Vampire Alexis Black is on a mission – to rejoin the human race.But how does a vampire become human again?She signs an iron-clad contract with an angel-with-an-attitude. A contract that requires her to kill one vampire, werewolf, or creepy-crawly every night for fifty years.The reward for killing without conscience – her humanity. The punishment for refusal – her death.Too bad the contract didn’t … punishment for refusal – her death.
Too bad the contract didn’t mention the badass vampire who now rides shotgun in her brain. Her new insatiable bloodlust. Or the I-hate-everything-with-fangs human sidekick.
But when a revenge seeking bloodsucker threatens to turn her city into an all-you-can-suck buffet, Alexis has to fang up to ensure there is a humanity to return to.
If you like a bit of sex, snark, and supernatural sizzle with your fangs and fur, then this one is for you.
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I’m a huge fan of paranormal and urban fantasy reads, and when I came across this new-to-me author and series, I just had to see what it was all about. What a refreshing and clever spin on a new and fascinating paranormal world, with a kick-ass vampire assassin/heroine who I love everything about! Alexis Black’s story is quite unique and what makes her so much different than the average vampire, besides sharing her body with another, is that she still has a hold of her humanity and that allows her to fight for humans and rid the world of what she truly despises… those that have destroyed her family and taken her soul. Alexis is joined by quite an interesting cast of secondary characters, and at times it’s quite comical how they “get along”. My favorite by far is Nathan… and I’m SO glad I listened to the audio because the narrator, Chelsea Stephens, brought him to life with the perfect British accent and zaniness to his lines. As a whole the narration was amazing, and I loved getting to know the personalities of this unconventional bunch. I look forward to continuing with this series, and discovering how the rest of Alexis’ world unfolds.
Audiobook review: Evil’s Unlikely Assassin is about a vampire who has agreed to work for an angel in exchange for the ability to be human again. The undead trade though comes with peril and risks but also rewards. The characters are likable and believable. The romance and bedroom scenes are well written. The narrator did a great job. I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Original, well-written, witty, full of action, a bit steamy, snarky, lots of twists, and fun! I’m always on the lookout for a good Urban Fantasy series and if this first book is any indication of what’s to come, I’ve found one. It’s a solid start to a series and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Alexis and Reaper.
Flawed, but shows promise
Alexis is a 150-year-old vampire who makes a contract with angels. She needs to kill a vampire/monster per day for the next fifty years and they will make her human again. The plot of the story is an older vampire is turning people at astounding pace, trying to create a vampire army to take over the world. Alexis is humanity’s best hope of stopping this.
In the first few chapters, Alexis spends the bulk of her time whining and brooding about her life. To the point that it makes Bella from Twilight seem like a ray of happy sunshine. She also shows her hate-hate relationship with her work partner, Reaper who suits that grim moniker. Just to add a bit more darkness into the story she stakes and kill her long-time vampire friend and mentor, Nathan. By this point, the book was a hair away from being added to my DNF pile.
The book thankfully gets better. Nathan returns as a ghost and adds some much-needed lightness and humor to the story. Reaper becomes less two dimensional as you learn more about him. Alexis doesn’t whine as much about her lot in life. You also learn more about ‘Eddie’ the beast inside of her and his history in the vampire world.
The story also takes a bit of a turn towards Paranormal Romance as Dr. McHottie enters the story and Alexis and he have instant chemistry and have a few pages of graphic fun time. I’m not a fan of PNR so this wasn’t a plus for me. It stays on the side of Urban Fantasy as the romance is just a minor sub-plot.
The action in the last half of the book picks up and makes the read worthwhile. Alexis’ character also gets more likeable as the story goes on. Not sure though if it was enough for me to rush out and get the next book in the series, I guess time will tell.
This first book in the author’s An Alexis Black Novel pulled me in from the start. Alexis Black was on a mission and it was this premise at first that glued me to my seat, to see what the mission was and the outcome. As I read I was surprised by another element in the story – Alexis wasn’t alone in her body. No, for some reason she carried a vampire’s essence within. Once again, I had to continue reading to find out who this vamp was and how she was stuck with him.
The heroine is strong, witty, and carries a human side to her which I loved.
If you love paranormal then this is definitely a book I highly recommend.
Evil’s Unlikely Assassin has solidified its place in my top favorite urban fantasy novels. I devoured this book in one day and want more! Alexis Black has her entire life stripped from her by a sadistic vampire. In one fell swoop he killed her family and kidnapped her and her twin brother. She lost contact with her brother so she doesn’t know if he’s alive or dead. In an effort to get her human soul restored, Alexis made a deal with….an angel. The terms of her contract to obtain her soul back include assassinating one supernatural creature per night for 50 years. Oh, and the angel also planted the spirit of a very strong vampire “helper” in her mind she has affectionately named Eddie and saddled her with an uptight vampire-hater named Reaper.
When danger comes to town and turns a bunch of newbies and lets them reek havoc, Alexis, Reaper, and Eddie have to figure out what the ultimate goal is before too many more people end up dead. Along the way Alexis picks up additional reinforcements that include a ghost and shifter, rounding out her motley crew team as they charge their way in to stop a madman.
Alexis is a kick-ass heroine that, despite her vampire nature, still has much of her humanity. She cares about those around her including her brooding partner that would rather poke himself in the eye than be friendly to her. Reacher plays the troubled partner to Alexis. He’s complicated and closed off. He has a hard time trying to rectify his partnership with a vampire.
The author does a wonderful job world building. I was able to visualize the scenes in my head because they were descriptive without going overboard. I really enjoyed the story and the plot. The character development is great and I felt like I was able to get to know Alexis, Reaper, Eddie, and the rest of the characters.
The book is fast-paced, action-packed, and suspenseful. There are twists and turns around every corner. I appreciate the uniqueness and originality of Evils Unlikely Assassin and can’t wait to see what happens next.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Evil’s Unlikely Assassin
I loved reading about the wonderful characters that this author has created. They were interesting, beleivable and the action and tention kept me turning the pages late into the night.
This book is action packed! The main character is fun, snarky and bad a@$. The story seems to have lots of supernaturals and cool surprises. It felt like an awesome action movie. Great characters and awesome narrator. I received this audiobook by my request in exchange for an honest review from Audio Book Boom.
If you had the chance to live again after you thought you had died, what would that look like? If there were stipulations to the second life—like fighting against your own to protect another race, would you still want to live? Windrow has one kick-butt assassin, who has a vampire soul and a contract to uphold in order to get her soul back. The story will immerse readers into a life filled with mischief and mayhem and is sure to be one that you’ll not want to put down.
Alexis Black is beautiful. Alexis Black is tiny. Alexis Black is ALWAYS hungry. With a contract on her hip, placed by one hotshot angel, she has a constant reminder of what she can and cannot do in order to earn her soul back. She has lived for one-hundred and fifty years and for every single one of those days, she has kept her nose clean. She hasn’t had a drop of human blood from the vein and has destroyed one supernatural EVERY night. It gets exhausting to carry out the same routine every day, but the reward is substantial to her and worth fighting the extra fifty years for. When a friend comes back to town after she almost lost her battle to a few humans baiting her in an alleyway, she has run out of options. As the night nears its end, she is forced to do something that she knows she will regret. Little does she know, in the days that follow, she would be doing a lot more of the things that she would always regret, especially once a major vampire leader has turned rogue and started to build an army. Not even the Behavioral Analysis Unit for vampires can hold them in check as their numbers grow to an all-time high in mere days. Alexis, her work-in-progress friend Reaper, and two unsuspecting individuals have formed an alliance to save the humans from the vampires, a bond almost like family. Can she protect her family and be the hero when her inner beast, AKA Eddie, learns how to start taking control of the wheel?
