Review: Ante Up by Kim Fielding

Title: Ante Up (Dreamspun Beyond: Book Eight)

Author: Kim Fielding

Length: 220 Pages

Category: Paranormal

At a Glance: I love Kim Fielding’s work—I do—but this story just seemed to be missing some real meat. All in all, the book delivers a nice little romance without too much angst and just enough action to satisfy.

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: Love is a high-stakes game.

A century and a half ago, Ante Novak died on a Croatian battlefield—and rose three days later as a vampire. Now he haunts Las Vegas, stealing blood and money from drunken gamblers and staying on the fringe of the powerful vampire organization known as the Shadows. His existence feels empty and meaningless until he meets beautiful Peter Gehrardi, who can influence others with his thoughts.

An attraction flares instantly, bringing a semblance of life to Ante’s dead heart. But the Shadows want Peter too, and they’re willing to kill to get him. As Ante and Peter flee, they learn more about themselves and each other, and they discover that the world is a stranger place than either of them imagined. With enemies at their heels and old mistakes coming back to exact a price, how can Ante and Peter find sanctuary?

Review: Kim Fielding offers up an endearing paranormal tale in her latest release, Ante Up. Tossing together a jaded vampire with a charming young elf, Ms. Fielding creates just the right chemistry to make this romance downright sweet and fun as well. Once again this author manages to create a new twist that makes what might have been just a standard paranormal tale so much better. Her characters are as unalike as possible, yet they work so well together. Peter pulls Ante from his dismal solitary life into one that he never thought could be his.

Ante is so jaded, bone-tired from a life that has left him alone and contemplating seeking a permanent end. He exists, never fully living, drifting from trick to trick, taking just enough blood to sustain himself, and stealing just enough money from his marks to survive. He remains in Las Vegas because of a connection that produces more guilt than joy. Staying one step ahead of the vampire mafia aptly named the Shadows, Ante does the occasional job for them because he must in order to remain free and independent. The last thing he expects is to encounter a being whose blood draws him like no other.

Peter has been a nomad most of his life, first with his flighty mother, and now as an adult. He lives from moment to moment, using his ability to sway others to do his bidding in order to gain the funds necessary to live. But, while Peter may use his power to charm others in order to survive, he never harms anyone. He is sweet, kindhearted and adrift. When he meets Ante, there is something about the brooding vampire that draws him in and makes it so very difficult to walk away.

Unfortunately for both men, the leader of the Shadows wants Peter for his own, in order to use his abilities to control those who stand in his way of growing his empire. At first, Ante is so sure there is no other way than to give Peter up, turn him in and just move on, but it’s the moving on part that has Ante troubled. There is something about the elf, and it’s more than the sweetness of his blood. For the first time, in a long time, Ante is feeling as though he may just have found a reason, or, rather, a person to live for—to fight for—to love. The vampire and elf throw their lot in together and must now find a way to elude the long, dark hand of the Shadows so that they can see just how deep their own emotions for each other run.

I think the best part of Ante Up was not actually the main character but his lover, Peter. The author provided so many little quirks about this elf and, as a result, created someone who immediately became my favorite. Peter was a bundle of joy; even when running for his life, he managed the energy to keep Ante from being morose and distant. Ante was certainly meant to be the star of this novel. However, because his story was given to us in mere dribs and drabs, and I felt we never got the clear connection between him and the leader of the shadows, he was a character that felt the most incomplete. In fact, if pushed, I would have to say that this entire novel felt somewhat unfinished to me. If this makes sense, it was a rather shallow version of the type of story we are used to from this author.

It’s difficult for me to pinpoint why I felt that way about Ante Up. It could be because I never really got to know Ante, to understand his loneliness and decision to never attempt to leave Vegas or try to build some sort of life for himself. He was the quintessential drifter, and even though Peter was of the same ilk, he seemed so much more relatable to me. Consequently, the showdown between Lee, the leader of the Shadows, and Ante seemed rather forced; Ante’s commitment to remaining aloof from society, and essentially homeless, didn’t really make sense, and the ease with which Peter and Ante finally do find a place to call home was just a bit too cliché.

I love Kim Fielding’s work—I do—but this story just seemed to be missing some real meat. I wanted more depth to the story, a better glimpse of Lee and Ante before they became enemies, and a lengthier version of Peter’s story as well. This is something I know this author can deliver time and again. In the end, Ante Up was a nice story—nothing that stood out, like much of Fielding’s work normally does for me—but still a fine novel. Peter is captivating and entertaining. Ante is redeemed in the end, and his love for Peter is so apparent and sweet. All in all, the book delivers a nice little romance without too much angst and just enough action to satisfy.

You can buy Ante Up here:
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