Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
We are huge fangirls of Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series here at VBC. We can’t get enough of Gin Blanco—assassin, badass and lover of good barbecue. So, naturally, we’re pretty stoked about the release of Spider’s Trap, the thirteenth book in the series, at the end of the month. (Yes, you can expect a review.) We know you’re eager for more Gin & Co., too, so we snagged this exclusive excerpt... 
This year brought the fresh meat to the Alpha Showdown. We had some first timers battle one another in Round 1, but this time out we have a newbie taking on a veteran. The vampire Slade from Teresa Gabelman’s The Protectors series is new to VBC, but his fans came out big time in the nomination rounds. Can this vampire take on one of our favorite assassins? Gin Blanco is a certified badass, and she runs a... 
Black Widow (Elemental Assassin #12) Jennifer Estep Published: November 25, 2014 (Pocket Books) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Copies provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amanda and Amy Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it may reference previous books in the series. If you haven’t started the Elemental Assassin... 
Poison Promise (Elemental Assassin #11) Jennifer Estep Published: July 22, 2014 (Pocket Books) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference previous books in the series. If you haven’t started yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1,... 
The Spider (Elemental Assassin #10) Jennifer Estep Published: Dec. 24, 2013 (Pocket Books) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference previous books in the series. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review... 
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for December 2013. All dates are U.S. and tentative. Also: Click the title of any book to visit the Amazon page for pre-order or purchase goodness. I’ve included genre classification with each book: UF is urban fantasy, PNR is paranormal romance, F is fantasy and YA is young adult.... 
Heart of Venom (Elemental Assassin #9) Jennifer Estep Published: August 27, 2013 (Pocket Books) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference events from previous books in the series. If you haven’t started the Elemental Assassin novels,... 
Deadly Sting (Elemental Assassin #8) Jennifer Estep Published: March 26, 2013 (Pocket) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Reviewed by: Amanda Rating (out of 5): 4 stars While this review is spoiler-free, it does assume you’ve read the other books in the Elemental Assassin series. You’d think with Mab Monroe dead and buried life would have gotten a little easier for Gin Blanco. But all Mab’s death... 
I’m all for a good best friend Character Love Letter. We had one to Atticus last week. Today, Ash from Smash Attack Reads tells Gin Blanco from Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series why they need to become friends. And it’s awesome. Dear Gin: You are my hero. You sauntered into my life and slapped me around with your awesomeness. Your moral code is so admirable and it is why you stand out from the... 
The Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep may focus on the ass-kicking skills of heroine Gin Blanco, but that doesn’t mean readers won’t get a little romance fix, too. Carmel from Rabid Reads is all about Owen Grayson. Read her Character Love Letter to him below (potential spoilers if you’re not up to Widow’s Web). Owen, I’ll never forget that night at Northern Aggression a couple of weeks ago when... 
