Wicked And Wilde

Immortal Vegas #5

by Jenn Stark

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B01DO5JTBS

Hell hath no fury...

Tarot reader Sara Wilde has spent her whole life finding the lost with the use of her trusty cards--from missing kids to shifty criminals to ancient, arcane artifacts. But when her newest assignment sends her straight to Hell, she discovers more than she bargained for.

The journey through Dante's playground forces Sara to endure a client's bitter loss, fall victim to a vicious betrayal by her own kind, and come face-to-face with the woman she might have been--a soul capable of heartless brutality. Not even Sara's blossoming love for the darkly sensual Magician is safe in the underworld. She's tested in ways she never fathomed, ways that could drive her mad or utterly destroy her.

But time waits for no artifact hunter. Back in Vegas, the war on magic takes a fatal turn, with the worst of the dark practitioners focusing on all Sara holds dear. If she doesn't escape the bonds of the underworld, scores of psychics will die. To flee Hell for good, however, the final sacrifice Sara must make may be more than she can bear.

Nothing's ever easy when you're Wicked And Wilde.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Magic, Romance, New Adult

232 pages, ebook

First published May 24, 2016

About the author

Most recent release:


Working on: The Lost Queen, Dec. 2018

Jenn Stark is a Golden Heart award-winning author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She lives and writes in Ohio. . . and she definitely loves to write. :) In addition to her urban fantasy Immortal Vegas and Wilde Justice series and her paranormal romance Demon Enforcers series, she is also author Jennifer McGowan, whose Maids of Honor series of Young Adult Elizabethan spy romances are published by Simon & Schuster, and author Jennifer Chance, whose Rule Breakers series of New Adult contemporary romances are published by Random House/LoveSwept and whose modern royals series, Gowns & Crowns, is now available.

This author also goes by Jennifer McGowan. See that Goodreads author page
here .

Reviews

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Purchased
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0

*My Thoughts*

Wicked and Wilde is the fourth installment in author Jenn Stark's Immortal Vegas series. It is a series that features ex-teen Psychic phenom turned mercenary Sara Wilde. Sara is a globe trotting, highly specialized mercenary who seeks out dangerous artifacts using Tarot cards. Sara's main employer for the past year has been the Arcana Council led by Magician Amaeus Betrand. With the arrival of the Emperor, who Sara knows from her past, things are about to change and maybe not for the better.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews

http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...

Published May 24th 2016 by Elewyn Publishing

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars... Sara Wilde goes on her toughest assignment yet, straight into the depths of Hell... Navigating the challenges is perilous to her mind, body, and heart... As truths are discovered and illusions are performed, Sara attempts to sort fact from fiction in order to make it out alive... Add in the impact of Hell on The Magician and bringing an Archangel back into the land of the living, and Sara is in for an adventure of a lifetime... When all the dust settles, roles are redefined and battle lines are drawn... War is coming and Sara must decide her part to play to save those she loves... Engaging, thrilling, heartbreaking, and intense... I am eager to see how all the pieces and the players will come together in the end:)

[Coco.V]

🎁 Immortal Vegas Series Box Set Volume 1: Books 0-3 is FREE on Amazon today (8/15/2020)! 🎁

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara goes to hell. Pretty interesting dimension, that! Good stuff. Dynamics change. Things are happening. Looking forward to the next book. Read them in order!

[Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin Ichimaru · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Lot of Revelations

Sara has learned that there is still a lot about the world that she doesn't know. She ends up seeing a pivotal moment in Armaeus's past during their time in Hell and it simultaneously makes her realize just how much she loves him, but also breaks her heart because it appears Armaeus has been carrying a thousand year torch for a long dead woman. Sara comes to the conclusion that hope and love are not for her and is determined that Armaeus will never know what she experienced during that time or about her feelings.

Armaeus himself is quite changed from his experience down there. Especially by what the split personality version of Sara did in order to force Sara's hand in order to get Armaeus immortal again and out of hell. He's more determined to get the missing Council members back in service and doing more to stop the darkness from spreading. He seems to be holding a grudge against Sara and is being a bit cold to her. He still wants her, but not the way Sara wants him to.

Also, Sara finally comes to the decision to stop working from the sidelines and indirectly helping the fight against dark practitioners and SANCTUS. This is because of what happens with Annika Soo and the events that occurred in Hell while she was on a job for Soo. An enemy of Soo's is back and seems to be the big bad behind a lot of the horrors Sara has seen over the years. I'm glad Sara is finally getting her act together on that front, but I wish that didn't have to happen for her to make the decision.

Luckily, she will have help.

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I just decided to give this series a shot a few days ago, and it was an entertaining ride. However, I’m going to make a break after this book and maybe come back to it at a later date.

Why?

Well, at this point, I’m starting to get really annoyed by Sara. True, she had her little moments in all the books, but here I just couldn’t get over it. She doesn’t seem to learn from her mistakes, and keeps falling for the same tricks.

And then, there’s the melodrama in this novel that just shredded the last of my nerves. She needs to reassess her priorities while being stuck in Hell, and just what her priorities are.

Also, the saddest part, I’m just not feeling her relationship (such as it is) any more. The aforementioned melodrama just highlighted it for me.

Like I said, I will leave the 5th book on my maybe shelf and reconsider coming back, cause I do like the premise and some of the characters (especially the Devil :D )

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an urban fantasy with mild violence and a little romance. There isn’t a cliffhanger, but it does end in a place that leaves you pumped up. There isn’t any sex, but the relationship building makes your toes curl. Sariah gets hurt more than once, but she’s a tough chick.

I love this series. Love, Love, Love! What do I love the most? Yeah, okay. It’s the relationship building with Sara and The Magician. I bookmark those pages and read them again. The writing is so awesome that I can picture the scene and feel Sara’s panic/fear reaction just as easily as her lust…..or is it love? The beginning stages of Sara’s trip to Hell looking for Armaeus is absolutely intoxicating. You HAVE to read it!
I must commend author Stark on her twists and turns. I fought with myself time and again with some scenes because I just KNEW it was too good to be true, but yet if it was true that would be so incredibly incredible…

Sara learns more about herself and I learned more about Tarot and the Arcane Council. The revelation made perfect sense to me and I was able to see the why and where of some things. I think it’s remarkable that I got to meet an earlier set of the Council just to see the dynamics. It was pretty cool. I was also stuck on Rutya’s warning and plea to Sara that happened early on in the book. That really stuck with me through the whole book. I cannot wait to see what happens next. I thought the story was pumped, but now it’s a few more notches above that……whew!

[Leanne Crabtree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm...if i could remove the middle bit, the bits in Hell, where i was getting equally confused and bored by all the weird stuff hapenning then this would have been a four star read. I loved the beginning bit with the sky kraken thing and the end bit where the Magician is acting all kinds of bad-arse as he learns what else he can now do but the middle bit? Yeah, i was bored and skipping chunks.

Nevertheless i am eager to see what happens next with this group.

[Dana Alma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wicked and Wilde takes the series to new levels as the main character's magic transforms the story and personal relationships. Sara will be tested to heart wrenching proportions as she walks among the dead and forgotten. Armaeus is sexier than ever and Sara finds herself enthralled. I am officially an IMMORTAL VEGAS junkie!!

[Airwreckah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 for drawing stuff out weirdly. Like the balance of long term plot and short term plot seems, off.

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read! An action packed ride! Sara enters to Hell!

[Lea Bookjoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

French & English reviews

Un tome très TRES riche en rebondissements ><
En vrac ce que j'ai particulièrement aimé :
- les moments hyper électriques entre Sara et Armaeus ... Pfioulala <3 (la scène de retour de l'enfer avec la bague ... HAN ><)
- OMG les passages en enfer !!! Je ne m'attendais pas à ce grand huit d'émotions ... J'ai souffert avec Sara comme jamais auparavant (Quand Sara est avec le faux Armaeus puis quand elle le voit avec Mirabelle et qu'elle comprend ... HORRIBLE !!)
- Michael m'intrigue énormement mais je l'aime bien =)
- Nikki qui est un personnage se développe de plus en plus au fur et à mesure des livres et que j'aime de plus en plus =D
- la nouvelle intrigue avec Gamon ... Je sens que ça va être énorme x)
- La FIN !!! Beaucoup de choses vont changer et j'espère que Sara fera les bons choix =)

Le seul reproche peut-être que j'ai c'est toutes ces histoires de drogues, trafics de Connectés etc etc. J'ai l'impression de m'y perdre et finalement ça étouffe un peu les questions de mythologies et d'intrigues politiques que j'aime mieux =S

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A book very very very rich in twists ><
What I particularly liked:
- the SO electric moments between Sara and Armaeus ... Pfioulala <3 (the scene when they're back from hell with the ring ... HAN ><)
- OMG the scenes in hell !!! I didn't expect this big rollercoaster of emotions ... I suffered with Sara like never before (When Sara is with the fake Armaeus then when she sees him with Mirabelle and she understands ... AWFUL !!)
- Michael intrigues me a lot but I like him =)
- Nikki who is a character which is develops more and more throughout the books and I like her more and more =D
- the new plot with Gamon ... I feel it's going to be huge x)
- The end !!! Many things will change and I hope Sara will make the right choices =)

The only complaint that I may have is all these stories of drugs, traffics with the Connected etc etc. I feel like I'm losing myself and finally it stifles a little the questions of mythologies and political intrigues that I like better =S

[Lianne Pheno · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.fr/20...

Un de mes tomes préférés dans la série. Il était vraiment riche en rebondissement et a bien fait avancé l'intrigue principale.

On sent qu'une confrontation est proche dans le conseil magique. Pour donner une chance à son coté, le Magicien décide d'ouvrir une porte vers le royaume des morts pour aller chercher un autre représentant du conseil, le Hierophant, qui réside sur place depuis des milliers d'années.
Mais voila, après plusieurs jours on n'a aucune nouvelle de lui, il ne répond plus. Avec l'aide du conseil, Sara décide d'aller voir ce qu'il peut bien se passer. Mais histoire de rentabiliser son voyage, elle accepte des commissions pour retrouver certains artefacts qui se trouvent sur son chemin.

Au même moment, sur terre, le boost de pouvoir que les pratiquants magiques expérimentaient depuis quelques semaines suite à ce qui c'était passé dans le second tome commence a disparaitre. Ceux ci, en manque, se tournent vers la magie noire pour augmenter artificiellement ce qu'il leur reste de pouvoir pour retourner à leur état précédent. De ce fait un criminel d'un tout autre niveau que les petites frappes habituelles se fait une place dans le milieu et essaye de rafler la mise ...

J'ai vraiment bien apprécie ce tome. En fait pendant un moment j'ai eu peur qu'il ne soit pas pour moi vu que le royaume des morts ou Sara se rend est un espèce de monde onirique ou les fantasmes de chacun peuvent se réaliser. J'avoue qu'en général ce genre de mondes bizarre et sans règles bien définies ne me plaisent pas du tout.
Mais ici l'auteur n'est pas parti n'importe ou, ce qui fait que c'est finalement très bien passé. La personne sur place entre dans des sortes d'hallucinations qui représentent son plus grand regret ou son plus grand désir. Tout ce qu'on voyait avec un sens, et c'était souvent très touchant.

Au final il se passe vraiment beaucoup de choses à Sara durant ce voyage. Elle prend conscience de pas mal de choses, en fait ce voyage lui permet de ce recentrer même si c'était déchirant.

On découvre donc une nouvelle carte : le Hierophant. Un personnage particulièrement fort que j'ai hâte de voir plus en détail. Et en plus de cela on découvre un autre coté de l'organisation : les maisons. On en avait déjà plus ou moins entendu parlé, du moins on s'en doutait un peu dans le premier tome. Mais ici elles entrent vraiment en action dans l'histoire et Sara plonge directement dans le grand bain les concernant. A voir ou cette partie la de l'histoire pourra aller, mais j'ai hâte de le découvrir aussi.

Finalement je dirais que ce tome était destiné à commencer à mettre en place des pièces maitresses dans le futur conflit qui commence à se pointer. Pour l'instant rien n'est vraiment fait mais la situation évolue vraiment de tome en tome et se complexifie.
J'ai vraiment bien aimé ce tome et j'ai vraiment hâte de me lancer dans le suivant.

16.5/20

[Starfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was on my 'self-destructing books of 2024' list (ie: it's now long enough since I bought it that if if I haven't read it by December 31, I'm going to assume I never will, and just delete it), and it was really interesting going back into Sara Wilde's world.

What I remembered about the series was that it featured a tarot-reading Lara Croft style protagonist, political worldbuilding featuring major arcana figures as the key players, and an uncomfortable amount of non-consensual sexual tension as the key source of character conflict. Oh, and some awesome trans rep, on the plus side.

And... what I discovered, going back to the series, is that the main instalment-level plot thread was stronger, and the non-con tension was far less, than I remembered. I'm not sure if that's because both are significantly different in this instalment than they were in the previous ones, or if the lens I'm reading it through is different now. Either way, I enjoyed the read more than I expected to, and I'm actually looking forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing where the series plot arc ends up going from here.

[Hollie Aldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventure is intense. While Sara is stepping out of the shadows and contemplating a more active role, the war is fast approaching. Sara has power, but I do not understand why everyone still is gaga over our heroine. She has yet to show that she can contribute more than a high level connected, but she does seem to care more than your average person..... so maybe that is why the focus is all about Sara.
The drama over her relationships lowers the score of the book for me. I hate the drama of the unrequited feelings...yet I am not powerful enough to walk away, feeling of it all. Again, it is just too much drama and takes away from the overall story, as well as lowers my opinion of our protagonist.
The story has kept me entertained for several books. It is B- story for me and I hope it continues to deliver on adventure.

*Borrowed from Hoopla
*audiobook

[Debi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Wild and Wicked" by Jenn Stark was thoughtfully written, the characters well developed and the storyline was exciting. The first and last completely met Jenns' standard of writing. I just found myself confused within the middle of the story were Sara made her trip into hell to first find an artifact and second to locate and bring back the magician. It's during her trip that Sara went through several episodes of an altered realistic dream state. The ending was awesome as always. In all of Jenn previous books I had no problems, I think it was my own mind not catching on with the story, any way I will still continue to follow the series.

[janet havrilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a series

This is the fourth book in the Immortal Vegas that I have read. Urban fantasy at its finest. While I am not well versed in the use of Tarot as a whole the author shows you a truly remarkable bit of insight in its use. So much so I feel compelled to look into this. The books have many twists and turns. Some really great characters in that you think they are real. If you want to escape with some great reads, this is the series to do it with. Now on to the next one.

[MELINDA D HUGHES · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these books!

I can honestly say that this series has become one of my new favorites. The characters are rich, the plot development is complex but not so deep that you can't follow it, and the play on the tarot just adds to the strength to the stories.

The first couple of books in the series are sort of like Indiana Jones with a side of the Paranormal.

[Fynn McFynnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Favorite so far in the Series

Action, curious but flawed characters and settings, drama, fantasy and a bit of romance...headed by a Wilde Woman. I like that shes never been omnipotent or omniscient and that these books follow rules of the world built by the author. Next, I want to know more about the characters and see much more action of all kinds, please.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book with lots of action and intrigue.
I can’t say enough good about this series! I can’t stop reading them once I have started them. There is so much action in them that you become spellbound and you can’t stop till you have finished the book.
This is an author you will want to read and follow. I know I sure will!

[Donna Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

In this book Sara takes a trip to He'll and back, literally. A complete story in itself, this book also sets up the next book in the series while expanding and further giving us hints as to Sara's expanding role in the magical world. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Natasha den Dekker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one purely because of the introduction of new characters and the depiction of hell. We are in danger of Sara turning into one of those annoying Mary Sue characters we're not there yet thankfully.....

[Shawnn Welde · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps my favorite of the Immortal Vegas series. The relationship that develops between Sara and the Magician is one of the best pieces of story telling I've read. (And I've read a lot of stories.)

[L.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all of these books so far, my favorite parts are when Nikki shows up. Something about her character just hits all the good points for me. I might actually recommend the books just so people can meet her ♥

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

note to self: do not leave a four-year gap when you’re reading a series.

The Magician is in Hell - literally. And guess who has to go get him?

888

I don’t know, this one felt like less of a full story and more of a step to the next one, you know?

3 stars

[Ken Liljengren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely have to give this book 5 stars!
This was, so far, the best book I've read in this series.
Now I am off to book #5 lol

Thank You Ms Stark

Ken

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-stop action now

Halfway through the series, still now idea where it's going. That's a good thing. Predictability is the death of a series for me

[Kelly Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it.

Enjoyed it.
A very good read,great characters reminds me of several good Suthers I have enjoyed. Keep up the good work

[Jacy Mackin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t stop. Won’t stop.

The momentum keeps rolling as we move deeper into the Tarot. These books keep me on the edge of my seat!

[Gypsie Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This just keeps getting better and better!