Author: Shona Knight

Series: Silent Betrayal

First Published: 01 March 2025

“No matter what happens, I will always come for you.” 

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Thank you so much to Shona for sending a copy my way!

I will try and keep my review as spoiler free as possible but just be wary if you haven’t read the first book, Silent Desires.

Mina’s life has always been a fight for survival, but nothing could have prepared her for the brutal attack by someone who was supposed to be her family.

After the traumatic incident shatters her already fragile world, the seven men who she has come to care for step in to protect her. 

She soon learns that there’s a ruthless serial killer on the loose, with herself somehow at the center of it all. But as the killer closes in and buried truths come to light, Mina learns that the men who vowed to protect her have been hiding something that rocks the foundation their relationship is built on. 

Mina is left questioning everything—her safety, her feelings, and the true intentions of the men who have forced their way into her life.

With danger lurking around every corner and her heart tangled in the chaos, Mina must decide: can she trust them to save her, or will their betrayal be the one thing that destroys her?

Holy hell! That was a wild ride. So much happened. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll be vague. But just know, I felt all the emotions while reading this. If you love dark romantic suspense, add this duet to your TBR.

Thankfully, Silent Betrayal picks up right where the first book left off. The focus switches to the serial killer investigation. Mina is safe, at least temporarily. It turns out Jasper, Max, Gideon, and Tucker were undercover; they had been secretly working for the local police to catch the killer. They work for a private investigator firm, and the rest of their team — Ben, Dom and Altas — have been chasing leads while the others were undercover at the high school.

Mina gets the space and chance to heal. The sheer amount of trauma she must wade through is terrifying. I am in awe of her strength. Yes, her recovery is messy. There are setbacks, but that’s what makes it feel realistic. Gideon, Jasper, Max, Tucker, Ben, Dom, and Atlas provide abundant love and support, allowing Mina to explore her future possibilities. It was great to see her work on setting boundaries and finding her voice. While she might be healing, Mina proves she will do anything to keep hold of her happiness and those she loves.

The romance was a little rocky. The overprotective behaviour of Gideon, Jasper, Max, Tucker, Ben, Dom and Atlas, while initially sweet, eventually suffocates Mina. The lovable idiots, in their infinite wisdom, decide to keep Mina in the dark about their investigation. Understandably, Mina is equally hurt and furious by the secrets they’ve been keeping. It also makes her feel lost and unsafe since she has no one else to turn to. Thankfully, the guys pull their heads out of their arses and they tell her everything. Mina makes them grovel and work for her forgiveness, which we love to see. They all propose a series of dates to get to know her and seek her forgiveness. And I adored these dates. They were so sweet. It offered a fantastic opportunity to become acquainted with each of the guys. Seven, while not the biggest why choose I’ve read, is a lot. I was worried about getting confused about who was who, but Shona does a fantastic job of making all the characters feel fully developed and unique. The steam explodes in this book. We get some fantastic group scenes, including a truly wonderful twin sandwich situation. The twins, Max and Jasper, are probably my favourites.

During most of Silent Betrayal, I felt like my heart was in my throat. I was not expecting the reveal about how the serial killer is linked to Mina. That was way more complicated and sinister than I thought it would be. All the danger and drama made Mina and her guys’ HEA so worth it. I enjoyed seeing Gideon, Jasper, Max, Tucker, Ben, Dom and Atlas’ work. Each has a strength they bring to the team. Also, I loved hearing about how their private investigation team started.

The Shattered Silence Duet was a wild ride and a perfect conclusion to Mina’s story. I’m excited to read more of Shona Knight’s work. I know she has a why choose fantasy romance series and a dark why choose Tarzan retelling coming out soon. Both sound amazing, so you can expect to see more of Shona Knight’s books in my future.