Getting Wilde

It drew me in until this book ended entirely too quickly. Where is the next book? I need it now. I like the characters, the intrigue, and the introduction of the psychic powers. I will be checking on this author's other books to see if they have the same impact.

I received this copy from Elewyn Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

5 Greed, Speed and Need Stars.

Present day – Paris.

Sarah Wilde is a finder of arcane/magical artifacts. While wrapping up her last find that also being harder than the client told her so the money was doubled and then tripled. On her way to pass money on to Father Jerome to give him money to look for missing children. Throughout the community of the connected a lot of children have gone missing or turned up dead. Sarah is on the search for two specific girls, sisters, the Kavala Sisters who can foresee the future.

Unfortunately the job is going tits up and she is saved by one of the members of the Arcane Council the Magician. Armaeus is the Magician has contracted Sarah in the past to find artifacts this time it is no different. The council is gathering and they gather many artifacts and rarely give them back.
Sarah is one kick ass heroine, with humor, a nice gun and tarot cards to help her out. But there is something that Sarah is hiding more subconsciously than anything else.

I struggled at the beginning with the whole world building getting into the book and I was very close to putting it on hold but I’m glad I didn’t.

Once you overcome the first couple of chapters you’re so emerged that you don’t want to put it down. The main characters are all unique in their own right and the secondary characters are on par with the main characters as well.

Not sure what to think of Armaeus he keeps his cards close to his chest and unsure of what his end game is. Sarah tries to keep her distance from Armaeus but it doesn’t work. They have chemistry.

On top of that the SWAT version of the Swiss Guards are hot on her heels.

Present day – Rome

Sarah has been given an artifact to break into the Necropolis under the Vatican City. She isn’t entirely sure what she is stealing. Problem with the artifact to get in you can’t out with it. She is to bring what she has retrieved to Las Vegas. Where the Arcane council resides.

After being semi successful she figures out what she has taken.

You’ve got to be freaking kidding me.” I snapped. “Armaeus sent me after the actual Devil? As in the Prince of Darkness, Father of Lies, Enemy of Righteousness – you’re what I stole from the Vatican?”

“Speak of the Devil.” He said, his voice as heart wrenchingly beautiful as his features. “And he shall appear.”

Sarah and Alexander Kreios go on a road trip together. Well, Alexander ditches Sarah and saves him.

Yeah well, he was wearing a Templar robe, Kreios, and it looked like the real deal. I thought that order dies out, oh about 800 years ago.” “The Templar still have a robust following.”
“Yeah, well, so do skinheads.”

For me it a toss-up for liking the Devil or the Magician more. But I think I would have to say that it would be the Devil. He is funny, charming, honest, and reckless and they have chemistry. Not a love triangle per se. But it might develop throughout the series?

Present day – Las Vegas

The shit hits the fan and it is one hell of a ride. What with being gassed then working for the council specifically the High Priestess with the help of Nikki, her carnie friend it gets cut a bit fine. Throw in a detective from Memphis who knows Sarah as someone else and you have a kick ass story.

Ending of the book

”Miss Wilde,” the Magician purred. I felt myself sliding back down a rabbit hole of unconsciousness, unable to escape. “It’s time for our work to begin.”

Sara Wilde has a mission: to protect those within the Community, namely the children whose psychic powers are just coming to fruition. She protects them from the Dark Magic practitioners who have all sorts of horrific ways to use the human body. But providing complete protection can get pricey. So Sara, armed with her tarot deck, searches out magical artifacts—for a price that is.

Sara’s most recent job should have gone off without a hitch, but in Sara’s life easy is not always in the cards. The result from Sara’s escapade will bring to light those who would see the entire magical community destroyed no matter the cost.

Trying to keep the Community safe will require Sara to head to Vegas and the seat of the Arcane council, something she tries to avoid at all costs. It will also bring her in frequent and direct contact with the council’s current leader, and Sara’s sometime boss (among other things), the mysterious Magician.

I was so happily excited when I finished reading Getting Wilde. Jenn Stark has successfully forced me to add another series to my ‘must read’ list. Okay, there was no actual force involved.

Sara Wilde brought to mind some of my favorite heroines. She’s extremely headstrong and always ready to charge into dangerous situations, but she never comes across as reckless. With all of her actions, Sara always has the best intentions at heart. Things don’t always go according to her plan, but with her knowledge and quick thinking, she’s able to get out of sticky situations. Stark did great balancing out Sara’s character; she’s not perfect, but she’s okay with that. And like many of my favorite heroines, Sara’s past is not all sunshine and roses. Problem is, there are certain things Sara’s mind has blocked off even from her for her own protection. I think this also means the extent of Sara’s power has yet to be seen, so it will be interesting to watch her grow throughout this series.

The moment The Magician, aka M. Armaeus Bertrand, came on the scene calling Sara “Miss Wilde” I was immediately reminded of another favorite VBC Alpha. Those two words for me set the tone for Armaeus and Sara’s relationship, and like the latter mentioned character, when Armaeus does deign to utter Sara’s first name, you stand up and take note because it means something. Also like said Alpha, as of right now The Magician’s end game is unknown. The Arcane council’s main focus is to “maintain the balance of all magic”. This includes both light and dark magic, which means Armaeus’s goals will not always mesh with Sara’s. While this makes Sara very wary of him, I loved the mystery that surrounds him and pray that one day we can look forward to The Magician’s point of view.

It’s always great when you find a book that just clicks and Getting Wilde certainly clicked for me. According to the author’s website, the next books should be released fairly close to one another. If you do end up finishing this book and need more, or if you just want to check Sara out before diving into a full length story, there is a prequel novella, One Wilde Night. As of writing this review, it’s available for FREE. So go forth, and happy reading! You won’t be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next in the series! Sara Wilde is a hunter of magic artifacts who uses her special power and a deck of Tarot cards to find things. The eclectic characters in the story add to the fun and you never know what's going to happen next.

Getting Wilde is the first full length novel in a promising new series called Immortal Vegas. After reading One Wilde Night the day before this book, I got the jist of what Jenn Stark's main character Sara Wilde is all about. Sara is paid handsomely to find priceless artifacts belonging to long dead tribes and in forgotten family vaults. Sara is known as a Finder, and one of the best around which also means she has some powerful enemies. She uses her Tarot cards to guide her to the artifacts location, and they also let her know when danger is bound to jump out at her.

Sara meets a whole new brand of trouble in this installment while retrieving an artifact from the Vatican. They are called Sanctus. While the Arcana Council is supposed to stand for the equality of good and bad magic, Sanctus wants to rid the world of all artifacts. Sara travels take her to Paris, and again to the Vatican in search of powerful artifacts. Sara isn't a character that is afraid to get her hands dirty. She loves the challenges of getting away with artifacts before anyone knows she was there. She also speaks up for those who are unable to. This isn't a happy world. There is darkness all around with young Connected's being killed and body parts harvested for use in dark magic spells and recipes.

I do wish, however, that Jenn had created a bit more of a background between Sara and the other members of the Arcana Council who she's met before this story picks up. Between the novella, and this book, Sara has had at least a half dozen adventures working for The Magician aka Armaeus Betrand. She's met The Foul, The High Priestess (Eshe), and knows about the Emperor and Empresses. In this installment, Sara meets the Devil himself Alexsander Kreios, and finally arrives in the one place she hates; Las Vegas.

I will say that there are certain background surprises awaiting readers this time around. Sara is a character that has an amazing heart, and one that drives her to seek out other Connected's like her (Psychics). I love her connection to Father Jerome, and also to Nikki Dawes. I found the background surprise hopeful that Sara can now move on with her life and not be bogged down by memories. I like Sara. I really do. I like that she uses Tarot Cards in order to find artifacts for the council, and I like that she doesn't do it for personal gain.

**I received this book for free from (Publisher) via (NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**