Rachel Van Dyken

Another fabulous hit
5 stars

This book is the second in Van Dyken’s Red Card series. While it does stand alone, there are two main reasons why you should read the first in the series, Risky Play. The first is that Slade, Jagger and Mack appear again in this book (as Matt did in the first - Slade and Mack’s love story). And the second reason is because that book was just as good as this one and well worth a read!

This story features superstar agent, Matt Kingston. Matt is driven, successful, show more hot and single minded. Oh, and grumpy. That is my crack right there. Love a grumpy hero! Even better that he’s so determined not to fall for, or then act on, his changing feelings for his new houseguest. So that’s grumpy and principled. Mmmm hmmm!

That new houseguest is Parker Speedman - the hottest young soccer player just coming into the leagues. She’s feisty, smart-mouthed and got quite the attitude on her. She’s combative and yet, she’s hugely vulnerable underneath. It’s hard not to love her - or at the very least want her to succeed both professionally and personally.

I loved Matt and Parker together. They rubbed sparks off each other constantly - but for valid reasons rather than just fighting for fighting’s sake. There was a heat and gorgeous chemistry with these two that made me root for them from the get go. And when they finally gave in? Delicious! (And in a wine cellar with fluffy blankets. That is the new dream!)

The real success of this story is that it tackles a delicate and upsetting topic with enough emotion to make you truly care, yet with enough tact to not let it overshadow the romance that we’re all really here for. It actually enhanced that romance and made it all the more deserving when we get our happily ever after. Oh, those feels, man! (With that said, the topic of abuse of power, especially with regards to sexual abuse/rape, may be a trigger for some, even though, as I’ve said, it’s handled very well.)

Van Dyken’s writing is so on point, it pulls you right into the story and makes you care for these characters from the first. And aside from our main love story, she writes male friendships so well. I just love Slade, Matt and Jagger together and their banter. I could probably read a whole book of them just taking shots at each other, bickering and bantering! Jagger and Willow (Matt’s sister) get together in this book but I’m still holding out hope for a full book with Jagger as our hero. That man’s ego is far too massive not to get a whole book dedicated to watching him be floored by love. Fingers crossed!

This is the second book I’ve read by Rachel Van Dyken and the second that I’ve loved. She brings her worlds and her characters to life and I think it’s time for me to go buy and read her backlist as she’s fast becoming a favourite of mine. show less

Sweet Lawd! This author knows how to write humor. This is one of my favorite romcom series EVER. Each book keeps getting better and better. In this book we get to see what happens with Jason and Maddy and we of course have all the crazies from the other series (especially Max) along for their journey. I knew it was going to be a wild ride when we saw Max and the boys , along with the Infamous Grandma, in the first chapter. I love the inner monologues of the characters (especially Jason) as show more they try and make sense of the chaos that is Max. While Max is probably my favorite character of this series and possibly all time, Jason was able to hold his own. His love for Maddy was heartfelt. Maddy. I was unsure how to feel about her since we knew the history but not the why she had left all those years before. I had nothing to fear as RVD, in typical fashion, spun her magic and entranced me into loving her completely.

I am always in awe that this author is able to incorporate past events, with just a sentence or two, and make me relive the scene from a previous book without feeling like it is repetitive. Her timelines are always spot on. I loved the "Maxisms" at the beginning of each chapter from Max and his Book giving advice. Reminded me of Barney in How I Met Your Mother. I am sorry to see this series end. Hopefully, RVD will give us another book told from all their POV's of Jason's bachelor party in Vegas. A girl can dream right? show less

My Review:

This book was a pure delight and so refreshing. Something I have loved about this series is the refreshing feel of a take it has on the mafia world that this author has created. I love the humor, the banter between the family members but also the deep heart that is hidden in the layers of the story. This features our hero, who has been working undercover for the FBI but is becoming entrenching and bonded with this mafia family. Then we have our heroine, who is damaged and hiding show more the abuse she suffered with bravado and a prickly outer core. But Tank knows that something is wrong, something that hurt his girl to turn her from bright and bubbly and sweet into being bitter and outrageous in ways that don't fit her heart.

I loved seeing Tank work on our heroine, to dig deep and peel one layer at a time to really understand the woman he loves, and to shed his own ego and pride and share their own vulnerabilities together. The sense of family is powerful in these books and they get so outrageous and fun, so its definitely not your normal mafia romance you normally read. I had a fun time with Mafia King and this was a good one to be part of the 1001 Dark Nights series as well. Definitely eager to explore the rest of the series. show less

"Just kidding, I wanted to feed him to a hundred piranhas."

I LOVELOVELOVE everything I have read by Rachel Van Dyken, but I have to say this has been my favorite by far! Sorry Alec and Dimitri!

In this book we meet 18 year old Trace who enters a contest as a request from her dying grandmother. She didn't think she would get accepted but she did. Enter Nixon and Chase.. Let the story begin!


Nixon was a complete jerk from the very beginning. A asshole with his rules and taunting.
"Memorize it show more now, because as of this moment, you can't touch us. We are untouchable. If you as much as sneeze in our direction, if you as much breathe the same air in my atmosphere, I will make your life hell."


But somehow that big ol jerk won me over.. somewhat, I'm still on the fence, I like Chase too.
this pretty much sums up Nixon..

"Fine, it's just, Nixon reminds me of that Taylor Swift song, Trouble? You guys heard it? I laughed as they all shook their heads. Yeah, well, if I didn't know any better I'd think Nixon dated her, dumped her, and she wrote a song about him."

I loved Monroe instantly! "No. I killed two of them, but my dad covered it up...."

I loved Trace's spunk, how she didn't put up with Nixon's crap, that she didn't necessarily bend to his rules. I think her character was tough when she needed to be, but down to earth at the same time. That's not to say she didn't get emotional because she did. But the way she bounced back from all the crap was awesome.

Great banter throughout,I am excited for Elect!!

Few more favorite lines:
"Yeah. As in you and I? What you have a cow hidden in here somewhere?"
I blinked.
"Holy crap, do you have a cow? That would be awesome."


"I need you like I need my heart to pump blood through my body, like I need air to breathe, like we need gravity. Hell, Trace, you are my gravity. Being with you makes me feel centered and whole, and I'm too screwed up to convince you to want any different. I'm too selfish to push you into someone else's arms when I know mine may be the worst ones for you to be in."

Bottom line: Read this! You won't regret it. show less