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The Fool's Gambit
Arianna Burke made a deal with the devil. Or someone like him. Something.
Imbued with power uncommon to other Mombos—voodoo priestesses—she has become a hidden weapon for New Orleans’ vampire elite.
For years, the extent of Ari's power has remained carefully under wraps.
Until her temper flares with fatal results at the inaugural ball for Emilio De Laurentis, the vampires’ new North American Emperor, resulting in a royal proclamation naming her as the Emperor's personal assassin.
But when a mysterious trickster vampire, refusing to be upstaged, plays the prank of the century on Emilio and his guests, Ari finds herself caught up in much more than infernal pacts and vampire politics.
It's not long before the vendetta becomes personal.
For her.
Ari must find—and kill—the jester vampire known only as Orin.
A job that should be easy.
Would be.
If only her target wasn’t so funny, sexy—and terrifying as hell.
Imbued with power uncommon to other Mombos—voodoo priestesses—she has become a hidden weapon for New Orleans’ vampire elite.
For years, the extent of Ari's power has remained carefully under wraps.
Until her temper flares with fatal results at the inaugural ball for Emilio De Laurentis, the vampires’ new North American Emperor, resulting in a royal proclamation naming her as the Emperor's personal assassin.
But when a mysterious trickster vampire, refusing to be upstaged, plays the prank of the century on Emilio and his guests, Ari finds herself caught up in much more than infernal pacts and vampire politics.
It's not long before the vendetta becomes personal.
For her.
Ari must find—and kill—the jester vampire known only as Orin.
A job that should be easy.
Would be.
If only her target wasn’t so funny, sexy—and terrifying as hell.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2016
2 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 16, 2017
This book is insanely good and since I'm at a loss for words to actually total up all the words that glow like blood pearls on it's pages and to string them together to make a coherent review,I'm just giving to throw out a few key words.
Voodoo Gods
Blood Pacts
Insane Vampires
The Clockmaker
If you love a really good vampire series that is unique than you would be insane to miss this one.
Voodoo Gods
Blood Pacts
Insane Vampires
The Clockmaker
If you love a really good vampire series that is unique than you would be insane to miss this one.
July 23, 2016
Power, Henry Kissinger famously said, is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
That explains why sparks fly when Arianna Burke, a beautiful voodoo priestess brimming with supernatural energy, tangles with the vampire-jester Orin, who exudes his own strength and magnetism. In short order, the heroine must decide whether to fulfill her assignment to kill the mysterious and clever prankster or give in to the attraction that’s pulling the two of them closer with every encounter.
The Fool’s Gambit is, by category, a vampire romance, but it offers so much in terms of plot and character, suspense and humor, that it seems to burst the seams of the genre. Witty dialogue and page-turning action make this book almost impossible to put down.
As the story begins, Arianna (Ari) must repay a contractual obligation to Victor, “the vampire equivalent of the royal steward to the city of New Orleans,” as the book explains, and total sycophant to the new vampire emperor, Emilio. Ari holds all blood-suckers in contempt, and is more than capable of defending herself against them. Indeed, vampires quake at the thought of going up against the New Orleans mambo. But she is forced to work side-by-side with them, on occasion, to fulfill her contract. One of those occasions is to attend the new Emperor’s inaugural ball, where Emilio declares Arianna to be his new weapon— “the Emperor’s Wrath.”
Orin crashes the party with a prank destined to be remembered through the ages. The Emperor, unamused, assigns his Wrath to dispose of the troublesome jokester. But Ari senses something profoundly different about Orin—something that makes her suspect that he is more than he seems, and someone who might fill a deep and unspoken need inside of her.
Should she kill him or bed him? Both or neither? Whatever she decides, Ari endangers her friends, her family, and her very soul.
Even readers who are not enamored of romances will find plenty to love in The Fool’s Gambit. I can’t wait for the coming sequel.
That explains why sparks fly when Arianna Burke, a beautiful voodoo priestess brimming with supernatural energy, tangles with the vampire-jester Orin, who exudes his own strength and magnetism. In short order, the heroine must decide whether to fulfill her assignment to kill the mysterious and clever prankster or give in to the attraction that’s pulling the two of them closer with every encounter.
The Fool’s Gambit is, by category, a vampire romance, but it offers so much in terms of plot and character, suspense and humor, that it seems to burst the seams of the genre. Witty dialogue and page-turning action make this book almost impossible to put down.
