Reviews

Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts

carolina_santos's review against another edition

4.0

Nora Roberts books always feel like an escape from the real world. I have read numerous books from her, and while they may not be the worlds greatest books, they all have a special place in my heart. Whenever I feel down, or I have finished reading an heavier, darker story, I gravitate towards Nora's books because they are make me feel at peace. With that begin said, I recently reread "Midnight Bayou", which is the first book I ever read from Nora and, for that, I have a deep affection for it. I loved this story, the characters are very interesting and somewhat complex, the mysteriousness that surrounds the whole story of the Manet house adds character to the book, not to mention that after reading this book I really want to visit New Orleans.

It's a nice book to read when you need to escape reality.

celeste57's review against another edition

4.0

Another Nora novel. But this time, it’s in Louisiana!

Nora always does a wonderful job of researching her settings, and Midnight Bayou was no exception. The plantation on the bayou felt so quintessentially Louisiana, and Nora did a good job of nailing the spirit of New Orleans and the Cajun accents and the Southern way of life in general.

Ghost stories are a common theme in Nora’s work, but this one takes a bit of a different route for her. Reincarnation plays a big role, which was more unusual. Watching the story of the past mix and mingle with the plot of the present proved just as interesting as any other storyline laid out by Nora, but that was compounded by said reincarnation element, and how that element was affected by gender.

Another common theme in Nora’s novels is the revitalization of a dilapidated but formerly beautiful structure. Which is generally how the ghosts come into play. I love all of the construction elements in Nora’s stories, because construction is in my family’s blood. My dad and uncle and brother all work construction for a living, and something is always in the process of being built around our family’s little self-made community. It’s part of the reason I have a thing for HGTV. Because of that, the construction elements of Nora’s novels always resonate with me, because she does an exceptional job of conveying the blood, sweat, tears, and pride that go into building or rebuilding something with your own hands.

As always, the characters were enjoyable and well fleshed out. The romance was sweet and passionate and compelling and laced with drama and laughter. And, as always, the ending was a happy one.

nickigrant93's review against another edition

5.0

Out of all the Nora Roberts books I've read, this one is my favorite. The ending was slightly disappointing only because the spirts of the reincarnated didn't get full closure but over all it's definitely a book I'd read again.

allykinng's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.25

The original concept is really good, however the author does not pull it off well. Further, there is no real ending to the book. It just sort of... ends. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Pregnancy

happytrailsbayls's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

mindi's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

4.0

dontmissythesereads's review against another edition

4.0

Book #10 read in 2009

This was a great book. Like a lot of Robert's books, it had a supernatural element to it. It was an easy read that had a lot of twists.

jaggedrocks's review against another edition

3.0

I like the plot of the book, however the reason that I didn't love the book was because of all the sex in it. There wasn't a lot of sex in it, but more than enough for me.

saragalisteo's review against another edition

5.0

Me ha gustado mucho, poco a poco Nora Roberts se va ganando más y más espacio en mi zona de libros y escritores favoritos. Este libro me llamó la atención enseguida, y es que me encanta esa manera de mezclar pasado y presente, y los toques originales que tenemos aquí. Abigail, Lucian, Julian, Lena, Declan... personajes muy característicos y a los que es imposible no sentir como si los conocieras de toda la vida. Me encantan los personajes que crea siempre esta autora. Una delicia de libro.

skysbookchat's review against another edition

4.0

I have always rather enjoyed the different stories I have come across and read by Nora Roberts, and this one did not disappoint either. This one was one of the first ones I read years ago and I have the hard cover copy, which has a beautiful cover!

I opted to reread it recently via audiobook, and still found myself enjoying the story. Found myself laughing at moments and getting sucked into others.

The only reason why I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 out of 5 stars is because, I found myself wanting a little more from the ending. I found myself wanting that large ending confrontation between the ghosts and putting a little more into the resolve. I also wanted them to do more than just acknowledge that she was buried in water, I wanted them to discover the bones, bring her up and bury her properly.

Over all I really enjoyed the story, however I still was wanting just that little bit more from the ending!!