Customer Reviews

Midnight Bayou

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I'm not usually one for romance books, and have always avoided Nora Roberts like the plague. My usual tastes run to Oprah or a bestseller list like "Heart is a Lonely Hunter" or "The Bark of the Dogwood--A Tour of Southern homes and gardens." So when I accidentially bought this book by mistake, going strictly by the title, I was shocked. What a great read this turned out to be! If you think you're getting some sappy romance, think again. This book has plenty of action, both physical and psychological, and the settings, characters, and plot are wonderful. Nora, if you're listening, please, please, please set more of your books in the south--the combination is terrific!

This was a perfect combination of romance and mystery. I wish it went into greater detail at the end when Angelina and Dec helped put the spirits to rest, though. I highly reccommend this one.....Nora never lets you down!

In December 1899, Abigail Manet is raped and killed by her husband Lucian's twin brother Julian, her daughter Marie Rose crying in her crib just feet away. With the help of Julian's mother, Josephine, Abigail's body is dumped into the bayou. When Julian returns from being away, he is told his wife has run off with another man and that she has left her "bastard" child behind. Marie Rose is sent to live with Abigail's people.

More than 100 years later, Declan Fitzgerald leaves his life in Boston and moves to Louisiana, buying and fixing up the old Manet mansion. The house is haunted with the ghosts of the Manets, and Declan, together with Lena - the Louisiana woman he has fallen in love who also happens to be a descendent of Marie Rose - unravels the mystery of the house and its former inhabitants.

This is a good beach or airplane book. The characters are fun and quirky and Declan is appropriately romantic and persistent in his affections towards Lena. The reincarnation aspect (Declan and Lena are supposedly Lucian and Abigal reincarnated) was a little far-fetched, though.

This was the most unique romance I've ever read.

What do you get when you combine a ghost story with a romance?
You get Nora Roberts' Midnight Bayou.

Declan is a burned out lawyer from Boston who invests in, and begins to restore a Louisianan house.
Lena is the owner and bartender of a local pub. She has no room
in her life for men, but Declan is out to change that.

Together with her grandmama, they discover the
background of the house that Declan bought.

This is one of the best books I've ever read:)

Nora Roberts is one of my favorite writers. She's written such wonderful & suspenseful stories thru the years that everytime any of her copies hit the shelves, I'm among those who get a copy immediately. My main problem w/ this book is that it's anti-climatic. The story is pretty good, but the ending was so horrible. I don't understand how such a good book could end so disastrously. I expected more from this book I guess.

This book has been summarized by other readers so I won't add my own. Although I have many of NR's romances and usually enjoy them, my favorite is the Death series by J. D. Robb, Nora's alter ego. Having said that, if possible, I would have given Midnight Bayou a 10. What saved this from being the typical romance between the rich, gorgeous man and hard working beautiful woman, were the flashbacks to the lives of Abigail and Lucien, the addition of and attention to other characters and the fresh dialogue. I also liked the fact that so much of the story was told from Declan's viewpoint, not Lena's. It seemed to be a more involved storyline than some of the other NR books. The ending did seem to be a bit rushed, but I didn't feel it detracted from the story as a whole. Needless to say, I highly recommend.

I finished this book in a day! It kept my attention so well, I couldn't put it down. The characters are great, as always, and the detail put into the story was amazing. I started reading it again this morning - there's always something that I seem to miss in my excitement over a great story. The depth of feelings that Dec and Lena showed, along with the descriptions of the ghosts are amazing. The little twists and turns in the plot, the reincarnation theory, and who is the reincarntated body of which ghost is fascinating. Nora has a great hit with this one!

This is one of many books by Nora Roberts that I've read, Genuine Lies and The Villa among others, but I especially liked this one. I loved how most of the story was from a male point of view and I've always wanted to visit New Orleans. I recommend this to anyone who likes a little intrigue, a little past life experience and a moderate dose of romance.

This is the first novel by Nora Roberts I've ever read. After years of my sibling telling me I should check her out, I finally wore down and picked up this book.

I must admit, after all the apprehension and hee hawing I begrudgily admit she is a very good author.

"Midnight Bayou" is a great read. The beginning itself can reel one in like a fish on a line. (This reader was enraged right then.) Nora Roberts paints her characters colorfully, and artfully. Making them more than just paper creations, which has them sliding into the realms of reality.

The twists involved, albeit a slight tad predictable doesn't take much away from this novel at all.

An excellent book reincarnation, action, steamy romance, a wonderful setting. How can one go wrong?!

I did enjoy this book up to a point but when I reached the end I was very disappointed!