Destructive King (Mafia Royals 3) by Rachel Van Dyken-Review Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 12, 2021

…When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
— Mary Elizabeth Fyre

“I’m sorry for your loss.” I would rather be tortured for an eternity than hear those damn words from one more person, as if Claire, my dead fiancé, was a cell phone or car keys.

How about, I’m sorry your life is over.I’m sorry you want to die too.I’m sorry you see her in your dreams and wake up only to relive the nightmare.I’m supposed to be the strongest of them all. Ash Abandonato, ruler, assassin, made man, brother, friend—instead, I hurt everyone I touch in hopes that they’ll feel even a sliver of the pain that bears down on my shoulders.I didn’t lose.It was taken from me.And it’s all her fault, Annie Smith.I daydream about her death.And then I close my eyes, and I see her soft smile. I feel her touch, her kiss—it was a mistake what we did that night, but I can’t take it back, and now she’s under my father’s protection—my protection.

My worst enemy.The woman I’m the most attracted to.I can’t decide if I want to strangle her or kiss her, and now that she’s stuck in my life, my only goal is to make her feel the same loss I do and destroy her in the process.I’ll trick her with my touch.Seduce her with my kiss.And in the end, when my enemy is at her most vulnerable—I’ll bring down an entire Empire and continue my reign as King.Bow down, I’ll say as I bring the Five Families to their knees.

Blood in.
Never out.
Damned.

•••••

REVIEW: DESTRUCTIVE KING is the third instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, new-adult MAFIA ROYALS dark, Mafia, erotic, romance series- a next generation spin off set in the author’s Eagle Elite world. This is heir to the Mafia empire Ash Abandonato, and student Annie Smith’s story line. DESTRUCTIVE KING can be read as a stand alone: you do not have to have read the Eagle Elite series but I recommend reading the FREE prequel novella Royal Bully for back story as it pertains to Asher and Claire.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from three first person perspectives (Annie, Ash, Chase) DESTRUCTIVE KING picks up approximately ten months after the events of ROYAL BULLY wherein Ash’s pregnant fiancée was killed in a motor vehicle accident, an accident Ash blames on our heroine Annie Smith. In the aftermath of the death, Ash Abandonato’s life spiralled out of control, and Annie was sent to school in Italy in an effort to protect her from our story line ‘hero’. Fast forward to present day, Annie has returned to the Abandonato family fold, and Ash is about to make her life a living h*ll. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship between Annie and Ash, and the potential fall-out when the truth is revealed about what happened and why.

Annie Smith’s backstory is heart breaking and raw. She survived horrific abuse at the hands of her father and foster family, and in this she was one of the young women rescued from the horrors of the De Lange crime family. Best friends with Claire Petrov, Ash’s soon to be fiancé, Annie struggled with her place in the familywhich worsened following the accident that claimed Claire’s life. Annie is a strong female character but her place in the family, her proximity with Ash, is caustic and dysfunctional- I struggled with Chase’s (Ash’s father and Mafia head) overwhelming need to push our couple together but in this Chase is trying to save his son who is spiralling out of control. Ash Abandonato is a bully and cruel; no one is safe from Ash’s vitriol, and with Claire’s return, Ash pushes the limits of Claire’s ability to love. The back and forth, caustic attitude of Ash Abandonato threatens Claire’s already fractured persona but the twists and turns in the lives of Annie and Ash reveal secrets and lies that will expose the truth.

The relationship between Annie and Ash is tumultuous and stormy. Ash does everything he can to make Annie’s life miserable and yet our heroine continues to accept that Ash’s actions and betrayal are as of a direct result from the loss of his love. When we think that Ash has pushed a little too far, Annie all but walks away, only to return for more emotional and verbal abuse at the hands of the man with whom she will fall in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar secondary and supporting characters including most of the Eagle Elite couples, the second generation couples and young adults, as well as FBI Agent Tank. Tank and Kartini’s story is next in Mafia King.

DESTRUCTIVE KING is a story of family, relationships, friendships and loss; a story of guilt and grief; of obsession, betrayal and vengeance; of twist, turns, secrets and lies. The premise is heart breaking, emotional and engaging; the romance struggles in the face of hatred, blame and loss; the characters are broken, battered but healing.

Reading Order and previous reviews
.5 Royal Bully
1. Ruthless Princess
2. Scandalous Prince

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

ROYAL BULLY is FREE ebook Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

RUTHLESS PRINCESS only 99¢: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

Follow: Website / Facebooks / Goodreads / Twitter /  Instagram

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!