Elysian Fields by Suzanne Johnson

Author: Suzanne Johnson
Title:Elysian Fields Sentinels of New Orleans Book #3

Publication: August 13. 2013

Publisher: Tor Books

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Pages: 352

Audience: 18 and up

Rating: 5 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from the goodreads.com): An undead serial killer comes for DJ in this thrilling third installment of Suzanne Johnson’s Sentinels of New Orleans series.
The mer feud has been settled, but life in South Louisiana still has more twists and turns than the muddy Mississippi. 
New Orleanians are under attack from a copycat killer mimicking the crimes of a 1918 serial murderer known as the Axeman of New Orleans. Thanks to a tip from the undead pirate Jean Lafitte, DJ Jaco knows the attacks aren’t random—an unknown necromancer has resurrected the original Axeman of New Orleans, and his ultimate target is a certain blonde wizard. Namely, DJ.
Combating an undead serial killer as troubles pile up around her isn’t easy. Jake Warin’s loup-garou nature is spiraling downward, enigmatic neighbor Quince Randolph is acting weirder than ever, the Elders are insisting on lessons in elven magic from the world’s most annoying wizard, and former partner Alex Warin just turned up on DJ’s to-do list. Not to mention big maneuvers are afoot in the halls of preternatural power.

My thoughts:
I love this series. I managed to find this at work on the new book shelf. I have fellow co-worker who I introduced the series to, who was not too pleased that I managed to find the book first. After being called a cow (in a joking manner), I managed to finish the book in three days to pass it on to the co-worker. This book series is good enough to have someone call you a cow for getting your hands on it first! 
Okay, y'all this book was unbelievable. I have no nice way to put it, but crap hit the fan in this book. Everything that could possibly go wrong, went wrong! So there was plenty of laughter, gasping, and oh no's! It became evident that some annoying characters are there to stay, unfortunately. Some new ones have imbedded themselves in the unfortunate circumstances, others are unsure of how to handle things now, and it is just a very emotional mess. If Miss Drusilla was my friend, I would buy he cartons on Ben and Jerry's every night and pat her on the back while she told me everything. It is just a mess, but this chick is a tough one, so she will fight back and in the right manner (albeit some illegal magic may occur).  If you have no read this series, go to your library and (kindly) demand that they purchase it, go interlibrary loan it, or even buy it through Amazon! It is so worth it!

 

River Road by Suzanne Johnson

Author: Suzanne Johnson
Title: River Road: Sentinels of New Orleans #2

Publication: November 13,2012

Publisher: Tor Books

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery

Pages: 336

Audience: 18 and up

Rating: 5 out of 5

Source: Inter Library Loan (Public Library)

Synopsis (from the Goodreads.com): Hurricane Katrina is long gone, but the preternatural storm rages on in New Orleans. New species from the Beyond moved into Louisiana after the hurricane destroyed the borders between worlds, and it falls to wizard sentinel Drusilla Jaco and her partner, Alex Warin, to keep the preternaturals peaceful and the humans unaware. But a war is brewing between two clans of Cajun merpeople in Plaquemines Parish, and down in the swamp, DJ learns, there’s more stirring than angry mermen and the threat of a were-gator.

Wizards are dying, and something—or someone—from the Beyond is poisoning the waters of the mighty Mississippi, threatening the humans who live and work along the river. DJ and Alex must figure out what unearthly source is contaminating the water and who—or what—is killing the wizards. Is it a malcontented merman, the naughty nymph, or some other critter altogether? After all, DJ’s undead suitor, the pirate Jean Lafitte, knows his way around a body or two.

It’s anything but smooth sailing on the bayou as the Sentinels of New Orleans series continues.

My thoughts:
This is a series where each book gets better and better. I really enjoyed the last book, but this one was just as enjoyable. I love how the books are a paranormal mystery. I like to try to figure out who the murderer is. There are also new creatures involved in the story. Merpeople, nymphs, a loup garou, and a possible were-gator siting. There was a lot going on in this book, but it wasn't overwhelming it just kept the storyline flowing. All my favorite characters were back. There were some new characters thrown into the mix and a few that were taken too soon. I try to solve the mystery as I go along. However, this story kept me guessing until it was obvious who the bad guy was. Also, the ending was a bit of a romantic cliff hanger. As soon as I finished, I flipped to page for more. When I realized that was the end I started shouting, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! You cannot do this to me!" My fiance' thought I was hurt so he came running to my aid. 
So if you want a wonderfully written paranormal mystery, this book series is worth a try. Elysian Fields is the third book of the series and came out on August 13. I've contacted my local library and have asked them to please purchase the new one. I wait cannot to read it!

Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

Author: Suzanne Johnson
Title:Royal Street Sentinels of New Orleans #1

Publication: April 10, 2012

Publisher: Tor Books

Genre: Adult, Paranormal, Mystery

Pages: 336

Audience: 18 and up

Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):
As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla Jaco’s job involves a lot more potion-mixing and pixie-retrieval than sniffing out supernatural bad guys like rogue vampires and lethal were-creatures. DJ's boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the city from anyone or anything that might slip over from the preternatural beyond.

Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans’ fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters.

While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the Otherworld crumbled. Now, the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering the soldiers sent to help the city recover.

To make it worse, Gerry has gone missing, the wizards’ Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ’s new partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and for the serial killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love creates one bitter gumbo

Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans’ fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters.

While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the Otherworld crumbled. Now, the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering the soldiers sent to help the city recover.

To make it worse, Gerry has gone missing, the wizards’ Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ’s new partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and for the serial killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love creates one bitter gumbo.

My thoughts:

 I thoroughly enjoyed this book . I had a tough time starting the novel, but once I got into it, I really had fun reading it. The characters were perfect southerners. I could replace the characters with people I know, except for the paranormal/fantasy part. I really liked DJ. She is a skilled wizard who loves New Orleans and Cheetos. I could relate to her- on the Cheetos part. Haha! Anyway, her relationship with her partner, Alex is hilarious and frustrating. At one point I was laughing so hard I snorted, fell over in the bed and died laughing. It took me a full two to three minutes to regain my composure to continue the story. There is enough spooky elements, hilarious moments, and realistic, and sad moments to keep the book entertaining and easy to relate to. The book really painted an image of New Orleans and made me want to visit NOLA more than ever. So if you're into the fantasy/paranormal genre or not- give it a try! There are two more books that are out in the series. The library I use does not have them, but I hope to get my hands them on it soon!