Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
Date of Publication: April 21, 2015
ISBN: 978-0765376978
ASIN: B00O0FZQS2
Number of pages: 352
Word Count: 96,000
Pirate’s Alley
Sentinels of New Orleans
Book 4
Suzanne Johnson
Book Description:
From award-winning
author Suzanne Johnson comes the fourth book in the smart and sexy Sentinels of
New Orleans series.
Wizard sentinel DJ Jaco thought she had
gotten used to the chaos of her life in post-Katrina New Orleans, but a new
threat is looming, one that will test every relationship she holds dear.
Caught in the middle of a rising struggle
between the major powers in the supernatural world—the Wizards, Elves, Vampires
and the Fae—DJ finds her loyalties torn and her mettle tested in matters both
professional and personal. Her relationship with enforcer Alex Warin is shaky,
her non-husband Quince Randolph is growing more powerful, and her best friend
Eugenie has a bombshell that could blow everything to Elfheim and back.
And that's before the French pirate Jean
Lafitte, newly revived from his latest "death," returns to New
Orleans with vengeance on his mind. DJ's assignment? Keep the sexy leader of
the historical undead out of trouble. Good luck with that.
Duty clashes with love, loyalty with
deception, and friendship with responsibility as DJ navigates passion and
politics in the murky waters of a New Orleans caught in the grips of a brutal
winter that might have nothing to do with Mother Nature.
War could be brewing, and DJ will be
forced to take a stand. But choosing sides won't be that easy.
Available at Amazon BN Book
Depository
*I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Pirate's Alley is the 4th book in the Sentinels of New Orleans and is written by Suzanne Johnson.
In this series we are introduced to every breed of 'other' you can think of.
In this one, we see DJ has developed a weakness of sorts and she also has grown pretty cynical of the council. Who can blame her??
The story moved very quickly, and because of this I feel that we really missed a lot of potential story there. For that reason alone I gave it a 4 star.
DJ is a very deep character and we have seen her grow and develop all through the series. I can't wait to see what else could be in store for her!
~Dowie
Excerpt:
DJ, are you awake?
Freaking
elf. “Go home, Rand.”
I
am home. Where are you?
I
frowned and burrowed my face into the soft down pillow. Which wasn’t my pillow.
Holy
crap. What had happened?
I
sat up and took in several observations at once, none of which made sense and
all of which sent my heart rate jack-rabbiting hard enough to send my blood
pressure into the ozone.
First,
I was lying beneath a heavy bedspread woven in a rich blue-and-cream print. The
bed was an elaborate confection made to look like an antique half-tester, and a
brass chandelier hung overhead.
I
recognized the Hotel Monteleone. I recognized Jean Lafitte’s bedroom in the
posh Eudora Welty Suite in the Monteleone. I didn’t have a clue as to how I got
here.
Second,
I wore only underwear. My clothes were thrown across a chair in the corner. I
had no recollection of removing them.
Third,
the pillow next to mine still held the clear indentation of a head, and there
was water running behind the closed bathroom door.
What
in God’s name had I done?
Rand!
Where are you? So help me, if that elf was behind this, I’d splay him open like
a catfish and watch his guts fall on the floor. Then I’d batter and deep-fry
him.
God,
Dru. Stop shrieking like an elven shrew. I think you got too cold and went into
a survival state.
Survival
state? Then I remembered, and shame joined panic. I had gone into hibernation
like a bear, right out on Royal Street in front of God and everyone. Quince
Randolph, you sonofabitch! Why didn’t you warn me that would happen?
Stop
yelling. How did I know you’d be stupid enough to go traipsing through the snow
to the point of unconsciousness? I can tell you’re in the Quarter, but where
are you?
Catch
you later.
I
slammed shut every mental door I could imagine and then troweled imaginary
caulk in any imaginary cracks around said doors. I was vaguely aware that, off
in the distance of my mental stronghold, Rand was yelling at me.
