Love Teague and Callie”s story! I haven’t read a lot of books by Katee Roberts but I will now! This is a marriage of convenience dark romance.

I mean, Katee Robert books just fuck, point blank. This was my first ~dark~ ~mafia~ romance and it does what it says on the tin, baby. *Obviously* I will read every book in this series as they're rereleased.

This is great! Katee Roberts is pretty new to me and I am enjoying reading all her backlist right now. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Overall I thought this was good, not great. A quick read that didn’t require a lot of thought and is great (in my opinion) when you need something SUPER mindless. I honestly was getting confused on the characters but that’s a me issue. I will be reading the next one and honestly I’m more excited for that because that plot was already set up. Also LOVED the multiple POV.

Thank you NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Katee Robert for this ARC copy of Dark Succession, in exchange for my honest opinion and review!

Katee Robert has been on my auto-buy list for a long time. So it was no surprise to me that I would love this re-publish edition of The Marriage Contract. Her take on the mafia trope was so good, I couldn't read this fast enough!

This book was so much more than I thought it would be. This was the first installment for the O'Malley's series. Set in Boston where 3 power families are in play - O'Malley's, Sheridan's and the Halloran's. As always in the mafia world; trades to further power, strength and success are at the front of this story line. Each family unit has characters as a reader you obviously won't care for... but that is the name of the game with crime families/stories... they aren't good without a few villians. What sparked my interest however... was the unexpected love story that began to bloom.

Callie Sheridan grew up knowing that she would be arranged with a member of the mafia. Groomed to be a good wife, yet determined to have a say in what her future holds - Callie takes it into her own hands to learn more about the man who holds her fate. She is not the typical submissive and quiet woman that men in this life typically want. She is a woman more than capable of taking care of herself, and trained well to do so by her brother - who is the family heir.... was her family heir. Unfortunately he dies and that leaves her to take his place, with her father's blessing. She loves her family, and cares about their well being, so she thrives in working the legitimate side of the family business. But, when she steps into her new role, she must balance both sides of the card. While she handles this well... the circumstances of this life lead her to needing an arranged marriage with a strong man who can help take place at the head of the family. This is where the story really begins... her scoping things out with her potential husband-to-be.

Teague O'Malley is a good man who longs to leave the life of the mafia world. He has many siblings he is also looking to save from this life. Doing his best to distant himself from the associations of the world, and looking to find ways to help the big escape from the life. His brother and father are ruthless, cutthroat men. The reputation both hold are exactly what Teague hates about this life. The fear, violence, and ruthless expectations are all things he wants to save his siblings from.

A change in status needs bring the Sheridan's and O'Malley's together in an unexpected way for this marriage arrangement. With Teague being names the one fit to be arranged... he knew he days of obtaining his goals were greatly limited. He felt hopeless for them. What he doesn't know... is that his bride-to-be has her own secrets. Her own needs. Both have struggled with demanding parents, loss, pain, and the hardness that the life brings. When they come face to face... everything changes.

Neither expect what they get. Meeting raises a primitive thing inside our MMC - the need to claim and protect despite her strength. He makes her feel seen, and she is greatly surprised by his manners and gentleman behavior. As this is an arrangement they proceed with caution, both leery on the situation as they feel that all is not as it seems. Both have goals and secrets... and this marriage could make or break them.

This was a very enjoyable read. I am so excited to see where else this series goes with the lovable side characters we saw within the families! If you have not already, I highly recommend checking this mafia romance out if you love the trope!

If you love mafia style books with a bit of spice, this is the book for you! Katee Robert is a great writer and breathes life and excitement in her books. This is a great start to a series that focus on different siblings in the O'Malley family. Can't wait for the next one!

5⭐️ 3🌶️

Thank you Forever Pub for the ARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

Welcome to the land of mafia, this must be the only thing I haven’t read yet from the queen Katee and I am so excited to devour this series!! We start with the story of Teague and Callie and let me tell you my heart belongs fully to them!

