The Honor Society (The Dean’s List 2) by Rachel Van Dyken-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 30, 2026

Charlie knows three things for certain. She shot Axel. He survived.

And somehow, he doesn’t remember she was the one who pulled the trigger.

It should be a relief.

Instead, the man she’s secretly loved for years feels different. Colder. More dangerous. Axel still smiles, still flirts, still looks at her like he might remember exactly how good they were together—but there are pieces of him she’s never seen before.

Secrets beneath the jokes. Blood beneath the charm. And a darkness he’s very, very good at hiding. Because Axel remembers everything.

The bullet. The betrayal. The woman he still can’t stop wanting.

What Charlie doesn’t know is that Axel has spent years living two lives. In one, he’s the reckless man everyone underestimates.

In the other, he wears a mask. The Proctor. Judge. Jury. Executioner.

With the Convocation approaching, four powerful families are preparing to fight for control of the Honor Society, and someone is willing to wipe out entire bloodlines to take it. They need two things to win:

The Ledger. And the Proctor. Axel has both.

Now he has eighteen days to discover who is hunting him, keep Charlie alive, and stop a war without revealing the one secret that could destroy them both.

Because Charlie is searching for the Proctor too. She just doesn’t know she’s already falling for him.

Again.

•••••

REVIEW:THE HONOR SOCIETY is the second instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, new adult, THE DEAN’S LIST dark, academia romance series focusing on a secret organization known as The Honor Society. This is Axel aka the Proctor, and Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Sterling’s story line. THE HONOR SOCIETY can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as there is an ongoing premise throughout. For fans of Rachel Van Dyken, there is a slight cross over with the author’s Rise of the De Langes, and the Eagle Elite worlds.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Axel and Charlie) THE HONOR SOCIETY follows in the days before The Convocation, an event wherein a new member of ‘The Four Horsemen’ aka as the four ruling families of The Honor Society, takes the place of the old, either by murder, attrition or expulsion but all debts must be paid in full , whether in blood or bartered. As the Convocation date nears, The Proctor must keep order and balance but struggles to balance his own life and the woman with whom he has fallen in love. The Dean’s List and The Ledger keep the secrets of The Society, debts and assets, and betrayals of the past, a list that directs The Proctor down a path of no return.

The world building ,is once again, complex and multi-layered, gritty and immersive as secrets, lies and betrayal are avenged at the hands of The Proctor. A rigid set of rules and practices, a defined and restrictive hierarchy, and a power dynamic that keeps control of those within the four houses. To expose the families and houses can mean death but often friendships co-exist alongside the dark and dangerous.

The relationship between Axel and Charlie is tempestuous at best in the face of Charlie’s attempted murder of our story line ‘hero’ but Charlie’s orders came at a cost, threats against the man with whom she had fallen in love. Axel is no longer able to separate between himself and The Proctor, a position within the hierarchy that answers to no one. As The Proctor begins a slow seduction of our story line heroine, Axel finds himself pushed to the back, losing the woman that calls to his heart. The $ex scenes are seductive and passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, questionable and determined secondary and supporting characters many of whom we met in the previous instalment. All members of the Four Families will turnover a new Horseman, someone who must take their place at the top of the chain.

THE HONOR SOCIETY is a thought provoking story of secrets and lies, checks and balances, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, family and relationships, friendships and love. The character driven premise is dark, dramatic and edgy; the romance is spicy and controversial; the characters are eclectic, broody, dangerous and desperate.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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To learn more about Rachel & her books, visit here!

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!