1140 Rue Royale

by Karen D. Badger

Lia and Elliot are research scientists in New York City. Having met twenty-two years earlier, their lives have fallen into a ‘taken-for-granted’ daily routine. They agree to begin again in New Orleans,not only to further their careers, but to renew their relationship, away from the hustle and bustle of big city life in New York. While house-hunting, they can’t believe their luck when they find an historical mansion in the French Quarter of New Orleans, securing the home for much less than appraised value. Not long after moving in, they find out why their new home was such a bargain as a series of horrid events takes over their lives, and they learn the terrifying truth about 1140 Rue Royale.

Genres: Paranormal, Mystery

375 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2016

About the author

Karen D. Badger, better known to her online fans as "kd bard," was born in Vermont at the end of the Hippie era. She is the second of five children and was raised by a divorced mother, who to this day remains one of her best friends. Karen graduated from college in 1978 with a B.A. in Drama. Later, she returned to school and in 1994 earned a B.S. in Mathematics. She currently works as an Engineer in the semiconductor field, and fills her spare time with writing, family and friends.

Reviews

[Loek Krancher]

A thrilling, poignant and gripping story!

I was completely lost in this book and it was hard to put it down. It's the most powerful and moving book that I've read in a long while. Several passages brought tears to my eyes and left me with chills. The author brings the history, the place and the people alive. You can feel the horrific atmosphere which surrounded the main characters. I love the addition of the detailed drawings of the haunted grand mansion. You know exactly where every room is located. This is such a fantastic book. It always leaves you wondering what's going to happen next. This story has it all: the macabre aspects of slavery, history, mystery, suspense, horror, action, love and amazing enchanting well-developed characters. I know I can't do justice to this book in my review, so I'll keep it short. You'll have to read it for yourself. Thanks Karen Badger for this excellent piece of work. I want to experience this again and I'm going to re-read this a.s.a.p.

[Ocean .]

Based on true events of a house in New Orleans where abusive slave owners tortured slaves in the 1800’s, this is a well written, well researched, modern day ghost story. The characters are believable, and the story filled with intrigue, mystery, and suspense. Just the kind of book I love to read. As with many works of historical fiction, the topic is disturbing, however, I felt the story was handled with sensitivity and empathy toward those who may remain nameless yet suffered horribly under the abuse of monsters in a position of power two hundred years ago. This helps to give the forgotten a voice and tells their side of the story. This book is worthy of the GCLS Literary Award it received. Ms. Badger hit a home run with this one.

[Velvet Lounger]

4.5

This is an interesting and unusual book, based on a horrible period of history, brought to life by the impact on two likeable and loveable modern women.

Two scientists, together over twenty years, living in NYC, and like many long term relationships they have stopped paying attention, work has taken over, the relationship is drifting. Confronted with a stark choice to sort herself out, Elliot vows to put her wife first, and when Lia is offered a dream jon in New Orleans, they decide to take a leap and start afresh.

House hunting very quickly leads them to 1140 Rue Royale, a fully furnished 10,000 square foot French Quarter Mansion with an affordable price tag. They soon start to find out why the house has changed hands so many times, why the locals wont go near it, and why it is considered the most haunted house in New Orleans.

I don’t usually read ghost stories, but this one grabbed me and pulled me right in. The historical facts are gruesome and the impact on the modern residents hair-raising at times. The book is not particularly fast paced but it pulls you along with an inexorable cadence towards the climax.

Cleverly juxtaposing the family ties of Lia with the slightly butch/alpha dominance of Eliot gives a balance to the narrative of then and now, both unknowingly involved and threatened by evil. As the story progresses the past characters and present situation gradually slot into place weaving an extremely clever pattern of connection.

The characters of Lia and Eliot are excellently drawn, likeable and loveable in their own ways, certainly we cannot help but root for them to survive this ordeal. Aided and abetted by their best friends Marissa and Julie and a couple of locals, the close nit group need to listen to an irritating but adorable cat to solve the primary mystery and we, the readers, can see that Miss Thing is far more important than the humans realise.