I love that we get povs from different side characters in the O’Malley family because I can already see how Katee is setting up the rest of the books in the series. I know the enemies to lovers in his sisters book is going to be sooooooo delicious!!

I was on the edge of my seat with the last hour of the book, adrenaline pumping, ready to throw hands, wanting to fast forward to the last page but not willing to miss a single second. Trying to figure out how the plot was going to unravel because everything was a freaking mess!! But katee did an amazing job tying up loose ends and giving us a cohesive ending.

While the time line is a bit short for my liking and it did feel a bit insta lovey for my personal taste, I felt the couple had such good chemistry it didn’t bother me as it normally would. If you are a regular Katee reader, you’ll find this book is a lot more plot and less spice which is not as common with her but it is so damn good. I’ll be starting the next one asap!!

Thank you @readforeverpub for the #gifted copy of DARK SUCCESSION.

Whew mafia romances are no joke! This was my first one and I flew through it because I was so stressed about Callie and Teague and their families. The stakes were so high throughout the entire book and all I wanted was for everyone in the Sheridan and O’Malley families to make it to the final chapter in one piece.

I’m not a huge fan of instalove so that was the main piece that didn’t work for me. I had a hard time with both Teague and Callie being so hopelessly in love with each other after 2 weeks that they would behave the way they did.

I’m super excited for the second book in the series (HEATED RIVALS) and lucky me, I just got an e-galley so I can dive right in!

DARK SUCCESSION is a reprint of THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT and this new edition is out now!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5532384500
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cslxs1urmKT/

**I received Dark Succession as an arc through net galley**

Dark Succession mainly follows the story of Callie Sheridan (the next mob boss for the Sheridan family) and Teague O'Malley (3rd child of the mob family, the O'Malley's) as they are forced into a marriage to stabilize their relations and to ultimately go against the Halloran mob family. I did enjoy that this book is told mainly in the POV of Callie and Teague, but also features POVs from Carrigan O'Malley and James Halloran. The ending was a little fast but this is part of a series and left me wanting to know how all the conflict is going to play out. I really want to know what is going to happen between Carrigan and James later on in this series! I think I will like the series more as it goes on.

Spice rating: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 7.5/10

I love Katee Robert's stuff. It's always so spicy! I feel like a main thing I have issues with in her books is the lack of plot sometimes, and this one was the same way. It had really good scenes I liked, but overall it was just ok to me.

I loved this??? So much more than I expected. I’m definitely a fan of mafia/mob romances going forward! Sometimes the alternating POV was a little hard to keep track of, as well as all of the different characters with similar names. Overall though, all of the “omg” moments truly were for me. So excited to read book 2!!

Dark Succession was a book that I picked up solely based on how gorgeous the cover is and wow! I am so glad I judged this book by its cover! I was drawn in from the first chapter and fully engrossed in the world Katee Robert creates. The characters are well developed and lovable not inspite of their flaws but because of them.

"There will always be bad days, I think. Days where you wake up and forget that he’s gone, and then the realization hits, and it’s every bit as bad as what you’re feeling now. But there will be good days. At first they’re so few and far between it’s like they don’t exist at all, but then one shows up, and it’s this soft ray of sunshine in the midst of a hurricane. You barely notice it, and then it’s gone. And then, sometime not too long after that, another one shows up, and another, until the balance shifts and you have more sunshine than storm.”

First, I loved Teague and Callie! Both tried so hard to do right by their families even when the world around them was ready to explode. In the midst of so much, they found comfort in each other.

Despite the circumstances that brought them together, real and raw feelings developed between them, and I loved watching it grow.

Katee Robert does an amazing job creating a wonderful storyline that keeps readers engaged throughout the entire book. I found myself completely engrossed through the entire story.
I highly recommend this book to all who love romance novels.

