Wild Man’s Curse (Wilds of the Bayou #1)
The bones said death was comin’, and the bones never lied.
While on an early morning patrol in the swamps of Whiskey Bayou, Louisiana wildlife agent Gentry Broussard spots a man leaving the home of voodoo priestess Eva Savoie—a man who bears a startling resemblance to his brother, whom Gentry thought he had killed during a drug raid three years earlier. Shaken, the agent enters Eva’s cabin and makes a bloody discovery: the old woman has been brutally murdered.
With no jurisdiction over the case, he’s forced to leave the investigation to the local sheriff, until Eva’s beautiful heir, Celestine, receives a series of gruesome threats. As Gentry’s involvement deepens and more victims turn up, can he untangle the secrets behind Eva’s murder and protect Celestine from the same fate? Or will an old family curse finally have its way?
~ Goodreads
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: Whiskey Bayou, Louisiana was a charming place, full of mystery and history and I loved the diversity of culture featured (Cajun, Creole, Chitimacha).
Characters: Ceelie was a charming heroine, strong personality, interesting background, being determined – stubborn, lol! – and gifted not only at singing. I loved that she pursued her dream up until the very end, and while confused when it didn’t really work out, she didn’t give up, just took a breather to sort herself out.
Gentry was a lovely man, loyal, dedicated to his job, commuted to do the right thing – the good cop type of guy. I liked him, and I loved him with Ceelie because I felt they brought out an intense, charismatic part of each other that was otherwise still there, but not as obvious perhaps. They were an awesome couple.
I really enjoyed other characters too, and their diversity.
Plot: The suspense part of the story was very well done, imo. There was a bottom-line mystery that involved older ones, in a way, and a current killer on the loose. There was a lot of tension and I enjoyed that too. The romantic arc was a slow-burn type of thing, sweet too, but it worked like a charm in the context of everything else.
Writing: Third person, past tense narrative, his/her POV. I loved the writing, it was just so juicy and charming! I know Susannah Sandlin is a good writer, this is not my first time reading her work, but I felt that her writing style was particularly charming in Wild Man’s Curse.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb – impulsive buy material for my romantic suspense cravings.
Wild Man’s Curse is a succulent, charming romantic suspense with some very interesting paranormal elements to it, though not overwhelming the contemporary realism. I really enjoyed the blend of themes and genres and I really, really enjoyed the writing, so I’m looking forward to reading more of the Wilds of the Bayou series. I recommend it to lovers of romantic suspense that involves catching a killer and main characters doing a little soul-searching and sweet romance.
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So happy you read and loved this too!
kindlemom1 recently posted…WoW Pick of the Week!
honestly I would have overlooked this one, but you have given it a great review and has intrigued me, I will be adding this to my TBR list thanks.
Aussie Bookworm