I think I remember now why I paused this series all those years ago... there's a lot of blood and violence in the first couple chapters of this book, and a quick skim through the rest of it shows that there's a lot more to come. I know that the "assassin" in the series title should probably indicate that this would be a violent book, but this one just goes way beyond my preferences for blood and violence these days. The characters are fun, but not enough to keep my interest among all the blood. ~ DNF @ 8%

At some point I'll get around to posting a round-up review post for all the short stories. Probably before Book 4: Tangled Threads comes out at least. Hopefully before the untitled Book 5 comes out. The good news is that unlike with some other books, where if you don't read the between stories you miss out on some pertinent info, not reading the side stories here just means missing out on some hijinks and information that is distributed in the book anyhow.

In my review for Web of Lies I complained (a little bitterly) that Donovan Caine, Gin's love interest and annoyingly goody-goody detective, ruined the book for me a bit because he kept preaching about morality. Or making Gin feel guilty for not being what he wanted. Or by just being in the same hemisphere as Gin and not appreciating that hey she was killing the really bad guys. And how much I loved Owen Grayson.

Estep gives me more Grayson, no Caine and lots of Spider action. I admit Gin's mopes about Caine turning out to be less than worthy of her and turning tail to escape her was...frustrating. But Owen did a really good job at distracting her. Which I approve of. He also had a rather touching backstory as to why he is persistently following Gin. It could have easily been sachrine sweet, but Estep made it just sweet enough to see the softer side of Owen without making it seem contrived to pull the heart strings. It also goes a long way to explaining some of Fletcher's apparently more altruistic tendencies (or his incredibly good foresight in regards to orphaned children).

Meanwhile the case that Finn brings to Gin to help with quickly becomes the case from hell. It goes from obsessive stalker case to obsessive stalker case linked to Mab Monroe to obsessive stalker case linked to Mab Monroe with Gin's long lost sister trying to solve it in under five minutes. And it only gets worse as time goes on and people don't trust Gin to do what she does best--kill annoyingly inconvenient people.

Along the way we learn some startling truths about what happened the night of Gin's family's butcher by Mab, some less than convenient truths about people putting their faith in you and how freaking sexy a man can be who knows his weapons (spoiler: very sexy). In short I adored this book and it was a quick enthralling read. As each complication rose I wanted to see how Gin overcame it and wanted to see how her relationship with her younger sister (Detective Bria Coolidge--she's like Donovan in her moral code however) evolved. Gin knows who she is, Bria...not so much. She knows Gin's alive, but she's looking for her older sister Genevieve Snow, not Gin Blanco aka the Spider.

I sincerely hope that the next book, Tangled Webs, has more of them bonding and the truth being outed. I think Bria is a more...forgiving person than Donovan and will understand what Gin's gone through and done in order to take down the woman who butchered their family. Oh and if you're going to declare war on a person--do it in style like Gin please. ( )

Ok so these books just keep getting better and better as you go. Ok with the last book, Donovan Caine had left, good riddance to him. But now there is a new Detective in town, who goes by the name Bria Coolidge, some interesting things are at foot with this lady. Can't tell you would ruin some important aspects of the book. Well because of things that had happened in the last book, Roselyn the vampire now has Elliot Slater- Mab Monroe's number one enforcer, he had started stalking Roselyn because of Gin, so GIn and Finn had decided to get rid of Slater once and for all, and have Roselyn rid of him, before she gets hurt or killed. Owen became a good character in this book, he is so sexy hehe. Well one thing I didn't like about this book is how Gin kept blaming herself for Roselyn's predicament, and well even though she was partially at fault Roselyn didn't help matters either near the end of the book. However, this book had created new friendships, and a big WHAMMY for Mab Monroe and her circle. Will be very interesting how the series plays out now. ( )

Venom
4 Stars

Fantastic world building, appealing characters and an engrossing storyline.

The ongoing story arc is developing slowly but surely toward the inevitable showdown between Gin and Mab Monroe, and the gripping revelations regarding Gin's family and the reasons for their deaths make this conflict all the more interesting. In terms of the book specific plot, Elliot Slater is a truly despicable yet formidable villain and the manner in which he is ultimately dispatched makes for exciting listening - it is both poetic and just that Roslyn gets to blow him away.

On the romance front, Donovan Caine has thankfully made an exit and one can only hope that it will be permanent. Now Gin can focus her attentions on a much more deserving, and seriously sexy, Owen Grayson.

The exceptional character development is a highlight of the book. Gin is growing as a person and coming to realize that she is not alone in the world - she not only has a makeshift family in the form of Finnegan Lane and the Deveraux sisters, whose loyalty and faith in Gin is inspiring, but has also found her long-lost sister, Bria, and it will be interesting to see where their relationship goes. Gin is also allowing herself to grow closer to Owen although there is still a long way to go before she trusts him completely.

The one aspect of Gin's characterization that does need work is the use of her elemental powers, which remain underdeveloped within the story line. She has both stone and ice magic but refrains from using them to their best effect, and this distracts from the action scenes as the reader is constantly waiting for her to finally put them to good use.

All in all, the Elemental Assassin series is thoroughly enjoyable and I look forward to Gin and company's next adventure in Tangled Threads.

( )

The first thing that comes to my mind when thinking about this book is the lack of Donovan Caine. *does a happy dance* When I finished reading Venom I actually felt like singing Hallelujah for not having that idiot representative of the male species in the book. Yes, I was happy he was gone. (Can you tell I hated him??).

No Mr. Idiot means more Mr. Hottie a.k.a Owen Grayson. I like him a lot. He's very hot, very considerate, he helps Gin when she needs it, even if she doesn't ask for it. And he is mysterious. While reading this book I kept thinking there's something we still don't know about him. Something rather big. I'm waiting to discover what.

One of the best things in this book was Gin helping Roslyn. If you've read the books, you know that these two women aren't exactly on the best of terms. Even so, I always liked Roslyn and I hoped Gin would see her as the good friend she might become if only she'd allow it. I was right. This relationship and the way Gin helps Roslyn makes the situation with Mab a lot more dangerous than before.

I feel like a bad record here, but I have to say this: the repetitions killed me. We know Gin carries 5 daggers made of silverstone, we know Fletcher trained her to be an assassin, even though his son in older than Gin, we know a loooot of things. By heart. A friend of mine suggested that I should just skip over those parts. But that's even worse, because it would pull me away from the story even further. Anyway, I just hope these repetitions will stop as the story progresses.

I am still waiting for Gin to do something about Bria. She's putting off the inevitable and I believe this will make things even worse for her cop sister.

In the end, I enjoyed reading this book, even with those pesky repetitions. It was a good book. ( )