Royal Street: Book 2
Publication Date: May 9, 2023
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’protect’ng 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…
Nola Trenholm would love to catch Beau Ryan’s eye, but when she gets his attention, the outcome is not what she expected. He needs her help, but in order to provide it, she must face a painful part of her past.
The House on Prytania, described as ghost fiction, is the second installment in the Royal Street series by Karen White. While some books can be easily enjoyed as a standalone, this is not one of them. I felt hopelessly lost in certain parts of this story in spite of the engaging writing and character development.
The concept of Nola having a haunted house in New Orleans is intriguing, but I was initially confused by the identity of the ghosts since Beau had already freed his grandfather. The story intensifies with an angry spirit wreaking vengeance and trying to control the living from beyond the grave.
The storyline features all the key elements of a cozy mystery, including a female amateur sleuth, an adorable dog, a juicy mystery, and a healthy side order of danger.
The House on Prytania provides a haunting tale, both literally and figuratively.
Karen White is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-five novels, including Dreams of Falling and The Night the Lights Went Out. She has two grown children and currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two spoiled Havanese dogs.
