Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the Advanced Copy of Dark Succession by Kateen Robert. This is a great one shot piece of erotica to get the blood pumping!

No matter the content, I always love Katee Robert's writing and I'm always willing to pick up a book from her, no matter the genre.
I think Teague and Callie are adorable and not at all what I expected from a marriage of convenience in a mafia romance. I felt a bit overwhelmed at times with the amount of characters being introduced, but I think it will lend well to the rest of the series, which will not only build on future relationships, but also the larger plot between the families. The beginning of the book was a bit slow (probably due to all the characters), but once I hit the second half, I couldn't put it down.

I'd give this book a solid 3.75 and will very likely pick up the next book in the series soon.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley!

This was my first book my Katee Robert and it was pretty entertaining with all the romance and the drama. The ending was a bit abrupt but I enjoyed all the side stories also and will probably read the next one too.

Dark Succession started out pretty intense and set the stage for this crime family romantic suspense novel. Teague and Callie were both likable characters and both were trying to break away from the world they were raised in. I always enjoy marriage of convenience novels, but a lot of the tension that I love was missing since the instalust/love was so strong between Teague and Callie. Since this is the first book in the series, a lot of time was spent introducing other characters and setting up future books. This really took away from the main romance and left me not very invested in Teague, Callie, or their families. I did like the sparks between James and Carrigan though and their book is sure to be explosive. I'm just not sure if I care enough to continue on with the series.

I hybrid read this book (ebook and audiobook) and the narration by Charlotte North was enjoyable, but there wasn't a lot of variation in her voices as she switched between characters.

Audiobook Review
Overall 3 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 2-2.5 stars

CW: death of loved ones, gun shots, fighting/violence, murder, sexual assault, mentions of human trafficking, kidnapping

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

This has all the best mafia romance tropes and I’m here for it! I can tell this is one of her earlier books as the writing is a bit clunky in places, but overall a solid start to a series I can’t wait to continue!

This was a reread for me. I have the original in mass market form. It was great. Enjoyed it as much as the first time.

Katee can do no wrong and I will forever be a fan of the way this human tells stories. They have a way of first page sucking you in!

A Dark Mafia Romance - arranged marriage between two previously warring families in order to create an alliance in the face of a brewing war amongst Boston’s ruling families. Callista and Teague may not have chosen each other, but they soon find themselves growing closer as a couple. However, their developing feelings tangle with dark and violent secrets as they try to find peace in the city.

This was a solid, quick read. The theme was pretty dark but not extreme for the sub genre (check tw). I’m not as big of a fan of romances that develop unnaturally quickly, but I did love the main characters individually, as well as the sibling side characters. The morally grey mafia family theme always pulls me in, since the reader has to determine how they feel about characters’ love for their families vs their violent personas and gritty pasts, as well as the blurred lines between right and wrong. I give this a 3.5!

This is a consuming mafia romance, full of danger, spice and intrigue. You never know what is coming in the next chapter. This is an enjoyable and fast paced romance read that is sure to keep your attention and is certainly a steamy read!

I still love Katee Robert SO much even though this wasn’t my favorite of hers. I still enjoyed myself and kept reading and finished the book. But I felt like I just kept comparing it to her Dark Olympus Series, which isn’t fair to these books.

But overall, it was enjoyable, just not a favorite.

Delightfully horny and full of mafia intrigue. I enjoyed the world building and the dynamics of the mafia. The characters were captivating and fun to follow. Love Katee’s books and I am so excited for more!

This book was just kind of bizarre to me.

The relationship between Teague and Callie was sweet. Usually I love this, but this book was a Mafia romance. There isn’t much sweetness in the beginning of a mafia arranged marriage. They instantly fell in love. This also doesn’t work well for mafia.

Teague was a bland, weak man. He didn’t have much to him. He didn’t unalive people on the side. He didn’t get into constant fights. Most of his pov’s centered around him feeling sorry for himself because he hated being apart of his family.

Callie was the star of this book. She shot people who needed to be shot. Unalived people who needed to be unalived. She stood her ground when people tried to undermine her. She was a true boss lady. I loved her character.

The multiple, constantly switching povs were distracting and often not needed. There were so many side characters that were given povs like they were main characters. It was too much to keep track of and follow, especially since they happened sporadically in the middle of chapters and didn’t have sections explicitly displaying the character switch.

The plot was weak. We were constantly told that a war was coming from the start of the book. When the “war” came it was very underwhelming.

I think the issue is that the Dark Olympus series is just intoxicating and everything else I try to read pales in comparison.

Katee knows how to drag you right into her work though. No matter my overall feelings for this book, I cannot deny that I was hooked to this from the start. Teague and Callie are two heirs of different families who are trying to let their name take over Boston. When Callie's engagement shifts gears and she finds herself with the O'Malleys, she is surprised that while her previous engagement brought so much dread.. this one is shaping up to be more exciting. The two find their footing quick and off we go with them into the mess and drama of a mafia life.

It was a fast read. I literally started this like 2 hours ago it feels like. I almost feel like more time should've passed because we were hip-hopping all over the place. This wasn't disorganized but it was just very surface level as far as stories go. I'll be back for more from her though... I might hang up the series for a little while in the meantime.

The story was told in 3rd person which isn’t my favorite way for a book to be told in but I did enjoy the multiple pov’s. I enjoyed the pace of the book and how fast paced it was, it kept me interested in what was going to happen next. Arranged marriages are always funny to me idk why but I do enjoy them a lot and I enjoyed it a lot with this book. Callie and Teague had an such a crazy connection.

I would definitely recommend this book to my friends!!

This is one of my first mafia books. I’m still new to the genre and I felt it was a good entry point to mafia romance!

I love Katee’s books and her writing and this one was no different! I’m fully invested in this war between Boston’s three Irish Catholic Mafia families.

I love that the women are portrayed as savvy, savvier even than the men who run the show.

Teague and Callie’s romance was believable and I loved it. It was a bright spot in so much darkness and I’m a sucker for that.

Will be continuing the series!

Dark Secession by Katee Robert is a Mafia Romance following main characters Callista Sheridan & Teague O’Malley. This book is filled with spice, secrets, suspense & crime. It has recently been re-issued as of May 9th, 2023 but was formerly known as The Mariage Contract, book #1 in the O’Malleys Series.

Thank you to Katee Robert, NetGalley & Forever for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own and 100% HONEST.

To preface this review I want to say how much I love the Dark Olympus Series by Katee Robert. It’s currently one of my favorite series read this year. With that being said Dark Succession unfortunately was not for me. Although I really liked the characters and the premise of the novel it fell a bit short for my liking. I could see the thought process and idea behind the premise but felt like it didn’t translate as well on paper. Reminder that reading is subjective so I highly reccomend giving this a chance. Just because I didn’t love it DOESNT mean you won’t.

Dark Succession is now available for purchase!

i wouldnt consider this a bad read, but maybe mafia love stories are not my thing. It was a little on the predictable side. I did not like the fmc at all. I wish there was more complications in the “falling in love” aspect of the arrange marriage. Instead it was just like they both said “i dont trust you but this will do”

SPOILER
The entire book the fmc was trying to stop a war so people didnt have to die but in the end she only actually chose to stop it when someone did actually die. Was really predictable and selfish on her part considering trying to stop the deaths war wouldve caused was her only driving point.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC!

I love Katee Roberts but it was a little hard for me to get into this book it didn’t really pick up for me intill the middle and just fell a flat for me

Katee Roberts is hands down one of my favorite authors!!! She is the queen of smut and fun stories. I personally would read anything she releases down to her grocery list notes.

Dark Succession is a mafia romance with a marriage convenience trope. I would personally consider this a dark romance because of the content. Callies father has set her up for marriage with another mafia families son, however, he turns up murdered before that can happen. The second go around, her father decides on Teague O'Malley, another son of a mafia family. The hope is to unify the families together and form a bond and more power. Callie doesnt expect much from Teague, and vice versa. Teague is on the verge of leaving this life style all together until he actually meets Callie. The romance. THE SPICE !!!! I seriously loved this book.

I would highly recommend this to readers wanting to get into a darker romance that isnt as dark. Katee writes top tier spice and plot lines.

I love Katee Robert, and this was my first dive into her Mafia romance series. One aspect of Dark Succession that I enjoyed was that it was not as dark as some of the other Mafia romances that I have read. Were there dark moments, yes; however, I didn't have an overwhelming feeling of anxiety for the characters like in other series which provided more of a light, relaxing read. The MMC was also *chef's kiss*. I was a goner for him as soon as he uttered that wonderful line of "Who hurt you?"

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.