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Summary
Declan Fitzgerald had always been the family maverick, but even he couldn't understand his impulse to buy a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans. All he knew was that ever since he saw Manet Hall, he'd been enchanted - and obsessed - with it. So when the opportunity to buy the house comes up Declan jumps at the chance to live out a dream. Determined to restore Manet Hall to its former splendor, Declan begins the daunting renovation room by room, relying on his own labor and skills. But the days spent in total isolation in the empty house take a toll. He is seeing visions of days from a century past, and experiencing sensations of terror and nearly unbearable grief - sensations not his own, but those of a stranger. Local legend has it that the house is haunted, and with every passing day Declan's belief in the ghostly presence grows. Only the companionship of the alluring Angelina Simone can distract him from the mysterious happenings in the house, but Angelina too has her own surprising connection to Manet Hall - a connection that will help Declan uncover a secret that's been buried for a hundred years.
I gotta say, out of all her books that I adore, this one takes the cake. It takes place in New Orleans, with the story unfolding in both the present and the past. It's a beautiful tale of love that goes beyond time itself, spanning over a century.
The story revolves around a love that's so powerful that even through separation and murder, the two souls find their way back to each other through a haunted house and the concept of reincarnation. Trust me, you're gonna absolutely love it!
This story is really dumb, Nora Roberts seems to be in a total slacker mode. She's just churning out her typical formula without even bothering to give it any believability. We've got a wealthy dude with flawless morals, a lower-class gal who's fiercely independent, and then she throws in some mystical elements just so you don't have to worry about whether any of it actually makes sense. Come on, Nora, you can definitely do better than this. I'm not at all impressed with this half-hearted attempt.
I have a personal bias against romance novels, so I approached "Midnight Bayou" with skepticism. Unfortunately, this particular story was incredibly silly. The male protagonist's thought process and reactions were more reminiscent of a woman's, making it hard to recognize him as a believable male character. Additionally, the presence of the ghost in the plot was overly obvious and lacked subtlety. In hindsight, I should have had higher expectations for this book.
I've devoured pretty much all of Nora Roberts' books, but this one falls flat. It lacks excitement, is monotonous, and the characters feel one-dimensional with insufficient growth. It feels like a waste of my credit.
It would be greatly appreciated if the performer took the time to master the correct pronunciations, especially for ethnic dialects. The constant mispronunciation of "cher" was quite grating and unpleasant, akin to the sound of nails on a chalkboard. By the way, the correct pronunciation of "cage" is "SHA."
Here's a rephrased version of the review:
Genre: 'Midnight Bayou' is a contemporary romantic mystery with a touch of paranormal, published in 2001.
Narration: Typically, I'm not a fan of books with multiple narrators, but James Daniels and Sandra Burr did a great job in this audiobook.
Plot: The plot was straightforward, just like a typical book by NR. The characters were intriguing, although I would have appreciated more in-depth backstory for both the main characters. However, the twist at the end was fantastic and kept me hooked.
Value: Is it worth using a credit for? I'd suggest waiting for a BOGO or some other sale to make it more cost-effective.
I gotta say, unlike some of the other folks giving their two cents, I was really into James Daniels's narration. The dude's got a killer voice and he brings a playful vibe to his performance. It's refreshing to have a dude narrating one of Nora Roberts's books, adding some diversity to the mix.
All in all, I was really digging the story, but I gotta admit, the way things wrapped up and the Manor got rid of its ghosts felt a bit abrupt. As I was nearing the end of the story on my iPod, I was wondering if there was some other part of the book I forgot to download, ya know? The ghosts kinda took a backseat to the whole memory thing in the storyline, which was a bummer. I wish Roberts had given them a bit more attention. But despite that, it was still a blast to listen to and I can see myself giving it another spin in the future.
I'm typically a fan of Nora Robert's books, but this particular story with its supernatural aspect gave me the heebie-jeebies. I couldn't even bring myself to complete it.
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