Friday, July 27, 2018

Envy by Rachel Van Dyken - Review and Excerpt

 

From New York Times Bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken, comes ENVY, a new novella in her Eagle Elite Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights

Be sure to grab your copy today!

 

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Author: Rachel Van Dyken
Publication Date:  24 July 2018
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc
Series:  Eagle Elite, book 9.5
Genre:  New Adult Contemporary Romance
Age Recommendation: 18 and Up
Rating: 4 Stars

~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes a new story in her Eagle Elite series…

Every family has rules, the mafia just has more…. Do not speak to the bosses unless spoken to. Do not make eye contact unless you want to die. And above all else, do not fall in love. Renee Cassani’s future is set. Her betrothal is set. Her life, after nannying for the five families for the summer, is set Somebody should have told Vic Colezan that. He’s a man who doesn’t take no for an answer. And he only wants one thing. Her. Somebody should have told Renee that her bodyguard needed as much discipline as the kids she was nannying. Good thing Vic has a firm hand.

     

My Review:

What can I say, except every book I pick up from Eagle Elite the more in love with the series I fall.  I'll always be up front and tell you guys that when this series first began I wasn't the biggest fan.  It wasn't that it was bad, I just didn't connect all that much, but wow over time Rachel Van Dyken has taken this crew from boys playing at being men, to men and women simply being badasses!  Envy is just another fantastic addition to what has become one of my favorite series out there.  

You will fall immediately in love with these two characters.  I adored how Renee was/is about of the antithesis to everything these families are. She's grown up not naive about the world around her but sheltered from it.  She doesn't want the life she sees around her, the life that the mothers and fathers of the children she nannies have.  She wants quiet and peace.  She wants to go to college and get a job, settle down to a 'normal' suburban life.  Of course what we want isn't always what we need or what we get.  Vic, I honestly don't know exactly what to say about Vic, except I LURVE HIM!  He's a big ol' teddy bear wrapped up in a tough and grumble veneer. No doubt he is one of the baddest (as in badass) of the bunch, he's THE ENFORCER for the families....just think on that, one enforcer, 4 families!  He has their world on his shoulders and he takes that role with an unparalleled seriousness. The families trust him, they have put their lives in his hands...but maybe they've asked a bit too much.  

These two characters together are wonderful to watch (not to be puny, which you will only get once you read the book) and root for.  There is some complication in trying to keep up with who's doing what and who is in charge of what, but this world is complex and Rachel Van Dyken does an amazing job of weaving these stories and keeping us on our toes.  I love the way she always gives us a twist in each story.  Just when you think you know, she blows your mind and takes you down a completely unknown direction.  

I will say that like all 1,001 Dark Nights novellas this one can be read as a standalone, but I almost feel like you really need the entire backstory to understand the dynamics of this family...you will at least most assuredly be adding the entire series to your shelves after reading this book.  As with most novellas I don't want to go into much detail, but be assured that if you are a Eagle Elite fan you want this book and if you have never read an Eagle Elite book, don't hesitate to pick this one up...all I can say to you then is Blood In, No Out.  Welcome to the Family!  


~ HAPPY READING ~



     

Excerpt:

I tasted his fear.

It mingled with his lust.

His desire.

I wanted him.

So I took him.

Because waiting for him to snap was like watching someone slowly burn from within until they lash out at everything around them. He felt the attraction. We were heat, we were untamed, we were greedy. 

He reached for the front of my shirt and ripped it with his right hand. I gasped as he exposed my bra and then ripped that too, like I could go out and find another one just like it.

It would be easier if he was clumsy…

If he didn’t know exactly what he was doing when his tongue slid past my lips and teased every inch of my mouth.

He knew.

He knew my body better than I did.

I arched into him wantonly.

He responded by lifting me with one arm and bracing me against the tree, running his wicked mouth down my neck and licking one nipple, only to go to the other like he’d been waiting to do it all day.

Each moan was swallowed by more deep kissing.

More, more, more.

“You’re bad for me,” he whispered against my neck. “I want you anyways.”

“You’re bad for me,” I admitted. “I’ll take you any way I can get.”

He growled against my mouth, and the vibration of it sent shivers down my spine. Abruptly he pulled away.

I wanted to protest, to tell him not to run.

I didn’t have to.

He threw me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing and carried me into the house, slamming the door behind him, locking it to keep bad guys out—or maybe to keep the baddest of them all…

In.

He tossed me onto the nearest couch and attacked. His mouth came down hard, next his body, until all I knew was him.

Vic’s scent.

His taste.

The weight of him pressed against me.

I opened my mouth to him as he deepened the kiss. His rough hands cupped my breasts, weighing them, squeezing, as he sucked my tongue with his lips, bit down with his teeth.

Heart racing, I couldn’t even form a logical thought beyond how good he tasted and how hot his skin was.

“This happens once.” He pulled away abruptly. “Promise me.”

I gulped.

“Renee.” It was his tone, the sound of my name falling from his lips like he was tortured by my name—by me. I knew that kind of torture, I knew what it was like to kiss my enemy and want him in my bed.

To hate myself for wanting the murderer.



 


   
About Rachel Van Dyken: Rachel Van Dyken is the New York TimesWall 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!


Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter


   


Rachel Van Dyken’s ENVY – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
July 25th
All about reading – Review
Booknerdingout – Review & Excerpt
Ceej's Life Reads – Review & Excerpt
Fun Under the Covers – Review & Excerpt
Lost to Books – Review
Marta Likes do Read – Review & Excerpt
The Bookish Sisters – Review & Excerpt
July 26th
AMPed Up Books –Review & Excerpt
Bobo's Book Bank – Review & Excerpt
Bookworm Misfit – Review & Excerpt
iScream Books Blog – Review & Excerpt
Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt
S3OC – Review & Excerpt
July 27th
A Fortress of Books – Excerpt
BJ's Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Book Freak – Review
East Coast Book Chicks – Review & Excerpt
Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt
Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt
The Book Disciple – Review & Excerpt
Wicked Cool Flight – Review & Excerpt
July 28th
Ariella’s Bookshelf – Excerpt
Bookaholic Confessions – Review & Excerpt
Ginreads – Review
Melena's Reviews –Review & Excerpt
Two Book Pushers – Excerpt
July 29th
All Things Dark & Dirty – Review & Excerpt
Life with Lesley – Review & Excerpt
My Book Filled Life – Review & Excerpt
Musings of the Modern Belle – Review & Excerpt
Novel Grounds – Review
Three chicks and their books – Review & Excerpt
July 30th
Brittany's Book Blog – Excerpt
Jenn Avery Romance Lover – Review & Excerpt
Joandisalovebooks – Review & Excerpt
Kick Back & Review – Review & Excerpt
Lover of Big Books Cannot Lie – Review & Excerpt
My Girlfriend's Couch – Review & Excerpt
Thestarslisten – Excerpt
July 31st
Cup of Tea Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Ebook Indulgence – Review
Lisa Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Heathers Blog – Review & Excerpt
August 1st
3 degrees of fiction – Review & Excerpt
Between The Lines – Review & Excerpt
Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt
Naughty and nice book blog – Review & Excerpt
The Book Boyfriend Addict – Review & Excerpt
August 2nd
Babbling Chatter Reads – Review & Excerpt
Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt
Kiss and Tell Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
One-Click Chocolate Chick – Review & Excerpt
Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt
Sentranced Jem – Review & Excerpt
August 3rd
Naughty Mom Story Time – Review & Excerpt
Nightbird Novels – Review
SA Clayton – Excerpt
The Divas Book Lounge – Review & Excerpt


 

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