Tag Archives: Mafia Royals

Broken Crown (Mafia Royals 5) by Rachel Van Dyken-Review Tour

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Broken Crown (Mafia Royals 5) by Rachel Van Dyken-Review Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 1, 2022.

Jamais Vu.

When you see something, you should know but don’t remember or recognize.I felt this my entire life when I looked in the mirror. A boy growing into a man who’s supposed to fill the shoes of his father, follow in his footsteps without question.And lead the Five Families.

It’s not the pressure that gets me.It’s the fact that I’m not him. And I don’t have someone by my side to help me lead.So when a powerful mafia family from Italy gives us no choice but to join families by way of an arranged marriage…I say yes.

But that’s not where my story begins.Because I saw her.I fell for her.Long before they ever made the arrangement.

She loves someone else.I love her.So I go along with it in order to keep her by my side, knowing she’s seeing him.Touching him.Loving him.Tolerating me.

Our love story is complicated.I give her everything in hopes that one day she’ll give me a smile, a hug, something…Soon I’ll be the most powerful man in the Cosa Nostra. I have everything but her until the tide shifts, and I have to rescue her from the very family who promised her everything.

I used to be afraid of my namesake.Of my future.But now?Now, I’m giddy as hell to rain destruction on the families who oppose my rule. Who oppose what we represent.

I’ll destroy what I love most before I let them destroy her.My crown was broken, singed, and torn the minute I was told she was promised to someone else before me, and I’ll die before letting him have her.

You want broken? Come at me.I dare you.

••••••••

REVIEW:BROKEN CROWN is the fifth (and final?) instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, new adult MAFIA ROYALS dark, erotic, Mafia romance series-a next generation series and spin off from the author’s Eagle Elite series. This is heir to the throne, and Tex and Mo’s (Elicit) son King Campisi, and Del Buratti’s story line. BROKEN CROWN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

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

Told from three first person perspectives (King, Del, Roman) BROKEN CROWN follows the building relationship and arranged marriage between Mafia heir King Campisi, and Del Buratti. King Campisi has been in love with Del Buratti for as along as he can remember but Del Buratti is in love with someone else. In an effort to reinforce their control, merging with another powerful underworld family, King Campisi is forced into an arranged marriage with the woman he loves, and only has seven days to prove he is worthy but just days into their honeymoon, King and Del are called back home when disaster strikes at the top, and our couple are caught in the direct line of fire as everything spirals out of control. What ensues is the building relationship but ‘reluctant’ marriage between King and Del, and the potential fall-out as a fight for control turns dangerous, leaving King unable to trust family or friends, including those closest to our story line couple.

Del Buratti is in love with Roman, a made-man in the Buratti family but a man beneath our heroine in status and wealth. In the wake of her father’s death, Del’s Sicilian uncle has offered our heroine’s hand in marriage to King Campisi, a marriage of unrequited love for our story line hero. King has loved, and is in love with Del Buratti, and in an effort to keep her close, offers up a ‘loveless’ marriage and Roman on the side but King isn’t willing to sit back and watch from the sidelines, and wants seven days before walking away. Del Buratti knows her rightful position is beside the King, a position that proves she is worthy of the title of Queen, when she is willing to sacrifice her life to save the man in charge.

The relationship between Del and King is that of a love triangle, as Roman is assigned bodyguard and protector of our story line heroine, the woman he loves. Watching and waiting, Roman will come to the conclusion that Del belongs at King’s side, a conclusion that offers Roman a new position within the Family. As King seduces the woman both he and Roman love, Del quickly discovers that her heart has always belonged to the man who would one day sit on the throne. The $ex scenes are aggressive and spirited but I felt little passion or warmth-it was more of a claiming and ownership.

There is a large and familiar secondary and supporting cast of colorful and energetic characters including all of the previous story line couples, and several Eagle Elite couples. In the wake of threats against his life and that of the life of the woman he loves, King is unable to trust anyone, even suspecting those closest to our couple, people he calls family and friends.

