Nola returns to New Orleans to make a fresh start after recovering from the past. She can’t see or talk to ghosts, but others can. She buys a haunted home to renovate and call home, but the ghosts and humans may have other thoughts on the idea. First in a new series.
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I could not get into this novel by reading the print version. I did however enjoy it on audio whenever I received that one. I like Karen White's writing style,

I enjoyed the setting, the characters and the struggles each faces during The Shop on Royal Street. It was fun!

The Shop on Royal Street is the first book in the Royal Street series. Nola Trenholm is starting over and has purchased a fixer-upper for her fresh start. Not only does her new home need some work, but there is also a mystery to solve. A woman was murdered in the house, and the case was never solved.

Southern fiction with a cast of fun characters. The Shop on Royal Street is an atmospheric mystery with a little paranormal and romance. A fun start to a new series. Recommended to fans of Southern fiction and mysteries.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Southern storyteller, Karen White returns following her Tradd Street (set in Charleston, SC-loved) with an exciting new spin-off series, THE SHOP ON ROYAL STREET, set in New Orleans, LA. Featuring Nola with another great Southern city full of history, architecture, renovations, and plenty of ghosts.

Nola Trenholm is twenty-eight and is looking for a fresh start. She has purchased a wreck of a house (a historical Creole cottage on Dauphine) that needs major work.

Nola is the stepdaughter of Charleston Realtor Melanie Middletown Treholm (and daughter of Jack Trenholm) from Tradd Street Series—and she thinks the house needs a wrecking ball or a flamethrower. Melanie has a history with historic homes and ghosts. They also have twins, JJ and Sarah.

Nola received her master's degree in historic preservation at the College of Charleston and did some renovations, but was she prepared for this job? She also worked at Trenholm Antiques in high school

She falls in love with the fixer-upper but soon learns it comes with a murder mystery and ghosts that haunt the house.

On the door, there is the initial MB embossed on the handle. They were from the iconic Maison Blanch department store building downtown. A piece of history. Lots of mysteries surround this house!

The house also comes with another ghost from Nola's past- Beau Ryan, the owner of the home who refuses to sell her the house. He wanted to take it off the market because he said it needed to be demolished as unsafe. It is a murder house.

But Nola wants this house but has no clue what is in store or the secrets buried in the past.

Beau and Nola have a history, which is rekindled when Beau finally agrees to sell Nola the home, under the agreement that his company assists in renovating.

She was not wild about this, but it will help speed it along and help with cost and document it in media.

They work together to try and solve the murder mystery along with Jolene. One mystery is close to Beau and still haunts him — the disappearance of his sister, Sunny, right before Hurricane Katrina.

Also, we catch up with Jolene, Nola's former Tulane roommate. She also works for Beau and his grandmother at Mimi JR Properties. They buy old houses and buildings that need restoration. Beau's grandmother also owns an antique shop in the French Quarter.

There are many mysteries surrounding the house and Beau. I am anxiously awaiting the next in the series. Some restless spirits need to be set free. Beau also has a podcast, Bumps in the Night and Other Improbabilities, with his partner Sam Beck.

I loved this book! Jolene was a lot of fun, as well as the new cast. Cannot wait for more.

Being a former interior designer for hotels for many years and worked with top architects across the country, New Orleans is a favorite for architecture, especially, the Garden District. I adore cities, homes, and architecture rich in history and charm.

White does a great job with the vivid setting and descriptions, food, and, ambiance of The Big Easy as well as she does with Charleston.

It has it all—Southern fiction, romance, humor, mystery, suspense, ghosts, rich history, delectables, antiques, architecture, a fabulous, well-developed cast of characters, and fun renovations.

"Often the last had a way of unearthing itself."

No one does Southern charm and ghostly mysteries better than Karen White. I think I like this series even better than the Tradd Street series.

I cannot wait for the next book in the Royal Street #2 of 2 series— The House on Prytania, coming May 9, 2023. I adore both covers!

A special thank you to #Berkley and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC, and also purchased the audiobook narrated by Sophie Amoss. #covercrush

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My Rating: 5 🌟 Stars
Pub Date: Mar 29, 2022
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I really enjoyed Karen White's Tradd Street series so I was hoping that I would like this spin-off about Nola as well and I totally loved it! It was nice seeing Beau again and fun to see new characters that I hope will be in the following books. This has a similar mystery to what you would get with Nola's parents Melanie and Jack but fun none the less.! I also listened to the audio version and thought the narrator did a great job.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Published 29 March 2022.

The Shop on Royal Street
Royal Street #1
Karen White


White’s new series debut is FANTASTIC and fans of her Tradd Street series will absolutely love it. It begins six years after The Attic on Queen Street the Tradd Street ending and stars Nola Trenholm who fans have seen grow up in the Tradd Street books. This Nola, however, is not the accomplished musician and steadfast teen that fans remember, this Nola is a bit of a mess, a recovering alcoholic and full of insecurities that will remind readers a bit of Tradd Street protagonist, Melanie. The storyline is delightful, a mix of a coming of age and mystery, full of super characters both corporeal and those who go bump in the night, while the narrative has that steady flow that goes from easy read to nail biting that Karen’s fans will not be able to put down. The secondary characters are absolutely awesome, fans will remember Beau from Tradd Street but in this novel Karen gives them his backstory, then there’s Mimi Beau’s grandmother, and Jolene who is new and a hoot and a real Steele Magnolia and as a real treat Melanie makes a cameo appearance. Fans of Karen, Lauren Willig and Beatriz Williams will devour this novel and look forward to the next installment.

