Book Review: Dining with Angels: Bits & Bites from the Demonica Universe by Larissa Ione, Suzanne M. Johnson

Join New York Times bestselling author Larissa Ione, and USA Today bestselling Southern food expert Suzanne M. Johnson as they guide you through their favorite Demonica world inspired food and drink recipes. And don’t forget to spend some time learning a little bit more about the private lives of your favorite characters in all new snippets and short stories! Brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights, DINING WITH ANGELS is now available! Grab your copy today!

Dining with Angels: Bits & Bites from the Demonica Universe 

by Larissa Ione, Suzanne M. Johnson
November 6, 2018

In a world where humans and supernatural beings coexist — not always peacefully — three things can bring everyone to the table: Love, a mutual enemy, and, of course, food.
With seven brand new stories from the Demonica universe, New York Times bestselling author Larissa Ione has the love and enemies covered, while celebrity Southern food expert Suzanne M. Johnson brings delicious food to the party.
And who doesn’t love a party? (Harvester rolls her eyes and raises her hand, but we know she’s lying.)

Join Ares and Cara as they celebrate a new addition to their family. See what Reaver and Harvester are doing to “spice” things up. Find out what trouble Reseph might have gotten himself into with Jillian. You’ll love reading about the further adventures of Wraith and Serena, Declan and Suzanne, and Shade and Runa, and you’re not going to want to miss the sit down with Eidolon and Tayla.

So pour a glass of the Grim Reaper’s finest wine and settle in for slices of life from your favorite characters and the recipes that bring them together. Whether you’re dining with angels, drinking with demons, or hanging with humans, you’ll find the perfect heavenly bits and sinful bites to suit the occasion.
Happy reading and happy eating!

Grab your copy of DINING WITH ANGELS today!

Amazon-Amazon UK-Amazon Canada-Amazon AU

Apple Books-Barnes & Noble-Kobo-Google Play

Download the Free Kindle App

This was my first time reading a cookbook that also doubles as a group of PNR short stories. I didn't know what to expect, however, when it comes to Ione I never turn it down. While I would have loved longer stories about each set, I was happy for the fun and unique experience.

Makes me want to eat, drink and read more steamy PNR! This set is certainly geared more for the long-term fan of this series, if you don't know the whole world you won't be lost BUT you won't get all those little details like us fans. Fun read though and I am going to try making some of these recipes over the holidays, may tweak them just a tad though. 

Getting 4 Sheep

KD

EXCERPT:
Slice of Life
Shade and Runa

The rich, sweet aroma of vanilla made Runa’s mouth water as she turned on the professional quality electric mixer her mate, Shade, had gotten her for Christmas. She wasn’t a big fan of cooking meals, but she did enjoy baking sweet treats, and her family didn’t complain a bit. Boots clomped on the floor down the hall, and she turned off the mixer as Shade sauntered into the kitchen. He’d donned his black paramedic uniform for his afternoon shift at Underworld General Hospital, and she had a powerful urge to rip it off. Right here in the kitchen. She could finish making cookies to go with the smoothie pops she’d just put in the freezer to celebrate Stryke’s A+ in science class later.

 “Where are the boys?” he asked as he reached for a bottle of water in the fridge.

“They’re at Stewie’s pool party. Serena just sent a picture of them playing on the big float. It’s on my phone if you want to see it.” 

“We should get a pool,” he said as he swiped his finger across her phone’s screen. 

“We’re welcome to use theirs anytime,” she pointed out. A smile ruffled his lips at the sight of the three dark-haired, espresso- eyed boys, the spitting images of their father, splashing in the water. 

“Wraith and Serena made their house the place to be when they put it in, didn’t they?” It was probably the very reason they put in the pool. 

“Well, they love parties and kids.” 

“That’s because they only have one,” he muttered, but he was joking. Shade adored children, and when they were around, he could always be found nearby. 

She fetched a can of cooking spray from a cupboard. “Speaking of kids, this morning a witch at the hospital told me I’m going to have twins in exactly eight years.” 

“Only twins?” Shade twisted the cap off his water. “Awesome.” 

She shook a spatula at him. “I remember when you wanted a whole bunch of kids.” 

“I remember too,” Shade said. “And then we had triplets.” 

“Are you saying you don’t want more?” 

Pausing with the bottle at his lips, he shrugged.“We’ve got centuries ahead of us. I’m not in a hurry.” 

