2013 Top Review: Deadly Sting by Jennifer Estep

Deadly Sting 

by Jennifer Estep 

Source: Pocket Books via Edelweiss

Red is definitely my color. Good thing, because in my line of work, I end up wearing it a lot.

Most people shy away from blood, but for an assassin like me — Gin Blanco, aka the Spider — it’s just part of the job. Still, it would be nice to get a night off, especially when I’m attending the biggest gala event of the summer at Briartop, Ashland’s fanciest art museum. But it’s just not meant to be. For this exhibition of my late nemesis’ priceless possessions is not only the place to be seen, but the place to be robbed and taken hostage at gunpoint as well. No sooner did I get my champagne than a bunch of the unluckiest thieves ever burst into the museum and started looting the place.

Unlucky why? Because I brought along a couple of knives in addition to my killer dress. Add these to my Ice and Stone magic, and nothing makes me happier than showing the bad guys why red really is my color.

If you have not read Widow's Web there will a SPOILERS in this review.

Red is definitely Gin's color! In each book of the series we see how deadly Gin can be but since she took out Mab in Spider's Revenage she gone a little soft IMO. But she is in full assassin mode in Deadly Sting!

Deadly Sting is different than all the other books in the Elemental Assassin series. The main plot takes place in one night at one location. I've talked the book over with some of my reading buddies and some have said they didn't like this change but I for one enjoyed it.

True we didn't get to see as much of the secondary characters that I've come to love just as but I feel like DS was more about Gin and getting some of her mojo back after the events that have happend to her personal life. And reminding the "crime bosses" in Ashland that the Spider is not someone to mess with.

Gin reluctantly goes to a fancy art showing with Finn. But it's not just any art show but it's a showing Mab Monroe's personal art collection and her will is going to be read at this shindig. All of the big names in Ashland is going to be there, including.....Owen Wilson. But Gin doesn't know it until she is blind sided by seeing him.....with a date.

Oh Owen, Owen, Owen. You cut us, cut us deep.

Just when the party is looking like a boring run of the mill art showing the wait staff start waving guns around and in true Gin fashion she can't go anywhere without having to put on her assassin knives, luckily she has a place or two to hide them under her new red party dress that Finn made her buy.

Gin moves throughout the museum like the deadly, bad ass assassin that she is taking out the bad guys and trying to save her family and friends at are in attendance. For the most part of the action Gin is alone but she's the Spider after all and she can handle it.

One thing I've enjoyed through out the series is getting flashbacks from Gin's past with her mentor, Fletcher. And we get another one in Deadly Sting. Gin always pulls from the memories to help her when she is in a hard place.

The Clementine, head bad guy, has plans for using Owen in her scheme. Gin works fast to free him before they kill him once he's done. The 1/2 half of the book has Owen and Gin working together to help the others.

"No, we didn't really get a chance to talk about anything. There was just blood, dead giants, and a lot of awkward pauses."

#AADSAV The AWESOME Jennifer Estep stops by

Jennifer Estep is the author of the Elemental Assassin and Mytho Academy series and has quickly become one of my favorite Urban Fantasy authors. 

Welcome to The Book Nympho today!

Thanks for hosting me on your blog. I appreciate it.

• I’m currently consuming the Elemental Assassin series on audio and loving it. Lauren Fortgang does a great job with Gin’s voice; it’s sweet when it needs to be, gritty at the right moments and when Gin has dirty thoughts, she can make her sound like a 1-900 sex line worker. Did you have a hand in picking the narrator?

No, I didn’t have a hand in picking the narrator, but Lauren e-mailed me about some things in the book, so we connected that way, and I’ve enjoyed talking to her. I’ve gotten a lot of nice comments about her narration. Lauren was also nice enough to do a guest post for my blog a few months ago talking about audiobooks, and it was really interesting to learn more about the process and everything that goes into the narration, etc.

• Gin often counts down the seconds…10…20…45…Is there anything special about the number 45? Cuz I’m having a Lost flashback to where I was obsessed with the numbers and their meaning.

No, there’s nothing special about the numbers. 45 seconds just seemed like a place to mention in between 30 and 60 seconds. LOL.

• Another thing that sticks out as I’m enjoying the Elemental Assassin series that Gin always refers eye color. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where eye color is written in such detail. Do you have an eye fetish? LOL

No, I don’t have an eye fetish. LOL. But I do like describing characters so folks can picture them in their minds, so I generally do hair and eye color for the main and secondary characters in the books, along with other things, like hobbies, quirks, mannerisms, etc. Plus, there is the old saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and I think that folks can express a lot of emotions by the way they look at each other – love, anger, hurt, disappointment, etc. So that’s probably one of the reasons why I write about eyes so much.

• Most people hear Urban Fantasy and think all action and no sexy. NOT TRUE for your Elemental Assassins series and BRAVO! Gin can be a dirty girl in more that one way. Is that something that just happened or did you decided that your heroine can be sexy as well as deadly?

I like books with a little bit of everything in them – action, magic, danger, adventure, and romance. Those are the type of books that I like to read, and those are the type of books that I like to write. So the romance is an important part of the books to me. Plus, romantic entanglements can make for great drama for characters.

• Gin often talks about the many classes she taken at the community college in Ashland and how literature and cooking are her favorite subjects. Is this part of your personality peaking through Gin?

Maybe a little bit. I don’t take classes at a community college, although I might if I had more free time. But I do enjoy cooking and reading just like Gin does. Those are things that I like writing about so that’s one of the reasons that I decided to have those be some of her hobbies. Plus, you always want your characters to be relatable, and I think cooking and reading are things that a lot of folks are interested in or like reading about.

• Ok let’s talk about your YA series, Mythos Academy. Is it hard for you to tone down the darkness in the series vs the adult series?

It’s not too hard for me. My Mythos Academy books have a lot of the same elements as my other books do – a strong, sassy heroine, magic/world building, and lots of action. I would say that the Mythos Academy books are still dark in places – characters die, there are battle scenes, etc. – but they are lighter on the sex, violence, and bad language than my adult books.

But it’s been a lot of fun to write a young adult series and tell more of a coming-of-age story with a heroine who is still figuring out what she wants her place in the world to be.

• I had such fun at Authors After Dark last August and I can’t wait to go to it this August. What are you most looking forward to at AADSAV? Do you plan on doing any of the local tours while in Savannah? (I need to make my stalking plan now, LOL)

I’ve been to Savannah a couple of times, and it’s a really pretty city. I’m looking forward to getting out and just walking around and exploring.

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times bestselling author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer has worked as a features writer and page designer for a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper and has more than 10 years of journalism experience. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and other writing groups.

Jennifer’s books have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living, and a variety of other publications. You can follow her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.

The Elemental Assassin series (for adults)

Books in the series are Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, Tangled Threads, Spider’s Revenge, By a Thread, and Widow’s Web. Thread of Death, an e-novella, is also available.

Deadly Sting, the eighth book, is set to be published on March 26, 2013, with the ninth book (untitled) tentatively due out in September 2013.

The Mythos Academy series (for young adults)

Books in the series are Touch of Frost, Kiss of Frost, and Dark Frost. Crimson Frost, the fourth book, is set to be published on Dec. 24, 2012. Midnight Frost, the fifth book, is tentatively set to be released in August 2013.

The Bigtime series (for adults)

Books in the series are Karma Girl, Hot Mama, Jinx, and Nightingale. A Karma Girl Christmas, an e-story, is available.

You can stalk follow Jennifer at:

Twitter - Goodreads - Website

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Audio Review: Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep

Widow's Web 

by Jennifer Estep 

(Elemental Assassin # 7)
Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

I used to murder people for money, but lately it’s become more of a survival technique. Once an assassin, always an assassin. So much for being plain old Gin Blanco. With every lowlife in Ashland gunning for me, I don’t need another problem, but a new one has come to town anyway. Salina might seem like a sweet Southern belle, but she’s really a dangerous enemy whose water elemental magic can go head-to-head with my own Ice and Stone power. Salina also has an intimate history with my lover, Owen Grayson, and now that she’s back, she thinks he’s hers for the taking. Salina’s playing a mysterious game that involves a shady local casino owner with a surprising connection to Owen. But they call me the Spider for a reason. I’m going to untangle her deadly scheme, even if it leaves my love affair hanging by a thread.


REVIEW:

Oh where to begin? Well first if you follow me you know that all the books in this series have been 5 Mac Halo (stars) and favorites for me. Well kiddies, Widow's Web is still a favorite and I still have my Gollum moments (My Precious) but I could only give it 4 stars.

Why? One word, or rather name...OWEN.

Owen you broke my heart in this one. I knew you were too perfect. But I have hopes that you pull you head out of your ass in the future.

But I'll back up a bit and leave Owen where he belongs...bitch slapped and tie up somewhere. For now.

I love how Widow's Web starts. Gin has been planning an assassination for weeks on her current targets and you won't believe who they are. I found myself confused and then laughing my ass off.

We get to see the whole case, Finn, Bria, the Deveraux sisters (I knew that I've heard that last name before reading this series and it finally click in my head... The Golden Girls, Blanche Deveraux ok back to the review) Eva, Phillip Kincaid and of course Owen.

This time around the gang is dealing with a deadly water elemental, Salina who just happens to share a past with Owen, Eva and Phillip. And as the book summary states, she appears to be the perfect Southern Belle but really she's one cold heart, crazy bitch and it's seems every but Owen knows it.

Anyway Salina is back in town after being gone for years. And she is making a splash (pun intended) in the underworld of Ashland. See Gin and Owen's families were not the only people that Mab Monroe killed. Salina's father was killed by Mab at party years ago when she was younger and it broke her. While she was away she only got crazier and now she has brought her deadly water magic to town in hopes of getting revenge.

That's where Gin comes in to take the bitch down. But Salina wrecks all kinds of havoc before the Gin finally takes her out. And we will feel the effects of the havoc for few books yet, I'm sure.

Also to sum up Widow's Web - action packed, another crazy bitch dead by Gin's knives, and the once loved Owen is now on my shit list as well as others that have read the book. Fans of the series will no doubt read this one and have strong feelings, especially if they are an Owen fan.

Series Reading Order:
Spider's Bite
Web of Lies
Venom
Tangled Threads
Spider's Revenge
By a Thread

Cover Releaved: Heart of Venom by Jennifer Estep

 

Heart of Venom

(Elemental Assassin #9) 

by Jennifer Estep 

Expected publication: August 27th 2013 by Pocket Books

The hotly anticipated ninth novel in the hugely popular Elemental Assassin series finds Gin Blanco on a dangerous mission to rescue a friend. When a terror from the past threatens Gin’s friend and body-disposer, Sophia, Gin will stop at nothing to protect her, even if it means walking straight into a killer’s trap. Meanwhile, the rocky romance between Gin and Owen reaches a turning point—can they reunite and rekindle their love? Or will the things Gin has been forced to do in her line of work as the deadly assassin the Spider keep them apart forever? Assuming, that is, she survives long enough to find out.




Deadly Sting is not out yet (I've read it and loved it) and we get a cover for the 2nd release of 2013.

YAY! We get twice the Gin in 2013!!!

 The cover is not my favorite in the series but I like it. It has a different feel to it than the other covers.

Wonder what the graveyard means? Is Gin digging her own grave or someone elses?

Can't wait.

What do you think of the cover? 

Which cover is your favorite?

        

Audio Review: By a Thread by Jennifer Estep

By a Thread 

by Jennifer Estep

(Elemental Assassin #6) 

Published February 28th 2012 by Audible Frontiers
Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

When killing people is your job, there’s no such thing as a vacation. Then again, how often does an assassin live long enough to enjoy her retirement? In this line of work, you either get lucky or you get dead. And since I destroyed my nemesis Mab Monroe a few weeks ago, all of Ashland’s lowlifes are gunning to make a name for themselves by taking out the lethal Spider—me, Gin Blanco. So I’m leaving behind my beloved barbecue joint and heading south with my baby sister, Bria, to cool my heels in a swanky beach town. Call it a weekend of fun in the sun. But when a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic threatens an old friend of Bria’s, it looks like I’ll have to dig my silverstone knives out of my suitcase after all. Complicating matters further is the reappearance of Detective Donovan Caine, my old lover. But Donovan is the least of my problems. Because this time, the danger is hot on my trail, and not even my elemental Ice and Stone magic may be enough to save me from getting buried in the sand—permanently.

Gin has been busy the last few weeks after she finally took down Mab Monroe (Hey I'm not spoiling you, points up to the book summary). Every scum bag in Ashland that's trying to make a name for themselves has been trying to take out the Spider. Gin is sick of the constant death threats...yeah right, they're not really threats since she kills all the lowlifes that is too stupid not to learn from other's mistakes. Come on, the Spider was the only one that could kill the big bad fire elemental, Mab Monroe and you think that you can take her out with your pea shooter. Please! Then you are too stupid to live.

Gin realizes that the attacks are not going to stop anytime soon, so she finally agrees to take that vacation that Finn suggested to her. What could go wrong when Gin decides to go on a short weekend getaway? A fun road trip with her little sister, Bria? The Snow sisters make Thelma and Louise look like a Disney flick.

Gin takes her assassin show on the road in By a Thread. Hoping to have a little sister time with Bria the two drive down to the beach getaway a day earlier than Finn and Owen since the boys had business to wrap up. Gin really tries to relax on her first ever vacation, but she doesn't know how to enjoy a vacation like "normal" people. She tries to do the tourist thing with Bria but that doesn't last long.

Bria picked the vacation spot, the place she grew up after the death of hers and Gin's mother and older sister. Bria takes the chance to catch up with her best friend. Gin tags along to get Bria's BFF, Callie. But feels left-out and comes off a little bitchy to Callie at first. But then that's when a local thug comes into Callie's restaurant to threaten her. Yeah, Callie is the friend that Gin reminds her of...she runs her own restaurant and she happens to look a lot like Gin..... (wait for it)

So Gin steps in to help Bria's friend with the thug. But little did Gin know that the thug is a low man on the totem pole that works for the big bad guy in town who happens to be a vampire. Now up to this point in the series vampires have been around but we get the low down on Estep’s version of the creatures in By a Thread. They are just like humans expect they need blood along with regular food. If they drink from an elemental they get that person’s power for a short time and they live for a long time.

So this vampire has a few tricks up his sleeve and he's not as easy to kill as Gin first thought. Killing Mab might have made Gin a little too cocky and she quickly rethinks her approach to killing the bastard. And he's a real bastard but I won't going into to much deals.

Remember when I said to "wait for it" (points to earlier paragraph about Callie's similarity to Gin). Well hello Mr. Dick-tective Douche Bag. That's right, if you couldn't tell by the book summary, Donovan is back. It just so happens that Bria took his spot on the Ashland police department and he took hers when he left town. And what has that self righteous prick been doing? Getting engaged to the safe version of Gin, Callie. That's right Gin's ex-lover is engaged to her baby sister's BFF who happens to look a lot like Gin. Mmm....

And things only get more awkward when Finn and Owen finally make it into town.

Need less to say By a Thread is full of bloody good times and wrapping up a few loose ends in Gin's love life.

Narration Note: Lauren Fortgang is on my top 5 favorite narrators list. She does an outstanding job with Gin and all the other characters. I've done this whole series on audio with the exception of Thread of Death (novella) and the arc of Deadly Sting and when reading I have Fortgang's voice in my head.

Series reading order:

        

Audio Review: Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep

Spider’s Revenge 

by Jennifer Estep 

(Elemental Assassin #5) 

Old habits die hard. And I plan on mur­der­ing some­one before the night is through.

Killing used to be my reg­u­lar gig, after all. Gin Blanco, aka the Spi­der, assassin-for-hire. And I was very good at it. Now, I’m ready to make the one hit that truly mat­ters: Mab Mon­roe, the dan­ger­ous Fire ele­men­tal who mur­dered my fam­ily when I was thir­teen.

Oh, I don’t think the mis­sion will be easy, but turns out it’s a bit more prob­lem­atic than expected. The bitch knows I’m com­ing for her. So now I’m up against the army of lethal bounty hunters she hired to track me down. She also put a price on my baby sister’s head. Keep­ing Bria safe is my first pri­or­ity. Tak­ing Mab out is a close sec­ond.

Good thing I’ve got my pow­er­ful Stone and Ice magic — and my irre­sistible lover Owen Grayson — to watch my back. This bat­tle has been years in the mak­ing, and there’s a chance I won’t sur­vive. But if I’m going down, then Mab’s com­ing with me...no mat­ter what I have to do to make that happen.

“Old habits die hard for assassins. And I planned on murdering someone before the night was through. That’s what I did, me Gin Blanco, the assassin known as The Spider. I killed people, something that I was very, very good at.”

Have I told you guys how much I LOVE this series? Well, I’m telling ya again. It’s on my top 5 list of Urban Fantasy series EVER.

Since I don’t want to spoil you guys I’ll keep this review very short.

Gin is back, kicking ass and taking names.

Finn is back with his smart remarks and sexiness.

Owen is back with his yummy self.

Mab is back…..

Donovan is still gone. YAY

That’s all you’re getting from me. I can’t talk about this book without spoilers so just know it’s AWESOME and I suggest you start this series you have not already. And if you have, you know how great it is.

“The people I've killed over the years, yeah I did most of them for the money. Because being an assassin was a job and one that I was good at. But the biggies, all the folks I've taken on in recent months......they've all practice for you bitch.”

If you are just now getting into this series and have not made it past Spider’s Revenge, I HIGHLY recommend you read the novella that follows, Thread of Death. It reads like an epilogue to Spider’s Revenge.

Review: Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep

Tangled Threads

by Jennifer Estep

Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

Elemental Assassin # 4

Published April 26th 2011 by Audible Frontiers

An assassin has come to Ashland to murder Gin Blanco, the renowned killer known as the Spider. Ever since she declared war on Mab Monroe, the ruthless head of the Ashland underworld, she's had a target on her back. Mab wants her dead in the worst kind of way, which is why she's hired Elektra LaFleur. LaFleur is just as ruthless as Gin, and has electrical elemental magic that equals Gin's Ice and Stone power. Complicating matters is the fact that Mab's kidnapped an innocent young girl. For Gin, finding her is priority number one…but surviving is a close second.

It's getting harder and harder not to spoil during these reviews but here I go....
 
Gin has stepped up her game on the take down Mab Monroe front. She is taking out Mab's men left and right and now Mab has brought in Elektra, an out of town assassin, in hopes of taking out the Spider.

The assassin's name hints at her elemental power, electricity. And Gin gets a few shocks from Elektra. But have no fear, Gin is the still the baddest ass assassin in Ashland. With her ice magic becoming just as strong as her stone and she is learning that she just might have what it takes to finally take out old Mab.

Gin and her gang (Finn, Jo-Jo, Sophia, Rosalind and Xavier) work on helping free an innocent little girl that Mab's men have taken while trying not to get themselves or the little girl killed.

Gin and Bria work together again and secrets are found out.

On the romance side Owen is back. Mmmm... Owen. He could not be more perfect for Gin. He doesn't guide her by her past and is front and center to help her with her present. 

Gin might be a "retired" assassin but the bad guys of Ashland better look out cuz the Spider is now doing her job for free and she is every as bit as dangerous if not more.

Still loving this series and now that I've gotten then review out of the way I can power through the next book, Spider's Revenge.