Sweet Poison (Rise of the De Langes 3) by Rachel Van Dyken-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 11, 2026

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. Death and destruction. Let the games begin.

•••••

REVIEW:SWEET POISON is the third and find instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, adult RISE OF THE DE LANGES dark, Mafia romance series, set in the author’s EAGLE ELITE worlds. This is Louis De Lange, and Mafia princess Tempest Alfero’s story line. SWEET POISON can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty, but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion. Tempest is the sister to Raven (Little Nightmare 2).

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Tempest and Louis) SWEET POISON follows Louis De Lange as he seeks vengeance for the murder of his twin brother. An arranged marriage to the sister of the woman he once loved, Louis is one step closer to his final revenge but Louis never expected to fall in love with the woman whose life is was about to destroy, a woman who has come to accept that all is not as it appears to be.

The world building covers two timelines as we are witness to Louis’ plunge into his need to seek revenge. Marrying Tempest Alfero was never on the horizon but when the woman he loved marriage someone else, Louis was determined to destroy the demons that ended his brother’s life.

The relationship between Louis and Tempest is an arranged Mafia marriage; a contentious arrangement in which Tempest has been given the task of preparing Louis for what was to come, a task that would either make Louis more powerful, or slowly kill our hero before he got is revenge. As our couple struggle with the present, they are both aware that Louis’ next assignment could end his life. There lone $ex scene is mostly implied.

There is a large ensemble cast of familiar, charismatic and powerful secondary and supporting characters including the return of Raven and Ace, Raven and Tempest’s father Mafia Boss Dante Alfero, Cassian,and several members of the Abandonato Crime Family.

SWEET POISON is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, family and relationships, forgiveness and love. The character driven premise is dramatic and dark; the romance is limited but impassioned; the characters are determined and dynamic.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!