There Be Monsters Here. . . It's not as great as you'd think, living in a tourist town that's known as "the most magical place in America." Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power. I try to keep out of it. I've got my mom's bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick. But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend's pawn shop, and I have to make a call--get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn't. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I'm stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I'm going to end up just like her. . . Gr 7 Up—Estep delivers an action-oriented urban fantasy that sticks close to genre conventions. Seventeen-year-old Lila is content to make a living stealing from the rich Families that control the magical town of Cloudburst Falls. She doesn't have much choice, since her mom was murdered four years earlier after defending the leaders of the powerful Sinclairs. Lila's life changes, when she witnesses an attack on sexy Devon Sinclair and risks her life to save him. The head of Devon's clan coerces Lila into becoming his bodyguard, even though he's the one her mom died defending. Estep's premise features a number of stock components (e.g., teenagers with talents, family feuds, an urban setting filled with real-life monsters), without adding any unique twists. Some minor characters, like the "redneck pixie with a heart of gold," add a touch of humor and whimsy. The villain, when finally revealed, speaks in stilted language, which diminishes the potential scare factor. Repetitive phrasing distracts from the story, and certain plot elements don't add up. VERDICT This first entry in this urban fantasy series may find an audience with die-hard genre fans.—Kimberly Ventrella, Southwest Oklahoma City Library "An adventurous ride you will never want to get off." --Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Jennifer Estep is a genius!" --Simply Nerdy New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep is constantly prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. Jennifer is the author of the Black Blade and Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington. She writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books and is also the author of the Bigtime paranormal romance series. Jennifer is a member of Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and other writing groups. Jennifer's books have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living , and a variety of other publications. To learn more about her, visit jenniferestep.com. You can also sign up for Jennifer's fan page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Goodreads. Cold Burn of Magic By JENNIFER ESTEP KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. Copyright © 2015 Jennifer Estep All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-61773-824-1 CHAPTER 1 Bad things always come in threes. Three strikes. Those three bears that Goldilocks ran into. The three guards with swords who were chasing me right now. "Come back here, you thief!" one of the guards bellowed, his voice booming across the dark rooftops. I grinned and ran faster. Thirty minutes ago, I had let myself into the lavishly furnished, but poorly protected, brownstone of a rich, Family-affiliated accountant who had bought a ruby necklace for his girlfriend—something his wife didn't exactly appreciate. So I had been dispatched to swipe said necklace on the angry wife's orders and dime. It had been child's play to climb up the drainpipe to the second floor of the brownstone, pick open a balcony door, and slip inside. I hadn't even had to break into the office safe, because I discovered the necklace nestled in a black velvet box, the top open, sitting on the accountant's desk. I'd admired the sparkle of the rubies before closing the lid and tucking the box into my long, sapphire-blue trench coat. Then I had rifled through the rest of the desk to see what else I could steal. I'd been mildly surprised and rather pleased to come across a pair of diamond cuff links tucked away in another box in one of the drawers. The diamonds weren't as large and impressive as the rubies, but into my pockets they'd gone all the same, along with a gold fountain pen, a sterling silver letter opener, and a crystal paperweight. Nothing that I hadn't swiped dozens of times before in my seventeen years. In fact, this job had been easier than most of the recent ones Mo had sent me on. You might say that I was a sort of modern-day Robin Hood, merrily stealing from the rich. Only I never, ever gave my loot away for free. There were only three people in this world that I care