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Callahan Syndicate #3

Deadly Obsession

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A Mafia princess. A heartless playboy. A match made in hell.

After Viv Falcone’s father is installed as the new Don of Philadelphia’s Mafia by the most powerful family in the city, she’s given a choice. Marry the youngest Callahan son or her family pays the price. An arranged marriage to a cold, heartless playboy doesn’t sound like the stuff of fairytales. But she’ll sell her soul to keep her family safe.

Aidan Callahan prefers his women nameless, faceless, and never more than once. But after his family suffers a crushing loss, he’s commanded to do the one thing he hoped to avoid his entire life—get married. It doesn’t matter how captivating his bride to be is, he refuses to be a pawn in his brother’s games.

Until someone begins stalking Viv in an attempt to weaken the alliance. Then Aidan discovers his new bride might mean more to him than he planned. And he’ll do whatever it takes to protect what’s his.

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2022

185 people are currently reading
649 people want to read

About the author

Meaghan Pierce

11 books95 followers

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5 stars
199 (39%)
4 stars
170 (33%)
3 stars
115 (22%)
2 stars
16 (3%)
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5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Rachel Oldham.
87 reviews3 followers
August 19, 2022
What a great book. I went into this book hating Aidan and came out with a book boyfriend.
The first two books in the series we meet Aidan. He’s the little brother who rebels against authority and thinks he’s the best. This was what I was expecting in this book and it did start out that way but oh my did he change.
Upon meeting Liv, you could tell that love was going to happen. You just didn’t know how long it would take them. Being put through trials that most couples don’t endure, even in the book world, these two made me fall in love.
I was so lucky to get an ARC of this book and can’t wait to see where the series goes from here.
45 reviews2 followers
August 15, 2022
Okay there might be some mild spoilers, so proceed at your own risk lol

While I think this book was overall written well, it just wasn’t my type of storyline. I’ve read plenty of arranged marriage mafia stories, but I only enjoy the ones in which the heroine has a backbone.
Like many in this genre there was a sense of insta love between the two leads. Like I totally understand immediate lust and attraction, but how do you fall “in love” with someone that you admittedly know nothing about outside the bedroom? I hate those types of storylines; like what do you love about this person outside of sex? They literally don’t talk to you or have any meaningful conversations with you otherwise, yet you have managed to fall in love with them after a few weeks/months.

I honestly almost gave up on this story within the first 10% as I honestly couldn’t wrap my head around the Callahan’s, and especially Evie’s, crassness behind this marriage. Like they supposedly are against trafficked women and Evie left for 10 yrs, because she wanted to be loved and not “handled;” yet they were all okay with subjecting another female into a forced marriage with the goal of procreating. I just felt like this was so out of character of who everyone were in the previous stories, that it pissed me off. It was so hypocritical that everyone was able to find someone they loved, but Aiden was expected to marry and have children out of duty to the family. To be honest I hated everyone in this story for that alone. It’s like it’s totally okay for them to treat women like a broodmare, but they are appalled when it’s done by others. Viv was essentially trafficked, as she had no say in any of this. Aiden agreed, because he didn’t want to get kicked out the family; Viv had to agree or they would kill her family. I’m sorry, but the alternatives were not the same when it came to declining this arrangement; death vs loss of prestige are apples and oranges and pretending they both had “no choice,” was totally BS.

Now for the next rant. Why in the heck was Viv so resigned to this arrangement in the first place. It was like she was told this was going to happen and she just shrugged her shoulders and said “okay let’s make the best of it!” Like seriously? 😒 Who would be so easily resigned to a fate like this? It’s not like she had some terrible life and this was just another bad experience for the books. Like how do you go from never imagining being a wife or mother, to being told you have to be both with little to no resistance? I thought she was going to reveal some silent rebellion like she has an IUD no one knows about or she gets depo injections and likely won’t get pregnant for a least 3 months or so; Nope this girl was all in from the beginning and only concerned about getting her feelings hurt.

I rated this story a 4 simply, because I thought it was well written, it’s just not the type of storyline I enjoy. I especially hate stories where children are introduced before a couple even has time to get to know each other and enjoy themselves. Children change relationships, whether for the better or worse, so I’m not a fan of women being forced into motherhood before they even get to enjoy their relationship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Melly Gem.
333 reviews8 followers
June 12, 2025
It's not my favourite of the series so far.

