I was perusing the science fiction section of Barnes and Noble looking for a good book and my eyes alighted on this cover. I have to say what first tickled my curiosity is that the woman on the cover is a WOMAN OF COLOR! When I read the description it felt light and amusing a perfect way to wile away a few afternoons in the sun at the park.
Reading this book by Paul Kreuger was a major page turner that I couldn’t put down. I loved how he incorporated Chinese Culture, Chicago and the characters backstory with a mystery within a mystery that a reader can solve on their own. Last call at the Nightshade Lounge had a strong plot of a woman who’s stumbled into the supernatural with a job to tie her over until she gets on track for the ‘real job’ she’s expected to have after graduating from college. Paul weaves recipes of drinks into the story that made me want to head to a bar!
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve had a chance to buy the book and what you think ….
Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge
A NOVEL
By PAUL KRUEGER
ABOUT LAST CALL AT THE NIGHTSHADE LOUNGE
In this sharp and funny urban fantasy novel, booze is magic, demons are real, and millennial Bailey Chen joins a band of monster-fighting Chicago bartenders instead of finding a “real” post-college job.
Bailey Chen is fresh out of college with all the usual new-adult demons: no cash, no job offers, and an awkward relationship with Zane, the old friend she kinda-sorta hooked up with during high school.
But when Zane introduces Bailey to his monster-fighting bartender friends, her demons become a lot more literal. It turns out that evil creatures stalk the city streets after hours, and they can be hunted only with the help of magically mixed cocktails: vodka grants super-strength, whiskey offers the power of telekinesis, and rum lets its drinker fire blasts of elemental energy. But will all these powers be enough for Bailey to halt a mysterious rash of gruesome deaths? And what will she do when the safety of a “real world” job beckons?
This sharp and funny urban fantasy is perfect for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and grown-up readers of Harry Potter. Includes 14 recipes from a book of ancient cocktail lore.