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
Rating: 4.5/5
Steam: 5/5
Story line: 4.5/5
Overall Experience:
My emotions were racing throughout the book, as I felt everything. Junior and Serena’s love was something I longed for. Both were completely batshit crazy. The book was filled with so much angst I can’t even comprehend it, but I loved every second of it.
The Queen and her King are here to break hearts
This is the story of Junior and Serena. These two have had a great friendship grew to love each other sns rhen came the hate. Junior is a man who carries around rhe sins of his father and their almost extinct family of DE Lange. He is a ruthless angry man who carries around his feelings for Serena But they can’t be together because of the rule that says no relationships between the family’s offspring. They have had a secret romance and this has caused an all consuming fued. These two have one twisted relationship that put me through the ringer. They know they could cause a war with thier parents and some other families BUT it becomes more obvious as you go along that this group of children are more than willing to not follow the rules blindly or quietly. I feel like I’ve jist gotten off a Rollercoaster and I loved evey second of this book.
NOW THAT IS HOW YOU WRITE A MAFIA ROMANCE!!!
Rachel Van Dyken blew me away with her twisted tale of romance, mafia, blood and HEAT!! Amo Jones was raving on her IG about Ruthless Princess and the minute I saw the cover I wanted this book in my hands. I have read several mafia romances and while they have all been four to five stars for me this book is the epitome of mafia romance.
There was not one thing I did not LOVE about this book. I devoured it in one day, less than one day because the writing was just exceptional. The one liners, the sarcasm, the angst!! You can literally feel the pull between Junior and Serena through the entirety of the book. They fight until blood is drawn with determination and a purpose but somehow, they loved stronger.
Ruthless Princess was a roller coaster of emotions from happiness, love, hate and edge of your seat, nail biting drama. The epilogue too!! OMG!! This epilogue was unlike anything I have read. While it was not a glimpse at Junior and Serena’s future it was a glimpse into the future for the Mafia Royals. Bring on Breaker’s story PLEASE!!!
She’s a Ruthless Mafia Princess
When I read the prequel to this series I was really excited about it and couldn’t wait to read them allBut I have put it off as I was scared to start reading and have this series end – which let me admit, I don’t want to happen, AT ALL – but I’ve decided enough is enough and I’m getting stuck in
Serena and Junior’s journey is rough and filled with rules dictated by the Family because of his bloodline and previous betrayals….but it also has something the previous generation didn’t – Hope and moving forward in a different way and fighting for what they believe is rightAgain RVD does Mafia brilliantly but also coils enough emotion in it, to make you feel the blood shed and loss of life
I’m eager to dig into the rest of these stories now that I’ve unleashed my fears with this one
I’m conflicted on this one. I didn’t love the narrators but I did enjoy the story. I’m here for NA mafia though and I would give the rest of the series a shot if it has different narrators or as an ebook. It’s spicy and fast paced, at one point absolutely devastating. It’s an intriguing, family drama filled start to the series.
Book 86 towards my goal of 285! 4/5 stars for this Mafia Romance read. Yalllllllll, why didn’t anybody tell me about Mafia Romance! I ate this book up like candy! Love the characters, and family drama is my favorite! I will say, bits of this get real dark and real dirty. Very violent. Lots of trigger warnings! But, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
OMG! This book tore me up… and I’m NOT kidding..
I literally mean what I say. I shed a few tears of this book from the unexpected loss these characters had to go through. I felt exactly what they were feeling. EVERY FREAKING EMOTION. How was this possible? I have no fucking clue. I never cried not once over a book until I read this one which states a lot.
I don’t want to say much either because a lot happened in this fucking book that kept me turning the page which is how I managed this finish this book in two days. (would have been one if I wasn’t so sleepy the night I was trying to finish it). Not to mention this is my first full length mafia romance novel I have ever read and I am so glad to have picked this up because thanks to Rachel Van Dyken, I am now going to be reading a lot of Mafia Romances now.
I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves romance as much as I do. GET ON THIS ASAP!
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Let’s talk about “Ruthless Princess by Rachel Van Dyken”.
I’m relatively new to the Elite Eagle mafia world and OMG! Why did it take me so long to dive in? Serena and Junior broke me in a thousand pieces, at times I wanted to scream or cry and sometimes both at the same time. They were best friends turned to enemies due to their family rules and I was able to feel every inch of their pain in every line Rachel wrote. A love like theirs is difficult to move on from.
I could say that their story is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but they don’t hold a candle to Junior and Serena. Although their family weren’t enemies, they quite work well together, their love was strictly forbidden. I never thought I’d cry so much in a mafia book… they had to fight for their lives while “hating” each other, but when they decide to fight for their love, it was another explosion of awesomeness.
There’s also a lot of going on with the Five Families who runs the mafia, a lot goes on with them, especially with Ash and now I finally understand why we are going to have a full book about him. Anyway, their families are crazy, twisted, yet there’s a LOT of love and loyalty going around. Also there’s a lot of secrets, lies and despicable events in the past, which brought to life the doubts if the kids had to pay for their parents sins.
That’s a wonderful book, that I couldn’t put down for a second and I wanted immediately to grab the next one to read. What a rollercoaster of feelings and even amazing funny moments too, so it lighted my reading. Serena and Junior stole my heart, they are outstanding people with a strength that is unmeasurable. But is the power of Rachel’s writing that got me hooked with all of the characters of this family. I’m simply addicted.
• •
: Ruthless Princess
: Mafia Royals #1
: Rachel Van Dyken
: 5/5
First, let me tell you I LOVE the Eagle Elite series. Legit one of my favorite Mafia Romance series ever. So, when I realized that these series are actually about the second generation Eagle Elite, I could not contain my excitement. I wish I had time for a reread, but I had to dive into this one immediately. The story follows Junior Nicolasi and Serena Abandonato, and we are in for a ride. These are two best friends, who are afraid to cross the line again with each other because their parents know the dangers of falling in love with each other and starting a war between families. There is a lot of pushing and pulling, but it felt right in this setting and situation. There is enough action and blood will be spilled: Blood In, No Out! It might be disturbing for readers not interested in the gruesome details of murders/fights. Readers discretion is advised! I loved how all the women and men are treated equally. Serena can hold up her own while fighting with the guys and I love love loved it. There are also enough sexy times to keep you entertained if that is your cup of tea. The action, the humor and the pace of this book is just excellent… the plot/ending was perfect if you ask me, but what about you? Read it for yourself and you’ll find out.. Will true love prevail? “Hate you for as long as we both shall live”.
My reviews are also available with photo at my Bookstagram: @justmyfantasyworld
Rachel Van Dyken is the queen of mafia for a reason. I couldn’t put this book down and I cannot wait for the rest of the series!
WOW. This is my top read of 2020! I haven’t read any of RVD’s mafia books before (But most of her others) and this one blew me away. I loved how the main heroine was a true equal to her other cousins. You could feel the love between the heroine and the hero. Its oozed off the pages. I can’t say enough great things about this book.
Rachel Van Dyken is an amazing, diverse author! No matter which book I pick up of hers I know it will be amazing whether it is a rom-com, contemporary or mafia BUT I was not prepared for this level of brilliance! Her writing is suspenseful, intense and gripping. I could not stop reading from the moment I started it. Ruthless Princess tells the story of Serena Abandanato which is the daughter of Trace and Nixon from RVD’s Eagle Elite Series. Serena is just as the title mentions, RUTHLESS. She has grown up in the Abandanto family so of course she has seen a lot. Serena and Junior destroyed me. Their love was epic from the beginning and so very forbidden. I had so many feels reading this. My heart broke over and over for them. Talk about ANGST. Serena is the epitomy of female empowerment. She is fierce, strong and bad-a$$. Junior is the son of Phoenix and Bee Nicolasi (formerly De Lange). He is an only child. He is protective and savage. From a young age he and Serena formed a strong connection through their friendship but due to the forbidden aspect of a relationship between them they have forced themselves to hate each other because for them it’s all or nothing. The mafia family that RVD has created is like nothing I’ve ever read in mafia romance. They are loyal and live and die for one another. Their motto is “blood in, no out”. Ruthless Princess is dark, dangerous and intense. It is packed with so much intensity and suspense. It is a must read. I cannot wait for Scandalous Prince next.
Wow! I fell in love with the Eagle Elite series years ago. This legacy book did not disappoint. Serena is such a bad A- – B! I adored her and Junior. Wow! He was a douche but underneath both their hard exterior were just two people with so much love. Their chemistry was hot and I loved the push and pull between them! This is a must read!
