Laissez Les Bon Temp Rouler!Declan Fitzgerald may have been drunk and reckless when he broke into Manet Hall with his best friend Remy Payne during a trip to New Orleans when he was in college eleven years ago, but he was sober enough to know he wanted that broken down and aging old plantation home as soon as he saw it. He was serious enough about that want - that need - to leave his profession of law and his town of Boston and his family and his ex-fiance to head down to the bayou after buying the house sight unseen in the ensuing eleven years. Compelled in a way he doesn't understand but satisfied to his soul about it, he buys it and intends to fix it, to renovate, modernize a little, but mostly restore it to its once statuesque and stately self. With his own two hands and a lot of sweat. He knows the rumors that Manet Hall is haunted, but he can live with a few ghosts. They're his ghosts now. As Manet Hall is his.One hundred years ago, however, a vicious, unspeakable crime was committed in that house. A life ended. A love and a family torn asunder. A young woman destroyed. Betrayal compounded by jealousy and callous elitism stirred the sultry, steaming heat of evil and stripped the life from a gentle soul.Manet Hall remembers.Declan is left wondering if he's got ghosts or memories or both as he slowly restores the old plantation house. All he knows is he has no intention of giving up his home...even if that means avoiding a room or two that give him a major case of the willies. He expects it'll all work out eventually. What he didn't expect was to stumble across an utterly delightful female creature one night when he ambled into a bar in the Quarter to meet up with Remy. He also didn't expect the unwavering, instantaneous certainty that he had been waiting for that very woman - and had been looking for her for a very, very long time. That woman, Lena Simone, bar owner and feisty spirit, is just as much his as is Manet Hall.Convincing her of that, however, may be harder than dealing with petulant ghosts and a centuries-old mystery. No...wait...no 'maybe' about it.Roberts has dipped deep into the south and flavored Midnight Bayou with the decadent, weighty atmosphere of the sultry Crescent City, doing a particularly excellent job on the cadence in the dialogue of the characters who were raised there. The entire book had such a tremendous depth of culture with a pinch of Cajun spice that it added a gilded patina to a dark, tragic mystery and slightly creepy haunting, elevating the tension and adding desperate hope to the burgeoning relationship between Declan and Lena.I admit, I'm a total sucker for haunted house stories, so that aspect of the plot in no way disappointed, but I was a little uncertain about the large dichotomy in the tone of the narrative between the century-old atrocity and the lighter, more humorous discourse of the romantic development between the steady and stalwart Declan and his love-hardened Lena. That dichotomy seemed to lessen in some way the significance of the crime and dulled a little of its impact. I thought that was a shame, and by the end of the book I was hoping for a bit more closure and a heck of a lot more justice than I feel was offered.The characters, though, truly spotlight the book. I loved Declan. I thought he was very well written and fully developed, and even though my personal preference tends towards male leads who have at least one or two flaws to round them out, I found Declan's lack of same to be charming and refreshing. There was just something very solid, dependable, and true about him that I enjoyed...and some dry humor and his ability to laugh at himself sealed the deal for me. I wasn't quite as enamored with Lena, and thought she was a bit too self contained with matters of the heart, too jaded throughout, and a bit too interested in maneuvering Declan and her relationship with him because of it. I wish Roberts had given her more room for the mother/daughter issues that were so vital to her definition. I thoroughly admired her strength, however, and her independence and poise in the face of the paranormal activities. She was a woman who knew her own mind and acted true to it, regardless of the consequences, and that gave her a steel edge wrapped in magnolia-scented appeal.Roberts' writing style is so fluid and she's got a superb ability to bend the narratives in her books to reflect the locale and the culture of the characters inhabiting them. It lends a feeling of authenticity to each book, and none more so than here in Midnight Bayou. I can't say it was my absolute favorite of her books, but the combination of the horror of the past tragedy and the creepy haunting, along with the strength of the lead character and the mastery of the tone and pace of the bayou country really appealed to me. I was pleased with this very solid read and reminded yet again of why Nora Roberts' career continues to thrive. ~*~*~*~Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
MIDNIGHT BAYOU by Nora RobertsMy Thoughts:This book opens with a scene from the past, which lets you in on the sad history of Manet Hall. The opening was very powerful and once the book switched to present day I immediately wondered more about what had happened long ago. One thing I loved about the layout of this book was that it went back and forth (small scenes, spaced out in moderation) to add more knowledge of the past events. That was something I enjoyed, as it would have driven me nuts not to get the whole story. The past and present day characters were wonderfully written, making the book a joy to read. This book could've stood on its characters alone, they really were the making of everything wonderful in this book. Past and present alike, they each had dynamic personalities that made you connect to them and relate to them. Another highlight was the attention given to the setting, from the "lively pace" of the city of New Orleans, to the haunting slow calm of the bayou, the picture painted was wonderful and complete, and made you feel like you were right there with them. On the other hand, I will admit that the paranormal aspect was a hit and miss with me. I am all for paranormal/supernatural, I love it, and mixed into a romance novel I figured that would be something new and interesting. And it was, for the most part, but any loss of "points" I'd give this book were due to the little bit of a stretch with the paranormal later in the book. The majority of it fit nicely into the novel and didn't seem out of place, but there is a line, and I feel it was a bit hit and miss towards the end. Would it have been even better without the paranormal? No. Would it have been better with a few choice changes to said paranormal? Yes. All in all this book was a great read, full of moments that were funny, sexy, devastating, tender, and fresh. Not your average romance, and one you won't regret picking up.Favorite Quotes:"He'd explore that area another time, when he had a flashlight and a bag of bread crumbs." (Page 28)"He felt the amused curve of her lips against his and, running his hands up her back, into her hair, let himself drown." (Page74)Declan ~ "Excuse me, men don't faint. We do, on occasion, pass out or lose consciousness. But we do not faint." (Page 98)Lena ~ "Pleasure's nothing, sugar, unless you got the willpower to hold off until you really appreciate it." (Page 124)"This mysterious place with its slow-moving, shadowy water, its cypress bones and thick scents, was as much her world as the crooked streets and lively pace of the Quarter." (Page 167)Overall Opinion: B+~Kaylahttp://kaylasbookcase.blogspot.com/
Do You like book Midnight Bayou (2002)?
Paranormal romance by Nora Roberts is a deep, enthralling, sometimes shocking trip that we should all take at least once.The characters made this story. Those from the past and those from the present.This book took my on an emotional rollercoaster that had me ignoring my husband and kids to read.Read this book when you have the time to really sit down and enjoy a good, satisfying read. Have some tissues nearby, though, 'cause there are moments that will enrage you, shock you, delight you, and make you weep at the sheer sadness of it all.Normally, I don't like this kind of book. I need happy, dammit! I don't mind a little drama but not too much. 'Cause again, I need my happy!I'm glad I read it, though.Declan is handsome, strong, stubborn, and just too darn good to be true sometimes.Lena is beautiful, strong, stubborn, and just too real to be true sometimes.Then there's the supporting characters, at least one of which you know or have known or maybe are: Remy, Miss Odette, Effi, Declan's parents, Lena's mom, Abigail, Marie Rose, Lucia, Julian, and even Josephine.I loved the descriptions: the backgrounds, the plants, the bayou, the Hall, the people, the furniture-oh, the furniture! I checked out some of the named antiques online and was delighted, once again, at the amount of research Mrs. Roberts must do when she writes.I could go on and on and on, but I won't.
—Alexis-Morgan Roark
Declan Fitzgerald buys an old rundown plantation house as soon as it comes on the market. He has first seen Manet Hall years ago when visiting his friend, Remy, in New Orleans, and quickly fell in love with it. Now he is working night and day, restoring the old mansion to its former glory. But when he starts hearing a baby cry and slamming doors, he begins thinking the stories about the house being haunted are true. Declan meets Angelina Simone and it's love at first sight for him. He soon realizes it's going to take Lena a little longer to fall for him. But they both have ties to the house and to the tragedy that took place there...a tragedy that could alter their destiny.This isn't your usual Nora Roberts book. In this one we have ghosts and reincarnation. I enjoyed Declan and the way he let Lena know that he loved her and knew she would eventually love him too. I wasn't crazy about Lena. I thought she was cold and really couldn't see why she had such a problem committing to Declan. This book had several great supporting characters, including Miss Odette and Remy, who both brought humor to the story. My rating: 4 Stars.
—Robin
3.5 starsAs usual, Nora Roberts delivers an incredibly entertaining story. Since there are already a hundred reviews waxing poetic about how wonderful it is, I'll just quickly tell you why this wasn't another five-star read for me.- Lena plays games. For all the talk about how much of a straight-shooter she is, she relies on the head games with Declan a little too often. This is a personal thing for me, exasperated by the fact that every god damn female lead is overly stubborn these days. I'm kinda worn out on people fighting their feelings and what's good for them.- This was listed as a romantic suspense, but there wasn't much suspense. Lilibeth, Josephine, or Julian all could have played villain with one or two short scenes and really driven home the need for Declan and Lena to solve their little mystery. As it was, there were some spooky moments, a total mind-fuck moment, and that's really it.- It needs an epilogue. Just a quick little window into 'a year later' or 'a few months later', whatever. It ended quickly, without any indication of what the future had in store for the couple.That's really it, which isn't much for me. Nora Roberts does a fabulous job of bringing the bayou to life and I'm hoping to find some other books with similar locals.I'll definitely recommend this book and gush over how sweet and sexy Declan is with whomever I convince to read it.
—Lyndi
