“Sexy, Gritty, and Intense. Eulogy grabs you by the throat and doens’t let go unitl the very last page.” – New York Times Bestselling Author Meghan March “Dark, intense, and raw. Eulogy will set you on fire!” – Bestselling Author Staci Hart“Excuse me while I pick up the shattered pieces of my heart, Eulogy is emotional, sexy, hot, and explosive. I didn’t want it to end and could not put it down.” … and explosive. I didn’t want it to end and could not put it down.” -Author HP Davenport
All is lost.
All.
I don’t recognize myself in the mirror anymore.
My thoughts are filled with hatred and dripping with rage.
I’ve lost my soul.
She took it to the depths of Hell with her and haunts me with images of what could have been.
Sixty lives are mine to take.
Sixty lives stand in the way of my vengeance.
Sixty lives plus one more.
Mine.
When the last drop of blood falls — mine will be spilled.
Only one person stands in the way.
She doesn’t realize I’ll kill her too.
I don’t own a heart.
And even if I did — I wouldn’t fall prey to its lies again.
I am Chase Abandonato.
Heir to a legacy of betrayal.
And I will kill them all.
Even if it means pointing the gun at myself.
A life for a life.
A soul for a soul.
Now I lay me down to sleep… I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Blood in. No out.
Eulogy is a stand alone mafia romance with dark themes, alpha males, violence, and enough humor woven in to make it so you don’t want to hunt the author down when you finish. It is linked to the Eagle Elite series, any book can be read out of order, but will contain spoilers if you choose to take that path.
Enjoy, blood in no out!
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I love this entire series, but Chase has always been my favorite!
Eulogy is the ninth book in the Eagle Elite series by one of my favorite authors, Rachel Van Dyken. I came into this series late in the game. I started with Enrage (#8) in this kickass mafia series. So, I can say without a doubt that you can read them as standalone. In the beginning of the books Rachel gives us the rundown on the families. I will also say that I am glad I read Enrage so I can get the full story of why Chase is ready to go to war…
Betrayal. Chase knows it all to well. That is why his plan is to kill. Sixty lives even if it means he loses his own. His soul his gone. His heart is black. He doesn’t have anything to live for. She took it all with her. It’s been six months and his anger is only getting worse. He used to the funny one. He hasn’t felt a smile on his lips since that day he died with her. Not until she showed up. An innocent woman who wears pearls and headbands…
She has no idea what she has gotten herself into. Luciana was just a lawyer’s assistant when she was offered a job she couldn’t refuse. Now, she was living with a man who would kill her for just looking at him the wrong way. What he doesn’t realize is that she is intrigued. He is the most beautiful angry man she has even seen. She is scared of him just as much as she is attracted to him. She doesn’t get it herself but something inside is telling her not to run.
Chase and Luciana’s relationship is not full of heart, flowers, and rainbows. It’s full of threats, food, and heat. It’s a complicated time for them both. He wants to kill. She wants to save him. He wants to protect her while she wants to protect him. She didn’t grow up in this world but being thrown into it, makes you either sink or swim.
Will Chase get his revenge? Will she be able to show him that his heart still beats? That there is life after death?
I loved, loved, loved this book!! I never thought I would fall for a man who kills people but damn. I haven’t read all the books but all the men have something about them that makes me swoon. Even knowing that they can pull out their gun and shoot it without a second thought.
Overall…it’s a suspenseful, heated, emotional, and lethal book that pulled me in from beginning to end. If life didn’t get in the way I would had finished it in one sitting. The characters are strong. The story is addicting. The family is badass. I want more already!
Quotes:
His mouth had tasted like the best mistake of my life.
“SHIT!” I roared as she covered her face and stumbled back to the chair. “I’m so sorry! I was just trying to—never mind. Maybe this is a bad idea. Do you need an ice pack? Peas?”
“What are you doing in two weeks?”
I went into this book broken then as I started this, I became shattered and as Chase spiraled so did my heart, it hurt me that he wasn’t the Chase from before and I loved him even more although a few times I would have liked to jump in the book and be the one who inflicted some pain on him.
Luciana was everything because she was different than any character in this whole series.
I don’t want to give anything away so I will just say this book made my feels explode and it was worth it, every single word.
*5 Stars*
Where to start? I was scared to start this one, and excited at the same time. After the ending of Enrage, I was just shocked. And now that I’ve read this one too? Hooooo boy!!
Oh Chase, I felt everything in this book, along with a sense, the whole way through, that I was just waiting for something really bad to happen. I was on edge. I was angry, I was sad, I was scared.
I was along for the wild ride that this book was, and there was no stopping it. Luc was a completely new character to this world, and so innocent and pure compared to everyone else. It was very interesting reading her reactions and seeing how things played out.
There were also a hell of a lot of surprises in this one. Two things I had guessed at, and was right about. One of them, not to its full extent. But the rest? Man I had NO IDEA! The last hour or so of this book, I was on the edge of my seat. I was sitting there all like WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON!? I cried, I will admit it. Man oh man the happenings at the end of this. What a wild ride.
I cannot wait to read more of this series. My favourite mafia family.
Blood In. No Out.
This is my absolute favorite of the Eagle Elite books. Because it’s the culmination of so many events across the series, I don’t think it’s a book that can be enjoyed on it’s own. Rachel Van Dyken does give a little bit of background info and you might be OK only reading this – but minimally, I’d read Entice, Empire, & Enrage. I also appreciate this book the most because it completely leaves the NA element behind bringing all characters into full adulthood. Chase is so broken but determined in this one – a true “anti-hero” and Luciana brings a naivete that proves to be a balm to his battered soul. There’s no denying that while their road is fraught with danger Chase & Luc are so perfect for each other.
This book is also provides a bit of a set up for Debase, the first book in a spin-off series, Elite Bratva Brotherhood.
A note about the audio:
One of my favorite things about the recordings for this series is that each character has his/her own narrator. Pretty much throughout the books. Until now. These narrators were in the last book (Enrage) but playing different characters. Which kills the cohesion achieved up to this point. Most of the chapters are told from Chase (David Brenin) or Luciana’s (Scarlett Chase) POV. But there are chapters by Nixon, Phoenix, Tex, Andrei & Trace. Nixon, Phoenix, & Andrei are still narrated by David Brenin but Tex is narrated by Rob Shapiro and Trace is narrated by Kit Swann.
I’m especially disappointed that Scarlet Chase was cast again. I love her as a narrator (Blacktop Cowboys series is phenomenal), but she definitely has a “mature” voice which doesn’t fit with the 19-24yo characters she keeps narrating.
At the beginning of each chapter is a little “blurb” that’s a quote from “Agent P”. I really wish they’d chosen a narrator just for these quotes. Even having read & listened to the book several times, it’s kind of confusing to know who is talking because it changes depending on who is narrating that particular chapter. (See above about narrator roulette).
Probably the most distracting thing about the recording is that Scarlet Chase pronounces Luciana as “loo-chee-ah-na” and her nickname “Luc” as “Luke”. The book specifically describes “Luc” to be pronounced “Luke”. While David Brenin pronounces Luciana as “loo-cee-ah-na” and the nickname as “loose”. Considering Luciana/Luc appears in the book over 150 times ~ this is a HUGE oversight and incredibly annoying.
Definitely buy the book, but I’d encourage you to pass on adding the audiobook to your library.
Being sucked into a book is the best that can happen to you as a reader. And this is exactly what this book does to you from the first page … and it will not let you out way after finishing.
Reading Eulogy was one of the most intense reading experiences ever.
The characters are just so real you want to grap them, shake them … and just make things good for them.
This is a total 5* read. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary Sequel in the Eagle Elite Series!!!
One of the best series I read in a long time.
WOW WOW WOW!
Words can’t describe how much I adored Eulogy (Eagle Elite, #9) by Rachel Van Dyken.
I’m actually a bit of a newcomer to this series.
Only reading RIP which is set in the same world but a spin-off to this.
It was actually that book which made me want to dip my toe in here and even though I have every intention now of rewinding and starting at the beginning I will say that this can totally be read as a stand-alone.
I had absolutely no trouble following along and I am so glad I gave this a go as I now have a whole new series to devour.
So Eulogy tells the tale of Chase Abandonato and following events in the previous books he is on a downward spiral to hell.
Chase is basically on a suicide mission to totally annihilate his dead wife’s entire family line after her unforgivable betrayal.
Gone is the joker and laid back funny guy and in his place is a man his nearest and dearest no longer recognise.
Luciana is the young attractive lawyer sent to work for the families.
Supplied by Nikolai AKA Dr Death, she is totally clueless about what she is getting herself involved in.
Afraid of her own shadow she is poles apart from what Chase is used to.
And as the files she needs are at Chase’s home this is where she needs to stay.
And with Chase threating to shoot her every five minutes, well let’s just say the poor girl is quivering in her boots.
So as I said earlier I adored this and this was a totally new side to chase, that even with my limited exposure to the series I noticed.
A much deeper and broken psyche.
Luc herself being a much more gentle soul is exactly what he needs to attempt to put the pieces of his soul back together.
Trying in her own way to take care of him and singing him to sleep.
I felt so much for Chase here and the more I read, the deeper I fell for this mismatched couple.
And as Luc fell deeper under Chase’s spell her ability to accept all the tarnished bits of Chase’s life and then embrace them wholeheartedly was entrancing.
Luc herself, Showing her love in such an extreme manner, especially considering her total un-exposure to the mafia lifestyle, was So courageous of her.
Sometimes it takes an extreme act to knock some actual sense into a stubborn, macho, head.
Make a certain someone wake up and notice whats there for the taking, right under there nose.
That is so what Luc accomplishes here with Chase though I don’t think that was her original intention.
It was just a much-deserved by-product of her totally selfless act.
So I think its safe to say I bloody adored Eulogy, everybody who loves a good mafia story needs to give this series a go.
I read this in one actual sitting, I found it that addictive.
I just now need to make the time to read the rest of this amazing series.
Which I will definitely make a serious priority.
I was provided with an ARC of “Eulogy” By the author of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9460945-bex-beckie-bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
http://www.beckiebookworm.com
There are some thing Chase takes very seriously, “he eyed me very seriously. “Food’s a big deal. Gotta keep it safe.” He shrugged. “Plus, it’s connected to a wine cellar.” There were times I wanted to kick Chase in the nuts, then there were times I wanted to cry for him, and he’d do something dumb and I’d want to kick him in the nuts again. Chase has a tendency to blame his woman for some things, “I’m going to be erect every time I make coffee because of you.” This book was a rollercoaster ride, there were times my heart stopped and I was like really Rachel, really!!?!?! It’s funny how one small thing could change the outcome of fate.
Rachel, what did you just do to my heart?!?! UGH!!!
This review is going to be so difficult to read without having spoilers in it. That being said, I will go ahead and tell you what I can. Just know that you need this entire series in your life, YESTERDAY!!!
I am so thankful that Rachel put an Eagle Elite Family description in the front of the Eulogy. If you haven’t noticed, we are into book nine in the series. If I look back, there has been so much that has happened! I am not sure how even Rachel keeps it all straight! So thank you Rachel! I needed that family tree!
If you don’t know, Rachel Van Dyken’s Eagle Elite series is the BEST mafia series on the face of the planet! She kind of left us with a cliffhanger in Enrage. Sort of… Eulogy picks up where Enrage leaves off. Chase Abandonato is back! Will he get his HEA?!?! You will have to read and see…
“For her. I’d done it all for her. And… She’d. Betrayed. Me. I would have cut my out my own heart and handed it to her on a silver platter while I watched the last two thumps give way. I would have killed hundreds, thousands, millions. And it would have still never been enough, would it? Not enough. Not me. Not the house. Not my money. Not my love.”
~ Rachel Van Dyken, Eulogy (Eagle Elite #9)
Chase is raw and impulsive. Can anyone get through to him?!?!
