Book Reviews

Book 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?

 

Book Review

A vampire walks into a casino… is not the way this novel begins, but this story does revolve around Ante, a one-hundred-fifty-year-old vampire from Croatia who spends his time stealing blood and money from casino-going gamblers in Las Vegas, while trying to stay away from the “official” vampire rulers of the city. When members of the Shadows try to “convince” Ante to bring in a man of interest to them, Ante decides to stand up to them by refusing to do their bidding. The result is an action-packed story full of mysteries and revelations, suspense and humor, and a whole boatload of fascinating characters with a variety of sinister agendas.

Ante is a loner, a “rogue vampire” if you want, and nobody’s servant. He is not particularly ambitious and has no intention of taking over the world or some such project that – in his eyes – would be a waste of time. In essence, even while he does not realize it, I think Ante is bored. His life has no purpose – until he meets Peter, that is. Suddenly Ante is intrigued, even fascinated, and willing to take a risk to fight those who want to take advantage of Peter’s special abilities. And no, I’m not going to tell you what kind of paranormal being Peter is, but I have to admit that I was surprised when I found out.

The adventure Ante and Peter embark on as they evade the Shadows’ attempts to capture them had me on the edge of my seat more than once. Between the sizzling attraction they feel, the growing emotions that soon follow, and the suspense of their constant fight-or-flight escapades, this novel is mostly entertaining, certainly captivating, and definitely full of paranormal and other surprise and revelations. The inevitable final confrontation between Ante and the villain was well done, and the ending as hopeful and emotionally satisfying as I had hoped.

If you like paranormal thrillers that are more amusing than gritty, if you want to see what a category romance with a sweet vampire as a main character looks like, and if you’re looking for a read that is full of mystery, suspense, and passion, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 220 pages/54240 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	15-November-2017
Price	$4.99 ebook, $9.99 paperback, $9.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/ante-up-by-kim-fielding-8952-b