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!

I enjoyed this one! i liked carrigan from the first story and love seeing her and James story come to life. They had such chemistry! And both of them really go through it in this one not just with their relationship and love story but also with their families and where they fit in the world. This one was spicy full of adventure and I am enjoying this series!

Katee Robert keeps giving me books to obsess over! Her spicy scenes are why I started writing again! She is an insta buy and insta read author for me and I suspect she always will be

Katee Robert knows how to pull the heartstrings and make you fan yourself. This book had all the tension: sexual, healing, emotive. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read the rest. This was a previously published book but I think is even better now.

I had read book 1 and book 3 in this series and for some reason had skipped this one. I will say that Katee Robert did a good job of setting this one up in both of the other books just to get the whole family dynamic. Unfortunately, the series does start to get a bit repetitive plot-wise for me so I may be a bit burned out on this series for now.

I have been loving the O'Malley series.

Carrigan O'Malley has always known her place in her family, her destiny would always be to be married. Growing up with a father like hers. Right after Carrigan and her sister's return back home to Boston, her father gives her a list of six candidates and she must date them and choose one to marry. The problem, the one who catches her eye is the enemy. The same man who kidnapped her six months prior.
THE CHEMISTRY was SO good.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a fun read!