The O’Malley’s Series by Katee Robert

I am a huge fan of Katee Robert. For some reason this series missed hitting my radar, but when I read the premise I immediately reached out to a couple friends and asked if they thought I’d like it and got a lot of vehement YES’s. So what’s a girl to do other than immediately get all the books and binge read them over a weekend?

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.

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.

Greed. Ambition. Violence. Those are the “values” Olivia Rashidi learned from her Russian mob family-and the values she must leave behind for the sake of her daughter. When she meets Cillian O’Malley, she recognizes the red flag of his family name . . . yet she still can’t stop herself from seeing the smoldering, tortured man. To save her family, Olivia sets out to discover Cillian’s own secrets, but the real revelation is how fast-and how hard-she’s falling for him.

Plagued by a violent past, Cillian is more vulnerable than anyone realizes. Anyone except Olivia, whose beauty, compassion, and pride have him at “hello,” even if she’s more inclined to say good-bye to an O’Malley. While his proposal of sex with no strings seems simple, what he feels for her isn’t, especially after he learns that she belongs to a rival crime family. Cillian knows that there is no escape from the life, but Olivia may be worth trying-and dying-for . . .

Some lines should never be crossed . . . not even for love.

Sloan O’Malley just left her entire world behind-her family, her wealth, and even her real name. For the first time in her life, she’s free. She can live the “normal” life she’s always wanted. A life without fear. But there’s nothing safe about her intensely sexy next-door neighbor.

Jude MacNamara has no room for innocence in his life. Only revenge. Still, he’s never been able to walk away from the forbidden, and Sloan–who is every inch of pure, mouthwatering temptation–has forbidden written all over her. Only after it’s way too late does he discover the real danger: claiming Sloan as his puts a target on her back. To protect her, Jude is willing risk everything . . . and to hell with the consequences.

Ex-cop Charlotte Finch used to think there was a clear line between right and wrong. Then her fellow officers betrayed her, and the world is no longer so black and white. Especially when it’s Aiden O’Malley, one of the most dangerous men in Boston, who offers her a chance for justice. The only catch: she’ll have to pretend to be his fiancée for his plan to work.

Aiden can’t afford to let anyone see the man behind the mask. To run the O’Malley empire, he has to be cool and controlled at all times. But the moment he meets Charlie, they’re playing with fire. Her slightest touch is enough to send him over the edge. At first their “engagement” was a way to eliminate his enemies. Now he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe– even if he has to destroy his own family to do it.

I absolutely love alpha guys … when they aren’t a-holes. And I have to say that Katee Robert does an amazing job of staying on the right side of that line in this series. When you’re talking mob families, no one is innocent and at times it’s hard to decide who exactly you’re supposed to be cheering for because you never know what the next book might bring… will we be cheering for the guy we hated in the previous book? I love never knowing where a character arc is going to go and with this series you’ll always be on the edge of your seat.

Admittedly I’m not a huge mafia/mob family book fan, but I just couldn’t resist the characters in these books and I find that being the case with most of Katee Robert’s books. The O’Malley family is super complicated and the relationships between all the children are even more so. Then add in the many rivalries and it’s almost hard to keep track of who hates who and why. But what is apparent is that these people love each other… maybe not unconditionally all the time, but most of the time, and the complications of having the name O’Malley keeps them tied to each other in ways people not a part of the family might not understand.

The one thing that draws me to each of Katee’s books is the promise of a sexy romance and boy does she deliver in this series. Each of these books is sexy and steamy and while there are instances of insta-love, I was totally on board. The back stories are riveting and interesting, the story arcs and plots kept me turning pages, and at this point, Katee Robert is on my auto-buy list permanently.

If you haven’t started this series I highly recommend them if you are a fan of suspenseful, contemporary romance. I know book 5 isn’t quite out yet, but I’m already waiting impatiently for book 6!!

Thank you to the publisher for the early copy of the latest book in exchange for sharing my thoughts.

About Katee Robert

Katee Robert learned to tell stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her favorites then were the rather epic adventures of The Three Bears, but at age twelve she discovered romance novels and never looked back.

Though she dabbled in writing, life got in the way—as it often does—and she spent a few years traveling, living in both Philadelphia and Germany. In between traveling and raising her two wee ones, she had the crazy idea that she’d like to write a book and try to get published.

Her first novel was an epic fantasy that, God willing, will never see the light of day. From there, she dabbled in YA and horror, before finally finding speculative romance. Because, really, who wouldn’t want to write entire books about the smoking-hot relationships between two people?

She now spends her time—when not lost in Far Reach worlds—playing imaginary games with her wee ones, writing, ogling men, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads