Published by Evil Eye Concepts (1001 Dark Nights) Genres: Anthology, Mafia, Romance
Format: eARC
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!
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.
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Stephanie’s 3 Star Review:
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This is the first book I’ve read in the Eagle Elite series so I can tell you first hand you absolutely can read this novella without reading any of the other books in the series. That being said – I think it would be better to be caught up on the series before you read Envy.
This book features a young woman – Renee – who’s in her last year of college but nannies for the mafia bosses during the summer. Suddenly, or maybe not so suddenly, she’s in need of protection only they can provide. It just so happens to be one of the enforcers, Vic, that makes her weak in the knees instead of scared to death.
Vic also has a weakness for Renee, but he knows he’ll be dead meat if he acts on his lust for this woman. He made a vow to the families and has to keep it … or else. Which makes for a very interesting scenario when one of the bosses taunts him into going for it with Renee.
Don’t poke the bear people! Seriously. If you don’t like the potential result don’t even think about getting them started. The thing here is there’s some knowledge about Renee’s own life she doesn’t know about. Definitely puts a monkey wrench in things when she can’t even help herself!
Envy is an interesting read. If you’re a reader of the series I’m sure it’ll fill in some holes for you! If you’re like me, and the first time reading a book in the Eagle Elite series it may entice you to read all the books.
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!
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