bestselling author Katee Robert delivers the next book in her sizzling O'Malleys family series, hailed as "The Godfather meets Romeo & Juliet."
I struggled with this one a little bit, and it took me some time to
figure out why. The other books in the series are in Boston, and they
take place in the underground/Crime setting. This one, for obvious
reasons, moves the action to another location, so the switch from Oregon
to events in Boston seems a little jarring at times. I understand the
reasoning for the way it was written, and overall it does work, but it
took me a second to switch from Oregon to Boston as I was reading. It's
possible this is just me, but I think the juxtaposition of Boston
events and how hard Sloan was working to get away from Boston conflicted
a bit for me, if that makes sense.
That said, I really
enjoyed the parts that were Sloan and Jude, and I think we can all
relate to wanting to make our own lives away from our families and on
our own, although most of us don't have reasons that are as compelling
as hers.
I liked the evolution not only of the story
but of the attachment with Jude and Sloan, and I believed their
reactions to the events that took place. Again, I have a book in which
to totally discuss the events, I will have to spoil a plot point, so I
am going to have to be vague and just say that I believed both of them,
and their reactions.
I do recommend this book overall.
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FORBIDDEN PROMISES Playlist
Relax My Beloved – Alex Clare
Alive – Sia
Parachute – Chris Stapleton
River Lea – Adele
Perfect – Ed Sheeran
Laura – Flogging Molly
Ride – Chase Rice (feat Macy Maloy)
Forever Yours – Trey Songz
Hold Me Down – Halsey
Brave Enough – Lindsey Stirling (feat Christina Perri)
Devil’s Backbone – Civil Wars
Heavy in Your Arms – Florence + the Machine
Dangerous Woman – Ariana Grande
Cold Day in Heaven – Delta Rae
Not Afraid Anymore - Halsey
I See Fire – Ed Sheeran
Touch – July Talk
John Wayne – Lady Gaga
One Woman Man – John Legend
“Coming here was a mistake.” Sloan started to
get up, but Jude hooked the band of her yoga pants and pulled her down. She
ended up straddling him with a hiss of fury. “I dislike you intensely.”
“No, you don’t.” He palmed her ass, sliding her
forward so she rode the ridge of his cock. “You dislike feeling out of
control. Guess what, sunshine? You don’t get control when it comes to fucking
me.”
Her nipples pebbled, showing through her thin
tank top. They teased him even as she put her hands on his chest, her fingers
kneading him and making him think of a kitten who had just discovered her
claws. “And if I want control?”
“You don’t.” He wrapped one arm around her
waist and used his free hand to palm her over the top of her pants. “I’ve
barely touched you and you’re so fucking wet, you’re practically panting for
me.”
“You are insufferable.” But she rolled
her hips, rubbing herself against his hand. “I’m leaving.”
“No, you’re not. You’re going to stay here and
let me lick that pretty pussy of yours until you come.” He lightly pinched her
clit through the fabric, watching her face. She liked the slightest bit
of pain if the way her eyes went heavy lidded was anything to go by. “And then
I’m going to bend you over this couch and take what’s mine.” Until you
forget why you were frightened in the first place tonight.
He wanted to hear her say yes. For all his
pushing her, if she actually wanted to leave, he wasn’t about to stop her. She wanted
him to push her, to corner her, to let her pretend she wasn’t making this
decision every step of the way. Fuck that. He gripped her hips, lifting
her and standing her on her feet. She blinked, obviously confused. “I thought…”
Jude unbuttoned his jeans, drawing the zipper
down, his gaze never leaving hers. “You thought I’d take what we both know you
want to give me? Newsflash, I might get off on the lady protesting too much,
but that only goes so far. You want to leave, leave. I’m not going to chase you
down and club you over the head, no matter how much I want you.”
She swayed a little. “That’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair is how goddamn hard I am for
you. I watched your little yoga show this afternoon—don’t even pretend you
didn’t know because I saw you shooting looks this way. Seeing that pert little
ass of yours in the air, like you were offering yourself to me, and not being
able to take what I wanted?” He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his
cock. “How long do you think you could hold downward dog with my mouth on your
pussy?”
Her whole body shivered, her hand clenching
around his cock. Sloan’s brows slanted down. “You’re doing it again. That thing
where I should slap you across your face for talking to me the way you do.”
“Do it.” Jude took her free hand and set it
against his cheek. “But whatever you’re going to do if you’re not leaving, then
get those fucking pants off. I’m starving for you.”
Sloan almost gave in. But she hadn’t left her
entire life behind to hand over what little freedom she had to another man.
She took one step back, and then another.
“You’re wrong. I don’t want to give up control.”
Lay the terms out. You don’t want this to end,
but he can’t run the whole show. You can’t let it happen like that.
Sloan lifted her chin, faking a confidence she
didn’t feel in the least. “Even if this is temporary, I want it on my
terms.”
Jude went still. “I’m listening.”
The only way you can get what you want is to
say it. She bit her lip and then
charged on. “If you’re sleeping with me, then you’re sleeping with me. I
don’t care if you aren’t a fan of cuddling. It’s something I require to
continue this thing.”
He raised a single eyebrow. “You want me to
whisper sweet nothings in your ear while you’re at it?”
“I think we can both agree that’s not how you
operate.” She didn’t want the lie of sweet nothings, but she’d take the lie of
his big body in bed next to hers.
Maybe it would make her feel a little less
alone.
He buttoned his pants with careless efficiency.
“I don’t sleep.”
Her earlier anger flared. “Then lie there and
count sheep for all I care.” She couldn’t believe she was pushing this. It
would be so much smarter to retreat back to the safety of her home. Lonely,
yes? But at least no one could hurt her there. She was opening herself up for
rejection and potentially worse when Jude shot her down.
But he didn’t say anything, just continued
watching her with a strange look on his face. “This will only end in tears for
you, sunshine. You want things I’m not capable of giving.”
Her heart gave a pang, but she ignored it the
same way she’d been ignoring it for her entire life. “You seem to think I
haven’t shed more than my fair share of tears, Jude. What are a few more?” She
took a careful breath. “Those are my terms. Take them or leave them.”
And then he was towering over her, his hand
sifting through her hair to tug her head back so she looked him directly in the
eye. “I’m taking them, sunshine. More importantly, I’m taking you.”
His thumb traced her jaw, unspeakably tender,
but then his eyes went hard, making the bottom of her stomach drop in a way
that wasn’t altogether pleasant. I have the tiger by the tail.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today
bestselling author who learned to tell stories at her grandpa's knee. Her novel
The Marriage Contract was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it "a
compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and
tension." When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she
spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband
batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie
apocalypse.
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THE O’MALLEYS SERIES
THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT, #1
THE WEDDING PACT, #2
INDECENT PROPOSAL, #3
FORBIDDEN PROMISES, #4
UNDERCOVER ATTRACTION, #5
