Review: Elect (#2, Eagle Elite) by Rachel Van Dyken
My Thoughts
Consuming, sexy as hell and utterly addictive with a nail-biting suspense that had me frantically flipping pages to see how it all would end!
Synopsis
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 . . .
My Review
“Sometimes in life, things don’t end how we want them to. Sometimes, what we want to happen and what has to happen are two very different things.”
Hello, drama. I mean, wow! Talk about turmoil. Angst. Action. Secrets. I devoured this book, I just needed to know what would happen. Forget about putting it down at any point. Impossible. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with Rachel Van Dyken’s keen ability to write the kind of book that has you completed absorbed. The story is fast-paced and flows effortlessly with a level of angst that had me going crazy. I honestly didn’t know how to feel. In addition, it was really interesting to see the story unfold entirely through a male point-of-view. We alternate between Chase and Nixon, mainly, with some chapters told from Phoenix’s POV as well. Overall, this is a fabulous, thrilling story that had me engrossed through the entire thing.
“The fact was, I needed Trace; she wasn’t just a girl to me, she was my lifeline. I was terrified that if I lost her, I would lose myself — lose everything that keeps me grounded and sane.”
Elect picks up in a state of escalation. Security has become absolutely critical after what transpired at the end of Elite. Nixon will stop at nothing to keep Trace safe. Finally together, it’s evident how much Trace and Nixon love each other. It’s a love built on history and promises long made… it just feels right and it’s everything they hoped it would be. With Nixon handling the precarious mafia relations behind the scenes and Chase guarding Trace 24/7, everything seems to be covered. But when big, bad mafia great, Luca Nicolosi makes the trek stateside, the stakes become deadly serious and everything begins to fall apart. Nixon is faced with the impossible burden of untangling a web of lies, keeping everyone alive and in particular, keeping Tracey away from the cross hairs of a vengeful gun. Because in this world, it’s a life for a life, and now Nixon must ask himself, how far will he truly go for his one true love?
“Every damn second fear threatens to overtake my sense of peace. Because, in the end, I can’t control anyone’s decisions but my own.”
Suddenly however, a game-changing meeting with Luca turns almost deadly before some quick thinking saves them all. With no choice but to deceive in order to keep them all alive, Nixon thrusts the girl he loves into the all-too welcoming arms of his best friend. He needs to push her away to save her life and despite the very true fact that he’s willing to do anything, including give his life for this girl, it breaks his heart to be away and watch her get close to someone else… even though someone else is the person he trusts the most.
“I’d just singlehandedly given the love of my life to my best friend — on a silver platter, with a shiny bow attached.”
In the midst of the chaos and turbulence of an all-out mafia war, Trace begins to depend more and more on Chase and he can’t help but fall deeper and deeper for her. Truthfully, I really felt for Chase. His emotions were all over the place, his thoughts tumultuous… it was entirely draining to suppress his intensifying feelings every second that Trace was at his side. There was clearly something between them, but defining that something was the difficult part. Did Trace share any of his feelings? Could he fight for her? Would he do that to his best friend? And ironically, he had to ask himself the same question that plagued Nixon… how far would he go for love?
“Suddenly betraying everyone I loved was back on the table. Because Tracey — she held a part of me I couldn’t take back, and it scared the hell out of me.”
The angst was consuming. I loved Nixon and I loved Chase. The author wrote scenes that made it completely plausible for her to end up with either of them. The tension between Nixon and Chase was also growing and it was disheartening to see their friendship waver. The story that ensues is one filled with lots of suspense as the story’s plot twists unwind and shocking truths are revealed, helping us understand what happened in the past that has led them to the dangerous, nail-biting culmination. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book, Entice, which I believe will focus more on another set of characters that we’ve come to know so well.
“I will always save you. You need to know that….I will always choose you over me.”
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