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 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, 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 25^th

All about reading – Review

Booknerdingout – Review & Excerpt

Ceej's Life Reads – Review & Excerpt

Chatterbooks Book Blog – Review

Fun Under the Covers – Review & Excerpt

Lost to Books – Review

Marta Likes do Read – Review & Excerpt

The Bookish Sisters – Review & Excerpt

July 26^th

abibliophobia anonymous book reviews – Review

AMPed Up Books –Review & Excerpt

Beyond The Covers Blog – Review

Bobo's Book Bank – Review & Excerpt

Bookworm Misfit – Review & Excerpt

iScream Books Blog – Review & Excerpt

Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt

S3OC – Review & Excerpt

July 27^th

A Fortress of Books – Excerpt

Bloggin' With M.Brennan – Review

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 28^th

Ariella’s Bookshelf – Excerpt

Bookaholic Confessions – Review & Excerpt

Canadian Book Addict – Review

Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic – Review

Ginreads – Review

Melena's Reviews –Review & Excerpt

Romance Book Review For You – Review

Two Book Pushers – Excerpt

July 29^th

All Things Dark & Dirty – Review & Excerpt

Bad boys and bedtime stories book blog – Review

Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations – 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 30^th

Blogging For The Love Of Authors And Their Books – Review & Excerpt

Brittany's Book Blog – Excerpt

Heart and Soul 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 31^st

Book Lovers Reviews and Recommendations – Review & Excerpt

Cup of Tea Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Excerpt

Ebook Indulgence – Review

Friends Till The End Book Blog – Excerpt

Lisa Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

The Heathers Blog – Review & Excerpt

August 1^st

3 degrees of fiction – Review & Excerpt

Between The Lines – Review & Excerpt

Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt

Desperately Seeking HEA’s Book Blog – Excerpt

Little Read Riding Hood – Review

Naughty and nice book blog – Review & Excerpt

Ramblings From This CHick – Review

The Book Boyfriend Addict – Review & Excerpt

August 2^nd

Babbling Chatter Reads – Review & Excerpt

I'm A Sweet And Sassy Book Whore – Review

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 3^rd

Blushing babes are up all night – Review

Morning Books and Coffee – Review

Naughty Mom Story Time – Review & Excerpt

Nightbird Novels – Review

Romance Readers Retreat – Review

SA Clayton – Excerpt

Tales-of-a-bookworm23 – Review

The Divas Book Lounge – Review & Excerpt

 

Envy by Rachel Van Dyken - Release Day

 

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!

 

AmazonUS ~ AmazonUK ~ AmazonAU ~ AmazonCA

Download the Free Kindle App

Book Description:

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.

   

EXCERPT:

I tried not to judge. It was hard. They were mafia bosses—I got it. Or at least I thought I understood it since I had grown up around it. But my upbringing wasn’t as severe. My dad was a Nicolasi and always kept things quiet around us. It wasn’t until I was twelve that I realized it wasn’t normal for us to make as much money as we did through two jewelry stores and five laundromats. I wrongly assumed that every business owner with a lot of cash drove a bulletproof Mercedes to protect their family. The older I got, the more horrified I became of the life my father lived, the life he forced us to live, and the complete unrest I felt every time I closed my eyes and prayed for him to come home. He was a made man. One of the best in the family, which meant Phoenix trusted him, which in turn meant he trusted me to watch his little boy. And every time Phoenix looked at his phone I wondered if it was my dad texting, if he was alive, if he was okay. He’d been gone for a month. We hadn’t heard from him except for a few “hey, I’m alive” texts. I hated this life. And I wanted out. “Renee.” Nixon leaned down and touched my shoulder. “Are you okay?” I stilled. Remembered not to look directly into his eyes and forced a smile. “I’m just tired, you know how it is.” “Kids do that to a person,” Phoenix piped in, finally sheathing the knives he’d apparently pulled out in the last few seconds that I’d been thinking about my dad. “We need to leave in five.” Nixon stood. I looked away. I had to. It made me sick to my stomach the blood these men had on their hands and the way they so casually talked about killing as if they were discussing the latest episode of This Is Us. I forced a smile at Serena and Junior just as the front door swung open, nearly coming off its hinges. There he stood. My nightmare. Vic Corazon Abandonato. In all his gory glory. Tight black pants. Tight black shirt. Enough guns strapped to him to win an all-out war. And no smile. The man never smiled. It wasn’t in his makeup to smile. The one time he smiled was at Chase, and I think it was just a happy accident because Chase looked as shocked as the rest of the group did. I glanced away, again making sure I wasn’t drawing attention to myself, and fed the kids. Vic was a silent killer. I imagined that people didn’t even know they were dying until they saw the blood running like a river from their chests. I shivered. That’s what assassins for the mafia did. They weren’t made men, they weren’t in line for boss. They did the dirty work-and they took the fall for it. They had one job. Protect the family at all costs. 

      

   


About 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, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

 

 

Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken - Review

 

Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken 

Publication Date: February 20^th, 2018

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Author: Rachel Van Dyken

Publication Date:  20 February, 2018

Publisher: Van Dyken Enterprises, INC

Series:  Eagle Elite, book 9

Genre:  New Adult Contemporary Romance

Age Recommendation: 17 and Up

Rating: 5 Stars

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

Book Description:

All is lost.

All. I don't recognize myself in the mirror anymore. My thoughts are filled with hatred and dripping with rage. I've lost my soul. She took it to the depths of Hell with her and haunts me with images of what could have been. Sixty lives are mine to take. Sixty lives stand in the way of my vengeance. Sixty lives plus one more. Mine. When the last drop of blood falls — mine will be spilled. Only one person stands in the way. She doesn't realize I'll kill her too. I don't own a heart. And even if I did — I wouldn't fall prey to its lies again. I am Chase Abandonato. Heir to a legacy of betrayal. And I will kill them all. Even if it means pointing the gun at myself. A life for a life. A soul for a soul.

Now I lay me down to sleep… I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Blood in. No out.

My Review:

It's hard for me to put into words my feelings for this book. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was not disappointed.  I have mentioned in previous reviews of this series that I struggled to fall into to love with this series with the first few books, I don't think it was until Tex's book (Elicit, book 4)  that I was completely smitten and every book after has lead me deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole the is Eagle Elite and deeper deeper in love with these characters, Chase now being a particular favorite.

I knew going into Eulogy that this book would be emotionally challenging.  Chase's story took an unexpected turn in Enrage, book 8 and as with several of these books I thought I would never be able to get over what was done to these characters.  Thankfully I have great faith in Rachel Van Dyken and she did not disappoint.  She took our light hearted boy through an emotional roller coaster and turned him into a broken and serious man.  It was difficult to see his progression from the young man we knew into this hard man, it hurt watching how badly he was hurting and how hard he pushed to punish not only those he holds responsible for his pain but also himself.  In the end we have to wonder if he will ever be able to breathe past the pain or if he will destroy everyone around him, even those that love him.

I don't want to offer to much as far as the plot of this story because there is so much that came before the moments of this book.  The book prior to this Enrage is a real shocker and I don't want to talk here about anything that could give that away.  What I can say is that this is a beautifully ugly book.  The pain is so visceral it hurts to read, but the healing that occurs for these characters is deeply moving, and don't fool yourself into think this is just a book about Chase, there is so much more to it, an old rift is also healed, one that perhaps you had forgotten about when the characters never did.

Lucianna, this is a heroine I never saw coming from Rachel Van Dyken, but should have.  She is the perfect foil to Chase's dark madness.  She is light and innocence but what this woman does for love is stronger and harder than perhaps any of the heroines that have come before her.  Until now all of RVD's heroines have had a hard edge, they have known what they were getting into and gone not it with eyes wide open and gun locked and loaded.  To watch not only the transformation of Chase but of Luc was a beautiful thing.  I loved how even though Rachel had to rough up Luc's edges as a character she kept her light and sweetness...something totally opposite form what had come before her.  On that note, I have to say I think that Rachel Van Dyken both shocked me (heck when doesn't she) and soothed me with the understanding of Chase's prior relationship.  I still feel a bit hurt by how everything went down but I am also a bit relieved and more than content with the way things are now.  I have to wonder if this had always been the plan or if one night Chase spoke of his unhappiness to Rachel and she sought a way to soothe his beast, it's sad how he had to get there but his HEA is so worth it in the end.

As always Rachel will have you gripping the pages, crying, cursing, laughing, and swooning.  She will have you gasping out loud with the unexpected and craving more as soon as you close the back cover.  I HIGHLY suggest that you begin this series from the beginning, I think at least in this case you must go back and read Enrage before starting this book if nothing else.  If like me you find yourself struggling with the first few books I beg you not to stop, when the whole series comes together it will become an absolute favorite.  I can not imagine not having these characters at my finger tips now, they are amazing!

~ HAPPY READING ~   

Excerpt:

BLOOD. BLOOD. BLOOD. It covered my hands. It surged through my heart. It dripped from my fingertips onto the concrete floor. Trapped. Broken. Finished. Hungry. Insanity scratched its way into my psyche as I eyed the door and waited. One heartbeat, two heartbeats, three… It opened. I fired two rounds, and acrid smoke filled the air. I thought I knew what love was. I was a fucking idiot. Every single bone in my body shuddered with rage, with the need to rip something apart, someone, anyone —all of them. My friends. My brothers. I brought the war to our house, and they would finish me because of it. I’d thought I loved her. Our love had been a lie. Her betrayal my only truth. And now? Now, I finally knew what love was. I’d seen it, smelled it, tasted it. And lost it. I’d fucking lost it. They would pay. They would all pay. For taking her. For turning her against me. For making me believe that blood was everything, only after mine was spilled.

Meet the Author:

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, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Connect with the Author:

Facebook ~ Website ~ Newsletter ~ Instagram ~ 

Twitter ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Rachel's Rockin' Readers

Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken - Release Day!

 

Eulogy by Rachel Van Dyken 

Publication Date: February 20^th, 2018 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Goodreads ~ AmazonUS ~ AmazonUK ~ 

AmazonCA ~ AmazonAU ~ iBooks ~ 

Barnes&Noble ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords 

Book Description:

All is lost.

All. I don't recognize myself in the mirror anymore. My thoughts are filled with hatred and dripping with rage. I've lost my soul. She took it to the depths of Hell with her and haunts me with images of what could have been. Sixty lives are mine to take. Sixty lives stand in the way of my vengeance. Sixty lives plus one more. Mine. When the last drop of blood falls — mine will be spilled. Only one person stands in the way. She doesn't realize I'll kill her too. I don't own a heart. And even if I did — I wouldn't fall prey to its lies again. I am Chase Abandonato. Heir to a legacy of betrayal. And I will kill them all. Even if it means pointing the gun at myself. A life for a life. A soul for a soul.

Now I lay me down to sleep… I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Blood in. No out.

 

Meet the Author:

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, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Connect with the Author:

Facebook ~ Website ~ Newsletter ~ Instagram ~ 

Twitter ~ Amazon ~ GoodReads  

Rachel'sRockin'Readers

Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken- Review and Excerpt

Enrage, an all-new sexy standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller Rachel Van Dyken is available NOW!!

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Author:  Rachel Van Dyken

Publication Date:  1 August, 2017

Publisher: Ever After Romance

Series:  Eagle Elite, book 8

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense, Mafia Based

Age Recommendation: 18 and Up

Rating: 4 Stars

Book Description:

Enrage is the next standalone in the international best selling mafia series, Eagle Elite.

Part of a world I loathe.

Part of a family who hates me more than I hate myself.

Living with a girl who reminds me of my darkness.

I'm. In. Hell.

Also known as the Cosa Nostra.

