Wilde Card by Jenn Stark

The second book in the Immortal Vegas series releases tomorrow, and we are so very excited! This new series by Jenn Stark has been one of our favorite finds of the year.

Title:  Wilde Card
Author:  Jenn Stark
Series: Immortal Vegas, Book 2
Publish Date:  November 17th 2015
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Source: Provided by the author

Publisher’s Description: All that glitters may not be gold.

When an antique gold show comes to Vegas, Tarot reading artifact-hunter Sara Wilde’s job is simple: to locate and liberate a set of relics rumored to give their bearers access to an ancient, incredible power. Yet within the Connected community, whispers of a war against magic draw every psychic, mystic, warlock, and witch to Sin City. The most powerful Connected covet the infamous relics, but no one wants them more than Sara’s client–the insufferably arrogant, criminally sensual, and endlessly evasive Magician.

And what the Magician wants…

Sara’s heist takes a turn for the trickier as the smoky-eyed specter from her past, Detective Brody Rooks, is assigned to investigate a break-in at the gold show, forcing her to confront the one man in Vegas she can’t bluff. Even worse, just as she finally gets her hands on the goods, the game twists anew. The resulting chase leads her across the world to an ancient Egyptian temple filled with secrets, deception… and hints about her own abilities that could change everything. Desperate for answers, Sara is forced to turn to the one person she knows will manipulate, obfuscate and beguile to get whatever he craves. Only now, it seems, the Magician wants her.

Sometimes, when the deck is stacked against you… you’ve got to play the Wilde Card.

Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel (in other words, spoilers!).

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Nervous Nellie says…

Danae and the Deathwalkers?  Best. Band name. Ever.

This is an incredible series. Jenn Stark brings the Tarot alive with The Magician, The Priestess, The Fool, The Empress, The Devil……they are supposed to ensure the balance between dark and light magic without interference.  There are children being killed, tortured for their abilities – they are being poached  – their eyes are special? They lose their eyes…you get the idea.  It’s gruesome business and Sara is trying desperately to save these kids.  The only way she knows how to help is to get money to support the “underground railroad” for Connecteds.  She does that by using her Tarot deck to find things for other people….for a price.  The Magician is playing both sides to the middle.  He wants artifacts, but he wants Sara too. Does he want her for her developing abilities?  Does he want her because she means something to him?  Does he want her because he wants to take her apart piece by piece to see how she works?  I don’t know.  Ivana and I had a discussion and we settled on the fact he is playing a very long game.

Top Five reasons I liked this book:

• Action packed writing with adventure
• Tightly weaved plot
• Characters I can really get into
• Surprises around every corner
• Sexual tension between Sara and a couple of characters makes the story even tastier

I really liked this book because the overall story arc keeps getting better and better.  There is no doubt there is chemistry between The Magician and Sara, but to what end?  It’s that kind of intrigue that pulls me in and keeps me flipping pages.

I would recommend this series in a heartbeat.  It’s really that good.  Be sure to read in order because there are details that may be confusing if missed.  I am looking forward to what happens next with The Magician….and The Devil – something is going on with him that seems suspicious, well, MORE suspicious anyway – I tell you, there are so many games afoot, that even Sherlock would have a hard time deciphering what will happen next!

Invested Ivana says…

I love this series! It has great action, great characters, and more sexual innuendo than actual sex.

This time around, Sarah is looking for some ancient scroll cases inscribed with words of power. During her adventure she works with the Magician, the Priestess, the Devil, and the Fool – all characters from Tarot’s major arcana. But this time around she also gets to meet the Empress, a bohemian throwback to the 1970s whose loyalty can be somewhat finicky.

Thanks to the Magician – or so she thinks – Sarah is manifesting a new power, a third eye, which helps her see magic more clearly. Every new power makes the immortals more and more curious about Sarah’s background.  Now, with the mention of her parents, I’m getting more and more curious, too!

This series is just plain fun! I hope it sticks around for a while. Wherever it’s going to take us, I’m sure it will be a wild(e) ride.

Other reviews in this series…

• One Wilde Night Book 0.5
• Getting Wilde Book 01

If you like this book…

…you might try The Adventures of Owl by Kristi Cherish, the SPI Files by Lisa Shearin, or the Madison Fox series by Rebecca Chastain.