seriously romantic: forbidden promises by katee robert

while a standalone, forbidden promises, is probably a book best read in its proper series order. i hadn't read the earlier books in this series and i found myself having to stop and make sense of the family connections and problems. daughter of an irish mob family, sloan o'malley has fled to avoid an arranged marriage that would secure her family's future.

she's always been the one to do what was expected of her. so the fact that she fled, that she's trying to stand on her own two feet, it's a big deal. life outside of her family is pure freedom compared to the danger of living amidst her family's enemies. but she is still an o'malley. and while her brother who has joined up with the sheridan family might be protecting her, he's also more concerned about his own interests. and there's the hallorans to worry about. and the russian, dmitri romanov. (keeping all the mob family dynamics straight is part of the reason why i think this series is best read in order.)

but really everyone should be worrying about jude mcnamara. he didn't seek sloan out. he wasn't watching for her, even though he knows exactly who she is. he was actually watching for her landlady, sorcha o'connor. but as much as he wanted to repel her interest, he can't help himself. he's crazy attracted to her. she's crazy attracted to him. and the intensity of that attraction as well as how quickly the stakes rise as their relationship deepens makes every moment they're together a crazy adrenaline rush.

they have to go on the run, and the situation between siblings, between families grows precarious, and none of that matters as long as they can stick together. before they've fully accepted their feelings jude and sloan are a unit. they were meant to find each other. they should have never, ever met. jude is the last of the mcnamara's for a reason. but he becomes sloan's. and sloan is his. and she gets it now, why her sister chose some guy over her family. jude is her heart, her future, her everything.

somehow he manages to get them out of the immediate mess they are in, but you can see where things remain up in the air. the next novel in this series looks like it will focus on aiden, the eldest o'malley brother. but i am most intrigued by keira's story. the dance she is currently playing with romanov seems to indicate that everything will come to a head in her story. the attraction between them feels so wrong, and so right.

anyway, i need to do some catch up with this series, but the taste i got with forbidden promises makes me think that it will be worth it.

**forbidden promises will release on may 30, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publishing (forever) in exchange for my honest review.