EXCERPT & CONTEST - Jennifer Estep's Deadly Sting!

THE SITCH:
Alrighty then, boils and ghouls, today we have an extra special treat; Jennifer Estep, author of the Elemental Assassins series, has provided yours truly with an exclusive except from her newest release, Deadly Sting, a great edition to the fast paced, perpetually surprising series about a (semi-retired) assassin trying to get through life in corrupt and morally rotting city. You can read my review of this book, complete with links to purchase it, right here and be sure to scroll down after the excerpt for the contest details!

So, without further ado:

Red is definitely my color. Good thing, because in my line of work, I end up wearing it a lot.

Most people shy away from blood, but for an assassin like me— Gin Blanco, aka the Spider—it’s just part of the job. Still, it would be nice to get a night off, especially when I’m attending the biggest gala event of the summer at Briartop, Ashland’s fanciest art museum. But it’s just not meant to be. For this exhibition of my late nemesis’s priceless possessions is not only the place to be seen, but the place to be robbed and taken hostage at gunpoint as well. No sooner did I get my champagne than a bunch of the unluckiest thieves ever burst into the museum and started looting the place.

Unlucky why? Because I brought along a couple of knives in addition to my killer dress. Add these to my Ice and Stone magic, and nothing makes me happier than showing the bad guys why red really is my color.

DEADLY STING EXCERPT: 

A soft, feminine laugh floated through the air, followed by a series of high-pitched giggles. Bria and I looked at each other, then over at Finn. Apparently, all had been forgiven because the two saleswomen had practically draped themselves over him by this point. Red had her hand on one of his shoulders, while Blonde was cozied up on his other side, toying with his jacket sleeve. Finn’s head swiveled back and forth between the two women, as though he was watching an intense tennis match. It was a wonder his neck didn’t break, as fast as he was snapping it from one side to the other.

“Good luck getting those statements,” I murmured.

Bria smiled, showing a hint of teeth. “Oh, luck has nothing to do with it, big sister.”

She strode over and planted herself in front of Finn and his adoring entourage.

“Bria!” he said. “I was just telling these two lovely ladies how brave they were when that terrible dwarf rushed into the store.”

“Of course you were.” Her voice was mild, although she raised her eyebrows at him.

Finn gave her a sheepish grin, but he immediately disentangled himself from the other two women and stepped forward. His sudden movement made the saleswomen teeter in their heels and almost crash into each other, but Finn didn’t care. He leaned down and murmured something in Bria’s ear that caused a fierce blush to bloom in her cheeks. Red and Blonde both frowned, but Bria just smiled at them. They all knew that she had Finn’s full and undivided attention now.

He finally quit whispering to her and straightened up, a teasing grin on his handsome face. Bria stared back at him, her blue eyes warm and soft.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” she murmured. “Tonight.”

Finn’s grin widened.

BIO INFO:
Jennifer Estep is a New York Times bestselling author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. Deadly Sting, the eighth book in her Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, was released on March 26. For more information, visit www.jenniferestep.com or follow Jennifer on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

CONTEST INFO:
The bad news (because bad news should always be given first - gives the good news the chance to redeem it) is that this contest is unfortunately open to US mailing addresses only - sorry folks!

The good news, however, is that up for grabs is a copy of Deadly Sting and, believe me, you do not want to miss out on this little gem! It's like...imagine James Bond went to a high society event on his day off, but, of course, with this being Bond things go wrong faster than you can blink and next thing you know there are hostages and weapons and death. Well, it's a lot like that but with magic tossed. Now, tell me, how can anyone resist that?! All you have to do is (1) follow Calliope's Domain (links to do so are located on the sidebar) and (2) comment on this post, including your e-mail address in the message and voila! you're in! Normally, contest would close in exactly one week, but I'll be out of town a week from now so I'm going to give this contest TWO weeks. Yup, TWO! Winner will be chosen on Friday, April 12, and I will announce the winner the very next day, Monday, September Saturday, April 13. Good luck!

REVIEW: Jennifer Estep's Deadly Sting

Book: Deadly Sting

Author: Jennifer Estep

Series: Elemental Assassin

Publishing stats: March 26th 2013 by Pocket Books

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Cover Blurb: Red is definitely my color. Good thing, because in my line of work, I end up wearing it a lot.

Most people shy away from blood, but for an assassin like me— Gin Blanco, aka the Spider—it’s just part of the job. Still, it would be nice to get a night off, especially when I’m attending the biggest gala event of the summer at Briartop, Ashland’s fanciest art museum. But it’s just not meant to be. For this exhibition of my late nemesis’s priceless possessions is not only the place to be seen, but the place to be robbed and taken hostage at gunpoint as well. No sooner did I get my champagne than a bunch of the unluckiest thieves ever burst into the museum and started looting the place.

Unlucky why? Because I brought along a couple of knives in addition to my killer dress. Add these to my Ice and Stone magic, and nothing makes me happier than showing the bad guys why red really is my color.

First line: “That would look fabulous on you.”

***** If you're behind on the series, below may contain minor spoilers *****

What I liked: The action of this book takes place primarily over the course of a single night. A night. Not even twenty-four hours. Now, I've read books before with small time windows, but Ms. Estep packs an unlikely amount of action into the small number of hours she has to work with; she even introduces new and significant characters. But that's not what's most impressive. What's impressive, most impressive is the amount of development the larger series arc receives in this book. In a single night, a mysterious future character is introduced, one who can't help but have an impact, and one who, given his/her connections, can't help but fill the currently vacant Big Bad role. Owen and Gin's relationship takes a tiny step closer to reconciliation. Gin's past tragedy is not only touched upon, but further fleshed out. Do you want to know what this book is? It's the TARDIS - much, much, much bigger on the inside than you can possibly imagine.

What I didn’t like: I want to slap Owen. I realize this book takes place over just one night and, hey, that's not much more than a snapshot, after all, but OMG, I want to slap him. I understand why he and Gin are currently on a break. I understand his reasoning and I understand Gin's acceptance of that reasoning. I mean, heck, if she pushes she'll end up with the rest of their relationship from then on tainted and overshadowed by doubt and questions. Letting him have the time to work through things on his own solves that problem. That being said, Owen didn't go into this relationship blind; he knew who Gin was, knew what she was, and he claims to have loved her. And yet he's all surprised when she holds true to character and makes the choice to save lives rather than spare pain. He had a rather sweet moment at the end of this book but, honestly, if this goes on past the next book, I'm going to start to feel like they're being kept apart for the sake of drama and suspense alone. Ashland isn't a safe town, not by far, and Gin is definitely one of the city's more at-risk (for sudden death that is) citizens. Owen needs to work his head out and fast; before it's too late and both his chance and Gin are lying cold in the grave.

Overall: This is the eighth book in this series and one of the things I love most about it is that even while relationships, circumstances, and villains change, the characters still remain true to themselves. A lot has happened leading up to this book, including the defeat of the archvillian in book five, the return of old loves and the true reunion of sisters in book six, and an unbelievable break-up in book seven. You'd think Ashland would run out of evil doers by this point but apparently Ashland is a lot like Gotham on that front. The thing about this book, about this series, is that in spite of what's going on in the story (and this was not your average hostage situation by far), is that at the core its characters remain the same. Gin will always do what needs to be done to protect her family, will always feel guilt for those innocents caught up as collateral damage, will always see herself as a cold-hearted psychopath even as she strives to protect her friends, family, and innocent strangers from the ruthless, murdering monsters in power. Finn will always be suave, flirtatious, arrogant, and greedy. Bria will always be brave, stubborn, strong, and realistic. And so on. It's that vein of consistency that tips this series from "good" to "great" and this particular book is a stellar example of the hows and whys of that.

Would I read this author again: Yes - did you not read above? LOL

My rating: ☺☺☺☺/5

To purchase the book for yourself, you can find it at Chapters.Indigo.ca, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, or The Book Depository. Enjoy!

Top 5 Sundays #40 - Favorite Female Movie Characters

Did I miss a week? Yes? No? I don't even know, having been the busiest of busy beavers lately. But, hey, I'm here now and, really, does anything else matter?

...You're right - it does. So how about we get his bad boy on the road?

This week's theme is my Top 5 Favorite Female Movie Characters and, as anyone who knows me can tell you, I have a wealth of resources to draw from so, if it's all the same, I think I'll skip my usual introductory babel and get straight to the good stuff.

So, without further ado, I present my Top 5 Favorite Female Movie Characters!

#5 - Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Belle is my hero and has been since I first saw the movie when I was just three years old. She looks like me with brown hair and brown eyes. She loves to read and, what's more, she loves to talk about what she reads. She a bit of an odd duck who doesn't quite fit in among the townsfolk. And then she goes on to have an adventure in an enchanted castle with talking furniture and an amazing library and saves the Beast from a potentially eternal curse. As Lumiere says, "Don't you see? She's the one! The girl we have been waiting for! She has come to break the spell!"

#4 - Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) from Batman Returns

She starts off a mousey, mild mannered assistant whose boss tosses her out the window when she uncovers records of his dirty dealings. Cue a bunch of cats, some chugged milk, a little smashed neon and a reincarnated leather jacket and - presto! - Catwoman was born. She flirted with Batman, toyed with Penguin, and  messed with her aforementioned murdering boss. To quote Penguin, "You're Beauty and the Beast in one luscious Christmas gift pack"

#3 - Alice from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Alice tries to escape the pressures and monotony of her life by following a rabbit down its hole and into "a place like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter." It's a place of impossible things and, in due course, Alice is shrunk, stretched, scratched and stuffed into a teapot! Fast forward, and she's told she needs to be the champion and slay the Jabberwocky. What I love most? Not once does Alice break down in tears or bemoan her fate or close her eyes and wish for home. Sure, she thinks it's all a dream at first and, okay, she balks at first but ultimately she finds her muchness and saves the day. "I try to believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Count them, Alice," she says, "One, there are drinks that make you shrink. Two, there are foods that make you grow. Three, animals can talk. Four, cats can disappear. Five, there is a place called Underland. Six, I can slay the Jabberwocky."

#2 - Evelyn O'Connell from The Mummy and The Mummy Returns

She starts off something of an uber-geek, showing up the Cambridge scholars who'd refused to admit a woman into their midst by deciphering the location of the lost Book of the Dead. She sets off to put together her own little expedition team to head out and retrieve it and, somewhere between there and becoming a best-selling adventure writer, she encounters mummies, curses, gods, magic and past lives and becomes quite the bad ass thank you very much. And that's in addition to being a wife, mother, and sister to some very taxing males. In her own words, "I-I may not be an explorer, or-or an adventurer, or-or a treasure seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am...I...am a librarian..."

#1 - The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz and Oz, the Great and Powerful

The Wicked Witch gets a raw deal. I mean, heck, in The Wizard of Oz she shows up in Munchkinland to find the Munchkins celebrating the fact a house had just fallen out of the sky and crushed her sister to death. When she then asks to have the only remaining piece of her sister - her shoes - she gets told nope, sorry, they clearly must be powerful little beauties for you to want them so badly so we'll just keep them. And if you've seen Oz, the Great and Powerful you know her lot hasn't improved much. To say nothing of Wicked. Got to love a character that so dynamic, managing to stir feelings of pity while still leaving no doubt to her evilness. And she only gets better with time!