My life was over the minute I stepped off that plane.

Son to a murdered mob boss.

Heir to a throne of murder and lies.

My name is Dante Nicolasi.

And there will be blood.

My Review:

What have you done to me Rachel Van Dyken?  I know, you completely DESTROYED me.  The problem is that in destroying me you have made it almost impossible to talk about this book.  This has become one of those 'What happens at Eagle Elite, stays at Eagle Elite.' and I don't know how to tell people about Enrage because the last thing I want to do is spoil this book.  In fact what I want is for them to go in as blind as me and every other reader and to feel every emotion you gave me.  To feel the craving, to feel the love, to feel the hate, to feel the fear, the joy, the crushing blow, the despair, the hope...mostly to feel the life that seeps from this book and into our hearts.  

"This life it is hard, but we make up for it.  We laugh hard.  We drink hard.  We work hard.  We live hard, and in the ind, isn't that what every human wants?  An existence where they can close their eyes every night and know that if God took them -- they did life well."  -Frank

Yes Frank, YES!  I want that.  Rachel you have crushed me with this book but you have also made me want to live, but not just to live, to LIVE HARD!  

I loved the slow build up of the relationship between Dante and El.  I loved their chemistry, the desire and the fear.  My heart immediately went out to Dante.  He is such a brash and charismatic personality that he burst into life on the pages.  He is everything that Frank talks about in his quote to El.  Dante is life.  He is the embodiment of that quote and I love him the more for it.  

I loved El, this girl has been through so much.  You can't blame her for her fear and her timidity.  My only challenge is I wished I had seen more development with her.  There is no doubt that her character grows through out the story and I don't know if the reason we don't 'see it' happen in a more obvious was us because of the other things happening in the book drowning out her personal growth but I wish it had been there.  I would have liked to have had more introspection from her.  More eye opening moments of realizing that she is no longer trapped, that she no longer has to fear being abused by the people who are supposed to love her.  I think sadly that El in her timidity gets overshadowed in this book by Dante and other family members.  This book turned into a book about the family for me with a side of Dante and El.

While this book is about life it is also about death.  The death of the ways of the past, the death of youth for these characters, yes even through the past 7 books they have all held that air of youth about them, as they should because they are young and we can't forget that. In Enrage however I feel the loss of that youth.  They have been young men and women playing hard in an aged game but now they are leaving their youth to their children and becoming hardened.  I know you're saying "Malissa, stahp, these characters have been hard since day one."  I don't disagree. They have been hard, they have been callous, they have been ruthless, but they have not been hardened.  They have always had a light, they have always had hope.  I'm not saying that is completely gone, but I am saying that Rachel dims that light severely in Enrage.  She changes everything.  Have they always recognized what their life is about and how they needed to live it, yes, but it hasn't been until this book that their world has really stepped up and slapped them in the face.   These are still the same characters that we have grown to love like family over the last several years but their world is so much different now and I am both anxious and terrified to keep living it with them.  All Eagle Elite books have an edge, have a sadness, but only two have ever beaten me down, Elude and now Enrage.  They are the type of book that make it hard to get up the next morning, the kind of book that makes you almost too depressed to pick up the next one in the series but make it too hard to not because while you're heart has been utterly destroyed you know that the author, you hope that the author, will piece you back together.  When I picked up Enrage I never saw the end coming.  I picked up on the clues through the story and even when I knew what was happening I was still shocked that it all actually occurred.  I wanted to cry and rage and then cry a whole lot more.  I don't know how we come back from this I really don't but I have to have faith that Rachel will make our Eagle Elite world right again.  Please.  

~ HAPPY READING ~ 

( or maybe just happ-ish reading, eep)

Excerpt:

Dante slammed his hand into the tree, his jaw popped as he gritted his teeth together and then calm washed over him as he whispered near my ear, “Want me to kill him?” A few people walked by and stared at us, it looked like he was kissing my neck, like we were normal college students sharing a moment. Nope. Wrong story, kiddos. He just offered to kill someone for offending me, run along, nothing to see here. “After,” I said. “Kill him after he stops being useful to you, to the bosses.” I couldn’t believe what was coming out of my mouth, what I was agreeing to. “Yes.” Dante pulled back, his face broke out into a smile. “How messed up is it that I’m actually looking forward to that moment?” I gulped. “It’s in your blood.” “I wish it wasn’t,” he said gruffly. “I wish I didn’t crave it — dream about it — almost as much as I wish I didn’t feel guilt every day because of it.” I sighed and put my hands on his chest, then ran them up around his neck, he didn’t move, or flinch, so maybe we were having a moment as our mouths almost touched. “The only shame in life, is not being who you were truly born to be. If that means you kill the bad guys — kill the bad, guys Dante. Just don’t lose your soul in the process.” “And if it’s already gone?” He croaked his eyes darkening as he slowly leaned in until his forehead touched mine. Days ago I would have been terrified that his body was this close. Days ago, I would have shoved him away and run. Days ago, I would have shuddered that his bloodstained hands were running up and down my skin. But today. Today was different. Today I closed my eyes and drank in the wicked scent of Dante Nicolasi, the cologne mixed with soap. I inhaled. And opened my eyes again. Yesterday I was angry. I was afraid. Today. Against the tree. Pinned by Dante’s arms. I was safe. “I’ll help you find it,” I whispered. “Just don’t damn yourself in the process, El.” He cupped my face with his right hand, his eyes fell to my mouth, his half-lidded seductive look could stop a girl dead in her tracks. The wives always talked about how attractive his father was, even at an older age. Almost like he’d aged backward. Dante was no different. If it was possible for a human to get more attractive by the day — he’d be the one to prove you right. “Are you going to kiss me again?” I asked hopefully. “No.” He pulled away. My heart sank into my stomach. “Because I don’t want to start something I have no intention of stopping.” My head jerked, our eyes locked, and I saw it. The honesty. “Told you I’d never lie to you, El.” His voice had a warning edge to it, like I shouldn’t push him, push whatever invisible boundaries he’d mentally set up between us. His eyes never left mine. And I knew, this was what he looked like when he was telling the truth. His eyes pierced through my defenses in an unapologetic search for my heart, my soul. And I let them. “We should get to class.” I finally found my voice and started walking, he fell into step beside me. And I spent the rest of the day thinking about the non-kiss. And the promise that came with it.  

Blood in.. No Out...

Catch up with the rest of the Eagle Elite Series Here: http://bit.ly/RVDEagleElite

   

Meet the Author:

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, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

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Enrage by Rachel Van Dyken - Release Day Blitz

Enrage, an all-new sexy standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller Rachel Van Dyken is LIVE !!

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Kobo ~ Smashwords ~ GoodReads

Book Description:

Enrage is the next standalone in the international best selling mafia series, Eagle Elite.

Part of a world I loathe.

Part of a family who hates me more than I hate myself.

Living with a girl who reminds me of my darkness.

I'm. In. Hell.

Also known as the Cosa Nostra.

My life was over the minute I stepped off that plane.

Son to a murdered mob boss.

Heir to a throne of murder and lies.

My name is Dante Nicolasi.

And there will be blood.

Blood in.. No Out...

Catch up with the rest of the Eagle Elite Series Here:

  http://bit.ly/RVDEagleElite

Meet the Author:

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, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Connect with the Author:

Facebook ~ Website ~ Newsletter ~ Instagram ~ 

Twitter ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Rachel's Rockin' Readers

   

Empire by Rachel Van Dyken - Review and Excerpt

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Author: Rachel Van Dyken

Publication Date:  31 May 2016

Publisher: Van Dyken Enterprises

Series:  Eagle Elite, book 7

Genre:  Contemporary Romance, mob based

Age Recommendation: 17 and up

Rating: 5 Stars

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

Book Description:

I have lost everything.

My purpose

My love

My soul

Death knocks on my door, I want to answer, but every time I reach for the handle -- the promise I made her brings me back.

So I breathe.

I live.

I hate.

And I allow the anger to boil beneath the surface of a perfectly indifferent facade. I am broken, I don't want to be fixed.

But the Empire is crumbling and it's my job to fix it.

My job to mend the pieces that were scattered over thirty years ago.

A trip to New York, only one chance to redeem a lost part of our mafia family.

The only issue is, the only way to fix it, is to do something I swore I'd never do again.

An arranged marriage.

Only this time,

I won't fall.

Or so help me God, I will kill her myself.

My name is Sergio Abandonoto, you think you know my pain, my suffering, my anger, my hate?

You have no idea.

I am the mafia.

I am the darkness.

My Review:

What to say, what to say.  I loved Empire. Sergio is the one guy that could steal my heart away from Tex and my love of The Cappo runs deep. I have mentioned this in past reviews for this series and I am happily going to announce it again.  The Eagle Elite series just gets better and better with each book.  I wonder after each final sentence how on earth Rachel can keep this series going, how she can make me fall in love with these characters over and over again, how she can keep it fresh, relatable (even when it is something I could never fully comprehend, I mean we are talking the mob), how she will out do herself again...I wonder until I read the next in the series and am blown away.

These books that started out for me as 'good reads' have turned into books that I have to have, characters that I have fallen in love with, stories that will wiggled their way into my heart and took up residence...they're mob, what's yours is theirs and what's theirs is theirs...they will own you body, mind, and soul.  :-)  Empire is one of those books that take you in, chew you up into little pieces and then spits you back out whole, you find that as a certain someone in the book says 

"She isn't going to take over and squeeze out memories.  She's going to fit with them.  Live with them.  Laugh with them.  It's not a matter of replacing, it's a matter of joining."

this book doesn't replace the wonderfulness that we all found in Elude (book 6), but it is going to take your shattered heart and make it better. 

Sergio and Val are an amazing couple.  I loved the vulnerability of Sergio even though the reasons for it broke my heart.  I loved the strength of Val, for a girl who thinks she's just another young lady trying to get through a somewhat charmed life she has the wisdom and strength of a woman who has seen and lived through terrible tragedy and heartache.  I loved that she didn't just take Sergio's shite but that she understood it.  She puts herself in his 'shoes' loves him for his faults as well as his strengths.  Andi....Andi, how is it that even from the grave you make me love you even more than I ever did.  How do you make me laugh and cry?  How do you make me gasp because I can't believe you did what you did but love you for it all the same?  I am so glad that Rachel wrote Andi the way that she did.  That even though Andi is no longer with us in a 'physical' (as physical as a book character can be, ha) form she is still there, she isn't forgotten and brushed over.  This is a story that must have been incredibly difficult to write because it could so easily go in a direction that disregarded the feelings and love given to us in Elude, but Rachel does a beautiful job of tying these two stories together to make them and us whole.  

I loved that the gang is still a big part of this story and that we get glimpses back into their lives. This is a family and I don't think I would feel like I had gotten a complete book had they not been there.  

I will say that I HIGHLY suggest reading Elude before this, I would also suggest reading Enchant (0.5) in the series because Frank is a big player in this book and I think understanding the dynamic between him, Luca (his brother) and Joyce (Franks Wife) is vital to understanding what/why he is doing what he does.  

This is another great addition to a series that simply just gets better and better with each book.  If yo are a contemporary romance fan, particularly if you love a mob based book I can't suggest this series enough to you.  

~ HAPPY READING ~ 

Excerpt:

“Taxi.” I held up my hand. “It’s too cold to walk.”

“Is it?”

“For those of us who have hearts,” I said under my breath.

He paused and then burst out laughing. “Holy shit, was that a dig at me?”

I shrugged as the taxi pulled up.

“Damn, and you’re not even apologizing.”

“It was more of a passing comment under my breath…” I got into the taxi and slid across the cold, worn vinyl seat. “But true.”

Sergio slammed the door after him. “And here I thought I was making a good impression.”

“You offered to kill me if I kissed you.”

The taxi driver frowned into the rearview mirror.

“She’s kidding,” Sergio reassured him.

I refused to let him get off that easy. “You also look at me like you want to throw up.”

Mr. Taxi Driver’s nostrils flared.

“Uh.” Sergio laughed uncomfortably. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“The wife.”

Taxi Driver’s eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head. Yeah, this was probably the best entertainment he’d had all day.

“I don’t talk about it,” Sergio said in a drop-the-subject voice.

“Maybe you should.”

“I have enough money to afford a therapist, thank you,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Money doesn’t buy happiness,” I fired back.

Sergio released a string of pithy curses. “Did someone spike your milk this morning during show and tell?”

“Lactose intolerant.”

“Sorry. Your Kool-Aid.” His eyes narrowed. “It’s like you’re trying to piss me off.”

Bingo. I smiled. “Funny, that’s what Dante says to me all the time. Just think of all the things you get to look forward to. Isn’t that what you said you wanted?”

Sergio looked ready to strangle me. “No. I don’t believe I asked for an annoying little sister, but if that’s what you’re offering, please don’t let me stop you. Just know, I won’t hesitate to put you over my knee if you get out of hand.”

The minute the words left his mouth. I froze.

He froze.

The taxi driver stared little laser-like holes into the rearview mirror.

And Sergio leaned toward me.

I swallowed as tension swirled around us.

He gripped me by the chin and turned my head to the side, his lips brushing my ear. “It’s like you have a death wish.”

“You wouldn’t do it.”

He pulled back as both of his eyebrows shot up, and then he looked down, like something had caught his eye.

I followed the direction of his gaze and let out a little gasp as a gun dug into my stomach.

“It’s been directed at you for the last four minutes,” Sergio said through a practiced smile. “I meant what I said. Listen well. I keep my word. Kiss me, and blood will be spilled.”

“Y-you’re a crazy person!” I hissed, shoving at his chest. “And I wasn’t going to kiss you!”

“Sure you weren’t.” He put the gun away. “Good talk though, right? Oh look, the movie theater.”

To say that I scrambled out of the car like a kid running away from her kidnapper would be a gross understatement, but the minute my feet hit the pavement, I paused.

My body told me to run.

The guy had pulled a gun.

On me.

I didn’t even watch violent movies, I’d just panicked and said the first thing that popped into my head!

And I was about to go to the theater with a guy who probably showered in blood on a daily basis and by the looks of it — got off on it.

Shivering, I forced myself to take a deep breath and wrapped my jacket tighter around my body.

That was the thing about men like Sergio, or maybe just loyalty in general. He’d promised he would keep me safe, but I wondered if that promise was only extended until I was more trouble than I was worth.

I was safe, not because of what I was to him.

But because of who my dad had been to him.

I was nothing.

And yet, a part of me still yearned to be… something.

Anything really.

Pathetic.

“Change your mind?” Sergio’s smooth voice interrupted my thoughts. He was the type of man you felt even when he wasn’t speaking. His presence was impossible to ignore, kind of like his ridiculous good looks.

Weren’t mafia guys supposed to be old?

Fat?

Chain smokers who bought Cuban cigars and sat behind large desks while counting money and ordering hits on people who pissed them off?

“No.” I finally found my voice. “I was just thinking….”

“About?” His hand touched my back, ushering me forward, but not pushing, almost as if he was giving me the option of still saying no.

I increased my pace so that I couldn’t feel the warmth of his fingertips. “Popcorn.” I turned and winked, hoping it would hide the fact that my body was shaking.

Maybe I was the crazy one.

Because he was armed.

The man was armed.

And he had no qualms about pointing his weapon at me whenever I got too close.

Huh, we’d have a happy marriage.

I guess we’d never argue, since I liked living.

And, you know, breathing.

It would suck not to make my twenty-first birthday because I didn’t fold the towels just right.

And again, I froze.

Was he that neurotic? Or was it just the closeness?

“On a scale of one to ten…” I was proud of the way I kept the shaking out of my voice. Why was I so scared? Oh right, because he’d pointed a gun, no, shoved a freaking gun into my stomach and done it with a smile on his face. “How OCD are you?”

An easy laugh escaped him as he glanced around the movie theater lobby and then back at me. “What makes you think I’m OCD?”

“Things.” I gulped then forced a smile that I didn’t feel. How was I supposed to go through an entire movie knowing he was one uncomfortable conversation away from losing it? “So?”

“What can I get you?” A teen boy looked at Sergio then smiled wider when his eyes fell to me.

Immediately, Sergio wrapped a protective arm around me, basically forcing my body to curve into his warmth. “My wife and I will have two buckets of popcorn, two packs of Sour Patch Kids, and a bottled water.”

I didn’t correct him about the water.

“Wait.” Sergio held up his hand. “Sorry, Dr. Pepper mixed with Coke.”

The teen scrunched up his face then rung us up. His eyes fell to me again then back at the register, like he was trying not to look but couldn’t help it, which was comical, since I didn’t really think I was anything to look at.

When he handed Sergio back his change I could have sworn I heard a growl from my “husband.”

As it was, he jerked the candy so hard out of the kid’s hands that I was surprised he didn’t do a front flip over the counter.

“He’s a boy,” I whispered under my breath. “No need to shoot him too.”

Sergio glanced down at me, muttered a curse. “He was staring.”

“He looked about one science project away from solving world hunger via his mom’s basement… hardly the type of guy that I’d date.”

“Date?” Sergio said it so loudly the people in front of us waiting to show the attendant their tickets jumped and then turned around. “What the hell do you mean date?”

Crap. I’d messed up again.

My palms went sweaty while my face felt numb with fear. Regardless of how pretty he was to look at — I was finally fully aware of how dangerous he was to me.

To everyone around me.

Sweat trickled down my lower back as I gulped down more soda and shrugged. “I just mean, he’s not my type.”

“No shit he isn’t, because you don’t get a type anymore.”

“Right.” I licked my lower lip, pretending not to be scared, pretending to be the brave person I wasn’t was wearing on me.

By the time we made it into the theater I was dizzy.

It was too much all at once.

“So…” Sergio’s voice was in my ear. I jumped a foot. He frowned as if he couldn’t figure out why I’d be so jumpy. “Dante sits behind you, right?”

“Right.” I exhaled in relief. I forgot. It wasn’t a date. It was a challenge. He’d called me his sister, so therefore he was my brother, right? Hah. I relaxed a bit as I pointed to a seat a few rows back and quickly stole the goodies out of his hands then made my way to my own seat before he could object.

The credits started rolling.

And I found myself ducking in the chair.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

As if I was being watched — because I was.

Ten minutes into the movie, I was so stressed out, I almost burst into tears. My back was to him.

Wasn’t that a big no-no? My back was to the dude with the gun.

Even though he was supposed to protect me with the gun, all bets were off now.

Sweat pooled in the palms of my hands.

The music rose as one of the actresses ran down the stairs screaming.

I couldn’t take it.

And then, a body sat down next to me.

Sergio gave me a suspicious look then put a seat between us.

I exhaled.

But it wasn’t relief.

At least I knew where he was.

And where the gun was, he was right handed, so there was that.

I finally allowed myself to relax enough to watch the movie when I saw Sergio’s right hand duck into his jacket.

I gripped the plastic arm rests, my fingers digging into the cheap sticky plastic material as he slowly pulled something out.

He turned.

And I flinched so hard that there was no mistaking what I thought he was doing.

Even though he had grabbed a black cell phone.

The damage was done.

My entire body shook as a big fat tear escaped, I tried to wipe it away but I wasn’t fast enough.

“S-sorry.” I shoved past him and ran.

But my body was too scared.

Too tired

To make it very far.

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, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!
Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

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