Dark Succession (previously published as The Marriage Contract)

By: Katee Robert

Narrated by: Charlotte North

The New York Times bestselling author of Radiant Sin delivers a smoking hot series about the O'Malley family—wealthy, powerful, dangerous and seething with scandal.

Teague O'Malley hates 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 cut ties once and for all. But then Teague actually meets Callista, sees the bruises on her neck and the trauma in her eyes and vows he will do everything in his power to avenge her.

Everyone knows the O'Malleys are dangerous. But Callie wasn't prepared for his brand of lethal grace and coiled power. His slightest touch scorches 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.

Critic reviews

"Dark, dirty, and dead sexy."—Tiffany Reisz, bestselling author of the Original Sinners series

"Roberts easily pulls off the modern marriage-of-convenience trope...This is a compulsively readable book! It's more than just sexy times, too, though they are plentiful and hot! It's also the gangster politics, familial responsibility and just the right amount of suspense that makes this a yummy read and an excellent start to a new series."

—Romantic Times

"Romeo and Juliet meets The Godfather... Unpredictable, emotionally gripping, sensual and action-packed, The Marriage Contract has everything you could possibly need or want in a story to grab and hold your attention."

—Nose Stuck in a Book

"Sexy, suspenseful and flat-out fun.... I seriously loved The Marriage Contract. Full of heart and love to suspense and intrigue, the story of two warring families coming together will be sure to make you fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other."

—Books by Mig

"Teague O'Malley - can I get a swoon?!? I adored him from the first time he was on the page, and he just got better and better."

—BJ's Book Blog

"A definite roller coaster of intrigue, drama, pain, heartache, romance and more. The steamy parts were super steamy, the dramatic parts delivered with a perfect amount of flare."

—A Love Affair with Books

"This series is a hit all around, and I'm already loving it."

—The Book Cellar

A good mix of action and romance

Good mix of action and romance. I thought the H/H went together well. Both were brave, smart and also, from a physical description, really meshed. This is the first book I have read, in what seems a long time, where the author really presented comparable characters. I am so glad the heroine was not portrayed as an emotional mess without coping skills, too hard to get along with or just down right dumb beyond belief. That seems to be the norm for too many authors these days! I have refused to finish books for that reason. I will be following this author- I hope all this author's books prove to be like this.

Entertaining for sure

This was a very great story. It was the first for me with this type of story line, kind of flipped. I would have liked more, kinda felt like the story was not finished.

My opinion of "The Marriage Contract"

The story was good. It was written mostly in a third person narrative. The erotica portions of the story were less than desirable. I would not consider this book as erotica. I think it's more of a Romance/Drama with limited adult situations & language. The narrator was fair.

A good listen

This is the first book I've listened to by this author. It was interesting but not exceptional. I will listen to another book by her.

Good starter to the series

The plot is set in Boston. The background mob families, there are three. The story revolves around the son's and daughters. The basic idea is that the sons are forced into the family business at some level and have no life. The daughters are treated like chattel and are married off to consolidate power among the families.

And so it is with Teague O'Malley and Callista Sheridan. One fly in the ointment is Teague and Callista, although only having just met, actually come to like each other. The plot is all about over coming family obstacles and outside forces. Callista pulled the trigger and the fun gets going. There is action from the first page -- so hold on to your headsets.

This is a suspenseful novel with some pretty racy scenes, so you have to up for it. The underworld is not exceptionally gritty but it is there. If you are okay with the mob backdrop, you will like this first novel.