Destructive King (Mafia Royals #3) - Rachel Van Dyken

Author Note

This is the third standalone within a brand new series; I know you probably already know that since you picked up this book, but hey, let’s just repeat it again! ;) If you recognize some of the names in this book, it’s because back in 2010, I wrote a series called Eagle Elite, and the parents in this series are the OG’s of Eagle Elite. That series got extremely long (as you can imagine), so I decided we needed fresh blood back at Eagle Elite University, and that started with Ruthless Princess and continues the saga with Scandalous Prince and now drumroll Destructive King.

If you are an EE fan, then this is the part where you may nerd out and want a family tree; I have that on the very next page, NEVER FEAR! If you’re new, just scroll on by, it won’t matter to you, haha, and you’ll be like yeah, I don’t care. And you don’t NEED to know any backstory, because again, this is a new series (do you like how I keep repeating that), oh by the way, it’s a new series.

So if you’ve made it this far, this is the part where I tell you that this book is a bit different from the first two. I’m lucky to have amazing readers who, when I was plotting this book out and going back and forth, really helped me see how important it was that the characters not only allow themselves to feel even if it hurts but that we need to visually see that process on the page, even if it makes us reach for the whiskey (thank you btw, Krystal R for your honest feedback!).

This book will make you laugh on one page, and on the next, you may want to strangle Ash alive; just keep with it. You’ll notice that I was probably a bit emotional writing it because, during this book, we were in the process of adopting, so I was feeling all the things as I was sitting in that hospital going, are we going to get baby, are we not, what’s going to happen, etc. One thing I’ve learned is no matter what, you must allow yourself to feel things. 2020 has been extremely hard on EVERYONE, so I just wanted to add that in—that we’re all human, we all go through pain even if social media doesn’t make it seem that way. In reading this book, I hope you’ll allow yourself to feel, to maybe deal with a loss that you’ve never dealt with before. I hope you heal. You laugh. You have fun. I hope, hope, hope you NEVER look at mafia books the same again, and that you go back and read the rest of the series or even the original (aka OG) Eagle Elite books!

Phew, enjoy my bloodthirsty readers, enjoy!

Blood in. No out. Let’s go meet our Angry Ash, royalty, Destructive King. May God have mercy on your soul… because he—will not.

Who’s Who in the Cosa Nostra

Nixon and Trace Abandonato. Nixon is the boss of the Abandonato Family; he’s a bit psycho, has a lip ring, and in his mid-forties, looks like a freaking badass. Think if Jason Momoa and Channing Tatum had a baby. SURPRISE, Nixon! Trace is the love of his life. Nixon’s daughter, Serena, is his pride and joy; she’s the heir to his throne and in love with Junior Nicolasi. His adopted son Dom is ten years older than Serena. At thirty and married to Tanit, he’s ready to step in if he needs to, but he really doesn’t want to, not that he’s thinking about a family of his own. Nixon’s youngest, Bella, was a most welcome surprise.

Phoenix and Bee Nicolasi (formerly De Lange) have one son, Junior, and he’s everything. The same age as Serena, he has only ever had one thing on his mind. Her. And now he has her. Pursuing her was like signing his own death sentence. The one rule that the bosses gave all the cousins, all the kids, no dating each other, it complicates things. They all took a blood oath. But he risked it all, for just one taste—and is still here to tell about it (Ruthless Princess).

Which brings us to Chase and Luciana Abandonato, their love story is one for the ages. He had Violet first, gorgeous, Violet Emiliana Abandonato, now married to her own boss Valerian Petrov (Scandalous Prince). And then he had twins, God help him. Asher (Marco) and Izzy. All