Retired assassin Gin Blanco just wants to be left alone to run her restaurant, the Pork Pit, but trouble still seems to find its way to her doorstep. First an attempted robbery at her restaurant has her taking down two punks who were just looking for some kicks. Then the front windows of the restaurant are shot at. Surprisingly enough, though, Gin isn't the intended victim of this shooting. With her curiosity getting the best of her yet again, Gin hunts down Victoria Fox, the girl who she thinks was the shooter's intended victim, to find out why someone was taking shots at her. In the process, Gin finds herself coming out of retirement to do a pro-bono job helping Victoria and her grandfather.

Victoria's grandfather has been fighting off a coal mining mogul who is hell bent on acquiring their land; land that's been in Victoria's family for generations. When they turn the pressure up by sending a dwarf to teach Victoria a lesson, Gin steps in to save the girl and finds herself offering to help the family with their problem. Surprisingly, Gin finds Detective Donovan Caine there, as well. With a little help from Caine, with a lot of his disapproval thrown in, Gin sets out to take down a fellow stone elemental and his empire.

Who would have thought a blood covered assassin could be so addictive? I can't get enough of this series. Gin Blanco and her murdering ways are highly addictive. WEB OF LIES is the second book in Jennifer Estep's Elemental series and, while we still have all the death and mayhem we can handle, we also get a little more emotional and learn more about Gin and her past. I loved delving into Gin's background and discovering what events shaped her. I thought the flashbacks with Fletcher Lane were great because we get to see what kind of relationship he and Gin had before he died.

Though this series is definitely urban fantasy, I can't wait for the next book so we can dig a little deeper into the little bit of romance that there is. With Donovan Caine still on the fence about what to do about his attraction to Gin, a new guy is making his move and I am liking it very much. Look for Venom, the third book in the series, to come out next month. I, for one, will be devouring it as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Book Summary

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.

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