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 … 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.
Due to mature content and themes this book is recommended for readers aged eighteen and over. Code of Silence is an arranged marriage and a complete standalone. This novel may contain triggers.
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Liked the hero in this book
Haven Nicole Knowles belongs to me. Forever. Till death do us apart.
Code of Silence is a standalone dark mafia romance that features an arranged marriage, an over the top alpha a-hole and a sassy, fierce and silly heroine who doesn’t take fuss from anyone.
Shantel is a versatile author. Always has been. If you check out her I DARE YOU series, you’ll realize how dark she can go and how much potential she puts into one single character, completely unhinged. COS, however, didn’t sit well with me sadly. I am a huge mafia fan but Luca – Haven didn’t match my expectations, sadly. Well as much as I hoped they would.
For full review, please check out my blog review here:
https://heartfullofreads.wordpress.co…
My Rating for Code Of Silence:
3.5 Stars.
I voluntarily reviewed COS in exchange for a complementary copy. Thank you to the author and the team.
Code of Silence is a dark, mafia read by Shantal Tessier. The story follows the characters Luca and Haven and the development of their relationship which is pretty complicated. We see the story through the eyes of both characters and the decisions they’ve made to get to where they are and like most relationships, nothing is as simple as you think.
Haven is predominantly a strong character, but at times I felt that her idealistic picture of Luca overshadowed who he really was as a person. She kind of knows from the beginning that Luca is part of the mafia and then gets all upset when he makes certain decisions. You do see the development as her as a character as the book goes on, but at points I did find her pretty selfish.
Luca is also unapologetic in what he had to do to keep not only his family safe, but Haven safe. There are moments in the book where he is quite cruel to Haven, but it certainly helps her to see who he is as a man and what he is up against.
There is a lot going on in this story, not only from the main characters but also from sub characters that have their own story to tell. The story between Haven and her mum was quite heart-breaking when you find out what went on there, as well as the story of other female characters (its not great being a female in the mafia)
Sexy scenes between the two characters are dark and steamy and overall it is a page turning, dark mafia book.
ARC received for a fair, honest and sometimes long review
More of my reviews can be found on my blog: https://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com
My favorite Shantel book to date! Fantastic read!!
Ahhh….Code of Silence is such a great story. It’s full of some major hotness, angst, and oh the suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat with all the twist and turns. Luca and Haven’s story is a mafia/arranged marriage romance that sucked me in and made me fall in love with their story. Their story is a different kind of mafia/arranged marriage and not as predictable as I thought it would be. I loved every freaking minute of this story and highly recommend that you one-click this one.
Happy Reading Everyone!!!
Coming Back For Her
A second chance, arranged marriage, mafia romance with suspense and heat! Luca and Haven’s chemistry sizzles. A love like theirs is worth the wait!
The boy she fell in love with left her behind with a shattered heart. Now’s he’s back in her life and he’s a powerful man with the mafia. He’s come to claim her as his wife.
Luca had his reasons for promising Haven forever and then leaving her without warning. His plan was always to come back for her. The time has come and he’s ready to stake his claim.
Haven really never moved on. Her heart has always belong to Luca. However, forgiving him isn’t going to be easy. She wants answers.
There are so many secrets. The mafia keeps things as need to know. And what you know, better never leave your lips.
This story has many twists and everyone is keeping secrets. You’ll get Haven and Luca’s history through flashbacks. The mafia is ruthless. They protect their own. But once you become part of them, you also become a target. Luca will need to balance his loyalty to his men with his love for the woman who has always held his heart.
The King’s, friends of Luca’s, are an interesting bunch and I definitely look forward to more from them. An intriguing start to this new series. I will be waiting impatiently for Titan’s book.
If you love Mafia romances with a second chance at a happily ever after, then Code of Silence is DEFINITELY for you.
It’s intense,
It’s dark,
It’s raw
Hits you with the feels.
Hella Epic Secondary Characters.
Dangerous and feared.
Those are the words that describe Luca, Luca who just happens to be Haven’s ex-boyfriend.
Their Relationship is complicated to its max.
Let’s take it back a bit without giving spoilers.
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.
There are plenty of layers to this story, plenty of secrets that are buried deep. The twists and turns are never ending and when the truths finally come to light, you’re left reeling. Code of Silence has everything you want from a mafia romance, from power plays, violence, money making and deception. You’ll become so engrossed in this story that you won’t be able to put it down. Once I finished this book I was left wanting more of Luca’s and Haven’s Story.
I loved Luca and Haven’s story. It was intense and chaotic, but also emotional and passionate. Their love held so strongly for the other, even if they didn’t want to admit or fought against it. Let me just tell you their the seconding characters you’ll all going to die for. Especially Nite and Mia, Jasmine, and those delicious Dark Kings. I cannot wait to experience all that of what the Kings are going to give us when their time comes to tell us their stories.
Shantel Tessier killed it with Code of Silence, she just gets better and better with each book that she puts out into the world. She is always giving us the angst, the emotion, and the darkness we crave.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Shantel Tessier outdid herself with this book. She wrote amazingly dark mafia story and totally different that what I’ve read so far. With every passing chapter I was more addicted to the plot because Code of Silence is full of action packed mob story.
Author also perfectly mixed together little bit of enemies to lovers with second chance romance.
Arranged marriage plot with many unpredictable twists and turns kept me on the emotional edge the entire time because nothing in this story is as it seems.
Shantell Tessier knows exactly what dark romance means and how to suck readers into the plot from the very first chapter, so be warned that this book is not for a faint of hearts. You will find cartels business, vengeance and all of it wrapped up in great suspenseful and profound story with sizzling chemistry between main characters.
Seriously, this book is unputdownable, you wont be able to leave it once you start.
I devoured every single moment in this story and it completely stole my breath away with its darkness and tough relationship between Haven and Luca.
They were like fire and gasoline, one fueled another and when they were together, OMG my pulse quicken and I was melting over them with butterflies in my belly.
Their bumpy road to the HEA was long and also very complicated and many jaw dropping truths are revealed through out the reading.
The story is about going through a lot of understanding sacrifice and compromise and if it’s a true love it can overcome any obstacle even in the darkest mafia world.
I need to mention about dark and unpredictable secondary characters who thrilled me so much in this story. Dark Kings. After little taste of their world, I can’t already wait for more.
Code of Silence totally deserves a place in my Top Reads of 2020.
ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Too many words to describe this read! Read it in one sitting! Fast paced. Edge of your seat! The perfect romantic suspense mafia book!!! I so enjoyed the push and pull of haven and Luca! Perfect hea!!!
I absolutely loved this book! Shantel killed it with this story! I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it from start to finish it was full of action and I just had to keep going to see what happened. Luca and Haven were together in school but when Luca had to make some decisions with his life due to being born into the Mafia he made the choice to walk away from Haven. He left her heartbroken and devastated which took her a long time to deal with the fact he wasn’t coming back. She starts moves on and it’s now 2yrs later when Luca shows up in her house to take her back but she’s not having it and tries fighting it only to find out she’s been sold to an arranged marriage to Luca. The rest of the book takes us on a crazy ride of these two characters reunion and Mafia life. You can feel the emotions in every scene of this book and let me tell you it’s intense no matter what the situation is from murder to hot sexy scenes you will feel all if what these characters are going through. We also get to meet a whole group of side characters that grab your attention also. I can’t wait for those books to come out because I know there going to be amazing just like this was. This book is not left with a cliffhanger which I love that but you will have to read this book to find out what happens in the end because I don’t want to give away the story but believe me if you love Shantel’s other work you will absolutely love this and if she’s a new author to you and you love Mafia and second chance romances then this book is for you.
