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FBI #3
Ace Is Wild
When beautiful clairvoyant Vivienne Foster starts having visions of the murder of hotshot U.S. Attorney Daniel ‘Ace’ Pierce, she can’t just sit back and do nothing. Which is how she winds up at a charity bachelor auction where he’s the top attraction, hoping a loaded .38 will make him see the light.
Pierce assumes that the woman holding him at gunpoint is crazy. But when she later saves his life, even a skeptic like Daniel has to take notice—not that he could ever ignore a beauty like her.
Pierce assumes that the woman holding him at gunpoint is crazy. But when she later saves his life, even a skeptic like Daniel has to take notice—not that he could ever ignore a beauty like her.
309 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Penny McCall
15 books37 followersOkay, so I have to write a new bio because, well, life happens whether you want it to or not. And while I was at it, I decided to answer that question everyone asks me: How did you start writing? The only answer I have is To keep the voices in my head from driving me crazy. Now, you probably think those voices mean I am crazy, except for a couple things. When I write down what they're saying, they leave me alone. And they never tell me to kill or maim anyone. Both of those are definite pluses in my book. So, where do the voices come from? That's a toughie, so I'll start at the beginning. I'm the seventh of nine children, and we are not chips off the old block. We all possess distinct, unique personalities. In the summer my mom would send us outdoors until lunch time (for her own sanity, I'm sure) and we'd amuse ourselves in the woods behind our house, catching tadpoles, sneaking into the orchard next door, tormenting each other. We used to take picnic lunches and I remember this one time we put ants in my brother's mustard sandwich. Not those puny little sugar ants, either, big, fat black ones. Another time we buried his watch in the sand pile behind our house. He's still holding a grudge. Hey, we were kids before cable and video games, we had to find some way to amuse ourselves.
So, the voices? Well, I turned out to be that kid who was painfully shy. I was only happy with my nose in a book (okay, and tormenting my brother, but it was my sister's idea, and really, he deserved it), and when I wasn't reading I made up stories in my head. If I'd had the courage and discipline to write them down I'd be the most prolific author ever. So, why didn't I? Life, that's why. Marriage, crafts, kids, crafts, gainful employment, crafts, divorce. And did I mention crafts? I've done it all, ceramics, knitting, macramé, origami, crocheting—I even sold a couple of original patterns. Yeah, I know, the voices weren't impressed either. The crafts didn't shut them up for long, so one day I exorcised them onto paper, and after writing at least a half dozen historicals, the you-sound-too-contemporary comments in all those rejection letters finally sank in and I tried my hand at writing contemporary romance. My first story, Happily Ever After, sold in exactly four days, followed by four more to the now discontinued Precious Gems series at Kensington Publishing. I wrote another four for Harlequin's American series, all nine under the name, Penny McCusker. And then the voices got sassy and took me into the world of life-or-death, car chases, gunfire, and sarcasm, and I'm happily chugging along in that vein as Penny McCall.
I realize after all this rambling that I haven't exactly answered the question of where the voices come from, but hey, you'll just have to accept that they exist. I have.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 29, 2009
This book had some really great points, but for the most part it was a fairly average romantic suspense book. I enjoyed it to a point, but it never really grabbed me and sucked me in. There were a couple things that dragged the story down, but there were also some things that I liked quite a bit.
Ace Is Wild is about a psychic woman, Vivienne Foster, who starts having visions that a man is going to die. Though she's tempted to stay out of it - she knows how most people feel about her "abilities" - she feels a need to help the man. It's a chance to redeem herself and ease the guilt over the repercussions one of her psychic readings caused. She manages to track the man, U.S. Attorney Daniel Pierce, down and tries to tell him what will happen, but he blows her off. So she makes him listen and ends up saving his life. Daniel still thinks she's a nutcase.
Vivi hopes it's the end of the visions, that she's done what she needs to do, but she keeps getting them. And she saves Daniel's twice more. Even though he doesn't quite believe in her skills, Daniel teams up with Vivi to help figure out who wants him dead. It doesn't hurt that he's attracted to her and she to him. Unfortunately, Vivi has now made herself a target. If they hope to both survive, they'll have to find a way to trust each other.
One of the best parts of the book for me was the witty banter between Daniel and Vivi, especially in the beginning. There's some great one-liners that had me chuckling. Author Penny McCall seems to have a knack for adding humor into her stories. Which helps keep things from getting too bland.
The basic storyline was also pretty interesting - a psychic trying to tell a skeptic that he's about to be killed. It's not thoroughly original, but it's also not overly typical. And it sets up an intriguing dynamic between the H/H.
I liked the haunted truck. That had me smiling. It's not something you come across in your average romance book. There was definitely some great creativity in various parts of this book.
There were also a couple areas of the book could have been better, though. The main characters could have been fleshed out some more. The author didn't really give any backstory on them except for what was necessary to understanding current to the story. I'm not even sure if the heroine's age was ever mentioned (but it might have been).
The story also drags and plods along at times. I'd be reading for a while and look up at the page number and realize I'd only read 10 pages when it seemed like I'd read so much more. There's just a lot of going around doing the same thing. And a lot of the H/H arguing with and insulting each other. They definitely have a very antagonistic relationship - which was another minus. I never really got into the "love" story between them.
And this one might just be personal preference, but McCall's sentence structure at times comes off a little awkward. There were more than a few times that I reread sentences to figure out what exactly she was trying to say. But like I said, that could just be me. I'm a fan of clean, easily readable writing.
In the end, the pluses and minuses pretty much cancel each other out and make this book an average read. I'm glad I read it and I probably wouldn't hesitate to read another book by this author, but I don't feel an urgent need to go find her other stories.
NOTE: this book has a somewhat loose connection to her book Tag, You're It!. The H/H of that book make several appearances in this book and there are some direct plot connections between the two books. But I didn't read "Tag, You're It" and I don't think it hurt the understanding of this book at all. So I wouldn't consider it necessary to read the other book first.
Ace Is Wild is about a psychic woman, Vivienne Foster, who starts having visions that a man is going to die. Though she's tempted to stay out of it - she knows how most people feel about her "abilities" - she feels a need to help the man. It's a chance to redeem herself and ease the guilt over the repercussions one of her psychic readings caused. She manages to track the man, U.S. Attorney Daniel Pierce, down and tries to tell him what will happen, but he blows her off. So she makes him listen and ends up saving his life. Daniel still thinks she's a nutcase.
Vivi hopes it's the end of the visions, that she's done what she needs to do, but she keeps getting them. And she saves Daniel's twice more. Even though he doesn't quite believe in her skills, Daniel teams up with Vivi to help figure out who wants him dead. It doesn't hurt that he's attracted to her and she to him. Unfortunately, Vivi has now made herself a target. If they hope to both survive, they'll have to find a way to trust each other.
One of the best parts of the book for me was the witty banter between Daniel and Vivi, especially in the beginning. There's some great one-liners that had me chuckling. Author Penny McCall seems to have a knack for adding humor into her stories. Which helps keep things from getting too bland.
The basic storyline was also pretty interesting - a psychic trying to tell a skeptic that he's about to be killed. It's not thoroughly original, but it's also not overly typical. And it sets up an intriguing dynamic between the H/H.
I liked the haunted truck. That had me smiling. It's not something you come across in your average romance book. There was definitely some great creativity in various parts of this book.
There were also a couple areas of the book could have been better, though. The main characters could have been fleshed out some more. The author didn't really give any backstory on them except for what was necessary to understanding current to the story. I'm not even sure if the heroine's age was ever mentioned (but it might have been).
The story also drags and plods along at times. I'd be reading for a while and look up at the page number and realize I'd only read 10 pages when it seemed like I'd read so much more. There's just a lot of going around doing the same thing. And a lot of the H/H arguing with and insulting each other. They definitely have a very antagonistic relationship - which was another minus. I never really got into the "love" story between them.
And this one might just be personal preference, but McCall's sentence structure at times comes off a little awkward. There were more than a few times that I reread sentences to figure out what exactly she was trying to say. But like I said, that could just be me. I'm a fan of clean, easily readable writing.
In the end, the pluses and minuses pretty much cancel each other out and make this book an average read. I'm glad I read it and I probably wouldn't hesitate to read another book by this author, but I don't feel an urgent need to go find her other stories.
NOTE: this book has a somewhat loose connection to her book Tag, You're It!. The H/H of that book make several appearances in this book and there are some direct plot connections between the two books. But I didn't read "Tag, You're It" and I don't think it hurt the understanding of this book at all. So I wouldn't consider it necessary to read the other book first.
July 28, 2008
Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release: August 2008
Combining humor, suspense, and romance is a delicate balancing act most authors don’t even try. I’m always on the lookout, tho, for those authors who make that effort and I’m absolutely thrilled when I find one who does the job well. I read “All Jacked Up” by Penny McCall and enjoyed it so I picked up her next book “Tag, You’re It”. It’s been almost a year since then and now “Ace Is Wild” is finally out and it’s just as good as the other two.
I need to be clear that McCall’s plots are, hopefully, not intended to be 100% believable. You’ll have to suspend your belief. After all, librarians don’t have hits put out on them (“All Jacked Up”) and wealthy former beauty queens don’t become hermits (“Tag, You’re It”). But I think for sheer entertainment value, her books are hard to beat. With “Ace Is Wild” we’re treated to a former FBI agent whose life is saved, several times, by a psychic. The plot’s not the most puzzling (I pegged the ‘bad guy’ fairly early in the book) and the bad guys are almost as funny as the wickedly witty banter between the hero and heroine, but this book still worked for me.
Vivi is a psychic with a cause! She feels guilty for a mistake she made earlier in her career, so when she begins getting visions of a man being killed she makes it her business to hunt him down and warn him. Once she realizes who he is, she figures out that she will have a VERY difficult time convincing him of both his danger and her innocence. And really, did he have to be so…nibblable?
Daniel thinks the lady who kidnapped him from the bachelor auction is gorgeous, crazy as a loon, but definitely gorgeous. And that’s before she claims she’s having ‘visions’ about his murder. Uh, huh. He’s not sure what her connection is to the pair of killers who appear to be on his trail, but he’s certainly not letting her out of his sight until he knows. And he is 100% sure, absolutely positive, that he is NOT going to act on the attraction. No way…probably.
If you believe opposites attract, then these two are your dream couple. And about halfway through the book Vivi and Daniel (or Ace as she calls him to his endless irritation) realize that they actually complement each other. They each have traits and strengths that work better together and I wonder how many couples go through years of marriage before they (if ever) figure that one out for themselves? If bickering bothers you, this is a book you don’t want to buy as the lead couple spends the majority of their time sniping at each other for the first half of the book. It’s not mean, at least the majority of it’s not, and when a line is crossed there is an apology proffered. The steamy attraction between them practically rises from the pages and the love scenes are beautifully (and heatedly) written. As I mentioned earlier, I figured out the villain fairly early and the mobsters were more reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy than menacing. But if you like heaps of comedy, rolled in with romance, and wrapped up with a mystery…then you should treat yourself to “Ace Is Wild” by Penny McCall. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
To find out more about this about, check out her website at http://www.pennymccall.com/index1.html
Combining humor, suspense, and romance is a delicate balancing act most authors don’t even try. I’m always on the lookout, tho, for those authors who make that effort and I’m absolutely thrilled when I find one who does the job well. I read “All Jacked Up” by Penny McCall and enjoyed it so I picked up her next book “Tag, You’re It”. It’s been almost a year since then and now “Ace Is Wild” is finally out and it’s just as good as the other two.
I need to be clear that McCall’s plots are, hopefully, not intended to be 100% believable. You’ll have to suspend your belief. After all, librarians don’t have hits put out on them (“All Jacked Up”) and wealthy former beauty queens don’t become hermits (“Tag, You’re It”). But I think for sheer entertainment value, her books are hard to beat. With “Ace Is Wild” we’re treated to a former FBI agent whose life is saved, several times, by a psychic. The plot’s not the most puzzling (I pegged the ‘bad guy’ fairly early in the book) and the bad guys are almost as funny as the wickedly witty banter between the hero and heroine, but this book still worked for me.
Vivi is a psychic with a cause! She feels guilty for a mistake she made earlier in her career, so when she begins getting visions of a man being killed she makes it her business to hunt him down and warn him. Once she realizes who he is, she figures out that she will have a VERY difficult time convincing him of both his danger and her innocence. And really, did he have to be so…nibblable?
Daniel thinks the lady who kidnapped him from the bachelor auction is gorgeous, crazy as a loon, but definitely gorgeous. And that’s before she claims she’s having ‘visions’ about his murder. Uh, huh. He’s not sure what her connection is to the pair of killers who appear to be on his trail, but he’s certainly not letting her out of his sight until he knows. And he is 100% sure, absolutely positive, that he is NOT going to act on the attraction. No way…probably.
If you believe opposites attract, then these two are your dream couple. And about halfway through the book Vivi and Daniel (or Ace as she calls him to his endless irritation) realize that they actually complement each other. They each have traits and strengths that work better together and I wonder how many couples go through years of marriage before they (if ever) figure that one out for themselves? If bickering bothers you, this is a book you don’t want to buy as the lead couple spends the majority of their time sniping at each other for the first half of the book. It’s not mean, at least the majority of it’s not, and when a line is crossed there is an apology proffered. The steamy attraction between them practically rises from the pages and the love scenes are beautifully (and heatedly) written. As I mentioned earlier, I figured out the villain fairly early and the mobsters were more reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy than menacing. But if you like heaps of comedy, rolled in with romance, and wrapped up with a mystery…then you should treat yourself to “Ace Is Wild” by Penny McCall. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
To find out more about this about, check out her website at http://www.pennymccall.com/index1.html
January 2, 2009
Psychic Vivienne Foster once ignored her visions and she learned the hard way about painful responsibility. With one man's death already on her conscience, she doggedly hounds US Assistant Attorney Daniel Pierce, trying to get him to believe her latest visions that concern his death. After he brushes off her umpteenth attempt to contact him through civilized means of communication, she's reduced to drastic measures and kidnaps him at a charity auction. She takes him hostage by gunpoint and when his life is threatened by the same masked hitman she was trying to warn him about, she does the only sane thing she can think of. She knocks him unconscious and hides his body underneath a table cloth. Nursing a bruised head and a bruised ego, Daniel is not inclined to believe the delusional ravings of a so-called psychic and he still dismisses her claims, even as they're dodging bullets together. He's more inclined to believe she's the one in on the plot to kill him so he rationalizes that the only smart thing to do would be to keep an eye on her. The fact that her measurements scream G-strings and stripper poles has nothing to do with it. He's in it purely for the sake of the job.
I haven't read Penny McCall's first book, Tag You're It, which I can only assume is the lead in for this book. It follows some characters and some plot points but I was able to follow along with Ace Is Wild quite nicely. This was a really funny, humorous and sexy read that I enjoyed. Daniel was a mouthwatering combination of both staid lawyer and enraged caveman, not above carrying Vivi around with him if he needed to. Their amusingly ineffectual investigation work only adds to the humor of the book and while it is suspenseful and full of intrigue, it was mostly the snappy wit and dialogue that kept me entertained. Vivi was cute and stacked with the type of measurements that rival the latest Playboy Bunny, if the accounts of male jaw dropping is anything to go by in this book, and best of all, she's not above using whatever she's got. There's one scene where she brushes up against the bad guy on the street, then proceeds to stop traffic with her accusations of sexual assault. Hysterical.
There is a lot of occult and psychic ability on display in this book, and that's the more believable of the stuff going on. There's a possessed, or is it haunted? Ford pickup that doesn't appreciate insults and has quite a prickly starter. That's just some of the weird shenanigans going on and while it was amusing and sometimes quaint, it was also silly and eye rolling.
Regardless, this was a fun and sexy romp and I had a great time. It was fast paced and while not thrilling, it was certainly enjoyable. I highly recommend this book as a fun read.
I haven't read Penny McCall's first book, Tag You're It, which I can only assume is the lead in for this book. It follows some characters and some plot points but I was able to follow along with Ace Is Wild quite nicely. This was a really funny, humorous and sexy read that I enjoyed. Daniel was a mouthwatering combination of both staid lawyer and enraged caveman, not above carrying Vivi around with him if he needed to. Their amusingly ineffectual investigation work only adds to the humor of the book and while it is suspenseful and full of intrigue, it was mostly the snappy wit and dialogue that kept me entertained. Vivi was cute and stacked with the type of measurements that rival the latest Playboy Bunny, if the accounts of male jaw dropping is anything to go by in this book, and best of all, she's not above using whatever she's got. There's one scene where she brushes up against the bad guy on the street, then proceeds to stop traffic with her accusations of sexual assault. Hysterical.
There is a lot of occult and psychic ability on display in this book, and that's the more believable of the stuff going on. There's a possessed, or is it haunted? Ford pickup that doesn't appreciate insults and has quite a prickly starter. That's just some of the weird shenanigans going on and while it was amusing and sometimes quaint, it was also silly and eye rolling.
Regardless, this was a fun and sexy romp and I had a great time. It was fast paced and while not thrilling, it was certainly enjoyable. I highly recommend this book as a fun read.
September 20, 2014
The third book the FBI series by Penny McCall. Vivi is a psychic who "sees" U.S. Attorney Daniel "Ace" Pierce murder. She does what she can to warn him. Another winner in the series. Nice style of writing. I recommend this series for those who want Romantic Suspense with a little humor and a touch of paranormal.
October 14, 2019
Both characters were strong willed and stubborn. I enjoyed their banter and the tension. This was a fun read.
February 14, 2014
This is my first book that I have read by Penny McCall and I must say I ADORED it. It was everything and more, that I was hoping for. It takes you along a journey of a former FBI agent turned U.S. Attorney, who has straight forward thinking meets up with an off-the-wall thinker; a Psychic non the less. She can't seem to shake her visions of him being murdered, so she holds him at gun point to make him go with her and listen to what she has to say. Yes, she's an off-the-wall... nut case, for lack of better words. She's also one Hell of a Clairvoyant, as the Attorney soon finds out.. but first she must convince him she knows what she's talking about and not some psychopath;stalker. However, he's Hell-bent on not believing in her ability. Together they work on trying to take down the Hit-Men. They have a very interesting, distrusting/love/hate relationship through-out the book. Both love excitement and danger and that only attracts them to one another even more. This book will make you giggle out loud from the witty come-backs, be pulled in by nonstop action twists and turns on every page, and have you breathless with the heat between the two characters. Laws of attraction at it's best. This is a very well written book and I'm very much looking forward to reading more books by, Penny McCall in the future.
July 10, 2011
4.5 Stars :)
This is such a common concept. Psychic helps the reluctant cop. They fall in love and the sky breaks out in rainbows and they live happily ever after.
Right??????
Well you would be wrong in thinking that Penny McCall does ANYTHING as cliche as that. I am really really really reaaaallllllyyyy impressed with Ms McCall's writing.
I loved this story for its characterization.
I absolutely adore Vivi as a female lead, she breaks every psychic cliche there is and becomes a believable woman. She is strong, sarcastic, sexy but not up herself, inventive and I love how she doesnt take shit from our hero of the story Daniel.
This leads to Daniel - our hero is sexy, cynical, thinks Vivi is a crackpot while at the same time trying not to stare at her interesting body parts LOL
While I think Vivi won the show with her performance I still adored Daniel. These two will remain in my favourite couple list for ages :)
This is such a common concept. Psychic helps the reluctant cop. They fall in love and the sky breaks out in rainbows and they live happily ever after.
Right??????
Well you would be wrong in thinking that Penny McCall does ANYTHING as cliche as that. I am really really really reaaaallllllyyyy impressed with Ms McCall's writing.
I loved this story for its characterization.
I absolutely adore Vivi as a female lead, she breaks every psychic cliche there is and becomes a believable woman. She is strong, sarcastic, sexy but not up herself, inventive and I love how she doesnt take shit from our hero of the story Daniel.
This leads to Daniel - our hero is sexy, cynical, thinks Vivi is a crackpot while at the same time trying not to stare at her interesting body parts LOL
While I think Vivi won the show with her performance I still adored Daniel. These two will remain in my favourite couple list for ages :)
June 28, 2009
McCall's books always include tough, stubborn, pig-headed characters, and this is no exception. This is a good read, and I enjoy the suspense and romance because they blend well together. Penny McCall is a good author and I suggest you give her series a try. 3.5/5 stars.
February 12, 2013
I don't usually read these types of murder mystery/crime novels but I took a chance on this one and did enjoy it. It was fresh and something that was well thought out, the plot was pretty epic and overall the ending was great. I didn't notice any lose ends at all.
September 8, 2008
I truly enjoyed this book! I thought it had some fun twist in it!
April 3, 2012
4.5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews