A mafia romance about best friends turned enemies by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend… 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 worst thing?
Fall in love with your best friend.
Enemy.
And heir to the Nicolasi throne.
more
(3.4-3.5 stars) The Next generation of Mafioso and second generation at Eagle Elite University is here with the “families” children. This follows friends to enemies Junior Nicolasi and Serena Abandonato. These two are like fire and water, hot and cold but sizzle off the pages. As the heirs to their mafia families there is only one important rule to follow. DO NOT get involved with the other families in a romantic way. Well, that might be hard for these two to abide by. Can they get their friendship back without getting murdered by the mob? A brutal, twisted, dark mafia romance extremely slow burn that is very “mob-realistic.” These star crossed lovers might want to be together but in doing so could cause a war! All the previous characters are in this story but it can be read as a stand-alone however, it probably helps to know their stories. This is a more violent at times book so it might not be for everyone but if you love hardened, mafia living YA in your semi-college romance then you will love this. Sadly, I feel I might be in the minority but this was not my favorite from her. I felt some of the story could of been left out to make it more condensed as I found myself skimming parts. This was very difficult for me to rate as I did like some parts and it is written well plus the cover is stunning. Told in dual POV
Six Hearts
Holy. Fuck. I didn’t think I would make it. I took me days. I savored it. It wasn’t planned but I am glad it happened. Because again. Holy. Fuck. I was warned but it was more than I ever thought possible. I haven’t even read all the EE books and it still put me though the ringer. On that note, you do not need to read the EE to start the Royal Mafia series. I do recommend reading the prequel, Royal Bully (FREE, btw) though. Rachel has brilliantly made it so you will not feel lost without reading the OG Eagle Elite characters’ books. I will promise you though, you will want to after. I can’t really get into the storyline without spoiling and the synopsis is perfection.
This story is everything. It’s mafia so it has it all. Darkness. Family. Betrayal. Loyalty. Hate. Love. Secrets. Lies. Lust. Guns. Knives. Wine. And I felt every single feel. Seriously, I wanted to gut someone. I wanted to hug another. I wanted to take a glass of wine just watch. The Family is beautifully and brutally intense. You follow the rules or pay the price. With your blood. You are in from the moment you are born. Only way out is death. So, like I said, it’s intense. I felt like I was in the book. Like I was part of the family. Loyal to them. It’s crazy I know but shit. And you know you don’t always agree with family but still love them and this is no different. And within the intensity there was Junior and Selena. Their love. Their hate. They are heirs. They knew they could never live a normal life. There is no happily ever after. They have to hate to survive. It was war. It was the only way.
Ok, I don’t even know what I just wrote. I am still a mess over this book. I cried. I laughed. I cringed. I got scared. I cried some more. I felt it all and now I will be in a major book hangover. Worth it. So worth it. I love this family and so happy that we are now getting the second generations’ stories. I will never forget Junior and Selena’s. And I can’t wait for the next one…I am going to need a box of tissues for it, I just know it. Shit. It’s going t be spectacular.
P.S. I am in love with this cover!!!
Quotes:
Never had there been such hatred between a king and queen.
Tex sighed and then gave Breaker a little shove. “No killing in front of the bacon.”
“Thank God because I’ve been sneaking pieces during that entire speech, so hungry.” Breaker stole another piece only to get it smacked out of his hand by Tex.
Because if you think a mob boss is scary, then you really don’t want to piss off one of the moms.
I shuddered.
Did you know that Rachel Van Dyken has a new mafia romance series? You didn’t? Well let me tell you about it. Ruthless Princess is book one in the Mafia Royals series and it was gut wrenching. I almost did not want to read it because I was afraid my boys, the original loves of my life at Eagle Elite, were not going to be in the story. Also, I knew that Van Dyken was going to tear my beating heart from my chest with this emotional story. Well, the book is not about Nixon, Chase, Tex, or Phoenix, but they are ever present which of course just made my little heart go pitter patter. Now back to characters of Ruthless Princess, there is a new generation that is taking over the mafia world and it is their turn to shine. This book is a no-holds barred kind of story with lots of guns, knives, sex, and drama. Oh, did I mention there was sex? Well there is and it is tantalizing and for the characters it is taboo. So, people I am not going to tell you again, get busy ready this series because it is to die for (pun intended). Scandalous Princess, book two, comes out in January of next year. 5-stars for Ruthless Princess by RVD
All the children knew growing up that there was to be no relationships between the kids. Growing up mafia had its rules, but they were there to keep everyone safe, the mind might know that, but the heart has a harder time keeping up. Serena Abandonato has been groomed to take over as head of the Cosa Nostra from her father and she is determined to make him proud. One thing though that would not make Nixon happy is knowing that once upon a time Serena was in love with Junior Nicolasi. Serena and Junior must see each other everyday and work together to keep the family safe but their hate is almost as strong as their love once was. Old enemies are coming back to haunt the five families and it is time for the mafia world and Junior to see exactly what a Ruthless Princess Serena can be.
Meet the new Elect
it was amazing
I didn’t think Rachel’s Mafia could get better…But somehow it has. My beloved Elect are now in their 30’s and 40’s AND they all have kids…..Bow to the Elect the next generation
Serena Abandonato scares me. As I read this book I could clearly see she is truly a mini Nixon, with a bit of Trace sprinkled in.
This new Elect is going to set Eagle elite on fire ( hopefully not literally) Each one is scary but it’s all in the way you see them
Ruthless Princess has been an anticipated book for me for many reasons. I loved the original Eagle Elite series and to think we are getting to experience the journey of the kids of the bosses was too good of a prospect to pass up. RVD has a way of pulling you into her mafia stories from the very beginning and this one was absolutely no exception. Buckle up because this one takes you on an epic ride!
Junior, the son of Phoenix, and Serena, the daughter of Nixon, are headed to Eagle Elite University to take their rightful place along with their other cousins and friends. Saying the relationship between Junior and Serena is complicated is an understatement. They were lovers and now they are enemies. The pull between them is so strong that it takes everything in them to suppress it. Knowing that they have to take their rightful places and begin to rule at EE in order to protect the family, they also know that they need to stay apart due to the rules the bosses put in place. Can they do it?
Both Junior and Serena are strong, ruthless, fiery and loyal. They’ve been put in a position where they have to choose between their obligation to their family and the obligation to their hearts. There is so much emotion, so many feelings and also moments of levity and humor in this book. RVD takes you on a ride with twists and turns you don’t see coming and you definitely have all the feels while reading it. I think I ran the gamut of emotions a few times over!
While this can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading Royal Bully to give you some insight into a couple of other characters in the book. Do yourself a favor and pick it up along with this one! I’m already so ready for Scandalous Prince!
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title in exchange for an honest review**