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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book but it didn’t not want me to read the rest of the series.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I enjoyed this one as much as the first in the series. Another fun popcorn read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Trafficking
Minor: Grief, Alcohol
Steamy hot and love the enemies come together for some raunchiness. Carrigan is a baddie and James is smoking hot
Take some very hot, Alpha men who have been tortured by their Mob Boss fathers, add a dash of anachronistic arranged marriages, a shot of human trafficking, and heroines who, despite being forced into aforementioned arranged marriages, manage to wriggle themselves out of Mob Family Role expectations...and you've got the O'Malleys series.
Only it isn't just the O'Malleys, you see, making Boston quite a heated place. It's the Hallorans and the Sheridans, too. Three families with three crazy patriarchs and a lot of modern day Mob Romeo & Juliet vibes going on.
I loved the first in this series. And so I picked up the second and wasn't disappointed. We get to see the aftermath of the first book's couple, Teague and Callie getting together, but we also dig deeper into honor and bravery and fighting out of assigned roles as we follow James Halloran as he tries to pull together the pieces of his family empire after his brother, Brendan, was killed in book one.
We also get Teague's little sister, Carrigan, who has been given an ultimatum by their father she has to marry someone from his list of eligible guys...or else.
And despite James Halloran, enemy of the O'Malley's, not being on the list, Carrigan can't stay away from him.
I realized after the first book, and it's not different in the second, that not alot happens (until the end when all hell breaks loose and there is fighting with guns and men and betrayals). It's a lot of people in the different families having emotional conversations about how terrible things are with each other. But somehow it isn't boring at all. Somehow all those emotional conversations are like juicy, angst-covered popcorn. And then you get the spicy sting of the Carrigan-on-James scenes in between.
This is full, old-skool Alpha steam. Despite Carrigan showing a touch of agency, she won't be winning feminist of the year awards. And James isn't a mobster-with-a-heart-of-gold who somehow has survived in a mob family without torturing dudes' hands with pliers, etc. He does the bad stuff. But somehow you forgive him.
I need to take a slight break, because there's only so much angst-covered popcorn I need in one season, but then I"ll definitely be going on to the next book in the series. Gotta find out how all the O'Malleys get their HEA.
Only it isn't just the O'Malleys, you see, making Boston quite a heated place. It's the Hallorans and the Sheridans, too. Three families with three crazy patriarchs and a lot of modern day Mob Romeo & Juliet vibes going on.
I loved the first in this series. And so I picked up the second and wasn't disappointed. We get to see the aftermath of the first book's couple, Teague and Callie getting together, but we also dig deeper into honor and bravery and fighting out of assigned roles as we follow James Halloran as he tries to pull together the pieces of his family empire after his brother, Brendan, was killed in book one.
We also get Teague's little sister, Carrigan, who has been given an ultimatum by their father she has to marry someone from his list of eligible guys...or else.
And despite James Halloran, enemy of the O'Malley's, not being on the list, Carrigan can't stay away from him.
I realized after the first book, and it's not different in the second, that not alot happens (until the end when all hell breaks loose and there is fighting with guns and men and betrayals). It's a lot of people in the different families having emotional conversations about how terrible things are with each other. But somehow it isn't boring at all. Somehow all those emotional conversations are like juicy, angst-covered popcorn. And then you get the spicy sting of the Carrigan-on-James scenes in between.
This is full, old-skool Alpha steam. Despite Carrigan showing a touch of agency, she won't be winning feminist of the year awards. And James isn't a mobster-with-a-heart-of-gold who somehow has survived in a mob family without torturing dudes' hands with pliers, etc. He does the bad stuff. But somehow you forgive him.
I need to take a slight break, because there's only so much angst-covered popcorn I need in one season, but then I"ll definitely be going on to the next book in the series. Gotta find out how all the O'Malleys get their HEA.
At one point the female lead is assaulted, and the male lead comforts her by kissing her, and this is somehow the right move. I just can't.
As weird of a start that carrigan and james got, i loved their relationship. this was a really good story.
dark
tense
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:
Complicated
If you love Katee Roberts books you will love this one. I loved it.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes