Rating:  Summary: Good ghost story Review: Nora does it again, the concept of reincarnation and a good ghost story...nobody does it as good as Nora!! A real page turner, i read it in one day and re-read it again the next day
Rating:  Summary: Up until midnight finishing this book! Review: I bought this book as soon as it came out in paperback. I eagerly sat down and began reading. I was stunned when I found myself brought into a world filled with romance, mystery, intrigue and murder, not to mention a beautiful southern plantation.I loved the main characters, the plot, the descriptions, everything was perfect. Nora has not written a book that so captured my attention. The story was amazing, one story takes place in the past, the other, modern times. Both stories revolve around the same beautiful house. I don't know what else to say about this glorious book, other than it fulfilled all my expectations and quite a bit more. Haunted houses, plantation mansions and New Orleans? What could be better?
Rating:  Summary: Roberts does reincarnation Review: My first peeve with this book was on the Paperback copy it does not have much of a plot description on the book, so I had to come here (Amazon) to even find out what it was about. My next peeve was I think Nora was doing a Interracial Romance on the "DL" (down low)(which will probably not bother anyone who is NOT a minority) she never clearly acknowledges that Lena is African American.... but there are other things throughout the book that leads me (who happens to be African American)to believe that she is. I guess it isn't much of a big deal as it doesn't take away from the storyline nor the plot, but their are other instances where she clearly writes in her book that someone was black yet when it comes to the leading heroine character she doesn't............ almost as if she doesn't want to acknowledge it??? I always wondered why no one had ever wrote a Romance Novel about a Slave owner and a Servant that come together in another time when their love (and subsequent Marriage) wouldn't be forbidden. Don't get me wrong Lucien was NOT a Slave owner the story that is thread to the present day one, takes place after the abolishment of slavery so Abigail is a servant NOT a Slave. WHATEVER on to my review. LOVED THE STORY. If you enjoy a good Ghost story you will run through the pages fairly quickly. I don't want to give any spoilers in this review but Nora threads the glimpses from the Past into this book periodically for the reader to understand what was going on between Lucian and Abigail. I do agree with another reviewer that stated that there are some loose ends that aren't wrapped up to my satisfaction, but I leave that for the individual reader to find and decide on his or her own. Overall the book has some Humor which had me laughing out loud (towards the end), a fair amount of Suspense and the characters are ok (though no of them will stand out in my memory) Anyone that likes Nora probably will not be dissapointed in this book. I do however recommend if the reader likes books about reincarnation to try {Susanna Kearsley's} "Mariana" excellent story of two people finding one another in a different lifetime, or if you like Contemporary Romance with a Interracial Love from the past woven in try {Ruth Wind} "In the Midnight Rain" or "Stone Flower Garden" by Deborah Smith all of the books that I have recommended have a unsuspected twist at the end as with Midnight Bayou. Respectfully Reviewed
Rating:  Summary: Ending left me feeling CHEATED! Review: Most of Nora's books leave me feeling good. A few have left me a little disappointed. This one made me feel cheated in a big way!! To be honest, I really enjoyed the story until the end. I was sure it was gonna be a re-read. BUT, why did she bother setting us up for a climactic ending? I mean there was the knife fight between the brothers that was never explained, Lena's mother who could have added to a climactic situation, all the evil feelings in the house and the sense that something climactic would have to happen to get rid of the evil. AND a wedding which could have brought all the characters who were reincarnations of people from the earlier time together so that there could be a climax. But man! what a let down! They went to the graves, she told him she loved him, and the evil was gone???????????? C'mon.................
Rating:  Summary: Classic Nora Magic Review: Suspend your disbelief in ghostly magic and relax into this warm and funny exploration of relationships. NR cuts back to 1899 and forward to the present to weave a story of love, jealousy, revenge, hope and, well, remodeling. Declan Fitzgerald, Boston blueblood, was always drawn to the Manet house, a post-Bellum mansion with a dark history now fallen into decline. He leaves his law practice, buys the house and moves to New Orleans, planning to refurbish the house. Declan broke his engagement to the perfect society wife just days before the wedding, much to the dismay of his family. He's leaving town to decide what he wants to do for the rest of his life; it's certainly not to practice law and be married to the perfect woman. Declan's old friend Remy, a New Orleans attorney, provides a delightful side story with his own engagement and approaching marriage. The scene at the bachelor party is a scream! Lena is descended from a daughter born 100 years ago on the wrong side of the blanket to a Manet relative. (Or was she legitimate?) Lena is a fiercely independent, feisty young woman who owns a bar in the French Quarter. Her grandmama, Miss Odette, still lives in a house not far from the Manet mansion, making Lena's meeting Declan inevitable, even if Lena weren't cousin to Remy. Declan's meeting with Lena in her bar is a funny, funny scene. And they just get better. Declan pursues Lena with cheerful relentlessness, while Lena edges warily around the growing bond between them. How she can resist Declan the reader can't figure because NR has created such a charming, funny and intelligent man in Declan that no woman in her right mind could resist him for long. He is completely endearing, knows just the thing to say in any situation, and sweeps Miss Odette right off her feet. Lena, of course, eventually falls in line. It's Nora Roberts, after all. Did we mention ghosts? Declan and Lena, and we're pretty sure, Lena's nasty mother and Remy's sweet fiancee, might be reincarnations of the people who now haunt the house: people who should have been exposed for their evil deeds 100 years ago; people whose stories need to be told; people who need to forgive each other. NR could have spent more time resolving the past with the present in the last couple of chapters, it would have made the book more satisfying, but it's such a fun story it's well worth reading for this tiny criticism. Enjoy it!
Rating:  Summary: Wonderful Review: This story was so good. It carried you back to the 1800's. The story of love that is transported through time everlasting. I really enjoyed this book. If you are a Nora Roberts fan this is the book for you.
Rating:  Summary: can someone please explain the ending of this book to me? Review: I have read the majority of Nora Roberts books and looked forward to this one because I had a weeks vacation and could take the time to enjoy it. I did find the premise interesting but it got a little weird toward the middle and relly strange at the end. I still don't understand what happened to Lena's mother and kind of thought that she would have been the troublemaker at the wedding. It just seems to have fizzled out. I couldn't believe it when all of a sudden the hero became the heroine. If Lena was the hero, and I was Declan or whoever he was supposed to be, I would have wished her/him/it a fond farewell without a backward glance. I hope Ms. Roberts slows down with the next book and writes out a COMPLETE rough draft. I felt like I needed cliff notes for this one.
Rating:  Summary: Loved it! Review: I loved this book! I waited impatiently for the paperback to come out and was not at all disappointed. Midnight Bayou is a dark, romantic suspense and an example of Nora Roberts at her very best. The paranormal elements are intricately woven into the plot. The setting was great, from the excesses of Bourbon Street to the haunted, gothic mansion in the bayou. Declan Fitzgerald was an enchanting romantic hero and Lena a strong, but vulnerable heroine. Midnight Bayou is now among my top 5 Nora Roberts' books, along with Montana Sky, Homeport, Sanctuary, and Carolina Moon.
Rating:  Summary: Scary fun Review: This novel scared the stuffing out of me. It was an excellent read which evoked memories of other such houses that I've been in. In terms of plot and characterization, Midnight Bayou has lots of wonderful tension. The significant thing about this novel, IMO, is the amount one empathizes with the fictional situation and characters. One feels the hatred, the horror, the sadness, the revulsion, the longing for a parent/daughter to be better and different, and the disappointment that that person will never be. It's an ineffably sad feeling that that last evokes. The ending of Midnight Bayou didn't appeal to me cuz I'm not a believer in reincarnation (no, I'm not selling out the ending). That I don't believe in reincarnation doesn't affect the credibility of seemingly-reincarnative events which occurred in the novel. Strange things happen in life, especially with the supernatural, and what NR described is a distinct possibility. Midnight Bayou is a great read.
Rating:  Summary: Disappointed Review: This was my first Nora Roberts. I gave it a try because the "haunted New Orleans" aspect sounded fascinating. Here are some reasons I'm sorry I picked it up: 1. Rape scene: The story begins with a rape scene. I don't want rape scenes in romance novels, even when they aren't committed by the hero. With romance like this, who needs real life?? 2. Language. Bad language doesn't phase me, but I'm not looking for it in a romance novel. 3. Strip club. The hero and his buddy spend an evening hitting the strip clubs. Major turn off. Give me a man who is too mature, and has too much integrity, to treat women like sex toys. (Yes, there are plenty of men like that.) And give me a woman with too much backbone to take it. I won't even get into the "Prince Charming marries the maid" aspect of the 1900 romance. On the plus side, there is a brave attempt at gender bending in the reincarnation aspect. However, for me it interfered with the romantic mood. It's back to British Chick Lit for me.
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