Unraveled is the latest adventure in Estep's Gin Blanco series, and this book proves once again why this is one of my all time favorite series. The book starts with Gin trying to get intel on this mysterious Circle and her new enemy, Hugh Tucker. Gin is also trying to help her foster brother, Finn, cope with the loss of his mother and the fact that his mother hadn't been who he had hoped her to be. So when Finn mysteriously inherits an Old West theme park, a weekend getaway sounds just about right. Naturally things don't go as planned, and Gin and friends find themselves searching for missing jewels as well as a battle for their lives.

One of my favorite parts of this series is the relationship Gin has with Finn. From book one, these two just had such a special connection and I absolutely loved seeing Gin helping Finn with his grief and both remembering Fletcher. Unraveled definitely deals with the past in this book as Gin also regains some memories of her own mother and their last Christmas together. I loved how Estep used this "fun" theme park idea to bring up not just the past but also some great action as well. Estep really knows how to combine action, adventure, mystery, family drama, and humor.

I also liked seeing the secondary characters like Owen, Bria, and Silvio back as well. I love when series have a great ensemble cast where the reader is invested in all of the characters like this one. Unraveled definitely tests all the characters and it proves to be very hard to put down. It also opens up a new mystery at the end leading into the next book. Overall, Unraveled was an amazing read that I would most definitely recommend. I look forward to reading Gin's next adventure.

Received a copy of Unraveled through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This is book 15 or 18 of this series depending on how you count it. It's the second one I've read and I am so disappointed.

In Feb I read "Bitter Bite" and liked it. "Bitter Bite" is a tightly-written urban fantasy that stepped along quite briskly. "Unraveled" on the other hand staggers around like a drunk. I think I will not read any more about Gin Blanco.

Really bad cover art.

I received a review copy of "Unraveled" by Jennifer Estep (Pocket Books) through NetGalley.com. ( )

Two books ago I said that I was concerned with this series of books becoming very very repetitive. We had the same pattern coming up over and over again and it was starting to feel dull even if it was also extremely fun.

Last book helped reassure me and this book well and truly sealed my hope this is going somewhere new.

Sure, we still has Gin, the Assassin, killing bad people who really needs to be stabbed in the head. But previously this had a repeated pattern: a big bad would appear, they would attack Gin, she’d be terribly beaten. She’d then limp back to Jojo, be healed, make a plan and promptly murderise the big bad.

But this book doesn’t have a big bad per se. We have a powerful, dangerous woman who is dangerous for reasons beyond having big shiny dangerous magic (which is a really nice change from the rest of the books – we’d have dangerous women but they’d usually be dangerous because of shiny magic, not combat skills like Gin). But she’s not the big bad. She’s not the main focus. She is there – but the main enemy is Tucker. And not as a dangerous threat, but as a representative of the mysterious and sinister Circle. The tone of book has changed a lot. We don’t have a single big bad like Mab Monroe, nor do we have random killers of the week – we have a mysterious shadowy cabal that needs investigating, discovering and manoeuvred around.

Along the way we have good ongoing issues with Finn and his mother- but they’re touched on but not gone into too much depth because we already did that in the short story

And we have some nice digging up of Gin’s mother Eira. Ok, it is a little convenient that Gin can repeatedly dream up herself some history and relevant information, but it I do like to see the information and relationship explored. Especially since this book series seems to absolutely love skewering people who have been put on a pedestal (or… maybe more accurately it should be said mothers have been knocked off their pedestals because Fletcher is still pretty much balanced happily on his).

Of course the plot itself is Gin running around being kind of awesome, occasionally meeting crusty locals, having lots of action, and Gin generally being a crafty and scary scary lady. I also really like that she’s using her magic – yes, her actual magic. How many books do we see her running around with knives and seeming to forget that she actually have magic? So, no, we’re not going all shadowy cabal and investigating, there’s still plenty of Gin running around with knives and magic, being lethal and awesome and fun and action packed

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**I received an ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
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This book picks up almost exactly where Unwanted left off. Gin and Finn are still trying to come to terms with the mess left behind by Mama Dee - Finn's mother. Gin now has many questions regarding the mother she thought she knew, and Finn is trying to come to terms with the complete lack of feeling from his mother. Finn & Gin decide it is time to unlock a safety deposit box - one that Gin found the key to in her mother's grave.

The box only reveals a very vague clue which frustrates Gin to the extreme so Finn decides to spring another surprise and proposes a short vacation for the two of them and their significant others... to a theme park he's just inherited from Mama Dee. So, despite Gin's reservations about another attempted vacation, off go Finn, Bria, Owen, and Gin. And, you can kind of guess what happens.

Like the other stories in this series there is action, violence, friendship, loyalty, and sarcasm - a perfect combination to keep you reading. I love Gin's wit, her ability to stay alive when most wouldn't, and her ability to win new friends when they are needed most. Jennifer's writing is imaginative, complex, and entertaining. If you haven't read any of this series yet, you really need to! ( )

Gin, Owen, Bria, and Finn take a “vacation” at an Old West theme park. In keeping with tradition, the “vacation” turns into a deadly showdown, with Gin and her friends playing the part of the white hats. Unraveled is another fun, fun adventure for beloved assassin.

God, I love this series! How much cheesier can you get than an Old West theme park as a setting?

Finn has inherited the theme park from his deceased mother. So he and Bria, Gin and Owen take off for the theme park. Finn wants to learn more about his mom and Gin wants to learn more about The Circle, a shady underworld organization who may be moving in on her territory. Along the way they go on a scavenger hunt for some valuable jewels and free the theme park from the clutches of The Circle, returning management of the park to one person who seems to really love it.

Unraveled is a fun romp in the Western style. There’s even a showdown on Main Street, though it happens closer to midnight than high-noon. I’m not sure Gin has learned much more about The Circle than she knew before, but they are surely taking more notice of her. I can’t wait to see what the next novel has in store for Gin and her friends! ( )