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Author: Rachel Van Dyken
Publication Date: February 19, 2015
Publication Date: February 19, 2015
Publisher: Rachel Van Dyken (Self-Publication)
Series: The Eagle Elite Series, book 5
Genre: New Adult Romance (Mob)
Age Recommendation: 17 and up
Series: The Eagle Elite Series, book 5
Genre: New Adult Romance (Mob)
Age Recommendation: 17 and up
Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
I am a Killer. A Rapist. A Monster.
I know only pain and survival.
That is until the Cappo's sister walked into my life.
And changed everything.
She's a light who makes my darkness darker, her smile makes my heart turn to ice, and I can't escape the fear her seductive looks instill--knowing it's only a matter of time before I fail--again, and take her for myself.
This is the story of my redemption.
But it's not pretty...I died, and now I'm alive, but not living, breathing but not surviving. I am Phoenix De Lange, son to a murdered mob boss, estranged brother, horrible friend, monster in the making, newest leader to one of the most powerful families in the Cosa Nostra.
And I will have my vengeance.
Or die trying.
I am Phoenix De Lange.
Death is all I know.
Until she offers me a piece of life--I can't resist taking.
I know only pain and survival.
That is until the Cappo's sister walked into my life.
And changed everything.
She's a light who makes my darkness darker, her smile makes my heart turn to ice, and I can't escape the fear her seductive looks instill--knowing it's only a matter of time before I fail--again, and take her for myself.
This is the story of my redemption.
But it's not pretty...I died, and now I'm alive, but not living, breathing but not surviving. I am Phoenix De Lange, son to a murdered mob boss, estranged brother, horrible friend, monster in the making, newest leader to one of the most powerful families in the Cosa Nostra.
And I will have my vengeance.
Or die trying.
I am Phoenix De Lange.
Death is all I know.
Until she offers me a piece of life--I can't resist taking.
Excerpts:
PROLOGUE:
Phoenix
“Do it,” my
father spat.
“Or I will.”
I looked at the girl at my feet
and back at my father. “No.”
He lifted his hand above my
head; I knew what was coming, knew it would hurt like hell but had no way to
fight back — he’d already starved me of my food for the past three days for
arguing, for trying to save the girl and her cousin.
His fist hit my temple so hard
that I fell to the ground with a cry. The click of his boots against the cement
gave me the only warning I’d have as he reared back and kicked me in the ribs;
over and over again he kicked. The girl screamed, but I stayed silent.
Screaming didn’t help; nothing did.
I waited until he was done — I
prayed that he would kill me this time. I prayed so hard that I was convinced
God was finally going to hear me and take me away from my hell. Anything was
better than living. Anything.
“You worthless—” Another kick
to the head. “—piece of shit!” A kick to my gut. “You will never be boss, not
if you cry every time you must do the hard thing!” Finally, blessed darkness
enveloped my line of vision.
I woke up from the nightmare
screaming, not even realizing that I was safe, in my own bed. With a curse I
checked the clock.
Three a.m.
Well, at least I’d only had one
nightmare — that I’d remembered. I’d been living with Sergio for the past week;
his house was so big that I’d basically taken the east wing, and he’d taken the
West, said he’d hated living alone anyway. I wasn’t stupid; I knew the guy
wasn’t exactly a big fan, but it worked. I needed to stay in the States while I
figured shit out.
And I wasn’t ready to leave.
Not when I needed to learn all I could from Nixon. Not when I had
responsibility.
And not when I had those black
folders freaking burning a hole in my mind.
Luca hadn’t just left me an
empire; he’d left me secrets. I wasn’t sure what was worse, knowing everything
there was to know about those I was supposed to be protecting or knowing that
at any minute one of them could turn on us.
“Hey!” Bee barged into my room.
“Damn it!” I pulled the
blankets over my naked body, my heart picking up speed at her tousled hair and
bedroom eyes. Tex’s sister, Tex’s sister.
My body wasn’t accepting that — physically it wasn’t accepting any information
other than she was beautiful.
And it was dark.
I looked away, scowling.
“I heard screaming.” Bee took a
step forward, her perfume floating off her body like an aphrodisiac or drug,
making me calm, making me want something I had no business wanting.
“Yeah, well…” I gave her a cold
glance. “…clearly I’m fine, so you should go. Actually, why are you here? You
know you live with Tex, right?”
She shrugged and sat on my bed.
I clenched my fists around the blankets to keep from reaching out to her. It
was getting harder and harder to ignore her warmth — when I lived in a constant
state of near-death cold.
“He’s with Mo, and they need
privacy. I’m not stupid. So I asked Sergio if I could move in for a while.”
“You did what?” I asked in a
deadly tone, one I was sure would probably give her nightmares later.
She grinned. “I’m your new
roomie!” Bee bounced on the bed and sent me a shy look from beneath her dark
lashes. “Admit it, you miss our slumber parties.”
Forget the nightmare — I was
looking at it.
EXCERPT 2:
I wasn’t
sure how to act. Wasn’t sure if I should apologize for attacking him or thank
him for not laughing in my face. Embarrassed and irritated that he was most
likely going to ignore whatever it was between us even if it killed him, I
stared hard at the cement floor.
“How are you
feeling, little girl?”
“I’m not
little.”
“You want me
to call you fat?”
“No.” I
lifted my head. “Call me gorgeous like you did last night.”
“Well,
shit.” Phoenix ran his hands over his face then grabbed my arm and dragged me
down the hall into a darkened corner. “You remember?”
“You kissed
me.”
“Prove it.”
“What’s
wrong with you?” I pushed against his chest. “You like me! Admit it!”
Phoenix made
a face. “You were drunk, launched yourself at me, and I caught you. Did we
kiss?” His eyes went completely black. “Yeah, we did, but it meant nothing.”
“Really?”
“Really.” He
hissed out a breath through his teeth.
“Prove it.”
“What?”
I pushed him
against the wall. “Prove it meant nothing. Let me kiss you now, and if it meant
nothing it will be like… what? Kissing your sister.”
“I’ve sworn
off women.”
“So this
should be an easy test then, right?”
“Bee…”
Phoenix’s face was pained, as if I was holding a gun to his head rather than
offering to kiss him. Was the idea so abhorrent? “Please…” His voice had a
pleading tone I’d never heard before. “Don’t do this.”
“One.
Little. Test.” I rose up on my tip toes and kissed him full on the mouth.
His lips
refused to move against mine.
I wrapped my
arms around his neck.
He stiffened
even more.
Irritated, I
bit his lower lip. He gasped, and I slid my tongue inside his mouth. He pushed
me away with a curse then wiped his lips. “Done. Your little test is done. I
didn’t respond. Happy now?”
His eyes
were furious; the blue flashed like lightning against his skin. His fingertips
shook as he made a fist.
“You like
me.”
“Bee…”
Phoenix pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. “…find someone your
own age, someone who’s interested in you in the way you deserve, alright?” His
tone was gentle, and maybe that was what hurt the most.
It was like
he was letting me down slowly, hoping I didn’t break.
But the joke
was on him.
Because I
was already broken.
I didn’t
want boys my age — I wanted him.
“You’re a
good liar.” My eyes narrowed. “And you’re lucky I’m patient.”
“Lucky?” He
sputtered out a laugh. “That you like toying with me?”
“No, lucky that
even though you constantly push me away…I keep coming back for more. But,
Phoenix… everyone’s time eventually runs out.”
“Go to
breakfast, Bee.”
“Go to hell,
Phoenix.”
My Review:
The Eagle Elite Series by Rachel Van Dyken just simply keeps getting better and better. I have thoroughly loved watching Rachel grow as an author but also watching these characters grow. Phoenix's book is no exception to this. I knew this was going to be a tough read, even if you haven't read the other books and gotten the back story just take a look at that synopsis.
"I am a Killer. A Rapist. A Monster.
I know only pain and survival."
I know only pain and survival."
There is nothing more you want to do but hate Phoenix, hate him for everything he has done to girls he didn't know, girls he did, and the boys that called him family, yet deep down you pray for his redemption. There aren't many authors I have come across in the past who have managed to take such an irredeemable character and make you hope for them, make you pray that their 'family' accepts them, forgives them, and let them find love. Sherrilyn Kenyon was able to pull this off beautifully with Styxx, but other than her Rachel is the only one to fully convince me so far that the anti-hero can be fully redeemed.
This is a heartbreaking book, get your tissues ready. Phoenix's story is terrifying, crushing, brutal, painful, but you walk away with a deep understanding of who he truly is, who he wants to be, who he and who he will become and it is all for one girl who refuses to see him for his past. A girl who believes in his future and his deep personal desire to be more than what he was made into...to be his own man and to finally know true love. I loved Bee (Bianca), Tex's sister. This girl doesn't back down even when she's terrified or pushed away. She refuses to be the porcelain doll kept tucked away safely on a high shelf. She is a girl that know what she wants and pursues it. She actually reminded me of myself a little. My poor husband got badgered to 'death' by me when we were in high school because I KNEW he was the man I would marry and I wasn't taking no for an answer, so I am all 'hell yeah Bee, get your man, hahaha.
You guys know I LOVE Tex...Tex is my guy, but I totally could have kicked his arse this story. I know that all the characters, Nixon, Tex, and Chase are trying to deal with the pain that Phoenix caused, but I sure do wish they could have tried to see beneath the man he portrayed and into the man he truly was. Did he do awful, terrible, no good very bad things, absolutely. Was he conditioned into that behavior, YES. Does it negate the behavior, no. But does it give you a minute to consider what he personally was going through, that maybe what he needs most is friends to guide him, to show him a better path, YES. I also realize Bee is Tex's sister, but come on Tex...let's think on your mess with Mo, ahem....Nixon's sister, just saying.
We also get a bit of a side story here that will lead us up to book 6, Elude. It is Sergio's story and I have to say I am pretty darned nervous. I kinda had some mad love for Sergio...but now, dude...You got some splannin' to do!
To sum it all up, I loved this book...I loved it almost as much as I loved Elicit. Like I said This series just keeps getting better and better and I can not wait to see how things play out. One of my favorite aspects of these books is that while we move on to different main characters, the old characters are never gone. We get to continue to follow them and see how they are doing each new book and I am really looking forward to seeing how Phoenix is brought back into the fold and if he ever gets truly accepted again.
If you love darker New Adult Romance or mob based stories this series is a great one to pick up. You can technically read each book as a Stand Alone, but I highly suggest starting at the beginning so you have all the back story.
Elite:
Elect:
Entice:
Barned and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/entice-rachel-van-dyken/1119258434?ean=2940045833684
Elicit:
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/elicit-rachel-van-dyken/1119590065?ean=2940045955775
BANG BANG:
AMAZON: http://amzn.com/B00MIA63WE
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bang-bang-rachel-van-dyken/1120171669?ean=2940046091823
ENFORCE
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00R5CC76G
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/enforce-rachel-van-dyken?store=allproducts&keyword=enforce+rachel+van+dyken
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 and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers!
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers!
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