Who's the girl who's won his heart? Well, perhaps it's not his heart that's engaged. You'll see when you read Snow on the Bayou - a second-chance at love story. Yes, with the prodding of Tante Lulu, Justin returns to the Bayou after an almost twenty year absence. His maw maw (grandmother) has terminal lung cancer and needs him. One of the first people he meets on his return is his first love, Emelie Guadet, who creates museum-quality Carnival masks.
But it's certainly not smooth sailing as each of them harbors deep resentment and hurt. Justin was driven out of town by Emelie's father, but she didn't know that at first. Just that he left and never contacted her again. Yes, they're a pair of star-crossed lovers who might never find their happily-ever-after ending - at least until the snow flies on the Bayou.
Mix in a bit of intrigue with a possible al-Qaeda cell that brings the Navy SEALS to the bayou (and to stay with Tante Lulu), hidden secrets that just won't stay hidden, heartbreak, forgiveness, and two fabulous women who are hoping for a match between Em and Justin. Well, this is a recipe for an amazing romance that's as enticing as the simmering pot of red beans and rice that's Justin's favorite Monday treat.
You may remember at the beginning of the summer that I had a binge read of Sandra Hill's books (see: http://www.fabfantasyfiction.com/2014/06/lets-go-viking-with-sandra-hill-kiss-of.html). I really recommend reading ALL her books in order because her characters pop in and out like BFFs at the kitchen door. Yes, these Navy SEALS, Vikings out-of-time and Vangals, raging Cajuns and Creoles are like an extended family that just keeps growing.
With Sandra Hill you'll be laughing out-loud at one moment and crying the next. But most of all you'll be smiling as her books just wrap themselves around your heart. Yes, these stories are like taking happy pills and Snow on the Bayou is one of the sweetest medicines around. Knowing a bit more about Justin made me like him all the more and Emelie's steadfastness and sweetness radiates throughout the story.
Oh, the story. Well it's a familiar trope with a twist - Tante Lulu. She's one of those characters that you just wish you could meet in person. A 90-year-old Cajun folk healer with a direct line to St. Jude and a passion for Richard Simmons. It's wonderful to know that there will a few more Tante Lulu adventures to come, but in the meantime I may just have to begin rereading Sandra Hill's various series. Yes, these are books that I'll pull out on gray days as they'll bring sunlight with them.
Do pick up Sandra Hill's Snow on the Bayou and enjoy give your eReader a real fais do do.
From the PublisherSnow on the Bayou: A Tante Lulu Adventure by Sandra HillForever (Grand Central Publishing) ⎜ 9780446535762 ⎜ $8.00 ⎜ Aug 26, 2014
THE BAYOU'S BADDEST BAD BOY IS BACK!
Joining the Navy was the second best thing that ever happened to Justin "Cage" LeBlanc, the rebel son of a no-account convict. The first was Emelie Gaudet, the love of his life . . . until he was forced to leave town and swore there would be snow on the bayou before he ever returned. Now, only his mortally ill grandma can bring the injured Navy SEAL back to Terrebone Parrish, where he must face his past-and Emelie, who's even more beautiful than she was all those years ago.
Bourbon Street blues singer Emelie is once bitten, twice shy. When she learns that Justin is back in town, she wants nothing to do with the once wild Cajun teenager who fled with the law on his tail-and broke her heart. But she can't deny the red-hot attraction between them . . . or his efforts to prove he's finally changed his hell-raising ways. Can she trust that this time the bad boy of the bayou will be the best man for her?