Title: Ace in the Hole

Series:  Dreamspun Desires 13 / Wild Cards 01

Author: Ava Drake

Narrator: John Solo

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 5 hrs 43 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (1 Sept 2016)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Blurb: Surveillance, seduction, and extra-dirty politics.

Christian Chatsworth-Brandeis has a problem. A huge one. The US senator he works for has run away with his latest mistress on the eve of a make-or-break fundraising event, and it’s up to him to cover his boss’s irresponsible tracks.

Stone Jackson, the senator’s new bodyguard, looks enough like the senator that, with some extensive grooming, he might pass for Senator Lacey. Christian and Stone hatch a plan to fool everyone by substituting Stone for the senator, but Miami madness and the incendiary heat between them are throwing obstacles in their way. It’s a race to find the senator and pull off the con of the century before the attraction between them spins completely out of control.

Product Link: Audible US | Audible UK  

Reviewer: Prime

Review: I was looking forward to this book for a number of reasons: 1) I really enjoy Ava Drake’s writing style and her books in general. 2) There is a bit of political intrigue. 3) There’s the strong ex-military/ex-mercenary security force, which is the basis of the entire series, obviously.

Christian Chatsworth-Brandeis is a personal assistant for a major US senator who just loved to get himself in trouble. One night at a bar he meets a stranger. It’s not until they meet again, this time in a professional capacity, that Christian discovered that Stone Jackson was the new bodyguard hired for the senator. The plot itself seemed to get just a bit ridiculous, but I was more than happy to suspend my disbelief for a while. On top of a scandalous senator with his mistresses and hook-ups, there is also his wife, who is strong, abrasive driving force. Seriously, I thought she had been placed in what seems to be a normal position for women in MM books – firmly as a Cruella DeVille type Villian. Instead, by the end she became a fantastic secondary character and totally lovable. I wanted a HEA for her too! As for the main guys themselves, Stone and Christian, I really loved the attraction between the guys and of course they were very well suited. They suited well together.

All in all, this is a fun read/audio with a dash of politics and a bit of danger. Over the top characters and plot lines, with wonderful and sweet romance. John Solo is definitely one of my favorite narrators for the MM genre and his voice just totally fit perfect with the tone and the characters.

Title: Seven Card Stud

Series:  Dreamspun Desires 22 / Wild Cards Inc 02

Author: Ava Drake

Narrator: John Solo

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 6 hrs 32 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (12 Dec 2016)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Blurb: When Collin Callahan, British secret agent, goes up against math genius turned surfer bum Oliver Elliot, the battle is epic – and so is the attraction. They’re pitted against each other in an exclusive, ultra-secret – and ultra-illegal – poker match in Gibraltar, but when players start dying and they could be next, they find a common goal: catch the killer before it’s too late.

Evenly matched at poker and romance, they each wrestle personal demons that threaten to consume them as the stakes climb. It’s an all-or-nothing gamble with both life and love on the line as they fight to be the last seven-card studs standing.

Product Link: Audible US | Audible UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Seven-Card Stud is book 2 in Ava Drake’s Wild Cards series, it also happens to be a part of the Dreamspun Desires series. For those that have heard (or read) book 1, Ace in the Hole, and enjoyed the over the top nature of the plot line (it was excellent over the top fun) then you’ll have to give this one a go. Of course, for those that have not read the first book, you will be happy to know that this functions as standalone novel.

Our MCs for this adventurous ride is Collin Callahan, a British spy who is just about everything you would expect from your Bond-like hero, and Oliver Elliot, who is everything you’d expect from a math genius who decided to become a surfer-bum. The situation is somewhat complicated but so simple: while involved in an illegal poker game, some of the other players begin to turn up murdered. It is impossible to know who to trust but together Oliver and Collin need to survive in order to find out who is responsible for the murders.

There’s danger from organized crime, illegal gambling havens, and a poker game to end all poker games. But let’s not forget the super-hot sex and the raw attraction between these two guys. The sexual tension just sizzles between them. Of course there is a good measure of deception in this story, but somehow their growing love is strong enough to keep the fires burning.

That ridiculous sound description is in fact quite accurate but it really does serve as the launching point for a lot of the fun and danger that happens throughout the entire story. And John Solo’s narration – OMG – absolutely fantastic and really enhanced the sexy times and the danger that the characters are battling.