This is my first book by Katee Robert, yeah I broke my rule about not starting on a series if I haven’t read the first book, but after reading the description I just had to break it. I mean we have the Irish mafia, an arranged marriage in the works and the whole Romeo and Juliet star crossed lovers thing going on. How could I say no to that? I couldn’t and I gotta say that I really enjoyed the book. I liked the world that’s been created and the people who populate it, even the scary bad ones and really liked James and Carrigan, even though they did drive me batshit crazy at times.
I really liked James from the beginning, though I will admit that had I read The Marriage Contract I may have started out the book with a different opinion of him, but within the first few pages of meeting him I’m pretty sure any negative feelings towards him would have faded. He is a man stuck between a rock and hard place as duty to his family weighs heavily on his shoulders. He is now the head of his family and must take the reigns to keep things running smoothly though he doesn’t really want it. He doesn’t want to become a monster like his father and brothers, but knows that if he doesn’t gain the respect of those under him, which means having to instill fear into them and that fact rips him to shreds, he could end up six feet under.
Carrigan. Oh, Carrigan. She and I had a somewhat roller coaster of a relationship throughout the book. The majority of it was a good one because I could see what a vibrant personality she had and seeing her zest for life being snuffed out was painful. I hated the fact that her father and mother only saw her as a pawn to be used to gain power for the family and expected her to bow down. And while I will admit that I couldn’t help but understand, and even support her little rebellions, but the fact that she tended to act without thinking about what her choices could mean for those around her had me wanting to yell at her to use that intelligent brain I knew she had and think things through first.
James and Carrigan’s star crossed lovers style romance was sweet, sexy, fun, flirty and at times frustrating, but very well done. They knew that based on what had gone on between not only their families, but themselves personally, that they shouldn’t trust each other, but strangely enough they did. They were able to see beneath the armour they both had to wear to survive the world they lived in and saw exactly who the other was at the deepest level. I loved how their relationship grew each time they were together and was shown why they were a perfect match in every way. But while I was rooting for them to get their HEA and loved the way it all came to be, though I kind of wanted more at the end, I wanted to reach out and shake some sense into them. They were so focused on each other that they became blind to what was going on around them and there were a few moments where did the rolling of the eyes/snort thing when they were surprised by the reactions their decisions caused.
As for the writing and storyline, I was hooked from the first page. I enjoyed the author’s voice and thought that the pacing was well done. The twists and turns were done well and there was one in particular that I definitely didn’t see coming until it was revealed. The book is written in 3rd person multiple POV and while there will be some that don’t like it, I honestly enjoyed it. This is a book about a family and what they are going through, so for me I liked seeing things from their POV’s, not only James and Carrigan’s. It gave the world more depth as well as gaining my interest in what will happen in the future with the rest of the cast of characters. So, it goes without say that I can’t wait to get my hands on Cillian’s book, but the one I really want to know more about is Sloan.
~ ARC provided by RockStar PR via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~