⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5

An arranged marriage for a seat at the table that is a dangerous pairing.

Shay O’Reagan is the King of the Northern Ireland O’Reagan mafia family. He wants to find a way to bring the families together and a cease fire between the North and the South, his proposal of an alignment with his family in the South brings him to an arranged marriage. He has a lot of work ahead of him though as there many factions that don’t want this alignment or cease fire. Shay is also looking for revenge for the death of his younger brother and the path of his death will lead Shay down a dark path.

Emma Murphy has thought for years that she would be marrying Jack O’Reagan, but a curve ball has been thrown and she has just discovered that she’ll be marrying not only an O’Reagan, but a Northerner, and her family has no use for the Northerners. She has heard a lot of stories and has an idea of how they are and what her life will be like married to Shay O’Reagan. Her eyes will be opened but to many things, not just that the Northerners are not the way she has always thought. She’s a strong-willed redhead that has been told she’s as stubborn as a donkey backing up.

I loved this second book in The Young Irish Rebels Series. Shay is a dark, ruthless ruler that knows that he has to be this way unless he wants to be killed. He is not prepared for Emma Murphy though and the betrayal of the people around him will shake his world as well as his faith in those he has relied on for a long time. Now he has to forge a way to his future and find a way to keep himself and his new fiancé safe. Emma has many hidden talents that she learned from her older brother Noel. She can see the real Shay and that’s the man that wants. This story is rife with betrayal, backstabbing, and deceit, but it’s also full of action and great characters. I still don’t trust Liam O’Reagan. I love Shay and Emma, and I think that so far, my favorite character is Shay. He may be a leader and ruthless man, but he has such a strong vulnerability when it comes to his brother and Emma. I give this story a 5-star review and I am looking forward to more in the series.