Genre: Urban Fantasy

#2 in the Elemental Assassin

400 Pages

Kindle

Amazon

book received for review

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.

Confession:I started Spider’s Bite a few months ago and for some strange reason, lost my reading mojo. I know, what was I thinking, right? I blame my odd hormones, too much sugar, and not enough espressos (a dangerous combination).  When the author contacted me to review Web of Lies, I happily accepted and made sure my blood sugar level was a-okay, restocked my doubleshot espressos and gave hubs the green light to play as much Halo as possible.  I started out thinking I’d try to read a couple of chapter by the pool (keep in mind I’m on vacay), and instead I voraciously consumed the book in a 2 day back to back read-a-thon, in which I told my hubs to hike Maui by himself.  I needed to finish my new favorite Urban Fantasy series.

I won’t rehash the Spider’s Bite because this review is about Lies…Web of Lies to be precise (sorry I’ve been watching too many late night James Bond marathons on TBS). There are not many sequels I’ve come across that surpass the first book in a series. Web of Lies pulls you in immediately. Gin, a somewhat retired assassin, is going about her daily business at the Pork Pit, [Smokin' Hot Cliff Note: In Spider's Bite Gin's handler was murdered and after seeking revenge, her boss leaves her the Pork Pit] when two punks decide to rob the wrong bbq joint. Gin can’t seem to stay out of retirement these days. She decides to take on a case, pro bono, to help out Violet Fox and her Grandfather from a evil dwarf, who thinks he is a cowboy.  And yes, sexy, morally self-righteous, Detective Donovan is working with Gin again.

If you are looking for a romance, forget about it. But in all honestly, and this is coming from an avid romance reader, you will NOT miss it. Gin is such an intriguing character and as a reader, you are easily pulled into her story. I think what I like most about Gin is she accepts herself. Yes she kills people, heck she even has standards, but her blurred morality is what makes her so unique. We also see Finn and the dwarf sisters make an appearance in this book where they all help Gin try and kill the evil stone elemental dwarf.

Finn drove out of the parking lot. He took great care to steer his car around the dwarf’s smashed body.

“You could just run over him. He is already dead, and it’s not like you haven’t done it before”

“This is an Aston Martin, Gin. You don’t run over dead bodies in an Aston Martin.”

Mini Spoiler Alert

My only whaaaaa moment: I was expecting to learn more about Gin’s sister and perhaps Mab’s connection with the death of her family mentioned toward the end in Spider’s Bite. I felt Gin never really understood why Fletcher kept it as secret especially with her younger sister being alive and clues as to who murdered her family. If you were also expecting a resolution with the sexy Detective Donovan, sorry you are not going to get it. I think the author handled it well because of Donovan’s morality issues (remember she killed his partner in the first book) you almost don’t want them together quite yet (because he doesn’t deserve her!), especially towards the end after Gin duels with evil stone elemental dwarf.  I like when an author makes me work for the relationship a little makes me appreciate it more once they get together.  Plus there may be another guy that captures Gin’s interest.

Web of Lies is a fast read and I mean super fast, I sat down thinking I’d read  a few chapters and wala, three hours later I reluctantly needed a potty break (TMI?). If you are looking for a rich, urban fantasy with a kick- ass heroine, Web of Lies is so far my favorite out of this series and has some of the best action scenes I’ve read since the Kate Daniels books.

Rating

I’m very excited for Venom #3 due out in September 2010, woohoo!!!!!

P.S. Does anyone else get really hungry while reading this series?

Other Reviews

Smexybooks 5/ 5

Books and Things 5/5

Spider’s Bite #1 (Amazon) | Author’s Website |

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