This was a strong sequel in the Apocalys Empire series, it had everything that I was expecting from the first book. The characters were everything that I wanted from both the world and the genre, I was hooked from the first page and thought the overall feel was everything that I wanted. V. Riviere has a great writing style and enjoyed the way the characters were written.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

Victoria (also known by the alias Luxuria), is the leader of Apocolys, an aspiring crime family made up of her and 3 best friends. Victoria oversees the cars and street racing side of the business. For the past few months, she's been receiving gifts and love letters from her stalker. Thinking she has it well in hand, she ignores his warnings and travels to Europe on a business trip for Apocolys. After months away from her three best friends, she's kidnapped on her return home by none other than her adoring stalker. Victoria will have to play nice to find her way home, but once she finally lays eye on "the devil" holding her captive, she realizes that might be harder than expected.

I went into this book blind and ended up really enjoying it for several reasons:
- Immaculate mafia vibes
- Time jumps to the past
- Multiple POVs
- Complexity and depth of Victoria's relationship with the MMC

There were a few minor things that I wasn't completely sold on:
- Background info for some supporting characters was glossed over
- Plot points that felt very important had anticlimactic ends
- Victoria uses overly affectionate and unrealistic nicknames for her friends ("my baby, my darlings")

I read this book as a standalone, although it is meant to be read as the second book in a series. I recommend reading the first book since the events that happen in An Empire of Mad(d)nes are directly related. Themes include stalking/kidnapping, enemies to lovers, found family, trauma & comfort, beauty & beast vibes, mafia, and political intrigue. This book is spicy and includes graphic violence.

Thank you to V. Rivière and her publisher for an ARC of An Empire of Mad(d)ness.

I looked this up on goodreads very excited to read it but then I found out it's the second in a series. I would love to read this but I would like to read the series in order