Callie Sheridan's father had arranged her marriage to
Brendan Halloran to consolidate the Sheridan family power
in Boston's underworld. Callie had never met her
intended, so she sneaks into his club, and witnesses
something that makes her sick to her stomach, but when
she tries to go out, Brendan surprises her; he's
extremely violent, she has to defend herself, which turns
out to be the death of Brendan, literally. Callie flees
home, fortunately unnoticed. When it becomes public that
her fiancé is dead, Callie's father strikes another
alliance: she now must wed Teague O'Malley, of the third
warring mob family. Neither Teague nor Callie like the
life they're trapped in, fortunately they're instantly
attracted to each other, which will make the forced union
more palatable. There's just one tiny problem: to avoid a
bloodbath, Teague needs to catch Brendan Halloran's
killer...
Had I realised THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT is a "mafia
romance", I would not have picked it up, as it is not a
genre towards which I gravitate, thus I will try to
remain as objective as possible. Ms. Robert paints a
pretty accurate picture of the milieu, and she certainly
doesn't sugarcoat the ugliness and violence inherent to
the underworld. The three warring families -- the
Hallorans, the O'Malleys, and the Sheridans -- are all
very different from each other, and all very interesting
characters in their own right. What I found interesting is
that the majority of the children of the mobsters are
involuntary players in the game; they are trapped in the
life merely because of the circumstances of their birth.
Carrigan O'Malley was quite a fascinating character, and
as females characters go, I liked her better than Callie.
Granted Callie starts off by making a dreadful
mistake, but I didn't get the impression of someone born
into the mob lifestyle; she retained that deer-caught-in-
the-headlights vibe throughout the book, whereas Carrigan
seemed more authentic. On the other hand, I absolutely
adore Teague! I would have expected a "mob hero" to be
your usual alpha-domineering-controlling type, but he is
a lovely character and a real gentleman; he hates the
hand he was dealt, but he takes action. I wasn't too crazy
either about the insta-lust between Callie and Teague; it
felt a bit too convenient. As neither wants this
marriage, I would have preferred if the attraction had
manifested itself a bit later on.
THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT features quite a bit of action -- in
and out of the bedroom -- it is a very well written, quick
read, appealing characters, and fans of mafia romances
will be delighted, as it is the first book of the brand
new The O'Malley series. I'm looking forward to
the next book featuring Carrigan O'Malley and James
Halloran, both of whom I loved; it should be quite
interesting.
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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