BROKEN CROWN is an emotional story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, death and destruction, sacrifice, tragedy and love. The character driven premise is captivating, gritty and sensitive; the romance is heart breaking and impassioned; the characters are broken and desperate yet taking control. Although this is the final instalment in the Mafia Royals series, the story line is left open ended with the possibility of another chapter in the lives and members of the Seven Families-hint hint-Roman needs to find his own HEA.

 

Reading Order and previous reviews
.5 Royal Bully
1. Ruthless Princess
2. Scandalous Prince
Destructive King
Mafia King
Fallen Royal

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Haven’t started the MAFIA ROYALS series?

ROYAL BULLY is FREE ebook 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!

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Fallen Royal (Mafia Royals 4) by Rachel Van Dyken-review tour

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Fallen Royal (Mafia Royals 4) by Rachel Van Dyken-review tour

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Goodreads: https://smarturl.it/FallenRoyalGR

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 5, 2021

“The truth may hurt for a little while, but a lie hurts forever.”—Ryan Bigge

I grew up knowing it would happen one day.
Believing that I would fall into my father’s footsteps and become a monster of my own making.

So I fought it.
I lived.
I loved.
I teased.
And then one day… I destroyed.
And realized I loved the pain.
Obsessed over the feeling.
So I cut again and again and again.

She saw my rage, my madness, and tried to stop me from destroying myself, and I hated her for it, pushing her away past the point of no return.
Izzy Abandonato was supposed to be mine.
But there are some things people can never come back from. I hurt her, she hurt me, and now I’m living a lie. Telling the ones I love that I’m on one side when for years I’ve been forced to play both.

I’m not the hero.
I’m the villain.
And I may single-handedly bring down the Cosa Nostra—by default.

I, Maksim Sinacore, will have my vengeance.
I will win her back.
Even if it means I have to kill everyone in my path.
The pain masks the betrayal.
I never realized that one day—I’d be the very rat that I hated. That I was sent to kill. But once you’re deep in a lie—you’ll do anything to hide the truth.

She fell for the bad one.
She fell for the sinner.
So why does that make me smile?

••••••••

REVIEW: FALLEN ROYAL is the fourth full-length instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, adult MAFIA ROYALS erotic, dark, Mafia romance series-a spin off/next generation from the author’s Eagle Elite series. This is twenty-one year olds, Maksim Sinacore, and Izzy Abandonato’s story line. FALLEN ROYAL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion.

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Izzy and Maksim) FALLEN ROYAL follows Maksim Sinacore as he spirals into darkness, pushing the woman he loves, his soulmate, out of his life. Months earlier Maksim, to prove his allegiance to Chase Abandonato and the ‘family’, and his worthiness of Izzy, was sent to do a job, a job that would initiate Maksim’s slide into darkness but with each ‘assignment’ Maksim would lose a little more of himself, leaving a shell of the man with whom Izzy had fallen in love. Not all was well in Maksim’s less than well ordered life, and his shift into darkness was becoming a threat to everyone he loved.

FALLEN ROYAL is an emotional, heart breaking and difficult story line as the reader is pulled into a tale of power and control, family and friendships, issues of mental health, love and understanding.From the outset the author and the characters, circumvent and dance around the reality of what is happening such that the back and forth, up and down of our leading hero is questionable on so many levels. We are up close and personal with Maksim’s descent into madness, a madness from which he may never return but for the love of a woman who slowly begins to understand the man with whom she has fallen in love.

On the flip side, there are a few ‘debatable’ and ‘problematic’ issues with what was happening and how it was handled but this is a story of fiction, and often, we have to suspend reality in an effort to enjoy and feel the story.

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

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Haven’t started the MAFIA ROYALS series?

ROYAL BULLY is FREE ebook 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!

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Mafia King (Mafia Royals 3.5) by Rachel Van Dyken-Review Tour

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MAFIA KING (Mafia Royals 3.5) by Rachel Van Dyken-Review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 27, 2021

One of the first rules they give you when you’re undercover—never fall for the enemy.
I didn’t just fall for the enemy.
I became what I was supposed to hate.
What’s worse: I fell in love with one.
I live a double life, and both sides know it’s only a matter of time before I’m forced to choose.
Rebirth through mafia blood.
Or death at the hands of the very government I swore to protect.
I have one more job before my time’s up.
I just wish it was anything but babysitting a mafia princess who’s half my size but knows how to pack such a brutal punch I worry about my ability to have children.
Tin’s small but terrifying.
And I’m her new bodyguard while we all go on a much-needed vacation.
I just have to stick to the plan.
And remember rule number one.
And stop kissing her.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

••••••••

REVIEW: MAFIA KING is a contemporary, new adult, erotic, Mafia, romance story line found in Rachel Van Dyken’s MAFIA ROYALS series, and the latest novella in the multi-authored 1001 Dark Nights series. This is undercover FBI agent Tank DeLange, and seventeen-year old, Mafia Princess Kartini ‘Tiny’ Abandonato’s story line. The MAFIA ROYALS is a spin off from the author’s Eagle Elite series. MAFIA KING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order as Tank’s story builds throughout. Kartini is Sergio Abandonto’s daughter.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Tiny and Tank) MAFIA KING follows FBI agent Tank DeLange as he is tasked with protecting our story line heroine. The Mexican wedding of Junior and Serena finds Tank the assigned security to Tiny Abandonato but Tank is well aware that our heroine has a target on her back, a target placed when another FBI agent was murdered, one year before. Tank will quickly discover that the wedding has been infiltrated by outside sources, and isn’t a about to let Tiny out of his sight. A couple of attempts on her life push Tank to the edge, as he reconsiders his future with the FBI.

The relationship between Tank and Tiny has been building for several instalments but Tank’s original assignment was to get close the to Abandonato family, a family he was more familiar with, than most. Tiny had always had a crush on our story line hero but their age difference was going to be a problem, and Tiny’s struggle with what happened one year before, continued to haunt her every night. The $ex scene is intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

All of the previous couples, and story line characters in the Mafia Royals series play secondary and supporting characters. There is some flirty fun and camaraderie even in the face of danger and death,

MAFIA KING is a fast paced, quick novella length story. The premise is intriguing and engaging; the romance is seductive; the characters are determined, energetic and strong. Here’s hoping the author has something more planned for our story line couple.

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

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Haven’t started the MAFIA ROYALS series?

ROYAL BULLY is FREE ebook 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!

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

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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!

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SCANDALOUS PRINCE (Mafia Royals) by Rachel Van Dyken-Review tour

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SCANDALOUS PRINCE (Mafia Royals #2) by Rachel Van Dyken-Review tour

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 22, 2020

The Woods are Lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go, before I sleep —Robert Frost

I was born under fire and swore to protect her until my dying day, I just never knew that one day, I’d be the very monster I was protecting her from.
She didn’t know it was me.
She didn’t know that I had no choice and would do it again and again to save her.
I may as well have given her the mark on her finger.
The one that shows where her loyalty must lie.
Because we don’t sin in silence.
And eventually, you have to pay up what you owe.
My need to protect her turned into a lie to save her.
And when she found out—I turned in to the very monster I was trying to protect her from.
Watching Violet Abandonato walk out of my life was like a knife to the chest, a wound that refused to heal.
The bosses sent me to protect her, to watch over her even though I was the demon she fled.
We both carry scars.
But if all I can have is her hate for as long as I breathe.
I’ll take it.
Because at the end of the day, I should burn in Hell forever thinking Chase Abandonato’s perfect angel would pick me—over her perfect life.
“I broke you,” I confessed.
“The worst part… is that you liked it,” she snapped right back.

Welcome to the second generation of the mafia, may the best man or woman, be left standing.
May God bless our tainted souls.

••••••

REVIEW: SCANDALOUS PRINCE is the second full-length instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, new adult MAFIA ROYALS dark, mafia romance series, a next generation spin off set in the author’s Eagle Elite world.. SCANDALOUS PRINCE can be read as a stand alone: you do not have to have read the Eagle Elite series but I recommend the prequel novella Royal Bully for back story.