Neither was she. She loved being a mother, but she only had so much time between volunteering at the hospital and taking care of triplets, a mate, and two homes. Granted, one of the homes was a cave in a jungle, but it still had modern appliances and conveniences like hot running water and toilets, and modern things needed to be cleaned. “I still can’t believe your drive to impregnate me hasn’t kicked in since the boys were born.” 

“That’s how it works when we’re mated.” He grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and tucked it into the leg pocket of his BDU pants. “The drive only kicks in when our mates are ready. You’re clearly not ready.” 

“You think? I barely have time to shower, let alone have more kids. But I’m sure everything will be different in eight years,” she added, with more than a little sarcasm. 

“You never know.” He waggled his brows. “Wanna practice making our twins?” 

Always up for a little practice, Runa eyed her mate, her body already heating at the thought of watching him strip out of his uniform. Or maybe she’d make him leave it on. It was sexy as hell. “Don’t you have to be at work in fifteen minutes?” she asked. 

“Con will cover for me. Sin’s working late with DART today.” 

Smiling, she peeled off her shirt and tossed it at him. “Then by all means...let’s get some practice in.”

 

About Larissa Ione:

Website-FB-Twitter
Goodreads
Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

About Suzanne M. Johnson:

Website-FB
USA Today bestselling author Suzanne M. Johnson is family trained, a South Georgia native who's been cooking all of her life, creating not only some really unique food, but precious memories that re-occur every time she smells something simmering in the oven. In all of her books, Suzanne shows that making a delicious meal doesn't have to be complicated--it just has to be made with love. So go ahead, don't be bashful, dive right in. Who knows? You might just make a few memories of your own.

The Six non-human groups in Suzanne Johnson's Sentinels of New Orleans series + giveaway

Six Magical Species Walk into a French Quarter Bar…

Suzanne Johnson

The Sentinels of New Orleans series is set in a vast multiverse where mythical gods live across the border from vampires, and famous people become immortal through the magic of human memory (which is how Louis Armstrong and Truman Capote appeared in the series, and pirate Jean Lafitte is a major series character). Here’s a quick rundown of the six major non-human groups hanging out in New Orleans during Mardi Gras in FRENCHMAN STREET—and plotting a war.

1. WIZARDS
--Types of magic: physical; rituals and potions; creation and illusion; psychic. A wizard is usually strong in only one area.

--Are fully integrated into the human world, although the humans don’t know it. Until Hurricane Katrina tore down the veil between the human world and the Beyond, the wizard sentinels were in charge of guarding the borders into the human world. Now, not so much.

--The heroine of the series, DJ Jaco, is a wizard who also has elven DNA, so she can do a mix of wizard’s and elven magic. This has led to, er, problems. She is the currently unemployed sentinel.

--Personality traits: Impatient, surly, tend to be sarcastic, have a love of politics.

--Weaknesses: their physical magic does not work outside the human world.

2. ELVES
--Types of magic: mind-reading of humans and other species, which increases with touch. Can influence behavior and thoughts of others in close proximity. Each of four clans has its own unique abilities.

--Until a few years ago, the elves had remained in their own ancestral Land of Elfheim. Currently, only one of the four clans is an adult. Quince Randolph (aka the prettiest elf on earth or anywhere else) is Lord of Elfheim and a fire elf—he can make people spontaneously combust.

--Personality traits: Smart, imperious, devious, extremely attractive and willing to use it. Find human emotions like love somewhat alien.

--Weaknesses: the elves’ mental magic doesn’t work well on other elves, so their internal squabbles tend to be brutal and physical.

3. FAERIES
--Types of magic: 1) Arch, which is what we think of as manipulation of natural science—weather or genetics, for example; 2) Academy, which is manipulation of physical sciences and technology. Most faeries possess only one kind of magic; a person must have both Arch and Academy magic to rule the Kingdom of Faerie. All faeries can use glamour to change their appearance, which is how a spate of faux-celebrities (George Clooney on a unicorn, anyone?) will be riding in Mardi Gras parades.

--The Kingdom of Faerie is currently in the middle of a civil war that’s spreading into New Orleans, as the High Prince of Summer makes plans to infiltrate Mardi Gras and out all the preternaturals to the humans. The fae are the largest preternatural group.

--Personality traits: Arrogant, short-tempered, more than a little cray-cray.

--Weaknesses: Lack of self-control; inability to lie; aversion to metals.

4. HISTORICAL UNDEAD
--Types of magic: Their only “magic” is their immortality—they are give live by the magic of human memory, so if someone like pirate Jean Lafitte is well-remembered in the human world (and he is), he can’t be killed. Well, he can die, but he’ll be back in a week or two and be really angry.

--The Historical Undead live primarily in “Old Orleans,” kind of a wild-west bordertown between the human city of New Orleans and the Beyond, where the ancestral homes of the species can be found. Most don’t have much interest in the affairs of modern humans, although Jean Lafitte is an exception.

--Personality traits: They retain the abilities and personalities they had in their human lives.

--Weaknesses: Even though they can’t be permanently killed, their lack of real magic renders them a limited role in conflicts between the other species.

5. SHIFTERS AND WERES
--Types of magic: Shifters are born and change instantaneously; weres are made, have difficult shifts, and are called by the moon. They have great physical strength and heal quickly.

--The shifters and weres are fully integrated in human society, and some work for a secret FBI division. They have traditionally worked for the wizards in areas of security. An exception is the water species, including the merfolk, who are also fully integrated in human society but do not align themselves with the wizards. The water species are politically neutral.

--Personality traits: Shifters are solitary and all tend to be alphas; weres are organized in packs with a single alpha.

--Weaknesses: Some of the true shifter forms are not practical in some settings. Merman Rene Delachaise, for example, can half-shift into classic merman form, or can fully shift into a freshwater or saltwater dolphin. He does, however, need water. Canid shifter Alex Warin turns into an impressive pony-sized dog, but he probably couldn’t best a werewolf.

6. VAMPIRES
--Types of magic: Vampires can teleport short distances, can control whether their bites are painful or pleasurable, and can alter memories.

--Although the vampires maintain a strong (but hidden) presence in the human world, they also still spend time in their ancestral home, the Realm of Vampyre, and are led by a Regent. Vampires feed from other vampires of the opposite sex, but human blood is like addictive candy to them. (Elves taste really, really bad.)

--Personality traits: Disloyal and self-absorbed, pretty, good at business.

--Weaknesses: Their willingness to work as mercenaries has led to distrust among the other species. They have little interest in preternatural politics, which makes them vulnerable to being manipulated.

New Orleans is awash with preternaturals right now, with Mardi Gras as their final showdown to see who is the most powerful. Where would your loyalties lie?

Frenchman Street (Sentinels of New Orleans Book Six) 

by Suzanne Johnson 
July 24, 2018 
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Suzanne Johnson
ISBN: 978-0-9968220-4-6
Number of pages: 352
Word Count: approx. 99,250
Cover Artist: Robin Ludwig Design Inc.
The uneasy truce between the preternatural species of New Orleans has shattered, with wizards and elves, shifters and vampires—not to mention the historical undead—struggling for ultimate control of the city, including the humans who still think they’re atop the food chain.

They aren’t, however—and the Summer Prince of Faerie wants them to know it.

Stuck in the middle? One unemployed wizard sentinel. For DJ Jaco, war makes for strange bedfellows as she finally embraces her wizard-elven heritage and strikes a deal with the devil so she and her ragtag band of allies can return to defend her hometown. After all, when the undead French pirate Jean Lafitte is the mayor’s newest consultant, things could go horribly wrong.

War is coming to New Orleans in time for Mardi Gras, with the elves and wizards lined up on opposite sides, the shifters with a new leader, the vampires promising loyalty to the highest bidder, and the soul of the Crescent City resting on the outcome of the civil war going on in Faerie between the rival princes of summer and winter.

Mardi Gras Day is approaching fast, and the line between friends and enemies grows thin as DJ tries to stave off open warfare on the St. Charles Avenue parade route.

Laissez les bons temps rouler…but be careful, or the good times might roll too close for comfort.

Amazon

Excerpt:
I turned to glare at the unicorn. It was hanging around for some reason.

“Can you talk? If not, what are you waiting for?” I made a shooing motion. “Go home to your whack-job master.”

Because we needed to find out how it got to our remote beach in the Beyond.

“I’ll find a rope—maybe we can make a halter,” Rene said, walking toward the house.

Jean also seemed to have had his fill of unicorn wrangling. “Bah. I shall depart for Old Orleans, Drusilla. There are people with whom I must discuss matters of import, and perhaps I might discover the truth about Christof.”

Fine. Leave me with the merman and the unicorn.

He turned and walked into the transport, disappearing in seconds. He hadn’t removed his boots, but he had held his pistol out of the water. The pirate had his priorities straight.

“Here is my message.”

I whirled to look at the unicorn, who was now doing his best Mr. Ed impression.

“I knew it.” That freaking unicorn could talk; he’d been waiting to get me alone.

I held up the elven staff, and the unicorn had the good sense to back up a couple of steps. I slipped my left hand into my jeans pocket, fingering a couple of potions I’d cooked up in this rustic paradise using a generator-powered hot plate and my own blood. My physical magic wouldn’t work outside the human world, but my potions and charms were fine. The staff worked everywhere.

“Okay, start talking, horse.”

The unicorn managed to look offended. “Here is my message,” he repeated. “His Royal Majesty Florian will be crowned King of Faerie and of All Species of Earth and Beyond in two weeks. You are—”

“Wait.” I shook the staff at him, and sparks flew out its tip. “What do you mean, ‘King of Faerie and of All Species of Earth and Beyond’?”

What in the name of Merlin was that madman up to?

The unicorn tossed his head and looked even grumpier. “Here is my message,” he repeated for the third time. “His Royal Majesty Florian will be crowned King of Faerie and of All Species of Earth and Beyond in two weeks. You are invited to attend and pledge fealty at his coronation in New Orleans at the apex of the celebration the humans call Mardi Gras. Should you die before the appointed time, this invitation may be considered null and void.”

And with that, the unicorn turned, took a big, steaming dump on the sand near my feet, and made to trot back down the beach from whence he came. I flipped the lid off one of the charms in my pocket, chased him down the beach, and tossed it on him. I only hit his tail, which, considering it was a freezing charm, only made said tail freeze at a ninety-degree angle.

“Stop, unicorn, or I’ll toast your rump like a potroast!” I yelled, aiming the staff. I sent a warning zap of fire onto his rump. My aim had improved a lot in months since I’d blown up my own SUV and burned down half of Six Flags New Orleans. I’d had lots of time to practice.

Unfortunately, the shot only made the unicorn fly into a gallop. I had no choice but to run after him and hope I could keep him in sight by moonlight.

About the Author: 

Website-FB-twitter
Blog-Newsletter
Goodreads
On Aug. 28, 2005, Suzanne Johnson loaded two dogs, a cat, a friend, and her mom into a car and fled New Orleans in the hours before Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

Four years later, she began weaving her experiences and love for her city into the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series, beginning with Royal Street (2012), of which Frenchman Street is the sixth and final book in the story arc. She also has written Pirateship Down and The Consort, both set in the Sentinels world, and the standalone Christmas in Dogtown.

She grew up in rural Alabama, halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis’ birthplace, and lived in New Orleans for fifteen years, which means she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football and fried gator on a stick.

She can be found online at her website or her blog.

As Susannah Sandlin, she writes multiple award-winning paranormal romance and romantic suspense, including The Penton Vampire Legacy paranormal romance, suspense duology The Collectors, romantic suspense series, the Wilds of the Bayou romantic suspense series, and the standalones Storm Force and Chenoire.

Suzanne currently lives in Auburn, Alabama, where she works as a full-time author and copyeditor.

Tour Giveaway 

1 Grand Prize: $50 Amazon gift card 

5 $10 Amazon gift cards 

Open internationally. For international winners, equivalent order from Book Depository will be substituted if desired.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview: Suzanne Johnson (Belle Chasse book tour) + giveaway + excerpt

Meet Suzanne Johnson! She talks about her Sentinel of New Orlreans urban fantasy series, the meaning behind the titles, Cajun mermen, best places to eat in New Orleans, gators, trash TV and there is even a mention of vampires...

Sharon: Hello Suzanne. The 5th book in your Sentinels of New Orleans series, Belle Chasse, releases. Will you tell our followers who aren’t familiar with the series what it is about.

Suzanne: Hi, Sharon—thanks for having me here today! The Sentinels of New Orleans series is about what happens when Hurricane Katrina sets a whole series of events and power struggles in motion by tearing down the invisible borders between modern New Orleans and the preternatural world. The wizards have traditionally been in charge of maintaining the borders and keeping order, but things begin to spiral out of control until, in Belle Chasse, the final events are set in motion. The story is told from a young woman who starts out as a strong but inexperienced “Green Congress” wizard (ritual magic) who learns she also has enough elven DNA to do the elves’ magic. It makes her a target as she gradually learns throughout the series what her strengths and weaknesses are—and who she can and can’t trust. All the book titles are names of streets in New Orleans.

Sharon: Oh crap! They are all street names! *headdesk* Are the streets an important part of the plot?

Suzanne: LOL, not really, although they are related to the plot in rather obscure ways—sort of an in joke, I guess. ROYAL STREET had a lot of “New Orleans” royalty in it, with Louis Armstrong and Marie Laveau and Jean Lafitte. RIVER ROAD was set in the parish communities along the Mississippi River. ELYSIAN FIELDS, which is the mythical place of the dead, had necromancers doing all the dirty work. PIRATE’S ALLEY was, of course, Jean Lafitte beginning to step up and be a bigger player in the game. And BELLE CHASSE is “beautiful hunt” in French, and DJ is definitely being hunted!

Sharon: You also write a vampire PNR series and a romantic suspense series along with the urban fantasy series (Sentinels of New Orleans). Is there a genre you prefer or find easier/harder to write?

Suzanne: They’re surprisingly similar—at least the way I write them (all the non-urban fantasy is written under the name Susannah Sandlin). My urban fantasy has a lot of action and a little romance. My paranormal romance has about 50-50 action and romance, as does my romantic suspense. So the only real difference is the heat level (higher in PNR) and whether or not all the characters are human! I find urban fantasy easier to write because I tend to be a plot-heavy writer and urban fantasy, with its lighter degree of romance, tends to be a plot-heavy genre.

Sharon: If you had to pick one of your worlds to live in, which would it be?

Suzanne: Oh, that’s tough! Both DJ’s world and the world of my Penton Legacy vampire series are treacherous places right now. But if the Sentinels world can get its political shenanigans in order—and keep me away from the faeries (because they are nutballs)—I think it would be an interesting world. I mean, c’mon. Cajun mermen! Undead French pirates! How could I not live there?

Katie: *Katie ninja tumbles into the room* Where are they? The mermen and pirates?! *Looks at Suzanne* Tell me you brought enough to share…

Suzanne: Hahaha—Jean Lafitte and his merry band of French pirates are EVERYWHERE (but he’s living at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans—tell him I said “bonjour.” And many of the Cajuns in the commercial fishing industry in South Louisiana are secretly mermen—aquatic shapeshifters. They love food and sex, and not necessarily in that order. ;)

Sharon: Your bio says you are a displaced New Orleanian. Was it because of Katrina? What were some of your favorite places to eat in N.O. and what are the must dos for visitors?

Suzanne: I was living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit—PTSD from the flooding ultimately drove me to start writing fiction—but I didn’t leave the city at that time. I went back for several years afterward to help rebuild. I finally moved for family reasons (aging parent), but keep threatening to go back when I leave my day job next spring to write full time. I still consider NOLA my hometown. Visitors should visit Mardi Gras World, which is where all the floats are kept in the off-season. It’s amazing and is one of the key sets I use in BELLE CHASSE. My favorite restaurant, bar none, is Jacques-Imo’s on Oak Street, but other favorites are Commander’s Palace in uptown, the Napoleon House on Chartres in the French Quarter, and Mandina’s in Mid-City. Now I’m hungry! The French Quarter is an amazing walk through history, but I always encourage visitors to get out into the real city—take the streetcar down St. Charles Avenue, walk around the Garden District, shop in the markets along Magazine Street. See the city where New Orleanians live and work!

Sharon: Katie and I just visited New Orleans a few weeks ago! I wish we had talked to you first. We stayed in the Garden District and rode the trolley to get around. I plan on becoming a trolley lady. I will just ride it all day and night….

Suzanne: I love the streetcars! Especially the green line that goes down thru the Garden District. When you become a Trolley Lady, beware of cars doing U-turns in front of you—we’d have at least one streetcar-on-vehicle collision every week.

Sharon: Your bio also mentions trash reality TV. What is your current obsession? And if you could be on a reality TV show which would it be…or would you create your own?

Suzanne: OMG. I recently binge-watched all twelve seasons (of six episodes each, mind you) of “The Deadliest Catch.” I could not be on that show as much as I love watching it. I’d be one of those greenhorns on the crab boats that spends the entire season barfing and whining about being sore and being ridiculed by the boat’s crew. I’d like to be a judge on “Project Runway” since I have no skills as a designer. I can be plenty snarky about the designers’ creations, though. I could create a reality show about my day job…oh, wait. That’s been done. It was called “The Office.”

Sharon: Got pics of your gator collection? Did you ever have one as a pet?

Suzanne: No, although the little ones are awfully cute. Sadly, they grow about a foot a year and once they get all those big teeth and weigh 500 pounds, they don’t worry too much about whether it’s a catfish or your arm they’re having for lunch. But pics attached!

 

 Sharon: Aw! How did Disco get his name?

Suzanne: He’s made of blown glass and he’s kind of shiny and has glitter on him that doesn’t show up very well in the photo, so Disco he became. He was a gift from a coworker.

Sharon: Who was your celebrity crush…did you have poster of them on you wall?

Suzanne: Oh Lord, I’ve had so many it’s hard to keep track of them. I’ve done multiple rock star phases, a pro wrestler phase, an NBA player phase…I guess now I’m on my crab boat captain phase—LOL. Never had much for movie stars, though.

Sharon: What song will make you stop what you are doing and dance and or sing along?

Suzanne: I’m a music junkie but have really, really eclectic taste. I’m looking at my song list on iTunes right now and the next one I see that always has that impact is Passenger’s “The Wrong Direction.” It’s so me. After that, I see an old song by the late, great Warren Zevon that never fails to make me sing: “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner.” Gavin deGraw’s “You Make My Heart Sing Louder.” And anything by Simon Beaudreau, my current obsession.

Sharon: Do you speak French? (is that what Simon’s song are in?)

Suzanne: I read French and speak some. I listen to a lot of French-Canadian music (Simon’s just one example), and pretend it helps me understand spoken French…but not very well.

Sharon: What is your favorite smell?

Suzanne: Honeysuckle. There’s a company in New Orleans, Sweet Olive Soap Works, that makes a honeysuckle-scented cream I’d buy by the gallon if they sold it in containers that big. Thank God they ship.

Sharon: Oh! That’s a good one. Do you like to taste the nectar?

Suzanne: I’ve never tried it! I wonder if it’s as sweet as it smells? Must do research!

Sharon: O_O you've never pulled a flower off, pulled out the stamen and sucked out the nectar?! And you're from the south? *shake my head*

Sharon: Do you have a favorite meme?

Suzanne: Do not show me dog videos. I will be lost for hours. I see them on Facebook and run the other way.

Sharon: Is there such thing as too spicy?

Suzanne: For me, yes. I love jalapeno and cayenne in just about anything, but when you get to the habanero stage it’s too hot for me.

Rapid Fire: 

Sharon: East coast or west coast?

Suzanne: East Coast

Sharon: State you love to visit on the east coast?

Suzanne: I have never been north of Boston so I might change my mind when I get to do that, so for right now, I’ll say North Carolina. I love the area around Wilmington.

Sharon: I live in NC! Grew up near the beach.

Sharon: fried gator or grilled gator?

Suzanne: Grilled gator sausage

Sharon: tacos or spaghetti?

Suzanne: Tacos

Sharon: Coke or Pepsi?

Suzanne: Coke

Sharon:*pouts, kicks stuffed alligator*

Suzanne: Hahaha—I live two hours outside Atlanta—I think it’s decreed that we drink Coke :)

Sharon: Vampire strength or Vampire speed?

Suzanne: Strength

Sharon: fight a wizard or fight an elf?

Suzanne: In my Sentinels world, wizard. Elves can do scary stuff!

Sharon: *Katie whispers* I don’t think *Katie pokes Sharon in ribs* Ow! Okay…sex with a wizard or an elf?
Suzanne: Oh, an elf, hands down. They are VERY, VERY PRETTY and sexy. But just sex, mind you. No emotional entanglements because they can do scary mental stuff!

Belle Chasse (Sentinels of New Orleans Book 5)
by Suzanne Johnson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: TOR Books
November 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-0765376992
ASIN: B01E3PFTCQ
Number of pages: 336
Word Count: approx. 93,000
Cover Artist: Cliff Nielsen
Suzanne Johnson's "strong and intriguing" (Publishers Weekly) urban fantasy series continues with Belle Chasse. The Sentinels of New Orleans series has earned starred reviews from Library Journal ("a resourceful heroine who relies on her magical ingenuity") and PW ("vivid...a lively tale jam-packed with action, magic, and intriguing plot twists").

With the wizard-elven treaty on the verge of collapse, the preternatural world stands on the brink of war. Unless former wizard sentinel DJ Jaco manages to keep the elven leader, Quince Randolph, focused on peace and not personal matters.

With no one on the throne, Faerie is in chaos, with rival princes battling for power. The still-undead pirate, Jean Lafitte, is building his own army of misfits, and DJ stripped of her job and hiding in the Beyond to avoid the death sentence handed down by the wizard Council of Elders can’t get anywhere near her beloved New Orleans or her significant something-or-other, Alex.

It's time to choose sides. Friends will become enemies, enemies will become allies, and not everyone will survive. DJ and her friends will learn a hard lesson: sometimes, even the ultimate sacrifice isn’t enough.

Amazon BN Book Depository Books-a-Million Indie Bound

Excerpt:
I expected Christof to start a snowstorm above Rand’s head. What I didn’t expect was for the prince to lower his head and charge Rand like a raging bull, head-butting him in the midsection. They hit the ground, and I saw my chance at the same time Eugenie spotted me.

I motioned her toward the woods where the transport lay. To hell with the Blue Congress wizards. We were going to make a run for it while Christof kept Rand too busy to notice.

She set off for the woods, and I met her halfway. “My family thinks I’m crazy!” she wailed, loud enough to draw the attention of the tall, skinny Blue Congress wizard with the rooster haircut.

“Hey, stop!”

Holy crap. I whipped out the elven staff, paused long enough to aim just to the right of the wizards. They already had their hands up and were doing some of their nifty Blue Congress magic when I released my fire and blew up the tombstone next to them, sending a rain of marble and playing cards onto their heads. Around us, evidence of their magic appeared as tombstones began moving to block our escape route.

I grabbed Eugenie’s arm and pulled her around a marble stag the size of a small SUV. It had lowered its head and pawed the ground as if to charge. Blue Congress magic was so damned cool— create and re-create.

“Stop, DJ!” Eugenie grabbed my arm as I tried to race past her. “A sinkhole!”

I looked stupidly at the ground in front of us, which had opened a gulf big enough to drive a Greyhound bus into. “Go around and run fast,” I shouted, sending another shot of the staff toward the Blue Congress wizards and blowing up a ginormous marble eagle perched atop a nearby tomb.

We didn’t stop to see if the stag was chasing us, but ran for all we were worth. Finally, at the edge of the tree line, I hazarded a look back at Christof and Rand. The faery stood watching us; the elf had crumpled on the ground. Not dead, though, because in my head, far behind my protective barriers, I heard him yelling my name.

Christof grinned and motioned for us to move along. He didn’t have to motion twice, because the wizards were chasing us, still chanting and doing their finger dance. The stag was getting way too close.

I raised the staff and blew a hole in the earth in front of the advancing stag, forcing him to change direction. Luck was on our side for a change— the stag began charging toward the wizards instead, who had to stop pursuing us in order to protect themselves from being trampled beneath marble hooves.

“Let’s run to the transport before those idiot wizards can get out from under the stag.” I grabbed Eugenie’s hand and we ran to the clearing. “Help me roll this werewolf out of the transport.”

To her credit, she didn’t ask a single question. We tipped the werewolf onto his side and rolled him outside the interlocking circle and triangle, leaving him at an awkward angle with his feet in the air. Oh well.

I touched the staff to the edge of the transport and said, “Winter Palace, Faery” just before the Blue Congress wizards reached the edge of the clearing. I waved at them as the transport sucked the air out of my lungs. They were too late.

As soon as we materialized on the round floor of ice in the Winter Palace, Eugenie screamed. I figured she was getting her first look at the grisly remains of Faerie Princess Tamara until a blinding light knocked me off my feet and a big crack appeared in the ice between us.

“Where is my brother?”

I whirled to see Florian sitting on a block of ice behind us bundled in a heavy coat, a blanket spread beneath him, no doubt to protect his royal assets from getting cold and wet.

“He’s in Shreveport, Louisiana, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church, having a fi stfi ght with an elf,” I said, pretty confident that of all the things he might expect me to say, that wasn’t it.

About the Author: 

Website-FB-twitter
Blog-Newsletter
Pinterest
Suzanne Johnson is the author of the award-winning Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series but perhaps is best known for her romantic suspense and paranormal romance books written as Susannah Sandlin, including the Penton Vampire Legacy paranormal romance series, the Wilds of the Bayou suspense series, and The Collectors romantic thriller series. Her awards include two Holt Medallions in 2013 and 2015, a 2015 Booksellers Best Award in romantic suspense, and nominations in 2014 and 2015 for the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award. A displaced New Orleanian, she currently lives in Auburn, Alabama. Suzanne loves SEC football, fried gator on a stick, all things Cajun, and redneck reality TV.

Tour giveaway 

1 $50 Amazon gift card 

5 $10 Amazon gift cards

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: DARK SECRETS, A Paranormal Noir Anthology + giveaway

