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*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
Rachel van Dyken is a writing goddess. I mean it. I think she just outdid herself with ELICIT. Considering how amazing ELICIT was, there is no question that RvD keeps doing better and better with each release. Elicit, in my opinion, is waaaaay up there as one of the best she’s ever written. And now, I’m going to try to write this review without giving anything away, which is going to be difficult because many things will happen in ELICIT that will blow your mind. No kidding.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!
Synopsis:
Rachel van Dyken is a writing goddess. I mean it. I think she just outdid herself with ELICIT. Considering how amazing ELICIT was, there is no question that RvD keeps doing better and better with each release. Elicit, in my opinion, is waaaaay up there as one of the best she’s ever written. And now, I’m going to try to write this review without giving anything away, which is going to be difficult because many things will happen in ELICIT that will blow your mind. No kidding.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!
Synopsis:
Cursed, numb, rejected, scorned, wicked, sinister, dark, twisted...my name is Tex Campisi and this is my legacy. I killed my father in cold blood and lost my soul right along with him.
I crave war more than peace, and I'm about to take my place in history as the youngest Capo dei Capi in the Cosa Nostra...that is until someone stops me, saves me from myself.
But the only person able to do that...is my best friends sister, Mo Abandanato, and she just ripped my heart out and asked me to hold it in my hands while she put bullets through it.
Im cursed so I did it.
I'm numb so I held it.
I'm wicked so I liked it.
I used the pain Mo caused as a catalyst to turn into my biggest nightmare--the five families greatest enemy. It's my turn to take a stand, knowing full well I'm going to lose my mind to the madness that is the American Mafia. I've always been told Blood is thicker than life. I wish I would have listened. Because regardless of who you love? You will betray. You will kill.
Blood Always Wins.
The only way out is death...yours.
Welcome to the Dark Side of the Family.
When I started Elite, I knew in my bones that this was going to be an epic NA series. And it’s not just because there couldn’t be anything more irresistible than a bunch of hot guys waving their guns and knives around. Literally. The thing about the Eagle Elite series is that it pulls readers in and just takes them deeper with every installment.
Elicit is the fourth in the series and I think it’s the most explosive out of the series so far. This time, it follows Tex Campisi and the choices he has to make after the events of ENTICE. If you haven’t read the first three books, I suggest you stop reading RIGHT NOW.
At the latter part of Entice, Tex did something that would change the course of history for the Family. The blood spilled that day only demanded that more blood be shed. And the thing is, this time, it’s Tex’s blood they’re all calling out for.
To the naked eye, Tex has everything a man could ever want: the money, the power, the prestige of being part of the Elect. But all his life, Tex hasn’t really felt like he belonged anywhere. His own father, the freakin’ godfather, thought he was cursed and wanted nothing to do with him. Tex, the outsider in a family that took him in, always felt like that guy on the outside looking in.
He doesn’t feel like he belonged anywhere. Except, that is, beside Monroe Abandonato. If Mo isn’t a Mafia princess, then I don’t know what is. She grew up surrounded by violence and it no longer strikes fear in her heart. The only thing that elicits that reaction in her is the thought of losing Tex, the only man she has ever loved, to the dark clutches of the Family.
Elicit is the fourth in the series and I think it’s the most explosive out of the series so far. This time, it follows Tex Campisi and the choices he has to make after the events of ENTICE. If you haven’t read the first three books, I suggest you stop reading RIGHT NOW.
At the latter part of Entice, Tex did something that would change the course of history for the Family. The blood spilled that day only demanded that more blood be shed. And the thing is, this time, it’s Tex’s blood they’re all calling out for.
To the naked eye, Tex has everything a man could ever want: the money, the power, the prestige of being part of the Elect. But all his life, Tex hasn’t really felt like he belonged anywhere. His own father, the freakin’ godfather, thought he was cursed and wanted nothing to do with him. Tex, the outsider in a family that took him in, always felt like that guy on the outside looking in.
He doesn’t feel like he belonged anywhere. Except, that is, beside Monroe Abandonato. If Mo isn’t a Mafia princess, then I don’t know what is. She grew up surrounded by violence and it no longer strikes fear in her heart. The only thing that elicits that reaction in her is the thought of losing Tex, the only man she has ever loved, to the dark clutches of the Family.
To keep the only girl he has ever loved alive, Tex is forced to make a choice. Her love or her life? After all, this is the Mafia. He can’t have both. Happy endings don’t exist in the Mafia.
For Tex, it’s not even a choice. With the help of some very unlikely alliances, he has to push Mo and every single person who has ever cared about him away to keep them alive. Easier said than done, but nothing ever comes easy for Tex, especially now that he’s about to claim his blood and take his rightful place as the next capo dei capi.
For Tex, it’s not even a choice. With the help of some very unlikely alliances, he has to push Mo and every single person who has ever cared about him away to keep them alive. Easier said than done, but nothing ever comes easy for Tex, especially now that he’s about to claim his blood and take his rightful place as the next capo dei capi.
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Things take a turn for the worse as stubborn, feisty Mo won’t take Tex shit lying down. She’s determined to fight for him, for them, even if it means leaving her family to be with the man she loves. It’s admirable, really, the lengths that Mo would take just for Tex. At the same time, it’s kind of sad that Tex doesn’t see or realize it. This complication puts all the characters we’ve come to know and love in danger. And in the world of the Mafia, in danger may as well mean dead.
But the drama doesn’t end there. Elicit packs one hell of a swing, lemme tell you. Just when you thought everything is over, Rachel van Dyken hits you with a curveball that you won’t ever see coming. Damn. I was floored. My eyes bugged out literally and I couldn’t help but say WTF at the huge game-changer that Elicit kept between those damn pages. I was left reeling, that’s for sure.
Elicit is filled to the brim with the heart-pounding action that I’ve come to associate with the Eagle Elite series. It starts running and doesn’t slow down at all. I was breathlessly turning page after page, not knowing if my favorite characters will live to see the next page. Then, in between the tense action, we see these tender moments between Mo and Tex and it was just precious and devastating at the same time. You know you want them to find their way to each other but everything just gets in their way. It’s painful and heartbreaking. Those damn onion ninjas might have even visited my room a time or two.
The thing about Elicit is that readers are made witnesses as Rachel van Dyken breaks down her characters slowly. She peels off layer after layer exposing their nature, the core of their being. She roughens them up good. And once they’re nothing but a mess of roiling emotions, she builds them back up beautifully and majestically. Yes, majestically. There’s no other word for how monumental these characters rise from the sins they’ve committed and redeem themselves.
But the drama doesn’t end there. Elicit packs one hell of a swing, lemme tell you. Just when you thought everything is over, Rachel van Dyken hits you with a curveball that you won’t ever see coming. Damn. I was floored. My eyes bugged out literally and I couldn’t help but say WTF at the huge game-changer that Elicit kept between those damn pages. I was left reeling, that’s for sure.
Elicit is filled to the brim with the heart-pounding action that I’ve come to associate with the Eagle Elite series. It starts running and doesn’t slow down at all. I was breathlessly turning page after page, not knowing if my favorite characters will live to see the next page. Then, in between the tense action, we see these tender moments between Mo and Tex and it was just precious and devastating at the same time. You know you want them to find their way to each other but everything just gets in their way. It’s painful and heartbreaking. Those damn onion ninjas might have even visited my room a time or two.
The thing about Elicit is that readers are made witnesses as Rachel van Dyken breaks down her characters slowly. She peels off layer after layer exposing their nature, the core of their being. She roughens them up good. And once they’re nothing but a mess of roiling emotions, she builds them back up beautifully and majestically. Yes, majestically. There’s no other word for how monumental these characters rise from the sins they’ve committed and redeem themselves.
The Mafia. Blood in. No out.
Well, the same idea applies when you start reading this series, especially Elicit. This is one of the very few books that I was unable to putdown from start to finish. For real. It just hooked me right from the prologue and didn’t let go. I’m not even sure I’ve escaped its hold on me even though I’ve finished it. I have one massive book hangover because of Elicit.
Rachel van Dyken just writes so fluidly and flawlessly. I can’t help by appreciate how well she is able to present the events. She blows readers away with huge shockers, then the story sort of pulls back and gives the readers enough time to process everything while, at the same time, setting up the next critical moment. There’s this flow and ebb that’s just so tasteful to read. There’s never a lull in the story and that makes it such a breeze to read.
Another thing that I liked about Elicit is how vivid and immersive it is as a book. It didn’t take much effort for me to imagine myself in their world, in their story. It’s like seeing a movie play out in my head. Sometimes, I feel a bit like Alice falling down the rabbit hole into a wonderland of guns and bloodshed. All the research that Rachel van Dyken put into this book paid off bigtime. It felt honest and real all throughout.
Whew, looks like I got through this review without giving anything major away. Good job, me! And you, yes, you! If you want to know what all the fuss is about, go pick up the book when it comes out on August 11th. You won’t regret it. Rachel van Dyken pulls out the big guns with Elicit. You won’t know what you’re missing until you’ve read it to the last page!
Well, the same idea applies when you start reading this series, especially Elicit. This is one of the very few books that I was unable to putdown from start to finish. For real. It just hooked me right from the prologue and didn’t let go. I’m not even sure I’ve escaped its hold on me even though I’ve finished it. I have one massive book hangover because of Elicit.
Rachel van Dyken just writes so fluidly and flawlessly. I can’t help by appreciate how well she is able to present the events. She blows readers away with huge shockers, then the story sort of pulls back and gives the readers enough time to process everything while, at the same time, setting up the next critical moment. There’s this flow and ebb that’s just so tasteful to read. There’s never a lull in the story and that makes it such a breeze to read.
Another thing that I liked about Elicit is how vivid and immersive it is as a book. It didn’t take much effort for me to imagine myself in their world, in their story. It’s like seeing a movie play out in my head. Sometimes, I feel a bit like Alice falling down the rabbit hole into a wonderland of guns and bloodshed. All the research that Rachel van Dyken put into this book paid off bigtime. It felt honest and real all throughout.
Whew, looks like I got through this review without giving anything major away. Good job, me! And you, yes, you! If you want to know what all the fuss is about, go pick up the book when it comes out on August 11th. You won’t regret it. Rachel van Dyken pulls out the big guns with Elicit. You won’t know what you’re missing until you’ve read it to the last page!
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