Okay, that is all you are getting from me with this review! Sorry. But know that you need this one in your life. It completely gutted me. So damn good. I am so happy that there is more coming in this series. I do not want it to end. Please Rachel, don’t let it end!!
Thank you for allowing me to read this one. Mad, mad love for you and your work!
A must read in the Eagle Elite series! Chase… angry, betrayed and out for blood. Luciana is innocent about this life and there for a job. How everything is intertwined and truths are set free. Loved it. Highly recommend this book and series!
This is one of the best books if not thee best book I’ve ever read.
I don’t say that lightly either, I’ve read a shit load of books. This book tore me up, it broke my heart, and then I wanted to curl up in a corner and lose my shit while I cried the rest of the day. I am pretty sure Chase with be the death of me. I love all the guys in the series. I have my favorites for a variety of reasons and Chase was always one of them. While a lot of people have issues with him after the first two books, I always pulled for him and saw the reasons behind what he did to Nixon. I was #teamchase from the start.
I don’t think I will ever get some of these scenes out of my head. I can’t really say why or what for because I am NOT giving any of this away. I started it last night after “just looking at it for a minute” then ended up with only 3hrs of sleep. Yeah..I couldn’t put it down and didn’t realize when I looked up it was 3am and I had to get my kids up in 3hrs for school. So.damn.good.
I cried
I laughed
I sobbed my eyes out
My heart broke
Then it broke some more
I smiled and had tears on my face
I didn’t exhale till the epilogue
If you are not reading this series I don’t know what you are waiting for. Just do it. Start right now and I’ll hold your hand when you need it. I’ll be here when you get to this book with tissues and a hug.
Blood In No Out
Now I lay me down to sleep… I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Blood in. No out.
Seriously how do those words not just send chills down your spine! I keep saying this… but with each EE book, Rachel just keeps giving us more! More dark, more dirty, more emotion, more sex — more, More, MORE! And honestly, I think I will forever be shouting MORE at her with these books! Trust me you do NOT want to miss out on this one!
**Eulogy CAN be read as a standalone**
I am so blissfully wrung out!
I believe with certainty that every release by this amazing author is her best work yet. My expectations are always blown away. I need more like an addict chasing my next high. Cannot wait to read what comes next.
Rachel your words are life! I laughed. I ugly cried (and got the side eye from my husband because he doesn’t know how to handle tears) and had full on snotty face and hiccupping. My heart was shredded. My hate grew exponentially for the betrayer who left our charming, funny, loyal and loving Chase obliterated so completely. Is there any coming back from this? Why yes, yes there is. By the end I was euphoric – exhilarated. Thank goodness.
Luciana is both a trigger and a catalyst for redemption. She’s a young, beautiful, innocent lawyer hand picked and sent to work for the families. She’s completely oblivious to their titles, status or line of business. Little by little she connects the dots and breaks through Chase’s wall of armor. It’s not sunshine and rainbows. It’s gritty and a bit terrifying.
The build up of electrifying angst is expertly written. Perfectly paced. Every word expressing extraordinary detail and fore thought. The intricate web amongst these families and characters – I kiss my fingertips – intoxicating, fascinating, incredible, spectacular. I can’t find the right words.
This story is everything. Their journey is jam packed – self sacrifice – pain – redemption – healing – love. Gah just everything plus some that I’ve come to expect in an Eagle Elite book and from this incredibly talented author.
This series keeps getting better and better! I can’t believe at 9 books in I am still as mesmerized as ever by this cast of gritty, hardcore, bad donkey, loyal, mafia mo fo’s. I feel like I have lived these last several years inside the books since reading Elite. Living each and every nuance. Relationship. Marriage. Death. Betrayal. And the saga continues – need more now!
Oh my God! Where to begin? I have been a fan of this series since the very beginning and love it even more with every book that comes out. I crave each bookshelf to devour it and have the craving to stay.
Chase has always been my favorite and this story gutted me, grabbed me, and wouldn’t let go even with it over.
I look forward to see what will come next.
I so wasn’t ready to reach the end of this story. I was hooked from the moment I started. The ending of Enrage left me feeling gutted. So much betrayal and hurt for the characters, left in it’s wake and I knew there had to be some good to come of it all.