DARK SECRETS, A Paranormal Noir Anthology
Participating Authors: Rachel Caine, Cynthia Eden, Megan Hart, Suzanne Johnson, Jeffe Kennedy, and Mina Khan
ISBN: 978-1-942840-05-3
Six award-winning authors bring you this spellbinding collection of stories about dark desires, mysterious worlds, and danger that lurks in the shadows of the night. Where nothing is black and white; where things might not be as they seem; where magic and mayhem rule.
MARION, MISSING by Rachel Caine
Valentine is a detective with two major problems: he's been offered a kidnapping case that will probably get him killed, and his partner won't let him turn it down. He owes her that much … since his partner's a ghost, and he blames himself for her death. A dark, haunting noir mystery of love, hate and loss.
FEMME FATALE by Cynthia Eden
PI Mick Swayne has seen it all—his clients have included liars, thieves, and even killers. He thinks he can handle anything and anyone. Then she walks into his office. Savannah Moreau is beautiful, seductive, and…a vampire? The gorgeous vamp hires Mick to help her track down a killer who is hunting in Chicago, but as Mick slips deeper into Savannah’s paranormal world, he wonders if he can really trust his new client…
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Megan Hart
When the devil starts the music, you'd better get ready to dance.

Kathleen Murphy has sold her soul to the devil. Fame, fortune, success...everything she's ever dreamed of is hers, and all she has to do is the devil's bidding. When love comes knocking, the last thing in the world she wants to do is involve Jake in her twisted world, but the devil's started up the jukebox and Kathleen has no choice but to learn the steps
THE CONSORT by Suzanne Johnson
Faulkner Hearne, the captain of the ruthless Fae Hunters, finds his duty at odds with his heart when he’s ordered to capture the consort of Faerie’s cruel Prince of Summer when she flees across the veil into modern New Orleans. Can Faulk turn Liandra over to a certain death at the hands of the prince, or will he risk a war with Faerie in order to save her?
An all-new novella set in the Sentinels of New Orleans multiverse.
HEART’S BLOOD by Jeffe Kennedy, a Twelve Kingdoms novella
A dark fairytale retelling of a princess robbed of rank, husband and even her name.

Nix is nothing. The Princess Natilde—her former waiting woman—attacked her on the journey to wed Prince Cavan, stripping her of everything and taking her place. With no serving skills, Nix becomes a goose girl. Perhaps if Nix keeps her promise never to reveal who she really is, Natilde won’t carry out her vile threats. Prince Cavan entered his arranged marriage determined to have a congenial, if not loving relationship with his future queen—for the sake of both their kingdoms. But, his wife repels him more each day and he finds himself absurdly drawn to the lovely Nix.

With broken vows, anguish and dark secrets between them, Cavan and Nix struggle to find the magic to restore what’s gone terribly wrong... if it ever can be.
THE DJINN IN THE MIRROR by Mina Khan, a Djinn World novella
A paranormal Cinderella story with a young witch as the heroine and a wicked, sexy djinn instead of a fairy godmother.

Dahlia, the step-daughter of a power hungry wizard, promises to free a djinn trapped in a mirror if he rescues her from impending death. But Ashmael the djinn has his own agenda: to trick & seduce his way to freedom. The only problem is he ends up falling for Dahlia. Can he win his freedom and save the girl?

Goodreads-Kobo-amazon-ARe-Google Play

This is a solid anthology of quality stories. All the authors were new to me except Caine and Khan so it was a great chance to sample some authors I've been meaning to try.

All the stories are considered urban fantasy and there are varying degrees of romance depending on the story. They all have a dark edge to them, some darker than others, but they all have happy ever afters.

Marion, Missing is a noir mystery set during the segregation period, and. P.I. Valentine is a white man and his P.I. partner is Tilde, a black woman. Caine does a great job of touching on the racial tensions of the times and expressing Valentine's deep guilt and eventual forgiveness of himself.

Femme Fatale isn't as complex, and not as dark as the others. It is pretty straightforward with some dark humor.

Dance With the Devil delivered the darkest emotional punch. The plot kept you guessing and your heart will break right along with Kathleen. I was worried there was no way this one could turn out happy, but Megan Hart pulled it off.

The Consort had the most humor and romance. I love fae stories and have always wanted to read Suzanne Johnson's series. It is the world building that attracts me (and sexy fae men, duh!) and this story delivered.

Heart's Blood had a horror element to it. I loved the contrast of the innocence of Nix and Prince Cavan pitted against the evil of Princes Natilde. Well told with a heavy fairy-tale feel.

The Djinn in the Mirror has me wanting to find a magical mirror with my own djinn! Great mixing of an urban setting and djinn mythology. Ashmael is toe-curling sexy and Dahlia is an underdog heroine you can root for and be very jealous of...

At $.99 you would be a fool not to grab this one. Whether you love urban fantasy or PNR, you will find something to love in each story.

4 1/2 "Dark and dangerous" Sheep

SharonS

GIVEAWAY

$120 Amazon GC & Gothic Lace Choker & Earring Set

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b9cd9a9331/?

All the author bios and links are past the break...