Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep

Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.


I'm Gin Blanco.


You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coalmining tycoon, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man . . . dead or alive.

So this was the continuation in the Elemental Assasin's series. Something about this book just appears to read faster than its previous story, Spider's Bite. It even seemed as if it was written different as well. You can tell this in just the first two pages alone.

It took a chapter or so in Spider's Bite before the action began. In Web of Lies, it is instant! The great thing about Web of Lies is how Jennifer does a further story of characters touched upon in Spider's Bite, in addition to adding some new ones.

In Spider's Web I had remarked about how the culinary aspect was ..off? I feel as though I should say so in Web of Lies too. However something is different about it and it didn't seem to phase me as much this time around. Well, except for the fact this is the first novel I've read that makes my stomach growl and intrigues me at the same time.

Originally I had taken note of Roslyn, from Spider's Bite, not being featured. Just as I took note- two pages later there she is! Although she had a smaller stint in this story I was still happy to see her appear being the vampire addict that I am. I really enjoyed both the second interactions Gin (Spider) had with Jake & Macalister & Owen Grayson. I have to say I was a bit disheartened with Donovan's ending in the story. I hope he makes an appearance in Venom the third installment in the Elemental Assasins series.Speaking of Venom, I can't wait for it to come out. The excitement of Mab Monroe's possible take down by Gin's revenge is just swwwwwwwwwwwweet!

Overall I really enjoyed this novel much more than I did Spider's Bite, actually. The great thing of this series is how Estep generously recaps the previous novel. With her doing this it makes it possible to read the novels in either order. Thanks again to Jennifer for sending me both Spider's Bite & Web of Lies. This is a new and wonderful series I hope continues at a lengthy pace.

Don't forget to become a "Follower" on this blog to enter yourself into the July contest to win an autographed Jennifer Estep bookmark of your choice. I will be posting the winner August 2 along with an exciting interview with Jennifer!!!
xoxo

Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep

My name is Gin Blanco. They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South - when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.

Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way - good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction...especially when Donovan wants me dead just as the enemy.

I happened to notice this book in a Wal Mart store sometime earlier this year when I was living in North Carolina. I contacted Jennifer and due to some publisher's limiting the amounts of books they send to their authors, she sent me the e-book along with Web of Lies (June 2010). Jennifer included a press release that also states book three in the series, Venom, will be released in October, 2010. As I browsed through her website I noticed she was offering bookmarks. Much to my surprise, she sent me I think 9 total. As you all have seen one of them is a result of this month's contest! In addition to all of that, she also allowed me the opportunity to interview her. On August 2 I will post the interview with the name of the winner of the contest.

The novel is based in Ashland, NC. As I read the novel it appeared to have so many of the same charateristics of Asheville, NC. I have a feeling this was her inspiration to base the novel on. This was an action packed book. The scenes were filled with bloody assassinations! Aside from the major Elementals, the story also featured vampire hookers, dwarf socialite beauticians, giants, and who knows what she may include in Web of Lies and Venom? The Elemental characters posess powers that are more interesting than your typical superheroes.

The tension between Gin, the Spider, and Donovan Caine was palpable. The culinary cooking sections were just....? It fit in with the story, but at the same time I felt that it was overplayed more than it should have been? As all books in series, or the great ones anyways, this one left you with a surprising ending to pave a way for the next book. This is a series I hope continues for a long time. If so, I can definitely see myself following the Spider's story in physical book format. The e-books are just not as convenient to read while traveling and various other family emergencies that I ran into. Thanks again to Jennifer for a new and interesting series that has grabbed my attention outside of my typical book reviewing.

Favorite quote from the book:
"Easy was for people too weak to suck it up and do what needed to be done. And I wasn't weak. Not anymore."
xoxo