Monday, March 17, 2014

Haunted on Bourbon Street

Title/Author: Haunted on Bourbon Street (Jade Calhoun #1) by Deanna Chase.

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Bayou Moon Publishing.

Source:  Purchased.

Synopsis: Jade loves her new apartment -- until a ghost joins her in the shower.  When empath Jade Calhoun moves into an apartment above a strip bar on Bourbon Street, she expects life to get interesting.

What she doesn't cont on is making friends with an exotic dancer, attracting a powerful spirit, and developing feelings for Kane, her sexy landlord. Being an empath has never been easy on Jade's relationships.  It's no wonder she keeps her gift a secret.  But when the ghosts moves from spooking Jade to terrorizing Pyper, the dancer, it's up to Jade to use her unique ability to save her.  Except she'll need Kane's help -- and he's betrayed her with a secret of his own -- to do it.  Can she find a way to trust him and herself before Pyper is lost?  ~Goodreads.com. 

Midnyte Musings:  Cute cover with witch, check.  Intriguing title, check.  Interesting premise, check.   This book definitely appeals to a lot of things I love.  First of all, it's a total fantasy for me.  Main character Jade Calhoun is an empath, so she's got a supernatural gift.  I want a supernatural gift!  She is young and moves to New Orleans. I want to be young again and move to New Orleans!  She is a lampworker.  She makes beads!  I want to learn lampworking!  AAAaaand, when she moves in she meets a bunch of nice, new, cool people including a hot guy who happens to be her landlord and sparks fly between them.  I want!  I want!  I want!  So reading this was an immersion in a fantasy. I got to live vicariously through Jade.

Also it takes place on Bourbon Street.  Bourbon Street!  Okay, I enjoy Bourbon Street, but I don't think I'd want to live there, especially over a strip club.  However, in this version of living above a strip club, it's quite enjoyable.  The owner/landlord is a hot guy who wants to class the place up.  The manager, Pyper,  is a woman who wants to take care of her workers.   Even the strippers are pretty much normal.  Along the way, Jade encounters ghostly problems, along with issues from her past.  She has to navigate through her own insecurities and learn to accept help from others in order to persevere.

I appreciate that Jade learned from some of her actions.  When she feels that someone invades her privacy using supernatural powers, she comtemplates her own gift and its effect on someone from her own life.  I like how she wonders if her own feelings are somehow tied in with her empathic abilities.  Does she bond with people because she can feel their emotions?  Or does she/did she genuinely rely on her own feelings?  I thought that was interesting.

Although I'm sure some questions I had will be answered as the series moves along, I feel a bit frustrated that things got brought up, but didn't get resolved.  I want to know what happened with her mom.  What happened the night her ex-boyfriend saved her and her best friend in the Foster home where they all lived for a while.  In this story, I wasn't clear on the details of the nice ghost who seemed to be smitten with Jade.  I didn't particularly like the insta-love between Jade and Kane.  Although maybe it's more believable because they are not teens?  Not sure.  There were also a few cliches along the way that caused a few eye rolls and it frustrated me that Jade sometimes acted like a victim.  Why is it that characters who have pyshic gifts or supernatural powers are always shunned and look at in a negative light?  I'd be in awe of someone with true powers.

Constellation of Characters:
Jade - A sympathetic main character.  She has issues trusting people because of her empathic abilities have gotten her in trouble in the past.

Kane - Jade's landlord and owner of the strip club who is interested in her.  Hot and wealthy.  He sometimes comes off a little cheesy, but he's genuinely a nice guy.

Kat - Jade's best friend who she grew up with.  She convinced Jade to move to New Orleans.  Will she let her relationship with Dan ruin their friendship?

Dan - Kat's boyfriend and Jade's ex-boyfriend.

Pyper - The manager of the strip club.  She shows Jade that not everyone is turned off by her empathic abilities.  

Starstruck Over:   Haunted on Bourbon Street is a guilty pleasure.  I enjoyed the fun storyline, likeable main character and of course, ghosts and magic in New Orleans.

Other Editions:



7 comments:

Aurian said...

I want all of that as well! Thanks for the fun review, adding this one to my wishlist.

Midnyte Reader said...

Aurian-Who wouldn't want all that!

Andrea @ The Overstuffed Bookcase said...

This looks and sounds like such a cute, fun read! I really need/want to read something like this soon, something that's just light and fun! I've never been to New Orleans, but I'd love to go sometime. And I like the fact that Jade thinks deeper about her powers--that makes this seem like a light read that actually has some great depth to it! Great review! I'm totally going to add this one to my TBR list!

Karen said...

Adorable cover. Sounds a little frustrating with all the unanswered questions but still fun.

Steph from fangswandsandfairydust.com said...

I agree about the cover - it is adorable. And I have ALWAYS wanted to do lampworking and keep meaning to take a workshop. Maybe this year. I have made the caned beads with fimo though - not quite the same. I would love to get back to New Orleans. It's a wonderfully romantic place and fattening as heck!

Kimberly @ Midnight Book Girl said...

This sounds like something I would enjoy. I like witches and since I'm planning on hitting up New Orleans this summer anything about New Orleans gets me excited!

Berls said...

Sounds like I would enjoy this one too AND I would so live vicariously through her like you did. I love the cover too!

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