I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
"Nice Guys Bite"
by
Jennifer Estep
It is part of the Elemental Assassin #15.5 series and is a dark fantasy in eBook edition that was published by Pocket Star on December 12, 2016 and has 100 pages.
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Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, Jennifer Estep, Venom, Karma Girl, Tangled Threads, Touch of Frost, Spider's Revenge, Kiss of Frost, Hot Mama, By a Thread, Dark Frost, Widow's Web, Crimson Frost, Deadly Sting, Midnight Frost, Heart of Venom, The Spider, Killer Frost, Tangled Dreams, Tangled Schemes, Spider's Bargain, "Poison", Spider’s Nemesis, "Wasted", "Web of Death", "Web of Deceit", Black Widow, Poison Promise, Cold Burn of Magic, The Spider's Trap, Dark Heart of Magic, Bitter Bite, Unraveled, Bright Blaze of Magic, Snared, Kill the Queen, "Winter's Web", Last Strand, Sharpest Sting, "Unwanted", Dirty Deeds 2, "Heart Stings"
A short story, 15.5, in the Elemental Assassin dark fantasy series usually revolving around Gin Blanco, the Spider, based in Ashland, North Carolina. In “Nice Guys Bite”, the focus is on Silvio Sanchez, Gin’s vampire personal assistant.
If you’re interested, there is a chronological listing of the Elemental Assassin books on my website.
My Take
It’s cracking me up thinking of Gin cutting out chains of paper piggies and decorating them with silver glitter. And I did have to laugh at Estep’s description of Sophia’s Christmas “costume”.
Ooh, Silvio is writing a book!
Okay, okay, so it’s a cute story (and I’m glad Silvio is taking a chance), but the truth behind that kidnapping was pretty obvious. It’s also quite sad about Silvio’s realizing how his efficiency is also a negative in keeping Gin safe.
But what is truly sweet is how thoughtful Gin is and what a great guy Silvio is.
The Story
Working for Gin Blanco doesn’t leave much time for romance, especially with Gin’s holiday party planning in full swing. But when he catches the eye of a charming gentleman, Silvio finds himself going out for coffee.
It’s been awhile since Silvio last took a chance, a chance who was horrifically murdered. So when Silvio realizes he’s being watched, he’s determined that this time his date stays out of danger!
The question is…will Silvio survive the night and make it back to the Pork Pit for Gin’s holiday party?
The Characters
Silvio Sanchez is a vampire who used to be Beauregard Benson’s second-in-command (Black Widow, 12); now he’s Gin’s personal assistant. Derrick had been Silvio’s last — tragic — love (Deadly Sting, 8).
Gin Blanco is a supposedly retired assassin, the Spider, who runs her barbecue restaurant, the Pork Pit. She sort of “inherited” the queen of the underworld mantle for Ashland. Owen Grayson is Gin’s boyfriend. Detective Bria Coolidge is Gin’s sister and dating Finnegan “Finn” Lane, an investment banker and Gin’s foster brother. Sophia Deveraux, an Air Elemental, is the head cook. Jo-Jo Devereaux runs a high-class beauty salon with the help of her Air Elemental magic and is Sophia’s older sister.
Other friends at the party include Xavier, a detective and Bria’s partner who is dating Roslyn Phillips, a vampire madam. Catalina Vasquez is a waitress at the Pork Pit and Silvio’s niece. She’s friends with Eva Grayson (Owen’s little sister) and Violet Fox, Eva’s best friend. Phillip Kincaid is one of Owen’s friends and very interested in Eva. Cooper Stills is a dwarf and Owen’s mentor. Warren T. Fox is a friend of Cooper’s and Violet’s grandfather. Stuart Mosley is the president of Finn’s bank. Mallory is mob boss Lorelei Parker‘s greats-grandmother and a dwarf.
Martin Mahoney is the cute English professor at Ashland Community College who teaches detective fiction. The Cake Walk is a restaurant that specializes in desserts. Ira Morris is the park manager from Unraveled, 15. Liam Carter is a mid-level underworld boss.
Vincent heads up the kidnappers who include Hank. Hugh Tucker is part of The Circle (Unraveled, 15). The Southern Shine biker gang failed in their attempt.
The Cover and Title
I hadn’t realized how gorgeous Silvio is! He is quite the suited hunk standing in the forefront as the green holiday lights reflect off the darkly wet street. The author’s name is at the top while the script’d title is at the bottom; both are in red while the series information is at the very bottom in white.
The title is what Silvio discovers…”Nice Guys Bite”.
