#Review: River Road by Suzanne Johnson - 5 Wine Glasses

Title: River Road
Series: Sentinels of New Orleans #2
Author: Suzanne Johnson
Format: ebook, 336 pages
Published: November 13th 2012 by Tor Books
ISBN: 1429948000
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Library
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

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.

Linda's Thoughts: 
“Jean Laffite was a sexy bad boy with a gentleman's manners and an air of barely suppressed danger. Every girl's secret dreamboat in other words. We always say we want a nice, hardworking, decent guy but we're lying to ourselves. " - DJ Jaco

RIVER ROAD by Suzanne Johnson is the fun, fast-paced second book in the author's Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series teeming with wizards, mermen and dead pirates. Even though this is the second installment in the series, it can be fully enjoyed as a standalone. Indeed, my introduction to this series was with ELYSIAN FIELDS, the third book. I was quickly hooked and now I've read books one, ROYAL STREET, and two, RIVER ROAD. PIRATE'S ALLEY, book four, releases April 21, 2015 and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I'm totally addicted to the author's historical setting, fantasy and characters. I love that these books are set in New Orleans and its surrounding parishes. Through-out the series, the author treats the reader to glimpses into the city’s rich history which I find utterly fascinating.

RIVER ROAD picks up where ROYAL STREET left off. True Blood's half-fae Sookie Stackhouse has some serious competition in the magical kickass department from her nearby neighbor, wizard sentinel Drusilla Jaco, aka DJ. DJ is the star of this series. She's genuine, spirited and wonderfully witchy. She's a novice Green Congress sentinel in post-Katrina New Orleans and, because she's new, has been paired with sexy shape-shifter enforcer, Alex. Their job is to keep humans unaware of the preternaturals and undead who, since Katrina, can now freely move between the Beyond to present day and to keep peace between the paranormal creatures. All the primary characters from the first book came back for this one. Pirate Jean Lafitte is one of the preternaturals; He's adapting well to modern day, learning to drive a car and to use a telephone - which is not necessarily good news.

Seriously, there's not a dull moment in this tale! Two Green Congress wizards have gone missing; the Mermen are threatening war, and something is poisoning the waters of the great Mississippi. Merman Rene and Pirate Jean have too many shady business dealings to count. DJ finds that the less she knows, the better off she is. But, the Elders aren't happy with DJ's methods; They are putting a huge amount of pressure on her to get the situation fixed sooner rather than later. That's a tall order!

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes:

“I’ll do most of the talking,” Alex said. “But don’t be afraid to ask Melinda Hubert questions-trust your instincts.”
My instincts said to stay home and let him handle it. “So, will we play good cop/bad cop? I want to be the bad cop. I’m not the warm. nurturing type.”
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Really?”
Jerk. “So what should I do?”
“Stop watching cop shows for one.”
---

Strong hands slipped over her shoulders as Alex joined us, standing so close, I could feel his body heat radiating up my back….He squeezed my shoulders a little hard for it to be a show of solidarity. I’d probably have bruises. He was marking his territory.
---

Describing Jean Lafitte: He’s violent and unpredictable. He hit you once-hard. Oh, sure he saved your life later but it was in his best interests. Plus, you have absolutely no common sense where he is concerned, and we won’t even mention the dead thing.

With non-stop action, baffling mysteries and captivating characters, this book riveted my attention from the beginning to the end. I highly recommend not only this book, but this whole series to anyone who loves the HBO series, True Blood; to anyone that enjoys stories set in the Mississippi bayous; and to anyone that loves uniquely original paranormals.