Format: Kindle, 251 pages
Release Date: November 14, 2023
Publisher: Jennifer Estep
Source: Author
Genre: Urban Fantasy
New York Times bestselling author
Jennifer Estep serves up an Elemental Assassin short story collection
featuring danger, magic, and a touch of romance. Perfect for fans of
Ilona Andrews, Anne Bishop, Patricia Briggs, and Faith Hunter.
Flash
back to one of Gin Blanco’s many missions as the assassin the Spider.
Learn more about Gin’s relationships with her mentor, Fletcher Lane, and
her foster brother, Finnegan Lane, and see what trouble the other
characters get themselves into when Gin’s not around. From a ghost’s
lost love to a villain’s origin story, this action-packed collection has
something for every urban fantasy and paranormal romance fan.
The Stings and Stones collection features ten short stories told by various characters:
Author Jennifer Estep's Stings and Stones is a 67,000-word collection of Elemental Assassin short stories. Some of the stories previously appeared on Estep’s website, while others have been featured in anthologies. The Elemental Assassin series focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin code named 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.
“Spider’s Bargain” This short story takes place before the events of Spider’s Bite, the first book in the Elemental Assassin series. In "Spider’s Bargain," Gin Blanco takes on a corrupt cop, but only one of them will be left standing in the end. This was originally a 13 page short novella that feature Gin Black, aka the Spider, an assassin trained by Tin Man Fletcher Lane.
“Web of Death” This short story takes place after the events of Spider’s Bite but before the beginning of Web of Lies. In "Web of Death," Gin Blanco’s retirement is interrupted by some unwanted guests. A Giant and a Vampire encounter an assassin, and blood will flow.
“Web of Deceit” This short story takes place when Gin is a teenager. It’s told from the point of view of Fletcher Lane, Gin’s assassin mentor, and focuses on Gin’s first solo job as the assassin the Spider. It has also been 3 years since Gin's family was murdered by Mab Monroe. Guest appearance by Jo-Jo Deveraux who become a series regular thanks to her ability to heal Gin after he battles.
“Poison” This short story takes place when Gin is a teenager and is told from the point of view of Finnegan Lane, Gin’s foster brother. The story itself takes place several years before Spider's Bite with an appearance from Sophia Deveraux who is also a series regular and someone who definitely knows where the bodies are buried.
“Wasted” This short story takes place in between the events of Web of Lies and Venom. One day, a beautiful woman (Clarissa Drysten) walks into the bank (First Trust of Ashland) where Finn works, and trouble soon follows. Xavier, a giant who is Bria's partner at the Ashland PD, makes an appearance.
“Tangled Dreams” This short story takes place in between the events of Venom and Tangled Threads. It’s told from the points of view of Jo-Jo Deveraux and her sister, Sophia Deveraux who is a cook at the Pork Pit, while her sister owns a beauty salon where Gin and her friends go to get healing. When a carjacker follows an injured Gin back to Jo-Jo’s beauty salon, Jo-Jo and Sophia join forced to eliminate the threat.
“Tangled Schemes” This short story spans a period of time starting from the last chapter of Spider’s Bite and ending right before the beginning of Tangled Threads. It’s told from Detective Bria Coolidge’s point of view and shows her search for her long-lost sister Genevieve Snow. For 17 years, Bria though her sister was dead. What Bria doesn’t know is what she’s going to do about the fact that Genevieve also happens to be the assassin the Spider. This is during the time where Gin has declared war on Mab Monroe what she did to Gin and Bria's family.
“Spider’s Nemesis” This short story spans a period of many years, beginning before Gin was born and ending during the events of Tangled Threads. It is told from the point of view of Mab Monroe and shows how the Fire elemental grew up, including her first meeting with Eira Snow, Gin’s mother. This is by far the most detailed and longest story in the collection.
“Haints and Hobwebs” Haints and Hobwebs is an 11,000-word story that takes place after the events of Tangled Threads, book 4 in the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Haints and Hobwebs first appeared in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance in 2012. Gin is being haunted by a ghost. A ghost who wants revenge before she can move on. And, if someone wants revenge, who better than the assassin known as the Spider?
“Parlor Tricks” This short story takes place after Deadly Sting. Gin and her younger sister Bria are going to the Carnival of Wondrous Wonders looking for a missing teenager named Elizabeth, and Gin once again finding it necessary to kill someone in order to keep them from harming Bria and herself. This story shows that Gin and Bria have become protective of each other after finally learning that they survived Mab Monroe's attempt to wipe out their family.
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