I have to admit I didn't think the suspense element of the funeral was needed, this book oozes suspense throughout without contriving it, but that didn't detract from what was an excellent and intriguing story, well told, cleverly brought to life, and ultimately a story of hope and redemption from the past.

Definitely one for the re-read pile and a highly recommended - which is high praise from somebody who doesn’t do ‘the paranormal' and has little cultural connection to the slave history of New Orleans.



[Crystal Romero]

1140 Rue Royal is was an excellent read! The characters were fresh and alive and the dialogue was exquisitely placed. The descriptive writing pulled me into the scenes that by the time I finished the story I was left feeling as if I visited a part of New Orleans. When reading the book there were times when I was absolutely terrified and needed to pull away. However I found myself quickly going back to finish this intriguing story of a haunted house and the people and ghosts that inhabit it. From the spooky mansion to the apparitions, author Karen Badger’s novel perfectly ties in the elements of mystery and horror to create a modern Gothic tale. I highly recommend it to horror fans!

[Heidi]

Not a huge fan of paranormal, but this is the second Karen Badger book I’ve read in this genre and liked. The fact that it has some factual history to its plot is fun. Not that the fact is good. It’s actually horrific and sad. I am would read another paranormal by Ms Badger, she tells a great story.

[susan]

Holy cow

I have say is holy cow..lol this book had me looking out my windows and jumping at little noise. I loved the storyline of the house getting the history of it was great. I had this book done in two days. It was an easy read not fast, but not slow either. The characters were real. I was sad and nervous at the same time. If you like storylines like this...This is the book for you. I am definitely adding this one to my paperback collection. I definitely recommend this book.

[Ambre]

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
TW: graphic depictions of slavery, abuse, and murder of Black people

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about white folks writing stories from a Black person's point of view because I feel like we just don't have the cultural background necessary to build rich characters that aren't stereotypes. Plus, Black people don't need us to tell their stories. On the other hand, people of all races are free to write about pretty much whatever they want... And the author seems to have done their research, which is always appreciated, even if it's a fictional story based on real people, places, and events.

I do, however, enjoy a good ghost story, and this lived up to expectations in that regard. I liked that there were images to provide you with an idea of what the house and cemetery looked like. It made it more real and easier to visualize.

I felt like the women in this book were strongly written. The reconnection of a couple in a long-term relationship really struck a chord with me because I've been there, although I felt it was resolved quite quickly, as were a few other sticky situations. But I enjoyed watching them deal with all the (horrific) situations they were faced with and growing stronger together. And the ending was a nice twist. 😉

[Michael Wells]

Land Elliot were to researchers to where the opportunity for jobs in the world lands. They moved from New York City to New Orleans and we’re looking for a house. They decided on the house at 1140 Rue Royals. The part of the story is that the house is haunted and because in the 1830s a masters in master totally abuse their slaves and killed them. Lia and Elliot found out that the house was haunted and from there the story begins. A trigger know there are some very graphic details about the killing and torture that when I am in this house. This is a great story with great characters I really hold my attention. I would recommend this book for those who like lesbian romance and haunted houses.

[Mx Phoebe]

Merging the horrific past of New Orleans with a simple action in today’s world makes the story flare to life. Ghosting intersectionality is real. A great deal of discussion about this sociological theory was revived when Toni Morrison’s Beloved came out. The blood that is spilled lasts for generations and can echo in their descendants' lives.

1140 Rue Royale is definitely one to read with the lights on (laugh). Add this story to your Halloween collection and you won’t regret it.

Check out the rest of my review at Phoebe's Randoms. Link in bio.

[J H]

Wlw retelling of the famous haunting

TRIGGER WARNINGS: flashbacks of slave torture in the South, violence

Either I read this book back when it was originally published, or I read a completely different version of it (hetero?) some years ago. I enjoyed it both times, with the exception of the horrific torture that the ghost(s) revealed. Great paranormal/horror read.

[MizLiz]

An excellent, well written story, that keeps one enthralled with the ghosts/spirits as well as why they are there and what happened to them. This book is Not for the squeamish or those who want to avoid slave history.