Shattered Fate

King's Crossing #4

by V.M. Rheault

Family. Loyalty. Trust.

Gage
Ashton Black shot and killed my half-brother Max, and in his will, he left me everything he owned, plus one serious request—protect Zarah Maddox.
I don’t want to follow my brother’s last wishes.
All that changes when I rescue her from a group of hungry paparazzi and I look into her eyes.
Her confusion and vulnerability crack my heart wide open, and all I want is to keep her safe.
Locking her up in Quiet Meadows, Black tried to kill Zarah just as he succeeded killing my brother. And Max is right.
Black’s not done with her yet.


Zarah
My life is a fog of medication and splintered memories filled with violence and hate, and with therapy and the love of my family, I try desperately to live a normal life.
When I meet Gage, I think I might have a chance at happiness.
But there are secrets that won’t leave me alone, shadows the drugs don’t keep hidden.
As Gage and I start investigating my past so we can build a future, we find more than what we bargain for, and it may be too much for him to fight against, no matter how much he says he loves me.

Author’s This series is better described as a serial, and you must start with book one. Also, books one, two, four, and five end in cliffhangers, and if you dislike those, please be warned because I hate saying, “I told you so.” :) These books are full of delicate material, and a complete list is available on the author’s website for your convenience. Thank you.

318 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 20, 2025

About the author

VM Rheault writes billionaire romance and contemporary romance under Vania Rheault. She's lived in Minnesota all her life, and fall is her favorite season. You'll always find her with a cup of coffee in hand while writing, reading, or snuggling with her cat.

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Reviews

[Laura Moylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gage is Max’s half brother and he is not taking Max’s death well. For almost a year, Max’s lawyer has hounded Gage into coming into the office to finish the paperwork. Gage works with his dad as a PI. He used to be a cop, but he didn’t like it. He always felt he didn’t fit in with his mom, Max and his stepdad, who is a Senator. I fell in love with Gage, his dad and his dog, a German shepherd/ husky mix, Baby. Omg, she is sooooo cute and sweet and funny. The world now knows most of the stuff that Ash & Clayton Black has done and the FBI is still working on their case. However, the reason why Max gave everything to Gage is because he worried about what would happen after the Blacks were arrested, that Zarah would still be in danger. It broke my heart how badly Zarah’s self esteem is gone. How what Ash did to her will take years for her to deal with. As I read, I knew that there was a problem, and that Max was right. When Gage meets Zarah again, he apologizes as he felt that Zane & Zarah were the reason his brother was dead. It’s true to an extent. But, not the total truth, because Max had already been in it, hip deep before meeting Stella, Zane & Zarah. We find out that the place Ash & Zane had put Zarah, Quiet Meadows is shut down and there have been deaths. I love the fact that the guard dogs at Zane’s are named after Game of Thrones characters. I giggled and squeed over that. Gage is defo hot and doesn’t really see how hot he is, or how smart, because he keeps comparing himself to his brother, Max. I don’t think Max would’ve wanted him to continue in his place if he wasn’t just as good at his job as Max was. I cried again over Max’s death. We learned more about how Max truly felt and how Zarah did too.

I can’t wait to see what happens next and I still want to hit Zane a few more times on the back of his head for how he handles Zarah. Idiot. Gotta still love him tho, I love Stella more. The book made me laugh, cry, squee. I also, freaked out and needed the AC on as I chewed my nails and worried over Zarah. My stomach hurt a lot too from worry and freaking out and it took me hours to calm down after I finished. I got too rolled up into it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[ravenblackbird74 · Rating 5 out of 5]

♟ What is it about a moody guy with tats ♟ 

📚Review ~ Shattered Fate (King's Crossing, #4)
🖋Author ~ VM Rheault
🖋Features: Billionaires & Millionaires Romance, serial, cliffhanger, mystery
⭐️Rating: 5/5

I started reading VM Rheault’s King’s Crossing series with the first book in the series, Cruel Fate. Gage and his sister Zarah almost inadvertently uncover heinous crimes involving the murder of their parents. The intricacy of the series maintains its grip, keeping me reading and turning the pages! Aside from that, I feel for these characters. The sacrifices both Stella and Zarah make, the suffering they have endured, bind them together with a bond stronger than…Family. Loyalty. Trust.

Gage ~ Ashton Black shot and killed my half-brother Max, and in his will, he left me everything he owned, plus one serious request—protect Zarah Maddox.

