Bayou Beauty by Lexi Blake

Love returns to Louisiana's Butterfly Bayou in a new small-town contemporary romance sure to charm hearts, from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.

Sylvie Martine was prepared to take Washington D.C. by storm, but she put that dream on hold when her beloved hometown of Papillon, Louisiana, needed her most. Now Sylvie's the mayor of the tiny town on the bayou that holds her heart. But for Sylvie, this can only be a pit stop on the way to bigger and better things. The last thing she needs is an old love to resurface and threaten her goals.

Rene Darois’s whole life has been about serving his family—no matter how much it hurts. He’s used to sacrificing for his large extended family and the company his grandfather created. But he can’t believe the latest demand: he needs to find a wife and quick or he could lose it all. It would be a horrible situation. But he has just the solution: his high school sweetheart. Sylvie is everything he wants in a wife—smart, funny, and caring—and he planned to woo her anyway.

Now he just has to convince Sylvie that their love is worth it all, or he and the bayou will lose her forever.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Butterfly Bayou series!
For book one, Butterfly Bayou, click HERE.
For book two, Bayou Baby, click HERE.
For book three, Bayou Dreaming, click HERE.

 

 

Book 4
Buy Links

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series, and if you like town characters and sweet, hot, loving stories, then this series is for you. I would recommend that you start at the beginning and enjoy them all, as they all follow one another, but if you dip in here, I am confident you will fit right in!

Sylvie has come back to her hometown and taken on the mantle of mayor. I think this role immediately conjures up in my mind a serious, slightly matronly figure, old before her time person – but that really isn't who she is, even if she has to put on some affectations to get through her working day. She really is about the good of the town, not her personal advancement, although those around her expect great things for her political career.

Rene, who is the embodiment of his family business in the town, lives in the big house, and keeps all his family happy by making them plenty of money, is under pressure from a potential usurper of his role, which will likely lead to the end of the family business as it gets sold off and diluted for short-term gain. I enjoyed the machinations and fun his aunt has in wielding her influence. The most urgent change he needs to make to his life is to get married, or at the very least engaged. Had he not been so engaged in work problems, he would have asked Sylvie out as soon as she returned to town. He still loved her as much as when she left town, and now he has to ask her to pretend, when it is his long-held reality.

As these two work to convince others, they need most of all to accept it themselves. A fun and convoluted exercise, which mixes the fake romance with the second-chance one, and gives us an entertaining story. We also get to meet all the usual suspects of Papillon, and even Otis takes on his role with gusto.

I very much enjoy going for regular trips to the Bayou, and look forward to the next installment already!


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
I’ve been waiting for Sylvie’s book since the start of the series. Fierce, creative, and driven, Papillon’s mayor somehow manages to cut through all of her hometown’s various strands of crazy with her own brand of calm and order.

In her own book, Sylvie’s college sweetheart returns to town – and promptly proposes to her. The whole sham marriage trope has become popular over the past couple of years, and it feels predictable and a little tired here. Thankfully, Sylvie and Rene are interesting enough characters to keep readers’ interest. And even when they felt a little bland in parts, their colourful mothers more than make up for it.

We’ve seen the divide between the rich and poor families in Papillon in previous books. Sylvie and Rene are the first interracial couple, but many of the themes feel slightly recycled. Rene’s family quickly descends into Dynasty levels of nasty drama, and it is once again up to the ordinary townsfolk to help Sylvie find her place in his world.

I absolutely loved the first couple of books in this series but this one feels a little more tired. Too many storylines and themes repeat here. I feel like Sylvie deserved better. I also hate it when a series drags on to the point where all the exciting, interesting women in the first books have become loved-up, cookie-cutter suburban mums with babies and white picket fences. There’s a baby yoga scene at the end of this book that just about made me scream. For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I just expect better from Lexi Blake.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance

Sylvie is the mayor and sometimes, she feels that she's not using her potential. However, she loves her town and its people. She's willing to hear the most ridiculous arguments, help out whomever is in need, and run bad people out of town. When her crush comes to town with a proposal, Sylvie isn't quite sure what to make of it.

Rene has been groomed to become head of his house – head of his entire family. But when things start to look like he might be losing his position, he'll try anything to maintain his family's business and his family house. When Rene approaches his long-time crush, he isn't quite sure how to ask for what he needs. But let's just say that he bombs pretty hard.

These two have been dancing around their feelings for each other for years. When it looks like they could help each other, both know there really isn't a question. Of course, they would help each other out. What starts as a convenient relationship turns in to so much more.

You'll want to throttle a few of Rene's family members throughout this story, Sylvie's family will keep you laughing, and in the end, Rene and Sylvie have to decide for themselves if it's their time or if they have to try again.

I so wanted to love this book. It still has the wonderful people of Papillon in it, but sadly, this book just didn't flow well for me. There were times when it seemed incredibly slow and drawn out. The conflict was a good one, but I think I was waiting for more teeth and claws to come out. Then, with the romance part of the book, it read more young adult than adult romance. Their feelings felt kind of stuck. So, while it was entertaining to read, it just wasn't a wow book for me.

 

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author LEXI BLAKE lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Bayou Beauty (Butterfly Bayou #4) by Lexi Blake to read and review.