June Read: The House on Prytania (a Royal Street novel) by Karen White

 

I don't know who creates the cover art for Karen White's novels; they are beautiful and I've decided I'd like to live in every house on every cover. Just gorgeous!

This was another highly anticipated read for me. I started it on my flight home from vacation, got busy, and just finished it up the last few days. This is the follow up to The Shop on Royal Street, which introduced us to Nola and her move to New Orleans from Charleston. 

Nola is the daughter of Jack and Melanie Trenholm, the two main characters from Ms. White's previous Tradd Street Series. I adored that series for many reasons: the setting of Charleston, the paranormal plots, and the ever evolving relationship between Jack and Melanie. Now Nola is grown up, settling in New Orleans to work in the historic preservation field as a consultant. 

As a second novel in the series, the characters felt much more familiar to me and it was interesting to see relationships evolve. I especially love Nola's roommate and perfect Southern Belle, Jolene. I wish I had half her energy and cooking talent. She is the calm in the middle of chaos. Nola's first romance, Cooper, moves to New Orleans and there's a spark again, and a sense of familiarity between the two which will be interesting to see develop. He's a solid guy who understands Nola and her sense of comfort around him bodes well for a possible romance in the future. 

Nola's biggest problem, of course, is the evil spirit that still haunts her home. She thought they'd sent him onto the light in the first novel, but it appears Antoine Broussard isn't ready to leave, and he wants to protect his awful secrets at any cost. Nola and Beau have to work together to defeat Antoine and figure out why Antoine continues to stay and terrify not only Nola, but others who sense and see his horrible presence. 

Ah, Beau. Nola and Beau. This is my big frustration with this series. Nola and Beau are a hot mess. It's obvious they love each other, but Beau has a girlfriend in spite of his very deep feelings for Nola. I just can't get why they both have to make it so complicated. The tension between the two is not good romantic tension; it's just too darn stressful to enjoy. I feel like any chance of a long lasting romance between them is not going to happen. I'd rather Nola end up with Cooper. I like both Beau and Nola, but especially Nola's decision making (or lack of) can be frustrating. Get out of your own way, Nola!

There are other things that happen in this novel, especially involving Beau's family, which is one of the backbones of this series. Some questions were answered, but of course the ending scene set us up for more to follow in the next book. I'll be waiting  patiently for that!

Do not start this series without reading the Tradd Street series first. You just won't get a lot of the back story for this series and you'll miss so much! Plus, you get to see Nola's story from the beginning, which is very interesting. She's a great character, but her stubbornness can get a bit old. 

Rating: 5/6 for a series continuation that starts right from the end of the first novel. I like that very much. Some character development that was good, some lack of development that was annoying. However, I love Ms. White's paranormal novels and eagerly read each and every one. Fans of contemporary fiction mixed with history and the paranormal will gleefully dive right in. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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June Read: The House on Prytania (a Royal Street novel) by Karen White

The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White

 

Karen White is the author of one of my favorite series: The Tradd Street series. I was a bit heartbroken when that series came to a conclusion last November. However, to my absolute delight, Karen White said she had a new series beginning this year, with some of the characters from the Tradd Street series. 

The Shop on Royal Street is the start of that new series, and it features Nola Trenholm, who is the stepdaughter of Melanie and daughter of Jack Trenholm from the first series. Nola was in the first series a lot, and the last few books helped set up this series. My biggest surprise was the time jump: eight years from the end of the Tradd Street series. But it felt seamless, and made perfect sense. Nola is now 26 and has just moved to New Orleans with a new job as a historic preservationist working for a civil engineer business. She's got a Master's degree and has returned to New Orleans to face some issues that happened her first year in college there. I really liked this older, more mature Nola. 

There's also Beau Ryan, the young man we met in the Tradd Street series, who is Nola's biggest annoyance, and the object of her reluctant attraction. Beau and Nola went through some life changing situations in the earlier books, and Nola is resentful that he's saved her life. Beau is a bit mysterious, a few years older than Nola, and New Orleans is his home. His parents disappeared during Hurricane Katrina, a week after his young sister Sunny was kidnapped from their front yard. She's never been found, and neither have his parents. His grandmother runs a high-end antique shop that has some peculiarities that intrigue Nola. The chemistry between Beau and Nola is hot, but it's clear they have many issues to work through (hopefully through many more books in this series!). 

Nola has found a home she wants to purchase and refinish. It's a disaster, and worst of all, it is haunted. So much so that no one wants to work on it, and people avoid it at all costs. Nola isn't afraid, and persists in buying the home. Boy oh boy does that house have a personality, and that's the foundation of this plot. It involves Beau's grandmother, a murder in 1964, and unresolved family issues. 

I so enjoyed this novel, and the introduction of a few other characters--most notably Nola's roommate Jolene-a redheaded whirlwind of Southern femininity. I can't wait to read more and see how relationships evolve over time. 

Set in New Orleans, there's plenty of material on ghosty happenings and historic homes for future stories. Fans of southern settings, family dynamics and romances that take some work will be sure to love this series. Yes, you can start with Nola's story in this new series but I would suggest reading the Tradd Street series first so you get the whole background, and see Beau and Nola when they first meet. 

Rating: 6/6 for a new series that seamlessly moves characters forward from the first series. At the same time it has a fresh new setting, great characters with depth, and an atmosphere that puts you firmly in New Orleans. 

This is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio book. 

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The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White

The Attic on Queen Street by Karen White

 

There aren't many series that I start and read all the way through to the last book. However, The Tradd Street Series by Karen White is one that I have loved from the first novel published in 2008: The House on Tradd Street. 

I was so excited to read this novel I purposely bought a backpack purse large enough to fit a hardcover and took it on the plane with me when I went on vacation last week. I promptly buckled myself into my seat, opened my book, and read for the next three hours of my flight. 

So, no, do not start with this book if you've never read the series. This really is a series that needs to be read in order so you aren't confused because BIG things happen over the course of the series. So, for a quick recap: Melanie is a realtor selling historical homes in her hometown of Charleston. She's called to a home on Tradd Street to talk to the owner about listing it. However, the owner has something else in mind, and dies, leaving the home to Melanie. 

A gorgeous, stately home, it needs a heck of a lot of work--and as an extra bonus, comes with a few mysteries and ghosts. Melanie has psychic gifts (which she tries to ignore) and gets sucked into not only falling in love with the house, but begins to dive into the history of the house and the previous owners. Along comes author Jack Trenholm, a hot looking man who is also interested in the mysteries attached to the home--and interested in Melanie, as well. 

I won't give anything away that will surprise anyone, but here at the end of the series, Jack and Melanie are married with twin toddlers and Jack's teenage daughter all living in the house on Tradd street. Relationships have formed, strengthened, and have had quite a few tough spots. Melanie is still coming to grips with her transition from an independent go-getter to a mother of three and a wife to a man who continues to challenge her every day. And the spirits that inhabit her home, as well as the others who inhabit homes around Charleston are still calling on Melanie to solve mysteries and murders of the past. Will she finally embrace her gifts and use them to solve one last legendary mystery at her home? 

I can't tell you how much I love this series. It has everything in it I adore in a good book: a bit of romance, paranormal mysteries, history, historical restoration, and evolving relationships. Humor, quirky characters, and realistic relationships keep this series from becoming stale. One day I will visit Charleston! 

Here is the series in order of publication:

The House on Tradd Street

The Girl on Legare Street

The Strangers on Montagu Street

Return to Tradd Street

The Guests on South Battery

The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street

The Attic on Queen Street

Thank you, thank you Karen White for such a wonderful series. I looked forward to every new novel in this series, and am happy to report while Jack and Melanie's story has come to an end, a new series will begin in 2022 featuring Jack's daughter Nola in New Orleans. The title is The Shop on Royal Street. To say I'm giddy with excitement is an understatement. You can bet I'll be reading and reviewing it!

Rating: 5/6 for a satisfying conclusion to the Tradd Street Series. While I was sad to turn the last page, I did so with a big sigh of happiness-characters got their just rewards.

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Attic on Queen Street by Karen White

Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness

I finally finished Time's Convert yesterday afternoon, after two weeks of reading a little bit, setting it down, then coming back to it. I wanted to take my time, and enjoy it, since I've been waiting some time to get back to the world of Diana and Matthew de Clermont.  

So I'll just blurt it all out: I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away by it. 

There. I said it. 

Settling into this novel felt a bit like revisiting old friends, and I was pretty happy to be back with Diana and Matthew, and Ysabeau, and the whole world of the de Clermont vampire family. It was pretty great to see how Diana and Matthew are fairing as parents to Becca and Philip, their adorable twins--who are a mix of witch and vampire. Where their talents will lie, no one knows. And the rarity of these two little people (witches and vampires have never been able to have offspring, and normally avoid each other) means that there will come a day of reckoning for their parents and for both of them. That is an underlying tension in the novel, but I kept saying to myself "They're just babies, so there's plenty of time."  I suspect, and I hope, Deborah Harkness crafts a compelling tale of adult Becca and Philip.  

But, the big part of this story concerns Phoebe Taylor, a warmblood, and Marcus MacNeil, a vampire. They're in love, and were featured in the first three novels that make up the All Souls Trilogy. Now Phoebe has decided to become a vampire, so she can wed Marcus and live with him for, well, a very long time. It's not just a matter of biting someone, draining their blood, and bingo! vampire presto. There's a protocol to follow, and Phoebe and Marcus aren't allowed to see each other for 90 days after Phoebe has turned. After the 90 days, they reunite, and she officially claims Marcus as her mate. But within those 90 days, she has to learn how to move through the world as a vampire. There's a lot to learn, and it's not easy. 

Marcus stays with Diana and Matthew, who is his maker, and in vampire families, that makes Matthew Marcus' father, and Diana his step-mother. Another big chunk of the novel is about Marcus; who he was as a human, how he was turned by Matthew, and what he's done until present day. It's an interesting tale that centers on the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the horrible childhood Marcus had at the hands of an abusive and alcoholic father. You get to know Marcus very well, and follow him on his journey as a young vampire. He makes plenty of mistakes, and gets in trouble with his family over and over again. Much of what he does haunts him, and he is concerned when Phoebe does drink from him, she will be disgusted at his deep secrets. Cause when you're a vampire, when you drink blood, you see everything about that person--no secret is hidden. 

There really wasn't much tension in this novel, and that was good and bad. The trilogy was so damn good, in part because Diana and Matthew as a couple were so forbidden, and Diana was struggling to accept her family history as witches, and come into her own immense power. There was none of that in this story, which I kind of missed. But seeing Diana and Matthew as parents, and happily living their lives (as well as they can as de Clermont) was sweet. It was all enough to keep me turning pages, and enjoying what I read. But it wasn't OMG THIS IS SO GOOD I CAN'T STAND IT!

Thank you, Deborah Harkness for another peek into the wonderful world you created. I am ready for more!

Rating:  4/6 for the continuing tale of the de Clermont family, and their fascinating experiences living through some of history's most dramatic and legendary moments. 

Available in hardcover, audio, and ebook. 

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Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness

5 Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink

Hurricane Katrina seems like it happened so long ago that it's easy to forget just how devastating it was to New Orleans, and how they are still recovering from the destruction and rebuilding communities. Reading this book was a powerful reminder of how complex and difficult decisions were made in extremely trying circumstances, and how horribly unprepared we are for disasters.  

August 28, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.  While there was a mass evacuation, hospitals and hospital workers had to stay; hospitals had to remain open to serve those who were ill, and anticipate more coming into the hospital for care during and after the storm.  Memorial Medical Center had weathered many hurricanes and storms before; it had been part of the community since 1926.  People would leave their homes and bunk down in the hospital for safety; medical staff brought their pets and family members to the hospital to stay while they worked through the storm.  There was plenty of food and water; a few uncomfortable days and it would all be over.   

Except the levees broke, and the streets were flooded.  Memorial quickly became an island.  Staff worked feverishly to evacuate patients, and some managed to get out.  Generators quit working early Wednesday morning; overwhelming heat, darkness, and exhaustion worked on everyone.  Missed and wrong communication, rumors of martial law, and hearing sounds of gunfire scared everyone.  They felt abandoned by the city, state, and the owners of the hospital, Tenant.  Decisions were made that would result in suspicious deaths and a doctor and two nurses being arrested for second degree murder. 

What happened at Memorial?  Why did people die, and why did it take so long for an evacuation to take place?  How could the hospital have been better prepared?  This is a compelling read, and what might seem like a fairly easy choice to make isn't so easy.  I don't think any of us can possibly understand the circumstances because we weren't there.  I read this book a few days ago and I still don't know how I feel about what happened.  It is a book that you will have to talk about with others.  I recently presented this book at work as part of my Lunch and a Book talks.  I had a great audience, and we had very interesting discussions on medical ethics, preparedness, and the complex issue of "do not resuscitate".  

Everyone should read this book.  Whether you're in health care, or someone who cares for elderly parents, or loved ones with health issues.  We all will end up in a hospital at one or more points in our lives.  

One thing I will say about this book, is that the author clearly believes homicide did happen.  She does a good job of trying to see all sides, but there are so many people, and incidences, and hearsay that it can get a bit confusing sometimes.  There is a list of people in the front of the book, and a map of the hospital, including the route from the second floor to the helicopter pad on the roof.  They do help visualize the place and give some organization to the players.  

Rating:  8/10 for a compelling look at a human disaster that could have been prevented.  Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster that couldn't be helped; but the lack of planning and action resulted in a terrible nightmare.  

Available in paperback, hardcover, audio, and e-book.     

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5 Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink

Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell

It's been awhile since I've read a teen book.  I thoroughly enjoy teen reads and have read some amazing tales over the years.  Sweet Unrest was a great one to pick off my bookshelves and dive into this Halloween season.  

Sweet Unrest has a few things in it that always grab my interest:  New Orleans, plantation house, ghost, and evil.  Yes, this novel does have the usual teen love interest, but here's the kicker:  it involves reincarnation and a ghost.  What do you do when the person you love with all your heart is a ghost and you're alive?  I don't think I'm giving anything away about the plot.  It's pretty easy to figure out--right away.  

Plot:  Lucy Aimes reluctantly moves to New Orleans with her parents and younger brother.  Her father is a history professor who's taken a position as curator of Le Ciel Doux, an antebellum sugar plantation just outside of New Orleans.  It's now a tourist stop, complete with costumed guides and outbuildings.  Lucy is not happy to be here, and hopes to go back to Chicago at the end of the summer to finish her senior year of high school.  She's a gifted photographer, and has agreed to help her dad document the plantation.  She's also been experiencing the same unsettling dream over and over again growing up, and it's just become more ominous and frequent:  she's drowning, and can't save herself.  

Cue spooky atmosphere at the plantation.  The house itself is gorgeous, but has an air of nastiness around it.  Lucy and her family live in a small cottage near the plantation, so she's spared living in the main house itself.  Soon after moving in, Lucy notices a gorgeous young man standing at the back of a crowd of employees who are at their first meeting with her father.  She's pretty struck by his looks and intensity.  And of course he lasers in on her.  Soon after, she finds him at a nearby pond, and learns his name is Alex.  He's got a bit of a French accent, and seems pretty focused on her.  She's drawn to him and can't explain why. 

