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)

Good fun

Very much like the Stackhouse series, the main character is no sookie much rougher and fierce. however if you enjoyed true blood you will like this series. Fun and easy fare.

Great UF Series

Bought on Audible
Actual Rating 4.25
Audio Rating 4.00

What I Loved: Owen! It is nice to see a strong male, confident not to cocky, accepting lead. Jennifer knows how to write men that you can love (I will forgive her for Donovan) because Finn is also a great male lead! Though to be honest it is Gin, Sophie, and Jo-Jo that really make me love this series! The females are strong, smart, and extremely talented. They do what needs to be done and don't make excuses why they do it. The storyline in this one continued on the arc but I love how she wraps up a little a bit in each book. You can feel satisfied without having a complete resolution to all the issues.

What I Liked: I really like the good ole fashion *ss kicking that goes on in this book. It is almost like a western in the aspect that there is always one really good showdown between our tarnished leading lady and the bad guy that she is going after. I also liked getting to know Brie a little bit better and you can see some sisterly resemblance in their actions. Their way of going about things is different but the sisters have a similar sense of "for the good" running through their veins!

Complaints: A little repetitiveness, especially if you have recently read the other books in the series.

Audio Specific Review: The story was narrated by Lauren Fortgang and she does an excellent job.

Why I gave it a 4.25: Each book in this series is better than the last! I am excited to read where she goes from here :)

Who I would recommend this too: Urban Fantasy Fans

totally amazing

love Gin she amazing in every way... smart beautiful and a bad ass. Jennifer Estep your amazing

Fire Elemental Identified

Where does Venom rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is among the top 10% the narration and tempo were great.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Venom?

The moment when Gin finds out that her baby sister is a detective on the Ashland police force and how this will change her life. Then at the end of the book he has to forget that her sister will start hunting her when she takes claim to a killing of a minion of the Fire elemental who not only scared her hands but killed her family. But revenge is more important at the time than trying to mend fences with her sister especially since her sister doesn't know Gin is her sister or that she is the Spider.

Have you listened to any of Lauren Fortgang’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listen to the first two books of this series and continue to listen to this series not only because of the storyline but because Lauren's narration is naturally flowing that the story just comes alive and the characters become interesting and worth the time to invest interest in.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Can she find love, revenge, and family or is Gin going to have to kill to get one or all.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy Urban Fantasy you will enjoy this series this some adventure, some romance, and definitely some killing.

love this series

I'm on the 4th book and completely love the characters and the story line of this series. It's much better than the Anita Blake series.

love it

love this book. I had book one for a long time and tried to listen to it but it was little slow finally mad my self listen to it glad I did it got better. now i am enjoying the series. Great series

Fun and Enjoyable! Great narration.

What made the experience of listening to Venom the most enjoyable?

The narrator is great. The story is about an elemental assassin. Or should I say reformed assassin. Her good friend is a dwarf. She hangs with vampires and giants. They all live in a weird world with bad cops and they own private order, which all makes for a fun story line.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gin. Because she's COOL! She's tough and you get inside her brain.

Which character – as performed by Lauren Fortgang – was your favorite?

Lauren is great. Love her voice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

GIN - the ultra cool assassin!

Any additional comments?

The story can drag a little and sometimes my mind drifts a little bit, but overall this is a very fun book.

Book 3

Enjoyed the book. Good storyline, character, and plot development. More of Jen's and Owen's history is revealed. A relative is found. Good progression in the series.

No spoilers

Oh boy just what I thought so far this is the best of the series. Had a feeling the books would get better. The last was ok but this one very very good. MS Estep is coming to life with her writing for me. Absolutely love Gin she's loyal, smart, caring, oh an a total bad a**. Estep is wrapping her into a fantastic story with well written sub characters. Full of action through out the book, suspense, romance, sprinkling of chuckles. What more can you ask for. Oh and I'm not forgetting the narrator Fortgang she is fantastic with her smooth voice and a southern draw she brings this book to life. Highly recommend Estep and Fortgang. Looking forward to more of both. This is a must listen to book don't read it listen to it you won't be sorry.

This just keeps getting better and better

Love Gin and her ragtag family of misfits! Love Owen Grayson too so hopefully he continues to stay in the picture! Glad the cop left- good riddance!!! On to the next !!