Deadly Obsession & Bon Appétit and a Book with author Elle James

By: Unknown on Friday, May 20, 2016

Bon Appétit and a Book with Elle James

Since the book is set on the coast of Oregon, whip up a lovely Seafood Chowder, ladle a large bowl full and cuddle up to read DEADLY OBSESSION.

Seafood Chowder
Ingredients
1 pound large shrimp (32 to 36 per pound), peeled and deveined (save shells for stock)
1/2 pound scallops
1/2 pound monkfish
1/2 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over to remove shells
1/4 pound unsalted butter
1 cup peeled and medium-diced carrots (4 carrots)
1/2 cup medium-diced yellow onion (1 onion)
1 cup medium-diced celery (3 stalks)
1 cup medium-diced small white or red potatoes
1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 recipe Seafood Stock (see recipe)
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Seafood Stock:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
Shells from 1 pound large shrimp
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup good white wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
10 sprigs fresh thyme, including stems

Directions
Cut the shrimp, scallops, and monkfish into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl with the crabmeat.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter; add the carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and corn and sauté over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are barely cooked, stirring occasionally. Add the flour; reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the Seafood Stock and bring to a boil. Add the seafood; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Add the heavy cream, if desired, and the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Seafood Stock:

Warm the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and sauté for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1/2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. You can make up the difference with water or wine if you need to.

Recipe from Foodnetwork.com

Title:  Deadly Obsession
Series: Devil's Shroud #5
Author:  Elle James
Publication Date:   May 10/16 by Harlequin
Length:  288pgs
Genre:  romantic suspense
Shelf:  review
My Rating: ★★★★
Book Links: Goodreads – Amazon(US) – Amazon(CA) - B&N - Kobo - Indigo - Google Play

Back Cover Blurb:

In New York Times bestselling author Elle James's latest, one woman finds she's unsafe in her own home—and in her heart…

Real estate whiz Jillian Taylor thinks heroes and haunted houses are bogus. But when a series of strange events leaves her in danger, Stealth Ops Specialist Chance McCall is quick to the scene. Jillian can't resist the chemistry brewing between her and the sexy agent. But as she and Chance deconstruct her nightmares, someone becomes more desperate to keep those secrets from surfacing.

Chance knows there's more going on at the derelict Victorian manor than just ghosts—just as he knows there's something about the blonde beauty he can't resist. If only he could help decipher the meaning of Jillian's tortured dreams…and keep her safe in his arms forever.

My Review:

What an intricately suspenseful novel. James’ scene development highlights the suspense of this tale while also allowing readers to picture it fully. The mystery that unfolds was interesting and the plot twists kept it from all unravelling too quickly.

I enjoyed the solid relationship that James built between the main characters. Not only were the characters themselves great to get to know, but the intricate manners in which they come together were fantastic. That said, it also wasn’t an easy, whirlwind romance. I appreciated the fact that they also had to work through issues and circumstances. Actually, all of the characters in this novel were quite well developed. I liked the fact that everyone was an individual and stood out as one without overshadowing the main characters.

As a whole, this was a fun, suspense riddled tale that was a joy to read. I’d definitely recommend it to others.