Name: Midnight Bayou
ISBN: 9780748114795

Nora Roberts

Ever since Declan Fitzgerald saw dilapidated Manet Hall, on the outskirts of New Orleans, he's been enchanted - and obsessed - by it. Determined to restore the rooms to their former splendour, Declan begins the daunting renovation. But spending his days in total isolation in the empty house is taking its toll. Local legend has it that the house is haunted, and Declan starts seeing visions of terrible grief and horror from long ago. With every day that passes, the house tightens its hold. So when he meets the alluring Angelina Simone, he's glad of the distraction. But Angelina has her own surprising connection to Manet Hall - a connection that will help Declan uncover a secret that's been buried for a hundred years . . .

Midnight Bayou

Celeste Richardson

Another Nora novel. But this time, it’s in Louisiana!

Nora always does a wonderful job of researching her settings, and Midnight Bayou was no exception. The plantation on the bayou felt so quintessentially Louisiana, and Nora did a good job of nailing the spirit of New Orleans and the Cajun accents and the Southern way of life in general.

Ghost stories are a common theme in Nora’s work, but this one takes a bit of a different route for her. Reincarnation plays a big role, which was more unusual. Watching the story of the past mix and mingle with the plot of the present proved just as interesting as any other storyline laid out by Nora, but that was compounded by said reincarnation element, and how that element was affected by gender.

Another common theme in Nora’s novels is the revitalization of a dilapidated but formerly beautiful structure. Which is generally how the ghosts come into play. I love all of the construction elements in Nora’s stories, because construction is in my family’s blood. My dad and uncle and brother all work construction for a living, and something is always in the process of being built around our family’s little self-made community. It’s part of the reason I have a thing for HGTV. Because of that, the construction elements of Nora’s novels always resonate with me, because she does an exceptional job of conveying the blood, sweat, tears, and pride that go into building or rebuilding something with your own hands.

As always, the characters were enjoyable and well fleshed out. The romance was sweet and passionate and compelling and laced with drama and laughter. And, as always, the ending was a happy one.

Shay

Midnight Bayou, why did you have to go that way! I wanted to love this one, but it fell so flat for me. I think it would've been better for me if the whole paranormal aspect wasn't there. I liked when the book did the whole flashback moments, and we got to learn more about the house that Declan's fixing. I didn't mind Declan either as the main character, and I loved scenes where he was fixing up the house or even with Lena's grandma. But his connection the Lena just didn't make any sense, and it was so cringy whenever they were together. Plus, the whole relationship he had with Effie was always so awkward. So the book overall just wasn't for me.

Hailey L

Cindy Mc

There was something about Manet Hall that called out to Declan Fitzgerald. But as he begins renovation, he feels inexplicable, unpredictable sensations of terror, and nearly unbearable grief.