4 Star - Loved It :Had a bit of a rough start for me. It was for sure Over The Top. I was curious about Tracey past and was crushing on Nixon.

For more reviews, check out Keep Calm and Love Books The concept of this book is pretty dull. I mean, it's typical high school drama with an added twist. To put it into perspective, this resembles a lot of the books you'd find on Wattpad. The drama was good though and it was a very quick read (1 day to be exact). It was a fun and easy distraction from the heavy reads I've recently picked up so besides the stereo-typicalness of it all, it was ok. Our protagonist, Trace, is really infuriating. I wanted to punch, maim and kill her several times in the book. She was whiny, sad, always crying and had no confidence. Besides that, her story moves pretty quickly, which I thanked God for. We went from 0-100 real quick in this and it suited the story. There is swearing, violence (yuck), and sexual references in this book so just beware of that; Dyken does not hold back when it comes to what these guys and girls think in their heads. Nixon is the typical too hot for school type jackass. I didn't like Nixon one bit in the beginning, and I still don't now. He's an asshole, as simple as that. Dyken tries to change him and make him a 'good' guy like some authors do, but I just really did not like him either way. I mean, the 3 rules??????? Do not touch, look or speak at the Elect (Nixon and his little gang) COME ON. That really infuriated me and how Trace would just go crying about them being so mean and how she would just take the abuse. Hello, you're all in college, grow a pair or just grow up and don't take stupid shit from these people. While I'm saying a lot of negative things about the novel, I will admit it was entertaining. It was definitely something I just read on a whim and because it had that 'look' of just absolute funny ridiculousness. And I was right by the way. It was exactly that, ridiculous and way out of context drama. We do get some surprises in this book. I did see some stuff coming but I think Dyken wrote it so we could?? I hope. The plot does thicken a tiny bit toward the end when we get the truth but definitely don't count on this book to be a deep read. I'm going to end this review on some dialogue from this book just to prove how ridiculous this was to read, yet extremely entertaining and funny: “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” I closed my eyes. This had to be a dream. This couldn’t be real! “I’m going to die a virgin!” I blurted and then began to truly hyperventilate. “What?” Nixon shouted. “A virgin,” I repeated as I greedily tried to suck more air into my lungs. “I’m going to die a virgin! I’m going to die without ever going overseas! I’ve never even been nak*d in front of a man before! Oh my gosh! I’m never going to have kids! What if I want kids? What if—” “Trace…” Nixon tried to interrupt me, but it was like I was watching my body freak out and couldn’t stop talking. “Nixon, you have to promise me that if we live through this — and that’s a giant if, considering we’re literally trapped between two death machines — you have to take my virginity. Take it!” “Trace, I don’t think this is the time to—” “Promise!”

I'm a sucker for mafia themed stories I'm not even sure how i got into it. If Tracey didn't make me want to smack her in the face every now and then, then I would've given this 5 stars. Oh and can I please have Nixon? Or Chase?

4 stars rownded up to 4.5

***5+ Stars*** OBSESSED!!! That is what I am with this series and its characters, and this is only book 1!!!!! Elite is another one of those books I have owned for quite a while and it has just been sitting on my shelf, and now I am asking myself why?!?! This is my first mafia book and I am hooked. Especially it being a twist on a college setting. I love how there is romance, but also the suspense and darkness that comes with being in the mafia. Tracy is one tough chick to just be thrown into the life she is thrown into. And Nixon is just yum with his tattoos and lip piercing. My favorite though is Chase. He acts tough, but has the heart of gold. He also had me cracking up with hilarious self, but damn that man could get scary as well. Oh and Monroe was amazing as well. I'm excited to jump into the next book and find out what happens next!!

What even... I think I might be traumatized. This was not only badly written but also incredibly unrealistic. I cannot deal with the mess that is this wannabe book.

Also posted at Booklovers For Life 3.5 STARS This book… was nothing I ever expected. The beginning was less than stellar, so I wasn’t sure I’d even enjoy the rest of the book, but then… things started to get intense. Exciting. Thrilling. And very different from your average new adult/college romance. I can’t say that I loved it, but I ended up really enjoying myself by the end of the book. The first third of the book was bad. I didn’t like it. It had too much of a clichéd boarding school young adult feel, which I’m not a fan of. The characters didn’t sound their age at all. They were in their twenties, but when they opened their mouths, they were 14 year old middle schoolers. Not good at all. The main character, Tracey, or Trace, is a freshman in college, and she wins a scholarship to Eagle Elite College, one of the top, prestigious colleges that houses the rich and wealthy. At the very top of the student body, the elite of the elite, is the group known as The Elect. The boys in The Elect–Nixon, Chase, Phoenix, and Tex–rule the school, and they have a very strict set of rules. 1. Do not touch The Elect. 2. Do not look at The Elect. 3. Do not speak to The Elect. Um, yeah. Assholes, much? Basically, The Elect a bunch of good-looking, nasty bullies who rule the school and who all the girls fall over themselves for. Can you tell how much I didn’t like that? This was the entire first third of the book. Nixon would devise some scheme to humiliate Tracey, the new girl, and Trace would try not to cry. But it turns out that Nixon does all this to protect Trace from the other students. If he bullies Trace, no one else will. And once he withdraws his “protection” all hell breaks loose and Trace is completely humiliated and degraded. By this time, I’m not even sure where the book is going, but thank god, the plot starts to change. It moves away from the petty bullying, to the more mysterious side of the story. The Elect takes in Trace, and she gets to know them better, especially Nixon, but there’s always something she’s missing from their conversations. It’s like they have an inside joke, and Trace isn’t a part of it. Eventually, things start to take a darker tone, but all the while, Trace and Nixon are getting closer together. There are secrets between them though, secrets that Nixon doesn’t want Trace to know. I don’t want to spoil it, even though it’s fairly obvious in the book what Nixon is involved in, but this was the reason why I started liking Elite a lot better. Plus, Nixon becomes a total sweetheart. I haven’t really forgiven him for being a complete jerk, but he was getting there. Because, oh my, the things he says to Trace? Swoon! “Don’t you get it?” My breathing became erratic as he leaned close enough to kiss me again. “I’d give my life for yours.” By a darker tone, I meant that lives are at stake. It’s not some cutesy romance anymore. There’s death and violence, and everything is so much more than you can comprehend. You think that the story will be going one way, but the plot twists and turns, and Rachel Van Dyken does this flawlessly. The rest of the story, after that awful first third of the book, was awesome! Rachel Van Dyken had me make a complete 180 about all the characters. I started caring for Nixon and Trace and the rest of the gang, and I was hooked onto their story. I couldn’t stop reading, because everything builds up, revelations are made, and all the characters are in constant danger. It’s so much fun to read! And I really started liking Nixon more by the end of the book. AH! He’s so sweet, even if he is a dangerous man. “I won’t let anything happen to you – I swear on my life, I’ll protect you until the day I die,” Nixon whispered hoarsely. “That’s a pretty big promise.” “Well, you’re a pretty important person. Important people deserve big promises, and you, Trace. You deserve the world.” Okay, so I give a 2 for the first third, and a 4 for the rest of the book. 3.5 stars! If you can get over the meh of the first third of the book, then I think you’ll enjoy Elite just fine. Liked this review? Subscribe to Booklovers For Life for more!