Bayou Nights by Julie Mulhern – a Review
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Description:
New Orleans, 1903. Before he died, Christine Lambert’s father won a piece of eight in a poker game. How was he to know the coin was part of a puzzle that when solved revealed the location of Jean Laffite’s treasure? Now Christine must find the treasure before the killer beats her to it.
Matthias Blake is as out of place in New Orleans as a raven in a flock of hummingbirds. He has serious work to do and Christine is a distraction he doesn’t need. But how can he resist a lady in distress—even if that lady can win a fight armed with a hat pin? Together they must overcome their pasts and defeat dark forces sent by a shadowy evil. In the process, they just might find the greatest treasure of all…
Review:
Bayou Nights by Julie Mulhern is a wonderfully crafted historical read. The story begins with Christine Lambert, New Orleans, 1903. Christine is a milliner by trade and her ghost father Warwick is missing.
She is convinced that he has been kidnapped but she has no idea why. She sought help from her friend Trula and he was sending someone to help her find her father. Little did she know that what was sent to her may be a greater threat then what she now faces.
When Mattias Drake arrives in New Orleans to help a friend, he is none too happy. He is even more disgruntled when he realizes the man he came here to find is an actual ghost. His work has led him to work with ghosts in the past but finding a ghost in New Orleans is like finding a needle in a haystack. He arrives at MIss Lamberts hat shop only to walk in on her being assaulted. When the attacker winds up dead before him – Mattias is quick to realize there is a lot more supernatural going on here then he was expecting.
Christine Lambert is strong willed and iron hearted. She is bound and determined to find her missing ghost father. He was here a week or so ago and now he is gone. And weird things are beginning to happen. Zombies are coming after her and there seems to be a lot of people interested in the eight piece she wears around her neck. Given to her by her father before he disappeared. As luck would have it the helped she seeked is sent to her in a handsome, tall man named Mattias – and he is everything she insists she does not want in a man.
Having watched her mother suffer at the hand of her fathers gambling she knows that no man will ever be a part of her world. She doesn’t need one – she can take care of herself. But when her world comes crashing down and every paranormal element found in New Orleans is after her – she realizes the one person she can truly trust is the one she is fighting to close her heart off to.
Mattias Drake has had his fair share of loss. His mother lost her life following his father into the same line of work. His sister – the same.
Every woman that is close to him seems to die. He has no desire to find love or a woman to share his life with. That may be hard to accomplish when everything in his body responds to the silly milliner with the strong will. Mattias is the strong brooding type that will always help a woman in distress. Little does he know that this woman – Christine – may just be the death of him. The story takes you on a wonderful paranormal experience through New Orleans. And history abounds in the back story – leading you to wanting to know more and wanting to explore everything further.
The characters relationship evolves and pulls you in. The characters mesh extremely well – even when they don’t get along – you want nothing more than the magic that is New Orleans to overtake them and embrace them. I love a story of romance with a dash of paranormal on the side and this story did not disappoint. From zombies, to pirates, to book’s and voodoo priestesses – this story does not disappoint – you will take a journey through the bayou with an amazing story-teller.
I am looking forward to reading more of Miss Mulherns’ historical romances. This is a must read if you love anything and everything New Orleans.
Reviewed by Erin
Copy provided by Publisher
