King of Ruin

I had a good time with King of Ruin and would recommend it with a couple of caveats. Sloane Ashford has built a vivid Bratva-versus-Italian war in the Five Bridges city. Maksim Vasiliev, the Pakhan of the East Bridge, takes Aurora De Luca as a diplomatic hostage after a De Luca enforcer kills a Vasiliev capo, and the hook is that he has secretly loved her, the De Luca family's political analyst, for nine years. The reverent courtship inside the captivity premise is well handled. The East Bridge ledgers and the carved chess set are clever recurring motifs, and the milaya moya breakfast scene is a standout. Aurora is sharp and never reduced to a damsel. My quibbles are minor. The opening chapters take a while to find their rhythm, and I personally wanted a little more direct page time for the war itself before Lorenzo De Luca enters. The wax-sealed letters, though, are a beautiful thread and the climax delivers. This is true enemies-to-lovers for readers of Ana Huang's Twisted Love and Cora Reilly's Born in Blood. Four stars and I am in for the rest of the trilogy.

King of Ruin was a really enjoyable read and I am glad I picked it up. Sloane Ashford writes a Bratva mafia romance with a lot of restraint, which I appreciated. Maksim Vasiliev, the Pakhan of the East Bridge, has loved Aurora De Luca for nine years in silence, and when a De Luca enforcer kills a Vasiliev capo he takes her, the De Luca family's political analyst, as a diplomatic hostage. The slow burn is the strength of the book. Maksim gives Aurora the East Bridge ledgers and a chess set and his sister's suite, and the milaya moya scene at the breakfast table is wonderfully done. Aurora being a genuinely brilliant analyst is a highlight. Where it lost half a star for me is pacing. The first third is slower than it needs to be, and I wanted the Lorenzo De Luca thread woven in earlier so the war felt present sooner. The wax-sealed letters subplot is gorgeous though, and once the back half kicks in it really moves. True enemies-to-lovers with rival families for the L.J. Shen and Cora Reilly crowd. Four stars, and the trilogy has my attention.

King of Ruin has one of those central images that lodges in you and will not leave. Aurora De Luca spends her whole life reading every room before she walks into it, and the devastating turn of this book is that she walks into a room that has been waiting for her for nine years. Maksim Vasiliev, the Bratva Pakhan of the East Bridge, has loved her in silence the entire time. When a De Luca enforcer kills a Vasiliev capo, he takes Aurora, the De Luca family's political analyst, as a diplomatic hostage and a message to her uncles. But the hostage week is the most reverent thing he has ever done. He gives her the East Bridge ledgers, a carved chess set, his sister's suite. He calls her milaya moya at the breakfast table and nine years of silence finally crack open. Sloane Ashford writes the wax-sealed letters and the chess matches as a private language between two people who are not allowed to speak plainly. Aurora is brilliant and stays brilliant. True enemies-to-lovers, rival families with a real body count, and Lorenzo De Luca circling keeps the war urgent. For the Cora Reilly and Ana Huang crowd. Five stars, an instant favorite.

King of Ruin kept me up until the small hours and I had a genuinely good time with it. Sloane Ashford writes a Bratva mafia romance that trades melodrama for a quiet, controlled intensity, and mostly that works beautifully. Maksim Vasiliev is the Pakhan of the East Bridge, thirty-five, and he has loved Aurora De Luca in silence for nine years. When a De Luca enforcer kills a Vasiliev capo, he takes Aurora, the De Luca family's brilliant political analyst, as a diplomatic hostage. She is supposed to be a message to her uncles. What she becomes is the center of the most carefully scripted courtship Maksim has ever attempted. He gives her the East Bridge ledgers, a carved chess set, his sister's suite, and a patience that is frankly terrifying. The milaya moya scene at the breakfast table is the line I cannot stop quoting, and the wax-sealed letters are lovely. Where it falls just short of five stars for me is that a couple of the supporting Bratva crew members blur together, and I wanted the Lorenzo De Luca thread to land with a little more weight given the buildup. Aurora stays razor-sharp throughout, which I loved. True enemies-to-lovers for the Ana Huang and L.J. Shen reader who wants the families genuinely at war. A strong four stars and I will be reading book two.

King of Ruin is a strong, gripping start to the Kings of Five Bridges trilogy and I enjoyed it a lot. Sloane Ashford has a real gift for tension. The setup is a Bratva-versus-Italian war, and after a De Luca enforcer kills a Vasiliev capo, Maksim Vasiliev, the Pakhan of the East Bridge, takes Aurora De Luca as a diplomatic hostage. Aurora is the De Luca family's political analyst, which makes her a smart and refreshing FMC, and Maksim has secretly loved her for nine years. The hostage week is a careful courtship rather than a cruelty, and I loved the East Bridge ledgers and the carved chess set as ways the two of them communicate. The milaya moya scene at the breakfast table is genuinely lovely. My one small reservation is that the middle stretch leans a little hard on the same beat of Aurora noticing her own reaction to him, and I would have liked a touch more of the actual war on the page before Lorenzo De Luca arrives. But the wax-sealed letters pay off beautifully and the ending is excellent. True enemies-to-lovers for readers of Cora Reilly and Ana Huang. Four solid stars and I will absolutely read book two.