REVIEW: Summer Heat (Cruel Summer #1) By, Rachel Van Dyken

Spoiled Princess is what he used to call me.

We were an inferno of hate and passion wound up with a dash of chaos.

For four years I watched him mow my lawn.

For four years I watched my friends make fun of him.

For four years I hated myself for wanting him, but even more for the way I treated him.

And then I had him.

For one night, we put all labels away and I spent the best night of my life in his arms.

Then the next day, with my secret night under lock and key, I looked the other way while my friends shamed him.

But now the jokes on me, because the scrawny lawn boy who I secretly loved from afar is now the director of Hollywood's most exclusive summer camp.

And I'm on his staff.

Now it's his turn to punish me.

His turn to make me pay.

His turn to take his revenge after years of humiliation.

He's no longer a boy you can ridicule.

But a college graduate who can have any woman he wants.

I want him to look at me the way he did that one night we had together, but right now

the look in his eyes tells me he's going to enjoy having me under him for two straight months.

I don't know where his hatred ends, his passion begins.

All I know is he wants revenge.

And I'm his lucky target.

**Review**

“like our heart decided that if we couldn’t have one another, they’d choose something just as passionate, something just as wonderful and horrible all at once-hate.”

When I think of Rachel Van Dyken the first thing that comes to mind is Eagle Elite. She is one of my favorite authors and this book reminded me why. She came up with a quick read that pulls you in from the very first page and hold onto you until the end. The story of Marlon and Ray is set up to be a great enemies to lovers romance and I can’t wait to read more.

“One thing was certain. I should have never danced with him in the first place, because now it felt personal. Now it felt like the story of us.”

Marlon and Ray have known each other since High School and let me tell you they were not the best of friends. They were enemies. Ray was the rich girl with all of the friends and the perfect boyfriend. Marlon was the poor boy that got bullied and worked for Ray’s family. They had one night together and then it was back to not knowing each other and it killed Marlon. Now they are grown up and thrown back together. I loved Ray. She was not the normal rich girl that goes through a transformation. Ray has had a hard life that she keeps hidden. She’s more sensitive than anyone can imagine, especially Marlon. Marlon on the other hand was someone I didn’t warm up to. He was kind of an asshole which surprised me because I expected that he was going to be the one I liked. He was judgmental an he couldn’t let go of the past. I mean I understand maybe holding onto it for a little while, maybe, but I just didn’t like how he handled it. I was starting to warm up at the end but we will see if he can redeem himself in the next books.

“I held him between my thighs. I wished for him to stay there. I found my soul in that moment.”

I am really excited about these books. This series reminded me that Rachel Van Dyken has a talent to create storylines that are interesting and characters that are likeable and lovely. The writing was smooth, and it flowed. I really can’t wait for the next ones. It is definitely a quick read which was disappointing, but the next installments will be worth the wait I’m sure.

RELEASE DAY: Envy (Eagle Elite #9.5, 1001 Dark Nights #83) By, Rachel Van Dyken

 

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. S

omebody 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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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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RELEASE WEEK: The Consequence of Loving Colton By, Rachel Van Dyken

RELEASE: April 21^st, 2015

It’s all fun and games…until someone’s heart is broken.

They’re not kids anymore, but Milo Caro is certain that Colton Mathews will only see her as his best friend’s little sister for the rest of their lives. After all, he made that clear the night before she left for college. But four years later, her brother is getting married and Colt’s the best man—and guess who is the best man’s last-minute date?

Milo vows to use the wedding to either claim the smoldering firefighter’s heart or douse this torch for good. When Max—her best friend from college, who may be carrying a torch of his own—crashes the party, they devise a plan to make Colt see what he’s missing. But after Colt catches on, he decides to cook up his own revenge.

Now it’s personal. Colt and Milo are at war, and between Max’s questionable acting methods, an unfortunate trip to jail, and a maniacal fiancée, what could possibly go right?

Excerpt

I slept like crap all night—proving my point again. All men should burn in hell. I switched between nightmares of Colton’s rejection and dreams of Max riding in to rescue me on a giant-ass aloe vera plant.

Groaning, I tossed and turned, finally falling into a deep sleep around two a.m.

“Fire!” A voice penetrated my dreams. “Fire! Wake up!”

I jolted out of my bed to see Max sitting calmly at the end. He had two Starbucks cups in hand and was sporting a pair of black skinny jeans, a blue V-neck T-shirt, and a smile that looked like it belonged on the cover of GQ.

“Hey, you’re awake.” His grin widened.

“Yeah, weird, I thought there was a fire.”

He handed me the coffee. “There is. In your pants.”

“Pardon?”

“Because you’re a liar.” He patted my leg and shook his head. “Do I even want to know how this happened? Or was it the usual?”

“Usual?” My voice was gravelly, I took a large sip of coffee—it did wonders for my mood.

“Yeah, the usual Milo freak-out where you speak before you think. Typically involves lots of cursing, yelling, sometimes a fight breaks out, and I always end up having to fix it.”

My face burned.

Max nodded. “The usual, then. Gotcha.”

“Why are you here? What time is it?”

“Five a.m.,” he answered. “Your mom’s a fox, by the way, I swear she checked my ass out twice as I walked up the stairs.”

“She did not.”

“Your dad did the same. Ten bucks says your mom asks where I got my jeans and buys him a pair—oh, and by the way, you owe me big. I finally asked out the Starbucks girl and had to cancel our date on account that my other girlfriend”—his eyes narrowed—“had an emergency.”

I winced. “Please tell me you didn’t explain it that way to her.”

“Course not. I said my asthmatic little sister had an attack and almost died screaming my name . . .”

“You don’t have a sister.”

“Little Maddie’s screams were so loud, all she wanted was her big brother Max.”

“Who’s Maddie?”

“And I can’t deny her the one thing she wants in life, the one thing that makes her go on living.” 

Max wiped a fake tear. “I’m a broken man, Milo, and sisters are more important than dates.”

“I’m sure she was understanding.”

Max grinned. “You could say that.”

“Gross.”

“What?” He held up his hands. “I’m a guy. Just because you labeled me your gay friend freshman year does not actually make it true.”

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 and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

Author Links:

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ONE-DAY SALE: The Bet (The Bet #1) By, Rachel Van Dyken

"I have a proposition for you." Kacey should have run the minute those words left Seattle millionaire Jake Titus's mouth. It's been years since Kacey's seen her childhood friend Jake, but the minute Jake mentions his ill grandmother, Kacey is ready to do anything for the sweet old woman. And if that means pretending they're engaged for her sake-so be it.

But Kacey wasn't counting on Jake's older brother Travis still being there. She calls him "Satan" for a reason: she's never forgotten the way he teased and taunted her. Yet when they meet again, Travis's gorgeous smile is a direct hit to her heart . . . and Kacey's more confused than ever. As the days pass, only one thing starts to become alarmingly clear-she never should have accepted Jake's deal . . .

AMAZON

Excerpt

“You’re pregnant!” she shouted, nearly dropping her tea to the floor. “Oh my heavens! Oh dear me. Oh, Grandma’s going to be so delighted!”

“I’m not—” Kacey argued.

“She’s not telling anyone yet,” Travis interrupted with a devilish smirk. “You know, the media and all that.”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Bets scurried around the room until she finally stopped in front of a few shelves. “Oh honey, don’t you remember when you and Jake used to play house? And Travis…” Bets looked at Travis and pointed. “Didn’t you play with them? Because they needed an extra person to stand in for the…”

“Dog.” Kacey smiled at Travis and stifled a giggle. “He was our dog when we played house.”

“Oh, how nice.” Bets winked at Travis and returned to digging out scrapbooks. “I’m sure I have some pictures we can use for the wedding.”

Kacey, still trying to gain control of her panic, swallowed before asking, “Why do we need pictures?”

“You know.” Bets waved her hand in the air. “For the video montage! You have to have a video montage! They’re all the rage. You know, baby pictures, prom pictures, that sort of thing. Guests love it!”

“But what about Vegas?” Kacey asked in a hopeful voice.

“Posh.” Bets shook her head vigorously. “We’ll pay for the entire thing. And you’ll get married here, at Titus Abbey.”

“Swell,” Kacey mumbled, then glared in Travis’s direction. He was gone. She leaned across the sofa and noticed him in the kitchen opening a beer. Oh, nectar of the gods! Just when she needed something strong the most, and Jake’s family thought she was pregnant.

Oh God. She was going to have to be a closet drinker. She would have to sneak down to the kitchen just to snag some tequila to numb the guilt and pain. His parents were going to kill her, and they would hate her forever. Which meant she actually had to marry Jake and then turn a blind eye to his inability to keep his pecker in his pants. And then she’d start hoarding and buying cats in order to fill the void in her life.

The drinking would get worse. Jake would hate her, and in a final desperate attempt to regain her youth, she’d die on the table trying to get plastic surgery.

This. Could. Not. Happen!

“I, uh, I’m going to see what Travis is up to!” Kacey bolted from her chair and ran into the kitchen.

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 and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

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