Had
Jean hauled me back to the hotel like a sack of pommes de terres? How had he
explained a hibernating blonde to the hotel management? At least my dark blue
underwear matched. Had he taken advantage of me? No, it wasn’t his style. Which
meant I’d consented.
Alex
was going to kill me if I didn’t kill myself first. I wasn’t sure
hibernation-brain was an adequate defense.
The
bathroom doorknob rattled and I dove under the covers, even though I realized
it was like closing the barn door after the half-naked cows had escaped.
From
my hiding spot, I heard the door open and footsteps cross from tile to carpet
before stopping with a rustle of fabric. “Hey, babe. You finally back from the
dead? Whatcha doin’ under there?”
“Rene?”
I poked my head out and frowned at my buddy the merman, fully dressed in jeans
and a Saints sweatshirt. His feet were bare, and he walked around the bed and
climbed in as if either one of us belonged here, much less at the same time.
“What
are you doing here? What am I doing here? Who undressed me? Where’s Jean?” And,
as an afterthought, “Why are we in bed?”
Now
that I realize I hadn’t acted like my licentious great-aunt Dru and slept with
the pirate, I transferred my anger to the proper place and it wasn’t to myself.
I’d kill that sneaky Frenchman if he weren’t immortal.
Rene
was not immortal, however, and he was within reach. “You better start talking,
fish boy.”
“Aiyeeee.”
Rene cackled like the Cajun he was, and fluffed the pillow behind his head. “I
told Jean you’d be spittin’ mad. Nothing happened, babe. Your clothes were wet
and I was just trying to keep you warm. I’m a shifter, you know. We run hot.”
“Oh,
do you now.”
That
made him laugh harder.
I
threw off the covers and stomped over to my clothes. He’d seen whatever I had
and I knew he didn’t want it, so there was no point in hiding. I picked up
three soggy layers of T-shirts and sweaters, and cords so wet they weighed
about ten pounds.
My
breath hitched. The staff; I’d lost the staff. I whirled to Rene, who sat
propped against the lush draped fabric that covered the headboard, watching me
with a grin. “Where’s my bag?”
“In
the living room. Everything’s there, babe, even your magic stick. Jean, he took
care of you.”
Yeah,
I just bet he did. It was hard to argue effectively in underwear I’d intended
only Alex Warin to see, so I went into the living room, dug my room key out of
my messenger bag, and stuck my head out the door, looking up and down the
hallway.
“I’ll
be back. Don’t go anywhere,” I yelled at Rene, and made a run for it, jamming
the keycard into my door lock and slipping inside before I was spotted. If
hotel cameras caught my mad dash on security footage, well, I’m sure they’d
seen stranger things. This was New Orleans, after all.
About the Author:
Suzanne Johnson writes urban fantasy and paranormal fiction from Auburn, Alabama, on top of a career in educational publishing that has thus far spanned five states and six universities—including both Alabama and Auburn, which makes her bilingual. She grew up in Winfield, Alabama, but was also a longtime resident of New Orleans, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football, cheap Mardi Gras trinkets, and fried gator on a stick.
Writing as Susannah Sandlin, she also is
the author of the best-selling Penton Legacy paranormal romance series and The
Collectors romantic thriller series. Elysian Fields, book three in the
Sentinels of New Orleans series, won the 2014 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence
while her Sandlin-penned novel, Allegiance, is nominated for a 2015 Reviewer’s
Choice Award from RT Book Reviews magazine.
Website: http://www.suzannejohnsonauthor.com
Tour
giveaway
1 $50 Amazon gift card
2 $15 Amazon gift cards
5 comments:
Thanks for the review. Pirate's Alley blog tour ends today, makes me a little sad. Highly recommend the Sentinels of New Orleans series. Now we wait for the next book, Belle Chasse.
Fabulous series really if you are interested in urban fantasy she is not to be missed and the author is simply wonderful!
Go forth and buy the books! You won't be disappointed! This series will suck you in and keep you up late at night eagerly trying to finish the story.
Thanks for hosting and the chance :-)
Sounds great! Always finding new authors from your blog. Thanks so much!
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