Cover Image: A Dark Roux: A Novel

A Dark Roux: A Novel

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Member Reviews

Mr Daigle has created some fantastic world building in this book.

this is personal preference but I found the writing style easy to read. The plot was thrilling, and I went out and purchased the book after I finished. I enjoyed it that much.

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I really enjoyed A Dark Roux. The characters were very realistic, the pacing was great and I became quite immersed in the story all the way to the end.

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I enjoyed reading this atmospheric bayou tale of trauma, family, and sacrifice. This novel kept me engaged and invested in our MCs: siblings who have to come back to the plantation they lived at through their childhood. I give this a 4/5 stars.

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A Dark Roux was amazing. The brooding atmosphere and setting…the Bayou, was the perfect place for some dark magic and a haunted house tale.

The Le Beau house is the epicenter of tragedy and destruction. A sugarcane plantation full of scary monsters (Rougoru anyone?) ghosts and a simmering evil.

Siblings Rhiannon and Rhett are called back to the house they left for their mother’s death. They have face the past and the evil that lingers there.

For fans of haunted house tales, atmosphere and great character development.

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Well this was an unexpected spooky treat! This read quite like a movie, I can definitely imagine it on screen. Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the advanced copy.

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I really enjoyed this book. It is something that I wouldn't normally pick up but it got great reviews from my Book bestie that I had to give it a go. I will defiantly be picking up more Blaine Daigle books in the future.

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I didn’t know what I was expecting when I read A Dark Roux as I went into it completely blind. But, let me tell you, Blaine Daigle knows how to spin one heck of a ghost story. Set in the Louisiana bayou, the beginning starts right in with atmospheric spooky world building. I loved the eerie feeling of the black bayou, teamed with spookiness of the moss trees and all the living and nonliving creatures. It has you hooked from the beginning. The story is about the La Beau family and their sugarcane plantation which has been in the family for generations deep in the heart of the bayou. Rhiannon and Rhett are the last children to inhabit the huge mansion. This book has twists and turns and an unexpected and sad ending. But it takes 15 years to get there after their mother, Miranda is found dead in her rocking chair surrounded by crushed red brick that is used to ward off evil spirits. There is a lot to this novel as it seamlessly goes between the tragic year of 1999 to the present. It is filled with townspeople that will have nothing to do with the remaining, less the dad, LaBeau clan stating that Miranda is a witch that practices voodoo magic, and her coven of two children. Bump screech Bumps in the night, monsters, voodoo and spirits stuck in the “in between”. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author and adding them to my list. His prose and use of figurative language are spot on.
Thank you #netgalley and #wickedhousepublishing for allowing me to review this book

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First thing I will tell you is I will be devouring anything Blaine Daigle writes. I loved this book. I read as much of it as I could in the dark after everybody went to bed. The first night I read it, I read the prologue and chapter 1. That night I had dreams about the bayou. You KNOW it's going to be good. The character development was perfect, the storyline was wonderful. I loved everything about this book. And it didn't end like I was expecting, which made it better and worse. Do yourself a favor and go pick it up.

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Blaine Daigle's "A Dark Roux" takes you deep into the eerie and mysterious Louisiana bayou, where the LeBeau family's ancestral home holds secrets darker than the murky waters surrounding it.

The story jumps between different times, weaving a tale of family trauma and supernatural intrigue. Rhiannon and Rhett, the last of the LeBeau line, reluctantly return to their childhood home after their mother's strange death. But what awaits them there is beyond their darkest nightmares.

Daigle paints a vivid picture of the Southern Gothic atmosphere, making you feel like you're right there in the bayou, surrounded by the sights and sounds of its haunted landscape. However, some readers might find themselves tapping their fingers waiting for the big reveal, as the tension builds slowly but surely.

The story grips you with its exploration of family secrets, redemption, and the eerie power of the bayou itself.

