King of War (Las Vegas Ruthless) by Sadie Kincaid Review

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There are very few authors whose books I can fall into as easily as Sadie Kincaid’s. She is one of my favorite authors (I’ve probably made it through her entire backlist), so when the opportunity to read King of War came up, I jumped at the chance (no, like I literally jumped 😂).

From the moment the ARC landed on my Kindle, I was excited to step back into her world, and though The Perfect Fit remains one of my favorite books she has ever written, I went into King of War wondering what kind of story she would give us this time.

The answer?

Something that feels both entirely familiar yet utterly new at the same time.

At the heart of King of War are Rayne and Enzo, two people with the kind of history that makes calling King of War a second-chance romance almost feel too… simple.

They were friends so close they were practically family before they were lovers, lovers before they absolutely hated each other, and somehow that’s still only the beginning of Rayne and Enzo’s story.

Title: King of War (Las Vegas Ruthless, 1)

Author: Sadie Kincaid

Publisher: Independently Published

Format: eARC

Genre: Dark Mafia Romance, Second Chance Romance, Enemies to Lovers

Release Date: August 20, 2026

Pages: 356

Star Rating: 4.5 stars

Spice Rating: 2 chili peppers

King of War by Sadie Kincaid Review

As I mentioned, at the center of King of War are Rayne and Enzo. And honestly, their relationship is what made the story work so well for me.

We first meet them when they are young; Rayne is 18, and Enzo is 21. They are so close that Enzo’s mother practically adopts Rayne, and that friendship eventually turns into something more. They fall in love with the kind of certainty you only seem to have when you’re young and convinced nothing could ever come between the two of you.

That is, until something does.

Years later, Rayne walks back into Enzo’s life, and the love they once shared has been replaced by years of resentment, anger, and hurt. Enzo believes Rayne betrayed him, while Rayne is carrying the weight of the truth of what actually happened the night they split.

And this is where King of War really started working for me.

Because no matter how much Rayne and Enzo claimed to hate each other, Sadie never lets you forget how much they truly loved each other in the beginning.

The tension between Rayne and Enzo is so thick you can practically feel it growing like moss on the page. Every argument, every bit of banter, every moment they spend trying to convince themselves (and each other) they no longer want the other only makes it increasingly obvious that neither of them ever really moved on from the relationship.

Add to that the yearning.

God, the yearning.

*chef’s kiss*

Rayne and Enzo’s Complicated Second Chance Romance

One of the things that surprised me most about King of War was how well the story moved.

There is a lot happening here. We have Rayne and Enzo’s history, the mystery surrounding what actually happened the night they called it quits, the situation that brings Rayne back into Enzo’s life, and everything unfolding within the larger mafia storyline. Yet the story never felt weighed down or too slow because of it.

The pacing gives each part of the story enough space to breathe and develop without lingering for too long. It was perfect. We get enough of Rayne and Enzo’s past to understand how they became who we’ve come to know while still leaving enough unanswered questions to keep me curious about what all truly went down.

And I think that balance is part of what made King of War so easy to fall into. There was always something pulling the story forward, but it never felt like Sadie was rushing to get us to the next big moment just for the sake of moving the story along.

Sadie Knows How to Write Characters You Fall For

But if there is one thing that always keeps me reading Sadie’s books, it’s her characters.

Sadie writes characters who are incredibly easy to become invested in, and King of War is no different. Rayne and Enzo feel like people who exist beyond their romance. They have their own stubbornness, loyalties, fears, flaws, and relationships (or lack of in Rayne’s case), which makes it easy to care about what happens to them outside of the bounds of whether or not they get back together (although you spend the entire time rooting for them to get back together).

It’s part of what reminded me of how I felt reading New York Ruthless and The Perfect Fit. Not because these characters or their stories are necessarily the same, but because Sadie has a way of creating characters and relationships that will completely pull you in.

And King of War gave me that feeling again.

*a brief intermission for spice* I know somewhere Sadie said this is her spiciest book. And while it is spicy, I don’t think it is her spiciest. Make of that what you will.

Is King of War by Sadie Kincaid Worth Reading?

King of War was such a good read (and now makes me want to reread some of her other books).

It feels different from other Sadie Kincaid books I’ve read, while still having everything I love about her writing at its core. The characters, the tension, the banter, and yes, all of the yearning and subsequent groveling (I love a man who begs) made this a story I genuinely enjoyed from beginning to end.

If you already love Sadie Kincaid, I think King of War will feel like coming back to everything you love about her books while stepping into something new. And if you’re looking for a dark mafia romance with enemies-to-lovers tension, a second chance romance, and characters who have a complicated history, this one should be on your radar.

Thank you to Sadie Kincaid for providing me with a copy of King of War to read and review. I can’t wait to read the next book.

King of War releases today, August 20th, and you should absolutely read it on Kindle Unlimited.