Synopsis (Goodreads):
Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.My Thoughts: I always love when an author is able to take something despicable - in this case, killing people for money - and turn it into something that isn't totally repugnant. That kinda makes it sound like *I* want to be an assassin now. I don't. Guts give me the willies. Blech. What I'm trying to say is that Gin could have been a completely horrible person and she wasn't. She doesn't kill for laughs and hijinks. Mostly. For her it's a job - one she's good at - and she does it with a fierce, single-minded determination.
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.
Now, Gin's retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, it's a little boring. Really, it's no wonder that she didn't mind doing a favor for a friend of her old mentor. Throw in the straight as an arrow detective that she has a raging lady boner for (which I don't really get, mind you, because they just seem so wrong for one another), the dwarf sisters who are part of Gin's extended family, and some bad guys who *really* need their comeuppance and you've got a recipe for mayhem. I'm not implying anything here but there might be a sexy businessman in the wings who's giving Gin the eye as well. *cough* A sexy rawr-worthy businessman *cough*
Probably the one thing that grated on me was that Gin continually refers to her restaurant as her "gin joint". The play on words was cute the first time or three but after that I kept thinking "new phrase now!"
The overall arc continues nicely, the destruction is big, the body count is decent and Gin learns some new things about herself. As for her retirement. Pfft. You just keep telling yourself that, Gin. I'm sure it'll stick. Eventually.
Books in this series
1. Spider's Bite
2. Web of Lies - Paperback | Kindle
3. Venom
4. Tangled Thread
5. Spider's Revenge
6. By a Thread
7. Widow's Web
8. Deadly Sting
Author Links
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I love the assassin aspect of Gin's character. She may kill people for a living, but she has a very strong code of ethics when it comes down to it.
ReplyDeleteMy only complaint about this series is the repetitiveness of some of the descriptions. But then, I read them almost back to back, and that could have been my issue.
Yes. She could have been a real downer, just killing left and right, but she has something that worked here. I liked it!
DeleteThis series is kicking my ass, Kelly! Gin Blanco is my new hero!
ReplyDeleteGin is AWESOME! I hope to finish the series sometime in the not-too-distant future.
DeleteI love lady assassins. There is a certain methodicalness & grace. Usually, we only kill for worthy reasons.
ReplyDeleteMy first real foree into reading was Kelley Armstrong's Nadia Stafford series. Woman Assassin. Win!
I LOVE Kelly Armstrong but I haven't read that series yet. You have intrigued me with it, though.
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