This is the Vault, anything goes here! I love to play video games, read, horror films <3, photography, hockey, playing piano, singing, playing guitar and having fun! I am a serial layout changer, so beware!
Welcome to V A U L T G I R L, you will mostly find reviews, thoughts on life, and other junk. This isn't the most interesting blog, but I hope you stick around!
- Autum.
# Book Review: Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep
Saturday, February 2, 2013 / permalink
I used to murder people for money, but these days it’s more of a survival technique.
Once an assassin, always an assassin. So much for being plain old Gin Blanco. With every lowlife in Ashland gunning for me, I don’t need another problem, but a new one has come to town.
Salina might seem like a sweet Southern belle, but she’s really a dangerous enemy whose water elemental magic can go head-to-head with my own Ice and Stone power. Salina also has an intimate history with my lover, Owen Grayson, and now that she’s back in town, she thinks he’s hers for the taking.
Salina’s playing a mysterious game that involves a shady local casino owner with a surprising connection to Owen. But they call me the Spider for a reason. I’m going to untangle her deadly scheme, even if it leaves my love affair hanging by a thread
I think I probably should have taken a break between reading the last book and this one. I was actually not as impressed with this one as I was with the others. Gin is having some problems with Owen, mainly the fact that Owen’s ex-girlfriend Salina is in town and she wants revenge on everyone who watch her father get murdered by Mab. Gin is hired by Phillip Kincaid to cater his party on a boat, but find out she was really just there to protect Owen’s sister Eva. Salina is out for Phillip and wants Owen back.
I liked this book, but I just felt it was off character for Owen to act the way he did. I just was really upset with him. In the end of the book especially. Like I said I think I probably should have taken a break between this book and the last, because this one slugged along for me. The conclusion of the last book was just so good, it closed a lot loops that I felt were open. This one just created a new one. That is okay, but I just hope that this doesn’t turn into the Anita Blake books.
Labels: 3 star book, book review, Gin Blanco, jennifer estep
# Book Review: By A Thread by Jennifer Estep
Sunday, January 20, 2013 / permalink
When killing people is your job, there’s no such thing as a vacation. Then again, how often does an assassin live long enough to enjoy her retirement? In this line of work, you either get lucky or you get dead. And since I destroyed my nemesis Mab Monroe a few weeks ago, all of Ashland’s lowlifes are gunning to make a name for themselves by taking out the lethal Spider—me, Gin Blanco. So I’m leaving behind my beloved barbecue joint and heading south with my baby sister, Bria, to cool my heels in a swanky beach town. Call it a weekend of fun in the sun. But when a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic threatens an old friend of Bria’s, it looks like I’ll have to dig my silverstone knives out of my suitcase after all. Complicating matters further is the reappearance of Detective Donovan Caine, my old lover. But Donovan is the least of my problems. Because this time, the danger is hot on my trail, and not even my elemental Ice and Stone magic may be enough to save me from getting buried in the sand—permanently.
Labels: 4 stars, book review, Gin Blanco, jennifer estep
# Review: Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 / permalink
Old habits die hard. And I plan on murdering someone before the night is through.
Killing used to be my regular gig, after all. Gin Blanco, aka the Spider, assassin-for-hire. And I was very good at it. Now, I’m ready to make the one hit that truly matters: Mab Monroe, the dangerous Fire elemental who murdered my family when I was thirteen.
Oh, I don’t think the mission will be easy, but turns out it’s a bit more problematic than expected. The bitch knows I’m coming for her. So now I’m up against the army of lethal bounty hunters she hired to track me down. She also put a price on my baby sister’s head. Keeping Bria safe is my first priority. Taking Mab out is a close second.
Good thing I’ve got my powerful Stone and Ice magic — and my irresistible lover Owen Grayson — to watch my back. This battle has been years in the making, and there’s a chance I won’t survive. But if I’m going down, then Mab’s coming with me...no matter what I have to do to make that happen.
This book was everything I hoped it would be. I am going to
mention names and possible plots. So if you haven’t read this book, I suggest
you don’t read any further.
Finally the showdown between Mab and Gin has started. Gin
starts off the book by trying to take out Mab at her home. Gin misses, but
plans to come back and finish the job. The big plan finally begins. A costume
ball is coming up and Gin’s boyfriend Owen has an invite. This is just the
chance for Gin to take her shot at Mab. Gin and Owen go to the costume ball—Gin
gets ready to take a stab at Mab, when
her plan is foiled by Jonah McCallister. Mab turns to see that the Spider is
Gin Blanco. Mab nearly burns Gin alive before she escapes. Mab will now stop at
nothing to bring down Gin Blanco, The Spider, that includes torturing her baby sister
Bria. Not only that, but Mab has hired a bunch of bounty hunters to bring the
spider down.
Like I said, this book was everything I wanted it to be. The
final showdown. Boy does this one move quickly. Gin goes from one predicament
to another. We know by this point that Gin will stop at nothing to protect the
ones she loves. Bria and Fin’s relationship is coming along and I hope to see
Bria and Gin get closer as well. Gin also sees her ice and stone magic come fully into power. I don't want to be a nitpicker, but in these books JoJo is always going on about how strong Gin is, but she users her powers in the most simple and ridiculous ways. Like she makes her skin hard as stone. That's cool, but if in fact Gin is as powerful as everyone says, wouldn't she be able to use her magic is sadistic ways when she was fighting people? I just think the logic in Etep's world of elemental magic is flawed. The main elements are (In these books),Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone. Cool. But wouldn't the logical elements be Earth, Air, Water and Fire? Earth would have the stone derivative and so on and so forth. Okay..so ice IS and ALWAYS will be a derivative of water. You can't have ice without water. So technically wouldn't an ice elemental have water powers as well? If that were the case, Gin could freeze every drop of H2o in a persons body, freezing them from the inside out. Instead she just makes ice flame and ice lock picks For someone who is supposed to be super powerful, her magic sucks. This didn't bother be until this book. I just realized how flawed the whole elemental makeup is realistically speaking.
A very cool thing about this book is that I think Gin dies.
She gets a chance to talk to her mentor Fletcher Lane. We as readers get some
answers for the motivations of the old man. This book was enjoyable and Estep
really knows her characters so well.
Labels: 5 stars, book review, Gin Blanco, jennifer estep
# Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep Review
Monday, January 7, 2013 / permalink
I’d rather face a dozen lethal assassins any night than deal with something as tricky, convoluted, and fragile as my feelings.
But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assassin known as the Spider. Hovering outside sexy businessman Owen Grayson’s front door like a nervous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn’t shy away from my past—or my present. And right now I have a bull’s-eye on my forehead.
Cold-blooded Fire elemental Mab Monroe has hired one of the smartest assassins in the business to trap me. Elektra LaFleur is skilled and efficient, with deadly electrical elemental magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powers. Which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance one of us won’t survive this battle. I intend to kill LaFleur—or die trying—because Mab wants the assassin to take out my baby sister, Detective Bria Coolidge, too.
The only problem is, Bria has no idea I’m her long-lost sibling . . . or that I’m the murderer she’s been chasing through Ashland for weeks. And what Bria doesn’t know just might get us both dead. .
Labels: 4 stars, book review, Gin Blanco, jennifer estep
# Gin has a serious obsessive compulsive counting problem.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013 / permalink
Gin has a serious obsessive compulsive counting problem.
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 Ashland’s 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
I just finished reading Venom by Jennifer Estep. Just as amazing as the other books. Gin is helping vampire friend Rosalind get away from a psychotic giant named Elliot. She has a new love interest named Owen. He sounds pretty hot. As I predicted Gin is really starting to come into her own. I love how the author reflects back on Gin’s past every book. You never expect it, but it’s always artfully done. Mab Monroe is going to go down. Gin has promised herself this much. She wants to start chipping away at her organization one person at a time. With Gin’s skills, she will do just that. Gin is getting involved with this Owen guy now that the detective is gone. He seems hot, and likes weaponry like Gin. I love the writing and the story is never dull. If you haven’t added these books to your TBR, do it now. They are amazing. I wanted to give this book 5 stars, but I couldn’t because Gin seems to have a counting problem. I don’t know if Jennifer Estep did this intentionally, but it’s really annoying to read. I think I counted like 7 times Gin would start counting. I also don’t like the fact that Gin hasn’t told a certain someone her big secret. I won’t spoil it, but if you have read it, you know what I am referring to. Those were the only things I can fault about this book. Other than that, it was a spectacular read.
Labels: 4 stars, book review, Gin Blanco, jennifer estep
# Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep Review
Saturday, December 15, 2012 / permalink
So I saw that Ambers over at Awesomesauce were reading this and said it was awesome. So, as I usually agree with their tastes in books, I decided to red it!
This book is about Gin Blanco, assassin and all around bad ass. Seriously she is epic. In the first 20 minutes I was reading this book she killed someone with a screw. A SCREW. So when her "handler" as she calls him, Fletcher, gets killed, there is hell to pay. Not only that she has been double crossed by someone who wants her dead. This book is awesome. Gin is sexy, feisty, and has a heart of stone (kinda literally lol) She is a stone elemental, but she doesn't use her powers much. She is now on a mission to find Fletcher's killer with Fletcher's son Finn, and Detective Donovan Caine, a regulation Latino hottie. It just so happens that Caine doesn't want to work with Gin because she killed his partner. If you have a problem violence, don't read this book. If not, DON'T PASS IT UP. It is an outstanding novel.
The only thing I thought that was odd about this book was her fantasizing about Donovan Caine. It was like GIN FOCUS WOMAN!! She is obviously sex deprived, because sometimes she can't focus lol.
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They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction...especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.
This book is about Gin Blanco, assassin and all around bad ass. Seriously she is epic. In the first 20 minutes I was reading this book she killed someone with a screw. A SCREW. So when her "handler" as she calls him, Fletcher, gets killed, there is hell to pay. Not only that she has been double crossed by someone who wants her dead. This book is awesome. Gin is sexy, feisty, and has a heart of stone (kinda literally lol) She is a stone elemental, but she doesn't use her powers much. She is now on a mission to find Fletcher's killer with Fletcher's son Finn, and Detective Donovan Caine, a regulation Latino hottie. It just so happens that Caine doesn't want to work with Gin because she killed his partner. If you have a problem violence, don't read this book. If not, DON'T PASS IT UP. It is an outstanding novel.
The only thing I thought that was odd about this book was her fantasizing about Donovan Caine. It was like GIN FOCUS WOMAN!! She is obviously sex deprived, because sometimes she can't focus lol.
Labels: 5 stars, book review, Gin Blanco, jennifer estep