Windrow has a superb story-line, filled with creativity, originality and intriguing characters. The pace is very quick, but easy to follow. There is action and suspense lurking in the shadows and in every corner. With war waging among the vampires and humans for freedom, Alexis doesn’t know who she can trust. The story appears to be written fairly well. Since this review compliments the audiobook, Stephens provides wonderful voice relay for all of the characters within the story. Her narration makes the novel lively and enjoyable for the reader. This is the first installment in the Alexis Black Series; therefore, the reader can jump right in to the action. If you are a reader of paranormal romance, suspense and fantasy, you may enjoy this story.
An audiobook was provided to Turning Another Page by Audiobookworm Promotions and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating to Evil’s Unlikely Assassin by Jenn Windrow.
This review is for the audiobook version.
When I started listening to this story, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like it. I wasn’t sure if Ms. Stephens was a good choice to tell me Alexis Black’s story. Then as I continued to listen, I came to the conclusion that she was the perfect choice. Since this story is from Alexis’ point of view, it would be strange to hear a man tell the story. And eventually I came to form, in my mind, what Alexis might look and act like. Hher weapon of choice seemed to have a life of its own which I don’t think I would feel if I went and read the book instead.
Ms. Windrow had me thinking of possibilities. It’s possible that there’s an Alexis Black out there somewhere. She has challenges both internal and the world around her. Now she doesn’t fight evil on her own – she has a partner. There were times that I couldn’t decide whether I liked him or not. That just shows how good the author is at her job. There’s a lot going on here since Alexis has a really tough job. She’s a strong female character and not worried about damaging a fingernail.
Once I finally got into the story, I had to listen every chance I got. I even got to enjoy most of the secondary characters. They all helped move the story along. Nothing felt out of place – that it didn’t fit the scene. Does it make me mean that I actually started rooting for the enemy of the piece? Make no mistake, I didn’t like him but knowing he was still around meant that my adventure with this author, maybe this narrator, and one kick a** woman isn’t over yet.
I voluntarily reviewed an Audiobook copy of this book.
Great Audible Listen A Fabulous Urban Fantasy! 4.5 Action-Packed Stars!
Evil’s Unlikely Assassin
An Alexis Black Novel, Book 1
By: Jenn Windrow
Narrated by: Chelsea Stephens
This is a well written, well told action packed story that immediately grabs your attention and holds it to the end. The storylines are interesting, imaginative and original. Jenn Windrow created a fascinating world with supernatural creatures, vampires, angels & shifters who live amongst humans. The lead character, Alexis Black, an anti-vampire vampire, who made a deal with the an angel so she could be returned to humanity. Part of her deal is to not kill humans and to capture vampires and work with a human partner, Reaper. She meets some interesting character, including an old vamp friend turned ghost, who is one of my favorite characters. The action in this book is non-stop, there is plenty of drama, suspense and some romance too. Jean Windrow, thank you for this great & entertaining story.
I listened to the Audible edition, Chelsea Stephens does a wonderful job narrating the story and bringing the characters to life. She sets the perfect tone for the story and adds the right amount of dramatic flair. She is an entertaining storyteller. Thank you for the great listen.
Thank you AudiobookObsession
Alexis just wants to be human again. After signing a contract with a jerk of an angel, she must kill an evil supernatural creature or die. Her assassin job is every day for fifty years. Now she has to contend with a vamp who is bent on destroying her hometown.
I’ve been lucky enough to read several books with unique perspectives on the supernatural creatures that populate them. I’m excited to add this book to the collection. They all have enough in common with the classic lore that they’re easily recognizable, but each of the supernatural species around Alexis has a unique twist that I’ve never seen anywhere before. The plot is fast paced and engaging with lots of twists and unexpected detours to get you to the end. I think what I loved the most were the moments of comedy that are sprinkled throughout the book. I started it thinking I was getting a straight-forward urban fantasy read, but I got so much more than that. I’ve fallen in love with Alexis and her little “family” and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book.