Aces Wild

Ages 14 And Up, Grades 9 And Up

What happens in Vegas when an all-asexual online friend group attempts to break into a high-stakes gambling club? Shenanigans ensue.

Some people join chess club, some people play football. Jack Shannon runs a secret blackjack ring in his private school’s basement. What else is the son of a Las Vegas casino mogul supposed to do? 

Everything starts falling apart when Jack’s mom is arrested for their family’s ties to organized crime. His sister Beth thinks this is the Shannon family’s chance to finally go straight, but Jack knows that something’s not right. His mom was sold out, and he knows by who. Peter Carlevaro: rival casino owner, mobster, and jilted lover. Gross. 

Jack hatches a plan to break into Carlevaro’s inner sanctum and find what he’s holding over his mom’s head, but Jack’s going to need help. He recruits his closest friends, his online asexual support group, to form his team. All he needs to do is infiltrate a secret high stakes gambling club, save his mom, and dodge any dark secrets about his family he’d rather not know, while hopelessly navigating what it means to be in love while asexual. Easy, right?

About the Author

Amanda DeWitt holds a degree in film and media arts from the University of Tampa and is currently pursuing a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida. She enjoys drawing, Dungeons & Dragon-ing, and also writing, just not whatever it is she really should be writing. She lives in Clearwater, Florida with her dogs, cats, and assortment of chickens.

Author Residence: Clearwater, Florida

Author Hometown: Clearwater, Florida

Queer and asexual teens seeking stories where sexuality isn’t the focus Librarians and booksellers looking to expand their LGBTQIA+ collections Teens who just finished watching Shadow & Bone on Netflix and fell in love with Kaz Brekker Anyone who loves the thrill of a heist