Royal Street [Paperback]

Royal Street. What can I say? I loved it. Wonderful characters, a great plot and plenty of conflict. Not to mention sexy shape-shifters and pirates.

Drusilla Jaco, known as DJ, is a Green Wizard and a Sentinel in New Orleans. Her boss, Gerry gives her an assignment to capture and send the famous pirate, Jean Lafitte back to the Beyond. Lafitte threatens payback, but she sends him on his way. Then hurricane Katrina comes along, and DJ is ordered to evacuate. We all know what happens to New Orleans after Katrina - it flooded. DJ can't locate her boss, Gerry, and she's afraid he's dead, but she tries to hold on to hope that he's not. The Elder's, however, believe Gerry is hiding, and that Gerry betrayed them.

Now DJ's in charge of the New Orleans area, and her assignments are to send the dead back to the Beyond and plug all the breaches from where they came. Plus she's not giving up hunting for Gerry. Her new partner, Alex Warin is an Enforcer for the Elders, but that's not all he is - he's HOT! Alex and DJ spend a lot of time together helping each other along the way. They run into all sorts of problems such as Voodoo and National Guard killings.

I can't give too many details or I'll ruin this wonderful story for you. And take it from a reader who's been hunting for a book such as this one, I don't want to give anything away. I rarely read novels in one sitting, but I just couldn't stop reading Royal Street. I was fascinated by DJ, Jean Lafitte, her delicious partner, Alex and his sexy cousin, Jake. Oh, I forgot to mention, Louis Armstrong, he's in there too. As well as a famous restaurateur. Hurricane Katrina has a major role and Suzanne captures it well.

I'm local to the New Orleans area, and the author couldn't have done a better job on creating the suspense and raw emotions of Katrina and the after-math. Royal Street brought tears to my eyes in some scenes and I laughed my butt off in others. Suzanne Johnson is one to watch out for. I don't care if you love romance, paranormal or urban fantasy books, Royal Street has it all. A perfect blend for everyone, just like a spicy New Orleans gumbo. It's all in there.

Can't wait for the next book to be released. Thanks for a wonderful new series to read, Ms. Johnson!

The most important thing a fantasy novel has to do is transport you to a world of magic, whether it be Middle Earth or Hogwarts. This novel really delivers in that department. On one hand you have the very real world of New Orleans struggling in the aftermath of Katrina. On the other you have it's shadow, Old New Orleans, a timeless place that has dispensed with daylight (they go straight from dawn to dusk) and where myths and legends walk streets dimly lit by flickering gas lamps and neon signs.

I have a slightly different take on the characterization than some other reviewers here. DJ is a young woman trying to establish herself professionally, and chafes at the lack of weight her superiors assign to her opinions. But their skepticism is not entirely misplaced. DJ is intelligent, but she doesn't always think things through. She's impulsive, and lets her heart get the better of her head. This strikes me as appropriate for the twenty-five year old heroine, who has her beliefs challenged and eyes opened by the events of the story. If you prefer your heroes prudent, discreet and infallible, this might not be the story for you.

Also, there is the matter of pacing. This story must dance to Katrina's tune, and that turns out to be more of a foxtrot than a lindy hop. That's fast enough, but not breakneck fast. The payoff is that this story gains emotional color from the author's personal connection to the city's pain.

This is a first novel and it is not without its faults. A few plot twists won't quite surprise an attentive reader, and a few scenes could use a little more suspense. Probably the toughest thing for some readers will be the romance elements. This book is an urban fantasy about wizards, but it also flirts with paranormal romance. DJ is lusted after by several desirable and powerful men, something that would be unremarkable in a romance novel but might strike some fantasy readers as peculiar. That shows up right in the opening scene too. That will be a bonus for some readers, but if romance isn't your cup of tea read on for a chapter or two. This is an author with more than one arrow in her quiver.

I enjoyed this book very much, and after getting over the opening scene read it in a single sitting.

I'm having trouble getting through this book. The concept sounded great, but the writing just isn't grabbing me. Mostly it's our heroine. I'm finding her to be very unlikable. She's disagreeable and dismissive - just to show she knows best - to the point of stupidity. I assume the author was trying to give her independence and depth, but it's not coming across. After paying a ridiculous $10 for this book, I'm really hoping it gets better. I liked the pirate (the one saving grace).