This is the 1st book in Ms. Owens' new series Aces & Eights. The series is about 3 brothers who are FBI agents, but own a biker bar as a cover for their undercover work. This 1st book is about the youngest brother Alex.

Alex is trying to get close to a drug lord through is son Ramon and during that time he meets Ramon's cousin Madison ... who he immediately becomes enamored with. He tries to tell himself that it is all for the case, but in his heart he knows that's not true. Madison is just trying to live her life after her father is killed. She opens a bookstore with her friend Lauren, but has to take a loan from her drug lord uncle and at the time doesn't realize all the string that come along with that loan. She doesn't know what to think of Alex ... is a "good guy" or a "bad guy" ... but she does know that she finds him intriguing. There are lots of twists and turns and you are kept guessing right to the end ... actually it evens ends with a WTF! I can't wait for the brother's (Nate and Court) books. My only complaint is that sometimes I thought the wording was a little cheesy.

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Montlake Romance through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I just finished reading this book and absolutely loved it. This is the first in a new series by Ms Owens and I am already hooked and can't wait for the next book. The story and characters are interesting, with the hero, Alex , an undercover FBI agent trying to bust a notorious drug lord .

The situation becomes complicated when he is attracted to Madison, a cousin of his target and who is also his unknowing informant. There is plenty of danger, action and sexual tension which culminates into a very satisfying read.I enjoyed reading it and and I highly recommend it and her other books, particularly her K2 series which were equally enjoyable.

Jack of Hearts starts a new series for Sandra Owens, creator of the K2 series that I love.  Alex is one of a set of brothers working undercover at their bar.  I found this setup hard to believe, but was willing to go with it.   Madison is the cousin of a drug kingpin who seems to have pervy intentions towards her, as does his father for Madison's mother.

The book was extremely hard for me to get into - I set it aside several times and would come back to it, plugging along because the K2 series was so good that I figured this series would be too.  And I was right - after about a third of the book, it suddenly came together and I couldn't put it down.   The events in the story kept me anxious at the right times and the chemistry between the characters solidified. I'm looking forward to book 2 in this series.

Alex Gentry and his brothers are undercover FBI agents working in a biker bar they co-own, in order to gather information. Danger and intrigue are the interesting part of the family business. Unfortunately, Alex becomes attracted to Madison Parker, the cousin of a notorious drug lord he and his brothers are trying to bust. A relationship between the two could risk the first case he leads and get them killed. This is the start of another great series by the author and the hopefully each brother will get their story.

This book started off on the wrong foot with me, and it just never really recovered.  I felt like the beginning was too rushed - there was very little backstory information (how did they meet, how did their relationship develop, etc.).  I felt like I was missing a chapter of two.  So this made it confusing from the get-go.  Then I just didn't like Madison.  Don't get me wrong, I like a damsel in distress as much as the next person, but this was just too much.  She let her cousin and uncle walk all over her, let her mom's weakness dictate her decisions, and her cousin groped and kissed her with very little reaction from her!  She reacted as if it was annoying rather than the disgusting perversion it was.  Only later on in the story does she begin to take it seriously.  She was in the category of "too stupid to live" and I felt that the author made the women in this story look way too weak and helpless.  Not a good look.

This is an awesome start to what should be a great new series from this author.  It was a bit slow in the beginning but once all the characters are introduced and the storyline established it was great.  Alex is an FBI agent working undercover with his brothers.  They own and run a biker bar as their cover but are actually investigating Ramon Alonzo, a known drug trafficker. Madison is Ramon's cousin and is unwittingly caught in the middle of Alex and Ramon.  She has information that could possibly help Alex so his attraction to her could be trouble.  Big trouble.  Keeping her safe could prove to be more difficult than building the case against Alonzo!

Definitely a recommended read.

well paced good read

FBI agent Alex Gentry is working undercover to bring down the notorious Alonzo family. Using a biker bar that he and his 2 brothers own as cover, Alex befriends Ramon Alonzo, son of the drug lord Alex is looking to take down. What Alex doesn’t count on is meeting Ramon’s beautiful cousin Madison Parker. Madison can’t stand her creepy cousin but she maintains family ties to keep her mother happy.  When bad boy Alex keeps Ramon’s unwanted hands away from her on more than one occasion, Madison finds herself slowly falling for Alex. What will Madison do when she finds out who Alex really is? Will Alex be able to get the evidence he needs to bring down the Alonzo’s?
This book should come with a warning label. Caution: Your new book boyfriend is inside.  My. My. My. Owens has created a drool worthy character with Alex Gentry. Alex is honorable, loves his family,  is perfect gentleman to Madison, and drives her crazy in the bedroom.  The gifts that Alex sends to Madison will have you sighing in delight at his romantic side.
Madison is a strong character and every bit Alex’s match. Having just opened her own business, she stands her ground on more than one occasion when Ramon wants to use her bookstore for nefarious purposes. Her only weakness is her mother, which is why Madison doesn’t just blow off her sexually harassing cousin. 
The suspense portion of this book is really good. Obviously the reader knows who Alex is  and we get to see him slowly gather evidence against Madison’s family.  An additional plot line has him trying to figure out who killed Madison’s father, who was an award winning investigative journalist. 
Jack of Hearts is the first book in the Aces and Eights series. Owens has created a fabulous world with the sexy Gentry brothers that has me looking forward to the next books in the series.  If you love romantic suspense, this is a great book for you.

Three brothers who own a biker bar and are actually undercover F.B.I. Agents, that was An interesting twist that I don't think I've seen before. A good read for these long winter nights. I hope each of the other 2 brothers are going to get their own books soon!

A super start to a great series this is the first book i have read by Sandra Owens and it wont be the last her other books are now in my tbr list.I just loved Alex you cant help but like him hes so cocky the chemistry between him and Madison was smoking a great  book with a super story line.

Loved it!!!  Another stellar job! Never disappointed with Sandra's books.

Jack of Hearts was a fantastic book. First of all, I love the cover, the title, and the name of the bar. I don't know if it was intentional, but the name Aces & Eights is awesome considering the 'dead man's hand' was named after a wild west law man who was also known to be a spy. Since the Gentry's are actually undercover FBI agents, the name really is a stroke of brilliance. Although this is book one of three, there is no cliffhanger and it completely stands alone. 

As is her forte, Ms. Owens has once again written a fabulous book about really well-written characters – both the good guys and the bad guys, and with incredible chemistry between the main two characters. I finished this book in two sittings because once I started reading it, I needed to know how it ended and I was so into it that I didn't allow myself to get distracted by anything around me. 

Alex Gentry was swoon-worthy, and everything that I want in a male romance novel character. A lot of times in romance novels, FBI agents/cops act like absolute swaggering jerks under the guise of being what the genre pretends is an “alpha male”. Although Alex was extremely confident, a little hot-headed, and a smidge cocky, he was never even remotely close to being unlikable – not even when he was undercover and interacting with the dregs of humanity. He was just a flat out good guy who was trying to do the right thing, and trying to protect someone that he cared about. I really loved that about him. Granted, he was keeping secrets and not being 100% truthful, but he was doing so with the absolute best of intentions and with a tremendous amount of guilt, so forgiving him was a no-brainer for me - even before his absolutely adorable gestures of apology. 

Madison was a nice combination of a strong woman who was also incredibly vulnerable because of her unfailing love for her mother. Although there were times that I wanted to shake her for being too complacent, I also understood her need to keep her mother from falling apart. One of my favorite parts of this whole book was (slight SPOILERS to the end of this paragraph only) when she went 'Grasshopper' on Ramon. I was so hoping that she'd get a chance to do that, so when it happened, I wanted to fist pump for her. Also, the scene in the kitchen while Alex made breakfast made me want to cry, it was so beautiful. 

Along with the love story between Alex and Madison and the really interesting action story line, the secondary characters that we were supposed to like were fabulous. The ones we weren't supposed to like were so creepy and awful that I wasn't at all sad about their fates. Ramon and Trina, specifically. Every time those two were even mentioned, my skin crawled, which is a testament to Ms. Owen's talent for nailing characterization. And the 'good guys' were GREAT. I adored the Gentry boys who were both funny and entertaining in their own ways, and I am looking forward to learning more about them. I am especially anxious for Court and Lauren's book, but judging by the little glimpses of Nate we got, I think that Nate will be the wild card (pun intended) in the group. I can't wait for the rest of this series. 

That epilogue, though. It was not at all what I was expecting and I NEED to know more. It is going to be a long wait for the next book to be released.     

If you like a story with action and intrigue wrapped around a really sweet love story about two people who belong together, you should give this one a read – you won't be sorry. 

I requested a copy of this book from NetGalley. I was under no obligation to review it, but did so because I very much enjoyed the book.

The first in the new series Aces and Eights by Ms. Owen. I have previously read her K2 series which were great. Alex is a undercover FBI agent trying to break into the Alonzo criminal family organization. While hanging out with the son Ramon Alonzo he comes across Ramon's beautiful cousin Maddie who Ramon has a sick obsession with. He defends her against Ramon coming on to her. Although he knows it is not fair to get involved with her being  he is investigating her family he is drawn to her and starts a relationship. Alex has two older brothers Nate and Court( I am sure books of there's will be coming soon) and they all own a biker bar which is a form of cover for their FBI work. This book had it all some mystery action and of course romance. Reviews on goodreads and amazon.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
Three undercover FBI agents who are brothers posing as the owners of a bar for bikers. Hot and sexy they are involved in a case involving drugs and money laundering. 
Alex, one of the brothers, is attracted to the cousin of one of the drug barons called Madison. Their friendship and developing romance is  passionate and nice to read but can the secrets Alex is keeping ruin it all. A well written story with passion, love, crime and action, reminiscent of Sandra Brown's books. I hope there is another book soon in this series. 
4****

********** If any book deserved a medal for being riveting, this would be it!
This is BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BOOK.
A spellbinding, riveting, enthralling read. Breathtaking in its depth and plots. Mysterious, crime, passion, love, romance, and life! Each page motivated me to read faster. I was spellbound within the story. I had no choice but to read on. This is not a normal genre for me, however, this author will be on my top lists to read from now on. A compelling novel that has every element of a fantastic read  that you could ever want! Characters that seem real captivating you and your attention. No part of this novel is so so. It is all to be experienced. I started reading this morning, January 12, 2017. I could not stop reading. I finished the book in record time and hated that I did not have the others in the series! I was given this book in return for an honest review. My review is based solely upon my own opinion of the works I have read. BUY this book, you will not regret it! It is definitely a keeper. I was given this book by NetGalley in return for an honest review. Anna Swedenmom

OMG, words can not express how much I loved this book. The idea of the series is perfect. Three brothers all beat down by their father. Grow up to be exceptional men who all become FBI agents. Then they go undercover together. What could be more perfect then your brothers having you back? Maybe the perfect woman. Madison is so easy going that you can't help but fall in love with her. Her family is a problem though.