Review: "The Wedding Pact" by Katee Robert (Contemporary Romance, Suspense)

	The Wedding Pact (#2) by Katee Robert Publisher: Series: The O'Malleys The Marriage Contract (#1) (affil.) An Indecent Proposal (#3) (affil.) Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense Publication Date: April 26, 2016 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert continues her smoking-hot series about the O'Malleys—wealthy, powerful, and full of scandalous family secrets. 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.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.com for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own. I wasn't entirely sure at first about a romance suspense featuring Irish crime families (Would it be too serious? Too violent?). And I hadn't read "The Marriage Contract", so I was a little put-off at first, feeling like I mssed somehing important when James mentions kidnapping Carrigan. But I had heard great things about Katee Robert and do find crime families generally fascinating. Now, having read this, I do wish that I had read the first book, but only because I'm sure it was awesome like this one! I cannot wait for the next book!! This second installment is standalone enough that it can be thoroughly enjoyed without the first (and likely the third). It took a little for me to warm up to Carrigan and James, her more than him. I could sense early on how good James was, which made me like him. The more I read, the more solidified that feeling became. Carringan's fiery spirit warmed (ha) me up to her about 6% in, especially how she held her own with James. I am a sucker for couples who push each other's buttons, so I thought they worked really well together. The drama of the crime families was intense at times, but that goes with the territory. It's a fascinating subject and Katee Robert writes it so well. I appreciated how things weren't sugarcoated when it came to what had to be done. Characters you love still do bad things (torture, murder, being involved in the sex trade are all referenced, though not graphically), but that doesn't make you love them any less. You can sympathize and understand the life they live and what that means. I imagine this is helped by the way James and Carrigan involve themselves, as well. I seriously enjoyed this. The love was believable, the suspense gripping, and the family as dysfunctional as you would expect. If you like The Sopranos, you will like this story!