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.

Dark Succession was my first foray into the world of Katee Robert romance, and WOW! I was immediately captivated by her writing. The mafia world she created was dark and dangerous, and I was utterly engrossed. I loved the family, the drama, and the side stories woven into the main plot. Arranged marriages have always been a trope that I enjoy, and this one did not disappoint! The complicated but scorching hot relationship between Callie and Teague was perfectly done. I really enjoyed the interplay between the possessive male and strong female characters. Their instant attraction was sizzling hot and practically burned the pages! Whew! Did I enjoy it!! I highly recommend spicy romance lovers read this one! I will definitely grab the rest of this series as soon as possible!! I can't wait to read the rest of the O'Malley siblings' stories!!⁠

Thank you, @readforeverpub and @netgalley, for the opportunity to review an eARC of this fantastic book!

I'm a big Katee Robert fan, especially her Dark Olympus series, so I was really excited to give Dark Succession a try. This was my first Katee Robert book without anything supernatural in it so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was really impressed with this one! The only thing I didn't enjoy was how forced the romance felt at the beginning. I'm not a fan of insta love and I prefer to see feelings develop naturally over time. I loved everything else about this book. The writing style was everything I've come to love and expect from the author. The plot was fast paced and engaging. I loved the chemistry between Callie and Teague so much. They make an amazing power couple.

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

This is a re-issue of one of Katee Robert's earlier works. It appears the entire series is being re-issued and renamed. The series centers around one of 3 active Boston Irish crime families, the O'Malleys, which each book focused on a different sibling. This one centers on the 3rd child and 2nd son, Teague, and his arranged marriage with the daughter of a rival crime family. The arranged marriage trope seems like a bit of a stretch for this kind of setting, but if you roll with it, it's a pretty satisfying story.

Can you believe that I have never read a mafia romance until now? Let me just say, that I loved this one! 3 competing mafia families in Boston? Yes, please! I loved that Callista wasn’t waiting around for someone to come save her and that Teague was the one that wanted out of their world. They were such a great match from the very beginning! I can’t wait to see what happens to the rest of the O’Malley’s.

I am a big fan of Katee Robert and this book was no different! I really liked this book! The chemistry between the two main characters- Callie and Teague- was off the charts hot! Upon their first meeting, you could just tell that things were going to get spicy and fast! The book in general was a great mafia story. It had suspense, romance, action, and mystery. I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Twists and turns and I love this new cover as it really matches her others. This was dark and spicy and man I need book two now. This was totally unpredictable and just wow. Must read!

I have loved discovering this reissue from Katee Roberts! I am more familiar with her Olympus series, so I was pleasantly surprised by this tory. I can see the writing she has become peeking, and it's awesome. Very entertaining read!

Teague, a reluctant member of Boston's mafia family, is pulled back into the fold when his father orders him to marry Callie, the Sheridan heir. As their marriage contract ignites a war among the families, their chemistry and Teague's captivating nature make this mafia romance a thrilling read. Excited to continue the series!

I'm not sure how I missed Katee Robert having a mafia romance series before but I'm so happy I've found it. I'm already so excited to read the rest of the series after this book. The series follows the O'Malley siblings as each of them find love each in their own, somewhat chaotic, way. Dark Succession is an Arranged Marriage romance which I'll admit I'm not usually a fan of but I really didn't mind this one probably because the characters started to fall in love before they even got married and when they got married it was on their own time and not the family's.
Also the secret Callie has - which you do find out right at the beginning - honestly such a power move, very dangerous and almost got her killed, but still. I feel like the secret wasn't as over the top dramatically revealed as secrets sometimes are. The reveal did cause some overall drama but not a whole lot between Callie and Teague which was appreciated.
The romance between Callie and Teague was phenomenal and I couldn’t have asked for it to be better. The passion between the two is undeniable and the need to protect they feel towards one another it wonderful. Also just the overall dynamic of their two personalities was so much fun to read.
I can't wait to get reading the rest of the series!

Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of Dark Succession! I really enjoy the way Katee Roberts writes, so I was super excited to read this re-issue of her older book The Marriage Contract!
Dark Succession 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: *** This is a REISSUE of The Marriage Contract with some updated language to be published for the first time in trade paperback with a brand new title and cover. ***
The New York Times bestselling author of Radiant Sin delivers a smoking hot series about the O'Malley family—wealthy, powerful, dangerous and seething with scandal.
Teague O'Malley hates everything associated with his family's name. And when his father orders him to marry Callista Sheridan to create a "business" alliance, Teague's ready to cut ties once and for all. But then Teague actually meets Callista, sees the bruises on her neck and the trauma in her eyes and vows he will do everything in his power to avenge her.
Everyone knows the O'Malleys are dangerous. But Callie wasn't prepared for his brand of lethal grace and coiled power. His slightest touch scorches through her. But the closer they get, the more trouble they're in. Because Callie's keeping a dark secret—and what Teague doesn't know could get him killed.
I really, really liked Dark Succession! The spicy scenes were great and spicy and I loved the backdrop of these three families being a part of the Boston Irish mob scene. I loved Teague and Callie as main characters so much and all of the secondary characters we met were so great too! I got so tied to all of them, so not only did I really enjoy reading this book, I cannot wait to read the others too now. I thought that the way that the mob scene and the politics there were written were done so well. I really liked being able to see the rivalries and the thought that went into these arranged for land and other benefit marriages that were happening. Parts of the book were so gut wrenching and I loved that Katee Roberts wasn’t afraid to do things that would be super devastating to her characters, which would then be devastating to us as readers. Overall, I really enjoyed Dark Succession and I think y’all should pick it up as soon as possible!

This was such a great book about Teague who has an arranged marriage with Callista who he wants nothing to do with until he sees the bruises and wants to protect her with his life. I’m all here for Katee Robert’s books, especially after reading her Dark Olympus series. This book did not disappoint and I really enjoyed this mafia story. It has the perfect balance of plot and spice (which Robert is perfect at). I really enjoyed the conflicts in the story and the way the book was written. The pacing was smooth and I honestly didn’t realize I was almost done with the book until I was close to the end. I like the world that this book is set up to be and I heard it gets bigger once you get more involved in the series. This book is written from dual perspectives which I enjoyed.

Callie is the main FMC and when I read the summary, I thought she was going to be weak but actually she is pretty tough. I enjoyed her character and how involved she was with the family business. She had a great character development and I enjoyed reading her story. Now Teague is such an amazing character when he cared for his family. I loved seeing his relationship develop and reading from his pov. With the side characters, there were many and some stole the spotlight like James. The romance is arranged marriage but I love seeing the romance develop between the main characters and seeing their chemistry. There were some very spicy scenes and it was hot.

The ending was well done and I’m very excited to read the next book with different characters. I know I will be having fun exploring this mafia world with different characters as I love mafia stories. This book was well written though I do have to say that something was lacking that I can’t place. It’s still a good book and I do recommend reading it especially if you love Sophie Lark and Cora Reilly.

This was my first mafia style romance! I really enjoyed it, I wasn't sure at the beginning... but I soon got sucked into the story. I loved how badass all the characters were and the whole thing felt oddly believable haha. I love Katee Robert's writing!!

Thank you netgalley and foreverpub for the earc and finished copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had zero issues getting into Dark Succession. Instead, I had a hard time putting it down!

This is a reissue of The Marriage Contract with an updated name, cover, and some language.

There’s action almost immediately. I was on the edge of my seat at a few points throughout the book. And now, I want more!

I will say, this book was far less spicy compared to some of Katee’s other books! If you like mafia romance, this could be a good introduction to Katee Robert for you.

This one is a quick read that will keep you turning the pages!

Thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the opportunities to read this book. The review expresses my own opinion.