For anyone fascinated by voodoo, witchcraft, or just loves a good old-fashioned ghost story set in the South, "A Dark Roux" is definitely worth a read. Blaine Daigle proves themselves as a storyteller to keep an eye on, with a talent for blending the supernatural with the deeply human.

*I received a free ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Very spooky read and the plot was great! I didn’t know what to expect every turn which I loved. I love reading about anything Louisiana and the bayou. Miranda was such an interesting character. And the big reveal of her fathers death?! Woah.

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This is a haunting and beautifully written. This author has a way of making sure the reader feels all the emotions all the way to their hearts, but he also manages to creep you out as well.

Having enjoyed his previous work, Broken Places, I can safely say that I’ll be in the lookout for what Blaine Daigle comes up with next, as he’s easily become one of my auto buy authors as of this moment.

Read this if you like some heart along with your creepy horror, because this book has them both.

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This book had everything I am craving in a story right now! Old, creepy, gothic, haunted house full of mystery and secrets. I love flash backs that fill in gaps and the twists kept me guessing with every turn. I was legitimately scared at times reading at night and found myself trying to piece things together throughout the day. Fantastic read and keen to read more by Blaine Daigle in future! Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing work, it was a real treat!

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This was dark from the very beginning! Creeped into my gothic horror love from the first chapter. The atmosphere fully seduces you then the prose grips a tight hold on you. I picked this up because I have been looking for a eerie horror set in Louisiana and it delivers tremendously. The characters had such a dark history but did not feel they were deep characters to really connect with. Ominous, tense, and filled with twist and turns.

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing, Blaine Daigle and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Thank you Netgalley, Blaine Daigle and Wicked House Publishing for the arc of A Dark Roux.

This is the first book Ive picked up by Blaine and the blurb captured my interest straight away.. The narrative is well written and the prologue gets right in there under your skin, pulling you forward into reading more about the haunted past of LaBeau House and the family. Throughout the book, the writing is palpable, creative and atmospheric. Building in dread, mystery and legends of the Bayou of South Carolina. Not often do I get a little freaked out by atmospheric writing and boy, some of the scenes described had my hairs of my arms stand on end!
There was some great folklore weaved into the storyline as well as some twists, which add to the tension right to the last page.

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5 stars!

This book has been about the second horror book that genuinely made me feel paranoid. It was hard to read at night but it was so amazingly written that i just wanted to keep reading. The different elements in this book kept me on the edge of my seat and it was done in such an interesting and captivating way! Not only did this book make me feel terrified, and paranoid, but it also made me sad for multiple reasons in the end, very heart wrenching. Thank you to Blaine Daigle and NetGalley for the ARC of The Dark Roux!


#netgalley #thedarkroux

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IVery atmospheric and compelling, I do enjoy a good southern gothic story. I was completely immersed right from the start.

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A delicious southern gothic read. The characters drew me in and wouldn’t let me go. The writing was superb and I look forward to more from the author.

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Another home run from Blaine Daigle! A Dark Roux is set in Louisiana and it is the perfect spooky atmosphere. The sense of dread and throughout Daigle’s books are so incredibly well executed! Talk about dangling the carrot in front of the horse. Autobuy author for me, can’t wait for his next book.

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This was very creepy and atmospheric. It was very well written. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and was reading well into the middle of the night because I couldn't stop reading. It's start off slow but the built up was intense. Can't wait to read more by this author.

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I didn’t really expect to love this book so much, but here I am. “A Dark Roux” is a very chilling and atmospheric read, a solid 5/5 read that weaves Cajun folklore, family, grief, and, yes, haunted houses into a dreadful and gripping tale. The vivid descriptions of the family home and the bayou transported me, making me feel like a silent observer caught in an undercurrent of dread. I was also surprised at how low-key reminiscent “A Dark Roux” is of Mike Flanagan’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” the family dramas, the grief, the house, and its, well, friendly occupants. I really loved this book and am hoping to read more of Daigle’s work in the future.

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