As the story begins, Arianna (Ari) must repay a contractual obligation to Victor, “the vampire equivalent of the royal steward to the city of New Orleans,” as the book explains, and total sycophant to the new vampire emperor, Emilio. Ari holds all blood-suckers in contempt, and is more than capable of defending herself against them. Indeed, vampires quake at the thought of going up against the New Orleans mambo. But she is forced to work side-by-side with them, on occasion, to fulfill her contract. One of those occasions is to attend the new Emperor’s inaugural ball, where Emilio declares Arianna to be his new weapon— “the Emperor’s Wrath.”
Orin crashes the party with a prank destined to be remembered through the ages. The Emperor, unamused, assigns his Wrath to dispose of the troublesome jokester. But Ari senses something profoundly different about Orin—something that makes her suspect that he is more than he seems, and someone who might fill a deep and unspoken need inside of her.
Should she kill him or bed him? Both or neither? Whatever she decides, Ari endangers her friends, her family, and her very soul.
Even readers who are not enamored of romances will find plenty to love in The Fool’s Gambit. I can’t wait for the coming sequel.
Want to read
September 21, 2016Pre-review: If it is a new book by Kelly Creagh and co. (although there seems to be confusion with the author's name) then somebody, give this book to me NOW.
Want to read
December 18, 2016I just saw Kelly Creagh's name on it.
And a character named *wait for it* Ari.
And my heart started pounding like crazy.
But..
It doesn't seem like her book though.
Me confused.
*sigh*
And a bit disappointed.
*shaking head*
Silly me.
And a character named *wait for it* Ari.
And my heart started pounding like crazy.
But..
It doesn't seem like her book though.
Me confused.
*sigh*
And a bit disappointed.
*shaking head*
Silly me.
Read
October 2, 2017Best part ever : "fuckin' punch buggy" hahahahha
December 6, 2016
I loved this book. The writing is solid, the vampire is hilarious and the female protagonist is really strong. Flawed, but strong, and that's the sort of protagonist that really resonates with me. This was a really fun book due to the alternating viewpoint between Arianna and Orin. The story between them is the main plot, but hilarity and awkward abound around them. I thought at first the pacing might suffer from the alternating viewpoints, but this was a really quick paced book I thoroughly enjoyed and it really served to break up my work hours. I purchased this book on my e-reader and the e-version worked great. No big formatting issues or anything.
Over all I will definitely check the next book in this series out, probably as an e-book.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loved the Sookie Stackhouse novels or are looking for Twilight for sarcastic adults.
Over all I will definitely check the next book in this series out, probably as an e-book.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loved the Sookie Stackhouse novels or are looking for Twilight for sarcastic adults.
February 28, 2017
blood, magic, and broken glass
fools gambit was great in the way most books in this genre are.
pros
interesting plot, written well, and great characters
ari is powerful but damaged, vulnerable yet kind. I adored her.
then there's Orin, ugh, swoon worthy and loony he makes this book move forward. the two of them shine and I can't wait to read what happens next.
cons, there was a lot of terminology, some of which is never explained . it can be frustrating having to guess what is going on. but I will wait till next book to see if they get cleared up.
fools gambit was great in the way most books in this genre are.
pros
interesting plot, written well, and great characters
ari is powerful but damaged, vulnerable yet kind. I adored her.
then there's Orin, ugh, swoon worthy and loony he makes this book move forward. the two of them shine and I can't wait to read what happens next.
cons, there was a lot of terminology, some of which is never explained . it can be frustrating having to guess what is going on. but I will wait till next book to see if they get cleared up.
December 24, 2022
Exasperating but entertaining
Written by a partnership of two writers, this hooked me in by the inclusion of the reference to Tarot. Not great fiction but I am sorry to see they haven't followed up with the second book. There's a couple of horrible proofreading oversights: vice sits in a sentence that obviously needs vise instead: the word "desperateness" shows up instead of desperation.
Written by a partnership of two writers, this hooked me in by the inclusion of the reference to Tarot. Not great fiction but I am sorry to see they haven't followed up with the second book. There's a couple of horrible proofreading oversights: vice sits in a sentence that obviously needs vise instead: the word "desperateness" shows up instead of desperation.
February 26, 2020
I'd been putting off reading this one because I find that beginning an ongoing saga and waiting for the following book is simply too much for me to bear lol
That being said, I couldn't resist and devoured the whole thing in a bunch of hours! Please, dear authors, release the sequel and put us all out of our misery!
That being said, I couldn't resist and devoured the whole thing in a bunch of hours! Please, dear authors, release the sequel and put us all out of our misery!
May 5, 2022
Wow good book
3.6/5 stars
Wow. This book is something. The description says that she makes a deal to the devil, but which one?
3.6/5 stars
Wow. This book is something. The description says that she makes a deal to the devil, but which one?
February 24, 2023
SPICY.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews