The next book on my 2018 Most Anticipated list is a book that has so many of the things I like to read about in one book. A Las Vegas like setting, magic, star crossed lovers (I am guessing), and rival mafia like crime families. All of that plus it has illicit cabarets! I immediately wanted to read this the second I read the deal announcement.
The Goodreads synopsis does nothing to lessen my excitement for this novel. All of this, plus Amanda's amazing writing, should have you instantly adding it to your own list for books to read in 2018!
Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…
and secrets hide in every shadow.
Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.
Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.
Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…
And she’ll need to play.
The last line of the synopsis is what really grabs me. It sets up the tone of the book without you even having to pick it up.
Amanda was kind enough to tease a little about Ace of Shades in this Q and A!
1 Describe Ace Of Shades in three words
Cons, corruption, cabarets
2 If someone were to make a signature cocktail in honour of your book, what might be included?
It's funny you ask this because there are original cocktails in the book, with their own names and recipes. I won't give out their recipes (yet), but here are their names: Gambler's Ruin, Snake Eyes, and Walk of Shame. Considering the Belle Epoque glamour of the world, there is no shortage of alcoholic beverages in this story! I'm a big fan of drunken shenanigans.
3 The Ace of Shades setting has a Las Vegas feel to it. Is there anything else you can tease about this incredible sounding setting?
So the original concept for this novel came from the idea of magic as currency. Once I had that, it was easy to formulate my vision: an entire city ruled by greed. New Reynes has a complicated history and political landscape: it was the first location of the world-wide revolutions to overthrow their tyrant kings, and now is the capital of the very sprawling Republic. However, the kings might be dead, but corruption still wears the crown. If you could combine post-Revolution Paris with Gilded Age/progressive era New York, you'd have something like New Reynes.
On top of this, only a few years after the Revolution, there was another war...this one in the criminal underground. It was called the Great Street War. Since then, the mafias and street gangs retain a tumultuous power over the North Side of the city, but despite all the violence in the eighteen years since this War, no one has complete control.
The story takes place twenty-five years after the Revolution, eighteen years after the War, yet all of this history is incredibly important to the central plot. The two characters, Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer, might've teamed up to find a woman missing in this city, but they will end up caught in the center of this stormy political landscape. It's been fun for me to write, because you THINK all the history I'm throwing in is simply history...until it isn't.
4 Name a song you listed to for inspiration while writing this novel (if you didn't listen to music let me know and I can quickly send another question)
"Wicked Ones" by Dorothy has always been associated with this novel for me and a lot of my early readers. If there was a movie trailer for this book, I'd imagine this song in the background.
5 If you could travel to anywhere, in any time period, when and where would you want travel?
To be honest, I'm not very interested in time travel. I am too attached to the rights and freedoms I have today. I'm very content to read about the past in books or twist period elements (like this one, roughly 1915) into my own worlds.
6 What 2018 release are you most anticipating?
I'm very excited for THE GILDED WOLVES by Roshani Chokshi!
7 If not too spoilery, can you share the first line of Ace Of Shades?
Sure thing! It hasn't changed much since the first draft :P
If I'm not home in two months, I'm dead.
I cannot wait for those drink recipes to be released! I fully intend to try out a couple while reading this book. I am intrigued by the Walk Of Shame one in particular.
Ace Of Shades releases April 10, 2018 but you can pre-order it right now from any retailer.
Amanda was kind enough to tease a little about Ace of Shades in this Q and A!
1 Describe Ace Of Shades in three words
Cons, corruption, cabarets
2 If someone were to make a signature cocktail in honour of your book, what might be included?
It's funny you ask this because there are original cocktails in the book, with their own names and recipes. I won't give out their recipes (yet), but here are their names: Gambler's Ruin, Snake Eyes, and Walk of Shame. Considering the Belle Epoque glamour of the world, there is no shortage of alcoholic beverages in this story! I'm a big fan of drunken shenanigans.
3 The Ace of Shades setting has a Las Vegas feel to it. Is there anything else you can tease about this incredible sounding setting?
So the original concept for this novel came from the idea of magic as currency. Once I had that, it was easy to formulate my vision: an entire city ruled by greed. New Reynes has a complicated history and political landscape: it was the first location of the world-wide revolutions to overthrow their tyrant kings, and now is the capital of the very sprawling Republic. However, the kings might be dead, but corruption still wears the crown. If you could combine post-Revolution Paris with Gilded Age/progressive era New York, you'd have something like New Reynes.
On top of this, only a few years after the Revolution, there was another war...this one in the criminal underground. It was called the Great Street War. Since then, the mafias and street gangs retain a tumultuous power over the North Side of the city, but despite all the violence in the eighteen years since this War, no one has complete control.
The story takes place twenty-five years after the Revolution, eighteen years after the War, yet all of this history is incredibly important to the central plot. The two characters, Enne Salta and Levi Glaisyer, might've teamed up to find a woman missing in this city, but they will end up caught in the center of this stormy political landscape. It's been fun for me to write, because you THINK all the history I'm throwing in is simply history...until it isn't.
4 Name a song you listed to for inspiration while writing this novel (if you didn't listen to music let me know and I can quickly send another question)
"Wicked Ones" by Dorothy has always been associated with this novel for me and a lot of my early readers. If there was a movie trailer for this book, I'd imagine this song in the background.
5 If you could travel to anywhere, in any time period, when and where would you want travel?
To be honest, I'm not very interested in time travel. I am too attached to the rights and freedoms I have today. I'm very content to read about the past in books or twist period elements (like this one, roughly 1915) into my own worlds.
6 What 2018 release are you most anticipating?
I'm very excited for THE GILDED WOLVES by Roshani Chokshi!
7 If not too spoilery, can you share the first line of Ace Of Shades?
Sure thing! It hasn't changed much since the first draft :P
If I'm not home in two months, I'm dead.
Ace Of Shades releases April 10, 2018 but you can pre-order it right now from any retailer.
You can find out more about Amanda by following her on Twitter, and by visiting her her website. You can also find out more about her books on the publisher website.
Do you love novels with magic, mafia like families, and secrets? Are Las Vegas like settings as intriguing to you as they are to me? Let me know in the comments.
Be sure to stop by tomorrow to find out the next book on my 2018 Most Anticipated List!
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