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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
THIS BOOK. Wow. It was star crossed lovers, it was passionate, it was so romantic. Like as hot as it was romantic. It has me looking up flights to Boston in hopes of finding something sort of like this. Truly I’m upset I finished it so fast because it was so lovely to read
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Heated Rivals by Katee Robert, which was previously already published as The Wedding Pact, follows Carrigan O’Malley who we met in book one in this series. In this book, we follow her as she is forced into an arranged marriage. With tensions rising between mafia families, now isn’t the time to actually develop feelings for an enemy. But there is something so alluring about James, who is from a rival family.
This book is full of fun mafia romance tropes. There is forbidden love and action and betrayal and some steamy fun scenes all wrapped up in this series. I will say if you have read Robert’s more recent books, this older series doesn’t have the same amount of character development. This series was originally written in 2016 and Robert has grown as an author so much. I know she went through this series and edited some of it but she didn’t rewrite it completely and I think that shows.
I would say this series is really great for anyone looking for something really fast paced and spicy. I did enjoy this book slightly more than the first book because I liked James a lot better than Teague as a male lead. I am definitely planning on continuing this series because it is fun but not the best that this author has out.
3.5 stars rounded up. I think the relationship started just a little too fast for me.
Huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its rerelease. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is full of fun mafia romance tropes. There is forbidden love and action and betrayal and some steamy fun scenes all wrapped up in this series. I will say if you have read Robert’s more recent books, this older series doesn’t have the same amount of character development. This series was originally written in 2016 and Robert has grown as an author so much. I know she went through this series and edited some of it but she didn’t rewrite it completely and I think that shows.
I would say this series is really great for anyone looking for something really fast paced and spicy. I did enjoy this book slightly more than the first book because I liked James a lot better than Teague as a male lead. I am definitely planning on continuing this series because it is fun but not the best that this author has out.
3.5 stars rounded up. I think the relationship started just a little too fast for me.
Huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its rerelease. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I am loving the new covers on this series, but I am conflicted which I like more. While the new ones are gorgeous the old cover really captured the books in a picture. Though I will say I think the new titles fit better. Katee Robert is one of my favorite authors. Her Dark Olympus series is one that I am always recommending. This series is a super fun mafia romance. This isn’t something I have read very much about so had a lot of fun. I read the first book in this series, Dark Succession, and will say that I enjoyed this one even more than I did that one. These books are so different from the mythology retellings, but they are also just as good, just different. As someone who reads series out of order all the time, this is one that I recommend you read in order because there is so much important information in the first.
Thank you so much to Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley, @Netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you so much to Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley, @Netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
If you read the first book in this series and didn’t know if you wanted to continue the series because the first one was good but not amazing, I’m here to say, READ THIS ONE! It’s so good! The spice is spicing, the plot was great, and I stayed up way past my bed time to finish it
uuuuh idk i think i liked this one better than the first one. it was pretty good. still four stars tho bc i dont think its better than some of her other books. though, if youre looking for more action-packed kinda stuff then the first book is definetly for you. This one had more to do with romance but towards the end there was a great twist and fight scene- i mean, rlly great. Loved it. I recommend to those of you who like mafia stories- with romance. 4 stars <33
I’m DNFing Heated Rivals by Katee Robert at 88% because I’m just done. I think I’m over her books as a whole. They all feel so similar—like the same story in a different font. Jokingly, I feel like I’m "too advanced" of a reader to keep going with her work. I’ve read so many spectacular books at this point in my life that even a "palette cleanser" like this feels like a waste of time.
That said, I do think this book has its place. If you’re not reading 200+ books a year like I am, I can see the appeal. A mafia romance can be fun, and I understand why readers might enjoy it. But I just wasn’t feeling it—especially after finishing A Little Life, which is easily the best book I’ve ever read. The contrast made this feel shallow and repetitive. Maybe I’m just not in the mood for this type of book, this type of writing, or this much Boston. Honestly, this book was just too much.
One out of five stars. This one was pulled in my TikTok series on my TBR shelf alongside the next book in the series. It's safe to say I'm not going to be reading that one either.
That said, I do think this book has its place. If you’re not reading 200+ books a year like I am, I can see the appeal. A mafia romance can be fun, and I understand why readers might enjoy it. But I just wasn’t feeling it—especially after finishing A Little Life, which is easily the best book I’ve ever read. The contrast made this feel shallow and repetitive. Maybe I’m just not in the mood for this type of book, this type of writing, or this much Boston. Honestly, this book was just too much.
One out of five stars. This one was pulled in my TikTok series on my TBR shelf alongside the next book in the series. It's safe to say I'm not going to be reading that one either.