As the Pagano Brothers’ head of security and enforcement, Angelo Corti has done Nick’s darkest work for years. Intimidation, torture, assassination—he’s done it all without a qualm. There is nothing he won’t do for his don.Angie’s built a good life for himself on his own, devoted entirely to the Pagano Brothers, and it’s all he wants. He has no interest in a romantic relationship; there’s no … relationship; there’s no chance he’ll ever fall in love. He’s already taken his vows: to Nick and the Pagano Brothers family. There is room for nothing else in his life.
Nick’s plans for his legacy will rock their whole world, but Angie is at Nick’s side, ready to render his justice and clear the path for his don to get what he wants, no matter what.
Giada Sacco has been cleaning up after her brother, don of the Sacco Family, for years, running the family from the shadows while his arrogance and cruelty threaten to destroy it. But Giada is tired of doing the work while her unworthy brother takes the glory.
Once upon a time, Giada dreamed of rescue and romance, but fairy tales are for little girls. She knows she needs to take what she wants, and she won’t let anything get in her way. What she wants is to change the world.
When Nick and Giada ally to shake La Cosa Nostra down to its foundation, Angie and Giada are thrust together. It means nothing. It’s just part of the plan, a simple distraction.
It wasn’t supposed to be real. But even the best-laid plans go awry.
They’ve made an alliance to change their world. Now nothing will ever be the same.
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Not your typcial anti-hero
It took me quite some time to muster the courage to read this book. After the way the previous book – Accidental Evils – ended, with Donnie, Angie and Tony preparing for a difficult and dangerous mission in the Ukraine I was expecting the worst. Since Angie was going to be the main protagonist of this book, I thought if anybody would get whacked it would be Tony or even slightly more likely Donnie. And the reference in the title to the Shakespeare play where the name giving protagonist ends up stabbed in the back multiple times seemed quite portentious. Since I wasn’t ready to see Donnie die, the book kept being pushed down on my TBR pile. So, if anybody shares my concerns I can allay your fears: no major character that has appeared in previous books gets killed (or even seriously hurt), which doesn’t mean that the book doesn’t contain its fair share of violence. But compared to some of the horrendous scenes in previous books it comes across as rather mellow.
Angelo “Angie” Corti has figured as a supporting character in many books of the Pagano series. And to say that he is somewhat of a prick is stating it mildly, but AMZ guidelines won’t let me use a stronger epithet. As a child Angie was a bully and kind of a hoodlum, before he began working for Nick, who is the Don of the Pagano Family. Although he did screw up a couple of times in his younger days he is now Nick’s top enforcer. It was always his life’s dream to work for Nick and to command the respect and power that come with working for Nick. Working for the Pagano Family is his whole life and his loyalty to the Family is unshakable. He has never had a serious romantic relationship, but a succession of mistresses that never demanded more than he was willing to give, but lately even that seems too much to bother. So when Nick asks him to feign interest in Giada Sacco, the sister of the Don of the Sacco family, Angie agrees, even though he isn’t used to dating women that are in his own age bracket. But he finds himself attracted to Giada’s brains and drive as much as her body and – rather unexpectedly – falls hard for her with devastating consequences for his position within Nick’s organisation and for his life…
I love how Susan Fanetti subverts the anti-hero trope and challenges our expectations. Every anti-hero I have ever read had a tragic and traumatic past that made him what he is. Not so Angie: he grew up in a nice middle-class family and though his parents were from humble origins they had their own (butcher) shop and were well respected and loved in their community. They loved each other and their children, and so Angie grew up in a stable family, a nice environment and had a carefree childhood. But he had always chafed at what he perceived to be a very ordinary, average life and he always wanted more. Only when he is on the cusp of losing the family, friends and community he has always taken for granted, does he come to see his past behavior in a critical light and starts to appreciate what before he used to so cavalierly dismiss.
I feel very torn about the heroine, Giada. On the one hand I have been waiting for Susan Fanetti to write a lead like her for a long time. This is not to say that her other female figures have been weak, but the patriarchical system of the mafia is very strong, and all women, even Lara, the encryption genius who became Nick’s bookkeeper has been happy to stay in the background.
Giada has been in the background, too, running the legitimate side – a development company – of her family’s business and abdicating a private life of her own, after she came to realize that when she married she would be expected to give up work altogether, stay at home and produce children. Since her brother is a moron and inept, but the Don, she has been cleaning up his messes more and more often. As his behavior gets more erratic, endangering the whole family business, she is finally ready to challenge him for his position, but she needs the support of the other families and so she comes up with the plan to entangle Angie in order to assure Nick’s backing.
