Release Blitz: Ciao Bella: Rachel Van Dyken

by - Tuesday, June 25, 2024

 

Ciao Bella
The Rise of the De Langes Book 1
Rachel Van Dyken
Goodreads
Buy links
June 25, 2024

💜Mafia romance
💜 Enemies to lovers
💜 Forced proximity
💜 College romance
💜 New adult 
💜 Tatted hero
💜 Broken hero 
💜 Arrange marriage 
💜 Angry but to protect her
💜 Touch her and die 
💜 Strong heroine 

How thin is the line between love and hate? Find out in Ciao Bella a brand-new standalone mafia romance from Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.

The Five Families thought the war was over.
They have no idea, I'm the very beginning.

I kidnapped her to prove a point—at knife point, it seemed sharper that way.
See what I did there?

I used the perfect virginal daughter from one of the most powerful Families in the Cosa Nostra to fix the broken pieces, knowing that in the process—I’d spread hers for the world to see.
I would embarrass her, shame her, use her, but I would never touch her… my one and only vow to her father in exchange for his allegiance.

The flowers at our wedding would be extravagant—people would watch it like a celebration, she’d live it as her funeral.
Call me twisted, but I thrive off her hate, I wouldn’t know what to do if I had her heart—I’m not good with pretty things I’m capable of breaking.

I’ll use every single person I can to restore order… to bring about the peace that my Family deserves.
But something sinister lurks in the darkness.
In the end, it may not be just my Family I save but theirs as well.

They say the past comes back to haunt you—that history repeats itself.
Bet they never saw this coming.

After all, when one Family falls—another will rise.





I have been a diehard Eagle Elite fan since the beginning, and I’ve always enjoyed the craziness and surprises in this series. With the previous next-generation books, I ran hot and cold with some of them, but I was completely shocked and awed by some too. I think part of it is just me and the enemies-to-lovers trope especially when it’s really extreme. Sometimes is a bit too much for me.  And Ivan and Bella definitely are extreme. Bella is Nixon Abondonato‘s youngest daughter and Ivan is one of the DeLanges who was saved, and he has been working for the five families.  But these two hate each other violently and it’s fueled by anger, hate jealousy, drama, and bloodshed.

The twists in the story interested me enough, but at this point I’ve read so many of these books that I was kind of digging deep trying to figure them out myself. 
I enjoyed being back in this world. and it did have all of my favorite OG and next-gen characters, the banter, and the extreme reactions that I have enjoyed in the previous books. 

I liked the second half more than the first half, and I appreciated the parts where they were more vulnerable and forced to trust each other. And things started coming together more for me, and it brought a couple of interesting twists. 
 I did figure out one of them out, but a couple did surprise me. And that is one of the things that is fun about this series. 

This seems like it might be the springboard for more stories with the other younger siblings as there was a bit of a tease.
Ivan and Bella are rivals and enemies to the extreme. When Ivan makes a move and kidnaps Bella at knifepoint, he sparks a war between the families that has the potential to throw off the peaceful balance they have lived in since the second generation took over.

There were times that the degree to which their enemy status made it difficult to see the depth of their emotion the other direction. It was clear that they had strong feelings towards each other and a deep connection, but I struggled to see it as love except in a few instances. Bella’s innocence became a sticking point for both her family and for Ivan as they negotiated. These are characters for whom honor is high and their word (and precise language) is important.

Returning to RVD’s Eagle Elite world is always a whirlwind of chaos, danger, and deep devotion to family. This is a second generation spin off that seems to be bringing a new direction to the Five Families. I loved the drama between the families in this story and the way the small details added up to the twists at the end. I’ve been reading RVD’s mafia books for a long time and have started to see her patterns, but even as my mind worked through the breadcrumbs, I enjoyed the direction and tension that was present throughout the story.


RACHEL VAN DYKEN
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over 100 books ranging from new adult romance to mafia romance to paranormal & fantasy romance. 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.


You May Also Like

0 comments