The Bastard's Bargain

Katee Robert

Feb 2018 · Sold by Forever

About this ebook

The New York Times bestselling author of Neon Gods delivers a "deliciously gritty, darkly romantic, drop-dead sexy and thoroughly engrossing" mafia romance. (USA Today, Happy Ever After)

Married to the enemy.

When Keira O'Malley was a child, she used to picture her perfect wedding. The flowers. The dress. Her husband. But nothing could have prepared her for saying "I do" to Dmitri Romanov-cold, domineering, and always one step ahead of everyone else in the ever-shifting power plays of New York City. She agreed to his bargain to secure peace for her family, and she may want the bastard more than she'd ever admit, but she'll be damned if she'll make this marriage easy for him.

Dmitri knows better than to underestimate Keira for one second. Molten desire smolders between them, a dangerous addiction neither can resist. But his enemies are already on the move, and he needs every ounce of his legendary focus and control to keep them alive. Keira could just be his secret weapon-if she doesn't bring him to his knees first.

"A tension-filled plot full of deceit, betrayal, and sizzling love scenes will make it impossible for readers to set the book down." --Publishers Weekly on Forbidden Promises

Ratings and reviews

After a sleepless night, numbed by alcohol and weed, Keira O’Malley made her decision: now was the time to marry Dmitri Romanov. The O’Malleys would be furious when presented with the done deed, but it would stop the two crime families from warring; a bargain’s a bargain, especially when there’s another threat on the horizon. I was nearly frantic to read Dmitri’s story; he had made an impression on me right from his introduction in the series, which is unusual for me, because I should not have liked such a character, but I perceived him in the same way Keira did: Dmitri definitely has animal magnetism and he is irresistible and dangerous. The story is excellent: tightly plotted, evenly paced, although I wondered if in reality someone as mentally unstable as the “villain” would be permitted to head a mob family. Who cares! It’s Dmitri and Keira’s story I wanted, and Katee Robert nailed it. I’m even surprised I enjoyed THE BASTARD’S BARGAIN this much, because how often does it happen that one ends up disappointed with a much-awaited book? I loved how Dmitri and Keira’s relationship progressed: mutual trust had always been a serious issue, and neither knew how the other would react, and neither did we! The fierce sexual chemistry that had always been there between Keira and Dmitri explodes in wildly erotic sex scenes, and in an odd sort of way, their marriage is an ideal one: they both make efforts to compromise and deal with what they’re faced with rationally – and passionately. I was hoping that Katee Robert would do justice to those two marvellous characters, and she did beyond my wildest expectations! Thank you, Katee Robert, for making Dmitri and Keira’s story the best in this fantastic series! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The O’Malleys was originally slated to be a 5 part series. That was before Dmitri Romanov muscled his way onto the scene and into readers’ hearts in book two. Katee Robert created such a magnetic, compelling character in this villain that readers—including myself—begged for the sexy Russian’s story. And then, thankfully, there were six. In decades of reading romance & romantic suspense, I have never, ever, fallen for a villain. So falling for Dmitri was a complete shock, and one I wasn’t comfortable with at first. After my initial shock wore off, I fully embraced my feelings for the mobster. Ever since Carrigan O’Malley boldly outplayed him in The Wedding Pact, I’ve hungered for his story. The two year wait has been long. One would think the exceptional stories in between would have made the wait more bearable. Yet they only served to heighten the need. Yes, need. After the deal Dmitri struck with the O’Malley patriarch to marry his oldest daughter was thwarted, Dmitri was determined he would have the remaining single daughter. But did he settle? It becomes clear Dmitri recognized something in Keira O’Malley that no one else had seen: Not her extensive family; certainly not me; not even Keira herself. It was this that made the unlikely pair a formidable force against the evil threatening all four crime families and the Romanov empire specifically. I must admit pairing my Dmitri with the youngest, most unstable, and my least favorite O’Malley wasn’t a move I appreciated until book five. It was then I began to warm up to Keira and trust that Katee Robert would do right by the menacingly seductive Russian who captured part of my heart. I should have never questioned Robert’s genius. This much anticipated finale is a culmination of a uniquely complex, deliciously hot, incredibly well-written series unlike any other. The Bastard’s Bargain is many things, but paramount is (crime) family drama, betrayal, justice, vengeance, love, and the ultimate metamorphosis. I not only got my hero, I got a bad@ss shero too. Many thanks to Katee Robert for an epic series that I will re-read for years to come. Just one more request, if I may: Epilogue novella, please. To fully enjoy each story, this series should not be read out of order. 4.5 stars

The Bastard's Bargain is the 6th and final book in the O'Malley series. I've both been dreading and counting down to Keira's story, mainly cuz she's such a loose cannon and Dmitri Romanov is a tyrant that I've hated to love from the beginning of the series. I've listened to the entire series on Audible, own them in paperback, and it definitely helps to bring the stories to life. The accents are perfect, and the addition of being able to close your eyes at certain parts is helpful, lol. Don't read these books out of order though, there's too much to be missed if you read this as a stand alone book.

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.