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Code of Silence #1
Shamrocks and Secrets
Event planning, dealing with demanding clients and defusing situations before they get out of hand are all in a days work for Christi O'Rourke. But when a mystery man seems to appear at every turn will she have the ability to handle him as well?
Power and wealth are staples in the world of Patrick Malloy. But when family obligations dictate his future, a future involving a certain spirited young woman, will Patrick have what it takes to win her heart or will his lifestyle place her in more danger than he ever dreamed of?
Power and wealth are staples in the world of Patrick Malloy. But when family obligations dictate his future, a future involving a certain spirited young woman, will Patrick have what it takes to win her heart or will his lifestyle place her in more danger than he ever dreamed of?
- GenresRomanceFan Fiction
309 pages, Paperback
First published December 17, 2014
About the author
Cayce Poponea
33 books150 followersCayce Poponea currently resides in Southern Georgia, with her three dogs and a wonderful husband. A true romantic at heart, she writes the type of fiction she loves to read. When she isn't setting behind her computer screen, creating yet another heart-stopping, page-turning novel. You can find her enjoying down time with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 11, 2014
I had the pleasure to read Shamrocks and Secrets as I was helping to edit this twisty novel. I hope everyone else finds Shamrocks as enjoyable as I did. I won't give any spoilers because the public release is not for a few weeks, but I hope you have fun reading Shamrocks and Secrets.
September 21, 2016
Stars: 5 Stars
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Mafia/Mob/Organized Crime romance, but this book is an absolute FAVORITE! I love Christi and her sass, the air that just surrounds Patrick as dominating and powerful, then there's the romance of the two, together. Christi and Patrick compliment each other so well, like a body and it's heart one doesn't function as well without the other. I recommend this book to those seeking romance, challenge, a "smidge" of darkness, and a dash of hot lovin'!
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Mafia/Mob/Organized Crime romance, but this book is an absolute FAVORITE! I love Christi and her sass, the air that just surrounds Patrick as dominating and powerful, then there's the romance of the two, together. Christi and Patrick compliment each other so well, like a body and it's heart one doesn't function as well without the other. I recommend this book to those seeking romance, challenge, a "smidge" of darkness, and a dash of hot lovin'!
November 2, 2014
I loved this book. It was even better than the fanfic it was written as. It had everything; drama, action, laughter, love. Everything one wants in a book. If you like mob stores, this ones for you. Follow Christi and Patrick through their journey of love, drama and action. Find out what happens when a wedding planner crosses paths with a mob boss in this book. Will they have their happily ever after? Find out when you purchase this book.
May 30, 2017
I loved this book! Cayce does the Irish Mafia really good! There's action and drama! You won't want to put this book down! Hurry and go get this book! You will want to read the other books in this series back to back!
March 26, 2017
I really wanted to like this one, but the more I read, the more it fell apart. I kept reading for a lot longer than I should have, I think, hoping that something would sway me toward the positive, but I finally just bailed at around 85%.
Shamrocks and Secrets is the story of Christi, a woman of Irish descent being pursued by and eventually falling in love with Patrick, a powerful Irish Mob boss. However, it's overly romanticized and underdeveloped, and it could have used a couple more editors before going to print.
Initially, Christi irritated me with her references to Patrick being in the Mafia instead of the Mob. Yes, Americans more familiar with the Gambinos than the Westies tend to apply Mafia to everything organized crime, but I would have expected a woman of Irish descent to differentiate — or at least for someone in Patrick's family to mention the favored terminology. And I believe Christi was meant to be strong and independent, generally unswayed by Patrick's wealth and power, but after a strong start, she began to lack depth and ended up being more of a two-dimensional representation of those traits. A few of her actions contradicted Patrick, but mostly she allowed herself to be controlled by him, such as when she attempted to leave their first date but ended up being driven back to his penthouse without so much as a grumble to the contrary. Her primary issue with him was her assumption that all men involved in organized crime are unfaithful, as if that's the most dangerous thing about becoming involved with a member of the Mob. Sure, she wasn't thrilled about the criminal side of things, either, but the frequency with which she brought up his apparent need to have numerous affairs made his illegal activity seem like an afterthought.
Patrick's character was just as thin and strangely stereotypical. Rather than work at getting to know her, he started in with expensive and over-the-top displays of his wealth and power immediately upon informally meeting her. While it was later explained that he had known about her for years and simply waited patiently until a time when she was more mature and less naive to begin pursuing her, his staking his claim on her and attempting to woo her with gifts was just too much and too soon to be believed. Christi rather weakly resisted for only a short while before putting aside her principles, and it felt like much of that development was skipped in order to get to the next scene more quickly.
