REVIEW: Heated Rivals by Katee Robert

 

OUR REVIEW:

We all knew after Dark Succession that it was only a matter of time before Carrigan and James had another run in and we all knew it would be fireworks. They did and it was. In Heated Rivals, we follow along as they try deny their attraction because of how problematic it would be for their pride and their family rivalry. The more they try to deny it though, the more attractive they become to each other. Unfortunately, Carrigan is being forced into a marriage that will benefit her family and James is absolutely not on that list. So even though all she can think about his him and all he can do is think about her, she feels like she has no choice but to select someone her father approves of. ....and that is the first three fourths of the novel....they're push and pull to want each other and deny each other. The last fourth is where it gets juicy. Loyalties are tested, family decisions are huge and on the line, and the end leaves you just waiting for what will happen with next. 

I'm digging the weaving of the narrative of the other siblings into each of these novels and wonder where they'll end up and with whom.

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SYNOPSIS:

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.
 

REVIEW: Dark Succession by Katee Robert

OUR REVIEW:

 The O'Malley's is a brand new Katee Robert series to me; I know it's been out there for a while but I totally missed it the first time around. I requested it on NetGalley and when my wish was granted I jumped in blind. For those, like me, who are new to this series, it appears that each book follows an O'Malley sibling as they inevitably fall in love. This family is a crime family in the Boston area and all of the siblings feel the obligations that come with being an O'Malley.

In Dark Succession, we mainly follow the arranged marriage of Teague O'Malley and Callie Sheridan. Their fathers have arranged this union to unite their families against a third crime family, in the hopes of keeping a stranglehold on their areas. This union is the second attempt at marrying Callie off and when this arrangement is announced it begins a war with the family she was first promised to (I feel so icky typing those words). The rest of this novel follows these two and shows us how different they are from their fathers, how even surrounded by bad deeds, they want to do good ones, and of course, it follows their inevitable descent into love, despite the strangeness of being married off. 

This novel seems to be the set up novel. We get a lot of information about the families and their dynamics, the hint at the histories of the dislike exchanged between families, and it basically gives us the lay of the land for the next several books. Even with all of this, the story wasn't bogged down with too many details and it moved at a nice pace. It was also interesting with how many points of view we got--at various points we got to peek in the thoughts of not only our main characters but the characters who will likely be our main characters in book two, James and Carrigan. I wasn't expecting it and it was a pleasant surprise. 

I've not read every single thing Katee Robert has written, but I've read quite a bit and this was a little different than what I expected. Not bad different, just different. It definitely read like something that was written many years ago and not because it was not well done, just that the sensibilities of that time in the romance world are very clear now that we're years away from that time (if that makes sense?). Anyway, it was a good read that provided days of escape from the insanity that is our world today. 

SYNOPSIS:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert begins a smoking hot new series about the O'Malley family-wealthy, powerful, dangerous and seething with scandal.

Teague O'Malley hates pretty much 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 tell his dad exactly where he can stuff his millions. But then Teague actually meets his new fiancée, sees the bruises on her neck and the fight still left in her big blue eyes, and vows he will do everything in his power to protect her.

Everyone knows the O'Malleys have a dangerous reputation. But Callie wasn't aware just what that meant until she saw Teague, the embodiment of lethal grace and coiled power. His slightest touch sizzles 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.

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REVIEW: Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert

 

OUR REVIEW:

I have to admit that I have a thing about vampire novels; ever since I read the Interview with a Vampire series by  Anne Rice, I pick up vampire novels in the hopes that they'll sweep me into a world of otherworldly creatures and make the real world fade away. (And to be honest, it's been so long since I've read that Anne Rice series, I have no idea if it holds up, but I do remember being completely absorbed by it way back when). Anyway. Court of the Vampire Queen definitely holds up. It's got that balance between a world that we can all recognize and then one that is completely foreign...but not so foreign that we feel lost. This is probably because Katee Robert does such a good job of making us care about the lives of Mina, Malachi, Wolf, and Rylan. While a large part of their story involves them trying to figure out how to escape Mina's evil father with their lives intact (and then overtake him with their lives intact), it also delves into tapping into who you are, who you want to be, and how you want to live your lives. Each of these characters is battling a past that threatens to overtake the happiness of their futures and together they help each other figure some things out. 

But let's not overlook the pure fun. They're vampires. Sexy vamps. And did I mention that this is a reverse haram virgin situation? Because it is. Lots of steam. Lots of humor. Lots of world building. I had a ton of fun reading it and the only reason I knocked a star off is because I wanted a little more at the end--more in the compound, more of the aftermath. Otherwise this was a quick, sexy, fun escape. 

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Synopsis:

Three Powerfully Alluring Vampire Men

And One Queen to Rule Them All

All Mina ever wanted was to escape her father's control. Half human, half vampire, she lived eternally torn between two worlds, never fully experiencing the pleasures of either―until her father chose her as the pawn in his latest political move, gifting her to the darkly powerful and dangerously seductive Malachi Zion.

Malachi is not a vampire to be trifled with. He rules with an iron fist and has a reputation for the darkest of sins. But the longer Mina spends with him, the more she realizes he's not the monster she first thought―and as fear bleeds into lust, then trust, then something more, Malachi opens Mina up to a world she never knew could be hers for the taking: including the love of Malachi's two closest friends and companions.

Now surrounded by all three men, the center of their shockingly seductive world, Mina may finally have the power to face down her father and take back the life―and crown―that by all rights should be hers.

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN.

Author Note: For all tropes, tags, and CWs, please check the author's website. Court of the Vampire Queen is the compilation of the Bloodline Vampires trilogy (Sacrifice, Heir, and Queen).