Venom

Elemental Assassin, Book 3

By: Jennifer Estep

Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

"It's hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family, which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most.

"To the public, I'm Gin Blanco, owner of Ashlands best barbecue joint. To my friends, I'm the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker - Mab's right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists.

"At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I'll take my chances. Then there's Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland's finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I'm a cold-blooded killer... who is about to save her life.

©2010 Jennifer Estep (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Estep has really hit her stride with the gritty and compelling Elemental Assassin series. She surrounds her fascinating and complex heroine with a cadre of supporting players, each of whom are intriguing in their own right. Brisk pacing and knife-edged danger make this an exciting page-turner. Kudos to Estep, who is rapidly heading toward the top of the urban fantasy genre!" ( Romantic Times)

Again Wonderful

Each book so far in this series has been wonderful. A pleasure to listen to and one of my favorite series. I hope they keep comming

Series is getting better

Any additional comments?

I've made it through 3 of these books now and, for me, they are getting better with each book. I'm happy to hear in this book much less of the erotica that has been in the other two, erotica that was a little blatently crass, in my opinion. I'm hoping future books continue to focus on the evolving storyline, shaping the characters, and furthering the relationships between all the characters.

I like

I like her books but the one thing I don’t like is how she over explain things in her books special when it’s like book 2-3 book when u should know the world by then.

a third good book

In this third book of the series we learn more a out Gin and her background, and she makes some new friends. The action is fast paced, yet Gin has some important personal decisions to make.

One giant, twelve hour long action scene!

Jennifer Estep has done it again! Venom is even better than the first two installments which is pretty unbelievable considering how outstanding they both were. No word of a lie, the Elemental Assassin series literally gets better with every book. That's pretty freaking remarkable if you ask me! It felt like that crazy drop in the Tower of Terror except that it lasted for twelve hours! The story is thrilling, the character development is exceptional and Owen Grayson is just plain smokin' hot.

In this installment we get an even better look inside Gin's assassin persona; it's a scary and fascinating place. In the opening chapter she endures one heck of a beating in order to maintain her cover. I kept waiting for her to unleash a can of whoopass on the giants but hiding her skills was indeed the best long-term game plan for her and that's exactly what she does. You can't help but admire Blanco for willingly getting pummeled when she could have easily come out the winner of the encounter. This is just the first of many instances where she demonstrates her knack for thinking on her feet. As an ex-assassin, Gin finds herself in some pretty hairy situations yet she always manages to keep her cool, even when bullets are zooming past her head! There's more to her than just a cold blooded killer though and that's what makes her story so incredible. Her feelings and doubts go a long way into humanizing her in this book. I think that Estep does an exceptional job developing her characters in this series. They're memorable, life-like and unique; I for one can't get enough of them!

Elliot Slater is the kind of guy you love to hate and the first bad guy of this series that I really wanted to see suffer a slow and painful death at the hands of Gin. I like that it took the entire book for Roslyn's revenge to come full circle; it made the end result extremely meaningful and personal. All of the characters play a role in the main plot which is yet another noteworthy element in this book. As a result, the side stories became an added bonus instead of an essential ingredient in order to tie everything together.

Finn is finally coming into his own and I like that he actually kicked some butt in this installment. I've been on the fence about him for the past two books but now I'm glad he's a part of this series and I look forward to seeing what Estep has in store for him. I love, love LOVE Owen Grayson and how this book ended. I'm kinda hoping that he and Gin team up and go after Mab Monroe together. Wouldn't that be a romantic outing? Yeah... Natural Born Killers style! Sophia's story still remains a mystery but at least we learned something about her this time. I just hope her tale will be as awesome as I expect it to be!

Venom is one giant action scene packed with unforgettable characters, startling truths and the ending is fan-freaking-tastic.

Great Series

This series is fantastic and the narration could not be more perfect. Venom was my favorite so far. I can't wait for the next book!

10, 20, 30, 45 heartbeats...Really?

I think this series has wonderful plots, but the telling of the details too often repeats the SAME OLD THING! Way too much violet eyes, and grey eyes and heartbeats that count in increments of 10 get stale. Still, I do recommend it for passing the time. Not my favorite author by a long shot, but like I said the plots are just fun. So much potential to be exciting, but the repetitive phrases really bog down the forward motion of the story.

Love Gin and Owen, and the gang!!!!

Can not wait for the next book, loved the first, adored the second and this one is off the charts!!!!!

Best so far

Love this series. Jennifer Estep knows how to keep you hooked. I couldn't put down my iPod. The story gets better with each book. I like the way new characters are introduced and kept in the stories. The narrator is fantastic! I highly recommend this series!

Gin is better person than me

I would have told her if she didn't listen to me this time I'd kill her myself. she was weak and a liability. Gin tried to help her but she was weak. you'll know what I mean when you listen. otherwise I loved the story.