Royal Elite Series - Rina Kent

I started out the RinaVerse by reading the very BookstaGram loved Legacy of Gods series. 

I loved them and I was obsessed with the very dark, morally grey to black MMCs. Then one day while scrolling IG I saw a thread about the most recent book in the LoG series and how "Aiden King would never..." My brain was like wait, how do they know what his dad would do? 

One Google rabbit hole later I realize there are not just 6 books in the LoG series but multiple other series that add up to THIRTY FOUR books to read and now... here I am. On the last trilogy before I am fully caught up to the LoG series. 

I am further obsessed. I mean goddamn there is some fantastic writing, incredible characters, and twisted storylines to enjoy long before we meet the LoG guys. 

Starting with the Royal Elite Series. 

Eight books of intense dark romance. 4 of them are "standalones" and then there is the trilogy that covers the story of one couple, and an epilogue that gives us some closure on their intertwined stories. 

We start off the story of Levi and Astrid. This is the starting point for all of the ReS books and introduces us to Levi King and Astrid Clifford. He's the football hot shot, she's the invisible artist. They hate each other from first sight and are forbidden to fall but of course they do. 

The next three books in the series are all about the incredibly dramatic and insane relationship between Aiden King and Ava Nash. Warring parents, corporate sabotage, kidnapping, mental health issues... and that's just the family around them. Then we get to Aiden and Ava whose history is wild and interconnected in so many dramatic ways ... but how much do they remember and how can it be resolved? That's why it takes three books. Beautifully written and heartbreaking at times I think this trilogy of books may be my ultimate favorite. 

Xander Knight and Kimberly Reed follow up the King/Nash drama with probably the most difficult book in all of Rinas books for me to read. Self harm, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, big BIG trigger warnings on this book but the love story that evolves around them is just SO GOOD. 

Ronan Astor and Teal Van Doren come up next and holy crap. As much as I didn't love Remi in LoG his parents? Yeah. Their story is wild and beautiful as well. This is another one where you should read the trigger warnings carefully because of topics related to CSA. Very difficult to read at times but the story just kept me turning pages even when it made my stomach drop. 

The last of the main books in this series is all about Cole Nash and Silver Queens and is one of the dirtiest books in this series. Cole is a very naughty, dirty, bad boi. In the sexiest of ways. Silver is the mouse caught in his trap from a very young age. Does it make my heart go pitter patter when he makes her promise him all her firsts? Yes. Does he go about it in the WORST WAYS POSSIBLE while waving all the red flags? Absolutely. Still, top 5 in my opinion of her books because ... wowza the spice. 

The epilogue gives us everyones happily ever afters in a little more detail than the epilogues on the books themselves and shows us the relationship between all the families in such a fun way. Also, their group chats go a little wild and crazy in this novella. I would absolutely read just a whole book of their texts. Seriously, its probably my favorite aspect of these series. The banter. 

So yeah... starting at the very beginning of her books helped to fill in some gaps and understand the parents from LoG books... and there was so much more to follow!