It was four in the morning, and in spite of her drinking and smoking weed, Keira O'Malley was unable to sleep. Her brother Aiden, the head of the Boston crime family, is on his way to New York for a business meeting, and it's precisely why Keira chose this moment to ring Dmitri Romanov to come and get her. Might as well get this arranged marriage out of the way before Aiden stops it. Keira marrying Dmitri will secure the peace between the families, which appears crucial in view of the Eldridges' nefarious intents.

It's been a very long time since I've waited for a character's story with such trepidation. Dmitri Romanov is a character of such magnitude and charisma that it startled me how much I loved him right from the start. I should have hated Dmitri as much as the O'Malleys did, yet he held me spellbound from the beginning. This is why it was easy to understand why Keira was inexplicably drawn to him, and I think that for the first time I could relate to someone for falling for such a really very, very bad boy, because Dmitri is irresistible but oh so dangerous! What I enjoyed best of all is that Ms. Robert didn't change anything about Keira and Dmitri.

For anyone who has followed The O'Malleys, it was only a matter of time before these two got together because the sexual attraction was off the charts from their first encounter. The blistering sex scenes in THE BASTARD'S BARGAIN are the culmination of the tantalizing glimpses we had had before! The sex scenes are raw, wild, and frenzied, and exactly what I expected from this couple. The "business" side of their marriage, in a strange way, makes their bond stronger, and also provides room to grow for the characters, and character development is spectacular and logical. The author deals realistically with Keira's addiction issues, as well as the way Keira handles her new challenges. THE BASTARD'S BARGAIN can stand alone, at least plot-wise as all the information needed is supplied by the author. However, I feel the full impact of the attraction between Keira and Dmitri can only be appreciated after having read the previous installments because it had me enthralled and always wanting for more.

THE BASTARD'S BARGAIN might be the best book in this outstanding series, and considering how much I was craving Dmitri and Keira's story, Katee Robert accomplished the impossible: THE BASTARD'S BARGAIN was well worth the wait, and this says it all!