Review: Envy by Rachel Van Dyken

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.

Review:  4.25 of 5 Stars

I have loved every Eagle Elite book, however, the last one was lacking something for me.  Maybe it was because I was so upset for the character.  I am not 100% sure, but I almost did not want to read this one for fear it would make me not want to keep going.  I am so happy to say that this book reminded me so much of some previous EE books that I am excited to read the next one!

Vic is Nixon's cousin and swore an oath to protect the 5 families.  The oath included celibacy and that he would never have a family.  No big deal at the time, and he has become the best bodyguard for the EE families. Until the Nanny comes into the picture.  He is so screwed.

Renee Cassani knows her dad is part of the mafia and can't wait to escape this life when she finishes her final year of college.  All she has to do is make it through her summer job, being a nanny to the scariest mobsters around.  Shouldn't be hard, right?

I really enjoyed the character development of Vic and Renee.  Their story is fun and somewhat light hearted compared the the previous book and that made me happy.  But it also lays the groundwork for the next book in the EE series.  While I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next one, I am unsure how many more books will continue to work for this series.  I love it and part of me doesn't' want it to end, while the other wants it to end before more characters I love die.

Review: All Your Perfects, by Colleen Hoover

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Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.


Review
5 out of 5 stars

One thing is for certain when you start a new Colleen Hoover book, she’s going to take you on a truly one-of-a kind unique experience.  Her stories’ originality continually blow me away.  I feel like if I go into too much detail with this review I’m going to ruin the experience for anyone reading this review so please bear with me as I try and explain my thoughts on this gem!

All Your Perfects is told from our heroine Quinn’s POV.  Throughout the entire book one chapter is told from the past and the next in the present.  Quinn isn’t going to be an easy character for a lot of people to like.  Her story is absolutely devastating and there were so many times when I wanted to scream open your mouth, say something, do anything, and just take a baby step.  But in that same breath I could empathize with her.  I got her struggle, I was able to even sympathize with her obsession.  It literally broke my heart, there were points I honestly wanted to put the book down because I was so sad but at the same time I needed to know how her story was going to end, so I waded through the heavy emotions and pushed forward.  Quinn is one of the most real characters I’ve ever read about. 

Graham our hero is the entire package, talk about a beacon of light.  He fully encompassed romance, sensitivity, humility, grace and determination.  He loves his wife and is prepared to do whatever it takes, even if it means losing her completely in order to put her happiness above his own.  In the end when the contents of “the box” were revealed I was completely blown away by his honesty, sacrifice and pure love.  I have to say it was my absolute favorite part of the entire book!

Quinn and Graham’s story from beginning to end was incredibly well executed and packed full of honest, real, and raw emotions.  It’s a genuine story with what I consider a perfectly designed ending.  All Your Perfects may not be a story I read time and time again, but it’s a story that left an imprint on my heart I won’t soon forget.

Review: The Problem With Him by Rachel Higginson

I’m over men. I’m done with them. 

Or at least the ones that work in my kitchen. Fine, one man in particular. Wyatt Shaw is cocky and condescending and so far out of his element that he doesn’t know which way is up. Or how to run his brand new kitchen all by himself. 

That’s where I come in. Sous chef extraordinaire. Second in command. Bane of his existence. I am the reason Wyatt’s doing so well as the new executive chef of one of our city’s most prestigious restaurants. He has me to thank for his glowing accolades and five-star write-ups. Only if you were to ask him, he’d say I’m his biggest problem. 

Despite his discouragement and bullish behavior, I’ve set two goals for myself. 

The first? I’m going to fight my way to the top of this male-dominated industry and claim my own award-winning kitchen. 

The second? I’m going to do whatever it takes to ignore Wyatt and his rare smiles and the thickening tension that’s started to simmer between us. 

Wyatt Shaw might be Durham’s new shining star. He might be up for a James Beard Award. He might be my new boss and key to my future success, but he’s also in my way. 

So he can keep his smoldering looks and secret kisses. And he can be the one that figures out how to make it through service without getting distracted by me. 

I’m not the problem. The problem is him. 

Review:  4.25 of 5 Stars

If you have read the first two books in this series, you've already been introduced to Wyatt Shaw.  I loved his character in the other books and was excited to see more of him in The Problem with Him.  As you remember, Wyatt has taken over the Executive Chef role at Lilou since Killian and Vera are opening their own restaurant.  The Wyatt that is EC is totally different that the other books.  He is more stressed out and is having a hard time finding time for everything.  And he is a tyrant to his staff, especially his Sous Chef, Kaya Swift. But there is more to this tyranny than meets the eye.

Kaya is from a small NC town.  I relate to that aspect perfectly since I am from rural NC as well.  But she dreams of more out of her life that the ideal small town life.  She is driven and passionate about food.  And she is a dang great chef and she knows it.  She is jaded and feels like she should have been given the opportunity to be EC at Lilou as well.  And she hates Wyatt Shaw.  He makes her life miserable.  

This book was really well written and I enjoyed the sparring matches between Wyatt and Kaya.  The drama was really to a minimum and there was a good pace to the book that felt like it was worth savoring.  While I did not love it as much as the first two books in the series, you really can't go wrong with anything Rachel Higginson writes.  So go ahead and one click this one, you will really enjoy it.