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Spades: Aces Underground One
Tumble down the rabbit hole…
Alissa Maravilla has spent her life playing it safe. She gave up her dream of being a professional musician for the steady, predictable world of nursing at a Chicago hospital. No risks. No chaos. Just straight lines and sensible choices.
Until she meets Maddox Hathaway.
The moment Alissa steps into his enigmatic haberdashery, she feels the shift—his piercing gaze, his effortless charm, his debonair style. Maddox is temptation wrapped in silk and sin, and when he invites her into his world, she can’t resist.
Aces Underground isn’t just a private club. It’s a descent into desire—a place where inhibitions shatter and the air hums with tempting possibilities. With Maddox, Alissa discovers a darker, more intoxicating side of herself—and she’s ready for more.
But beneath the seductive allure, Aces Underground has secrets. Secrets that whisper of danger. Secrets that could consume them both.
And Alissa is about to find out just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Alissa Maravilla has spent her life playing it safe. She gave up her dream of being a professional musician for the steady, predictable world of nursing at a Chicago hospital. No risks. No chaos. Just straight lines and sensible choices.
Until she meets Maddox Hathaway.
The moment Alissa steps into his enigmatic haberdashery, she feels the shift—his piercing gaze, his effortless charm, his debonair style. Maddox is temptation wrapped in silk and sin, and when he invites her into his world, she can’t resist.
Aces Underground isn’t just a private club. It’s a descent into desire—a place where inhibitions shatter and the air hums with tempting possibilities. With Maddox, Alissa discovers a darker, more intoxicating side of herself—and she’s ready for more.
But beneath the seductive allure, Aces Underground has secrets. Secrets that whisper of danger. Secrets that could consume them both.
And Alissa is about to find out just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
- GenresRomance
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 29, 2025
103 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Helen Hardt
205 books8,382 followers#1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Helen Hardt's passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award winning author of contemporary and historical romance and erotica, she’s a mother, an attorney, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family.
Join my official street team on Facebook, Hardt & Soul, for exclusive excerpts and giveaways! https://www.facebook.com/groups/hardt...
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Join my official street team on Facebook, Hardt & Soul, for exclusive excerpts and giveaways! https://www.facebook.com/groups/hardt...
Unchained (Blood Bond Saga: One) is FREE!! Get it here:
Kindle: https://amzn.to/2OccbIv
Nook: http://bit.ly/2u5tFOc
iBooks: https://apple.co/2KZpwSi
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2N0srL2
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2u7bHe0
Breathless (Steel Brothers Saga Book 10) is AVAILABLE! Get it here👇
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2NV9oa5
Nook: http://bit.ly/2zEclDb
iBooks: https://apple.co/2xWg393
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2xYJ70H
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xKZGwJ
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/GR_Breathless
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 30, 2025
Absolutely loved this! I knew I would like it… Given that Helen Hardt is one of my favorite authors, there was no doubt. This new world that the author has created has my head spinning, my heart pounding, my mind reeling. It’s mysterious, dark, twisted and addictive, I can’t wait to see where she goes with this! Dark romance is my life and I ate this all up!! Bring on book two!
Highly recommend!!
5 STARS!
✰✰✰✰✰
Highly recommend!!
5 STARS!
✰✰✰✰✰
April 20, 2025
Wow wow wow!
Spades is the first book in the 4 book series of Aces Underground! It was a nail biting sexy book about Maddox and Alissa. They meet and have an instant sexual and stimulating connection and dive together into the wonders of this underground club, but find out some shady business buried behind the elaborate facade. Another cliff hanger of course too!
Can’t wait for more! Thank you Helen for another great series!
Spades is the first book in the 4 book series of Aces Underground! It was a nail biting sexy book about Maddox and Alissa. They meet and have an instant sexual and stimulating connection and dive together into the wonders of this underground club, but find out some shady business buried behind the elaborate facade. Another cliff hanger of course too!
Can’t wait for more! Thank you Helen for another great series!
April 30, 2025
Spades
Wow! Mind just blown! As a child, you get scared by certain things that happen in fairytales because you don’t understand what the terrifying things mean. But as an adult, you start to see those scary things in a different way, a more adult way, maybe even a twisted way. And that’s how something like spades becomes conceived. We take the Alice in Wonderland fairytale and turn it into something exciting, sensual, twisted and extremely scary - dare I say it’s a complete mindfuk!! Maddox and Alyssa enter into a world where what you see on the surface is just an illusion. I have a recommend reading this book.!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow! Mind just blown! As a child, you get scared by certain things that happen in fairytales because you don’t understand what the terrifying things mean. But as an adult, you start to see those scary things in a different way, a more adult way, maybe even a twisted way. And that’s how something like spades becomes conceived. We take the Alice in Wonderland fairytale and turn it into something exciting, sensual, twisted and extremely scary - dare I say it’s a complete mindfuk!! Maddox and Alyssa enter into a world where what you see on the surface is just an illusion. I have a recommend reading this book.!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 2, 2025
Here I thought that I loved this authors books, But honey, I am here to tell you that I truly do love her books. The Spades: Aces Underground is an awesome tell of Alice in Wonderland and what life has to hold. Bravo for another awesome book.
A normal place and a normal time doesn't belong in the life of Alissa. She is all about right angles and cleanliness thanks to the COD of her mother. Thinking that it was time to make a change she somehow wondered into Maddox's clothing store.
Alissa, is the type of woman that doesn't nee a man to handle her problems. Nor does she believe that she will ever find love. But wait what is love but a simple word. Yet, its a word that holds a lot of meaning behind it. Alissa, is about to find out what kind of person she truly is with Maddox.
Maddox, the golden boy of his family until that fateful 18th birthday. On that day, he found out what it is truly like to be alone. No one to turn to for help because no one wants to be around you anymore. Love and all that good stuff was never in the cards for this man. At least until he met Alissa that one fateful day.
The two main characters of this book are absolutely meant for each other. The way that their back stories intertwined in one way or the other is absolutely brilliant. The plot thickens throughout the story and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
A normal place and a normal time doesn't belong in the life of Alissa. She is all about right angles and cleanliness thanks to the COD of her mother. Thinking that it was time to make a change she somehow wondered into Maddox's clothing store.
Alissa, is the type of woman that doesn't nee a man to handle her problems. Nor does she believe that she will ever find love. But wait what is love but a simple word. Yet, its a word that holds a lot of meaning behind it. Alissa, is about to find out what kind of person she truly is with Maddox.
Maddox, the golden boy of his family until that fateful 18th birthday. On that day, he found out what it is truly like to be alone. No one to turn to for help because no one wants to be around you anymore. Love and all that good stuff was never in the cards for this man. At least until he met Alissa that one fateful day.
The two main characters of this book are absolutely meant for each other. The way that their back stories intertwined in one way or the other is absolutely brilliant. The plot thickens throughout the story and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
May 9, 2025
A definite surprise!
This is quite different from the other Helen Hardt books that I have read. Maddox owns a haberdashery that Allisa walks into on her way home from work one evening, when she takes a different route on a whim. She is a flautist with a nursing degree, working at the hospital just a few blocks away. Allisa had to see what a haberdashery was and was instantly drawn to Maddox. They chatted for a bit over a cup of tea. When she was headed out to walk home, Maddox insisted on driving her the few blocks since it was mid winter in Chicago. He then asked her out for the following night since they got along so well.
Things get interesting when they go to the club his father was a member of. Before his father passed away he transferred his membership to Maddox. Maddox had been there a few times but never paid attention to or questioned anything while he was there.
I enjoyed this book and was surprised by the ending. I can’t wait for Diamonds to come out to see where Helen goes next..
This is quite different from the other Helen Hardt books that I have read. Maddox owns a haberdashery that Allisa walks into on her way home from work one evening, when she takes a different route on a whim. She is a flautist with a nursing degree, working at the hospital just a few blocks away. Allisa had to see what a haberdashery was and was instantly drawn to Maddox. They chatted for a bit over a cup of tea. When she was headed out to walk home, Maddox insisted on driving her the few blocks since it was mid winter in Chicago. He then asked her out for the following night since they got along so well.
Things get interesting when they go to the club his father was a member of. Before his father passed away he transferred his membership to Maddox. Maddox had been there a few times but never paid attention to or questioned anything while he was there.
I enjoyed this book and was surprised by the ending. I can’t wait for Diamonds to come out to see where Helen goes next..
April 27, 2025
This is the first in the Aces Underground series. Alissa is all about straight lines. She wanted to play the flute for the orchestra but instead decides to go the safe route and becomes an RN. One night on the way home Alissa decided to take a different way home and comes across a shop. That's were she meets the shop owner Maddox and there is an instant attraction between the two of them. On their first date Maddox (who hasn't told Alissa he is the son of the deceased Mayor of Chicago). At first Alissa is specital of going inside the club but when she goes to the club she is very intrigued.
Maddox and Alissa continue to grow closer and with a couple of more trips to the club Alissa starts to become suspicious of what the club is really about and asks Maddox to help her figure out what is going on.
This is another great series by Helen Hardt ending in a true Helen Hardt cliffhanger. I can't wait for the next book!
Maddox and Alissa continue to grow closer and with a couple of more trips to the club Alissa starts to become suspicious of what the club is really about and asks Maddox to help her figure out what is going on.
This is another great series by Helen Hardt ending in a true Helen Hardt cliffhanger. I can't wait for the next book!
April 23, 2025
Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the door bell...
I'm excited about this new series by Helen Hardt. If the series is anything like this first book, we will be further seduced and drawn into the dark side.
Alissa is a woman who lives her life obeying the yellow light and proceeds with caution. She is guarded and stays in her lane. But Alissa is drawn like a moth to a flame when she takes a chance and leaps into unknown territory. She meets Maddox who gives off seductive vibes in a bespoke suit. He introduces her to a place called Aces Underground. This is not an ordinary club. The atmosphere seeps with danger and possibilities.
Alissa is tired of her mundane life and decides to color outside of the lines with Maddox. There is an undercurrent of risk and jeopardy in the air, and she wants to be part of it. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
I'm excited about this new series by Helen Hardt. If the series is anything like this first book, we will be further seduced and drawn into the dark side.
Alissa is a woman who lives her life obeying the yellow light and proceeds with caution. She is guarded and stays in her lane. But Alissa is drawn like a moth to a flame when she takes a chance and leaps into unknown territory. She meets Maddox who gives off seductive vibes in a bespoke suit. He introduces her to a place called Aces Underground. This is not an ordinary club. The atmosphere seeps with danger and possibilities.
Alissa is tired of her mundane life and decides to color outside of the lines with Maddox. There is an undercurrent of risk and jeopardy in the air, and she wants to be part of it. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
April 29, 2025
A new series from Helen Hardt, I have been looking forward to reading this series, and wow, it did not fail to disappoint 😁
Alissa always follows the same routine, same route when coming home from work until she decides to take a different route and stumbles upon a shop with an unusual name and decides to go inside where she meets Maddox.
Maddox introduces Alissa to the Aces Underground club and realises what's she has been missing the last few years, danger and excitement, and with Maddox, the sexual chemistry is hot 🔥
After remembering something her father told her, Alissa relises nothing is as it seems. She is determined to find out what is really going on with or without Maddox help.
Fantastic read and left us with a cliffhanger 😮, so excited to find out what happens next in Diamonds ♦️
Alissa always follows the same routine, same route when coming home from work until she decides to take a different route and stumbles upon a shop with an unusual name and decides to go inside where she meets Maddox.
Maddox introduces Alissa to the Aces Underground club and realises what's she has been missing the last few years, danger and excitement, and with Maddox, the sexual chemistry is hot 🔥
After remembering something her father told her, Alissa relises nothing is as it seems. She is determined to find out what is really going on with or without Maddox help.
Fantastic read and left us with a cliffhanger 😮, so excited to find out what happens next in Diamonds ♦️
May 8, 2025
5/5⭐️
3.5/5🌶
Spades is a dark twist of a childhood favorite.
Helen Hardt's vision of this dark tale has me eating it all up.
Alyssa and Maddox go on a tempting adventure with each other. Their attraction and passion is immediate and the fire between these too is off the charts. Maddox opens up a whole new world to Alyssa and unknowingly opens up a dangerous path both of them are headed down.
Spades had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The Queen of Cliffhangers hits us hard again painting our curiosity Red.
I couldn't get enough of this story and I'm completely invested into seeing where she's going to take us next in this journey down the rabbit hole.
3.5/5🌶
Spades is a dark twist of a childhood favorite.
Helen Hardt's vision of this dark tale has me eating it all up.
Alyssa and Maddox go on a tempting adventure with each other. Their attraction and passion is immediate and the fire between these too is off the charts. Maddox opens up a whole new world to Alyssa and unknowingly opens up a dangerous path both of them are headed down.
Spades had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The Queen of Cliffhangers hits us hard again painting our curiosity Red.
I couldn't get enough of this story and I'm completely invested into seeing where she's going to take us next in this journey down the rabbit hole.
December 30, 2025
Aces is only the beginning.
Alissa followed straight lines but her world is going to change after she takes a turn into the haberdashery and meets Maddox. Maddox takes Alissa to the club where his father was a member and he inherited the membership to Aces. At first Alissa thinks this club is nice but her mind changes when she becomes aware of the sex that is going on there. She and Maddox find out about other things that are going on with Rouge at the club and they plan to find out what else is going on.
Alissa followed straight lines but her world is going to change after she takes a turn into the haberdashery and meets Maddox. Maddox takes Alissa to the club where his father was a member and he inherited the membership to Aces. At first Alissa thinks this club is nice but her mind changes when she becomes aware of the sex that is going on there. She and Maddox find out about other things that are going on with Rouge at the club and they plan to find out what else is going on.
May 3, 2025
Being a suburban native to Chicago, I enjoyed the place this story takes place. This book left me scratching my head in a few places. they get attacked and beaten one night and instead of calling the police they immediately go home and have sex? no thought to being injured or sore? I’ve really enjoyed this author but I’m getting a little tired of the same similar plot being repeated. The whole story takes place in three days. And they decide they love each other.
April 29, 2025
WOW! Talk about going down a rabbit hole. Alissa and Maddox are steamy. He has brought out something in her that she is almost scared of and well she has brought out Mad Maddox. Their journey to Aces Underground is a little bit more than Alissa expected. I LOVED IT
May 5, 2025
Alice and wonderland around every corner is a new rabbit hole to travel down! A quick fast relationship between Alissa and Maddox, and in true Helen Hardt fashion book opening the serious ends on a cliff hanger!
July 20, 2025
Disappointing
Too dark, too deep, what’s the point? I don’t think I’ll read the subsequent books. I’ve previously enjoyed her books, but the last few I’ve read have gone to unrealistic and extreme plots. Very disappointing.
Too dark, too deep, what’s the point? I don’t think I’ll read the subsequent books. I’ve previously enjoyed her books, but the last few I’ve read have gone to unrealistic and extreme plots. Very disappointing.
August 22, 2025
love this book and their characters
Easy reading! This book is easy to read and has a few indications of more drama to follow! Maddox is a special guy and Alyssa is the heroine in lot of the plots!
Easy reading! This book is easy to read and has a few indications of more drama to follow! Maddox is a special guy and Alyssa is the heroine in lot of the plots!
January 27, 2026
My only complaint is I didn’t know it wasn’t a standalone
This book is so captivating and engaging. Love the characters and the nuances to the story. The hidden meanings and the parallels to Alice in wonderland are great!
This book is so captivating and engaging. Love the characters and the nuances to the story. The hidden meanings and the parallels to Alice in wonderland are great!
April 27, 2025
Amazing as always I love the fairytale aspect of this and look forward to the next book in the series .Helen Hardt keeps you guessing as to what’s next love it 💕
April 30, 2025
Alissa decides to venture from her normal routine and meets Maddox . He introduces her to a dark mysterious underground club. Can’t wait for more. Love all of Helens books.
May 1, 2025
dark and mysterious. cold not put down. Helen is off to an amazing start with this new series. I highly recommend this book and all of Helens books to others.
May 12, 2025
So good! Nothing like a good cliffhanger!
June 1, 2025
Another great beginning to a series by Helen Hardt. Spades will keep you on your toes with chemistry, mysteries, and excitement. I can't wait to read Diamonds!
June 11, 2025
This is the first book in Aces Underground. What a way to start. Absolutely fell in love with these characters. Helen outdid herself and I cannot wait to read more and find out more about them.
August 4, 2025
Actual rating 4.25.
December 31, 2025
Oh this series is gonna be a wild ride!!! Bring on book 2!
May 25, 2025
This is quite different from the other Helen Hardt books that I have read. Maddox owns a haberdashery that Allisa walks into on her way home from work one evening, when she takes a different route on a whim. She is a flautist with a nursing degree, working at the hospital just a few blocks away. Allisa had to see what a haberdashery was and was instantly drawn to Maddox. They chatted for a bit over a cup of tea. When she was headed out to walk home, Maddox insisted on driving her the few blocks since it was mid winter in Chicago. He then asked her out for the following night since they got along so well.
Things get interesting when they go to the club his father was a member of. Before his father passed away he transferred his membership to Maddox. Maddox had been there a few times but never paid attention to or questioned anything while he was there.
I enjoyed this book and was surprised by the ending. I can’t wait for Diamonds to come out to see where Helen goes next..
Things get interesting when they go to the club his father was a member of. Before his father passed away he transferred his membership to Maddox. Maddox had been there a few times but never paid attention to or questioned anything while he was there.
I enjoyed this book and was surprised by the ending. I can’t wait for Diamonds to come out to see where Helen goes next..
August 9, 2025
Aces Underground -
Spades
Diamonds
“ Fall down the rabbit hole” into an adventure. Mixed with a bit of romance. Along the way with a twist or two.
Spades
Diamonds
“ Fall down the rabbit hole” into an adventure. Mixed with a bit of romance. Along the way with a twist or two.
August 26, 2025
Can I have Diamonds now Helen?? The cliffy was amazing, just wanted more & more!!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews