Caffeinated Reviewer

The House on Prytania by Karen White is the second novel in the Royal Street series. Set in New Orleans, it offers a paranormal story filled with mystery, ghostly encounters and more.

A woman is haunted--both literally and figuratively--by ghosts of the past in this second novel of the Royal Street series by New York Times bestselling author Karen White.

Nola Trenholm may not be psychic herself, but she's spent enough time around people who are to know when ghosts are present, and there are definitely a few lingering spirits in her recently purchased Creole cottage in New Orleans. Something, or someone, is keeping them tethered to this world. And not all of them are benign.

But with the sudden return of Sunny Ryan, Beau Ryan's long-lost sister, Nola has plenty to distract her from her ghostly housemates. Especially when the tempting--yet firmly unavailable--Beau, wanting to mete out justice to those he blames for Sunny's kidnapping, asks Nola for a favor that threatens to derail her hard-won recovery and send her hurtling backward. He asks her to welcome Michael Hebert back into her life, even though Michael is the reason for Nola's bruised heart. Beau is convinced that Michael's powerful family was behind Sunny's disappearance and that Michael is the key to getting information the police won't be able to ignore--if Nola is willing to risk everything for which she's worked so hard.

Torn between helping Beau and protecting herself, Nola doesn't realize until it's almost too late why the ghosts are haunting her house--a startling revelation that will throw her and Beau together to fight a common enemy. Assuming Nola can get Beau to listen to what the spirits are trying to tell him, because ignoring them could prove to be a fatal mistake...

The books in the Royal Street series are best read in the order of release. The mysteries wrap up, but there is an overall story arc. I tried to avoid spoilers for the first book, The Shop on Royal Street.

Nola is still renovating her Creole Cottage and despite the events in The Shop on Royal Street, she isn’t ghost free. While Nola herself isn’t psychic, she grew up around those who can hear & see the dead. She can sense ghosts, see traces of them, and even smell cigar smoke. Apparently the ghosts are trying to send a message warning Beau, but he isn’t listening.

Nola has feelings for Beau, but he isn’t available. There is something there and I keep waiting for something to develop. They are friends and he is managing her renovations. He can communicate with ghosts. However, he is ignoring them, and even fears them. The ghosts are making themselves known to Nola and family members. Beau still wants justice for what happened to his sister and his girlfriend enlists Nola’s help.

From guests of Michael Herbert and his parents to taking graveyard tours, this tale had it all. Nola’s parents come to visit and have a surprise visitor with them. The story has a small-town vibe to it and I enjoyed mingling with Nola’s friends and family.

The story that unfolds was delightful with some ghostly suspense and twists. I figured some things out early on and felt like the author kept hitting me over the head with it. I loved Nola’s meddling parents, her sister and, of course, her best friend and roommate. The foodie talk had me drooling.

The characters pull you in just as much as the mystery. White brings New Orleans and its history to life from Jackson Square to shotgun houses.

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About Karen White

After playing hooky one day in the seventh grade to read Gone With the Wind, Karen White knew she wanted to be a writer—or become Scarlett O'Hara. In spite of these aspirations, Karen pursued a degree in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University. Ten years later, after leaving the business world, she fulfilled her dream of becoming a writer and wrote her first book. In the Shadow of the Moon was published in August, 2000. Her books have since been nominated for numerous national contests including the SIBA (Southeastern Booksellers Alliance) Fiction Book of the Year, and has twice won the National Readers’ Choice Award. Karen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and currently writes what she refers to as ‘grit lit’—Southern women’s fiction—and has also expanded her horizons into writing a mystery series set in Charleston, South Carolina. Her 22nd novel, THE GUESTS ON SOUTH BATTERY, was published January 10, 2017 by Berkley Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House Publishing Group. Karen hails from a long line of Southerners but spent most of her growing up years in London, England and is a graduate of the American School in London. When not writing, she spends her time reading, scrapbooking, playing piano, and avoiding cooking. She currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two children, and two spoiled Havanese dogs.

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About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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