And then the dreams begin.  Lucy dreams of Alex, and a young woman named Armantine.  Forbidden love due to Armantine's mixed blood doom the two.  She's torn between wanting to believe Alex loves her, and wary of losing her heart to a man who may not keep his promise to marry her and instead make her his mistress, as most beautiful quadroons in New Orleans end up.  Dark forces swirl around the two in the shape of Thisbe, a local voodoo woman (who scares the bejesus out of everyone around her).  What happens to Alex and Armantine?  How are they tied to Lucy in today's world?  

Lucy has a mystery to solve before it's too late.  Evil from the plantation is still wandering around in Lucy's time, and Lucy must learn to trust both Alex and Mama Legba.  Who's Mama Legba?  She's a strong and powerful priestess who can help Lucy navigate the world of light and dark, goodness and evil.  And she is Lucy's strongest ally to discover what really happened to Alex and Armantine in 1841.  

This was an enjoyable stroll through the mystery that is New Orleans.  I've always loved reading this kind of novel, and for a teen story it has enough history and thorough research into voodoo to keep it interesting.  I'll admit the plot involving Alex is certainly a unique one that I haven't seen elsewhere.  Lucy does seem a bit lost at first, but she quickly clicks into what's going on and becomes determined to figure things out.  She's not afraid to do what she has to, and it's refreshing to see a strong teen female lead carry a story.  This is a trend in teen fiction that has had a long life, and only seems to be growing.  Girl power!

Rating:  7/10 for the history and unique love story between what was, and what is.  A strong female lead who doesn't have all the answers but isn't afraid to keep digging.  A good ghost story that won't keep you up at night. 

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Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Anyone who read Between Shades of Gray in the last few years has eagerly been awaiting Ruta Sepetys' latest teen novel.  This woman is such a good writer and teller of stories that I predict she will continue to take the teen world by storm.  I hope she branches out into adult fiction sometime soon.  But don't let the "teen" in this novel scare you away.  

Josie Moraine lives in New Orleans in 1950.  She's 17, and her only family is Willie, a madam who owns a whorehouse and keeps an eye on Josie.  Josie's mother is absolutely horrid and cannot stand her daughter.  I mean she really hates her own child.  She's a drunk, a whore, and runs with the very wrong crowd.  She will steal from anyone and everyone--including her daughter.  Josie is smart, kind, and determined to go to college.  She just doesn't know how to do it.  Until she meets Charlotte, who comes into the bookshop Josie works at, and befriends Josie.  Charlotte goes to Smith College, and she encourages Josie to apply.  This begins Josie's quest to apply to Smith College--her way out of New Orleans and into a better life.  But the road is very bumpy, and she has many obstacles to overcome.  

What I most enjoyed about this novel was the cast of characters that surround Josie.  What she lacks in blood relations is made up by all of the people around her who love her, guide her, and take care of her:  Willie; Cokie, Willie's driver; Jesse, a young mechanic who has feelings for Josie; Patrick, a young man who's father owns the bookshop Josie work at; and Charlie--the owner of the bookshop who gives Josie a place to live on her own at age 12.  Even the prostitutes at Willie's love Josie and take care of her as best they can.  She needs all their help, as her mother is tangled up with gangsters and the murder of a rich gentleman from Tennessee.  Josie is involved in this murder also, but only because he visits the bookshop and buys books from her the day he dies.  There's so much more to the story than that, but I can't give anymore away!

I think Ruta Sepetys has a wonderful writing gift.  The characters are well drawn, Josie's world is easy to picture, and even though you want her path to be easy, it's not.  And that's the way life is--not always wonderful; full of obstacles, and sometimes lots of pain and disappointment.  It's also full of caring people, love, and hope. It's about looking for your path, and taking those steps even when it's tough and looks like you won't make it.  That's Josie's life.  You will quickly become absorbed in her story, and won't put this book down until the very last page.  

Rating:  9/10  I love Ruta Sepetys.  I love New Orleans.  I love this story.
Available in hardcover, and e-book.   

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Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys