The House on Prytania

Karen White

May 2023 · A Royal Street Novel Book 2 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

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...

Ratings and reviews

This was a different and interesting read. I loved how Nola totally accepted the spirits around them. Trying to get others to listen was a challenge. The story behind everything kept me reading and wanting to know the truth along with Nola. There were a couple parts that dragged a bit, but overall, this was a story worth reading. I received a copy through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

I read this book before, during, and after a short trip to New Orleans. That made it even more special. Looking forward to more. I read The Shop On Royal street first, then binge read the Charleston series so I could read this book on my trip.

Nola is energetic, smart, and fun. Beau is a bit of an enigma, and it's not clear yet where their relationship is headed. This book focuses on what happened after Sunny's kidnapping. It's a twisty, spooky story that kept me guessing until the end. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

About the author

Karen White is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty-two novels, including the Tradd Street series, The Shop on Royal Street, The Last Night in London, Dreams of Falling, The Night the Lights Went Out, Flight Patterns, The Sound of Glass, A Long Time Gone, and The Time Between. She is the coauthor of The Lost Summers of Newport, All the Ways We Said Goodbye, The Glass Ocean, and The Forgotten Room with New York Times bestselling authors Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig. She grew up in London but now lives with her husband and a spoiled Havanese dog, dividing her time between Atlanta, Georgia, and the northwest coast of Florida. When not writing, she spends her time reading, playing piano, and avoiding cooking.