Witches of Bourbon Street

Jade Calhoun #2

by Deanna Chase

Jade Calhoun was never fond of her empath abilities. Now she’s discovered she has another gift she’d rather not unwrap—magic. But when her mentor, Bea, becomes gravely ill and insists Jade’s the only one who can help, she’s forced to embrace her witchy side.

It’s too bad she spent a decade shunning the magical community and never learned to harness her powers. Because time’s run out. A trapped spirit has revealed a clue to Jade’s long-lost mother. The resident angel has gone rogue and disappeared with Jade’s boyfriend, Kane. And if that wasn’t enough, her ex appears to be possessed.

To save any of them, Jade will need to find a way to control her inner white witch—without succumbing to black magic. Otherwise, she’ll lose everything…including her soul.

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Mystery, Witches

274 pages, ebook

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

Deanna is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana. When she isn't writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two shih tzu dogs, making glass beads, or out hocking her wares at various bead shows across the country. For more information and updates on newest releases visit her blog at www.deannachase.com.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witches of Bourbon Street
By Deanna Chase
This continues the story of Jade but this time instead of ghosts she is dealing with witches and a demon. (She still has a ghost dog that barks but only she hears him him😁.)
An intriguing plot and characters.

[Alexandria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, this was such a bad book. Such a very, very bad book.

After giving the first installment a good rating, I had high hopes that the second installment would be better or at least just as good.

Oh how utterly wrong I was.

Jade managed to annoy me from the first page to the last. She consistently fucks things up throughout the book with a "whoopsies, my bad" type of attitude. And her constant whining made me want to kill her myself. I've never seen a main character whine so much throughout the course of a second installment as much as Jade did.

Also, her relationship with Kane is so...weak. That is the only word I can think to describe it. Besides them having a blatant sexual attraction for each other, there seems to be no other substance to their relationship. You can usually get away with tricks like this in the first novel, but not so much in the second.

And last, but certainly not least, this book was so full rainbows, and sunshine, and love will conquer all moments that I started to have sailor moon flashbacks.



I hope the third installment will redeem this series. I hope it's awesome and that Jade becomes a witch bad ass. But truly? I don't see that happening. 2 stars.

[Debbie "Buried in Her TBR Pile" · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Own in: Jade Calhoun Series Boxed Set (Books 1-3)
Better than book 1 - the Jade (h, empath, white witch), Meri (demon), Lailah (angel) battle is pretty epic. I read book 3 immediately after this one. Book 2 is the best in this set. See highlights in boxed set review Jade Calhoun Series Boxed Set (Books 1-3)

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witches of Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase is a 2013 Bayou Moon Publishing release. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


This second book in the Jade Calhoun series has Jade discovering that no matter how hard she tries, she can no longer run from her paranormal abilities.
When a group of portraits shows up at the club owned by her boyfriend, Kane, Jade has a reaction to them which gives her the idea her mother, who disappeared ages ago, could be trapped in one of the portraits. Not only that, Bea, Jade's mentor is ill and only Jade can help her, and Dan, her ex-boyfriend is exhibiting signs of a possession.

This is a fast paced adventure for Jade and her boyfriend and all the other colorful cast of characters. Trapped spirits, black magic, demons, and a rogue angel all play a role in Jade's uncovering the mystery of her mother's disappearance. The situation with Bea will open the door for Jade that she has fought tooth and nail to keep firmly closed. But, there are just some things about ourselves that we just can't ignore no matter how badly we may wish to.
The only problem I had with this installment was that at times it got a little too “busy” . Too many characters were involved at one time, causing me to have to really slow down and pay attention to what each one was up to so I didn't miss something important.
All of the loose ends were tied up except for one and I believe we will have to wait to see how that all pans out in the future, but we do know Jade's life will take on a new dimension from here on out. Book three is sure to be very interesting indeed. 3.5 rounded to 4

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witches of Bourbon Street is a fast-paced read, heavy on plot, but slacking in depth. There is a lot going on in the second installment of the Jade Calhoun series. The pages are packed full of rip-roaring paranormal catastrophe, which will whip you through New Orleans at record speed. Considering the location of the story, I would have preferred if more attention were given to setting and characterization. There are some complex struggles taking place and at times, it felt too glazed over. I think this had to do more with the pacing than anything else for me--the reader is literally taken to Hell and back in 48 hours. Well, we don't actually get to go, but the characters are sucked in and out...everyone from witches to angels, to the average guy. Despite missing a beat on dimensional depth, Deanna Chase still delivers a fun, quick read crammed with magical happenings. For those who prefer plot-driven YA paranormal, you'll likely enjoy this tour of New Orleans.

[(NurseLisa) Square Granny from Ohio · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars....listened via audible. Narrator not bad but I thought the book kinda dragged at times but the overall storyline is a decent one. I'll likely read or listen to book three eventually. Not jumping up & down but I really like paranormal stories & the battle of good versus evil (white magic versus black magic) is always intriguing to me. I'm guessing READING would be a much better experience for me personally so I could create my own version of the intense & steamy scenes in my own words, so to speak. Sometimes being guided by a narrator that isn't fabulous kinda takes something away from the story for me; it's a little distracting for me anyhow. Idk, maybe I'm just rambling due to the recent surgery & prescription medications?! ;P
I'll hush up now. :-)
Cheers!
Lisa (@NurseLisainOhio)

[Aditi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had the same problem with this book that I had with the last book. There was a lot going on magically. Jade is an empath but also a white witch, her boyfriend is a dream walker. Lailah is an angel and a witch, Dan might be possessed, Gwen is a psychic, Ian is a ghost Hunter and this book has demons. Really throw in a vampire and a werewolf and you will have the whole gamut.

Jade is whiny and complaining. I know she hasn't had a relationship except Dan but one minute she can read Kane's aura and it says he loves her deeply, the next minute she is angry because she thinks he is cheating on her and the third minute she believes him again that he was manipulated.

I dislike her so will definitely not continue the series.

[The Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually better than the first one in the series.

[BrandyD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun series!

[BookWormAli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 star book.

This book continues with Jade Calhoun and her love interest Kane dealing with the after-effects from the first book. I enjoyed seeing a softer side of the characters and the more rounding our of the secondary characters including Payton and Ian.

I was glad to get answers to Dan and his mystery and the ending involving him was unexpected and heart breaking. I am hoping he gets happiness and While I love Kat I'm hoping she finds happiness elsewhere.

Watching Jade deal with her past and the mysteries therein was interesting. I felt slightly like Ian at times where it was aggravating o see her shun it so much but with her past it was also understandable.

All in all it had good meat to it and kept my interest.

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Witches of Bourbon Street" is book two of the "Jade Calhoun" series, and it was an enjoyable story. I like how Jade is learning more and more about her empath abilities and that she has a little more happening. She finds herself in the middle of some things going on, and she needs to figure out who is behind it and what she needs to do to help out. I enjoy how all of the characters work together to figure things out. Deanna does a fabulous job writing in the Paranormal world. My favorite scene was when Jade saw Dan's car, and she wanted to check something out in it.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: Witches of Bourbon Street (Jade Calhoun Novel #2)

Author: Deanna Chase

Published By: Bayou Moon Publishing

Genre: Supernatural

Recommended Age: +18

Reviewed By: Emily Tuley / AngelsCryHavoc

Blog Reviewed For: Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community

Rating: 5 Ravens


Deanna Chase really pleased me with her first book on this series so much so that when I heard of this second book and that there was a chance to read it out there I went on the hunt to find it. When I did I was so pleased to find that I was not going to be disappointed. Though it has it’s spots of romance the scenes are always tastefully done and leave one waiting for the next, but the book does not just revolve around that. Something that to many supernatural romance books have a tendency to do they often just loose sight of the concept that they first start with and leave you wondering what the point of it all was. This is why I rave about this author she has yet to do this to me and makes me keep turning the pages. I stay up at night when I start her novels just to finish them. For that I have to thank her.

