5 Smooches
Synopsis
I am a Killer. A Rapist. A Monster.
I know only pain and survival.
That is until the Cappo’s sister walked into my life.
And changed everything.
She’s a light who makes my darkness darker, her smile makes my heart turn to ice, and I can’t escape the fear her seductive looks instill–knowing it’s only a matter of time before I fail–again, and take her for myself.
This is the story of my redemption.
But it’s not pretty…I died, and now I’m alive, but not living, breathing but not surviving. I am Phoenix De Lange, son to a murdered mob boss, estranged brother, horrible friend, monster in the making, newest leader to one of the most powerful families in the Cosa Nostra.
And I will have my vengeance.
Or die trying.
I am Phoenix De Lange.
Death is all I know.
Until she offers me a piece of life–I can’t resist taking.
Review
“Tex’s sister, Tex’s sister. My body wasn’t accepting that – physically it wasn’t accepting any information other than she was beautiful. And it was dark.”
I am going to admit when I started this series it was not my absolute favorite series by Rachel. That isn’t to say that it wasn’t amazing just that I had connected more with some of her other books. The firsts books were good but I have to say with each new book this complex and action packed series pulls me in more and more.
“Hey . . . you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” “Every day in the mirror, Bee, every day.”
Ember is a book I have been excited to read since I first met and hated Phoenix De Lange. I don’t think anyone who met him in Elite could have come out of that book liking him too much. He is not a good guy and he has done some completely unforgivable things, which leads me to ask myself why after reading this book can I so easily forgive the cruelty that Phoenix has impaled on so many people’s lives. The only answer I can come up with is that Rachel is an AMAZING writer who has the power to make you love those you once hated.
“The innocent Bee was kissing me. A killer.”
Ember is a book about re-birth. Much like his name Phoenix must rise again from the ash that his father and his legacy have left him in. He is a shell of a man who is only really living to repay the debts he knows he owes people. He knows he does not deserve happiness in life and outright avoids anything that might possibly leave him feeling any better off than he is right now.
“The only constant in my life had been Phoenix De Lange. And he wanted nothing to do with me.”
Bianka (Bee) Campisi is a grown woman who is still very much a child. She has spent her whole life lonely and isolated and now that she has found her brother and started college at Eagle Elite she is determined to make up for lost time. She wants to live life but does not know how to go about doing that. So, she reaches out to the one person she considers a friend (which is ironic since he is nothing but mean to her), her bodyguard Phoenix.
“You wouldn’t touch her because you know if you did, you’d find your body parts scattered all over the good old US of A. Don’t worry though. I make pretty cuts. You wouldn’t even feel the first slice, or the second . . . now the third? The third cuts always the deepest, hurts like a bitch.”
Phoenix knows she is trouble for him (HELLO her brother is the Cappo and not Phoenix’s biggest supporter) so he purposefully is hurtful and pushes her away. But how hard must he push to get rid of persistent Bee and exactly how much cruelty can she take?
“I loved the sound of owing the great Phoenix De Lange a favor. Please, please let it be sexual.”
There is so much about this story that I loved. First off, Phoenix is sexy and dark but at the same time so incredibly sad that I just want to hug him. The way he punishes himself broke my heart and made me want to forgive him. Bee’s innocence is refreshing and fun. I loved how the simplest things needed to be explained to her and how Phoenix was the one who had to do it, like how to make friends. Her innocence played in her favor when it came time to forgive Phoenix because if the pure and sweet girl could look past all the pain he has caused surely I could too.
“Bee. I may be alive, but I’m not living.”
The more of these crazy and intricate Eagle Elite stories I read the more I find myself excited and eagerly anticipating the next in the series. While many series that go on for a while I think are overdone, this is one that I think only gets better and better. But I do have one small request . . . I could really use a flow chart of all these crazy families. With everyone pairing up with everyone’s sister I feel I need to see how this all lays out! Please and Thanks!
“Everyone loves a bit of darkness – until it consumes them.”
~miranda