WARNING: SCANDALOUS PRINCE contains scenes of violence and assault that may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from four first person perspectives (Breaker, Violet, Valerian, Ash) SCANDALOUS PRINCE focuses on love, loss, betrayal, secrets and lies. Breaker Campisi has loved Violet Abandonato most of his life but Breaker knew he would never have been allowed to marry the woman he loved being the ‘adopted’ son of Capo Tex Campisi. With his life about to change direction, Breaker made plans that would break the heart of the woman he loved, and forever alter his connection with family and friends. When a new king of the Russian mob is crowned, Violet finds herself caught between love and hate as she is claimed by a stranger who professes to know everything and more about our story line heroine. Secrets run deep, betrayal and dishonesty are at the heart of the story as Violet must come to terms with her future, a future without the man that she loves.

SCANDALOUS PRINCE is a story of family, of blood, of perception, and power. In the world of the mafia, blood is power, and in this the rightful heir has claimed his throne. Valerian Petrov, back from the dead, takes controls in an effort to protect the woman he loves. One year earlier, Violet Abandonato, would be claimed by Valerian Petrov, and in doing so, sealed the fate and the families between the Cosa Nostra and the Russian mob.

Rachel Van Dyken pulls the reader into a tale of twists and revelations; of heart break, anguish and pain; of acceptance, retaliation, betrayal and love. The roller coaster premise is captivating and compelling; the romance is impassioned and fated; the characters are broken but strong, energetic and charismatic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Royal Bully
Ruthless Princess

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 /

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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!

Share

RUTHLESS PRINCESS by Rachel Van Dyken-Review & Excerpt tour

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RUTHLESS PRINCESS (Mafia Royals 1) / Royal Bully by Rachel Van Dyken-Review & Excerpt tour

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 1, 2020

The enemy of my enemy is my friend…
I never thought my father would ask this of me, to become the second generation at Eagle Elite University, to rule with an iron fist, and to take care of anyone who gets in our way.
But ever since the incident.
Ever since Him.
There’s been a war in our little clique.
After all, a house divided cannot stand.
He’s the problem, not me.
He used to kiss me like I was his oxygen.
Now he looks at me like I’m his poison.
But we both drank it, again and again, never believing there would be a day when our love would start a war.
And our friendship would shatter into a million pieces.
Then again, the worst thing you could do in the mafia is hang on to hope that your life will be normal.
The second worse thing?
Fall in love with your best friend.
Enemy.
And heir to the Nicolasi throne.

••••••••

REVIEW:RUTHLESS PRINCESS is the first full-length instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, New adult MAFIA ROYALS erotic, dark, mafia romance series, a next generation spin off set in the author’s Eagle Elite world. This is Mafia Princess Serena Abandanato , and Junior DeLange -Nicholi’s story line. RUTHLESS PRINCESS can be read as a stand alone: you do not have to have read the Eagle Elite series but I recommend the prequel novella Royal Bully for back story as it pertains to Asher and Claire.

WARNING: Ruthless Princes contains scenes of graphic violence that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Serena and Junior) RUTHLESS PRINCESS follows the forbidden relationship between Mafia Princess Serena Abandanato , and Junior DeLange -Nicolasi. Serena Abandanato is the heir to the Abandanato throne but The Cosa Nostra has rules that must be obeyed or consequences are swift and deadly. As the daughter of Nixon Abandanato, Serena is off limits to all of her “cousins”, the extended members of the Abandanato family but more specifically off limits to Junior DeLange-Nicolasi, whose own family history has reshaped the current organization of the Cosa Nostra. Junior has been in love with Serena since the age of fifteen but when family members discover their current relationship, the order is sent to break them apart or meet reprisals from the family heads. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship between Junior and Serena, as the next generation of the Abandanato family must enforce their rule and power at mafia owned and run Eagle Elite University with deadly consequences.