We pick up in this book a time later after the first book of Jade , she’s still going strong with Kane and she’s happy, Bea has started trying to train her in the white magic after finding out that Jade is a very strong white witch. It would be a lot easier if Jade would just give in and learn instead of being so adamant of hating magic and wanting nothing to do with it. She has a good reason for her hatred but it’s something she’s faced with getting over especially if she wants to save her family, friends and life once again as Jade has a run in with Meri a demon that’s hell bent on revenge and doesn’t care who she uses or who gets in her way.

Once again Deanna Chase has out done herself and I can not wait for the next book in this series and just how it will play out.

[Donna (BLHmistress) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jade wants nothing to do with her gift or with being a witch. To her all its done was give her heartache. But when her friend ends up very ill and Kane disappears she has no choice but to embrace it.

I enjoyed the first book so much I went and bought books two and three even before finishing the first. Sometimes it's a roll of the dice when it comes to the follow-up to a great book. I am happy to say this one didn't disappoint. Though a couple characters angered me just a little bit, Jade being one of them. All and all by the end I was pretty happy with all of them.

Though there wasn't much hot smexy action, that didn't deter from making this an enjoyable read. The action was nonstop from beginning to end. And it left me guessing all the way to the very end.

I definitely will be diving into the third book asap. I definitely recommend this book to all paranormal lovers out there. If you haven't read the first book, Haunted on Bourbon Street check it out its FREE. I promise you, you will want to continue on..

[Mary Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I had to summarize this book (maybe the series so far) in one word, the word I would use is exhausting.

There is fast-paced, and then there is this series. My impression seems to be that everything is plot. Everything is action. Each chapter is kind of a whiplash: we're driving there, and then we're splitting up and Jade is going here, and then there. Half of the dialogue is filling in people who were not in the previous scene to let them know what happened. What's lacking is any sort of character development, unless it's about how that character feels about Jade (and vice versa). I almost can't make an evaluation about any of the characters because I just don't know enough about them. Granted, it's a series, and there are a lot of characters, but I would hope to know something more substantial about some of them by now.

The plot itself, while intensely active, is not actually super clear to me. It might be clear to the author (I should hope so), but I sort of felt in the dark about certain parts of the plot, and since Jade miraculously understood everything, there was no explanation to the reader. Granted, that can be difficult to communicate to the audience in an engaging way. Dialogue with other characters is typically a great way to do so, and there is plenty of dialogue, but what's there isn't really substantial.

Of all the characters, the only one with any redeeming qualities is Kat (and possibly Gwen; haven't seen enough of her yet). Her very presence in the book shows just how awful everyone else is. Kat is Jade's best friend, and she acts like it. Kat respects people's boundaries. When Jade says she doesn't want to get involved in white magic, it's a non-starter for her (as opposed to Pyper and Lailah [although it's hard to tell where Lailah starts and Meri ends, in this book]). She also knows her own boundaries, when all the events are just too much for her. The only hold-up there might be is that she dated Dan after he and Jade broke up, but she's not wrong: she doesn't need Jade's permission. She's an adult, and even Jade agrees that Dan was a decent guy, even with the breakup.

On the topic of Kat, Dan, and Jade, there has still been no solid explanation of their history. This could have been a conversation between Kat and Jade. It could have been a conversation between Jade and Kane (more about that later), with Jade telling Kane more about her history because he is the love of her life. You do find out that Jade (and the other two?) were in a foster home and that the foster dad sexually assaulted Jade, and that Dan protected Jade and was beat up in the process. But Kat often implies that there is a long-standing strong bond between the three of them, and she demonstrates that by caring deeply for both Jade and Dan.

Moving on to Jade and Kane. Literally all we see about them is that they are constantly having sex. And when Kane dreamwalks her, they... continue having sex. (AND NO FUN DESCRIPTIONS, EITHER.) I am all for having a healthy sexual component to a relationship. The issue is that all we see is the sex, and apparently these folks have a love affair of the ages. We don't see them do literally anything else. Jade's impulsivity shines in her interactions with Kane. When things start to go poorly in the plot, she is pretty hostile and refuses to believe Kane. It might be in part due to her sudden inability to read him as an empath, but girl, get it together. Kane himself says the right things. "We need to communicate. Can you not run away from me? Can you not risk your life to protect me?" And Jade herself is pretty honest in her responses. But saying that you won't just run away from your partner without having a conversation means you shouldn't be in a relationship. Kane himself is not a bad person, although he's a bit contradictory. On the one hand, he understands (and supports) Jade's initial plan to stay far, far away from witchcraft, but he still calls her a little witch. He also seems to think it's completely okay to let himself into Jade's apartment whenever he wants (and that was before they started dating, when he was just the landlord), so that's pretty not cool with me. To his credit, he fully supports her (and Pyper), even when he disagrees with what they're doing.

Jade herself is pretty intensely unlikeable. She doesn't seem like that great of a friend, partner, or family member to anyone. She is intensely reckless, demonstrated by the fact that she seems to always be falling over or completely disregarding orders. And you could make the argument that she's doing what she can to protect the people around her, but she's doing so in a totally irresponsible manner, seemingly ignoring the fact that her actions impact absolutely everyone around her. Her reaction to seeing Lailah make out with Kane is to strangle Lailah. EVEN IF Lailah and Kane were genuine in that scene, Jade's reaction is to turn to assault, and that's completely unacceptable.

I can understand Jade's desire to not deal with witchcraft, and she grudgingly gets into it because she really has no choice. That she suddenly becomes the coven leader (and we finally see the coven, good Lord) is weird, because she can't really control her abilities and doesn't know the spells. But she's selected because suddenly she's the most powerful white witch ever, which makes me feel so instantly done with this series. The only reason this works at all is because Bea is still alive to mentor her. What the hell would she do if Bea had died? Her introduction to the coven is pretty disastrous. Were I a member of the coven, I would have some serious misgivings with both Bea and Jade as a result of this book.

Slight upside: Duke the ghost golden retriever is still there. OOF turned into a downside: all Jade does is yell at Duke.

--

At some point I purchased the first three books as a bundle, so I have the third book to read. But I need a break.

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

"My mother mysteriously disappearead. I have this terrible gift. My ex is bound to a witch and the pair of them kidnapped me for any number of unknown reasons. My boyfriend was making out with a so-called-angel bitch. And a spirit trapped in a ridiculous papier-maché portrait, claims if I set her free, she can lead me to my mother."

Jade's words at one point summarize what's going on in this book. But there's more.

Sadly, this book didn't appeal to me as much as the previous one. I'm not a big fan of witches and spells and this book had a lot of both.

However, it doesn't mean I'm not interested in the series anymore.

[Laurielu Bona Fide Reflections · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - This story is filled with heartwarming friends who battle with the evil of a demon who is bent on destroying many lives. However, this book had some very frustrating moments for me regarding the main character - Jade - and her mentor, Bea. My frustration was mainly with Jade's hard-headedness and her lack of finesse. However, the book was still a good read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Elizabeth Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd never read anything by this author before. I was so pleased to find a new author with a wonderful gift of story telling. This book is really good, as was the first in the series. I really like the characters, especially Kane, and the storylines are intriguing. This series is well worth reading.

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I let too much time come between books. I felt lost for a good portion of the book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good but it took a while to really get into.

I did enjoy this in the end though and will continue this story on

[Aisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very cartoony, and multiple characters keep getting hurt and fainting, not fun :)

[Judy Ferrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding mom.

Jade learns the ways of the white witch to find her mom and ends in a battle with a demon. These books by Deanna Chase take you to the paranormal rich area of New Orleans. There you could met anything and everything. I enjoy them tremendously!

[April K Rohrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun series, and it’s Halloween season and I love New Orleans. Don’t judge me. 🤣

[Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

**** 5 Cranky Stars ****



Jade Calhoun was never fond of her empath abilities. Now she's discovered she has another gift she'd rather not unwrap--magic. When her mentor, Bea, becomes gravely ill and insists Jade's the only one who can help, she's forced to embrace her witchy side.



It's too bad she spent a decade shunning the magical community and never learned to harness her powers. Because time's run out. A trapped spirit has revealed a clue to Jade's long-lost mother. The resident angel has gone rogue and disappeared with Jade's boyfriend, Kane. If that wasn't enough, her ex appears to be possessed.



To save any of them, Jade will need to find a way to control her inner white witch--without succumbing to black magic. Otherwise, she'll lose everything...including her soul.



Jade Calhoun is finally going to embrace her witchy side to save her friend and mentor Bea. Problem is that she's turned her back on all things magical since her mom disappeared during a blood spell invoked by her mothers coven. Now in order to save not only her mentor but her boyfriend and mom too she has to embrace her inner spark and let the magic fly.



In this second installment of the series Jade has to "Witch up" and learn how to use her magic. While most witches have time to learn how to harness their spark Jade gets a crash course in magic 101. Time has run out and she needs to save her new found family and not lose her soul in the process.



This series has me hooked. The characters are clearly developed and likable. Even though Jade is a powerful witch she still shows emotions like jealousy, love and sadness and compassion.



This series was the perfect read to kick off the Halloween season.

[Annette Dahl "Old Vicarious Reader" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 was kind of slow until chapter 13, then it took off with nonstop witchery. Although, Jade kept ticking me off this was still a great story. Kane, oh how I loved his character. And, poor Dan! Oops!

I’m not sure if I'll proceed with the series, but I do love the author's writing style. Great read.

[Liz Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great light reading

The characters are so delightful! They look, feel, and (almost are) normal, but the mixture of magic, angelic lore, and untrained power floating around gives rise to a fun tale about a group of people learning how to open to love and to let go of hate.

[Jojo29 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again another great book in this series, enjoying the series very much

[Nicole Green · Rating 1 out of 5]

YUK. Over dose of teenage angst applied to adult characters. Really bad

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well book two keeps you hopping, already on three to see how the story continues. I want to see how Jade continue to grow in power and Gwen is an absolute hoot.

[Doha Koma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didnt care for the characters nor the plot.

[Lis Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jade Calhoun is a powerful empath, and witches she knows tell her that she's a powerful white witch, too. She steadfastly denies it, because she blames witchcraft for the loss of her mother when she was just twelve years old. Jade has a point; her mother vanished during a coven ritual. The head of her mother's coven then gave the extremely distressed Jade a spelled herbal drink that sent her to sleep for two days. She woke up in a hospital, where this was diagnosed as a psychological reaction, not a result of a drug.

But Jade is now living in New Orleans, and has a boyfriend (Kane) who's a sleepwalker, a friend (Ian) who's a ghost hunter, an acquaintance (Lailah) who's a minor angel, and of course Ian's Aunt Bea, who is the leader of the local coven. When Bea and Lailah tell her she's a powerful white witch, it's harder to ignore. Yet she still blames witchcraft for her mother's loss, and is determined to have no part of it.

Except now Bea is ill due to a magical attack in this group's previous adventure. Jade's ex-boyfriend, Dan, is acting odd even for Dan, more actively dangerous than he's ever been. Some strange portraits have turned up in Kane's nightclub, Wicked, that contained the trapped spirits of two witches and an angel--and the angel is Fallen, and now a demon.

At every turn, there are problems for which the solution lies through the powers Jade would rather deny, and has always refused to be trained.

As Jade reluctantly learns to use her powers, she's confronting powerful enemies, and facing confusing and infuriating events--such as Lailah sleepwalking into her and Kane's dreams, and leading him away.

Whose side is Lailah on?

And when Jade learns it may be possible to rescue her mother from where she has been imprisoned in another dimension, she starts taking some dangerous risks.

The character development is good, and satisfying, even if some of the plot development is a bit shaky and repetitive.

Enjoyable.

I bought this audiobook.