Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.

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."

My Thoughts:

Second books can either make or break my love of a series.  This one easily cemented my love for this series and ensured the fact that I will be reading the rest of the books (hopefully sooner rather than later).  One of the reasons that I am now such a huge fan of this series is thanks to the main character Gin Blanco.  She is so unapologetic about the things that she has done and I find it completely refreshing.  Gin is a take charge kind of character with her own idea of what is right and wrong.  Those personal morals lead her to get involved in this case where she is trying to help a family being terrorized for the property that they own.  It was fun to see characters from the previous book all make an appearance in this story although I will admit that I do not understand Gin's attraction to Donovan Caine.  He is too wishy-washy, doesn't see any shades of grey, and is definitely not good enough for Gin in my opinion.  I have no idea why she seems to be so hung up on him.  That being said, I was very excited that there were also some new characters introduced in this book that I would like to see more of.  

One of things about this series that has me the most intrigued is Gin's history.  Without sharing too many possible spoilers, we know now that Gin doesn't know why her family was killed or who was behind it all.  This mystery has played a part in both books in this series so far, and after the things we learned at the end of this book I think it will play a very important role in the next one.  I'm excited about that!  I've loved all of the questions and the way that author has slowly been giving us tidbits here and there.  It has me very eager to read the next book and see what will happen next.  Especially since I think that Gin is just really learning some new things about her elemental powers.  She has lots of untapped potential and I have a feeling that these powers are going to continue to grow.  This is all speculation on my part but I'll be finding out hopefully soon when I pick up Venom (the 3rd book).  

All in all, this was a really great read for me and I had a hard time setting it down.  I am so glad that I finally took it down off of my shelves and read it because it left me eager for more.  If you are looking for a fast paced urban fantasy series then you should definitely give these books a try.  Just make sure you start with Spider's Bite as this is a series best read in order.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  I need the next book ASAP!  That is all :)

Disclosure:  This was off of my own shelves paid for by me.  Used bookstore find, maybe?  I can't really remember but yay for finally reading it!