Review: Bitter Bite by Jennifer Estep

Which is stronger: blood ties or a battle-tested friendship? That’s the question Gin Blanco asks when a friend’s long-lost relative strolls into town. The suspicious reunion is a surprise for everyone—and a big problem for Gin. Book fourteen in the New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series RT Book Reviews calls “unbeatable entertainment!”

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.

Just when I think that this series can't get any better Ms. Estep takes us in a whole new direction. This is one of my favorite series because it has it all action, great characters and family. Maybe not the traditional one but family none the less.  Sometimes the family you make is better than than the family the good lord gave you. And in this case it most certainly was. My only issue was what Finn's long lost relatives motive was. I couldn't believe that Gin and the rest of the gang couldn't figure it out.  Said relative kept saying how predictable Gin was since Fletcher had trained her. But dayumn their end game was crystal clear to me. No one in Gin's family not getting that was a bit of a disappointment to me but I can overlook it because sometimes when you are two close to the issue you can't see the forest for the trees. But that being said it did detract from the story for me and is why I didn't give this book a higher rating.
This story took a turn that I was not expecting and set the stage for more books I hope. At least it left me wanting more. And another thing this book did was gave us more back story for Gin which I love.
I was given this book by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review and I give it a 4 star rating.