SCANDALOUS PRINCE by Rachel Van Dyken Review

Release Date: September 22, 2020

Series: Mafia Royals, Book 2. Can be read as a stand-alone.

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.

My Review of SCANDALOUS PRINCE by Rachel Van Dyken

This beautifully written, heartbreakingly tragic story is told as only RVD can tell it. While I was reading, my husband would periodically come to check on me. He’d make sure I had hugs and wine. Note: I love my husband. And wine. And RVD.

Scandalous Prince is a story that will stick with you and won’t let you stop reading, even for a minute. My heart was in my throat for so much of this book, and I honestly was not sure that I’d survive. It flayed me. From the beginning you know something is there, lurking under the surface if you could only figure it out. Even if you think you know what’s happening, you don’t quite have all the pieces to make the puzzle work until RVD shares them when she feels like throwing us a bone.

The steady buildup of action, deception, and angst kept me on the edge of my seat. Mixed in with the angst were moments of laughter and even tears. Even read as a stand-alone, I believe Scandalous Prince will rip your heart out but know that RVD will put it back together before it’s over, even if she just slaps it together with tape and pretty words.

This may be my favorite Rachel Van Dyken mafia book since Eulogy. The more heartbreaking the storyline, the better I like it. GAH! Final thought, grab a drink, some comfy PJs, and read through the night. It’s a fantastic story with amazing characters that will haunt you.

5 Stars