It was as always well written, but it just didn't have the power of the first 2.

I had issues with pretty much everyone, haha.
there was little to no drama in this one. it was just a 294-page back and forth of their childish relationship.

Aiden and Viv are arranged to be married to strengthen the relationship between the mafia and the syndicate.
or in Declans words "to breed and have heirs and bloodline ties."
it was awkward to read about every other couple in this story, flaunting their love relationships in front of this couple who had no choice. it made me dislike everyone except Libby and Brogan, who actually apologised to Viv.

the whole Colin situation was drawn out, then concluded to quickly and so unsatisfactorily. the twist was obvious. i just picked the wrong one.

Viv and Aiden had such an immature relationship that only had some growth literally in the last chapter before the epilogue.
Viv wanted them to have more of a deeper relationship, so she finally put distance when she realised Aiden only wanted her body. but then when she tells him about wanting more, they straight away jump into sex mid conversation. (eye roll).
then what do you know she is pregnant after 2 months.
she didn't get a honeymoon. There was no conversation about her roll with the families now. Was there terms or agreements with the marriage? why would you want to live in a house with 2 other couples (ewww)

the whole Cait showing up pregnant was completely washed over.. what did she have? was it fins?

why couldn't the syndicate that appears to run the city not afford a personal body guard for Viv (and all the women for that matter) or even have a few men to spare to guard her while they worked out the Colin situation.
it made no sense.

there just needed more depth in areas as there were storylines that were just too short and seemed irrelevant.
Profile Image for Littlebookishbirdie.
190 reviews6 followers
October 20, 2022
”I don’t want to fuck you. I want to savor you.

Aiden and Viv are forced into an arranged marriage in order to bring the mafia and the syndicate closer. However, Viv is a target from the get go and as Aiden tries to protect her, he falls for her.
______________________________

This series has glimpses of goodness. I can’t stop reading them even though I always find myself disappointed. Never fully disappointed.

The author made the mistake of making Aiden too much of a jerk for me. He really was just an ass in the other books and I knew going into this one that she would need to pull a magic trick for his redemption.

He has a huge issue with his sister in laws but that never gets cleared up? The story bridges one, sort of, but never does anything with the other? The one he calls the worst names.

Viv was okay. I neither liked nor disliked her. She was very average to me. I thought when she mentioned her dream proposal and everything that the author was going to have Aiden do some serious romantic stuff when he realized he loved her. Nope. Nothing. They basically have so much sex they fall in love.

And it ends with a kid. Yikes. And Aiden seems less likely to have a kid. Out of all of Callahans. And the twist at the end? With her friend? That was just kind of weird to me. The other stories have a decent plot, ones that made sense. This didn’t.

Kudos to not killing any major characters though. I’m glad she isn’t doing that in every book. Though I’m still mad about Finn. There is one more in the series apparently and I think I’ll stick it out cause clearly I’m a glutton for punishment.
Profile Image for Lanae (findmeonsmutlane).
805 reviews23 followers
April 27, 2023
Well book three was good, but not quite as good as the second book for me.

I liked getting Aiden's story. I loved the arranged marriage aspect. It added something different to the story. But I still feel like Aiden was cut short. I don't feel like we got a full explanation of his behavior. Like we kinda got one, but either it didn't come off well for me or I just feel like we needed more. We got very surface level and I wanted more in depth. I liked Viv's character. I liked that she didn't really take Aiden's shit and gave as good as she got.

The spice was excellent. I feel like each book gets a little spicier. We knew Aiden's book would be good given his horn dog history, and the author didn't disappoint.

I love the family aspect of the books. How everyone is connecting and even the Irish and Italian's are becoming friendly now that they're connected.

It's becoming a trend in this series that the conflict isn't all as it seems. Like there is one huge conflict in the story, and it gets solved, but then oops turns out it wasn't completely solved and there is a twist. I didn't quite catch it the first two books but by this book it definitely seems to be a trend. Not that it's bad, just getting kinda predictable.

I'm really glad Jame's didn't flip on the family. I was kinda worried for awhile there that he was the stalker or wanted to cause trouble cause of what happened in the previous book. I'm glad I was wrong on the front and also that no one important died this book! The last two books slightly traumatized me so I was really stressed we were gonna lose someone this book. I'm glad we didn't and I'm super excited for James' book next!
Profile Image for Katie.
1,276 reviews21 followers
August 18, 2022
This is another amazing addition to the Callahan Syndicate series. You will fall in love with Viv & Aidan! This book is filled with lust, desire, happiness, uncertainty, conflict, a bit of danger & a whole lot of Love!!

Aidan is still reeling over the death of Finn and the last thing he wants to do is get married. However, when he’s presented with this mutual beneficial arranged marriage he has no choice. However, he was not prepared for Viv and all the feelings and emotions she pulled from him in the short time they were together. He always kept his feelings hidden and walled up because that was the safest way of never getting hurt. Viv slowly destroys those feelings walls and he’s not in a rush to put them back up!

Viv knows this marriage is business only but she can’t help her growing feelings and need for her husband. She knows Aidan is just playing the part of her husband but somewhere along the way everything changed and she can’t fight it anymore.

Watching these two strong, stubborn, & loving characters embark on this journey together is sweet, enduring and very sexy! You will love them just like all the other Callahan brothers. He may be a jerk at times but he won’t let anyone hurt what is his. He will do anything to keep Viv safe even if he has to open himself up and be hurt in the process. This book will keep you enthralled till the very last page. Happy Reading!!!
Profile Image for Brittany Howell.
435 reviews13 followers
September 3, 2022
If you would have told me at any point prior to this novel that I would fall in love with Aidan, I would call you a liar. But today, I stand before you a changed woman. Meaghan has turned the annoying, selfish, brat of a man into the most lovable of the entire bunch. Don't even get me started on the witty sharp tongued queen that is Viv.

We start off learning of the arranged marriage between Aidan of the syndicate family, and Viv of the Italian mafia family. The goal being to bring about an alliance. Neither of them go into it willingly but agree to make it work for their families sake. Throughout the whirlwind of wedding planning and wedding related parties, you will absolutely start to fall for these two as they refuse to admit they are falling for each other. It all leads up to a dangerous showdown where Viv's life is on the line. Will they admit their love or lose each other forever?
Profile Image for Kara Fairchild.
356 reviews2 followers
January 24, 2023
My rating system:
5 stars - Absolutely loved it! I would definitely read again anytime!
4 stars - Really liked it! Will most likely read again sometime.
3 stars - Liked it. Glad I read it but probably won't read again.
2 stars - Didn't like it. Glad I'm done with the book and I'll never read it again.
1 star - Very rare rating. Absolutely hated the book. Will never read again and I'll probably burn any copies I come across.


I just knew Aiden was going to be lovable under his hard, okay extremely hard, outer shell! I've loved all the characters in the series and how real they feel. The drama that follows them is intense and interesting, as is the building of their empire. I'm definitely liking this series!
Profile Image for Katie Roberts.
941 reviews7 followers
November 18, 2022
Somehow Aidan is redeemed! Viv makes him human and nice!

This was a great enemies to lovers romance. It's good fun, with lots of banter. I love the characters throughout this series, including a lot of the side characters which means I feel extra invested (Cait??) But I wasn't looking forwards to this book because Aidan was so unlikeable before!

I'm impressed by how she turned that around. Definitely a fun read. The villain seemed very predictable and was therefore questionable as the villain but the twist did take me by surprise. Not in that there was one, more in who the subject of it was!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kelly Ballema.
9 reviews
August 4, 2022
The third book in this series doesn’t disappoint! I knew from the previous books that Aidan was being set up to be a super lovable asshole and he delivers for sure. I also totally love Viv, and one of my favorite things about Meaghan’s books is the strength of the bonds between the Callahan women and the emphasis on female friendships and relationships, and that continues in this book. Also, as with the others, there’s a clever twist that is usually hard to do in these types of books. As always, can’t wait for the next one 😊
Profile Image for Carolyn.
47 reviews
August 5, 2022
Wow!! The third book of Meaghan’s series does not disappoint. Aidan is a broody and protective partner set up in an arranged marriage to Viv, a fiercely independent and empathetic woman determined to support her family. At one point I was literally laughing out loud at some of the awkwardness and humor that Meaghan has woven into the story line. I love the partnership and strengths of the women in this series and Viv is no exception. Definitely my favorite of the three, looking forward to reading the next one!
Profile Image for Sarah Epps.
11 reviews
October 23, 2022
I have to admit I had a bit of a hard time getting started with this book because of the previous 2 books I really disliked, Aiden.

But getting into the book, I do like that Viv stands up to him and doesn't take Aiden's s*** and that Viv gives as good as she gets with Aiden.

This is very much a coming of age and maturing for Aiden, which I do like and I'm glad that Aiden and Viv are able to work through their problems and be able to come together at the end to have a sweet loving family.
209 reviews4 followers
April 7, 2023
I have read book 3 first and will be going back to read the others stories. Viv and Aidan in a modern day arranged marriage scenario, both from different Mafia/syndicate families, where an alliance is needed. There are a couple of twists, I feel there could have been more breadcrumbs to them in the book, especially the last one, as it didn't have the OMG impact it could have had, if we had seen more manipulation by the character. There is a HEA. I hope I don't change my mind about Aidan when reading book 1 and 2 lol!
Profile Image for Alyssa Lehn.
110 reviews
October 6, 2022
Meaghan did it again!! Out of the 3 books this one was my favorite. This one was not as predictable as the other two. I also thought I couldn't love anyone more than Brogan but I was mistaken AGAIN! Aidan is by far my favorite. Meaghan made me hate him in the first 2 books, but made me fall in love with him in this book 💕
22 reviews
November 2, 2022
I have to admit, at the beginning of this book, I was skeptical about liking it. Aiden seemed like a grade A a**hat, but the further I got into the story the more this became my favorite of the series. Seeing how much character growth happens really made me fall in love with Viv and his story. I highly recommend reading this one! ♥♥♥
Profile Image for Karen Lovvorn.
2,116 reviews12 followers
November 19, 2022
Just marry her for the alliance. It will strengthen the Callahan hold. Get her pregnant, buy a house for her and the baby& I can go back to one and done! Neither of them want this, the joining of the Italians and the Irish is a major win. It doesn’t mean he gives up his lifestyle . She’ll adjust . After he meets her though, his resolve takes a hit.
Profile Image for Nataly.
83 reviews
June 20, 2023
good book 3 ish stars. really only complaint was that it was in third person, wasn’t bad was pretty okay, wish it was a bit longer to allow for more building and attachment to the couple but over all good
Profile Image for cara.
739 reviews16 followers
August 14, 2022
3.6ish!? Wasn’t a fan of the mafia back story going on, too manny characters dead for my taste. But enjoyed the couple’s connection. I always appreciate MCs without exs they loved before.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Megan.
293 reviews15 followers
August 20, 2022
Read this day it came out. Obsessed. My favorite one of the three and the relationship and angst with drama was top tier. The Mafia romance vibes gave me All the feels. Gotta read it!
Profile Image for Alexis Whittaker.
108 reviews
August 27, 2022
I think the plot was a little bit predictable and Aiden just wasn’t my favorite. (Book 2 was my favorite). Still a good time!
Profile Image for Lorraine Anton.
2,982 reviews11 followers
September 26, 2022
Great

Aiden and Viv. I loved this book. The characters, plot and storyline were great too.

The twists in this book were, IDK, they kept you on the edge of your seat.

Read it
Profile Image for Laura Ford.
4 reviews1 follower
December 8, 2022
well

I wasn’t looking forward to reading this book due to Aiden was in book 1 and 2. I hated him! But it didn’t take long for me to like him. I love these books
4 reviews1 follower
March 30, 2023
Couldn’t put it down.

This book had me binge reading. It was amazing. I was obsessed with the back and forth of their feelings. I love a good happy ever after as well.
58 reviews
April 25, 2023
My fav from the series! I don’t think it’s a 5 star book but I really enjoyed this one so it was a 5 star read iykyk
143 reviews1 follower
January 27, 2024
3,5 ⭐️ this was a solid mafia romance, i liked the mmc. in my mafia romance era and this definitely scratched the itch
2,346 reviews
February 19, 2024
Aidan

I did in fact believe Aidan had no redeeming qualities and was a lost cause. I am very happy to be proven wrong.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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