Category Archives: Jennifer Estep
Review: Spider’s Revenge by Jennifer Estep
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.
Spider’s Revenge (Elemental Assassin #5) by Jennifer Estep
Release Date: 27 September 2011
Read Date: 30 September 2011
Rating: 
A novella’s worth of content in a full-length novel. What was done with the rest of the pages, I hear you ask? Were they blank? I would’ve preferred them to be.
My name is Gin Blanco…
I know! I’ve been reading about your life for four books now.
…and I’m an assassin
Yes, you’re a hitwoman, we know this, can we get on with the killin’ now?
This is Finn. He’s my foster brother.
I do have a memory, no matter how dysfunctional it sometimes is, it’s never THAT bad.
And this is Bria…
You can see where I’m going with this, can’t you? Every character is reintroduced to us along with their backstory and history with Gin. Lots and lots of repetition. And yet more repetition. Ironically, eye colour-love, the most repeated thing in the first few books was toned down.
Character histories aside, the plot is a wash, rinse and repeat too.
1) Gin gets in a bind.
2) It gets worse.
3) Her friends rally round to do anything to keep her alive because they’ve all benefited from Gin’s talents in the past.
4) Gin gets in huge fight which she barely survives.
5) Jo-jo heals her.
6) Some happy stuff happens then we learn of what Gin plans to do next. The End.
The trouble with #6 concerning this book: the drawn-out story arc is now complete. Am I willing to stick around for another? I’m not sure. One positive about this one, it was skim-city so it took only a couple of hours to read. On the other hand, I shelled out hard cash for the privilege. Venom and Tangled Threads were good reads. I like the characters, the way elemental magic is used, the pretty gory fight scenes and Gin’s unapologetic violent ways but based on the pros and cons, By a Thread is likely to go unread unless I see some stellar reviews.
Urban Fantasy Cover Reveals
I love it when we finally get a chance to see the cover for upcoming books. Here are a few UF covers revealed so far this month:
Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick
Expected Release Date: 04 October 2011
Description from Goodreads:
The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They’ve overcome the secrets riddled in Patch’s dark past…bridged two irreconcilable worlds…faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust…and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they’ve worked for—and their love—forever.
Spider’s Revenge (Elemental Assassin #5) by Jennifer Estep
Expected Release Date: 27 September 2011
Description from Goodreads:
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.
Description from Goodreads:
By blood, by word, by magic…
Most can’t touch the power. But Liv Warren is special – a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.
Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.
But when her friend’s daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can’t rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.
Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.
And more blood will be spilled before it’s over…
In Memories We Fear (Vampire Memories #4) by Barb Hendee
Expected Release Date: 04 October 2011
Description from Goodreads:
Eleisha Clevon lives a quiet life in Portland, Oregon — for a vampire. She has learned to feed without killing humans and to train others of her kind. Along with her protector, Philip Branté, and their human companion, Wade Sheffield, she seeks out other vampires to offer them a community and to show them they do not have to exist alone.
Now, a series of killings in England point to a new — and feral — vampire. Eleisha, Philip, and Wade travel to London to make contact with the terrified creature, to offer him sanctuary and stop the bloodshed. But the vampire they find is not what they expected. Maxim is centuries old, with no memory of living anywhere besides the forest and feeding on animals. Now, he’s gained a taste for human blood. Philip thinks he’s too dangerous to save, but Eleisha won’t give up… even at the cost of Philip’s love and her own life
Charmfall (The Dark Elite #3) by Chloe Neill
Expected Release Date: January 2012
Description from Chloe Neill’s Website:
High school can be a battlefield, but for Lily Parker, surviving at St. Sophia’s School for Girls is a matter of life and death…
Protecting Chicago from the dark side can be an exhausting job, especially when you’re a sophomore. So when the girls of St. Sophia’s start gearing up for Sneak, their fall formal, Lily decides to join in on some good, old-fashioned party prep—even if it means not giving demons, vampires and the twisted magic users known as Reapers her undivided attention.
But when a Reaper infiltrates the school, Lily doesn’t forget what she’s sworn to protect. She reaches deep into herself to draw out her magic—and finds that it’s gone. And it turns out she’s not alone. A magical blackout has slammed through paranormal Chicago, and no one knows what—or who—caused it. But Lily knows getting back her magic is worth the risk of going behind enemy lines…