4⭐️
2.5🌶

A mafia romance unlike anything I've read by Katee Robert, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Teague O'Malley not only has an excellent name, but a delicious demeanor that had me anticipating every one of his next moves. His relationships with his siblings and the dreams he has for the future rounded out the feisty, possessive man. And Callie, ever the do-gooder, has a fierceness all her own. The way these two paired up was fun to read and in true Katee Robert fashion, the spice was delectable.

I recommend Dark Succession to anyone looking to branch into mafia romance. The love story is great, the setting (Boston) is beautiful, and the plot is intriguing without being overwhelming and complicated. There's action, family rivalries, love, loss, and a set up for the rest of the series that I can't wait to dive into.

Thank you to Katee Robert, NetGalley, and Forever for a copy of Dark Succession in exchange for my honest review!

I received an eARC from NetGalley and Forever in exchange for an honest review. Callie Sheridan has been told she's marrying someone, not of her choice, but to secure an alliance between the two families. Since her brother died, she is now the next in line to lead the family. She wants to make their businesses legitimate, but now she has a fiancé to deal with. Teague O'Malley wants out of the family business, so when his family comes to him and asks him to marry for an alliance, he wants no part of it. But it wasn't so much an ask as a demand. Now he's met her and has an attraction he can't deny, but will she understand his want to leave the business behind?

This is a rerelease of The Marriage Pact, the first book in the O'Malley series. This book had me from the start! Enemies to lovers plus marriage of convenience? Yes please! Callie is an amazingly strong and intelligent woman who has been underestimated by almost everyone around her. There are so many side characters and everyone is so fleshed out you feel like you're in the world of mafia Boston. And the introduction to the next HEA in the middle of the book has me wanting to start the next one asap! I would recommend this to fans of enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, mafia, and steamy romance.

I would read Katee's grocery list if she published it so of course I had to read this one. Thank you to Forever Publishing for an early e-copy and a gifted finished copy. Fun fact, when I was younger, I used to make up stories in my head about being a mafia don's daughter and taking over his empire but also he wasn't like other mafia dudes and he actually loved his girl child. And then this book popped up and brought all teenage me's day dreams to life. And I'm here for it. Anyway, I can't wait for the rest of the series, especially the one about Carrigan.

The tension and chemistry between Callie and Teague was just amazing!! From the beginning I was drawn into the story and into their relationship - just from that very first kiss! Unfortunately, the rest of the book was a little bit clunky for me. There were too many POVs and some of them felt a little bit pointless (I think setting up future books in the series, but that could have been done just with Teague and Callie's POV), and the point of views changed mid chapter and some what sporadically. And then the middle dragged a little while the ending wrapped up way too quickly. Overall it was a fun read, but not one that will stick with me forever.

my god I’m just completely obsessed with katee robert and everything that she writes!!!

teague and callista were everything I wanted in a couple - enemies to lovers, “who did this to you” trope, revenge plot … what can I say, I just love a good dark and broody MMC

katee’s writing is absolutely addicting. the way that the plot unfolds is so meticulous and exact that it feels 100% natural - like I’m watching this happen in real life. I would seriously read anything katee writes!!!!

thank you to netgalley and katee for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book further proves to me that I love everything Katee Robert does. While I was first sucked in by the Dark Olympus series, everything I've read of hers since has been just as engaging, spicy, and all-consuming, and Dark Succession is absolutely no exception. The tension and chemistry was fantastic, a new favourite mafia book.

This was a really quick read for me. I enjoyed the mafia romance aspect though it was much tamer than I’m used to. The hostility between families and marriage of convenience aspected I enjoyed.⁣
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Even though Teague and Callista were a little insta love for me their connection felt real and strong and I enjoyed watching them fight for each other and care for each other. The tension and chemistry with these two was on fire. ⁣
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Callista was a strong female leader for her family and I always love when the FMC does what she needs to, to survive.⁣
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I’m looking forward to Carrigan’s story.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️