“The pain was unbelievable. The guilt was unimaginable. I would not come out of this the same. Neither of us would.”
Scandalous Prince is the second interconnected stand-alone in the Mafia Royals series, featuring the forbidden mafia romance between Breaker Campisi and Violet Abandonato. He has been charged to protect her with his life, he was not to touch her and definitely not supposed to fall in love with her. Breaker would do anything to protect and save Violet, even if it means not having her and turning into someone she will never forgive. Because having her hate is better than not having any part of her at all.
“I’m the worst of them, I’m afraid,” I admitted. “But lying to save someone you love—that will always be worth it, even if they hate you in the end.”
This is one of those tricky situations....I preordered this book the moment I could yet I wasn’t a fan of Ruthless Princess. I thought it was absurdly unrealistic, that it failed at painting Serena as the true bada** she could’ve been, and just overall felt like a big book of “try hard” that never quite worked out. Don’t get me wrong, there were also some things I liked about it.....one being the entire “world/family” in general. So I knew I wouldn’t abandon it....I mean just bc book one wasn’t a hit for me didn’t mean Breaker & Violet’s wouldn’t be the redemption I was desperately seeking. Despite knowing there were some negative reviews, I refused to truly read them instead wanting to go in without any kind of preconceived opinions/thoughts. My mind is still blown by how much I LOVED this book. I thought at most I would enjoy it but no where near the extent I actually did. Where Serena nearly ruined this series before it really got started for me, Breaker & Violet brought it back to life for me in magnificent form!
“You can make me forget,” I said against his mouth. “And you can make me remember why it’s only ever been you.”
Book Facts:
Told in: Multi-POV, mostly in present day with few flashbacks necessary to story/plot.
Type? The second full installment in a series of interconnected stories featuring the same ongoing overall plot featuring one couple’s romance in each. It could be read on its own, but it definitely is better enjoyed if read in order.
Triggers: Forced consent and graphic violence.
Ends in: HFN ending for couple, with a little “teaser” to next couple’s installment.
The Main Players:
Violet Abandonato: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
“You’re glorious. You know that, right?” “Because I fight you? Or because you piss me off?” “Because I see you.” He sobered. “I’ve only ever seen you, not the girl you want others to see, but the angry one who just wants to be heard, who wants her own life, the life I can share with her.”
Breaker Campisi: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
“I liked the darkness that swirled behind his emerald eyes. And one day, I would do more than push him over the edge. I’d give him a shove and jump after him into the oblivion—and I’d worship at the feet of the fallen.”
Valerian Petrov: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Valerian.” His voice shook. “Valerian Petrov.” “That doesn’t sound like the name of a monster.” “And yet… it is.”
What I liked:
❤️What I liked the best about this one is the differences between it and Ruthless Princess. Included in those glorious differences.....
*Less unnecessary violence and the violence that was there had actual purpose behind it.
*Rachel didn’t make the same mistake of trying way too hard to sell Violet as savagely tough as she did with Serena, instead using big moments to sell the idea all on its own. I believed her tough act a lot more than Serena’s.
*I actually followed and found the reasons for the choices and actions driving this plot so it made sense.
*I liked that this one actually had quite a little wtf plot twist/shock (even if I figured it out before I was done with the prologue).
*This was able to concentrate heavier on the couple and what directly related to their romance/lives and not everyone and everything else (not that it didn’t have some other character things going on).
.....there were others, but you get the point and it all really worked for me.
❤️The believability of their connection was instant for me. Maybe it was the little ground work done in RP, but I never questioned that these two had been deeply connected to each other from their “start”......
“He was…” She locked eyes with me. “…mine. The one thing that I had in the Family that I claimed when I first saw him was Breaker himself. He was so… broken when he came to us. He smiled, and he fit in perfectly, but at night he cried.” “Did he ever tell you why he cried?” My body tensed. “He said he was broken.” Violet reached for another checker and clutched it in her hand. “And I told him it was okay to be broken because when you’re broken, all you need is a best friend to help you find the pieces and put them back together again. And I promised him I would.”
....it made me more emotionally invested in the story as well as more open to the series as a whole.
❤️The best thing a book can accomplish with me is to make me genuinely feel something deeper for their characters.....something past surface level like or hate, a level of emotion that is deep enough that I think about the story or the character(s) even after I’m done with their story, where I can imagine that somewhere out there this is a real couple’s story and it involves real emotions....this one is the first of Rachel’s books that truly got to me at THAT level. There were so many different aspects that made me feel and they weren’t all romance-related, some of the biggest came from convos Breaker had with the first gen.....
“So, do I think God would kick out his children? Not anymore. No. I think he’s used to people walking into his arms with blood staining their souls, I think he’s used to darkness as much as he is the light.”
.....but it was his heartbreak that quite honestly did me in.....
“You aren’t mine anymore, Vi. Don’t you get it?” He looked crazed. “You’re not mine!”
....even days later, I’m still invested in this book.
❤️Like in Ruthless Princess, one of my ongoing faves is the entire Family aspect of the story. This one took it up a notch in that dept though, giving more opportunities to really see this group in different situations & without different “relationships”. I was OBSESSED with Andrei & Phoenix’s odd yet hilarious “friendship”/bromance, the way Phoenix saw Breaker as so much more than just another kid within the family.....
