Absolute Silence

Another great addition to this wonderful series. This time, it’s the bumpy romance between Filip–Matteo’s little brother, and the man charged with taking care of Giada when she was targetted by the cartel–and Camilla–Giada’s sister.

You’d think they would be better acquainted with such family ties, but they barely know each other when they meet at the most unexpected place: a sex club. And they certainly don’t know what they hide from everyone. Filip is a regular there, since that’s where he satisfies his need for control–as we’ve seen before, he’s a very intense character. Camilla is looking for thrills, because the perfect Genovese girl has an unexplored dark side. Sparks fly, desire arises, and it’s the beginning of a powerful relationship. I loved how they completed each other, and accepted each other’s darker side as it was–not seeking to ‘cure’ the other.

Though there’s some trouble in the city, probably because of the cartel, the mafia war takes a back seat. It is less a mafia romance, and more a dark romance with a side of BDSM. There’s still a suspense element, but I won’t spoil it.

What still has a prominent place in this book is family, like in the rest of the series. We get to see more of the Genoveses and De Lucas dynamics–their inner conflicts, the strong attachments, the healing relationships. These families has gone through so much since the beginning of the series, it’s interesting to see how they evolved.

Finally, this one might be the sexiest book of the series so far. The extreme practices described here, if mild by other standards, are still a far cry from anything the author has written. It shows the very intense relationship between Camilla and Filip, and I loved it.

Quickie

- Series: The five families #5 (but they can be read as standalone)
- Hashtags: #mafia romance #BDSM #no strings attached
- Triggers: BDSM, violence, death, mutilation (of a secondary character, nothing graphic), past abuse
- Main couple: Camilla Genovese & Filip De Luca
- Hotness: 5/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + the author deals with characters previously seen in the series in the most perfect manner
- – I’m getting tired of the petty female rival who does crazy shit expecting to win back the man

I've thoroughly enjoyed every one of Jill Ramsower's Five Family series and this latest instalment is no exception. This time we have Camilla, who due to some things that happened to her when she was younger, has developed some slightly specialists tastes in the bedroom. When she joins a private sex club, she doesn't expect to run into her cousin's brother in law, Filip. Once she starts to spend time with him, the emotion and connection between them is off the scale and it's clear that there's a future for them both together.
This book isn't just about the romance and sexual side of their relationship. Camilla and Filip both have baggage from their childhood. In Camilla's case in particular, this has made her very much the woman that she is today and rather than avoiding that part of herself, she embraces it and encourages Filip to do the same. There is also a threat from Filip's past, which will test both of them.
This was a gripping and thrilling read with plenty of romance and heat. I believe that there's another book left in this fantastic series and I for one can't wait to get my hands on it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Jill Ramsower is such a great author! This is not my first read from her nor will it be my last! She delivers her stories in such a way that has me reading them over and over again!
This book did not let me down! I loved the story of Camilla and Filip. They meet at an unexpected place. A sex club of sorts. Camilla is there to explore her sexuality. Filip sees her there and flips; giving her an ultimatum that if she wants to continue to go to this club she has to experiment with him and no one else. This may seem controlling, it definitely is, but they are both part of mafia families and control is pretty much their middle name. The story evolves from here. We learn about Camillas past and why she is there and Filip starting to understand her and see “her”. The agreement between eventually becomes more but with that there are twists that the author develops so well within the story. You see something coming but you don’t know what it is and it will leave you saying “wow, she just did that!”
Overall this was an amazing read! I definitely recommend reading this book along with her others.

ABSOLUTE SILENCE is an insanely seductive and dark story about Filip DeLuca and Camilla Genovese. One night Camilla joins an “adult” club, the Lion’s Den hoping to learn more about herself without worrying about her people knowing. The first person she runs into is one known by her family. Filip.

This unleashes in Filip something he fights himself to resist. He tries to control, possess, protect and even stalk Camilla not wanting another man to touch her - that’s my favorite kind of dark romance guy. It is as if this is the only person who can make him lose the careful control he has of himself.

Of course, Camilla has to be headstrong, uncooperative, independent and sparks fly whenever she and Filip are together. She goes places that tease him, sees people that infuriate him - but she’s sure she is not doing anything to purposely upset him.

All the while, Dante, the club owner, has his eye in Camilla. She thinks he’s just being friendly. Filip keeps warning him to stay away from her. Dante is a character that is so well written you will fall under his spell - almost - like Camilla.

This was a really good book that I was captivated by from the first page. It is the only one I have read from the series so I can say with confidence it works fine as a standalone. Past characters were mentioned seamlessly. I recommend you read it.

This series keeps delivering in unexpected ways! Camilla and Filip meet up in a completely unexpected place, but is it Filip’s misguided need to protect or something that he refuses to acknowledge that drives him to push her so? And why does he keep changing their rules of engagement?

I adored both of them and wasn’t anticipating Camilla’s past to be what it was. It shaped her, sure, but it didn’t break her or even seriously dent her. Filip just needs to grasp that if he wants any sort of future with her. Add in Dante and a truly nasty redhead and the mystery does its job. I was sucked in and wondered who Dante would end up being, why he was so persistent, and I still managed to be surprised when it all came into the open.

This author has managed to add subtle and not so subtle changes to each story to keep them fresh and different, and this one was no exception. Now I have to wonder what’s going on with Val and when we’re going to find out!