Midnight Bayou

Rating:
Summary: Excellent romance
Review: Declan Fitzgerald has a thriving law practice and is getting married in three weeks when he realizes he isn't leading the life he wants to live. He ends the engagement, calls off the wedding and moves to dilapidated Louisiana mansion, Manet Hall. Not to long after he moves into his new home, he meets Angelina and deeply falls into real love.

The besotted Declan is determined to marry Lena and he wages a one-man battle to wear down her formidable resistance. Lena is fighting her attraction to Declan for all she's worth because they are replaying the events that happened a hundred years ago to the original owners of Manet Hall, hopefully with happier results.

Nora Roberts has written a beautiful romance centering on a couple who have been reincarnated to fix what went wrong in their previous life together. A haunted house, complete with ghosts, seems genuine when placed in Ms. Roberts' story line. The fast paced, action oriented plot is heading for the best sellers lists as MIDNIGHT BAYOU looks to be an award winner.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Pure Paranormal Delight
Review: Declan Fitzgerald has left behind a promising career as a lawyer, not to mention his family, to buy a mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans. Ever since he first saw it as a teenager, Manet Hall has been in his heart. What is it about the abandoned house that pulls him to it? And will the rumors of ghosts and unexplained phenomena scare Declan away from his dream home?

When he meets his beautiful neighbor, Angelina Simone, Declan once again feels an inexplicable pull. But as Declan begins to settle into his new life, and starts to fall in love with the mysterious Angelina, secrets from the past threaten to destroy his newfound happiness.

This was my first book by Nora Roberts, and wow - I'm thrilled! Now I finally understand what it is that pulls millions of women to the bookstore every time one of Nora's books is released. MIDNIGHT BAYOU is fabulously written, in a flowing style that's neither overly descriptive, nor over-the-top, but manages to balance beautiful descriptions with realistic dialogue.

But the true charm of the book lies in its paranormal aspects. The ghosts that haunt Manet Hall aren't your typical otherworldly creatures, and as the storyline unravels, Declan and Angelina get more and more caught up in the mysteries of the past. Beautifully blending theories of reincarnation with pure paranormal fun, Nora Roberts manages to create a captivating novel that is sure to delight old fans and new.

Rating:
Summary: Midnight Bayou
Review: In December 1899, Abigail Manet is raped and killed by her husband Lucian's twin brother Julian, her daughter Marie Rose crying in her crib just feet away. With the help of Julian's mother, Josephine, Abigail's body is dumped into the bayou. When Julian returns from being away, he is told his wife has run off with another man and that she has left her "bastard" child behind. Marie Rose is sent to live with Abigail's people.

More than 100 years later, Declan Fitzgerald leaves his life in Boston and moves to Louisiana, buying and fixing up the old Manet mansion. The house is haunted with the ghosts of the Manets, and Declan, together with Lena - the Louisiana woman he has fallen in love who also happens to be a descendent of Marie Rose - unravels the mystery of the house and its former inhabitants.

This is a good beach or airplane book. The characters are fun and quirky and Declan is appropriately romantic and persistent in his affections towards Lena. The reincarnation aspect (Declan and Lena are supposedly Lucian and Abigal reincarnated) was a little far-fetched, though.

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: Loved every listening minute! The host of characters, especially Declan and Angelina are wonderful. There could not have been a better reader for this story. If you enjoy romance and mystery, you won't be dissapointed! Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed me
Review: This book has been summarized by other readers so I won't add my own. Although I have many of NR's romances and usually enjoy them, my favorite is the Death series by J. D. Robb, Nora's alter ego. Having said that, if possible, I would have given Midnight Bayou a 10. What saved this from being the typical romance between the rich, gorgeous man and hard working beautiful woman, were the flashbacks to the lives of Abigail and Lucien, the addition of and attention to other characters and the fresh dialogue. I also liked the fact that so much of the story was told from Declan's viewpoint, not Lena's. It seemed to be a more involved storyline than some of the other NR books. The ending did seem to be a bit rushed, but I didn't feel it detracted from the story as a whole. Needless to say, I highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome back Nora!
Review: This book is like the Nora Roberts everyone can't wait to buy and read. I must admit I was somewhat disappointed in the last book, THE VILLA. MIDNIGHT BAYOU has everything, suspense, romance and lots of laughs. I enjoy how Roberts brings the legends of the region her books are taking place in.

Lena and Declan are both very likeable characters. Although the rich guy and poor girl routine has been played to the death, this story was both believeable and caring. The fact that everyone's lives were not "fixed" by the end of the book was good. Lena's mother was like some mother's or father's I have known from friends. I like the way Nora Roberts handled Declan's relatives also.

Anyone who reads Nora Roberts will love this book. CAROLINA MOON, SANCTURAY, and HOMEPORT are just a few books like this one.

Rating:
Summary: Nora Roberts: "Midnight Bayou"
Review: This book keeps you interested to the very last word on the very last page. It's a romance and a thriller rolled up into one. Nora Roberts is a very unique author and knows how to keep her readers interested until the very last drop.

Something very shocking and mind-bending happened in Manet Hall that no one knows about today.

Declan Fitzgerald is a wealthy, ex-lawyer looking to restore old Manet Hall to its original days. He of course meets a woman, Lena. It is eventually revealed along the way that she has relations with the Hall, and so does her grandmother. Through the time they are rebuilding the house, mysterious and thrilling things happen that no one around has any explanation for. Things are revealed to Declan and Lena that slowly show what had previously happened in the Hall that now haunts it. Their bond together grows bigger and bigger by the day, and more confusing and edgy. "What's wrong with these two?" is what you'll probably eventually think to yourself. But no worries, keep on reading. Through the good times and bad times that Declan and Lena have together, they get closer and closer to finding out what's going on in that place.

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself making time that I usually wouldn't be using productively to reading. The interest that keeps you reading and reading until you get to the very end is exciting to have.

If you like to read thrillers and romances, I highly recommend this book to you. It's very exciting to read and just to picture it inside your own head. It's like a movie playing in front of your own eyes. It's not too long, not too short. The first chapter of this book is guaranteed to get you hooked on reading the rest. There's no telling what could possibly happen, and that's just half the excitement.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Nora with a twist to consider
Review: This is all classic Nora; great, compelling, alive characters. Life-like settings, detailed story line. But weird in that she takes this, reincarnation twist that I didn't care for. So why did I give it a four star rating? Because I read it anyway, and have over and over, but I skip the chpts with the reincarnated bit. It just wasn't my thing and I didn't care for it.

But in a literal sense, Nora's hot and on with this one, just like she is with her other perfect works. ( Older works ) Overall, I'd say, read it for the darling male character - Declan - you can't miss him. And the female is quintensential New Orleans hot.

I actually went to New Orleans for a trip because of this book and her other book, my fav, Honest Illusions.

Rating:
Summary: This one's different
Review: This was a perfect combination of romance and mystery. I wish it went into greater detail at the end when Angelina and Dec helped put the spirits to rest, though. I highly reccommend this one.....Nora never lets you down!

Rating:
Summary: Nora Rocks Again!!!
Review: This was the most unique romance I've ever read.

What do you get when you combine a ghost story with a romance?
You get Nora Roberts' Midnight Bayou.

Declan is a burned out lawyer from Boston who invests in, and begins to restore a Louisianan house.
Lena is the owner and bartender of a local pub. She has no room
in her life for men, but Declan is out to change that.

Together with her grandmama, they discover the
background of the house that Declan bought.

This is one of the best books I've ever read:)