Code of Silence – Shantel Tessier
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Having read Shantel’s Dare series, I was eagerly anticipating Code of Silence, because Mafia romances are one of my favourite tropes. And she did not disappoint.
Code of Silence is dark, intense but so hot. It’s a total standalone and although there were moments when it felt like you should’ve known more than you did, you quickly got caught up once everything was revealed. This book is action packed from the start, throwing you right in at the deep end even in the prologue.
Luca is the son of the Las Vegas Mafia Don and has been raised his entire life knowing where his place will be in the mafia world. Haven is Luca’s college sweetheart, and his only escape from the Mafia world. He loves her deeply and although she isn’t happy about the life he must lead, she loves him enough to get past it. However, suddenly, everything ends and Haven is left distraught and angry.
Two years later, Luca and his family reappear in Haven’s life with some news, she’s going to marry Luca, and she has no choice in the matter. Luca is different from the man she knew in college, he’s darker, cruel and calculating. She hates Luca for how he treated her, but he is adamant he will marry her and protect her. But Haven won’t back down, she refuses to be a pawn in Mafia games. Of course, there are secrets at play and everything is not as it seems, but it’s hard to review without giving anything away, but the more you read, the clearer everything becomes.
There are twists and turns in this plot, some which I did see coming and some which I didn’t. Shantel knows how to write a good suspense romance, keeping you guessing as you dive deeper into the world she’s created. This book has everything you need in a mafia romance, deception, secrets, violence but a lot of heat too. Luca and Haven have a complicated relationship, but you can’t deny their chemistry in the bedroom.
My only slight problem was that I never really properly got the relationship between Luca and Haven, yes they had chemistry but I never felt the undying love they both declared they had for one another. Luca was downright mean to Haven for the majority of the book and I just never clicked with them as a couple. Haven was strong and stood up for herself, refusing to bow down to the Mafia way, but I couldn’t understand Luca. Most second chance books have a turning moment where the couple finally realise that they both do love each other and they forgive each other for their past mistakes, and I don’t feel like Luca and Haven had that moment. It just seemed more possessive than anything from Luca. I loved Haven though, she knew what she wanted and didn’t let anyone stand in her way.
Code of Silence sets up Shantel’s new upcoming series very well, introducing all the new characters and allowing their personalities to be shown slightly. I am so excited to learn more about the Kings and their Kingdom. But I need more of Nite. He was my favourite in this book, I need to know more of his story ASAP in Silent Nite. As Jasmine says, the silent and brooding ones are always the dirtiest. 😉
Shantel’s Code of Silence was an amazing Mafia second chance romance with a happily ever after. She writes dark brooding alpha males, their beautiful strong heroines and their even darker stories so well, you will always be coming back for more!
Thank you so much to Candi Kane PR and Shantel for providing me with an advanced copy of Code of Silence in return for an honest review.
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CODE OF SILENCE by Shantel Tessier, a Mafia/Arranged Marriage Romance, releasing January 13th!
Blurb:
Dangerous and feared.
Those words describe my future husband. Who just so happens to also be my ex-boyfriend.
It’s complicated. Two years ago, he broke my heart when he left me to do his father’s bidding. After months of crying, I finally accepted he was gone and wasn’t going to look back. That maybe he’d never loved me at all. I never wanted to see Luca again.
Now a cruel twist of fate has signed me over to him in a heartless deal. I’m his. He thinks he did me a favor, but I feel like I’ve been given a death sentence. He doesn’t want to get married because he still loves me. No, he did it for money. More power.
I’m going to be a mafia wife. And there’s only one way out of it. Death.
But as it turns out, someone else doesn’t want me to marry the ruthless Luca Bianchi.
And if he has his way, I’ll see that early grave.
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About the Author:
Shantel is a Texas born girl who now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband and their two daughters. She loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good book.
She considers herself extremely lucky to do what she does while getting to work from home. Going to concerts and the movies are just a few of her favorite things to do. She hates coffee but loves wine. She and her husband are both huge football fans, college and NFL. And she has to feed her high heel addiction by shopping for shoes weekly.
Although she has a passion to write, her family is most important to her. She loves spending evenings at home with her husband and daughters, along with their cat and dog.
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