Review: Broken Crown by Rachel Van Dyken (Mafia Royals #5)

January 30, 2022

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

They'll all have kids.

They'll celebrate anniversaries.

Take trips.

They'll laugh, fuck, fight, tease—and I'll pretend.

If I could give this book more than my maximum of five-plus stars, I would. I thought I was prepared going into Broken Crown, especially because I thought I would be hit with bittersweet feels considering this is the final novel in Rachel Van Dyken's Mafia Royals series. But nope, I was very much not ready for my heart to be put through its paces—and then some—with King Campisi's story. This guy could have probably been with any girl he wanted without having to do anything more than breathe, but life isn't that simple, not when your family is part of the Cosa Nostra, and especially not when you're to be the next Capo dei Capi. An arranged marriage was King's fate, and even if it was to someone he loved, Del Buratti's heart belong to someone else. The king may have himself a queen, but will this arrangement cost more than his bruised and battered heart?

I lost count of the number of times I felt my heart thump painfully in my chest every single time King took stock of his fate and the reality that he was living in. Yes, Del had affection for him and she considered him her friend, but goodness, knowing that the woman you'd fallen in love with was already in love with another man is absolutely heartrending. Yet the choices King made had me falling for the guy even more! Seriously, he was so darn selfless, but I wasn't all that surprised. That doesn't mean that I didn't cheer each moment that he decided to take a bit for himself. I'm trying really hard to keep this spoiler-free, so this review is going to be somewhat shorter than my usual. Suffice it to say, however, that there was particular events where I couldn't stop myself from crying. Not because this is the end of the series (but not of Rachel Van Dyken's beloved Eagle Elite book universe!) though, so you'll just have to read Broken Crown to see what I'm talking about. All the stars for this absolute must-read. Dare I hope for Roman's book in the not-so-distant future?

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Read my reviews for the Mafia Royals series: