Unwanted by Jennifer Estep Published by Pocket Books on July 18,2016
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 100
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I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The New York Times bestselling Elemental Assassin series continues with a new e-novella--from the point of view of Finnegan Lane, the foster brother of Gin Blanco, and a fan favorite of readers of the series.
The fallout from his disastrous “family reunion” in Bitter Bite has left Finn feeling hurt, angry, and depressed. He can barely stand to look at himself in the mirror, much less eat any of the delicious barbecue from Gin’s famed Pork Pit restaurant.
But when the funeral for a slain security guard at his bank turns into a showdown with some nasty underworld giants, Finn knows that he must act in order to protect an innocent family.
Finnegan Lane might be the most unwanted man in Ashland these days, but he’s determined to try to make amends for his past mistakes...
Finn is my favorite male character in the Elemental Assassin series. We did have that novella point of view from Owen which was nice, but Finn is still top dog.
On a normal basis, we would Finn either stuffing his face with BBQ or backing up Gin with his sharp shooting skills. After Bitter Bite (and I’m going to try and be as unspoilery as possible), Finn is not his normal self. He finds himself in a completely different element. He’s not the same guy we normally see. He needs to find a way to redeem himself.
Finn is so much like Gin in jumping in to save people. In this case he may feel obligated, but Finn is the type of person you know he would have done this anyway. He also feels that the best way for him to lift a little of his guilt is to do this on his own. He wants to take care of this without backup.
I thought I was going to crumble with Finn feeling this way! The guy I depend on for laughs and sarcasm was lost, even to Gin and Bria. However, as he works through his feelings, you gain a lot of respect for him too. I felt like he wasn’t just Gin’s brother. He was Finn. A guy that can take the lead and get the job done. I was left feeling like this was my favorite Finn, growing into a different character for me. I think that I’m going to see him differently in Unraveled.
Q&A
I was lucky enough to sneak in a few questions with Jennifer. Let’s see what she has to say!
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Food is definitely a big thing in this series, what made you pick bbq? Is it your favorite as well?
JE: Barbecue is such a Southern tradition, and having Gin own a barbecue restaurant just seemed like it would fit in well with the Southern vibe of the books. So that’s one of the reasons I chose it.
I don’t think that I have a favorite type of food, but I do love barbecue, along with Southern and comfort food in general. I just really enjoy writing about good food.
- You are in the Pork Pit. What is your order?
JE: I’m in the mood for some fried chicken, so I’ll go with that, along with coleslaw, baked beans, French fries, sourdough rolls, and some honey-mustard dipping sauce. With a lemonade and a big dish of blackberry cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.
- Do both parents have to be an Elemental or is it like Finn and it could be only one?
JE: No, both parents do not have to be an elemental for their children to be elementals. Only one parent can be an elemental, and the children could still have elemental magic.
I tend to think of elemental power like a genetic trait. You can get different strengths, powers, and combinations based on your parents’ genes, your grandparents’ genes, etc. Or sometimes, elemental magic will even skip a generation or manifest itself in a new person/family.
- What made you decide to not give Finn Elemental powers?
JE: With Gin being such a powerful elemental, I thought that it would be interesting to have a secondary character who didn’t have any elemental magic and who had to rely on his own wits and skills in order to survive. So those are some of the reasons that Finn doesn’t have any elemental powers.
- Was it hard to write in the voice of Finn after all this time?
JE: Not really. I write in first-person, so it’s pretty easy for me to go from one character to another. I just thought about Finn, his character, what he might be feeling, and started writing.
I hope that everyone has as much fun reading Finn’s story as I did writing it.
Jennifer has a giveaway for 5 copies of BITTER BITE (5 winners!) and a $25 Amazon gift card! Open to US residents only. One winner per household. Contest ends July 25th at midnight EST.
Rafflecopter code is below:
About Jennifer Estep
Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.
Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. Unwanted, e-novella #14.5 in the series, will be released on July 18. Unraveled, book #15, will be released on Aug. 30.
Jennifer also writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series. She is also the author of the Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series and the Bigtime paranormal romance series.
Jennifer’s books have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living, and a variety of other publications. You can follow her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.
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