Blog Tour: Fallen Royal: Rachel Van Dyken
Fallen Royal
Rachel Van Dyken
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October 5, 2021
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A mafia romance about betrayal and faith by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.
"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?
Spoiler free!
Well, this installment definitely kept me guessing! It is Maksim and Izzy's story and it is a convoluted one that pulled me in and kept me turning pages.
These two have been it for each other since they were tweens. He was the funny, charming science nerd and she was the math geek mafia princess. They seemed to just fit and were best friends, but as they matured their story got more complicated. It is a constant cycle of Maks pulling her in then pushing her away. The whole idea of them being together is supposed to be forbidden by the family anyway. But it seems there is something deeper that is ruling Maksim's decisions. Is he being the protector or is he really the bad guy?
This is an angsty, heartbreaking, compelling, at times confusing story as we try to figure out Maksim's true motivations and what is really going on under the surface. Izzy is plucky and strong, but has been hurt over and over so much that she vows to be done. But then he seems to find a way to lead her back in.
The plotline is original and intriguing and fits so well within this series with surprises and secrets. I had theories and I was not sure exactly what it would turn out to be. This is another twisty, tragically romantic, suspenseful story set in this violent world of bonded individuals and families. It ties in duty, loyalty, freedom, acceptance, and forgiveness. Sometimes it was hard to see where it was all going and how it would end up, but it kept me interested and invested.
It brings in many of the pivotal players in both generations of mafia families and gradually allows us to see what has been going on under the radar. Little pieces of the past seem to bleed into the present. I am also looking forward to King's book that was teased a bit.
The plotline is original and intriguing and fits so well within this series with surprises and secrets. I had theories and I was not sure exactly what it would turn out to be. This is another twisty, tragically romantic, suspenseful story set in this violent world of bonded individuals and families. It ties in duty, loyalty, freedom, acceptance, and forgiveness. Sometimes it was hard to see where it was all going and how it would end up, but it kept me interested and invested.
It brings in many of the pivotal players in both generations of mafia families and gradually allows us to see what has been going on under the radar. Little pieces of the past seem to bleed into the present. I am also looking forward to King's book that was teased a bit.
She was the math geek, a mafia princess protected from the worst of what her family was involved in. Her innocence was unique in their world - her ability to block out the bad and only see the good.
He was the science lover, questioning all things he saw, dedicated to protecting Izzy and avoiding the worst of the violence of the families - he didn’t want to become a monster. They have been together since childhood, despite the rules the families put in place. Her father may not have liked it, but Maksim wasn’t one to deny Izzy anything she wanted, except when the darkness became real for him. To protect Izzy from the worst, he tried to push her away, to keep her safe.
There was a lot of back and forth between these two, ramping up the angst and drama in a way I wasn’t completely expecting. Maksim, at his core, still wants Izzy to live the happy life she deserves and as time has passed he has decided he is not what she needs. I love the strong personalities that these families encourage. Even Izzy, who is seen as not one of the core who will carry on the family business, knows what she wants and is willing to fight to get it.
As this second generation series has developed, the plots have continued to surprise me with the creativity and unique situations that RVD is able to craft. I was so surprised by a few of the elements that came about as part of the storyline and even now that the plot has sat in my head for a couple of days I keep circling back to the a-ha moments amazed that I was as off guard as I was. The final book in the series is teased and once again, I cannot wait to see what is in store for King as bits of his situation come into play here and I am looking forward to finding what twists his story has in store.
Royal Bully
(Mafia Royals #.5)
(Mafia Royals #.5)
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The prequel to the much anticipated Mafia Royals Romances…
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?
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…
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.
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.
Scandalous Prince
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Our 5 star reviews
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Our 5 star reviews
A mafia romance about secrets and soulmates by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.
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.
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A mafia romance about love and loss by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.
…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.
Mafia King
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From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes a new story in her Mafia Royals series…
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.**
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times Bestselling, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over 90 books ranging from contemporary romance to paranormal. With over four million copies sold, she's been featured in Forbes, US Weekly, and USA Today. Her books have been translated in more than 15 countries. She was one of the first romance authors to have a Kindle in Motion book through Amazon publishing and continues to strive to be on the cutting edge of the reader experience. She keeps her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, adorable sons, naked cat, and two dogs. For more information about her books and upcoming events, visit www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com.
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