Read like high school mean girls.
I instantly loved Serena. She was outwardly so confident, determined, and very matter-of-fact. But behind closed doors she was vulnerable. Of course Junior was very much the same as her when they were in front of their family. He was always brash and outspoken, witty and a bit of a jerk. But he always had his eye on Serena. When they’re together, they complement each other perfectly. And of course their chemistry is off the charts! Even though their relationship being outted would literally kill them, they couldn’t fight their attraction and chemistry no matter how hard they, or even their cousins, tried. But of course, their parents find out eventually. Will they live out a modern-day Romeo and Juliet love story?
God damn!! I. M. DEAD. Rachel slayed me. This book is damn addictive and sooo freaking intense!
“The pain is never in the days after you lose your heart to someone. The pain is in the moment you realize that your forever is no longer your future, but your past.”
I was losing my mind with all the angst… I finished it in one sitting. I was consumed with these characters and this gritty, dark world. This is forbidden romance at its best… I have never read such a captivating friends to enemies to lovers read. And add mafia to the mix and it was freaking awesomeness.
“Sometimes, hearts can’t help but beat for the wrong person, and who am I to deny what my heart craves even if it ends up killing me?”
I wasn’t ready for this AT ALL. This book made me laugh, cry, scream, angry, and left me an emotional mess. It ripped my heart into pieces and then slowly mended it all together. But it’s all WORTH IT! And holy moly i didn’t see that heartbreak coming… All the hurt, drama, twists and turns, and emotions makes this book even more delicious and exciting read.
And after reading this book i can say one thing for sure no one can write MAFIA like RACHEL VAN DYKEN. I AM HOOKED! Blood In. No Out.
Believe me you need this dark, sexy, intense, angsty read in your life next.
So I’m not sure why I was so excited to read this book. Oh wait. I do! It’s because I knew it was going to be phenomenal and Rachel did not disappoint me. She did tear my heart out and stomp on it, and if you’ve read it, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. Regardless of that fact, this book was everything. Loyalty that caused love, hate, blood and death.
Serena was everything a mafia princess should be: ruthless, conniving, strong and beautiful; using all of those traits to get everything she wanted and needed done. Everything except the love of her life. And Junior! Who wouldn’t want to be in a world with mafia prince Junior who was not only amazing to look at, but strong, talented and ruthless in his own right. Watching these two mafia royals fight against the world, their love and the rules their parents set for said world was torture in the best way!
Have you read Ruthless Princess from @rachvd? If you haven’t, you need to and quick before Scandalous Prince comes out on the 22nd! There’s still time to catch up!
Ruthless Princess is book one in this new mafia series of the author. I have read other books from the author but sadly, I haven’t read those of her mafia ones. There are some connection/ previous characters that was in this book. Being a newbie to her mafia world, I didn’t feel lost but in my opinion, it wouldn’t hurt to read those previous books for a better reading experience.
The story is dark, raw, steeping in violence, strong family tradition that something you’d come to expect from a mafia book. We have very interesting main characters, even the secondary ones that made me not want to put this down, and begging for more. Highly recommend for lovers of this genre!
This book was absolutely amazing ani couldn’t put it down. Rachel keeps you enamored with this book till the very end. She has you laughing crying and so many other emotions throughout the book. Everyone should read it
“It was for the best, her hate. Because if I had her love-I wouldn’t be able to become the monster my dad needed me to be-the monster she needed me to be-to keep her safe.”
Ruthless Princess is just that, ruthless and brutal! This is my first Van Dyken novel and I loved it. This wasn’t some light and fluffy romance that makes you say “Awe, they are so cute together!”. Ruthless Princess is a forged in blood, sealed with pain, will they even survive this to get a HEA, love story. Told in dual POV, you get to see the brutal glimpse inside the minds of Serena and Junior. I found myself highlighting so many passages. My heart broke for them and their Romeo and Juliet style fatal attraction to one another. I really liked the way that Van Dyken set the stage for this second generation of Mafia Royalty. I never read the original novels this story is based off of, but I didn’t feel lost at all. This novel can be read as a standalone, however, as it sets up the back story for the next book (characters and story) I would recommend reading this series in order.