It’s been a hard five years since Nola Trenholm’s first disastrous stint in New Orleans as a naïve student at Tulane but she’s put her past behind her and decides, The Big Easy, where she almost lost everything, is the best place to make a new start. Armed with her newly earned degree in Historic Preservation from the College of Charleston she’s starting a new job and is eager to be a contributing member of society. Eager to prove her adult status she buys an Old Creole Cottage in need of some serious TLC but having lived in a historic Charleston home she’s well aware of all the pleasures and pitfalls of owning a historic house. When she starts ripping out walls Nola realizes there may be a ghost or two still inhabiting the premises, problem is that she can’t see dead people like her stepmom Melanie can. Fortunately, she knows a frenemy, a native New Orleanian who can, unfortunately they share a messy past and worse he had a front row seat to her fall from grace. Things start looking up when Nola reunites with her old roommate from Tulane, Jolene, also in the preservation business who just so happens to be looking for someone to room with and even better can hook Nola up with some local tradesmen, unfortunately she’s employed by Beau Ryan, the psychic frenemy who witnessed Nola’s fall. So now Nola has to decide has she come far enough to be able to ask Beau for help or will she let her insecurities get in the way.

A note to readers: this is a spin-off series to Karen White's Tradd Street novel series. While things that happened in the previous series are alluded to in this book, it does not ruin the book or leave the reader wondering if they missed something. I had not read the series but was able to enjoy the story. The novel focuses on Nola, a character from the Tradd Street series, has moved away from her family in South Carolina (Tradd Street) hoping for a fresh start in New Orleans. Nola falls in love with a fixer-upper house but the house comes with baggage- a murder mystery and ghosts who haunt the home. It also comes with a ghost from Nola's past- Beau Ryan, the owner of the home who refuses to sell her the house. Beau and Nola have history, which is resuscitated by this new encounter. Beau agrees to sell Nola the home, under the agreement that his company assist in the renovations. Throughout the process, Nola and Beau are determined to get to the bottom of the murder mystery still haunting the home, one that is connected to the mystery still haunting Beau- the disappearance of his sister, Sunny, right before Hurricane Katrina. While one mystery is solved, the book ends in a cliffhanger, leaving readers anxiously waiting for the next book in this new series.

The Shop on Royal Street is a spin-off series of Tradd Street. After reading the Tradd Street novels, I was interested to learn Nola’s fate. This novel is everything I wanted it to be in a Southern gothic novel. It has romance, mystery, and paranormal elements! The writing is one of the novel’s best features. Mrs. White has a talent for making New Orleans come alive. It is not only a spooky place but diverse with an old history. The characters are very lovable. The love triangle was very well-done. Nola’s suitors were very interesting. Therefore, this was a fun and quick read that is perfect for a dark and stormy night! I recommend this for fans of Simone St. James, Donna Tartt, and Dorothy Allison!

This is book 1 of a new series, Royal Street. It is a breakaway from Ms. White's Tradd Street series set in Charleston. In this book, Nola is returning to New Orleans and leaving the safe home of her Father and step-mother. She wants to buy a rundown old mansion that is haunted by several ghosts. Beau doesn't want to sell to Nola because she is sensitive to the ghosts. He has denied his gift for years and is afraid Nola will bring it out. A great start with a mix of new and old characters. Can't wait for the next installment but I'm a fan of most Karen White books. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First Karen White title I've ever read. Now I'm starting the House on Tradd street series so I can catch up on the back story. I loved it!

Nola had a hard childhood, so she decided to move to New Orleans and start over. She loves refurbishing houses and has found the perfect one. She can even afford it. But the owner doesn't want to sell it to her. It has a for sale sign out front. Why not sell it?
Net Galley and Berkley Books let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published March 29th.

She realizes that ghosts are in the house but she has decided to ignore them. As if having a dilapidated old house that needs to be refurbished isn't a big enough challenge, she has two men she's interested in.

She thinks she's falling in love with one but he has a girlfriend. Then the other man shows up and they have a lot in common. She starts dating him.

It's a challenge to get the ghosts to go away. She still isn't sure which man she really wants. But as she gets the house remodel going and then focuses on the men, she gets a surprise.

At the end of the book, there's another surprise...

Great new story building on previous characters. I'll admit I was sad to see the ending of the previous series, so I am very happy that the author has decided to bring the new generation to life. New ghosts, new mysteries, a new old house to rehabilitate... I am really looking forward to what happens next!

Author Karen White has added another page-turner to her repertoire of haunted houses and ghosts who won’t stay put in her latest book, “The Shop on Royal Street.”

