Review: Fallen Royal (Mafia Royals #4) by Rachel Van Dyken

   

Print Length: 243 pages

Publisher: Van Dyken Enterprises (October 5, 2021)

From Goodreads.com: "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?

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

This story was ....... interesting. It is definitely one of those stories that draws you in, but just when you think you know what is happening, Rachel throws in a curveball that you didn't see coming. 

I enjoyed the chemistry between Maksim and Izzy, it was easy to see their friendship even when he was purposely being a jerk to her (in his mind he was doing it to protect her). However, I do wish we could have seen more romance between them and less of the angsty back and forth. It made me start to wonder why she didn't give him one good jab with a sharp knife. 

I also enjoyed seeing the old familiar faces from prior novels (I mean who doesn't love an old-fashioned family dinner where someone is getting a plate of pasta dumped down their pants)? 

"We live for today because we aren't guaranteed tomorrow. That's how we deal with it. We live."  - Fallen Royal Chapter 9.

This book was also emotional in a lot of ways, touching on the subject of death and what that means for the people left behind (this IS the mafia after all, and they do run the risk of having a shorter than normal lifespan). I will say that when reading certain areas of this story I was brought very close to tears having some quotes hit hard. 

"Life is not about holding good cards, but or playing a poor hand well." - Fallen Royal Chapter 8.

However, this story does require you to suspend reality as well and just go with the flow. And while I can't say more without giving away spoilers, I will say that this story does touch on a subject that some people might find.... triggering for lack of a better word. I wish I could properly articulate what I'm trying to say, but sadly I can't without giving away a major plotline. 

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                                                             Fallen Royal is available from Amazon.com