Unraveled by Jennifer Estep (review)

Unraveled

by 

Jennifer Estep

(for the spotlight post, including the blurb, an excerpt and author links, please go here)


My review:

4.5 stars

“Unraveled” by Jennifer Estep is part of the ‘Elemental Assassin’ series and continues the adventures of the intrepid Gin Blanco and her brother-of-the-heart, Finn. An unexpected inheritance brings Finn and his circle to a wild-west resort where they not only get a chance to immerse themselves in the ambience but become embroiled in a treasure hunt where finding the prize becomes a matter of life and death. Memories of the past become even more crucial to their survival as nebulous clues help them find out more about the mysterious Circle, if they can live long enough to interpret their discoveries.

This urban fantasy tale combines all of the elements that I love about this series—glimpses of the remarkable powers that can be combined with unexpected effects, thrilling fights, the deep camaraderie that ties Gin and her posse together, and delightful twists. I confess that I was a little disappointed in a couple of the previous titles in the series as it seemed that there was a repetitive theme and predictability to some of the events but the past few books have reinforced why I enjoy this very lethal heroine and her activities.

The exposition of Gin’s background continues with this story that also contains enemies that threaten to give her a run for her money. I cheered briefly at the prospect of someone finally reaping a well-deserved end but my joy was short-lived, lol. I think that someone who loves kickass heroines would enjoy this story and could read it as a stand-alone tale but things will be much clearer if at least some of the previous books in the series have been read so that the interaction between some of the characters is clearer. There is a fair amount of blood and violence present, so one should have a fairly strong stomach, but the snarky interaction, exciting scenes of peril, and awe-inspiring abilities conferred by Elemental powers keep one enthralled in another great story by this talented and prolific author. Can’t wait to find out what happens next!

A copy of this title was provided to me for review

Amazon buy link

Unraveled by Jen Frederick (spotlight, short excerpt, GIVEAWAY), updated

Hmm, I am not the only one with timing issues lately.  Here is a guest post from the author of Unraveled

 Grand Gestures

 

Jen Frederick, Guest Post

Many romance books feature a grand gesture. Often it is from the hero who engages in some activity to show the heroine how much he loves her and how very sorry he is for everything he’s done wrong. In some stories the grand gesture involves some kind of public display such as in The Girl’s Guide to (Man)hunting by Jessica Clare. To convince the heroine that he loves her and that she should believe in his verbal promises, former NHL star Dane Croft reveals himself to the citizens of Bluebonnet in a way that they hadn’t seen him before.

But not every grand gesture is a public one. In Unraveled, Marine Sgt. Gray Phillips tries to get closer to Sam by taking up one of her hobbies, one that isn’t normally associated with males.  The grand gesture is always about the character going outside his or her comfort zone in an effort to show their chosen mate that they’ll do anything to win him or her back whether it’s jumping into a lake or quitting a job or moving across the world.

The idea is to create some type of sacrifice that both atones for a past wrongdoing but also proves to the doubting party that the person making the gesture is worth loving. Sometimes the grand gesture can be tragic.  In Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma, in which a brother and sister develop an immoral and illegal relationship, one character makes a huge sacrifice. Whether it was the correct grand gesture is probably up to the reader.

Movies are full of the grand gesture. In Say Anything the grand gesture is John Cusack’s character standing outside in the rain holding up a boom box playing “their song.” In Love Actually,
several story lines include a grand gesture such as when Mark holds up the signs expressing the love he has for Juliet, his best friend’s new wife, and the way that young Sam runs after the Joanna in the airport.  There’s the big speech that Jerry Maguire makes to Dorothy where she utters the famous line “You had me at hello.”


Grand gestures invoke big moments but some of my favorite stories feature characters who don’t engage in the grand gesture and whose love is steady and present throughout the book. There’s something heartwarming and wonderful about both types of stories. And I’m glad that the romance genre encompasses the entire spectrum from the steady quiet love to the loud boisterous ones.




                                         


Unraveled (Woodlands) by Jen Frederick

Summary

Twenty-five-year-old Sgt. Gray Phillips is at a crossroads in his life: stay in the Marine Corps or get out and learn to be a civilian? He’s got forty-five days of leave to make up his mind but the people in his life aren’t making the decision any easier. His dad wants him to get out; his grandfather wants him to stay in. And his growing feelings for Sam Anderson are wreaking havoc with his heart…and his mind. He believes relationships get ruined when a Marine goes on deployment. So now he’s got an even harder decision to make: take a chance on Sam or leave love behind and give his all to the Marines.

Twenty-two year old Samantha Anderson lost her husband to an IED in Afghanistan just two months after their vows. Two years later, Sam is full of regrets—that she didn’t move with her husband to Alaska; that she allowed her friends to drift away; that she hasn’t taken many chances in life. Now, she’s met Gray and taking a risk on this Marine could be her one opportunity to feel alive and in love again. But how can she risk her heart on another military man who could share the same tragic fate as her husband?

******************

Excerpt

THIS WAS ONLY TEMPORARY, I reminded myself, as Samantha so sweetly kissed me back. I'm only here for a short time I reminded myself but as I felt her tongue stroke the side of my tongue, as she nipped her teeth against my lip, I wanted to just drown in the sensation. Her scent filled my head and the air around us shrank until all I knew was her small body sitting so close to mine. I moved my hand from her shoulder to cup her neck and angled her face for deeper penetration. I licked every inch inside of her mouth until the taste of her was all that I knew on my tongue.

And all that time I stared in to her green eyes and not once did she look like she was anywhere but right here with me. I saw my reflection there. Her heartbeat was made wild by my kisses.

And temporary was the farthest thing from my mind.

Buy Links

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Author Biography

Bestselling author Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog. She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jensfrederick@gmail.com.

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P.S.  I love this description on Amazon...

Gray Phillips would like you to get to know him. Here's five things on his resume:

1. He's a dirty talker.
2. He irons. 
3. He likes dates that take place outdoors. 
4. He gets turned on by your pleasure. 
5. He'll catch you when you fall. 

The rest you'll have to find out by reading Unraveled. 
(sigh)