Blog Tour Stop: Review, Spotlight, and Giveaway: Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

Synopsis

Would you die for the one you love?

Review

WOW! I have whiplash from all the twists and turns this book takes from beginning to end. Lies. Secrets. Betrayals. You name any deceptive act, and it takes place in Rachel Van Dyken’s Elect. Elect is told from three male perspectives: Nixon – the boss; Chase – the protector; and Phoenix – the betrayer. All three, along with Tex, form the Eagle Elite; protectors and administers of order.

“‘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.'”

This contract, of sorts, helps the four Mafia members to maintain order in a world of chaos, but what happens when one young woman, Trace, puts three best friends at odds with one another? Can anything ever be the same again?

Elect picks up right where Elite left out. Blood is on many people’s hands, and it is hard to know who to trust in this deadly game. Powerful Mafia families are up against other powerful mob families; players are switching teams and making devious deals, and secrets are coming to light that will have devastating repercussions, not only for the three best friends in the middle of all of the turmoil, but for those they love and call family.

For Nixon, it is all about keeping Trace safe, but in protecting her, he risks losing her to his best friend and cousin, Chase.  I understand Nixon’s motives here, and he is an extremely selfless man in his actions, but I wanted to shake him and tell him to fight for what he wants…to find another way to keep Trace safe without pushing her away and into Chase’s arms.  He’s a Mafia mob boss with a moral compass when it comes to the people he loves, which tends to lead him to make difficult choices that greatly affect what he wants and needs.

For Chase, it is not only about keeping Trace safe; it turns in to making Trace his.  It is a perfectly logical outcome to form an emotional attachment to someone you are supposed to be protecting 24/7, but to betray the one person who has always had your back and is your blood is unforgivable in my eyes. Yes, the heart wants what the heart wants, but it wasn’t Chase’s to have.

For Phoenix, at first, it is all about revenge and releasing the beast inside that has laid dormant too long; in the end, redemption is what Phoenix receives, and his actions at the end of the book are definitely what redeems him in my eyes.  In both books, Phoenix is part of the Eagle Elite, but slightly on the outside looking in…jealous of what the others have in terms of money, power, and even Trace.  By gaining more insight into his life in this book in terms of what he had to endure from a young age at his father’s hands, it makes sense that Phoenix is constantly fighting demons, and it was only a matter of time before his blackened heart finally unleashed itself.

And then there’s Trace, our heroine. The one person who holds so many hearts in her hand. I don’t blame her for finding comfort in Chase, but I wish she would have really listened when Nixon talked to her and tried to get her to understand what he was doing and why he was doing it. It would have prevented a lot of heartache for three pretty amazing characters.

At the end of Elect, it seems as if Trace makes her choice: “‘Chase.'” She pulled away and wiped a tear from her eye. “‘You have my heart, but Nixon…he owns my soul.'” But, anything can happen in this world of chaos that they still find themselves in. It will be interesting to see how Phoenix’s step sister, Mil, fits into this male dominated world as the boss of her family. If her proposition to Chase says anything, it seems readers are still in for quite the wild ride in Book Three.

Elect is an amazing 5 star read.  It keeps readers on the edge of their seats with clenched fists and wide eyes. I couldn’t stop reading, but I also didn’t want it to end. Anytime a story can suck me in and not let me go until I’m finished is a fantastic book.  Rachel Van Dyken is a true talent in crafting intense storylines with dynamic characters who readers cannot help to love and hate – sometimes at the same time.

Pick up Elite and Elect today! You will not be disappointed!

5 poison apples!  

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/18wzuR1

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1bwv7cR

EXCERPT FROM ELECT  ~

“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.

“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.

Enter the Giveaway below for your chance to win:
5 WINNERS: SIGNED Forever gift bag, Signed PRINT copy of ELITE (to catch you up on the series!)
5 WINNERS: 5 digital copies of ELITE

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