by Jenn Windrow
June 6, 2017
pages 292
Vampire Alexis Black is on a mission - to rejoin the human race.
Coerced into signing an ironclad contract by an Angel-with-attitude, Alexis must hunt down and assassinate at least one vampire, werewolf, or creepy crawly every night for fifty years to become human again. Too bad the contract didn’t mention the badass vampire who now rides shotgun in her brain, insatiable bloodlust, or her new I-hate-everything-with-fangs sidekick. If she can fulfill her end of the bargain, her humanity is restored, if not she will be destroyed.
Vampire Alexis Black is on a mission - to rejoin the human race.
Coerced into signing an ironclad contract by an Angel-with-attitude, Alexis must hunt down and assassinate at least one vampire, werewolf, or creepy crawly every night for fifty years to become human again. Too bad the contract didn’t mention the badass vampire who now rides shotgun in her brain, insatiable bloodlust, or her new I-hate-everything-with-fangs sidekick. If she can fulfill her end of the bargain, her humanity is restored, if not she will be destroyed.
But when a revenge-seeking bloodsucker threatens her city, Alexis must risk everything to ensure there’s a humanity to return to. Since her vampire nature is her greatest weapon to defeat the monsters that threaten her friends and future, Alexis must choose to accept her inner beast or watch those she loves die.
Vampire Huntress Alexis Black has made a deadly deal with an angel. If Alexis permanently dispatches at least one evil creature each night for the next 50 years, the mortal life taken from her hundreds of years previous will be restored. Motivated by the chance to be human once again, Alexis stalks and kills her prey with stealthy precision. Alexis isn’t alone in her mission; for better or worse, she’s got an entourage of helpers including her angel-appointed recalcitrant partner Reaper, her vampire BFF turned ghost Nathan, and “Eddie” the savage vampire presence taking up residence in her head. Together the eclectic group improves the odds that Alexis will succeed in her mission.
Evil’s Unlikely Assassin is a formidable new urban fantasy. I loved this book from start to finish. Alexis is resourceful and crafty, smart, sassy, and sexy. She’s got a reputation too, and even the most fearsome creatures of the underworld quake in their boots when confronted by Alexis Black. Windrow is an excellent story teller. She reveals the details of this alternate Chicago of outlaw vampires thoroughly, but gradually. The story set up isn’t arduous as is often the case with series openers and the action is non-stop. The character development is perfect. The characters are all multi-faceted with abundant strengths and flaws. I adore the Billy Idol-esque Nathan who provides the bulk of the story’s comic relief.
This book has it all, including romance. While I thought I’d totally pegged the romance arc in the first chapter of the book, Windrow provided a delightful surprise for this reader by taking things in an unexpected direction. Not only does Windrow weave a killer plot, she writes romance scenes to die for. Evil’s Unlikely Assassin is fresh, creative, and wonderfully entertaining. I cannot wait for Evil’s Ultimate Huntress the second book in the Alexis Black series. I’ll be following the author for updates.
Five Sheep
Bianca Greenwood
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Jenn Windrow loves characters that have a pinch of spunk, a dash of attitude, and a large dollop of sex appeal. Top it all off with a huge heaping helping of snark, and you've got the ingredients for the kind of fast-paced stories she loves to read and write. Home is a suburb of it's-so-hot-my-shoes-have-melted-to-the-pavement Phoenix. Where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and a slew of animals that seem to keep following her home, at least that's what she claims.