In a way I admired her ruthlessness in going after what she wanted, despite all the risks. But on the other hand I felt there was a strong imbalance in her relationship with Angie, who gave her everything of himself. It was his decision, but she did ask it of him. And it’s only towards the very end that she thinks of rectifying that imbalance, almost too late. I understand why she was so hard in her personal life, but I didn’t like it. Overall still a great story, so 4 ½ stars, since I fell a bit in love with Angie, despite the fact that I rather disliked him thru the previous books.
Angelo Corti. The first time I was introduced to this man was in the book called Miracle from the Pagano Family series. He made a huge impression on me. Basically because of his behavior towards his parents, his sister Tina and her boyfriend Joey Pagano. Angelo came off as a cold and ruthless man who hid his emotions very well. In the mafia series the Pagano Brothers I got a closer look into the life of Angelo Corti, the enforcer.
The Name of Honor is all about Angie and nothing is sacred. He’s a killer and doesn’t hesitate when works need to be done cause that’s who he his. He’s a Pagano man. He’s loyal to the bone. Does whatever the Don requests of him. Angie has chosen himself all his life. Putting his focus and attention to being a Pagano. That’s until Giada Sacco enters the scene and changes everything.
I knew Angie needed a strong and mature woman who’d experienced life and seen a little of everything. Giada is perfect for Angie. She’s in the mafia business too. Her brother is the Don of their family but a slob who Giada numerous times has to clean up after whenever he gets careless. She wants the power. She wants to be Donna of the Sacco family.
Angie and Giada was fabulous together because of the things they had in common. They’d never been in love or been in a relationship so it’s all new to them both except the world the live in. The things they have seen and done.
The Name of Honor was an entertaining and thrilling mafia romance. A terrific addition to the series. I enjoy adult and mature characters and here the MC’s are in their mid to late forties. Giada is a survivor of abuse but that doesn’t define her. She’s a badass who takes control. She’s secure in herself and her sexuality which I found so refreshing. Angie’s been a closed off man when it came to his parents and siblings but Giada changes that for him.
He’s a loyal and honorable man but when love enters the equation priorities shift and that’s what happens to Angie. It was explored and depicted flawlessly.
The Name of Honor had everything. Suspense, romance and action but I would have liked an epilogue that maybe looked a few years into the future instead of being in the present. Also I felt the relationship aspect of the story sometimes had to take a backseat to the power shift and the struggles that was going on in the Sacco and Pagano families. It affect my enjoyment of this book. Angelo Corti conquered my heart and so did Giada.
4 Belladonna Stars
Susan Fanetti managed to completely surprise me with this novel. “Shock and awe” accurately describes my emotions when it comes to this brilliantly executed story of Angie Corti and his EPIC love story. If you’ve been following this series, which if you’re reading The Name of Honor I assume you are following because this is NOT a stand alone, you may have noticed this pairing coming. What I assure you that you didn’t see coming is how Fanetti plays out this story in her ruthlessly honest and painful yet hopeful signature style.
I cried multiple times which I don’t normally do, I thought about this book so much after I finished it because I couldn’t get the story out of my head. The story arc this book follows fits Fanetti’s style perfectly and really fleshes out the arc of the entire series in a way I never expected or wanted but loved and truly appreciated anyway.
There are twists and turns in this book where the author pulls no punches while simultaneously pulling, no yanking, at your heart strings. These events provide greater depth to all of our beloved Pagano characters showing readers sides of them we didn’t know existed.
The way Fanetti takes this term HONOR and uses it in this story to provide such a layered and complex meaning to the word astounded me. Truly. These people seem like underworld super heroes but they’re all so human in this book for a myriad of reasons that made it that much more thrilling to read.
Love is abundant in every turn of the page. Sometimes that love comes across as gruesome, ugly, and so very painful but goodness is it there in full force knocking the wind right out of the proverbial sails. Trust is also abundant; how we earn it, retain it, could possibly lose it. The evidence of power being exercised and what that means. So many deep and thoughtful themes that bring up meaningful points to make brilliant story execution.
I said after I read this book that Angie’s story is beautifully apropos given who he is and who he is matched with in love. Both he and her take a wild, unexpected ride in life that leaves them tethered to each other but unmoored from life as they once knew it. I ADORE this couple; their chemistry sizzles and their connection so natural. I love that they take each other by surprise in who they really are as they realize they’ve been waiting for each other all along. They make each other stronger while their story makes this series even stronger.
Buckle in for a ride, Pagano fans. This one will leave you breathless. And hopefully, like me, Angie Corti will become a new favorite Fanetti leading man.