Haven is thrown into the world of the mafia when her ex-boyfriend Luca comes back to town, demanding her hand in marriage. But with how he left things, of course she wants nothing to do with him- or his lifestyle. But she has been signed over to him, the contract in blood. There is no way Luca still loves her after two years of being an ocean apart. He had to have done it solely for money and power- the way all mafia marriages work. And the only way out of being a mafia wife, is death. But the Bianchi’s have tons of enemies, and Haven isn’t the only one who doesn’t want the marriage to happen…
I love Shantel Tessier’s work, and this was no different. If you love mafia romances or arranged marriage romances then you definitely need to grab up this book!
Luca is ruthless, being the of son to one of the two mafia families. He does what he needs to, not only to survive but to get the job done. And one of the rules for being part of the mafia, is keeping to a code of Silence. If you spill anything, death will be a mercy upon you. But apart from being part of the Mafia, he has a soft spot for Haven.
Haven’s family may not be as wealthy as the mafia who run the city, but they are well off. She has never wanted for anything. Especially having Luca as her boyfriend. She’s not stupid, she knows he’s part of the mafia family. She has an idea what goes on. But she loved him anyway. Until he left her. So when he shows up two years later, you can imagine her surprise… And why she is so angry with him. She challenges Luca every chance she gets. She may not have any say in the marriage, but she will make it as difficult as she can.
I loved Luca and Haven’s relationship. The emotions and angst. The will they, or won’t they. And the danger and suspense. Once I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down, reading it every spare moment I could! If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, I definitely recommend it! I can’t wait to read the dark Kings books! 5 angsty out of 5 .
Shantel brings a new series this new year that is full of betrayal, back room deals and sexy mafia men. Luca and Haven met when they were in college and she knew who and what his family was. Fast forward some years later and Haven is still heartbroken from Luca leaving her behind until one day he shows up out of the blue with a contract for marriage. Haven is not having it and fights it every step of the way because she just can’t trust Luca. As you know though everything isn’t as it seems and everyone around Haven has secrets. When everything starts to come out in the open Haven and Luca have a big fight on their hands. They must work together in order to fight the ghosts of the past.
I love the content of the story and how everything unfolds in a dramatic fashion. Of course, Haven was the most dramatic of them all and it was hard to digest her personality. Luca was alpha male all the way and ready to take on anybody to protect Haven. The whole time he was away from her he was plotting to get her back. Together they were good because he seemed to know how to mellow her dramatics. There chemistry is hot and intense. They know how to love each other hard and will do anything to protect one another. The supporting characters all should get their own stories and they just made “Code of Silence” even better. I cannot wait to read even more from these characters because I know it is going to get better.
It’s twisted, dark, sexy and scary, but I can’t take my eyes off the pages!!
Now this is not a story you read anywhere else besides your house, it will leave you need a cold shower or a free afternoon.
I was expecting this to be another typical arranged marriage/dark mafia romance book, but boy oh boy was I frightfully surprised.
Luca Bianchi was raised in the life of the mafia and has never known anything else, until he meets Haven. A free spirited, girl next-store college girl. With a few years younger than him there start is rocky, but Haven falls fast, and so does Luca. Nothing last forever and Luca breaks Havens heart and leaves her. The woman is heartbroken, and determined to never make that mistake again. Time goes by, and their paths cross again…
Oh this book…you feel every emotion going on, the pain from the break up, the passion of each kiss, the anger from every screaming match, and the vulnerability from each forgiving moment. Shantel can write emotion that jumps off the pages and wriggles it way right into the feels that for sure.
This one one of the first books of 2020 and what a way to start the new year off!!
Shantel Tessier has become one of my favorite authors for mafia enemies to lovers arranged marriage romance, this book was phenomenal. This is the story of Luca and Haven, you get great characters, amazing plot story, the mafia topic you love and all the angst you need for a book you will not be able to put down. Suspense, action, steamy scenes and just a great dark edgy plot, with a badass sexy antihero you will fall in love with. A must read!
Yasss!! This book is EVERYTHING! Shantel delivered a true mafia romance. It had the intense actions of the mafia with all of the gore behind it. The way she wrote this story made me think of the movies Casino and The Godfather. Some scenes chilled me to the bone and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next. This book will intrigue you, it’s gripping and the love between Luca and Haven is a beautiful disaster.
Haven has loved Luca from the beginning and was brokenhearted when he left without a goodbye. With her heart broken she could never move on and then his car shows up at her parents house two years later. Luca Bianchi is the son of a Don and he knows what is expected of him. His path is not normal and he knows questions are not tolerated and there will be consequences if things are not followed through. But he is loyal and has only loved one girl, Haven. Luca is back to reclaim what is his.
This book is full of lies, secrets and betrayals and you will not want to put this down. I’m also really excited for the Kings books. Bones, Cross, Titan and Grave was introduced in this book and they are FIRE!!!! This is an amazing read by Shantel Tessier and exceeded all of my expectations!!
Mafia at its finest!!!
I absolutely love mafia books and shantel really has given us mafia at it’s best, at first I really didn’t like Luca i just wanted to bash him over the head for what he did to haven,,,,but ah wow by the end you have no choice but to love him, and nite now I really need to know more about him….
A fantastically written story with plot twists galore that keep you thoroughly gripped the whole way through. After getting glimpses of the dark kings throughout the book I cannot wait for these books to continue and delve deeper into the dark and dangerous world at kingdom.
I was super excited to read this book when I read the blurb. First off I love anything Mafia I think I should have been a mafia princess Lol. Second I’m very picky about my mafia book that being said I am so in love with this book! I don’t like to write spoilers in my reviews I will say this, this was my first mafia book of 2020 and it was an amazing way to start it and I can’t wait for the next.
I can always count on Shantel Tessier to weave an action packed story that pushes boundaries. In COS Ms. Tessier takes us into the world of Italian Mafia based largely in Las Vegas. This book is a combination of mafia, arranged marriage and second chance romance. The author masterfully entangles all these tropes to create a story that’ll keep on you the edge of your seat till the very end. This book is rife with twists and turns and, sometimes, soap opera worthy revelations. The writing is stellar and Shantel Tessier definitely doesn’t shy away from the gory details of mafia lifestyle. As always, Ms. Tessier brings on the steam with her particular blend of brutal sensuality and tenderness. The only reason this book lost a star is because I felt that the couple’s relationship took a back seat to the action packed mafia plot, and I would have loved to see more character development for both main characters individually as well as a couple. Having said that, this is still a must read for all lovers of gritty mafia romance.
“Careful what you wish for. Your dream can quickly become your worst nightmare.”
Code of Silence was everything I wanted and more. An intimidating ruthless antihero that will stop at nothing to get what is his and a strong courageous heroine that is weak for only one. Some scenes are pretty creative and brutal and I might be a little sick for reading them with a smile on my face. I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a mafia read with danger, suspense and off the charts chemistry. Beyond ecstatic for what is to come next!!!
“His kiss is like pain—it demands to be felt.”
My favorite quote from Code of Silence:
“I would spread my legs for him like an avid reader would turn the pages of a book.”
~ Read on behalf of Two Darlin Dolls and a Book Review Blog
Code of Silence by Shantel Tessier is an angsty, emotional, rollercoaster, intense, dramatic, suspenseful, provocative, 2nd chance romance that will have you on the edge of your seat. It’s edgy, gritty, gripping, raw, dark…it’s so much that you will find yourself on a ride inside of a mafia romance that at times your not sure what your reading- is it a romance or is it a action packed dark read with multiple characters with layers. The main characters in this are Luca Bianchi and Haven Knowles. Just know that you are in for the emotional rollercoaster ride and the chemistry between them is sensational and incredibly intense. There is an amazing HEA. This book has everything you expect from a mafia book so buckle in and get ready for the secrets and lies, corruption, murder, revelations, twists/turns that you definitely won’t see coming. This is the beginning of a new series and I can’t wait for book 2.
My Rating: 4.5 stars ********