Does Darcy Halifax's Silver or Lead and One-Way Ride live up to the BookTok hype?

When it comes to Mafia Romances, there are a lot on the market. And it can be hard to find what you want to read with so many choices. Luckily, BookTok has been making it easier than ever to find the right books for you. Certain genres of romance especially seem to get a ton of hype on TikTok, which is where this series comes in. Are these books worth all the hype they get?

This time around, we are looking at the first two books in the Mafia for Hire series by Darcy Halifax. These two books, Silver or Lead and One-Way Ride are a duet featuring Roman and Angela. Their romance is complete, even as the series is far from over. In fact, it seems as if the author is planning to do duets for all of her couples in the Mafia for Hire series.

So while the series itself may not be complete, the romantic story itself is finished for this couple. Of course, we expect to see the couple in the next books, but their story in particular is done.

All of this to say, do these two books live up to the hype we found on BookTok? Is Silver or Lead the start of a must-read series? And does One-Way Ride wrap up the story of Angela and Roman in a way that is satisfying, while also wanting us to come back for more?

Are the first two books in the Mafia for Hire series by Darcy Halifax worth the BookTok hype?

Trigger Warning: The Mafia for Hire series features trigger warnings for such things as child abuse, murder, rape, and torture. Those trigger warnings will also be mentioned below.

Right away, I have to say that I loved this mafia romance duet. Yes, it is technically a dark romance, but it is not nearly as dark as many of the books that fall into this subcategory. There is actually quite a bit of humor in both books that helps to break up that darkness. But it is impossible to deny that this is a series about dangerous men and women.

The fact that the book brings humor into the mix does negate the fact that there are trigger warnings for things like kidnapping, torture, murder, and mentions of things such as abuse, drug use, and more. And that is just in the first book.

Honestly, the story itself is what drew me in and kept me going. And the fact that the author didn't choose to go dark for no reason. Many of the bad things that happened were done off-page, with mentions of these things happening. And while murder and torture scenes were included, they were not done in a way that was designed to be titillating. Instead, it was meant to move the story forward, while also giving us a clear indication of who these characters are.

From the very beginning of the book, we are getting flawed characters who are clearly all wrong for each other. Until we realize that they are actually quite perfect together. While Roman is the head of a Mafia family and Angela is a surgeon, these two are actually two peas in a less-than-normal pod. They threaten each other repeatedly, they can't seem to figure out if they even like each other, even if they want to have sex, and yet they also seem to know how to be perfect for the other person.

In a lot of ways, these two are complete opposites and yet by the time we get to book two, One-Way Ride, we can't imagine these two not being together. The thing I appreciated the most about this duet is the fact that once they are a couple, it is outside forces bringing the drama. The author doesn't try to use their relationship as a method for adding conflict to the story. Instead, it is all about people from the past and outside forces that cause issues, which you love to see.

Angela and Roman are better together and the author understands that. Darcy Halifax allows them to be good as a couple, even while throwing obstacles their way. And while there is plenty of darkness in these books, they are both written in a way that isn't too heavy. These books deliver in a way that works, without throwing unnecessary complications into the mix.

I would say that BookTok understood the assignment with this one and they definitely got it right when it comes to hyping up this Mafia romance duet. Now we just have to eagerly wait for book three in the Mafia for Hire series, which will start a new romance in this world, while bringing back some of our favorites from the first two books.