The Secret of Cypriere Bayou by Jana DeLeon (Harlequin Intrigue #1265)

                                       
                                                                            
Back of the Book Blurb:                                                                    
A MANSION OF HORRORS DEEP IN THE LOUISIANA BAYOUS...

For Olivia Markham, laMalediction is the ideal setting in which to complete her work. But something is sending a chill up the usually fearless author's spine. There are the unearthly noises, the sliding panels, the hidden passageways...and John Landry, the sexy caretaker who seems less than welcoming.

John has work of his own to do and he doesn't need the distraction of a mysterious beauty claiming the old mansion is cursed. But he can't ignore the fact that someone is doing everything to scare Olivia away - permanently. Working together to uncover laMalediction's alarming secrets and root out the evil stalking them, John finds Olivia impossible to resist, and he knows it's only a matter of time before something unexpected - and undeniable - happens between them..

Review:
Here's a new technique - I an writing reviews in reverse!  The Secret of Cypriere Bayou is the (March 2011) prequel to Bayou Bodyguard, reviewed below.  I enjoyed Bayou Bodyguard so much I bought the prequel for my Nook and read it last night.  Both books are set in the remote swamps of Louisiana, at a hulking, antiques-filled mansion called laMalediction.  Believed to be haunted and cursed by the locals, laMalediction has been the site of madness, murder and voodoo since it was built just before the Civil War.

When Olivia leases the mansion, believing it to be the perfect location from which to write her latest ghost novel, she gets the shock of her life after she arrives and realizes laMalediction is the house that has been haunting her nightmares since she was a toddler.  Although she has been searching for the house for years, actually seeing it and feeling its presence is a terrifying experience.  But Olivia is no shrinking violet, and she has two missions to complete:  write her latest book before her deadline, and solve the mystery of how she knows this house.  Complicating matters is the presence of a hunky new caretaker, who has ulterior motives of his own.  John is an off-duty police detective, searching for his missing sister, who disappeared the week before while en-route to laMalediction.  Shortly after she arrives, Olivia begins hearing strange sounds and an old photo appears of the original, murdered owner, who looks just like Olivia.  John and Olivia begin to investigate together, and the heightened tension and danger parallels their increasing sexual attraction and respect for one another.
As with Bayou Bodyguard, the hero and heroine are frequently trapped at the remote house by sudden violent storms, impassable roads, and no telephone lines or cell coverage.  As a technique for heightening the tension it is very effective, but it begins to feel overused here, as these storms seem to pop up every few hours.  However, that is a small thing to complain about, since the rest of the book is well-written, with nicely developed characters, a beautifully evoked sense of place, and a building feeling of menace.  The mystery is just right for the length of the book, and very well-crafted.  The list of suspects was believable, and I was not sure who the bad guy was until the end - love that!  Add in a lovely romance with a touch of realistic, steamy sex, and you have a great, fast read that is absolutely perfect for the beach or reading late into the night while snug in bed.
I'm now an official fan of Jana Deleon, and will review more of her books in the near future.  Meanwhile, you should check her out at janadeleon.net

Harlequin Intrigue Adventures: Bayou Bodyguard and Deal Breaker

While on vacation recently I ran out of books to read - a true emergency situation!  I'd left my Nook at home (why? why? why? but it seemed smart at the time....sigh).  Anyway I was in WalMart and feeling desperate (not a good combo) and saw these nifty little books for under $4 each.  Both are part of the Harlequin Intrigue line of romantic suspense and are July 2011 releases.  At just over 200 pages each these are quick reads, and feel a bit like they were rushed to print.  There were several typos in each, and both books would benefit from another round of editing.  I have these same complaints for a lot of books, so maybe I'm just too nitpicky.  But for the price, and for light reading entertainment, I was pretty happy.  So on to the actual reviews!
                                                

Bayou Bodyguard by Jana DeLeon
Back of the Book Blurb:  Bodyguard Brian Marcentel knew Justine Chatry had a job to do, but so did he. He'd been hired to keep her safe—from whatever lurked behind the walls of a long-neglected mansion. And yet, the beautiful researcher insisted on helping him investigate every suspicious noise and following him through the murky bayou as he tracked down trespassers. All of that paled in comparison, though, to his greatest challenge: trying to resist her when the fear took over and she looked to him for protection. Still, no matter how fiery their attraction, there was something about this frustrating, sexy woman that seemed so familiar. But trying to penetrate her secrets was like trying to keep her out of his arms. Or out of his bed.

