Bayou Blue by Raquel Byrnes - REVIEWED

About the Book: (from Whit Rose Publishing)
Caught between revenge and redemption...

With her family shamed and her faith shaken, Riley Drake carries a heavy burden. She returns to Bayou La Foudre Parish to clear her brother's name, but her mission proves difficult and dangerous. The locals are convinced he's guilty of the tragic bombing that left the town in mourning, and she finds her only ally is Jake Ayers. Frustrated and fascinated by the parish's brooding sheriff, Riley hopes she's found someone to trust with her burden...and her heart. 

Sheriff Jake Ayers wants peace and healing in his parish, but Riley's presence stirs tempers into a frenzy. Most of the townsfolk want her dead. Emotions run deep in the bayou, and Jake's are no exception. Keeping a level head and an indifferent heart is going to be as difficult as keeping Riley alive.


My Thoughts:

“Sometimes a death can eat up the oxygen in a home and you have to escape for a bit.”  (Jake to Riley)

Bayou Blue is the story of Riley’s pursuit of truth in the wake of her brother’s death.  She is also pursuing her new and fragile faith amid a storm of grief and pain felt by the entire community of Bayou La Foudre, Louisiana in the wake of a tragic accident.  Riley is a tough, seasoned investigative reporter that is seeking truth in spite of everything, and it almost costs her life in the process!

Sherriff Jake Ayers is also pursuing truth for the people in his parish. He never expected to come against Riley’s intense determination to find the truth behind her brother’s death.  He wasn’t prepared to face the truth of his own emotions as he tries to protect Riley from the evil that pursues her through the Bayou.  As a storm builds in intensity in the Gulf and races toward the town, an internal storm builds in intensity as well, and some won’t survive its wrath!

By now, you all know I am a HUGE fan of the suspense genre.  I discovered Raquel Byrnes’ talent in her first novel, Ruby Dawn, and immediately fell in love with her stories and style!  She can take your breath away with the honesty of the emotion between her characters!  The pages almost sizzle with the sparks that fly between Jake and Riley! And the way she builds the suspense of the mystery that surrounds the death of Riley’s brother, Randy, keeps you reading at a frantic pace!  Her stories contain all of the elements of excellence for romantic suspense that will leave the reader deeply satisfied in multiple areas – the pace, the prose, the romance, the tenuous way the characters cling to faith, the brilliant way the bad guy hides in plain sight – it’s all most excellent!!

If you enjoy romantic suspense, don’t miss a word that falls from Raquel Byrnes’ pen!! Scour your area until you find her books, and buy them! You won’t be disappointed!  (except that you will have to wait until she writes another book!)

About the Author:

I live in Southern, California with my husband of sixteen years and our six children. I've been homeschooling for ten years.

I enjoy going to writer's conferences and love to do research for my books. From taking a private investigator course to learning to target shoot, I consider writing a way of life. I have written several books to date.

I love to read and consider it a wonderful way to minister to others. Sometimes taking a spiritual journey with a character you identify with can open up your eyes to the awesome generostiy of the Lord.

visit: http://www.raquelbyrnes.com/