Monday, July 13, 2015

#Review: Elude by Rachel Van Dyken - 5 Wine Glasses





23271538Title: Elude 
Series: Eagle Elite #6
Author: Rachel Van Dyken 
Published: July 9th 2015
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Crystal
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Twenty-Four hours before we were to be married--I offered to shoot her.
Ten hours before our wedding--I made a mockery of her dying wish.
Five hours before we were going to say our vows--I promised I'd never love her.
One hour before I said I do--I vowed I'd never shed a tear over her death.
But the minute we were pronounced man and wife--I knew.
I'd only use my gun to protect her.
I'd give my life for hers.
I'd cry.
And I would, most definitely, lose my heart, to a dying girl---a girl who by all accounts should have never been mine in the first place.
I always believed the mafia would be my end game--where I'd lose my heart, while it claimed my soul. I could have never imagined. It would be my redemption.
Or the beginning of something beautiful.
The beginning of her.
The end of us.


Crystal's Thoughts: 
Gutted. I am absolutely gutted by the events that unfolded in Elude. Rachel Van Dyken has delivered another heartrending story that swept me away and left it's very own stamp on my soul. 

The sixth book in the young mafia Eagle Elite series follows Nixon's cousin, Sergio Abandanto. The ghost of the family. Ex-FBI agent and assassin. Dark, broody, and detached, he betrayed the family. Now the only way he can make up for it is to marry and protect the daughter of a Russian mob boss, Andi. Sergio despises that he is being forced to marry a girl that he sees as the walking dead. Refuses to feel even a hint of emotion for her. Little does he know that Andi is more alive then him. And even if it ends up being the last thing she does in this life, Andi will show Sergio how to live.

Elude was an unforgettable story. I finished this book in one night, lying in my dark bed hours past my bedtime, crying my eyes out, and at the end I rolled over to wake up my hubby and ask him to hold me. It was quite bittersweet. Despite not having, nor wanting to have, any interactions with mobsters and the fictitious status of the story itself, the story-line was deep and realistic. The characters magnetic. I loved the dialogue between Andi and Sergio, even when they were butting heads at the start of the story, and I adored when they referred to each-other as Russia and Sicily. Gah. All the feels this story encompassed. Their journey was moving, and I won't say too much more on it so that I don't spoil it for you. The rest of the Family provided humor and support for the main characters and kept the story from becoming too morose. 

Sometimes, with a series, you will find that after the first one or two releases, some of the books become hit or miss, some series might even grow stale, that is not the case with the Eagle Elite series. Each book is just as enthralling as the first, really cementing these diverse and intriguing characters in your heart. I recommend you reading this series in order, reading order can be found at the end. On a side note, the editing in this book could have been better. There were several word and spelling errors but the ones that really got me were when the characters names where mixed up. As a fan of the series, I could tell which character was talking when it stated another was, but it could still be confusing to readers. However, this did not deter my enjoyment of the story in the least. 

In the end, Elude, ending up being my favorite book in the series. There was an obvious amount of heart put into the writing and the story had a powerful message. We should cherish each and every day we, and our loved-ones, receive because it is a gift. I simply cannot wait for the next book to release. Rachel Van Dyken is a brilliant writer and if you haven't picked up this series yet, you are missing out on something amazing. 


Suggested Reading Order:
Enchant (Eagle Elite, #0.5) - Amazon 
Elite (Eagle Elite, #1) - Amazon 
Enforce (Eagle Elite, #1.5) - Amazon 
Evoke (Eagle Elite, #1.6) - Short Story from Author
Elect (Eagle Elite, #2) - Review | Amazon 
Entice (Eagle Elite, #3) - Review | Amazon
Elicit (Eagle Elite, #4) - Review | Amazon 
Enamor (Eagle Elite, #4.5) - Short Story found in the back of Elicit
Ember (Eagle Elite, #5) - Review | Amazon 
Elude (Eagle Elite, #6) 
Empire (Eagle Elite, #7) 


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