Release-Day Review: Getting Wilde by Jenn Stark (Immortal Vegas #1)

Getting Wilde (Immortal Vegas #1)
Jenn Stark
Published: Aug. 18, 2015 (Elewyn Publishing)
Purchase: Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

Sara Wilde has a mission: to protect those within the Community, namely the children whose psychic powers are just coming to fruition. She protects them from the Dark Magic practitioners who have all sorts of horrific ways to use the human body. But providing complete protection can get pricey. So Sara, armed with her tarot deck, searches out magical artifacts—for a price that is.

Sara’s most recent job should have gone off without a hitch, but in Sara’s life easy is not always in the cards. The result from Sara’s escapade will bring to light those who would see the entire magical community destroyed no matter the cost.

Trying to keep the Community safe will require Sara to head to Vegas and the seat of the Arcane council, something she tries to avoid at all costs. It will also bring her in frequent and direct contact with the council’s current leader, and Sara’s sometime boss (among other things), the mysterious Magician.

I was so happily excited when I finished reading Getting Wilde. Jenn Stark has successfully forced me to add another series to my ‘must read’ list. Okay, there was no actual force involved.

Sara Wilde brought to mind some of my favorite heroines. She’s extremely headstrong and always ready to charge into dangerous situations, but she never comes across as reckless. With all of her actions, Sara always has the best intentions at heart. Things don’t always go according to her plan, but with her knowledge and quick thinking, she’s able to get out of sticky situations. Stark did great balancing out Sara’s character; she’s not perfect, but she’s okay with that. And like many of my favorite heroines, Sara’s past is not all sunshine and roses. Problem is, there are certain things Sara’s mind has blocked off even from her for her own protection. I think this also means the extent of Sara’s power has yet to be seen, so it will be interesting to watch her grow throughout this series.

The moment The Magician, aka M. Armaeus Bertrand, came on the scene calling Sara “Miss Wilde” I was immediately reminded of another favorite VBC Alpha. Those two words for me set the tone for Armaeus and Sara’s relationship, and like the latter mentioned character, when Armaeus does deign to utter Sara’s first name, you stand up and take note because it means something. Also like said Alpha, as of right now The Magician’s end game is unknown. The Arcane council’s main focus is to “maintain the balance of all magic”. This includes both light and dark magic, which means Armaeus’s goals will not always mesh with Sara’s. While this makes Sara very wary of him, I loved the mystery that surrounds him and pray that one day we can look forward to The Magician’s point of view.

It’s always great when you find a book that just clicks and Getting Wilde certainly clicked for me. According to the author’s website, the next books should be released fairly close to one another. If you do end up finishing this book and need more, or if you just want to check Sara out before diving into a full length story, there is a prequel novella, One Wilde Night. As of writing this review, it’s available for FREE. So go forth, and happy reading! You won’t be disappointed.

Sexual content: graphic sex