Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Aces Wild / Ante Up / All In

Sin City Collectors #1, 3, 5

by Amanda Carlson

Welcome to Vegas. Home of the Sin City Collectors. The job description is easy: Bring the offending supernatural in to the Boss and don't ask any questions.

*The characters in these 3 installments interact on the page to make for one fun novel!*

ACES WILD, Vol. 1
Nevada Hamilton has learned a few things since becoming a Sin City Collector, and staying away from vampires is one of them. After botching her first Collection, she hasn't been assigned to another one since. But when she receives her next playing card, she's in for a surprise. Not only is a vampire her next target, but they've paired her up to make sure she gets the job done right.

Being a hellhound isn't enough to protect Jake Troubadour from Nevada Hamilton, no matter how thick his skin is. Finding out he has to work with the beautiful dhampir, after not seeing her for three years, is a low blow--but Jake is a professional. He takes his Collections as seriously as he does running his bar. He'll do whatever it takes to get the job done.

ANTE UP, Vol. 2
Diesel Jones is a shifter with moon issues. His dream of becoming a Sin City Collector has lingered in the shadows because of his inability to control himself. But when Louie Fiore decides to test his merit, Diesel jumps at the chance. When he finds he has to come up against an incubus, painful issues from the past resurface and he only has one thing on his mind--kill.

Sofia Cabrera is the new witch in town, and she's more than anyone bargained for. She finds herself drawn to Diesel, the sexy shifter, the first moment she lays eyes on him. When she finds herself the target of an organization of incubi, Diesel comes to her aid unexpectedly and they end up fighting the threat together.

ALL IN, Vol. 3
Ginger Elliot is a succubus on the run. She's in danger of being Collected, but her first priority is to find her brother. Even though she operates the biggest spy network in the supernatural world, it may not be enough to free her from the crimes she's been accused of committing. But keeping her deteriorating condition from the sexy shifter who's accompanying her is getting trickier by the hour.

Luke Jones is on a mission to save the succubus he's fallen for--not only from her brother--but from herself. The two have been on the incubus's trail for weeks and finally have him backed into a corner. Luke knows Ginger is in trouble, but he has no idea how to save her.

What's Collected in Vegas, stays in Vegas...

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Audiobook, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Anthologies

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 18, 2014

About the author

Amanda Carlson is the author of the upcoming Jessica McClain series. The first book, Full Blooded, will be released by Hachette Book Group, ORBIT US & UK SEPT 2012. She’s been writing for over ten years. Full Blooded is her first novel. She lives in Minneapolis, with her husband and three kids.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sin City Collectors series is a collaboration between Amanda Carlson and Kristen Painter, each author has written 3 stories set in the same world that are available either as stand alone novellas or in one of two collections. This first volume contains all of Amanda Carlson's contributions: Aces Wild, Ante Up and All In, the three stories all follow on very closely from one another so although each novella features a different couple there is a story arc that goes across all three. I'm not sure if there is any crossover of characters into Kristen Painter's novellas as I've not read those yet but I believe they have a similar story arc and would also be best read in order.

Each of these stories features characters who are members of the Sin City Collectors, an elite team who are tasked with tracking down supernaturals that have broken the law and they will do whatever it takes to bring their target to justice.

I'll give you a quick overview of the stories but I don't want to go into too much detail because it would be easy to give you spoilers:

Aces Wild
Dhampir Collector Nevada has only one rule, she does not bring in vampires. Ever. So she's not best pleased about her latest job, especially since the boss has paired her up with the sexy hellhound Jake to make sure she gets the job done. Nevada and Jake have history and although their last meeting might have been the hottest night of her life it didn't end well so she has no intention of going back for more. Jake has never forgotten the night they shared though and he's not about to let Nevada walk away for a second time without putting up a fight.

Ante Up
Diesel is a shapeshifter who has been trying to get a job with the Sin City Collectors for a long time but his issues with control around the full moon have always made him too much of a wild card. Now he is finally being given the chance of a lifetime and if he can bring in a rogue incubus he'll land his dream job. The incubus has set his sights on a powerful local witch Sofia and Diesel will do whatever it takes to protect the woman who has slowly been stealing his heart.

All In
Ginger is a succubus who has spent years searching for her brother and trying to rescue him from the clutches of a criminal organisation but all her efforts have earned her is a target on her back thanks to the way that the Sumerians have set her up to take the fall for their own activities. Shapeshifter Luke has been tasked with bringing in both Ginger and her brother but he is determined to help her gather enough evidence to prove her innocence before he does. He also has every intention of keeping her safe from her brother, no matter what he has to do to succeed.

The Sin City Collectors Boxed Set is an enjoyable anthology of short but hot reads and I really liked the world the author has created. I actually listened to the audiobook version and I thought that narrator Emma Wilder did a great job reading it. My only complaint was that I didn't really like the voice she used for Sofia's character but that was definitely a personal taste thing rather than a problem with the story or narrator. I'm hoping that Amanda Carlson might decide to write more stories in this world (if nothing else I'd definitely love to read more about Raoul!) but I'm looking forward to picking up Kristen Painter's collection in the meantime.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for a honest review

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Sin City Collectors Boxed Set by Amanda is a great collection of stories. Amanda draws you into her world, and her stories are well rounded. Her characters are flawed which makes them seem more real, and someone you can find actually living in our world (even if they are super naturals).

The idea of a super natural collection agency to round up super natural criminals was one I wouldn't have thought up, and Amanda did superbly with the idea. The stories drew me in and I didn't want to stop listening.

While the sex was more than I generally will read/listen to, I was able to skip over quickly and the story didn't lose out for it being there or skipped. Overall the series gets 5 stars (rounded up from 4.5 average).

I will definitely listen again, and the books inspired me to read Kristen's books in the series too.

[Laura *Little Read Riding Hood*]

Predictable but cute. A typical PNR with stronger females leads, which is always nice.

[Shayay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the narration! She had a good energy to her voice and the performance was a good quality.

This set has books 1, 3, and 5 of the Sin City Collectors series. Each story is a short fun read with some action and spice! Enjoyed each one!

Book 1 - Aces Wild

Liked the second chance romance between Nevada and Jake, and that she’s a half vamp and he’s a hellhound. I would’ve liked a bit more time with them together, but they have a sweet connection between them! Also, the premise of them teaming up as Collectors to catch supernaturals doing wrong, is an interesting one! Entertaining story!

Book 2 - Ante Up

I wasn’t a fan of Witch Sofia in Aces Wild, but she’s better in this read. Sofia is in danger from an incubus, so she ends up teaming up with shifter and collector, Diesel. Diesel and Sofia have attraction towards each other, but some past issues get in the way. Enjoyed the read!

Book 3 - All In

This fun short read that features succubus Ginger and shifter Luke dealing with some unruly incubi. Incubi and Succubi are my least favorite paranormals to read about, but I liked how the author handled them. I liked Ginger; a bit too trusting, but she’s got a good heart. Luke is a total sweetie. Issues arise from their pasts; an evil incubus killed Luke’s parents, and Ginger’s brother is going down a dark path, so the road to love is a bit difficult for these two. Overall, an entertaining read!

[Tanya Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sin City Collectors are a group located in Las Vegas who pretty much patrol the supernatural. This collectors set includes the 3 stories written by Amanda Carlson.

Aces Wild

Nevada Hamilton is a Dhampir being sent on a vampire case. Nevada's last vampire case did not go so well so she's not overly anxious to try this one. She is especially leery when she does not know the reaction between a Dhampir and a vampire. She's not too knowledgeable about her species.

Apparently her bosses are not the most confident on this job either as they actually assign her a partner, something that is never done. Nevada is furious. Then things get even worse for her when she sees she's been paired with Jake Troubadour. Nevada and Jake have a history. One she is deeply angry about and Jake is pretty clueless. He's not sure what happened between them 3 years ago, but Nevada likes to kick up a hissy fit and throw verbal daggers at him all the time. You really feel sorry for the guy.

The two go on this hunt, things end up getting hot, only for Nevada to totally freak out about what they were doing. Like a totally different person. It's not until the enemy's game goes into motion that we find out the answers about Nevada's strange episodes. The ending leaves us with some answered questions and a few surprises. There are things we find out about Nevada and being a dhampir that I'm so glad come out. I was seriously disliking her immature attitude. It was HER job, and the things that happened between her and Jake were HIS fault. It was pretty annoying. Jake I loved. Just one of those good guys that is always there to help. Definitely my favorite character.



Ante Up

In Ante Up we focus on Diesel who we met briefly in Aces Wild. He is a shifter working at Jake's bar who has serious issues when the moon rises. It normally takes his brother to try and keep him calm. This one thing is what is keeping him from becoming a Collector. So when Louie comes to him with a case, likely to test him, Diesel jumps on it.

I am going to say here. I think Louie is like a foreseer or something because of the matches he makes. Diesel has major history with incubi, and what does he send Diesel after? You got it, an incubi. To make it worse, the moon is coming soon and Diesel needs this job done before his bad half takes over.

Sophia is also a character we met in Aces Wild. She's a witch and ever since she laid eyes on Diesel, she's been hanging around the bar trying to get as much time with him as she can. It is driving Nevada crazy but no matter what verbal crap Nev gives her, Sophia sticks around. Nev can be pretty brutal.

With a crazy set of circumstances, Sophia ends up in the middle of Diesel's job. A friend of Sophia's appears and could possibly hold the keys to the information Diesel needs. Ginger really isn't the type of person who Diesel or his brother Luke need to be dealing with, but they help get Sophia out of a serious mess. The gang, including Nev and Jake, all come together to hunt down these incubi. They are kind of playing off the game plan as the group itself is not Diesel's job, but he plans on dealing with that once Sophia is safe.

I thought the storyline was a lot of fun. The characters all become pretty fleshed out and the action was fun. I was not a big fan of the insta-love between Diesel and Sophia, but it is really a big part of the story. The end, is more like the beginning of the next book. Not really a cliffhanger, but more of a lead-in. I enjoyed the ride.



All In

In the aftermath of Ante Up, Ginger leaves with Luke to find her brother. He is an incubi that was part of the group broken up in Ante Up. Ginger's hope is to get her brother to realize what a mistake it was and to come home to be the good little incubi she thinks he needs to be. Due to arrangements made with Louie and the Collectors, Luke is Ginger's escort. She's on a timeline before she needs to turn herself in, so it is a race against time to get the brother found.

This book focuses primarily on the main characters with very little time involving the previous characters. Ginger knows that Luke and his family despise incubi, so she is trying her best to hide that side of herself. Two problems with that situation. The first being, it is making her too weak, and second, Luke has already fallen for her. It takes him a bit to realize it, but it was inevitable, right? He knows basically right away that his feelings are not due to her powers, but she is not chancing in and does not want him to hate her in the end.

I think this story was much shorter than the others. The main plot line of finding the brother wasn't all that interesting for me. What kept me reading was the relationship growth between Ginger and Luke. Luke has probably been one of my favorite characters since Ante Up so it was fun to see his sense of humor and personality in All In. I think all of the stories wrapped up well and the Sin City Collectors have a few people they need to deal with.

This review was originally posted on Rantings of a Reading Addict

[Suzan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ace's Wild
I really enjoyed this new series! I love Amanda Carlson's Jessica McClain series and looked forward to a new book in a new series she was collaborating with other authors to write! I was hooked from word one! I love the characters and the set up of the new world.

I liked Nevada's sassiness and how she's overcome a lot to have the job she has as a Sin City Collector (SCC). I also loved Jake and how he and his Uncle are so unique considering that as far as they know they're the only Hellhounds left on earth! I'd love to learn if that's true or not!

I felt bad for both Jake and Nevada at points in the story considering Nevada has been blaming him for taking advantage of her while under the influence for the last three years only to learn in this novella that she owes him an apology. At the same time while Jake is innocent of the accusations Nevada can be forgiven for her mistake as it turns out to be something related to her paranormal race that she didn't know about cause she's never talked to any Vampires to learn more about that part of her heritage.

They certainly had a twist with the collection they were assigned and the chemistry between them was electric! I love how it turned out at the end and look forward to the stories from the other authors in the series and from Amanda when she writes her next story involving a couple of characters we meet briefly in the story including one who's a friend of Jakes which will hopefully mean we get an update on how Jake and Nevada are doing!

I'd recommend this new series, it's definitely worth picking up!
Ante Up
Another great offering from Amanda Carlson! Our favourite characters Jake and Neve from Ace's Wild return but the main Characters are Diesel (Jakes barman/bouncer at Hellhounds who wants to be a Sin City Collecter) and Sofia (the witch that had been hired by Neve's father) who are fighting of unwanted attentions from a group of sex demons who call themselves 'The Sumerians' the leader of which was responsible for the death of Diesel's father when he was a kid.

I loved the chemistry between Sofia and Diesel, they were so good together! I also loved the banter between Sofia and Neve as Neve is yet to forgive Sofia for her actions in Ace's Wild! Sofia is determined to win her over though!

I also love the characters we get introduced to (who will be the next two to get a book!) Ginger and Luke. Luke we'd heard about in Ace's Wild cause he's Diesel's younger brother but Ginger is a new character and an old friend of Sofia's who really intrigues me! I'll look forward to learning more about her in her and Luke's book!

This book (and series) is really addictive! You won't want to put it down!
All In
Another great instalment in the series! I love Ginger and Luke. Ginger has issues in that she hates being a succubus and of course we are already aware of Luke's issues with incubi and succubi. I love how he rethink's his believes and helps Ginger to accept what she is as well. They make a really good couple! I'd highly recommend this book and this series!

[Trish R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome..

ACES WILD: Jake and Neve

Loved this novella and I’m so glad I bought this as a boxed set. With the audible version only being $1.99 you can’t go wrong. AND the hero and heroine, Jake and Neve, was an awesome couple. They were teamed up, though neither of them ever had a partner before, to “collect” a very old vampire. Shoulda’ been easy but it didn’t work out that way: a witch, two nymphs and three shifters got in the way while trying to make the collection. Not to mention how very bad the old vamp was. They should have killed him instead of collecting him. Great little story and I couldn’t wait to start the next one.

ANTE UP: Diesel and Sofia

I think I liked Diesel and Sofia’s story better than Jake and Neve’s. But I do like witchy books a lot. And Sofia going up against a master witch like herself was very exciting. I’m not really into incubus and succubus stories but this one was pretty good. I did like Ginger, the succubus, and Sofia’s BFF, and I can see why Ginger would want to get the brother Damian, the incubus, away from the evil Mason. Overall it was a really good novella from beginning to end.

ALL IN: Luke and Ginger

Wow! Three great novellas. I just loved this hero and heroine. Luke and Ginger were chasing around after her brother Damian, who didn’t really want to be found, and when they did find him, well… No spoilers here. I found it interesting that Ginger hated herself for being a succubus, and never wanting to take what she needed for strength made her weaker every day. And Luke, who hated sex demons, because one of them killed his father, was the perfect one to fall in love with Ginger. I did find it a little odd that neither the hero nor heroine said I love you to the other, ever. Still, a great ending to this trilogy.

There was some great sex in these three stories without it being overdone. That’s why I’m not sure I’ll be reading the other boxed set of Sin City books by Kristen Painter. All her books are G-rated and I don’t really read G-rated books. AND she has a different narrator. We'll see.

There was swearing and the F-bomb was released 12 times.

As to the narrator: She was marvelous. She laughed, cried, yelled, was snarky and sarcastic, she moaned and groaned when she was in pain, she read with such emotion, no matter which of the seven main characters were talking. The New Jersey accent she has for Louie is so real, it’s just perfect. First time I’ve heard Emma Wilder but I hope she has more books. Every woman sounded different and her men sounded just like men, all with a different tone of voice. (OK, I just checked Ms. Wilder’s other narrations and I guess I won’t be listening to her other books. She only has this one and 3 others: 2 are erotic (yuck) and one written in the first person (yuck). Maybe when she has more narrated I’ll get to listen to her again.) She’s such a fantastic narrator.

[Tracy T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

These were all 3 pretty good stories. Great Narration by Emma Wilder (audible review)
Aces Wild: Jake and Nevada. I liked the this one the best out of all of them. The story line and the characters were my favorite. And the twist at the end of the story was interesting. I won't give you any spoilers. The chemistry between Jake and Nevada was real and genuine. The sex scene was nicely written, not rated G not erotica.

Ante Up: Diesel and Sofia's story. I liked this book second best out of the three. Sofia was pretty cool and I liked Diesel a lot too. He was strong, handsome and had a good back story. The story line and plot was good too. Again there was sex in this book, however it was very similar to the first book. But that is okay. Not raunchy or over the top, no rated G.

All In: Luke and Ginger: This was my least favorite of the three. I didn't care for the heroine very much she was just too whiny or wimpy for my taste. Her brother was a D-bag for sure.
Again the sex was repetitive of the first two books.

As for the narration. It was very good. I really liked Emma Wilder. She does the men's voices very well, gives everyone their own distinct voice and reads with emotion as called for, ie, yelling, whispering, laughing etc. She has a very nice reading voice too. I will totally listen to her again.

[Debbie McQueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sin City Collectors are short stories that work well as stand-alones, but you also get to see the characters from the different stories come together. Each of these stories follow supernaturals who work for the Sin City Collectors. Their job is to capture and bring in rogue or dangerous supernaturals. They are like the bounty hunters of the supernatural world. Aces Wild has a dhampir (half-vampire/half-human) and a hellhound teamed up to bring in a very old, very dangerous vampire. A misunderstanding in the past has Nevada and Jake begrudging being paired together. Ante Up follows Diesel, a wolf-shifter who loses control of himself with the full moon, and Sofia, a witch who might be the only one that can help him. All In is the story of Diesel's brother Luke and a succubus, named Ginger, who are trying to track down her brother who has been working with a group of sadistic incubi. Each of these stories have great, strong characters, who all have to overcome something from their past, and each has elements of instant attraction, but fighting whether or not it is right to pursue their feelings. Amanda Carlson does such a great job creating worlds, writing characters that you can relate to, despite them being supernaturals, and taking you along on a fun ride.

[Melissa Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of this series. Overall, it was a pretty good series, although I liked the first and second stories more than the last one. I guess I wasn’t the biggest fan of Ginger in Book 3, she annoyed me too much. It might have been because she came across as the weaker of the three lead female characters, I don’t know.

With the narrator, who I’m definitely a fan of because she does a great job with the variety of voices/characters in a story, I realized for Sophia that her voice changed between Book 1 and Book 2. Not necessary a complaint, just noticed.

[Relina Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A "Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Aces Wild, Ante Up, and All in" by Amanda Carlson is a fun read. Each novella is crafted as a standalone novel but they really should be read in order. I love how Carlson took secondary characters from "Aces Wild", and then used them as the main couple in "Ante Up". I also love how the main couple in "Aces Wild" than shows up as secondary characters in the two follow up novels.

[Myriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very nice collection of short stories, very well written and so very interesting. This collection matches up with Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Queen of Hearts, Dead Man's Hand, Double or Nothing by Kristen Painter, also great collection of short stories written in a similar style, set in the same world and with great characters. I recommend both. Very much.

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot! Hot! Hot! Sin Collectors Boxed Set sizzles. I loved the story and combination of the paranormal characters; the werewolves’, Vampires, and Witches blended smoothly to make an action back love story.

The only negative is their way too many rules! Overall, I enjoyed the books and give them 4 Boundless Stars

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