I also quickly became annoyed with the editing issues. Terms of endearment and polite addresses were capitalized, as if Patrick had been knighted by the Queen herself, and for every properly placed semicolon, it seemed there was another sentence in which a comma was incorrectly used instead. To the author's credit, many of the mistakes I noticed were the kind that most people wouldn't catch, but any good editor would have noticed them right away. At the very least, someone with a few extra English classes under the belt would have saved that poor, abused apostrophe from pluralized surnames.
The general flow of the story was pretty inconsistent as well, and it was difficult to tell whether the time between scenes and events was just a few hours or as long as a few weeks. As a result, the plot felt rushed, as if much of getting to the relationship between Christi and Patrick had happened behind the scenes, and we readers were only getting the Cliff Notes version. The pace felt a lot more like a serial, much like single chapters are posted in fanfiction stories, rather than a standard novel, and I have to admit that as soon as Patrick's eyes and hair were described, I had visions of Twilight all-human fanfic. (EDIT: Just went to grab the cover from Goodreads, and the very first review said this one used to be fanfic. I need to start paying attention to these things before I buy. At least then I'd be able to narrow selections to only those authors whose work I know I previously enjoyed, rather than offend someone I probably know.)
I do think the story idea was good, and it had the potential to be very entertaining, even if it strayed from gritty realism. The cover certainly caught my eye, and the synopsis made it sound like a really fun read. But while it fell flat for me, I suspect with some generous substantive and copyediting, it could have been a wonderful story.
October 29, 2014
“In each and every one of our lives, we all come in contact with memorable people at some point.”
~ Christi
This book was full of memorable characters. I loved the banter between all the characters and that each character played a vital role in the plot, not just the two main characters.
Christi is an Irish girl in Chicago. She works for one of the most successful catering companies and as an amazing family, both blood and chosen family. I loved Christi and her no nonsense attitude. She was feisty, loving, and very protective. She does not put up with anyone’s crap, doesn’t matter if you are the deadbeat father to her niece or the most dangerous man in Chicago. No one is exempt from her temper.
Patrick Malloy is the most powerful and dangerous man in Chicago. He has one weakness…Christi O’Rourke. Christi doesn’t know this at first but she will learn it quickly. One of my favorite things about Patrick is that he doesn’t fight his feelings or attraction to Christi once he knows he is ready for her. I absolutely loved the nicknames that Patrick gives the closest people around him and I love how Christi gets so pissed off about them and so confused on who he is talking about and that just frustrates her even more.
Their love story really isn’t the most conventional but it is still a great love story. There is some drama in this book and it made the book rawer during those parts. My one complaint about this book was everything was leading up to the wedding but when the wedding came it seemed rushed to me. I was hoping to get all the details of that special day. I am hoping the reader will get more insight and details in the next book.
~ Christi
This book was full of memorable characters. I loved the banter between all the characters and that each character played a vital role in the plot, not just the two main characters.
Christi is an Irish girl in Chicago. She works for one of the most successful catering companies and as an amazing family, both blood and chosen family. I loved Christi and her no nonsense attitude. She was feisty, loving, and very protective. She does not put up with anyone’s crap, doesn’t matter if you are the deadbeat father to her niece or the most dangerous man in Chicago. No one is exempt from her temper.
Patrick Malloy is the most powerful and dangerous man in Chicago. He has one weakness…Christi O’Rourke. Christi doesn’t know this at first but she will learn it quickly. One of my favorite things about Patrick is that he doesn’t fight his feelings or attraction to Christi once he knows he is ready for her. I absolutely loved the nicknames that Patrick gives the closest people around him and I love how Christi gets so pissed off about them and so confused on who he is talking about and that just frustrates her even more.
Their love story really isn’t the most conventional but it is still a great love story. There is some drama in this book and it made the book rawer during those parts. My one complaint about this book was everything was leading up to the wedding but when the wedding came it seemed rushed to me. I was hoping to get all the details of that special day. I am hoping the reader will get more insight and details in the next book.
October 21, 2014
>Book review - Shamrocks and Secrets
>I received this book from the author and from Paranormal Romance and Authors that Rock. This is the first book in the series and ends with an HEA.
>Christi is an events planner. She lives with her sister and her 4 year old niece. During an event, she meets a very enigmatic man, Patrick, who happens to be a powerful Chicago mob boss. Patrick falls for Christi and their journey to the alter is not an easy one.
>I love stories where the alpha men have huge protection details on their women. Christi, however, is no pushover, but does attract the attention of a rival mob boss's son. There are a lot of characters in this book, most with real names and nick names. It was a bit hard to remember who they all were. The story line was awesome, I loved the 25 year later epilogue. The wedding descriptions were so detailed and romantic. Trust me, practically everyone gets a big wedding in this story.
>Christi and Patrick' romance was a roller coaster ride. Nora, Patrick's mom, was one of the best supporting characters ever written. The woman could shop, serve a traditional Irish tea or throw a mean right hook. I know I was reading an ARC, but the grammar errors were so hard to get past. At one point the word "stair" was used for "stare".
> This book is for an adult (18+) audience for descriptive sex.
November 10, 2014
~Reviewed by Tracy~
In this book we meet Christi O'Rourke who is an Event Planner. She has had sadness in her life and has yet to find that one man who will love her completely and who she will love the same in return. During a wedding she planned she runs into some trouble with someone from her sisters past.
In walks Patrick Malloy, who instantly peaks her interest. He helps her out of her situation. She is intrigued but this is definitely not a man she needs to mess with. Situations keep pushing them together and Patrick wants her. She wants him but not his lifestyle.
Patrick leads a dangerous life, can she fit into this life or will it be the end of her as issues rise up from her past and his?
This book was very enjoyable and I didn't want to put it down. This was the first book by Cayce Poponea that I have read and I cannot wait until I read her again. I am giving this book 5 stars because I think it is a good story and makes you want more.
*ARC provided for an honest review.
In this book we meet Christi O'Rourke who is an Event Planner. She has had sadness in her life and has yet to find that one man who will love her completely and who she will love the same in return. During a wedding she planned she runs into some trouble with someone from her sisters past.
In walks Patrick Malloy, who instantly peaks her interest. He helps her out of her situation. She is intrigued but this is definitely not a man she needs to mess with. Situations keep pushing them together and Patrick wants her. She wants him but not his lifestyle.
Patrick leads a dangerous life, can she fit into this life or will it be the end of her as issues rise up from her past and his?
This book was very enjoyable and I didn't want to put it down. This was the first book by Cayce Poponea that I have read and I cannot wait until I read her again. I am giving this book 5 stars because I think it is a good story and makes you want more.
*ARC provided for an honest review.
April 5, 2015
Over all I really enjoyed this book. I loved both Christi and Patrick and how they played off each other. Christi is a no nonsense event planner who is both sarcastic and passionate. Patrick is a mafia boss who is one of the most powerful men in all of Chicago. Patrick from the beginning knows that Christi is the girl from him. It just takes Christi a little longer to realize that Patrick is a good guy.
This story is a good blend of romance and drama. There is even a little bit of mystery tossed in for good measure. I really liked how even though Patrick is an alpha male, he's not a complete ass. Sometimes in romance the alpha males are jerks. Patrick isn't like that. Sure he can have his moments of being over protective but he is actually pretty laid back. Christi on the other hand is no pushover. She doesn't let Patrick get away with stuff and calls him out on it numerous time.
Over all this is a good solid story with a HEA. So if you are looking for an interesting story with a whole lotta romance tossed in I would recommend this one.
This story is a good blend of romance and drama. There is even a little bit of mystery tossed in for good measure. I really liked how even though Patrick is an alpha male, he's not a complete ass. Sometimes in romance the alpha males are jerks. Patrick isn't like that. Sure he can have his moments of being over protective but he is actually pretty laid back. Christi on the other hand is no pushover. She doesn't let Patrick get away with stuff and calls him out on it numerous time.
Over all this is a good solid story with a HEA. So if you are looking for an interesting story with a whole lotta romance tossed in I would recommend this one.
March 14, 2023
Nice, sweet romantic story to enjoy one of those lazy days you want and need to relax.
There are comfort foods and there can also be comfort readings. If you ask me exactly why this book has become one of the later, I would have a very difficult time explaining. Just the same as with some comfort foods, they just help on those days your mood is down or sour, or sad...
So I decided to treat me to go read about a woman who is a romantic, but will not allow huge romantic gestures to guide her. Not an easy task, yet Christi just does it, not without bumps in the road. Still they do get to see the rainbow after the storm, the pot of gold, that was already there.
There are comfort foods and there can also be comfort readings. If you ask me exactly why this book has become one of the later, I would have a very difficult time explaining. Just the same as with some comfort foods, they just help on those days your mood is down or sour, or sad...
So I decided to treat me to go read about a woman who is a romantic, but will not allow huge romantic gestures to guide her. Not an easy task, yet Christi just does it, not without bumps in the road. Still they do get to see the rainbow after the storm, the pot of gold, that was already there.
February 12, 2015
I read this as a Fanfiction but it was so well done I am happy to see it published!
I love a well written mob story. This one was even more special because of all the Irish heritage and language mixed in. I really connected with the characters and especially the side characters. If you like crime drama love stories this is a book for you. I highly recommend it!