Review:  This book grabbed me right from the first page, with a strong sense of atmosphere and an immediate sense of spooky anticipation.  The characters are really well-developed.  Justine is a historian with a secret past who is reclusive and private by nature.  When she learns that she will have a bodyguard named Brian with her at all times, she's not happy about it, especially when she recognizes him from her past.  But Justine was a little girl then, and is a strong, capable woman now.  Her strength and cool, calm behavior impress Brian just as much as her Creole beauty.  And Justine, who has no intention of letting her guard down, finds herself relaxing and enjoying Brian's company.  The attraction and sexual tension is gradually and realistically built between them, as they get to know one another and adjust to being together in close quarters.  When they do give in to their attraction, it is very sexy and realistic, and a condom is used (which was well-done and nice to read as part of a contemporary romance).

Eventually Justine's ulterior motive for taking this job come to light, and Brian finally remembers her from his past.  As the danger increases, from both human and possibly ghostly enemies, it becomes obvious that Justine is the target.  Brian's protective instincts are triggered, but Justine is one strong woman who carries her own weapon and knows how to use it.  I loved that she was able to stand side by side with the strong hunky man, and still retain all her feminine appeal.  Because there's only so many innocent, trembling virgins I can stand to read about.

The suspense is intense and created a real page-turner of a book.  The setting of a giant, haunted mansion built in the middle of a steamy bayou as the backdrop for murder, madness and voodoo created a deliciously spooky atmosphere.  The mystery was an intriguing blend of human threat and ghostly happenings, and the ending really caught me by surprise, which I love!  The only complaint I have is the final scene, when the bad guy is caught and Justine suddenly decides to commit to a relationship with Brian.  It felt forced and fast.

This was a great romantic suspense novel, and is a followup to another Harlequin Intrigue called The Secret of  Cypriere Bayou.  I have not read the first one, but had no problem following the storyline in Bayou Bodyguard.  It's definitely an enjoyable stand-alone book.  But I liked it so much I plan to read the first one as well!
Check out the author's website at janadeleon.net.
















Deal Breaker by Patricia Rosemoor





Back of the Book Blurb:   
The McKenna legacy strikes again, and the consequences could be devastating
Bryce McKenna was a cursed man who needed a wife fast—and childhood friend Hailey Wright fit the bill perfectly. With her brother a hundred thousand dollars in debt to a loan shark, Hailey was willing to vow marriage for the money to save him. But when Hailey's own life came under attack, Bryce feared the McKenna family's dark legacy was the cause.…
While Hailey's unorthodox gift for sensing ghosts suggested there was more to Bryce's demons than an unsolved mystery, she feared falling in love with her tortured husband. But Bryce's kisses burned too hot…and made the vulnerable beauty forget her life was in jeopardy. Although they'd taken their vows, would the McKenna curse tear their new love apart?

Review:
This book had an interesting plot with a really good murder mystery from the past affecting the lives of the main characters.  Bryce's mother disappeared on a stormy night several years ago, and his family believes it's because of the McKenna curse, causing anyone loved by a McKenna to be in mortal danger.  Bryce has avoided an emotional relationship because of this curse.  But now his business is in danger of bankruptcy, and the only potential investor wants to do business with a married man.  So Bryce asks his childhood friend Hailey, a real estate agent, to marry him as a business arrangement.  Hailey is desperate as well - her gambling brother is deep in debt to a loan shark.  If she marries Bryce, he promises to pay her brother's loan and divorce Hailey as soon as the investor bails out his company.  He believes Hailey will be safe from the McKenna curse because he does not love her.  Can you see where this is going?

Hailey has had a secret crush on Bryce since they were teens, and is already attracted to him.  Right after they're married someone tries to kill Hailey, and Bryce saves her, resulting in near-death sex.  The sex scene was fairly mechanical.  As a reader, I never felt love or affection grow between Hailey and Bryce.

Hailey is a tough heroine to like.  She's loyal to her gambling addict brother to the point of stupidity, she takes cell phone photos of her brother's loan shark and then waves her phone in the criminal's face, and she likes to tell her clients about the ghosts she "senses" in the houses she's trying to sell. 
As the story progresses, Hailey gets more ghostly clues concerning Bryce's mother's death, multiple suspects are established, and Bryce and Hailey's relationship grows more awkward, as they alternately rebuff and reach out to one another.

Overall this was a pretty good mystery, but was dragged down by an awkward, forced romance element.

Night of the Living Dandelion (Flower Shop Mystery #11) by Kate Collins

Back of the book Blurb:
Flower shop owner Abby Knight does not believe rumors that Vlad Serban, friend and employee of Abby's fiancé Marco, is a vampire. But how to explain that Vlad is from Romania, has prominent canines, likes bizarre plants such as bloodwort and Dracula orchid, and dresses entirely in black?

When a local woman is found dead, her body drained of blood, the stakes become life and death. With Vlad the #1 suspect, Abby and Marco race to find the real killer, before Vlad's life really starts to suck.

Review:
Night of the Living Dandelion is one of those wonderful books that keep you reading late into the night.  The spunky young heroine is a flower shop owner who moonlights as a sleuth, and as an occasional partner to her bar owner/PI fiance Marco.  It is a fast read, with a rapidly moving plot full of likable characters who behave in charmingly odd and extreme ways.
Although the circumstances and people's reaction to them are a bit wacky and unbelievable (some local townspeople form a vigilante group called the Garlic Party in response to the rumors that Vlad is a vampire, Abby's niece and other schoolgirls form a cordon around the bar to protect Vlad), the pace of the plot allows the reader to glide right over the improbabilities and just enjoy the ride.  And the ride is funny.  Abby is a klutz who is a menace, mainly to herself, while temporarily on crutches, her nutty cousin is convinced she is becoming a vampire, and her mother is an exuberant and spectacularly untalented artist.
The murder mystery is a good one, well-constructed and a nice complement to the zaniness of the characters.  I really did not see how this was going to end, which I love.
There is nothing better than discovering a "new" author, and then realizing that she has a long list of books.  I will definitely be looking for books 1-10 in this series.  Although I started at #11, I had no problem keeping up with the characters and their relationships, and this was easily a stand-alone book.

Savage Nature (Leopard Series #5) by Christine Feehan

Back of the Book Blurb:
When Saria Boudreaux finds a dead body in the Louisiana bayou near her home, her first instinct is to go to the police. But there's a problem: it looks like the victim may have been killed by a big cat - and her brothers are all shape-shifting leopards. Sent by the land's owner to investigate, leopard-shifter Drake Donovan is ready for anything - except the insatiable hunger that rocks him when he meets Saria. Deep in his soul he knows that she is destined to be his mate. Torn between protecting her brothers and finding the truth, Saria treads warily around the powerful shifter. Yet as they venture deep into the mysterious bayou on a hunt for the killer, Saria finds herself longing for Drake's touch and the sweet release of surrender ..

Savage Nature is one of those rare books that has it all - a hot paranormal romance mixed with a very good murder mystery, set in the steamy swamps of Louisiana.  Add an inbred shapeshifting lair, a leadership power struggle, and botanical testosterone growing wild and you have all the makings of a great escape read.

Saria Boudreaux is a great heroine - smart, capable and able to hold her own.  She's basically raised herself since childhood, and knows the swamp better than anyone else.  But lately she has sensed that she is being watched, and her much older brothers, all recently returned home, have been acting strange as well.  Adding to Saria's problems, she's been finding dead bodies in her beloved swamp, and she's afraid one of her brothers may be the murderer.  The victims have been killed by a large cat, and while Saria is clueless about her own shifter status, she knows that her brothers are leopard shifters.  Unable to confide in them, she contacts the powerful man who owns the land they live on (don't think about that decision too much, because it's how Drake ends up in Saria's swamp), and is viciously attacked by a leopard. 

Drake soon arrives, sent by the landowner to investigate Saria's claim.  Pretty soon all hell is breaking loose as Drake and Saria feel an intense sexual attraction, the locals let Drake know he's not welcome through deadly leopard fights and gunshots, a drug-running operation is discovered, and Saria goes into heat.  Drake Donovan is a deliciously animalistic alpha male who happens to be kind and considerate.  He is also strong, smart, experienced and confident, and when he first meets Saria Boudreaux in the Louisiana swamps, he realizes she's not only a fellow shifter, but also his mate. The trouble is, Saria doesn't realize she's a leopard shifter. Or that she is about to go into heat as her leopard prepares to emerge for the first time.  So Drake has to initiate her into the worlds of both leopard shifters and lovemaking - thankfully he is very, very good at both.

The mysteries of the deaths, the drugs, and the history of this Louisiana leopard lair are uncovered as Drake and Saria investigate.  Their lives are in constant danger as they come closer to learning the truth, and their intense attraction creates explosive passion. The action and the sexual tension are relentless, making the book impossible to put down.  This paranormal romance is classic Feehan, and will not disappoint!