Eulogy was more than that “good”. With Chase left in a downward spiral and so consumed in his bitterness and anger…Luciana was the light at the end of his tunnel. The complete opposite of the women in their world, she was gentle, innocent, caring and SO giving. Oh how I LOVED their story!!! It took for Chase to go through what he went through in order to truly appreciate who Luciana was. But it doesn’t mean he was ready for it. He didn’t make it easy to be loved, but Luciana’s heart was so big she was willing to do whatever it took to show him he was worth it. I don’t think I’ve ever admired a characters as much as I admired her. In her grace and innocence and even in her naivety…was her strength. She wasn’t jaded like the women Chase has known in his life and she was the only one that could reach through the steel walls he so quickly erected. He really deserved someone like Luciana.
With a series like Eagle Elite, it is easy to fall in love with the characters and their incredible stories from which ever book you start from. Rachel Van Dyken does an incredible job of writing each one in a standalone style while still giving you enough background of the previous stories so that the reader can follow along without feeling lost. I even started in the middle of the series and have been hooked since then. However, the characters are all connected and I suggest that if you want to truly experience this series with UTMOST pleasure, start from the beginning. This will increase enjoyment ten-fold with all the heartache, heartbreak, loss, love and redemption of each character.
I’ve read plenty Mafia style romances/series and Eagle Elite is THE BEST one I’ve come across. The author has provided me with the most realistic storylines and characters I have grown to love. She’ll give you HEAs with each story but sometimes they’re HEAs for now; which strikes a chord with me. Love is messy, love can hurt and sometimes who you thought is your soulmate is only your soulmate for the moment. Everyone we come across leaves an impression in our lives that will change us. Sometimes that change is for the better, sometimes it’s a change that we must go through in order to prepare us for our true soulmate. That is what I have gotten out of each and every book in this series. I highly recommend getting to know these amazing characters.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Lee’Anne –
I have no idea how Rachel Van Dyken does it, but I feel like every time I review one of her books I start it out the same way – this was my favorite book of the year, possibly of all time, it’s AH-mazing. I don’t know what I’m going to do when this series ends, I just need it to go on forever! This can be read as a standalone, but don’t do that – go back and read them all from the beginning, you’ll thank me later!
We’ve seen a lot of Chase in previous books as he battled with accepting that Mil wasn’t who he’d always thought she was. Now, she’s dead and Chase is an absolute wreck (I’m going to compare his reactions to the Salvatore brother in VD when their humanity switches are flipped). His friends have done everything they can, but they can’t get the Chase they know and love back – he’s gone and in his place is a killing machine. Luciana is a lawyer who is in over her head with a boss whom she is afraid to defy – especially when he tells her she’s hired as the new “family lawyer.” Luciana is sent to live with Chase, only no one has told Chase and he isn’t exactly receptive to her arrival.
I just can’t applaud Rachel Van Dyken enough on the emotional rollercoaster she sends you on with this book. I feel like I hit rock bottom with Chase and then rode with him when Luciana is there to pick up the pieces. I literally couldn’t put this book down – I called in sick to work just so I could stay home and read it all in one day… shh! I’m already highly anticipating the next book from Rachel Van Dyken.
Avid Reader –
M/F Thriller, Romance
Triggers: Murder, Torture
I have not read the previous books in this series and will admit that I had a tougher time than I think I would have if I had read the previous books.
This was a powerful story about revenge, grief, family, love, and forgiveness. The writing style was somewhat strange to get used to, but once you get in to the rhythm of the writing, it doesn’t seem so choppy.
We watch as a family is forced to decide how to handle the betrayal from within, as well as the outside forces wanting to take over too. You have so many different characters vying for their own families, all while trying to figure out how to save the family they are all loyal to.
I really liked this story. It was gritty, had a great love story wrapped in the mystery of more family secrets.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Eulogy (Eagle Elite #9) by Rachel Van Dyken to read and review.
Family. Enemies. Betrayal. Love. Hate. Violence. It’s blood in and no out!