Where Stella is sunshine, Zarah is night. Stella’s blonde hair, her bright blue eyes, they are perfect opposites to Zarah’s pitch black hair and dark eyes. It’s no wonder Ashton Black wanted both of them: perfect bookends.

Like a deep dark secret, there’s something insidious slithering just under the surface of King’s Crossing. Even prison bars can’t contain the malevolence threatening Zarah and her family. Max knew there was more than just what they’d managed to uncover…what else are Clayton and Ashton trying to cover up… How far will they go to protect their secrets?

Protective Private Investigator MMC
★ Abused, Recovering FMC
★ Slow Burn
★ Cliffhanger (part of series)
★ Intense Drama

📍Read ~ Content Note available on author’s website

🖋Enjoyment: 5. Readability: 5. Writing: 5. 
🖋Setting: 5. Plot: 5. Characters: 5. 

https://linktr.ee/ravenblackbird74

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[Nicole Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have been reading this series, you have been anxiously awaiting this book. Zarah Maddox is coming out of her drug induced haze. What I love about it is she is still there. The old Zarah is coming back. Who knew that a man would be the one to help her start getting back to normal. Yes, you heard that right. Despite everything that Ash Black put her through, a man is helping her put the pieces back together.

Ms. Rheault keeps readers on their toes like the previous books in the series. No, this book is not just about Zarah finding herself again. There is still the mystery of the Blacks’ hold on King's Crossing. Readers get introduced to a new character. Gage Davenport, Max's stepbrother, is exactly what Zarah needs. Much like Stella was what Zane needed. Gage works with his father as a private investigator. There is something funny going on with the patients a Quiet Meadows. Though Zarah is thought to be the only patient mistreated, other patients are not handling being out of the facility very well. Their families are coming to Gage and his dad for help.

I can't wait to see how everything plays out. It is going to be torture waiting for the next book to be released in this series. Ms. Rheault knows how to keep a story interesting. The twists and turns keep coming. I love that Zarah is finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. With Gage's help, she may even be able to lead a normal life. The Blacks are still in the shadows, though. Something ain't right there and I think they will make another appearance before the end of this captivating series.

[Ildikó · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** ARC review ***

MUST READ BOOKS ONE TO THREE FIRST!!

TRIGGER WARNING : sexual assault, rape, emotional abuse and mental health issues mentioned

You need to be cautious when reading this book because it is very heavy emotionally. I had to take multiple breaks between chapters.

Book four picks up one year later and this time, it’s from Zarah’s perspective. This book is a tornado of emotions as Zarah goes from feeling insecure, to happy, to being independent, to being overwhelmed, to verbally degrading herself. These are just a handful of emotions as I don’t want to give away the entire story! We are introduced to new characters who will help Zarah and Zane. We truly get how unstable she is due to the trauma that she went through and the heavy medications that she still needs to take while trying to recover and trying to have a normal life.

Please note that this book ends on a cliffhanger!!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gage and Zarah. To get the real experience of a twists and turns, suspensful, intriguing, wicked bad read with how deep the lies, betrayal, deciet and secrets run you have to start with Zane and Stella's story. There you are introduced to Zanes supossedly's best friend Ash and his evil father Clayton who wreck havoc and chaos in Gage and Zarah's story. Also you are introduced to Max who is Gages half brother who has gotten close to Zarah, Zanes sister. But in this book Max has been killed and he has requested Gage to look out for Zarah. Upon meeting Zarah he realizes shes still in danger. Zarah has had a life so far of betrayal, therapy, medication and sanatariums which Max rescued her from and leaving her vunerable. OMG such a great series. This reveals cpmplex charecters and if you want a none stop page turning suspensful romantic thriller then I recommend this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story of Zarah and Gage. There has been so much trauma in Zarah's life. She lost her boyfriend who had helped her through the trauma, only to find out Gage swore to protect her. This was suspenseful and heartwarming, and there is quite a bit of chemistry, too.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Shattered fate which was Gage and Zarah’s story. This series is more of a serial, and they should be read in order. Ends in a cliffy. I thought it was an entertaining read. I got a copy of the book and voluntarily leaving this review.

[KayCee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zarah has been through a lot in the last few years, and losing a friend, Max,she thought she might be in love with was just one more thing she had to endure. Max left his half brother Gage, a note to take care of Zarah. Gage has only seen her from afar, but when she shows up at Max's funeral Gage isn't very nice. But once Gage sees how important Max and Zarah were to each other, he starts trying to help Zarah. But once feelings start to form, will they be able to navigate Zarah's past and their future?