Author: Ava Drake
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press/Dreamspun Desires
Length: 242 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
At a Glance: I can’t say enough about Ava Drake and the Wild Cards, series. It’s absolutely entertaining and suspenseful.
Reviewed By: Maryann
Blurb: Temptation, peril, and dirty poker.
Love is a high-stakes game.
When Collin Callahan, British secret agent, goes up against math genius turned surfer bum Oliver Elliot, the battle is epic—and so is the attraction. They’re pitted against each other in an exclusive, ultra-secret—and ultra-illegal—poker match in Gibraltar, but when players start dying and they could be next, they find a common goal: catch the killer before it’s too late.
Evenly matched at poker and romance, they each wrestle personal demons that threaten to consume them as the stakes climb. It’s an all-or-nothing gamble with both life and love on the line as they fight to be the last seven-card studs standing.
Review: Collin Callahan is a stiff upper lip Brit. He’s been invited to a high-stakes poker tournament in Gibraltar. While out enjoying the Mediterranean Sea, he sees a surfer in trouble. Collin believes he’s rescuing the surfer bum, Gun Elliott, but, not so much.
Oliver “Gun” Elliott is a surfer, he doesn’t fit anyone’s mold, and has taken life by the horns. He’s also a math genius, and his expertise at poker has gotten him banned from casinos. Oliver has such a fun personality; he’s laid back and just can’t help giving the pompous “Mr. Fussy-pants” Collin a bad time.
The big question for both Collin and Oliver is just who’s behind this tournament and why is it a secret. The competition is cutthroat and its players include Albanian mobsters, hustlers and criminals and murders. The stakes are high for the winner of this tournament: fame, fortune…or death.
Collin and Oliver are very different in personality and in how they view their hook-ups, but neither is looking for a commitment. And their personal lives have not been the best with their families. Oliver and Collin make a good team, and Oliver helps Collin understand more about the techniques of the game. But there’s still secrets that cause distrust between Oliver and Collin.
I can’t say enough about Ava Drake and the Wild Cards, series. It’s absolutely entertaining and suspenseful. I like watching the tournaments on TV but don’t know all the intricacies about poker. Ava Drake had me convinced she knew what she was talking about. Seven-Card Stud is action packed, tense and loaded with danger and mystery.
Ace-in-the-Hole is the first book in the Wild Cards series. It gives us a brief glimpse of Martin Wylde and Peregrine Cardiffee, founders of Wild Card Inc., and I cannot wait for the next book to come out.
You can buy Seven-Card Stud here:
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