White, who has written more 30 books, including the very successful haunted home Tradd Street Series, now has moved her spooky action from Charleston to New Orleans as we follow Nola Trenholm, who buys a Creole cottage that needs extensive work only to discover that some of the previous occupants are still living there — if living is the right term to apply to people who are dead.

But you can’t say Nola wasn’t warned. Her stepmother, who hears and sees ghosts like the rest of us see cars on the streets, tours the house with her before she signs the paperwork and suggests that it would be better to burn it down than then to move in.

As if that wasn’t enough of a warning, while they’re looking around there’s a sudden scream and an explosion of antique blue bottles — a seemingly spontaneous event with no possible explanation as to why it happened.

It turns out that the home was the scene of an unsolved murder, and to help her figure out what to do, Nola has to rely upon Beau Ryan, who can communicate with the spirits, something Nola unfortunately is unable to do. But Beau’s past is mysterious. His sister and parents disappeared during Hurricane Katrina and he is also connected to the murder that took place in Nola’s new home.

Nola has her own issues as well. A recent college graduate, like her parents she has addiction issues. Her father, Jack Trenholm, a best-selling novelist, has been able to overcome his demons, but her mother, a drug addict, didn’t.

White, who says she definitely believes in ghosts, has never seen one herself.

“And I’ve definitely put myself in places that are haunted,” she said.

Her grown son has and he is definitely not happy about it.

Is it hard to write about ghosts if you’ve never seen one, I ask White when we chat on the phone?

It turns out it is, since White never plans or plots her books, so what the characters say and do, whether they’re still alive or not, just flows as she writes.

Her human characters can be difficult and so can the spirits.

”I don’t use the ghosts to be scary, I use them as characters — it’s like having a neighbor,” she said. “I love how they tie in the past and the present and I love how they can be useful. Don’t we all wish we could ask for help from the other side?”

But, of course, she continues, ghosts can’t always express themselves any better than their human counterparts.

I could not have been more excited about this book since it was going to be a new spinoff series by one of my favorite authors. I have treasured the Tradd Street books and to know that this new series would feature Nola, the daughter of the main characters from the Tradd Street novels, in another historic locale New Orleans, I was hooked from the start.

The Shop on Royal Street is a wonderful kickoff to a new series that pays tribute to the Tradd Street series in its own way but certainly can be read as a stand alone or as a great entry point to Karen White's books. Set several years after the end of the Tradd Street series, Nola has returned to New Orleans with plans to purchase a historic home and restore it. She is ready for a fresh start and to leave her past troubles behind her. Not everyone is on board with Nola's decision to renovate and restore the home, particularly knowing that it was the site of a murder, but Nola is determined that this house is the perfect home for her. Her path crosses again with Beau Ryan, and much to Nola's frustration, she agrees to accept his help with the renovations. As the restoration progresses, so does the mystery surrounding the murder that occurred in the home. It will take both Nola and Beau along with help from some friends to set the restless spirits in the house free.

I loved many of the new cast of characters, particularly Jolene. I can't wait for more books in the series as the plot develops and the characters continue to grow.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley.

I an a huge Melanie Trenholm fan & have read all of the Tradd Street series. This newest series about Nola Trenholm is just as intoxicating and mysterious & I loved it too!!!!!!!!! I loved getting to know Nola on a more personal level and can't wait to find out what happens with her & all of her lovable friends!!!!!!

So I am totally biased. I love the Tradd Street series and have read the series multiple times.
This book is sort of a spin-off of the original series with the next generation of characters. It was just as fun and exciting as the other books in this series. I love the descriptions of the neighborhoods. I love the way the author makes the characters come alive with all their lovely quirks. And I love how there are stories within the stories which really draws you in.
You can't miss with this book. I would start at the beginning of the series and go right through. Although, you don't really need to know the prior stories to follow along on this series.
I can't wait for the next book!!!!

I enjoyed the creepy house vibes and the paranormal activity that took place! I loved Nola’s determination and independent attitude to leave her past behind and the fact that she wasn’t scared to move forward (or scared of the creepy house 😵‍💫😵‍💫) . Jolene, Nola’s friend was my favorite character! I became engaged to figure out why there were spirits in the house and felt part of Nola’s mission to bring light to the past.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
The setup for a new series. Likeable characters and ghosts. Plot that keeps you guessing. A little disjointed but that might even out in the editing. Promising new series.

3.5 stars

Loved this new series by Karen White featuring a character from a previous series, Tradd Street. The book follows a familiar formula, as far as characters and just a hint of mystery and the supernatural - but not enough to scare you. Nola is our main character, along with sidekick Jolene, her kooky new roommate. Nola must figure out what the ghosts are trying to tell her in this series, and although the story starts off slow, it definitely picks up the pace towards the end, and leaves us with the segueway into the next book. Another great read by Karen White, looking forward to the next in the series.

Karen White returns with a new series based on my favorite Tradd Street series and I'm in love. Bravo - it's so hard to infuse a new series with the same enthusiasm and flair. I'm so happy to have this new series to look forward to.