“You, Breaker Campisi, make me proud to call you family, and even if you are under Tex’s protection, I’ll always think of you more as my son.”
....I laughed seeing the cousins in situations that made them feel more like the young adults/teens they were.....
“You’re welcome, but I need to see something. Junior, hit him.” “The f!” I yelled. “What’s wrong with you?” “YOU SLEPT WITH MY SISTER!” he roared. “You get no vote!”
.....and laughed even more seeing the more “human” parent/child/sibling element I felt the last book lacked....
“Fine.” I grinned. “King and I both lost our virginity at the tender age of thirteen.” “Son of a b!” King said from the other side of him. “Dad, I swear we were older. The h*ll, man! Throw yourself under the bus, don’t take me with you!”
.....overall, it keeps getting better and better and I’m here for it.
❤️I saw some complain about Breaker “whining” but Breaker’s “broken-ness” was the one thing that truly touched me. I actually LOVED seeing a male MC/antihero be emotionally vulnerable/affected and not so cold & closed off.....
“Is that what you want me to say? That I’m pissed, f-ing heartbroken? That I’m terrified and that as much as I want to keep you here, I have no choice but to let you go? What the hell do you want me to say, Vi? That I love you? That I can’t live without you? I don’t think I’m capable of saying it, because then it’s true, then I have to believe it, and then there will be nothing f-ing left of me!”
....I was able to connect with him on a deeper level, not to mention he shows his “ruthlessness” in other ways....trust me.
❤️I thought I would HATE Valerian bc I tend to hate love triangles (at any level), especially when I’m so invested in the character they are competing with. Valerian made it impossible to hate him with how caring & supportive he is to Violet.....
“This is your kingdom; this is where you rule. You never lower your head to your prince. You are and will always be better than me, understand?”
.....he’s a mystery that you have to unravel but it’s clear from the start Violet is so much more than a tool or a possession.
What I didn’t:
🖤Just because I obsessed over this installment doesn’t mean it was without issues. The main being it continued the trend of unrealistic/contradictory moments & editing issues that plagued the first one. A few examples of such:
*How she was drugged to the point of not being able to move or kiss him back yet somehow was able to hold a coherent intelligent convo.
*Somehow she was able to FEEL an ordinary (large) tattoo with her fingers (I have dozens of tattoos and “felt” over a majority of them to test this and nope, no difference).
*The multiple fire extinguishers in a SUV (a SUV that isn’t actually theirs to “keep” them in).
*Breaker & Violet texting back & forth for it to turn into Breaker texting himself.
*”......last I checked we were at seven billion, so yeah, you probably could.” “Two billion,” I repeated. “Wow, and I thought my dad was rich.”
.....there was another aspect that was VERY unrealistic BUT it’s spoiler territory so you will just have to trust me. However, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the first one.
🖤And finally, despite how much better this installment was it still had the whole unrealistic view of how the Mafia operates thing going on. What makes it even more annoying is the fact she says she spent 10+ years researching the Italian mafia and consulting with Italians and such.....the way they are so vocal and “out there” about who they are and how they operate, like at a public funeral....
“They raised up a generation of warriors, of mafia royalty that would forever protect their blood until their last breath.”
.....or how despite Breaker being the legally adopted oldest son of the Capo of the entire organization would be viewed as less than the daughter of someone who isn’t the head of his own family, or that we are expected to believe he wouldn’t be anything more than a “made” man at the very most and would never hold any real power. I’m not a mafia expert, but there are common sense things known and these don’t align with those.
The Verdict:
As much I disliked Ruthless Princess, there were many elements of the story that made it impossible to give up on the series....however this one was my “last straw”, the last shot Rachel had to get me invested in this series. Thankfully, that’s exactly what she did. Breaker & Violet’s journey is one that takes a emotional rough & bumpy path but that makes the destination they reach all the more worth it. It’s also one I don’t see how Rachel can beat for me, but with the amount of characters she has left with stories to tell I cannot wait to see her try again and again. So read it, you won’t regret it!
“After the queen saved her king, did they live happily ever after?” “Happily ever after’s boring, Violet.” My lips tugged into a smile. “Don’t you want an adventure?”
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Reviews with images
Scandalous Prince (Mafia Royals Book 2)
This story starts at the deep end of the pool and I’m not quite sure we ever leave …. It’s a whole bunch of "wait, so …", "wait, what?", "whoa, what is happening right now?", and "oh no she didn’t!" thrown in with perfect precision and impeccable timing. The story was adrenaline-fueled (if that’s even a phrase lol). It’s exactly what you might expect from a bodyguard & princess love story. Such great writing you guys. The pacing was perfection, and every plot point fit exactly right! Amazing!You may think you know what’s happening. Think again. The hits are gonna come at you from all directions and they don’t stop. My two-cent advice is just read … ride that wave and don’t try to think too much because you might just miss a thing ;)I am so super stoked that I’ve invested in RVD’s Mafia world because it is a page-turner of epic proportions. I wish I had the time right now to go back and binge the originals but October is #bingread month and that’s right around the corner! YAY ME!
Top reviews from other countries
Leyendo Forever
Unexpected! This book is amazing
Reviewed in Mexico on March 17, 2021
Mz T-Bash
The Prince has taken his rightful place
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2020
