Author Guest Post: Jennifer Estep Excerpt from By a Thread

Jennifer Estep has allowed me to post an excerpt of the newest book in the Elemental Assassin adventures, By a Thread! I hope this allows you to see why I love this series so much!

Gin Blanco never thought she’d need a vacation from being an assassin. But a few weeks ago, she killed Mab Monroe, her nemesis and the most powerful Fire elemental in Ashland. Now, all the city’s lowlifes are trying to make a name for themselves by taking out the Spider. So she heads south to a swanky beach town, along with her baby sister, Bria, for a weekend of fun in the sun. But when an old friend of Bria’s is threatened by a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic, it looks like Gin will have to dig the silverstone knives out of her suitcase after all. But this time, her special powers might not be enough to prevent her from coming home in a pine box…

Excerpt:

Charlie, the valet with the key ring, trotted back up the steps and obligingly flipped the switch on the far wall. The second the lights came on, I stepped out from behind the potted tree and kicked the door shut behind me. Didn’t want to be a bad guest and wake the neighbors with the screams that were sure to come.

The door thumped into place, making Charlie, the guy closest to me, whirl around in surprise.

“What the hell—”

That’s all he got out before my knife rammed into his heart, and a crimson stain blossomed like a tropical flower on his white shirt. Charlie was dead before I yanked out the blade and let his body thump to the floor. For a second, the other three men looked at me, eyes wide, mouths open, as if they couldn’t believe that I was up, ready, and waiting for them.

“Get that bitch!” Pete screamed, all pretense of being quiet and sneaky gone. “Now!”

And the fight was on.

Pete rushed at me first. I waited until he was on the stairs, then stepped forward and slammed my fist into his face. He stumbled back, falling off the stairs and hitting a wooden coffee table before rolling off the side and landing on his ass. Before I could follow and finish him off, the two giants came at me.

Swing-swing-swing.

Trent and the other giant worked in tandem, leaping up the steps and lashing out with their fists, trying to pin me against the door where they could take their time beating me to death. But I slid to one side and scooted back behind the potted tree. The second giant reached through the leaves, trying to grab hold of me, but I ducked around the other side.

Swipe-swipe-swipe.

The giant didn’t even get a chance to untangle himself from the tree before I palmed another knife and started in on him. He was half-turned toward me, so I couldn’t slam my blades into his heart and put him down immediately the way I wanted to, but I cut up the right side of his thick, muscular chest like I was butterflying a slab of meat. The giant screamed and staggered back, but I kept right on going with him, opening his stomach from one side to the other, blood and intestines spilling across the white marble floor. The giant screamed again, his feet going out from under him, and slumped to the floor. I drove my knife into his throat, cutting off his hoarse cries of pain, before yanking it back out. He toppled over and joined the valet on the floor, both of them dead.

Trent stared at me, his eyes flicking around the room as if he was considering whether he wanted to fight or run. He should have run.

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USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. The books focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin codenamed the Spider who can control the elements of Ice and Stone. When she’s not busy killing people and righting wrongs, Gin runs a barbecue restaurant called the Pork Pit in the fictional Southern metropolis of Ashland. The city is also home to giants, dwarves, vampires, and elementals – Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone. Books in the series are Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, and Tangled Threads.

Jennifer also writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington. Touch of Frost, the first book in the series, was released in August. First Frost, a prequel e-story to the series, is available as a 99-cent download.

For more information, excerpts, and more, visit Jennifer’s website at www.jenniferestep.com.

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I just love UF books! Now for those not in the know yet... it also has romance within the book. So those who also love PNR will not be disappointed either! *swoon* OWEN! *swoon*

*Ahem*

Giveaway!

Jennifer is giving away Gin's newest adventure! Just fill out the rafflecopter form below. It's US only.

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