happens!

CWs for sibling death (on page), graphic violence, murder/death, kidnapping, sexual assault/rape, conversations about human trafficking

Story: 3/5

Katee is the only reason I'll pick up a mob book. I hadn't read the marriage contract, so it was new to me, and the multiple POV surprised me, but I quickly adapted. Would have loved a bit more of the couple actually falling in love but, it is what it is.

Dark Succession by Katee Robert is a contemporary mafia romance and the first book in The O'Malleys series. This is a new reissue of a book that was previously published as The Marriage Contract. The book jumps between several point of view characters, including our two main love interests.

Teague O'Malley and Callista Sheridan are tired of being used as pawns in two of Boston's major crime families. To try to keep the tentative peace that has held for several years, they are ordered to marry each other to form an alliance. Both of them carry many secrets, some of which could easily get them killed.

I meant to read just a few chapters before bed, but I accidentally stayed up way late and read the whole thing in one sitting. The book opens with a bang (kind of literally) and I really needed to see where it was going to go.

As the introduction to a series, we learn a lot about all the different families and the many other people who are somehow connected to them. So there's a lot of information here, but as evidenced by my reading this all at once, it really held my attention. One thing I found myself wishing for was a family tree for each of the crime families; that would really have helped me track who was who.

Our two main characters have many layers and I found them very interesting. I especially loved their chemistry together.

There are also a ton of secondary characters who also piqued my interest. Thankfully, this is a six-book series so I'll get to read more about them in the future. Now I just really need the next book in the series. Katee is pretty much on my auto-read list at this point.

Tropes in this book include: arranged marriage, mafia, insta-love

CW: murder, death, firearms, sexual assault, abduction, mentions of torture

If you’re like me, you know Katee Robert as the QUEEN of the Underworld, with popular series that are Greek and Disney retellings. What I did not know was that she also has an entire SIX BOOK SERIES that is MAFIA ROMANCE. And Y’all. Katee ate. Do not sleep on Katee’s O’Malleys series. I am so excited to continue reading these as they are republished with their new titles and covers.

This is an enemies to lovers, arranged marriage romance between Irish crime families in Boston. While it is a little insta-lovey (the whole book takes place over a few weeks and they’re in love by about 75%, which amounts to like two weeks time) there was a whole lot packed into a 340 page book. This was probably one of the more plot heavy books that I’ve read from her, with a great deal of mafia war/planning written in. I always appreciate a good plot/spice balance and she really delivered with this one. But don’t worry, the spice was as immaculate as ever. Katee never fails there.

One of the reasons Katee is one of my favorite romance authors is the care she puts into her characters. She adds something extra to the characters and their stories and really writes with intention. It gives the extra oomph I need for it to go from a “good” to a “great” book. Teague and Callie were very engaging as individuals and as a couple (although, again, a little instalovey for my taste), and all the side characters were fascinating. I’m really excited to get to know more of the O’Malley family in their own books as well.

There were a few things with the plot that I felt left questions unanswered, and the end was a bit rushed, but I believe some of this will be dealt with in some of the further books. I cannot wait to read more of the O’Malley clan!

I received a copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This re-release of The Marriage Contract has elements of Romeo and Juliet mixed with a modern-day mafia war. Callista is the heir to her family's empire, but one huge mistake kickstarts a war that might destroy everything. Teague, her arranged betrothed, is drawn unwillingly into the war by his brother, and, like Callista, wants nothing but peace and a better life for his siblings.

I really like both Callista and Teague as characters. Callista is strong-willed and frustrated with the patriarchy. She is determined to change how her family deals with things, and wants her soon-to-be empire to become legitimate. Teague is a big, protective cinnamon roll who is trying to change things quietly behind the scenes. Both of them together bring out the best in each other, but Callista' s huge miscommunication almost kills it for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I'd love to read other books in the same universe!

I always love everything Katee does and this was no exception! I really enjoyed the dynamic between Callie and Teague and am excited to see more from the series. Thank you for the early read! Can't wait to read even more from Katee!

This was my first mafia romance novel and in most ways, it did not disappoint! I loved the instant chemistry between the male and female lead and it was interesting to see the different mafia family dynamics played out. I'm only giving it 4 stars though because the ending was entirely too abrupt. I wanted to know more about the repercussions of the kidnapping/rescue and was left wanting a lot more.