Bitter Bite, the 14th book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be released on Feb. 23, 2016.

Today, I’m happy to share the cover art and the book description. The cover art was once again done by the awesome Tony Mauro, and Alexa Martino is the model for Gin.

I really love the colors on this cover, along with the icy web in the background.

Bitter Bite will be available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats from all the usual retailers. I’ll be sharing the pre-order links as they become available. Right now, the book is available for pre-order at:

Amazon Kindle / Amazon paperback / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / Google Play / iBooks / IndieBound / Kobo

And here is the book description. Note: This contains spoilers for Spider’s Trap. So if you absolutely do not want to be spoiled, skip reading the book description.

Which is stronger: blood ties or a battle-tested friendship? That’s the question Gin Blanco is asking when a friend’s long-lost relative comes strolling back into Ashland under suspicious circumstances. 

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.

I’ll be sharing more info, including teasers from the first chapter of the book, as they become available. In the meantime, hope everyone is looking forward to Gin’s next adventure.

Note: This post appeared last week at Magical Musings, but I wanted to share it here on my blog too.

Spider’s Trap, the 13th book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, was released on July 28. Woot! Woot! Woot!

Thirteen books … I can’t believe that I’ve written 13 books in this series. My Elemental Assassin series started in 2010 with Spider’s Bite. If you had told me back then that I would still be writing about my heroine Gin Blanco today, I would have laughed and said that you were crazy. I was just hoping that I could write five books and finish out the story arc that I had in mind.

But a funny thing happened — people really enjoyed getting to know Gin and her friends. And I started wondering what would happen after Gin defeated her nemesis. What sort of new problems and enemies would that create for her?

The answer has turned out to be plenty. LOL.  Every time I come to the end of a story arc, I think of all the new challenges and problems that Gin has created for herself and wonder what if this happens, what if that happens … and I’m inspired to write another adventure for Gin.

Thirteen books at about 95,000 words a book is more than 1.2 million words about the same character. And this doesn’t count the various e-novellas and short stories that I’ve written from Gin’s and other characters’ points of view.

Many folks have asked me if I’m thinking about ending the series after Bitter Bite, book #14 that’s scheduled for Feb. 23, 2016. But you know what? I’m still having a blast writing about Gin and the dark, gritty world of Ashland. So as long as people still enjoy reading the books, I’ll probably keep writing them.

So here’s to many more adventures with Gin and the gang. Cheers, everyone! 😎

Spider’s Trap is available at all the usual retailers, including:

Amazon Kindle / Amazon paperback / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks/ Google Play / Kobo / IndieBound

The audiobook is available at Audible. You can also get the audiobook through Amazon. The awesome Lauren Fortgang is once again the narrator for the audiobook.

Here is the description for Spider’s Trap:

Keep your friends close but your enemies within stabbing distance.

One important lesson I’ve learned in the assassination business is that to be the best you have to roll with the punches. Now that I’m queen of Ashland’s underworld—by default, not by choice—a lot more punches are being thrown my way. But I suppose that’s the price of victory for taking down some of the underworld’s top dogs. Good thing I have my Ice and Stone magic to help me survive my volatile new position. Just when I think things are finally settling down, someone tries to murder me during a hush-hush underworld meeting. But the real surprise is how strangely familiar my shadowy assailant seems to be.

My job is to maintain order among killers, crooks, and thieves, and soon I’m embroiled in a bloody game where the ability to keep secrets could be the greatest superpower of all. My enemies have all sharpened their knives and laid their traps, waiting for me to fall. But this Spider weaves her own webs of death …

You can read the first chapter of Spider’s Trap here. Scroll down and click on the Read Excerpt tab, although beware of spoilers for previous books in the series, especially Black Widow.

I hope that everyone enjoys the book and Gin’s latest adventure. Happy reading, everyone!