I love a well written mob story. This one was even more special because of all the Irish heritage and language mixed in. I really connected with the characters and especially the side characters. If you like crime drama love stories this is a book for you. I highly recommend it!
July 21, 2015
I loved this book, I thought it was really great. The characters were great, they dealt with things that everyone has dealt with in their lives so it made them easy to connect to. I liked Christi and her no holds bar attitude, she was right to be weary about entering the life that she eventually entered to. I can't wait to read the next book.
December 30, 2014
I was so excited to read this book and it didn't disappoint. Cayce Poponea's debut novel is filled with love, romance, and intrigue. Her words are beautifully written and we get an Irish heritage lesson. You really must read this. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down!!!
January 3, 2015
I really enjoyed this book! It had a great love story with some added suspense. I think that Cayce Poponea is a great writer and I can't wait to see what she has to offer next!!
April 12, 2015
Loved it! Was an awesome book!
May 6, 2015
Loved this book! It captured and held my attention the entire time. I think other than the two leads my favorite character was Nora. She was such an awesome person.
April 30, 2016
Okay, I read the original FanFiction and loved it but was blown away with subtle changes that were made. An easy fun story to read.
August 27, 2016
Read this as the fan-fiction and loved it.
July 11, 2017
Ok, I am going to continue with the series, only because I've looked ahead, but those 3 stars are for Patrick, the great writing and the supporting characters. But meh....I didn't like Christi at all. I found Patrick regardless of his duties to be almost too good for her. He was swoon worthy. Sometimes you start a series and the first book is not your favorite because the set up is sips intense. I'm going to hang in there.
But, I like the premise, the author, & the writing I will continue reading the series.
But, I like the premise, the author, & the writing I will continue reading the series.
April 2, 2021
This was the ultimate Mafia love story. Not a lot of violence or sex descriptions in the book, but about two different type meanings of love.
Christi wanted the old fashion kind of love. White pocket fence, children and a husband who loved her unconditionally.
Patrick being raised in the Mafia world wanted a submissive wife who would be in his control.
As you read this story, you will see Patrick changing his thoughts about woman when he meet Christi face to face for the first time.
I truly loved the relationship both had with their families, especially Patrick's mum.
Christi wanted the old fashion kind of love. White pocket fence, children and a husband who loved her unconditionally.
Patrick being raised in the Mafia world wanted a submissive wife who would be in his control.
As you read this story, you will see Patrick changing his thoughts about woman when he meet Christi face to face for the first time.
I truly loved the relationship both had with their families, especially Patrick's mum.
May 26, 2023
I think this may have been her debut novel and it shows in places. It was quite confusing as to which character she was talking about, because the FC said one name and the mc had nicknames, and sometimes the FC called them by the nicknames as well. So I had a hard time knowing which side character was in action or being talked about. There is a lot going on in this book as well in side characters getting together. It was a good book, but could use some clean up. And to find out at the end that it carries on was disappointing as I would have waited to read when I had both books.
August 28, 2017
I liked this book I read it twice
I really love this book , I read it twice . I got really involved with the characters ,I high fived Christi when she pushed Patrick away . I smiled when she let him in , and I worried when she was kidnapped . I was really pleased when she was found . There is a small amount of sexual content . I found the book engaging and I look forward to reading the next book
I really love this book , I read it twice . I got really involved with the characters ,I high fived Christi when she pushed Patrick away . I smiled when she let him in , and I worried when she was kidnapped . I was really pleased when she was found . There is a small amount of sexual content . I found the book engaging and I look forward to reading the next book
June 27, 2019
Intense Romance
I really enjoyed this book. I was drawn into the story and the background of this Irish Mob family. The characters were easy to follow. I thought the narrator did a great job.
Definitely didn’t expect the dark twist.
I’ve already purchased the next book!
I really enjoyed this book. I was drawn into the story and the background of this Irish Mob family. The characters were easy to follow. I thought the narrator did a great job.
Definitely didn’t expect the dark twist.
I’ve already purchased the next book!
August 2, 2018
Love it can’t wait to read the next one!
October 1, 2018
I love the characters and the traditions that make this book what it is. Good read!
January 4, 2020
Really enjoyable. Laughed on parts I wasn’t expecting. Love this tale.
February 6, 2020
Read as fanfiction and still enjoyed it. Never got to the sequel FF so can't wait to see what happens.
Want to read
June 21, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/21/2021)! 🎁
August 4, 2021
Irish sexy mafia ….. what more could you want?
March 16, 2017
Wonderful story
Sweet romantic story. These story full of memorable characters and I loved the banter between all of them. I loved how they stuck together as a family and took care of each other.
Sweet romantic story. These story full of memorable characters and I loved the banter between all of them. I loved how they stuck together as a family and took care of each other.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews