Review: Black Widow

BLACK WIDOW
Elemental Assassin #12
Jennifer Estep
Urban Fantasy
400 pages
Pocket Books
Available November 25th
Source: eARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
There’s nothing worse than a cruel, cunning enemy with time to kill—and my murder to plan.

With wicked Fire elemental Mab Monroe long gone, you’d think I could finally catch a break. But someone’s always trying to take me down, either as Gin Blanco or my assassin alter-ago. Now along comes the Spider’s new arch-nemesis, the mysteriously named M. M. Monroe, who is gleefully working overtime to trap me in a sticky web of deceit.

The thing is, I’m not the only target. I can see through the tangled threads enough to know that every bit of bad luck my friends have been having lately is no accident—and that each unfortunate “coincidence” is just one more arrow drawing ever closer to hitting the real bulls-eye. Though new to Ashland, this M. M. Monroe is no stranger to irony, trying to get me, an assassin, framed for murder. Yet, as my enemy’s master plan is slowly revealed, I have a sinking feeling that it will take more than my powerful Ice and Stone magic to stop my whole life from going up in flames.

MY THOUGHTS
One of the reasons the Elemental Assassin series continues to be as successful into the double digit installments as it was in the beginning is Ms. Estep's ability to craft the most cunning, sadistic, and beautifully despicable villains for Gin to face down, each one testing her not only on a physical level, but on a mental and emotional one as well. As a result, we don't simply feel as though we're reading the same story again and again with a different bad guy in play, instead we get to watch as Gin's character grows and matures, helped along by friends but even more so by foes; men and women who have a bloody lesson to both teach and learn.

With Black Widow, we're reminded of a time several months ago for Gin (seven books ago for us readers) when she faced another monster bearing the Monroe moniker, a woman who passed her cruelty and her flair for the dramatic to her daughter. What's most intriguing about Madeline however is not her elemental ability (though her acid magic is the stuff of nightmares to be sure), but rather the way in which she comes after Gin. Before Madeline, the impressive array of villains in this series have, for the most part, come at Gin directly, confident enough in their fighting prowess, strength or elemental gifts to challenge a woman with a reputation as fearsome and merciless as their own. They've come with egos and arrogance on proud display, taking their swings at her with all the physical force they have in their arsenal, and while they've brought Gin to the edge of death, none have managed to tip her over.

Madeline, though in possession of a healthy ego of her own, takes a different tack than all those before her, using smarts over brute strength to unleash a seemingly passive multi-pronged attack on Gin and those closest to her. She's clearly watched as Gin has effectively defeated head-on attack after head-on attack, and thus shoves Gin out of her comfort zone, forcing her to fight a very different type of battle than she's used to. One where the cover of night and the flash of her silverstone knives are rendered useless, and she must instead comb her vast knowledge of strategy to win a game played by rules not of her making.

Overall, Black Widow proves that the strength of the Elemental Assassin series is in no way waning, and Gin herself is only getting stronger and more impressive as she goes. Ms. Estep clearly has a reservoir of perfectly hateful villains ready and waiting to throw down their gauntlet for Gin to pick up, and here's hoping we have at least another twelve books on the way to see them try their very best.

Rating: 4/5

Are you a fan of audiobooks? Then check out a clip of Black Widow from Audible!

Black Widow on Audible

Find Jennifer:

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This book was sent to me by the author  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Fireborn

Today I'm thrilled to be wrapping up the tour for Fireborn, the first installment of the new Souls of Fire series by Keri Arthur. I thoroughly enjoyed this book (as you'll see in my review below) and can't wait to see what future books have in store for Emberly!

FIREBORN
Souls of Fire #1
Keri Arthur
Urban Fantasy
370 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
From New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur comes a brand new series featuring heroine Emberly Pearson—a phoenix capable of taking on human form, and cursed with the ability to foresee death…

Emberly has spent a good number of her many lives trying to save humans. So when her prophetic dreams reveal the death of Sam, a man she once loved, she does everything in her power to prevent that from happening. But in saving his life, she gets more than she bargained for.

Sam is working undercover for the Paranormal Investigations Team, and those who are trying to murder him are actually humans infected by a plague-like virus, the Crimson Death—a by-product of a failed government experiment that attempted to identify the enzymes that make vampires immortal. Now, all those infected must be eliminated.

But when Emberly’s boss is murdered and his irreplaceable research stolen, she needs to find the guilty party before she goes down in flames…

MY THOUGHTS
Fireborn is the first in a new urban fantasy series from Ms. Arthur, thrusting us into a paranormal world full of the more familiar supernatural creatures such as vamps and weres, but utterly delighting us with the introduction of an entity we’ve seen very rarely (if at all): Phoenixes. Emberly is a phoenix, immortal in the sense that she experiences rebirth again and again and in possession of two separate forms when she calls on her fire. Given the unusualness of her kind, we find ourselves helpless to do anything but glory in everything we learn about her history, her various abilities, and the mythology of phoenixes in general. In addition to a truly fascinating protagonist in Emberly, we’re also given a complex mystery surrounding the Crimson Death virus, one that is clearly going to carry through future books despite the nice stopping point we find at the end of this first installment.

Emberly, while grabbing our attention from the beginning simply due to the fact that she’s a phoenix, also reaches out and tugs on our heartstrings as well, a troubled history with former lover Sam making itself known through clipped conversations and a painful exchange of barbs in the opening chapters. Though Sam’s anger at how his relationship with Emberly dissolved years prior is more than understandable when we learn what happened between them, we have the benefit of being in Emberly’s head rather than Sam’s, so we’re better able to see the why's of her actions when Sam can’t allow himself to see past his hurt. Thus we have the setup for what will undoubtedly be an emotional journey for the two of them, one that shows no signs of finding any type of resolution in the near future.

As is the case with many urban fantasy stories, Emberly is surrounded by a bevy of interested men, including Sam (though he fights it has hard as he can), but thankfully Ms. Arthur manages to create a situation between Emberly, Rory, Jackson and Sam that’s not nearly as frustrating as we might expect upon hearing of such a romantic setup. Each man has a distinct role in her life, but Emberly is not a woman who gets herself into irritatingly complex emotional entanglements, instead we learn early on that her heart belongs fully to Sam–despite his cool treatment of her throughout–while the other two fulfill very different types of needs or wants. Rory and Jackson are not love interests in any real way, they are friends, partners and sometimes lovers to Emberly, there for her when her heart or body take a brutal beating.

Overall, Fireborn is an intriguing start to the Souls of Fire series, giving our imaginations something new to play with as Emberly and Rory’s phoenixes take center stage, and ensuring our hearts are as involved as our minds thanks to Sam's heartbreaking presence in Emberly's life. Emberly is strong, smart and fiercely loyal to those she cares about (even if certain other people might argue the last one), and she is certainly someone with whom I can't wait to spend more time in the next installment.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Keri:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

*I'm the last stop on this month long tour, below is the full list of participating blogs so you can go back and check out additional reviews, excerpts and more!

6/23 - SciFi Chick

6/24 - I Smell Sheep

6/25 - On Starships and Dragonwings

6/26 - Manga Maniac Cafe

6/27 - Fang-Tastic Books

6/30 - Tynga's Reviews

7/1 - Ramblings From This Chick

7/2 - Urban Fantasy Investigations

7/3 - A Book Obsession

7/4 - Rabid Reads

7/7 - Wicked 'Lil Pixie

7/8 - A Great Read

7/9 - My Bookish Ways

7/10 - Supernatural Snark

7/11 - Not Yet Read

7/14 - HEAs Are Us

7/15 - Live to Read

7/16 - The Book Pushers

7/17 - Paranormal Book Club

7/18 - Awesomesauce Book Club

7/21 - Nyx Book Reviews

7/22 - Literal Addiction

7/23 - Supernatural Snark

Review: Night Broken

NIGHT BROKEN
Mercy Thompson #8
Patricia Briggs
Adult Urban Fantasy
352 pages
Ace
Available March 11th
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.

Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s ex is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

MY THOUGHTS
The Mercy Thompson series is one of those series where returning to it is not a desperate, driving need, but yet once we’re there it settles around our shoulders with all the comfort of a warm blanket on a cold winter day. There’s a beautiful familiarity waiting for us from the moment we crack the spine, beloved characters ready to land themselves in various types of troubles for our amusement, and we can do nothing but smile when we settle down to read. Even installments that might have a particularly bothersome flaw don’t ruffle our feathers all that much or take away from our overall enjoyment because the strength of our tie to the series as a whole is simply too strong.

One of those aforementioned flaws is present and accounted for in Night Broken in the form of Adam’s ex-wife Christy, her manipulative and petty presence like nails on a chalkboard for the effect she has on Adam and the rest of the pack. Christy has an uncanny ability to render both Adam and majority of the pack completely docile, unwilling to say or do anything that might hurt her or cause her fake tears to flow, and while it’s easy to simply greatly dislike Christy and move on, it’s more difficult to do so with Adam's behavior toward her. Mercy is not the type of woman who needs a man to protect or defend her in any way, but there’s a point when Adam's lack of outspoken support for her becomes not simply a matter of keeping the peace within the pack, but rather shows a distinct lack of respect for his wife and mate. He expects Mercy to swallow behavior from Christy he himself would never dream of enduring were their roles reversed, so for the first part of this story Adam unfortunately loses a few of the points he's earned with us over the course of this series.

Where Adam loses points though, Mercy earns them with the way she handles herself, never fully backing down from Christy’s deliberate provocations but never rising to them either, instead she gives an inch or two before taking them back once again. We might wish for her to wrestle those inches back in more dramatic fashion as our anger on her behalf is quite impressive, but nothing knocks Mercy from the beautiful high road she’s so set on walking. Luckily for us though, about halfway through the focus shifts from Christy’s presence to the more pressing mystery surrounding her stalker, and we quickly leave all our frustrations behind in favor of diving headfirst into the adventure Ms. Briggs never fails to grant us with each Mercy Thompson novel.

Overall, even with Christy and her childish game playing this story is still delightfully entertaining, Mercy’s life as hectic and as dangerous as ever when she finds herself of interest to numerous very powerful entities. Adam does charm his way into earning our forgiveness by the end, so we're left with one of our favorite couples strong, in love, and back on track in our eyes by the time we reach the last page. We can only wonder what near-death experience awaits Mercy next, and I for one am greatly looking forward to watching her escape its cold, clammy fingers all over again.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Patricia:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: The Spider

THE SPIDER
Elemental Assassin #10
Jennifer Estep
Adult Urban Fantasy
400 pages
Pocket Books
Available December 24th
Source: e-ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Amazon)
How did I end up in a career where I always have blood on my hands? Well, let me tell you a story about an assassin who thought she could do no wrong. . . .

Ten years ago. A blistering hot August night. I remember like it was yesterday. The night I, Gin Blanco, truly became the Spider. Killing people is what I do best, especially now that I’ve honed my Ice and Stone magic. But back then, I had yet to learn one very important rule: arrogance will get you, every single time.

This particular job seemed simple: murder a crooked building contractor with ties to ruthless Fire elemental Mab Monroe. My mentor, Fletcher Lane, had some misgivings, but I was certain that I had the situation under control . . . right up until I exposed my weaknesses to a merciless opponent who exploited every single one of them. There’s a reason assassins aren’t supposed to feel anything. Luckily, a knife to the heart can fix that problem, especially when I’m the one wielding it. . . .

MY THOUGHTS
The Spider is a somewhat unusual installment in the Elemental Assassin series given that it's the tenth book yet also a prequel to all of the books we've read thus far, allowing fans of the series a never before seen glimpse at Gin as she's getting her bearings as an assassin while at the same time giving newcomers to the series a perfect introduction. This newest installment does revert back to the somewhat repetitive nature the last couple books had finally moved past, reminding longtime readers of things they are well aware of nine times over, but as always, even with that niggle Ms. Estep thoroughly entertains with a piece of Gin's life previously unknown to us. The real treat comes in the form of Fletcher Lane, a man we lost early on in the very first book and have felt the absence of in each book since, but in this story he's alive and well and beautifully caring despite what he's training Gin to do, and we can't help but revel in every minute we're granted with him knowing when it's over we'll be faced with his loss all over again.

The younger version of Gin we get in this book is surprisingly different from the Gin we've come to know and love, our expectation that she would be the exact same woman ten years prior of course slightly delusional once we've had time to think on it, and our initial shock quickly gives way to curiosity as we begin to catalog all the ways she differs from The Spider with whom we're so familiar. Over the course of this series we've learned to implicitly trust Gin, perhaps at times questioning the always-fatal solution she suggests to various problems, but we've unequivocally known that those she targets deserve their fate and then some; many of the villains she's faced monsters that haunt us long after we've finished reading. In this story though we find ourselves a bit off-kilter, Gin's willingness to so quickly believe what a file tells her is the truth causing nerves to roil in our guts and unease to shiver down our spines, something that's completely foreign to us in this context and utterly fascinating at the same time.

Gin has always been someone who inspires confidence in us as readers, our faith that she knows what she's doing unwavering as she proceeds to teach the nightmares that plague Ashland's streets, businesses or government officials lessons that will lead them straight to their graves. There's no doubt in our minds in The Spider however that it's Gin who will be learning a lesson; a rather brutal one that finally gives us some insight as to why she's so very susceptible to emotional hurt, particularly from members of the opposite sex. While we ache for this younger Gin, wanting nothing more than to scream ourselves hoarse telling her to open her eyes–that The Spider we know would never be satisfied with face-value and would dig and dig and dig until she found everything there was to know before acting–we find ourselves both riveted and resigned, knowing Gin has go this one the hard way in order to be the woman we meet later in her life.

It's nothing short of gratifying in the concluding chapters to watch as the Gin we recognize emerges from the young woman we didn't, the price for the change in her extraordinarily high, but paid for in full in wounds visible and not. Overall, The Spider is a deeply satisfying addition to this series for both new fans and old, Ms. Estep handing us a piece of Gin we never knew we were missing but now can't imagine continuing her story without.

Rating: 4/5

Find Jennifer:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Giveaway: To Dance with the Devil by Cat Adams

Thanks to the wonderful team at Tor Books, I have a fantastic giveaway to share with you all today!  Three copies of the most recent release in the Blood Singer urban fantasy series by Cat Adams, To Dance with the Devil, are up for grabs, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below (giveaway is open to US and Canada only).

To Dance with the Devil is book six in the series, but I actually came in on book four, The Isis Collar, and aside from clearly missing a little history on some of protagonist Celia's personal relationships, I was easily drawn into her world and found that the mystery element really stood alone. Those readers like me who enjoy a bit of a badass heroine will no doubt be delighted by Celia!

About To Dance with the Devil:

The successful urban fantasy series continues as Celia Graves—part human, part vampire, part Siren—faces black magic and heartbreak.

Celia Graves’s newest client is one of the last surviving members of a magical family that is trapped in a generations-old feud with other magic-workers. She’s supposed to die at the next full moon unless Celia can broker peace between the clans or break the curse before it can take effect.

For the first time in a long while, Celia’s personal life is looking up. Her vampire abilities seem to be under control, her Siren abilities have gotten more reliable, and even though her office was blown up, her services are more in demand than ever now that she's fought off terrorists and been part of the royal wedding of the year. Her friends all seem to be finding love and her grandmother has—finally—agreed to go to family therapy. The only trouble spot is Celia’s love life. Not long ago, she had two boyfriends.

Now she barely has one and she isn’t sure she wants him. But Bruno DeLuca is a powerful mage and Celia needs his help . . . especially after she's attacked and her client is kidnapped.

Find Cat Adams:

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Terry Maggert + The Forest Bull

Today I'm pleased to welcome author Terry Maggert to the blog to talk a little bit about his new urban fantasy novel, The Forest Bull, as well as an interesting cultural tidbit about life in the South. Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today Terry!

• • • • • • • • • • 

Three lovers who stalk and kill the immortals that drift through South Florida (tourists are a moveable feast, after all) are living a simple life of leisure- until one of them is nearly killed by woman who is a new kind of lethal.
 
When Ring Hardigan isn’t making sandwiches for, and with, his two partners, Waleska and Risa (they’re cool like that), he’s got a busy schedule doing the dirty work of sending immortals to the ever after. Wally and Risa provide linguistics, logistics, and finding the right place for him and his knife- together, they’re a well-oiled machine, and they’ve settled into a rhythm that bodes ill for the Undying. Warlocks, vampires, succubae and the odd ghoul have all fallen to their teamwork. Life is tough, but they soldier on killing the undead, liberating their worldly goods for charity, and generally achieving very little.
 
Until Ring wakes up after nearly dying at the hands of a woman who may or may not be the daughter of Satan. Ring’s a tough character, for a boat bum (killing immortals sort of rubs off on you that way), but twelve days of comatose healing are enough to bring out the ugly side of his temper. When a letter arrives asking for their help finding a large collection of stolen heirloom jewelry, they form an uneasy friendship with the last Baron of a family hiding in a primal European forest.
 
Cazimir, the Baron, has two skills: Jeweler and preserver of the last herd of forest bulls. It’s an odd occupation, but then, Ring, Risa and Wally aren’t your everyday career folks, and Cazimir’s lodge might be sitting on something that looks a lot like hell, which, according to a 2400 year old succubus hooker named Delphine, is currently on the market to the strongest immortal. The Baron’s impassioned plea to find the jewelry comes with some conditions- he doesn’t want the collection back as much as he does the thief, Elizabeth, who happens to be his daughter- and the woman who nearly sent Ring to his grave.

In a tapestry of lies, it’s up to Ring, Wally and Risa to find out what is evil, who is human, and exactly who really wants to reign over hell.

That’s the official blurb, but the short version is that three hunters who kill immortals are asked to find stolen jewelry, and the thief might be Satan. What does Satan look like? How do three lovers get along? And what happens when you find out that you might be more than human, and less than immortal?

The theme of my book is simple. Sometimes, evil can be outwardly beautiful, but in truth, some cultures have created a myth that there is an expectation of cruelty from beautiful women. I started to think about how we assume that looks determine the character of a person, but good-looking people may get away with more because of how we’ve been trained as a society. The whole notion that women could be evil, but the head honcho of Hell was a man, seemed curious. Then, I began to write a character that blew up the assumptions about the “devil”, especially given that many people associate Satan with being a male, and apparently, someone who dresses like every day is Halloween.

I began writing about this particular topic because of my status as a transplant to the South when I moved from Florida. I’m not a true Southerner, but I found that I love the culture. I mean, sweet tea? Biscuits? Pinto beans? Please and thank you! There was one thing that was completely new to me – roadside crosses at places where people died in car accidents. I started wondering, “What if someone, or something, used a roadside cross for a very dark reason?” I wrote a story about a ghoul and her human helper, who roam the American Midwest using a roadside cross to lure teenagers to their death. From that, I created characters that would hunt that ghoul, and one year later, here we are!

The series has really taken off, I originally thought one or two books might be the full story, but I just finished the second, and there are at least four more in the works as of today. My character Delphine really took me by surprise. She’s a twenty-four hundred year old hooker who also happens to be a bit of a Southern Belle—and a succubus. I was actually laughing out loud at some of the things she said, so she figures heavily in the second volume in the series. I would have included more Delphine, more of her humor, and perhaps a touch more of her personal history. I reveal all of her past in the second book, simply because she’s taken on a life of her own, and her beginnings are both sad and compelling. Stop by and see her sometime. Delphine’s favorite saying is, “I only kill for the kisses”, and I think she’s worth checking out. Thanks for having me over for a visit, and I hope to see you again when the second book, “Mask of the Swan” hits the shelves in January. Cheers!

Find Terry:

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Cathy Reviews: Box Office Poison

Cathy is taking over the blog again today to share her thoughts on a recent read, and as always, I'm extraordinarily grateful to her for sharing in the blog fun with me!

BOX OFFICE POISON
Linnet Ellery #2
Phillipa Bornikova
Adult Urban Fantasy
320 pages
Tor Books
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
What happens when exquisitely beautiful elves start getting all the roles in Hollywood? Human actors sue, that’s what. In a desperate attempt to keep the squabbling inside the Screen Actors Guild from going public, the president of SAG forces the two sides into arbitration.

Enter Linnet Ellery, a human lawyer working for a vampire law firm, to serve as arbitrator. Linnet discovers that there are sinister forces at work in Tinsel Town determined to shatter the fragile peace between elves, vampires, werewolves, and humans. Someone has been coercing famous elven actors into committing sudden and terrible acts of violence against humans in a series of tragedies that could turn the tide of public opinion against all the supernatural Powers.

During the course of her investigations Linnet realizes that a puzzling secret surrounds her, and that a strange power has been affecting the very course of her life. . . .

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
I'm very happy that Jenny asked me to review this book. It's the second in a series and I was waiting to find out what was going to happen to Linnet in this adventure. In the first book, This Case is Gonna Kill Me, we were left with a few loose threads I was hoping would be sewn up. I was concerned that the second book would not have the same appeal as the first, but I'm happy to say that Linnet's new adventure in Hollywood does not disappoint. 

In this book, Linnet has to help negotiate an agreement between human and Fey actors. The humans are jealous because the Fey are beautiful and get all the roles. Imagine that! Ms. Bornikova does take the opportunity to emphasize that there should be equal rights and opportunities for all and I got the impression that she felt this way beyond just the book. Even with Hollywood as a backdrop, I was hoping we would get the same Linnet as in the first book – someone smart, funny and a little quirky,  and again I was not disappointed. 

As only Linnet can, she finds herself in the midst of several murders and manages to survive. In the first book, these near misses had a funnier edge to them. Box Office Poison, though humorous, shows Linnet coming to the realization that there's something special about her that allows her to continuously escape, so these mishaps now add to her mystique rather than just being funny. It added further depth to her character. Linnet is in full Nancy Drew mode as she works to solve what is happening in Hollywood and why the elves seem to be out of control. We do get to meet some new  and amusing elfin characters and Ms. Bornikova definitely leaves us wanting to know more about them.
 
We do get to see Linnet's love of horses and her horsemanship again in this book. As I mentioned last time, I was wondering if this was going to be further developed and it plays a big role. I have to say that when I read these passages, some of the nuance is lost on me, but I know Jenny would thoroughly love it. This thread of the storyline gives a little more of a tease into what Linnet may be and who is watching over her while she fumbles through her investigations.
 
Now, for the romance. In the last book, John, her elfin PI and sort-of boyfriend, is stuck in Alfar. Linnet hasn't given up hope of getting him back and she wheels and deals to have a visit but........ As I've been told, romance in urban fantasy moves a bit slower, and it may just move a little too slowly for me. I am not always so patient, but I'm looking forward to the next book to see if John makes a bigger appearance. As a tease, in this book, there is a vampire that seems to be showing a little more emotion and attention to Linnet than would be expected from a vampire!
 
This book told a satisfying, contained story but gave us enough to think about so that we will anxiously anticipate the next book. I look forward to reading more of Linnet's adventures.

Rating: 4/5

• • • you can read Cathy's review of book one here • • • 

Find Phillipa:

 

Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my (or in this case, Cathy's) honest opinion.

Mini Reviews: Mist + Awaken

MIST
Mist #1
Susan Krinard
Adult Urban Fantasy
384 pages
Tor Books
Available now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Centuries ago, all was lost in the Last Battle when the Norse gods and goddesses went to war. The elves, the giants, and the gods and goddesses themselves were all destroyed, leaving the Valkyrie Mist one of the only survivors.

Or so she thought.

When a snowy winter descends upon modern-day San Francisco in June, Mist’s quiet existence starts to feel all too familiar. In quick succession, Mist is attacked by a frost giant in a public park and runs into an elf disguised as a homeless person on the streets…and then the man Mist believed was her mortal boyfriend reveals himself to be the trickster god, Loki, alive and well after all these years.

Loki has big plans for the modern world, and he’s been hanging around Mist for access to a staff that once belonged to the great god Odin. Mist is certain of one thing: Loki must be stopped if there is to be any hope for Earth. But the fight is even bigger than she knows….

Because Loki wasn’t the only god to survive.

MY THOUGHTS 
Mist thrusts us into a modern-day world just starting to feel the influence of figures of Norse mythology, fascinating us from the beginning with gods and goddesses perhaps lesser known than those of their Greek or Roman counterparts, and all the more intriguing for it. As is often the case with first installments of urban fantasy series, this book focuses primarily on world-building and setting up the epic war that hovers ominously on the horizon, leaving us faltering just a touch with some of the Nordic names and terminology which are both hard to pronounce and remember. Additionally, given infamous trickster god Loki is the primary villain, we know from the onset that Mist’s battle with him is not one that will be resolved in this first book, and without a smaller villain or story arc to provide a concrete conclusion, there’s definitely a feeling of unfinished business when we reach the last page.

Despite those drawbacks, Mist proves to be a heroine with infinite potential, the prologue showing us in brutal detail just how vulnerable she can be physically even with the advantages granted to her as a valkyrie, while the rest of the story gives us a glimpse at her strength and her fighter’s spirit. There’s the barest hint of a romance between her and an elf with more secrets and lies in his life than we can almost keep track of, their initial antagonism and slow emotional thaw toward one another piquing our curiosity as we can’t help but wonder how things will continue to develop once a light is shone into the elf’s dark and shadowy corners.

Rating: 3.5/5

Find Susan:

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AWAKEN

Abandon #3

Meg Cabot

Paranormal Young Adult

343 pages

Scholastic Point

Available now 

Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)

Death has her in his clutches. She doesn’t want him to let go.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she’d be forced to live forever in the one place she’s always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.

But now her happiness — and safety — are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: He revived a human soul.

If the balance between life and death isn’t fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce’s home back on earth will be wiped away. But there’s only one way to restore order. Someone has to die.

MY THOUGHTS

Awaken starts out strong, returning us to the Underworld and giving us a glimpse of John and Pierce finally working together at the job they both initially fought but now embrace, delighting the part of us that loves mythology and has been dying (no pun intended) all along to see it play a bigger role in this series. Unfortunately though, we’re all too quickly returned the surface and Pierce is once again separated from John, our hope of watching their romance develop in a way it hasn’t the past two books crushed like so much dust. Their seemingly dark bond and the inherent danger that stems from John being lord of the Underworld has been one of the key components drawing our interest, but the connection between them has never quite sparked an emotional reaction, and while this final installment is no doubt an enjoyable read, it doesn’t lock the much-desired connection we’ve been waiting for in place.

Pierce has made progress from the young woman she was in book one, finally content in her relationship with John and no longer so keen to run from him or do things he specifically asks her not to, while at the same time proving she can be every bit as intimidating as he is when those she loves are threatened. Like the romance though, the plot of Awaken leaves a bit to be desired, some problems for both Pierce and John working out quickly and easily, never really testing us heart and soul to see how much we can withstand before we carry the marks of our time with these characters with us forever. The potential for an emotional read is undeniably present, but this series seems more content to stay a touch more superficial, and while it doesn’t fail to entertain in its superficiality, those of us who crave the battle scars caused by a book that challenges us every step of the way can’t help but want more.

Rating: 3.5/5
 

Find Meg:

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These books were sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Heart of Venom

HEART OF VENOM
Elemental Assassin #9
Jennifer Estep
Adult Urban Fantasy
384 pages
Pocket Books
Available August 27th
Source: e-ARC vie Edelweiss for review

THE STORY (from Amazon)
When I say you’re a dead man, take that literally.

To me, killing people is like a day at the salon: cut and dry. Well, more like rinse and repeat when you moonlight as the assassin the Spider. But my last spa day ended redder than my freshly painted nails after a twisted Fire elemental and his goons kidnapped my close friend Sophia Deveraux and nearly killed her sister Jo-Jo in the process.

Up Ashland’s most dangerous mountains, and deep into the heart of its blackest woods—I’ll track these thugs no matter where they take Sophia. It doesn’t matter what kinds of elemental magic they try to throw at me, my Ice and Stone powers can take the heat and then some. I will get Sophia back, over their dead bodies.

Because anybody that hurts Gin Blanco’s family becomes a body.

MY THOUGHTS
With the Elemental Assassin series we are always guaranteed a knock-down, drag-out fight between Gin and whatever villain is currently thinking of replacing Mab Monroe as Ashland's Biggest Bad, but what so often surprises us no matter how many books we read is the emotional intensity that accompanies the swinging of Gin's fists and the slashing of her knives. While the previous installment was a little lighter in tone overall (relatively speaking of course), Ms. Estep plunges us deep into the darkness of Gin's world in this newest book, a horror from Sophia's past emerging once again to grab hold of both characters' and readers' hearts alike, giving them a brutal twist and yank as family fights desperately to save family.

Gin has been a fighter from word one of book one, always the first to defend those she cares about even if they are undeserving of her loyalty and affection, but where she has always been nearly indestructible physically, her emotional armor has always been far softer. She's highly susceptible to rough words in a way she isn't to rough hands, the former cutting deep and drifting like a slow-working poison through her veins, while the latter simply glance off and then go limp, no longer a threat as the person attached to them is dead by her blade. Her stoicism and her cool, controlled demeanor are a point of contention for us as readers; we can't help but admire everything that makes her both woman and Spider, but at the same time, her constant internalizing of emotional pain can be frustrating, as it was in the previous book when things with Owen so rapidly deteriorated.

Luckily for us in this book however, Gin makes a few small efforts to voice her hurt when she has a quiet moment to actually talk to Owen amidst the fight to save Sophia, listening to his apologies and his reasoning for past behavior, but instead of simply accepting the way he treated her as her due given the life she leads as an assassin, she hesitates, taking the much-needed time to really think about what her heart can and cannot handle moving forward. She doesn't hold Owen's actions against him or try to make him hurt as she's been hurting, she simply takes stock of the wounds he's inflicted, lets him know he caused them, and then decides if she's up for the not-insignificant job of rebuilding her trust in him. Owen, for his part, acknowledges his role in how things turned out between them, and the ice we'd built up around our hearts when it came to him can't help but melt a little in the face of the warmth we can practically feel when he looks at Gin.

In addition to the tension crackling between Gin and Owen as they feel one another out, Heart of Venom also gives us perhaps the most violent and dark of Gin's battles thus far, a brother-sister team of fire elementals raising the bar when it comes to sadistic cruelty, their vile games made all the more horrifying given Sophia's involvement. The bits and pieces of her past alluded to in past books were enough to send shudders racing down our spines, but to bear witness as Sophia is forced to live her nightmares all over again is a special kind of torture, and we find ourselves appreciating Gin's ruthlessness more than we ever have before. All in all, this latest gritty adventure of Gin's is perhaps the most gripping one yet, overflowing with pain, love, family and more than a little blood to leave us even bigger fans of the series than we were when we started.

Rating: 4.5/5

Find Jennifer:

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

If you didn't get a chance yesterday to check out my interview with Jennifer and enter for your chance to win a copy of Heart of Venom, you can do so here!

This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Interview and Giveaway: Jennifer Estep + Heart of Venom

Jennifer Estep is one of my auto-buy authors and I'm beyond excited to welcome her back to the blog today to talk about my very favorite elemental assassin, Gin Blanco. Gin is about as badass as they come, but she's also surprisingly insecure when it comes to friendships and relationships, making her an intriguing combination of soft and hard that I just can't get enough of. I'm reviewing Heart of Venom tomorrow, so be sure and check back as it was one of my favorites of the series thus far!

Looking back at all the books in the Elemental Assassin series, is there any particular one that gave you more trouble than the others above and beyond the challenges that come with writing any story?

In some ways, SPIDER’S REVENGE was the most challenging for me. I really wanted to deliver on the Gin-Mab arc in that one for readers, especially when it came to the final Gin-Mab battle in the book. So I really tried to think about how I could write those scenes and the overall book in a way that would be most satisfying for readers. Hopefully, folks enjoyed how that arc ended and the adventures that Gin has had since then.

If you were to join Gin, Bria and Roslyn’s book club and it was your month to choose a book and host, what book would you pick for the group to read and what snacks would you make when you all got together?

Good question! I sort of do this in every book when I’m deciding what Gin is reading at the time. I always try to pick something that ties in with the plot or what Gin is going through in some way.

At the end of DEADLY STING, Gin and Bria are talking about the book club, and Bria mentions that she wants to read THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett because of the events that happened in DEADLY STING. Since Ashland is such a corrupt city, and Gin spends so much time dealing with the underworld bosses, I think a book like that would be right up her alley.

But if I were choosing, I would probably pick something like REDWALL by Brian Jacques, which is about a mouse who becomes a hero and saves his friends. I think that sort of story would also appeal to Gin.

For the snacks, I like to bake, so I’d probably make lots of desserts, like some chocolate brownies, that would satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. That’s sort of what Gin does in a scene in HEART OF VENOM for a day at the beauty salon with Bria, Roslyn, Sophia, and Jo-Jo.

Gin hasn’t had an easy time of it in the love department. If she wanted to take a break from her own sometimes-troubled romance and experience the sweetness or drama of another couple, what book or movie might she treat herself to?

Gin’s love life has definitely had its ups and downs, so I think that Gin would choose a movie that would be a fun escape for a few hours. So I could see her watching something with a lot of action and adventure, like THE PRINCESS BRIDE or PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. I could also see her watching something a little darker and grittier and with a little more angst, like CASINO ROYALE or THE BOURNE IDENTITY.

Sophia has always been a personal favorite of mine from the very beginning. What new or surprising things did you learn about her character given her more prominent role in Heart of Venom?

As I’ve been writing the books, I always knew that Sophia had been through something really traumatic that shaped her into the character that readers meet in the series. I can’t give out spoilers, but I will say that as I was writing HEART OF VENOM and really exploring Sophia’s backstory, that it definitely got a lot darker than I anticipated, as did some of the scenes in the book.

If Fletcher could see the woman and fighter Gin has become since his death, as her mentor and teacher, what advice, criticism/compliment, or instruction would he have for her?

I think that Fletcher would be proud of how Gin always manages to survive, no matter how much danger she finds herself in. But I think he would be even prouder of how she’s slowly lowered her own emotional defenses and opened herself up to people like Bria and Owen.

Back in the beginning of the series, Fletcher told Gin that he wanted a normal life for her, part of which included letting herself care about other people. So I think that he would be really happy with the circle of friends and loved ones that she’s slowly built for herself as the series has gone along.

Happy reading, everyone!

• • • • • • • • • •

JENNIFER ESTEP

I’m a Southern gal through and through. Sassy, sarcastic, and just a tad crazy.

I spent my formative years doing the usual kid things – playing, hanging out with my friends, and making up wild stories in my head.

It’s the last one that’s gotten me into trouble.

I don’t remember the first book I read. Or the second. Or even the third. But somewhere along the way, I fell in love with books and reading. Fairy tales, fantasies, adventure stories, mysteries, romances, westerns. As a kid, I read every book that I could get my hands on.

My mom, bless her, encouraged this obsession by taking me to the library every week. It’s one of my favorite childhood memories. Most folks think penicillin, indoor plumbing, and the Internet are the world’s best inventions. Not me. The greatest thing ever created was a library. Indoor plumbing is a close second, though.

The more I read, the more I thought about writing my own stories. I penned a few poems and short stories over the years, mainly for class assignments. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I wanted to write books for a living.

In college, I majored in English because of my love of books. But what can you do with an English degree? I didn’t know. One semester, I got a job with the college newspaper and discovered you could write stories and make a respectable living. Since that light-bulb moment, I’ve earned a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism, and a master’s degree in professional communications. Currently, I’m an award-winning features page designer for a daily newspaper.

Now, after many, many years of toil and trouble, I’ve achieved my dream of being a bona fide, published, fiction author. I plan to keep on keeping on – writing, dreaming, making up wild stories in my head.

And getting myself into trouble.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • •

HEART OF VENOM

When I say you’re a dead man, take that literally.

To me, killing people is like a day at the salon: cut and dry. Well, more like rinse and repeat when you moonlight as the assassin the Spider. But my last spa day ended redder than my freshly painted nails after a twisted Fire elemental and his goons kidnapped my close friend Sophia Deveraux and nearly killed her sister Jo-Jo in the process.

Up Ashland’s most dangerous mountains, and deep into the heart of its blackest woods—I’ll track these thugs no matter where they take Sophia. It doesn’t matter what kinds of elemental magic they try to throw at me, my Ice and Stone powers can take the heat and then some. I will get Sophia back, over their dead bodies.

Because anybody that hurts Gin Blanco’s family becomes a body.

• • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Jennifer, I have one print copy of Heart of Venom to give away on the blog today. To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Good luck everyone! 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cathy Reviews: Terminated + Possession

I'm excited today to welcome back yet again my fabulous mother in law Cathy to share with us her thoughts on a couple more of the books she so graciously agreed to read and review for the blog (even though these are both later books in series she's never read). As always, a huge thank you to her for sharing in this blogging experience with me!

TERMINATED
Revivalist #3
Rachel Caine
Urban Fantasy
304 pages
Roc/Penguin
Available now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Already addicted to the pharmaceutical drug that keeps her body from decomposing, Bryn has to stop a secretive group of rich and powerful investors from eliminating the existing Returné addicts altogether. To ensure their plan to launch a new, military-grade strain of nanotech, the investors’ undead assassin—who just happens to be the ex-wife of Bryn’s lover Patrick—is on the hunt for anyone that stands in their way.

And while Bryn’s allies aren’t about to go down without a fight, the secret she’s been keeping threatens to put those closest to her in even more danger. Poised to become a monster that her own side—and her own lover—will have to trap and kill, Bryn needs to find the cure to have any hope of preserving the lives of her friends, and her own dwindling humanity…

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
Terminated is the third book in the Revivalist Series, but I have not read the previous two books. If you want a deeper understanding of how the characters came to be in their current circumstances, I'd recommend starting with the first novel, though I will say Ms. Caine does a good job catching us up on the plot even while dropping us into the middle of the continuing saga.
 
Bryn is ex-military, part of an experiment that turned her into "Dead Girl Walking"(her words). She is basically an engineered zombie. This is not usually a genre I read because of all the eating people and things, but Bryn has a lot of heart. She realizes that her humanity is slowly waning, so she and her friends try to find the cure that will stop this from happening to others. 

Ms. Caine has well-developed characters and you can feel their angst as they try to make some moral and ethical decisions. The way in which the characters are written is almost enough make you forget they are zombies and concentrate solely on the storyline.
 

This book has something for everyone: Villains, spies, lots of action and even some romance. While I was reading, I could picture this story as blockbuster action movie as it has all the elements needed for the big screen. I don't want to give anything away but in the end, there are tough decisions, sacrifices and a small twist. Everything you need to keep you turning the pages and leaving you a little sad when the story is over.
 
Rating: 3.5/5

POSSESSION
Greywalker #8
Kat Richardson
Urban Fantasy
368 pages
Available now
Roc/Penguin
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When a comatose woman suddenly wakes up and starts painting scenes she’s never witnessed, with a skill she’s never had, medical science has no explanation. As more bizarre phenomena manifest, even her doctors start to wonder if the woman may be possessed. Frustrated and frightened, the patient’s sister reluctantly turns to Greywalker Harper Blaine to discover who—or what—is occupying her sister’s body.

As Harper digs into the case of apparent possession, she discovers other patients struck with the same mystifying afflictions and a disturbing connection to one of the most gruesome stories in Washington’s history…

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
Possession is part of the well-established Greywalker series which follows Blaine Harper, a private investigator, as she travels between the normal and the paranormal worlds. This is a stand-alone case, but Ms. Richardson does make the (logical) assumption that we've read the other books in the series and are completely up to date on the characters and backstory. I have to admit this is the first book in the series that I've read, so I naturally felt there could have been a few more details earlier in the story to help me connect sooner.
 
Ms. Richardson does have great character development though, not with just the main characters but also with the many quirky acquaintances she introduces us to who are highly amusing. She also has clearly done in-depth research into the Seattle area, making me want to pack up and visit as soon as possible (except for the weather!). Ms. Richardson's plotline is well-developed and rooted in some true and haunting Seattle mysteries. She had me looking up these murders and murderers online.
 
This book has ghosts, mystery, spies and yes, romance. Because it's a continuing series though, there is a plot thread that is left hanging so as to carry on to the next book. I would recommend at least reading the first book, which I intend to do, to get a fuller picture of how Blaine started on this career path.

Rating: 3.5/5
 
* I found a common thread between these two books. Both had strong and compelling heroines who both just happen to have died and been brought back. Though "dead" they both maintained their humanity and were trying to help those around them, and I really enjoyed that about both books. Hopefully you will enjoy these women as well.
 

 These books were sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my (or in this case, Cathy's) honest opinion.

Review: Biting Bad

BITING BAD
Chicagoland Vampires #8
Chloe Neill
Adult Urban Fantasy
368 pages
Releases August 6th
NAL/Penguin
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she’s already seen a lifetime’s worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back.

Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most. A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City come hell or high water.

Merit and her allies rush to figure out who’s behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there’s any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time.

MY THOUGHTS
The eighth installment of the Chicagoland Vampires series, Biting Bad returns us to a world that has become beautifully familiar, the cracking of the spine allowing us to wander into the waiting arms of Merit and company who simply radiate comfort and warmth after such a prolonged relationship with them. While Biting Bad doesn’t introduce any new villains to wreak havoc on Merit’s already infinitely complicated life, it does see the expansion of an already existing problem while giving us plenty of time to enjoy the new stability of Merit’s relationship with Master of Cadogan House Ethan Sullivan. It’s perhaps not the most dramatic or intense of the series, but there’s something hugely satisfying about this story just the same, the romance between Merit and Ethan that was previously defined by gratifyingly high peaks and frustratingly low valleys finally finding even ground.

Merit is someone whose shoes are easy to slide back into no matter how long it’s been since we were with her last, always a woman eager to help in any way she can as she continues growing into herself now that she’s both vampire and Sentinel of her House, as well as girlfriend to its rather stoic and undemonstrative Master. Her sense of humor is charmingly wearing off on Ethan though, the banter between the two of them laced with genuine affection free of the weight of their respective positions in the House, and it brings both relief and joy to see the two of them completely open in their communications, secrets and hidden feelings a thing of the past as they both work hard to ensure they have the future they so desperately want.

Though all is gloriously well on the romantic front for the two of them, things in Chicago continue to deteriorate as public hatred for vampires reaches a breaking point, and while the riots and the reason behind them are significant and have far-reaching implications, our happiness with regard to Merit and Ethan simply overshadows any worries the riot revelations cause. As a result, Biting Bad doesn’t feel quite as action-packed as some of Merit’s past adventures have been, remaining a bit more even keel and thus granting us time to breathe and focus on the two people who are the heart of this series.

We’re left with our couple in a rather precarious position, though it’s not a cliffhanger in the truest sense and given our trust in Ethan and Merit is at its all-time highest by the time we reach the last page, we have little doubt they'll sort out what needs sorting. Overall, Biting Bad is as enjoyable as always if a bit slower than previous books, Ethan and Merit finally shining from the pages in a way we’d been hoping for all along.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Chloe:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.