Bitter Bite (Elemental Assassin, #14)

by Jennifer Estep

Which is stronger: blood ties or a battle-tested friendship? That’s the question Gin Blanco asks when a friend’s long-lost relative strolls into town. The suspicious reunion is a surprise for everyone—and a big problem for Gin. Book fourteen in the New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series RT Book Reviews calls “unbeatable entertainment!”

It’s not easy being queen bee of an underworld abuzz with crooks and killers. Wielding my potent Ice and Stone elemental magic will only get me so far—my real secret is my tight-knit makeshift family, a motley crew of cops and criminals, dwarves and playboys. My foster brother Finnegan Lane is my right-hand man, but when his suddenly not-dead relative comes back into the picture, I’m the one on the outside looking in.

It’s funny how life works: one minute your best friend is rock-steady, and the next he’s doe-eyed and buying into this whole loving-relative routine to the point of ignoring you. I’d like to be happy for Finn, I really would. But all of my instincts are telling me that beneath the syrupy sweet demeanor and old-fashioned charm, this sudden interloper is planning something. The whole shtick leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. This person might have avoided the grave once, but I’ll put anyone who hurts Finn in the ground—for good.

• ISBN10: 1501111272
• ISBN13: 9781501111273
• Publish Date: 23 February 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

After fourteen books in the series, and Gin is still going strong. This series has been going strong since book one and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. While this book is more Finn’s book than Gin’s, it is still told entirely from Gin’s first person POV, which gives it an interesting take on the story.

When a supposedly dead relative appears back in Ashland and in Finn’s life, you can see how it would affect Finn. I can also see why Finn responded the way that he did. I mean, you don’t want to think that every person who comes to town, is doing so for nefarious reasons, when you could be the reason. When you grow up with a hole in your life and all of sudden, you see a chance to get that hole filled, who would want to see the downsides?

Gin, on the other hand, couldn’t help but see the coincidence in the situation. Bria also noticed that something was off with our new visitor to Ashland. Gin continued to be her protective and loyal family member to Finn whether he liked it or not. Plus, she had the warning from Fletcher to help her, who continues to be a very large secondary character in this series.

I will say that Jennifer Estep’s ability to come up with new villains for Gin to fight continues to amaze me. They are all unique in the own way. They all require Gin to learn new ways to tackle their villainous ways. This one was particularly difficult for Gin and required her to rely on her magic more than she ever has in her past. We even learn more about the past of Mab Monroe and even Eira Snow. It will be interesting to see where the series goes from here with the information that we learn towards the end of this book.

Narration
Lauren Fortgang continues to do a fantastic job with the narration of this series. This is a series that I started off reading, but once I listened one of the books, I’ve been audio only ever since. She does such a great job with all the different Southern voices of both men and women, she really adds to the story. I think in this story in particular, I could really see Deidre Shaw for the fake that she really was based off her voice alone. LOL. If you haven’t tried this series on audio, I highly recommend you give it a try.

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

With Bitter Bite, this series is starting to regain momentum rather than winding down! When it starts, Gin is digging up more information on Deirdre Shaw. She isn't sure how to break this news to Finn without breaking his trust in the process. But Gin knows his mother is up to no good. Why did she pretend to be dead? Why is she back now? Does she really want a relationship with her son? Nothing really adds up about "Mama Dee."

Bitter Bite was fast paced and exciting! I loved how Finn was more involved in this book, and how that made this all the more personal for Gin. She wants to be happy for her bother, he's finally getting that motherly bond that he never had. But on the other hand, she'll protect him at all costs and she simply doesn't trust his long-lost mother. Obviously, something is up with her and it's not at all what I thought. I also loved all of the references to Deadly Sting which was thus far my favorite of the series.

The ending of Bitter Bite caught me completely off guard! Of course, Gin has to uncover the truth about Deirdre, save her friends and family, and get beat up in the process. But there's more! Everything we know about Ashland's underworld just might be a lie! What's really going on here?! And how does Gin's family fit into it?! Deirdre's mysterious appearance has seamlessly started a new overarching plot!

Bitter Bite was great! It kept me engaged the whole time and that ending certainly left me desperately wanting Unraveled!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.