Excerpt & Giveaway: Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep

Followers of the blog know I'm a big fan of Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. I've shared my thoughts multiple times, including reviewed Spider's Revenge and recently By a Thread. Today we have the author on the blog sharing with us an excerpt from the recently released Widow's Web and also a giveaway for a signed copy of the same.

The excerpt is from chapter 3. And I must admit at first I thought it was odd that this excerpt was being shared on this blog considering where my reading tastes lie, but after reading the novel, I'm glad to be sharing this portion since this is the precursor to where the setup of the novel starts to picks up. For the record, really enjoyed Widow's Web, here's my review, and for the time being, hope you enjoy the excerpt below:

Excerpt from Chapter 3 of Jennifer Estep's Widow's Web:

So we focused on our menus and ordered dessert—a classic New York cheesecake with strawberry topping for Owen and a decadent black cherry and chocolate parfait for me. I ate my parfait slowly, letting the light, airy layers of cherries and chocolate melt on my tongue and savoring every sweet bite. All the while, though, I wondered if I could possibly lure McAllister into one of the restaurant bathrooms and cut his throat with the knife in my evening bag. A pleasant daydream on my part, since McAllister would never go anywhere willingly with me, but the lawyer’s days were numbered—even if he didn’t realize it yet.

All through dessert, I kept one eye on McAllister, but he seemed determined to ignore me. Judging by the way he kept checking his expensive watch, the slick lawyer was waiting for someone—and whoever it was looked like he or she was late. Aw, I just hated that for him.

I’d just put my spoon down and pushed away my empty dessert dish when a series of hushed whispers rippled through the restaurant, as though everyone was trying very hard not to talk about someone and failing miserably. I looked out across the room, wondering who or what the fuss was about.

And that’s when I saw her.

There were plenty of beautiful women in the restaurant, the belles of the underworld, the society pages, and all the social circles in between, all of them decked out in the finest evening gowns and jewels they or their husbands’ money could buy. But this woman was in a class by herself. She was simply that stunning—the kind of woman who looks almost too beautiful to be real.

She was tall and willowy with sun-kissed skin and golden hair that rippled halfway down in her back in soft, silky waves. A slinky, sequined, sky-blue gown clung to her curves in all the right places, the slits in the top and the bottom showing off the generous swell of her breasts and the long, lean lines of her legs. A silverstone cuff bracelet flashed on her right wrist. Some sort of design was etched into the metal, but I couldn’t tell what it was from here.  

Every head in the room turned to watch her, and a small, satisfied smile played across her rosy lips. Whoever she was, she knew exactly how stunning she was and enjoyed the attention.

The woman stopped at McAllister’s table, which surprised me, since she definitely looked out of his league. The lawyer jumped to his feet, and the woman coolly offered him her hand, which he shook with all the enthusiasm of a shyster sidling up to his next victim. The two of them exchanged what seemed to be a polite greeting, although I couldn’t hear the exact words over the clatter of the dishes and the continued whispers of the other diners.

Even though she was talking to McAllister, the woman was well aware of the stir she’d created. In fact, she encouraged it, slyly glancing at one diner, then the next to judge how eagerly they were ogling her. She even went so far as to subtly pose this way and turn that way to show off all her ample assets. A hip curve here, a subtle show of leg there, a faint pout of her lips. It was quite a show, better than a movie star preening for the cameras.

Finally, her eyes met mine. When she saw that I was merely curious and not completely enraptured by her, the woman’s gaze went past me. But that same small, satisfied smile curved her lips again. Instead of taking the chair McAllister had pulled out for her, she headed in my direction.

BIO INFO:

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times bestselling author. Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. Widow’s Web, the seventh book, was released on Aug. 21. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts and more information about her books.

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Bastard Giveaway: Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep

Thanks Jennifer for sharing this excerpt with us. As for the giveaway, it'll be for one signed copy of Widow's Web, and it'll be for US shipping addresses only.

Participants have to be 18 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway rules are subject to change. 

The giveaway is open for US shipping addresses only; it will run from August 27, 2012 until 11:59pm ET on September 2, 2012.

How to participate:

• To participate simply log-in into to the Rafflecopter and "Enter" through the easy entry.
• One entry per person, or face disqualification.
• Entries accepted until 11:59pm ET on September 2, 2012.
• 1 signed copy of Widow's Web for one lucky winner.
• There'll be 1 winner total.
• Will have to confirm email to be considered a winner within 48 hours.
• Additional entries may be had by following the steps provided in the Rafflecopter instructions, and only by doing those steps. 
• Winners will be chosen by random selection using the Rafflecopter.

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway