Vicious Prince (Royal Elite #5)

Death. Who would think that a story about a character nicknamed Death would touch my heart so deeply or bring me such hope?! But, I should have expected Vicious Prince would be nothing like I expected- this is Rina Kent after all- professional heart squeezer, purveyor of angst, and emotional magician. And Death is, after all, Ronan- our most unpredictable horseman, a giant ray of playful sunshine with the contradictory name. Like Ronan, I should have known his book would catch me off guard. Vicious Prince is a beautiful story of love and survival full of contrasts, just like Ronan. Somehow Rina has delivered a story that has the usual dark undertones but that is also somehow her most tender, sweetest, most hopeful story of the batch. Im in awe.

Fans by now should know what to expect from a Rina story- dark themes, bully vibes, love-hate sparring and alpha men, physically and emotionally explosive chemistry, dynamic and troubled characters, ANGST and secrets, and beautiful character arcs that tatter your emotions. VP delivers in spades on all fronts while also creating two of her most layered, complex leads ever who both feel really fresh and unique amidst the bevy of leading characters weve seen thus far.

I knew Id love Ronan- and I can say confidently, after this, I love him even more. We had glimmers in prior books that there was more to him, and now we know, the true Ronan has been hiding in plain sight- masking part of himself behind his megawatt smile and endless charm and a sea of people. Ronan is really just a lost little boy- there is so much more emotional depth and pain swimming under those chocolate eyes and carefree swagger. This boy has a beautiful, troubled soul- and Rina deliberately and carefully constructs his story, meaningful moment by meaningful moment, and then cracks him open. When we find his core, I felt my heart rupture with love for him. Hes a bit softer, more tender than the other heroes (which means our bully vibes are less hostile- which is more Ronan), dont worry hes still FULL of alpha. Hes Rina’s more empathetic, most soulful hero to date- and his story is a true masterpiece of character development.

But the real revelation of this story is Teal. A very different heroine that weve had so far in this series, and while I had doubts that I could love her in the way I love Elsa and Kim, Rina yet again caught me off guard- Teal is INCREDIBLE. She BLEW me away. As we knew her before- shes an indifferent loner, socially awkward and disengaged by choice. But, from page 1, I saw Teal differently- shes a mastermind playing a game of chess with this arranged marriage- shes got secrets and shadows that are trapping her, and shes incredibly self-aware. Rina unabashedly lets us see in her soul to understand her. And when we do, shes stunningly beautiful- a sweet, lost soul who has just shut down, who is coping as best she can. Shes so strong, so very nuanced emotionally, and, unexpectedly, incredibly relatable. I adore Teal and her sweet, fierce heart.

The chemistry is explosive and emotionally gripping. But, most surprisingly, their connection is really effortless- even with their early enemy passion, there is just a familiarity between these two- somehow I never imagined them together, but when Rina makes it happen, it feels so natural. There is a real intimacy to this narrative. We think we are getting an opposites attract story- but that is not the case at all. Ronan and Teal are one shared soul- they are really the same. The way they cope is totally opposite- Ronan in people, Teal in solitude- but in their hearts, they are two people hiding, protecting themselves. And their connection defies language- love that is more than love, more than soul mates- this is the kind of obsessive, soul colliding love where you cant tell where one person ends and another begins, where one cant breathe without another. Ronan and Teal would willingly crack each other open just to live inside one another. This kind of connection and passion- the INTENSITY of their relationship- gave me chills. No one truly knows them, until they recognize pieces of themselves in each other. They find camaraderie and belonging in their pain, and they unlock the dormant ability to FEEL in one another. This is a love that shatters and rebirths- and I was captivated by it.

While Rinas stories are always engaging and the characters richly developed, what sets her apart is her bold exploration of the manifestations of trauma in her writing- as one character says in this book, how trauma is not a phase but a state of being- how it touches everything, even the air. Rina goes there- she lets her characters’ darkest moments out, exposes their invisible scars and the weight of pain, the healthy and unhealthy ways people cope. And then she delivers these incredibly powerful, emotionally volatile character journeys where our characters find healing and love by sitting in the mutual darkness, and somehow move beyond surviving to thriving. Sure, this is a love story with tropes that we love- but the thematic meaning, the emotional impact of this book supersedes that. The themes are resonant and powerful, inspired and touching. Vicious Prince is really about the unraveling of the ropes of pain restraining two damaged people who at their core share the same need- the desire for safety, for emotional freedom, and for real belonging. And they find it in the most unexpected of places- with each other. Rina also challenges us to examine how normalcy can be anything but normal…how pain is perhaps the only normal. But Vicious Prince is also so sincerely hopeful at its core- because Rina lets love heal and liberate, she shows how love can be safety and belonging, how love empowers characters to reclaim their destinies, how love can help learn to breathe again. This beautiful story of pain and trauma wrapped tenderly with a story of love and emotional liberation has shattered and rebuilt my heart.

I didnt think this series could get any better, but Rina has upped the ante yet again. Vicious Prince is intense and beautiful, enthralling and emotional, at every turn surprising and profoundly meaningful. And most definitely now my favorite of this series! I could not be anymore in love with this writer, and if you havent discovered her, you are missing out on quite the experience. Rectify that now and pick up this series!

Received ARC from Author for Honest Review.
I Give this Book 4.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 5.
*Updated with Audiobook Review*

HEA(?): Yes!
Heat: 5/5
Romance: 4.5/5
Drama: 4.5/5
Suspenses 4.5-5/5
Dark Lite(?): Yes.
Relationship Type: MF

Format: Ebook & Audiobook
I Give this Audio a 4.5-5/5
Keira Stevens: 3.5-4/5, Her voice for me was kinda hard to picture for Teal (but thats just me ), but her verbal acting was very good.
Shane East: 5/5, Honestly Ill never tire of his voice.
This was so good! I Love this book even more than I did previously, to hear it rather than reading made this book more impactful.
Bonus: The heated scenes are SO GOOD in audio!
Also:
Oh my Gosh I Need to Hear Ronans Mom & Dads Story!
The way the Narrator Keira Stevens voices Ronans Mothers, she sounds so beautiful!
This Book pretty much confirms that I need Edrics Book

Ebook Review:
No Spoilers.
My Feelings Immediately After Reading:
No!!! I Simply Refuse to Believe this Book is Over! I Must Have More of Ronan & Teal!!
I cant enough of them!
Such a Great Book!!

Sooooooooo Good! Im Craving Coles Book Now!
I Need all the Parents to have their books as well!

ASDFGHJKL!!!!!! THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. THE FEELS!!!! AHHHHHH LET ME CRYYYYY.

Alright, so basically Ronan has always been my favourite character after Cole Nash since Deviant King. The main reason is because he reminds me of a typical perverted goofy anime character but he has a dark side that no one knows about. Seriously, since Steel Princess (If I’m not mistaken) I did notice that behind his playfulness, he has something that he was hiding. To be honest, before Vicious Prince was released, I thought he was actually a snake and extremely cunning (probably much vile than Cole). But is he? Well, you need to read this book to find out.

Now, let’s talk about Teal and Ronan. I have been shipping them since their first encounter and I fcking knew that they would get their own book. They are literally my favourite couple after Silver and Cole. In this book, we can see more about their relationship and I have to say it is extremely entertaining because they are like fire and ice (lol).

Also, I’m a sucker for arranged marriage trope so getting this kind of plot for RonanXTeal truly excites me. The whole story is pretty well written and the twist (Oh God), I didn’t expect it at all. I almost had a heart attack when I read it. Overall, this book is an enjoyable read for me and I extremely loving it!

Vicious Prince by Rina Kent is the fifth book in her Royal Elite series. While this can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the entire series. This is the story of Teal and Ronan and their arranged marriage and all the secrets high society families have and hold close.

Teal is scheming towards her own end goals, total annihilation of the Astor family. This is why she agrees to marry Ronan in her foster-sister’s place so that Aiden and Elsa can stay together. She claims to be doing this for her father, but mostly it is for her revenge.

Ronan has been putting on a perfected front of amiability and happiness and smiles for years. Ever since the incident he has felt the need to surround himself with people and to do that he needs people to like him so he made himself likeable, always, end of. But Teal doesn’t buy his happy faade and refuses to drop the arranged marriage. Ronan vows to make her regret it but the closer he gets to her darkness the more his comes out to play.

Emotional and dark, with some really sad and disturbing backstory to both Ronan and Teal’s characters. This was another awesome dark read that I couldn’t put down and was sad when it was over. Loved it! Enjoy!

Every book keeps getting better, and better. Teal and Ronans story was absolutely AMAZING!

I knew Teal would have one hell of back-story. Ronan is a playboy / joker of the horseman, but hadnt a clue what these two characters had been through in the past. Even off the glimpses and titbits from previous books, nothing prepared me for this. Then add in their chemistry and love to hate each other, present day antics. I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end, with my jaw on the bloody floor. Not wanting this story to end. In awe as this story unfolds.

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