The Rise of the De Langes Series by Rachel Van Dyken

How thin is the line between love and hate? The Five Families thought the war was over. They have no idea, I'm the very beginning. I kidnapped her to prove a point—at knife point, it seemed sharper that way. See what I did there? I used the perfect virginal daughter from one of the most powerful Families in the Cosa Nostra to fix the broken pieces, knowing that in the process—I’d spread hers for the world to see... moreHow thin is the line between love and hate? The Five Families thought the war was over. They have no idea, I'm the very beginning. I kidnapped her to prove a point—at knife point, it seemed sharper that way. See what I did there? I used the perfect virginal daughter from one of the most powerful Families in the Cosa Nostra to fix the broken pieces, knowing that in the process—I’d spread hers for the world to see. I would embarrass her, shame her, use her, but I would never touch her… my one and only vow to her father in exchange for his allegiance. The flowers at our wedding would be extravagant—people would watch it like a celebration, she’d live it as her funeral. Call me twisted, but I thrive off her hate, I wouldn’t know what to do if I had her heart—I’m not good with pretty things I’m capable of breaking. I’ll use every single person I can to restore order… to bring about the peace that my Family deserves. But something sinister lurks in the darkness. In the end, it may not be just my Family I save but theirs as well. They say the past comes back to haunt you—that history repeats itself. Bet they never saw this coming. After all, when one Family falls—another will rise. Ciao Bella. The Rise of the De Langes. less

Welcome to your final dream. Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe. I promise. Just close your eyes. Sleep. It's a bad omen when the nickname for the girl you're supposed to protect is Black Widow. It's still unclear where she got it from, but I've heard the word machete and laughter thrown around way more than I'm comfortable with. The pay is so high that my brother and I, being from the De Lange Family can't really say no... moreWelcome to your final dream. Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe. I promise. Just close your eyes. Sleep. It's a bad omen when the nickname for the girl you're supposed to protect is Black Widow. It's still unclear where she got it from, but I've heard the word machete and laughter thrown around way more than I'm comfortable with. The pay is so high that my brother and I, being from the De Lange Family can't really say no. We slide so easily into the protective unit of the Five Families that they forgot to check if we had extra knives to drive into their backs. They have a debt to pay. And I'm more than willing to collect it in blood—hers specifically. I'll make her love me. I'll make her trust me. And when she finally gives in…. I'll make sure she knows that everything she's ever loved was destroyed by the one she gave her heart to. She’s a living nightmare and I’m the monster she innocently invited in. Care to play? She thinks I’m a toy, I’ll show her I’m the master of the web and in the end, I’ll make sure she bites. When one Family falls—another will rise. The Rise of the De Langes. less

The final book in Rise of The De Langes an interconnected standalone mafia romance. .. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭…. His breath hit my neck, lips brushing skin. "𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵? ”... moreThe final book in Rise of The De Langes an interconnected standalone mafia romance. .. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭…. His breath hit my neck, lips brushing skin. "𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵? ”. All it took was one phrase—“𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦? ”—and I was already losing. To the enemy. To a Tinder date gone violently wrong. To the Syndicate’s most dangerous heir. It was supposed to be my last middle finger to the establishment before they sacrificed me on the family altar of arranged marriage. So I took control. I made the rules. I chose the husband. Louis De Lange. The twin who should’ve died. The traitor. The man who lost my sister—his so-called true love. He said he had nothing left. So I made him my weapon. But the problem with controlling a wolf in sheep’s clothing? You never see the fangs until they’re already at your throat. The plan was simple. The timeline set. Sixty days to infiltrate, manipulate, and survive. But I wasn’t banking on Louis being more than broken—I wasn’t ready for how dangerous he could be when he finally decides he’s done bleeding for everyone else but himself. I was playing to win. He was playing to lose. And we were both about to learn…. The sweeter the poison the more bitter the fight. To the end. Love. Hell. Or destruction. Let the games begin. less