‘Eulogy’ is Book #9 in the ‘Eagle Elite’ Series. Rachel Van Dyken (RVD) has literally brought this series to a whole other level! Enrage, Book #8 left us hungry for more! RVD truly threw the baby out with the bathwater when she killed off Mil. There is so much collateral damage. Mil was a wife, sister, friend and…mob boss.
The death of Mil has an unbelievable impact on Chase. The ripple effect is felt far and wide. Chase, the easy going, funny guy is devastated. His rage is thick and palpable. His heart, shattered. He is lost. Lost in grief. He feels as though he failed Mil as a husband, a partner, a protector.
“I thought I loved her.
Our love had been a lie.
Her betrayal my only truth.”
Chase is trapped in a vicious cycle of hate and violence. Lashing out at everyone around him. Adding to this is a “mole” that has infiltrated the family. FBI “interviews” reveal pieces to a puzzle. The bigger picture. But who, who is the mole?
Luciana Smith is the new lawyer hired to deal with all of the legalities associated with the five families. She is sent to Chase first to go through the books and organize everything. Chase was not at all happy with this. Especially since she had to live with him. Chase starts out reckless and unpredictable with Luciana.
“She was the exact opposite of Mil. She was soft, didn’t talk back, and stared at me as if I was seconds away from ending her life.”
Life goes forward and plans are set in motion. Moles and murders. Fears and reveals. Chase finds his heart starting to come alive. But there is so much at stake. And then she does it again! RVD drops another bomb on us! Things ramp up at about 70. There is so much happening! And so I clenched my teeth as I read the last few chapters. Whew! What.A.Ride.
The story is not all doom & gloom. There are a lot of funny moments and I loved the group ‘texts’. We have seen these characters since they were in college and watched them grow, mature, marry and start families. So, what happens next? There are some pregnancies and some babies…
Is there another story or will we get a second generation?
“All wars are different. Some are lost with words unsaid.”
4.5 stars
“I thought I knew what love was. I was a fucking idiot.
A life for a life.
A soul for a soul.”
Blood in… No out!
This is one of my most favorite series. If you haven’t read these, they are a must read. Now, you don’t have to read them all, but I suggest you do. Especially book 8, Enrage, before this one. You will see all about what happened with Mil.
This is Chase’s book. My heart broke for him in Enrage. Wait, that’s a lie. My heart was shattered. He has been my favorite since the very beginning. (Nixon who?)
This book will have you biting your nails until the end! It had me doing just that. I really didn’t know which way it would go. Chase is on a rampage. Every LaGrange needs to be wiped out because of Mil. Chase will be dead soon.
Luciana is the new lawyer for the families. She starts with Chase’s files. She’s the exact opposite of Mil. She may seem weak at the beginning, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Don’t take her innocence as weakness. She wears her heart on her sleeve, right along with her headbands and pearls.
“But you Chase Abandonado…you’re worth living for, breathing for, existing for. The only way to break – is from being already broken.”
But can Luc get through to someone that’s hell bent on revenge?
Of course we get some laughs.
I will never look at a bag of bagels the same again. And holy cow! A whole freakin bag?!?!?!
We do get some surprises also. Nope, I’m not saying what they are though. My lips are sealed.
I love my mafia family. The way that Rachel writes, she makes you feel like you are part of the family. You feel for the characters like they are real people.
I want. No, I absolutely NEED more!
Holy mother of all things Mafia….
And Chase….
Ive never wanted to slap a character so hard….,literally i could feel it in my bones…
Then….
He laughs…
I really wasnt sure what to do with that!!!
Him laughing gave me all the feels and made me smile…what the hell is happening!!???
Luciana is such a great addition to this story it may surprise you!
If you are not caught up on The Elite series well you better get on it as
This book…
will make you need a drink!
Confusion might reign!!! But be prepared to go on the epic Eulogy ride!! Secrets get revealed but my lips are sealed!! #BloodInNoOut
The author has written something so incredibly intriguing and well worth reading you wont want to put it down for anything! ANYTHING!! She has nailed it with this book!