Roxy's Reviews: Elect

Showing posts with label Elect. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 December 2014

Paperback Launch Day Blitz: Review + #Giveaway: Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

ELECT

By Rachel Van Dyken

Would you die for the one you love?

Nixon Abandonato made his choice. And now he has to pay the price. Tracey is the love of his life, but being with him has made her a target of his family's enemies. The only way to keep Trace alive is convince the world she means nothing to him.

Trace Rooks has fallen irrevocably in love with the son of her family's sworn rival, and she knows in her bones nothing can tear them apart. Until Nix suddenly pushes her away and into the arms of his best friend... But Trace isn't ready to give up on a future with Nix--and if he won't fight for them, she will.

In the end, a sacrifice must be made. A life for a life. For what better way to cover a multitude of sins than with the blood of a sinner . . .

Amazon ** B&N ** IndieBound ** iBooks

REVIEW

I haven't read the first book in this series but after reading Elect, I will definitely make a point of adding Elite to my TBR, because the story was fascinating. There's enough back story in this book to give me an idea of what happened in book one, and so that I didn't feel completely lost, however, I really want to read all about how it all began for the amazing characters I had the pleasure of meeting.

This is the first book I've read that is solely from the male POV, and it was so moving. The pages of this book drip with passion, and not only in reference to the sexual tension/chemistry between characters, but the love shared within this family that was heart-wrenching. It was raw and painful but pure all at once.

Lies, treachery, betrayal and loyalty make for an exciting plotline that delves into the lives of the different mafia families. It showed the depths to which they'd go to protect those they loved, whilst upholding the family code, no matter how ugly things got. There was plenty of suspense and great twists that kept me guessing all the way through.

The love story in this book may be a love triangle, but it was completely different from anything I've read before; as the players had to make difficult choices - to do what was right, or to follow their hearts and go after what they wanted at any cost. Either way someone would lose, someone would get their heart broken, and my own shattered in the process. In my eyes, there was no clear winner, both were deserving, and Trace was left to make the ultimate decision. To follow her heart or follow her soul.

The ending was not a complete cliffhanger, but it definitely sparked my interest in the next book. I am intrigued to see how things will play out. Will it ease some of the pain, or will it only result in more devastation?

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times 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! You can follow her writing journey at http://rachelvandykenauthor.com/

Author’s Social Networking links:

Blog: http://rachelvandykenauthor.com

Twitter: @RachVD

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/romancebyrachel

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4882127.Rachel_Van_Dyken

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

Paperback Release Day Blitz: Elite by Rachel Van Dyken #EagleEliteSeries

When I won the annual Eagle Elite College Scholarship lottery, I was thrilled. After all, my grandma had just died and I wanted to take care of my aging grandpa -- he couldn't be a farmer in Wyoming forever. And graduating from Eagle Elite meant opportunity.

But I wasn't counting on meeting Nixon.

Nor was I counting on the rules of the Elect.

1. Do not touch The Elect.
2. Do not look at The Elect.
3. Do not speak to The Elect.

And worst of all? Don't discover the secret they hide, because in the end, you may just realize... it's about you.

*This is a New Adult Book, blood, violence, cursing, sexual references, and drug use. Not recommended for those under 17.*

B&N ** BAM! ** IndieBound ** Amazon ** iBooks

Elect:

AMAZON

B&N

iTunes

Entice:

AMAZON

B&N

iTunes

Elicit:

AMAZON

B&N

iTunes

BANG BANG:

AMAZON

B&N

iTunes

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT 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 and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

Links:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

GOODREADS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Sunday, 15 December 2013

Blog Tour: Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

ELECT

By Rachel Van Dyken

Genre: New Adult

E-book

ISBN: 978-1-4555-5422-5

Price: $2.99

Would you die for the one you love?

In the end, a sacrifice must be made. A life for a life. For what better way to cover a multitude of sins than with the blood of a sinner . . .

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ibooks

EXCERPT

“Let’s make a pact.” Chase put his hand on my shoulder.

“A pact?” I sniffled and turned to him. “What kind of pact?”

“One that’s forever. One that protects people rather than hurts them.”

“How do we do that?” I was suddenly interested. What if I could make all the hurt go away? What if I could save everyone!

“We do this.” Chase pulled out his pocketknife and cut open his hand, then nodded to me to do the same thing. Without pausing I cut open my hand and handed back the knife. “Blood brothers. We’re never gonna hurt each other and we’re gonna save those like your ma, Nixon. Ones who can’t save themselves. We’re going to protect them.”

“How?” I watched as the blood dripped from my open palm.

“Rules.” Chase shrugged. “They keep people safe, right? At least that’s what my mom says.” He smiled. “We make rules and we start our own club. That way, we don’t have to listen to anyone but us.”

I liked it. I chewed on my lower lip. “What do we call ourselves?”

“The chosen?” Chase offered.

“No, that sounds lame. We have to sound… more powerful than that.”

My eyes flickered to the road, and a sign poked into the ground. It said election. “Elect.” I pointed. “Let’s call ourselves The Elect.” It made sense; after all, the president was elected, wasn’t he? We weren’t exactly chosen, but we were making the choice, we were electing ourselves protectors. That’s what we were.

“Who else can join?” Chase asked.

“Tex and Phoenix. They’ll want to.” A weight suddenly felt like it was being lifted off my twelve-year-old shoulders. “Should we shake on it?”

“Yeah.” Chase smashed his hand against mine as our blood mixed. “No going back, Nixon.”

“No.” I shook my head. “No going back.”

I pressed my fingers to my temples and watched, replaying that moment over and over again in my head as the outline of Chase and Tracey flickered in the moonlight. Would he really do this to me? After all the shit we’d been through?

I gauged her reaction, hoping that I would be wrong. Praying to God that Trace would just this once listen to me. Her eyes flickered with interest for a few brief seconds before she looked down at the ground.

“Shit.” I waited in the shadows. A part of me knew this would happen. The part that told me to damn my feelings to hell and ignore all the warning signs that I’d been seeing. But now it seemed like it was too late. I stayed, planted where I was, watching, waiting.

“Chase, you can’t…” Trace shook her head. “You can’t be like this. We can’t do this!”

“We aren’t doing anything,” Chase said in low tones, reaching for Trace’s hand. “Don’t you?” He looked directly at me, although all he saw was a shadow. I knew I was well hidden. “Don’t you feel the same way?”

Trace jerked her hand away from Chase’s. “It doesn’t matter what I feel. It’s not about me, Chase.”

“But it is.” Chase reached for her again. This time her hand grasped his in such an intimate embrace I thought I was going to vomit all over the ground. The outside air was cold as hell as little pieces of ice tried to find their way into my wool coat.

“It isn’t.” Trace sighed. “It never was.”

Chase jerked her toward him. She fell against his chest and looked up into his eyes. “What are you doing?”

Chase sighed. “What I should have done a long time ago.” He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips touched.

I had to look away.

The only sound in the night was that of my soft footsteps as I walked away… leaving my heart in broken pieces where I’d last stood. She was lost to me; it wasn’t even the Sicilians that had taken her, but my best friend.

A gunshot rang out loud and clear in the night air. I turned back around just in time to see Trace collapse into Chase’s arms.

REVIEW

FAVORITE QUOTES

"Even in your death you'd win, Nixon." He paused. "Because you fought, and regardless of the outcome, your success was in the journey." ~ Phoenix De Lange, Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

"I keep order in a world full of chaos. I am perceived as evil, but true evil? The type that people fear - it masquerades as something far more worse than darkness." ~ Luca Nicolosi, Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

GIVEAWAY

5 WINNER: SIGNED Forever gift bag, Signed PRINT copy of ELITE

(to catch you up on the series!)

5 WINNERS: 5 digital copies of ELITE

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author’s Social Networking links:

Blog: http://rachelvandykenauthor.com

Twitter: @RachVD

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/romancebyrachel

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4882127.Rachel_Van_Dyken

Tuesday, 10 December 2013

Release Day Blitz: Excerpt + #Giveaway: Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

We are pleased to help spread the word about ELECT, the hot new book from Rachel Van Dyken's Eagle Elite Series!

You'll want every book in this amazing New Adult series!!

Nixon Abandonato made his choice. And now he has to pay the price. Tracey is the love of his life, but being with him has made her a target of his family's enemies. The only way to keep Trace alive is convince the world she means nothing to him. Trace Rooks has fallen irrevocably in love with the son of her family's sworn rival, and she knows in her bones nothing can tear them apart. Until Nix suddenly pushes her away and into the arms of his best friend... But Trace isn't ready to give up on a future with Nix--and if he won't fight for them, she will. In the end, a sacrifice must be made. A life for a life. For what better way to cover a multitude of sins than with the blood of a sinner . . .

Excerpt

I woke up with a killer hangover. My fault. Grumbling, I took a shower and went downstairs to get some breakfast before I went over to the Space to see if Phoenix would change his tune.

“Hey.” Trace was sitting at the table eating some toast.

“Hey.” I waved. Idiot. She was sitting right in front of me.

Her eyes didn’t leave mine. I was frozen in place and could literally hear every beat of my heart in the silence.

“You’re wrong, you know.” She stood and walked toward me. “About a lot of things—everything, actually. And you’re an ass.”

“I—”

“I’m talking, you’re listening.” She smirked and grabbed the front of my shirt and pushed me toward the pantry. She slammed me against the door, pretty forcefully, I might add, and then opened it and shoved me in. I mean, I could fight her but I was too damn turned on and curious to do anything except stare at her.

“I. Want. You.” She took off her shirt. What the hell? “Only you.” Her jeans were next.

The pantry immediately became my number one favorite spot in the house.

Facing me in nothing but her scandalous white lacy underwear, she whispered in my ear.

“This. What you see? What’s in front of you, it’s not just about me wanting you. I want all of you. I want to be vulnerable with you, exposed. But you have to let me…maybe the reason I don’t want to open up that part of myself to Chase is because he isn’t you, Nixon. He doesn’t have this.” She placed my hand on her bare skin right above her breast. Shit, I was slowly dying inside. Did she even realize what the hell she was doing to me?

“He doesn’t have our history, our past, our drama. I love him, you’re right. I love him so damn much that I can’t imagine life without him. But he and I—we aren’t this. So tell me, Nixon. Tell me if you want me to forget. I’ll forget what we have, if that’s really what you want. If you want me to jump into his arms without looking back, I will. But know I’ll hate you forever for giving me up.”

“I’m not,” I interrupted her. “You can’t give up something you never had.”

She slapped me hard across the face. “You promised, Nixon. You promised me.”

I kissed her hard on the mouth, clenching her wrists in my hands as I pinned her against the door. “You’re right,” I growled and pulled away. “And I’m sorry for hurting us, for hurting you, but Trace…next time you trap me in a closet, in nothing but your underwear. I will take advantage of you. I’ll screw you until you forget your own name. Don’t play with fire, and don’t mess with me. I’m still terrible for you; he’s better, and I stand by what I did. Now move out of the way before I truly lose control and steal your virginity next to the damn Cheerios.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared as I sidestepped her and walked out of the pantry and directly into Tex.

“Whoa!” Tex looked at my face and then lower. His smile widened. “Taking care of business in the pantry or Mrs. Butterworth just make you horny?”

“Shut up.”

“It’s cool! She’s naked, I get it!” Tex called after me, while I raced back up the stairs, grabbed my phone and keys, and then ran out of the house. Away from Trace, away from everything.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT 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 and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers!

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Rachel Van Dyken Goodreads