The relationship between Serena And Junior struggles in the face of betrayal, palpable sexual attraction, and the ever present threat of torture and death. Serena and Junior’s relationship is akin to Romeo and Juliet’s fated love, a love that threatens the tentative peace in the Cosa Nostra. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate with the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast includes many of the original couples for the author’s Eagle Elite series: Serena’s parents Nixon and Trace: Asher’s parents Chase and Luc: Junior’s parents Phoenix and Bee: Breaker’s parents Tex and Mo: Sergio and Val: Dante and El, as well as Claire’s uncle Nikolai Blasik. We are reintroduced to Asher Abandanato, and Claire Petrov (Royal Bully), as well as Asher’s sisters Violet and Izzy, Breaker and King Campisi, and the next generation of DeLange Including Annie and Tank.

RUTHLESS PRINCESS is a story of family, betrayal, friendships and love; of vengeance and retribution, rules and consequences. The premise is dark and heart breaking; the romance struggles in the face of threats, secrets and lies; the characters are charismatic, dangerous, broken yet strong. RUTHLESS PRINCESS is an emotional, revealing and gritty story of violence, retribution, passion and love.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by sandy

_____________

ROYAL BULLY
Mafia Royals .5
by Rachel Van Dyken
Release Date:
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, mafia romance

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

The prequel to the much anticipated Mafia Royals series….

Something dark this way comes.
He’s gorgeous, mean, and mine.
He catches me dreaming about him, and then just like my dream, he decides to make me his.
I should have said no when he asked me to swear fealty to him.
The knife clued me in first.
The blood second.
And third, it was the blessing of the most famous mafia bosses in the known world as they sat around the dinner table and told me that I had no choice but to join.
Because they knew my secrets.
And running meant I was nothing more than target practice.
I said yes because of my bully.
And he told me he’d keep me safe.
But who keeps me safe from him?

••••

REVIEW:ROYAL BULLY is the prequel novella in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, adult MAFIA ROYALS erotic, dark, mafia romance series. This is Asher Abandanato, and Claire Petrov’s storyline. The MAFIA ROYALS series is set in the author’s Eagle Elite world with several of the characters crossing over for back story and familiarly.

WARNING: Royal Bully contains scenes of graphic violence that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Asher and Claire) ROYAL BULLY sets the stage for the Mafia Royals-the next generation of Eagle Elite. Asher Abandanato knew Claire Petrov was his before they had ever been introduced but Claire, although aware of the Abandanato family reputation, found herself pulled into a lifestyle that was about to turn her world upside down. Allegiances are sworn; Blood In, No Out, when Claire must prove she is worthy to call herself part of the family. Claire’s fealty will be tested; Asher’s place in the family will be solidified, as our couple must come to terms with the blood on their hands.

ROYAL BULLY is a story of family, honor, position and death. The premise is dark and gritty; the romance is fated; the characters are caught between head and heart knowing one wrong move will end their lives.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

He licked his lips and repeated what he always did when we had to perform, when we had to do our jobs. “I won’t be gentle with you.”
Our foreheads touched, my chest heaved with exertion like it was hard to breathe when he was so near, but really it was the promise that killed me, a promise that he wouldn’t enjoy touching me ever again, that I was more curse than cure, and yet, I knew it was all we would ever get, these fleeting moments where we did our job too well. “Then make it hurt, baby.” My voice cracked. “Make it hurt.”
His lips parted in a groan as he spun me into his arms and crushed his mouth to mine. It was part pain, part pleasure as he pulled my hair then slid a hand up my shirt like nobody was watching when everyone was.
We broke apart, mouths swollen, my lower lip was bleeding.
A reminder for both of us—this was no cease-fire, this wasn’t real, it was all a carefully constructed show.
“Mmmmm…” I smirked. “Looks like Junior’s not playing around tonight, ladies.”
Screams went up as Junior grabbed my ass and squeezed so hard, I knew I would bruise later. He roughly pulled me against his chest and nipped at my neck.
I told my body it didn’t feel good.
I told my heart we were safe.
And I forced myself to believe the lie every single time we touched.
Because to do otherwise—would destroy me.

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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!

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