{"id":38183,"date":"2018-11-06T08:26:27","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T13:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=38183"},"modified":"2019-10-16T04:58:23","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T08:58:23","slug":"release-day-launch-excerpt-arc-review-dining-with-angels-bits-bites-from-the-demonica-universe-by-larissa-ione-suzanne-m-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=38183","title":{"rendered":"Release Day Launch, Excerpt & ARC Review: Dining with Angels: Bits & Bites from the Demonica Universe (Demonica, #17.5; Demonica Underworld, #7) by Larissa Ione & Suzanne M. Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Join New York Times<\/em> bestselling author Larissa Ione, and USA Today<\/em> bestselling Southern food expert Suzanne M. Johnson as they guide you through their favorite Demonica<\/em> world inspired food and drink recipes. And don\u2019t 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\u00a0<\/strong>1,001 Dark Nights<\/strong><\/a>, DINING WITH ANGELS is now available! Grab your copy today!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\u00a0 Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 <\/strong>Paperback<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

Apple Books\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Barnes & Noble<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kobo\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 <\/strong>Google Play<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

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Synopsis<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

In a world where humans and supernatural beings coexist \u2014 not always peacefully \u2014 three things can bring everyone to the table: Love, a mutual enemy, and, of course, food.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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 Johnson brings delicious food to the party.<\/p>\n

And who doesn\u2019t love a party? (Harvester rolls her eyes and raises her hand, but we know she\u2019s lying.)<\/p>\n

Join Ares and Cara as they celebrate a new addition to their family. See what Reaver and Harvester are doing to \u201cspice\u201d things up. Find out what trouble Reseph might have gotten himself into with Jillian. You\u2019ll love reading about the further adventures of Wraith and Serena, Declan and Suzanne, and Shade and Runa, and you\u2019re not going to want to miss the sit down with Eidolon and Tayla.<\/p>\n

So pour a glass of the Grim Reaper\u2019s finest wine and settle in for slices of life from your favorite characters and the recipes that bring them together. Whether you\u2019re dining with angels, drinking with demons, or hanging with humans, you\u2019ll find the perfect heavenly bits and sinful bites to suit the occasion.<\/p>\n

Happy reading and happy eating!<\/p>\n

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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

4 Demonica-loving stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

This book was a surprising release \u2013 a cook book set in the Demonica<\/i> world. Actually, it\u2019s a series of shorts revisiting couples from the series, incorporating themed recipes from celebrity Southern food expert, Suzanne Johnson. This is a really cool idea, and as a mad Demonica<\/i> fan I will take any opportunity I can to get back into this world, so I dove in eagerly!<\/p>\n

To be honest, I wasn\u2019t initially interested in the cookbook aspect of this book. I wanted it for the short stories, and I was so happy to revisit these characters again! But of course I couldn\u2019t help but look at the recipes as well, and I really like the sound of some of them and was really impressed at the way that they fit in with the individual stories. The recipes are very American based, and as an Australian, I\u2019d have to do a fair bit of substituting of ingredients, but I\u2019m definitely keen to give some of them a try!<\/p>\n

But now on to Demonica<\/i>! These stories are a toned-down version of what we\u2019ve come to expect from this series. There\u2019s no sex, and the swearing has been censored out \u2013 I guess to be a bit tamer to those who read the book just for the recipes \u2013 but we still get to see all of the characters that I love so much, catch up with where they are at and see them living their HEAs, and I loved that!<\/p>\n

The stories all interlink as the Demonica<\/i> and Lords of Deliverance<\/i> crew prepare for Ares and Cara\u2019s baby shower, and there is trouble brewing as Azagoth has closed the gates to Sheoul Gra, with nobody allowed in or out, causing all sorts of problems.<\/p>\n

Of course these stories \u2013 and even the list of couples featured – will be a massive spoiler to anybody who hasn\u2019t read the series, and you\u2019ll be completely lost if pick it up and try to figure out how all of the characters fir together. So if you\u2019re thinking of using these shorts to test out the series \u2013 don\u2019t. But if you\u2019re a fan of the series, you will love these little glimpses into the characters\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n

Declan and Suzanne from Her Guardian Angel<\/i><\/a><\/b>
\nRecipes – Breakfast Food\/Morning After
\nA quick glimpse into the newest couple to join the Demonica<\/i> cast as they are settling into life together.<\/p>\n

Wraith and Serena from Passion Unleashed<\/i><\/a><\/b>
\nRecipes – Romantic\/Sexy Food
\nThis was one of my favourites. It\u2019s also longest of the stories, allowing for a true look into Wraith and Serena\u2019s life together as they hang with friends Thanatos and Regan (squee), fight demons, deal with being parents, and \u201cPersonal Growth Wraith<\/i>\u201d navigates mated life.<\/p>\n

He might need to pull a new trick out of his bag of <\/i>forgive me tactics.
\nWeird. He\u2019d always thought sex could fix <\/i>everything
\nSon of a bitch, he was growing as a person, wasn\u2019t he? And Shade said it would never happen. Asshole.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Harvester and Reaver from Reaver<\/i><\/a><\/b>
\nRecipes – Spicy Food
\nI loved seeing this couple all loved up and happy. Theirs was an unexpected pairing in the series, and I like that there is still so much to learn about them.<\/p>\n

Shade and Runa from Desire Unchained<\/i><\/a>
\n*Included as an excerpt below*<\/b>
\nRecipes – Family Friendly Food
\nThis one is a super quick scene showing us that Runa and Shade are as loved up as ever, enjoying their children and look to their future.<\/p>\n

Reseph and Jillian from Rogue Rider<\/i><\/a><\/b>
\nRecipes – Comfort Food
\nThese two had a lot to deal with in their book, and it still remains one of my faves of the series. I loved this chance to see how they are living with their unique situation, and how Reseph is coping with everyday life as they consider changes to their life together.<\/p>\n

Ares and Cara from Eternal Rider<\/i><\/a><\/b>
\nRecipes – Celebration Food and Snacks
\nThis was my other favourite from this collection. We get to see a beautifully special moment for these two as they welcome their first child together and big, bad War gets all soft and gooey. I also loved it because it\u2019s the one story that has ALL of the characters interacting, with all of their kids running around. A true family moment, it was great to see everybody all together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa.\u201d Limos stepped into the middle of them all, arms outstretched. \u201cThis is a party. You know, to celebrate life. Stop with the doom and gloom. Why does this happen every time we\u2019re together.\u201d
\n\u201cMy name is Death,\u201d Than said drolly.
\n\u201cMine is War,\u201d Ares reminded her.
\nReseph raised his plastic floofing cup. \u201cPestilence.\u201d
\n\u201cSo, Famine,\u201d Ares said pointedly, \u201cwhat was your question again?\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

An Interview with Eidolon and Tayla from Pleasure Unbound<\/i><\/a><\/b>
\nRecipes – When Dining with Demons
\nThis is a fun interview with the couple that started it all as they answer what look to be reader questions. A fun little moment with them.<\/p>\n

I loved this read. I loved catching up with the whole crew, and I loved the hint of story to come – there are some serious things happening with Azagoth and Lilliana, and I can\u2019t wait to see where their story goes in Cipher, which releases next year.<\/p>\n

This is a must-read for fans, and for those who love to cook!<\/p>\n

4 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Check out all the info on the Demonica series here!<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

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Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Slice of Life<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Shade and Runa<\/p>\n

The rich, sweet aroma of vanilla made Runa\u2019s mouth water as she turned on the professional quality electric mixer her mate, Shade, had gotten her for Christmas. She wasn\u2019t a big fan of cooking meals, but she did enjoy baking sweet treats, and her family didn\u2019t complain a bit.<\/p>\n

Boots clomped on the floor down the hall, and she turned off the mixer as Shade sauntered into the kitchen. He\u2019d 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\u2019d just put in the freezer to celebrate Stryke\u2019s A+ in science class later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are the boys?\u201d he asked as he reached for a bottle of water in the fridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re at Stewie\u2019s pool party. Serena just sent a picture of them playing on the big float. It\u2019s on my phone if you want to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should get a pool,\u201d he said as he swiped his finger across her phone\u2019s screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re welcome to use theirs anytime,\u201d she pointed out.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWraith and Serena made their house\u00a0the\u00a0<\/i>place to be when they put it in, didn\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was probably the very reason they put in the pool. \u201cWell, they love parties and kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because they only have one,\u201d he muttered, but he was joking. Shade adored children, and when they were around, he could always be found nearby.<\/p>\n

She fetched a can of cooking spray from a cupboard. \u201cSpeaking of kids, this morning a witch at the hospital told me I\u2019m going to have twins in exactly eight years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly twins?\u201d Shade twisted the cap off his water. \u201cAwesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook a spatula at him. \u201cI remember when you wanted a whole bunch of kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember too,\u201d Shade said. \u201cAnd then we had triplets.\u201d \u201cAre you saying you don\u2019t want more?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pausing with the bottle at his lips, he shrugged. \u201cWe\u2019ve got centuries ahead of us. I\u2019m not in a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still can\u2019t believe your drive to impregnate me hasn\u2019t kicked in since the boys were born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how it works when we\u2019re mated.\u201d He grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and tucked it into the leg pocket of his BDU pants. \u201cThe drive only kicks in when our mates are ready. You\u2019re clearly not ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think? I barely have time to shower, let alone have more kids. But I\u2019m sure everything will be different in eight years,\u201d she added, with more than a little sarcasm.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know.\u201d He waggled his brows. \u201cWanna practice making our twins?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019d make him leave it on. It was sexy as hell.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you have to be at work in fifteen minutes?\u201d she asked. \u201cCon will cover for me. Sin\u2019s working late with DART today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smiling, she peeled off her shirt and tossed it at him. \u201cThen by all means…let\u2019s get some practice in.\u201d<\/p>\n

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About Larissa Ione<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Larissa Ione<\/a>\u00a0is a\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0USA Today<\/em>\u00a0bestselling 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\u2026just 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.<\/p>\n

Website\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Facebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Twitter\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 <\/strong>Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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About Suzanne M. Johnson<\/strong>
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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.
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Website\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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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\u2019t forget […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,265,9],"tags":[59,42,48,927],"class_list":["post-38183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-paranormal","category-quickie","category-romance","tag-arc","tag-larissa-ione","tag-review","tag-suzanne-johnson"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Dining-with-Angels.jpg?fit=150%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-9VR","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}