Rating: 
Summary: Not Down on the Bayou!
Review: As a native of New Orleans I was very anxious to read this book set in my hometown. I was very disappointed to discover that Miss Roberts did not research typical New Orleanians. The constant reference to friends as "cher" is very rare in New Orleans, particularly between two young Harvard Law grads! Also,buying beignets and bagels together is unheard of.
I read all Nora Roberts books and am usually sad when they come to an end. Not this time! Not only was the book a slow read but I almost had to force myself to finish it. Give me the MacGregors!
Rating: 
Summary: Redemption
Review: Nora, you've redeemed yourself after "The Villa". If I could have given this 41/2 stars, I would have. I didn't give it a perfect 5 only because Declan was a little too good to be true. I really enjoyed this book. I thought the reincarnation twist was very clever. I really liked the characters, not like in "The Villa" where they were so shallow.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible! A must read!
Review: I thought "Midnight Bayou" was fantastic. I could not put it down and finished it in less than a day. Honestly, I can't understand how the people who gave mediocre or negative reviews of this book can have been reading the same book. This book has shot straight to the top of my list of Nora Roberts favorites - it is SO good.
I found the story completely and utterly captivating. Declan Fitzgerald has been obsessed with Manet Hall in New Orleans for 11 years. When he hears it has come up for sale, he buys it right away and leaves his job, fiancé, and family behind in Boston to move in and restore the hall to its former grandeur. Declan soon discovers that he is not alone in Manet Hall, as several ghostly presences make themselves known. Declan has strange visions and feelings of complete terror associated with certain rooms. Declan also meets Lena Simone, a stunningly beautiful, and fiercely independent bar owner. The attraction is instant and mutual. But there's something more than that, a kind of recognition deep inside. The relationship that develops betweeen these two was wonderfully written and very real.
The flashbacks to the past, and the story of the doomed love of Abigail and Lucian, are a wonderful and heartbreaking addition to this story. The history adds to the main storyline, rather than confusing it or detracting from it. Some of these sections had me in tears.
The supporting characters are all wonderfully written. For example, Miss Odette, Lena's grandmother is a lovable and colourful character. And Lilibeth, Lena's mother, is so vile and amoral she makes your skin crawl.
But it's the story of Lena and Declan that kept me turning pages. In order for these two to find happiness with each other, they must uncover the horrible events that took place a hundred years ago and come to terms with them. Until they do that there is no chance for Declan and Lena, but what they uncover may tear them apart!
I could go on forever about how much I love this book, but instead of doing that I'll simply suggest that you read it yourself, you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Midnight Bayou
Review: Midnight Bayou is one of Nora's best yet. As usual in this book there is a wonderful mix of love and mystery. It is full of little hidden surprises. Not to mention the love scenes! She describes everything so clearly that you can actually picture Manet Hall and all the people who are or once were in it. Reading this book made me want to run to New Orleans to see if a place such as this truly existed. Some might say it is unbelievable. This book will truly test your imagination. Just when you think you have it figured out, something that was once unknown makes itself known. I highly reccomend this book.
Rating:
Summary: She just keeps getting better!!
Review: I usually ration out my Nora Roberts books so that I can pick one up after I've read a truly horrid book....but, this one I just had to pick up!!! Am I glad I did!!! Nora Roberts writing about New Orleans and the bayous?? The mystery and the romance written by my favorite author??? A match made in heaven for sure. I started this book just before I went to sleep last night. Knocked off the first chapter and went to sleep with a smile on my face.... Today, the book didn't leave my side until I had finished it!! So what if dinner was late getting to the table? So what if my son barely got a nod from me when he got home from school? This was Nora writing about bayous and Louisiana and reincarnation and Lena and Declan and Lucian and Abby...he, that fabulous teenager, understands when I've got "a Nora" in front of me!!I was hooked from the get go with this tale of love and redemption, murder and sadness. Roberts' touch of romance
interlaced with her wonderful sense of humor and a taste of mystery entertained and delighted!!
Rating:
Summary: Read this book in 7 hours
Review: I started this novel on Tuesday morning, finished it Tuesday evening. Absolutely engrossing--one of NOra's best-and I''ve read them all.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not Great
Review: After reading other reviews of this book I have to agree with some who were a bit disappointed in this latest effort. I also am a long time reader (mid 1980's)and have been uncomfortable with the turn her novels have taken lately, Fairie Tales, Ghosts, Reincarnation etc. I thought the beginning of this story held great promise, I would have liked more on the earlier couple. I also felt the ending was very unresolved. Even though I enjoyed the dialogue (Nora's best talent)between Declan and Rena, I felt he was a bit too good to be true. After reading The Villa which I felt to be Nora's worst novel in years, I had high hopes for this one. After all that complaining, I still think it was an enjoyable read, just not up to the high standards she has set for herself.
Rating:
Summary: New Orleans, a Haunted House and Eccentric Characters!
Review: There isn't a bad Nora Roberts novel, but some are better than others, and this one is right up there in the top ten! It is set in New Orleans, and you can't have a really good story about New Orleans without a haunted house, and eccentric characters, now can you? This is a good modern love story with a feisty adversary for the hero of the story, but the most interesting part of the story is the reincarnation twist that the story presents, different from what you expect it to be. An old crime and "thwarted love" story must be resolved before the present day lovers can get on with their lives. But how can it be resolved when all the involved characters are long dead? Justice can't touch the dead, can it? Well, that is where the mystery comes in. You must read the book to find out if justice is done and if it is, how. It would be unfair of me to tell the ending, or even the crime that becomes the crux of the story. There are a lot of subplots floating around but Ms. Roberts does a wonderful job of tying them together. A thoroughly good read, and hard for me to put down. I read it in record time, because you can't wait to see how it is going to end!
Rating:
Summary: Surprise Ending Ruined It For Me
Review: I usually love Nora Robert's books, but this one was disappointing. I just didn't like the how the reincarnation part included a gender change. This book did have good dialogue and some good scenes, so I gave it three stars.
Rating:
Summary: What did I wait for so long for?
Review: When I waited expectantly for the new Nora Roberts book, this was not what I expected. The story is simple enough: a guy begins to rehab an old mansion, and he has to deal with the ghosts/ memories that are in the house. This story was well written and intersting with some clever twists, but, never the less, it just doesn't hit right. It isn't a book that stays in your mind, or one that the reader can't put down, but rather an lovely book, that I don't care whether or not I pick it up again. It was good, but simply not worth the wait.
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