Both leads had interesting and well developed backgrounds. I liked that their relationship developed slowly and naturally. I also liked the author’s style of writing and the dialogue. The mystery storyline wasn’t needed in my opinion – it was predictable and not as solid as the romance. I should also say there was way too much eating in this book!

This is the type of book I find immensely irritating because what little promise it has is swept over by the same old tropes and unoriginality. The two main characters are Sam and Tess, and while Sam is that typical lesbian playboy, gorgeous, and immensely wealthy (as an author no less...hmm) and thus fairly ho hum boring, Tess is written as a living breathing person when she's not being objectified by Sam or Sam's gaze. She's a strong, southern character with an intriguing backstory that isn't really touched upon. We spend precious few chapters in her head, and instead most of the story is told through Sam. The romance was boring and predictable and whatever chemistry between them was more often than not told rather than shown. There's more chemistry between each woman and the food they're eating than each other. And there is a LOT of food in this book. I get that New Orleans has a rich culinary culture, but for a non cooking/chef storyline, there is a hell of a lot of eating. The "big third act" comes in late, without any tension or buildup and is just as quickly resolved. I spent most of this book hoping that it would veer off in a completely different direction and surprise me with something new or unique. That never happened. I can do without reading another story featuring the Sam-archetype. I wish the author had settled on exactly what type of story she wanted to tell--travelogue, romance, thriller...instead, it had pieces of each without cohesively interweaving them together as a satisfying whole. Tess was the one bright spot of the piece, but she's not really given the opportunity to shine as the star. There's not much else in here to recommend, so I'd give it a pass.

What a perfect time of the year to enjoy a romance with a little bit of suspense! This story is one which develops its characters slowly and thoroughly over time. I found it interesting in that many of the questions the two main characters were asking each other in the slow-dance relationship added to the reader’s ability to form her own picture of the individual personalities.

The two main characters are Sam Torres, an internationally acclaimed author who is writing her work under a male pseudonym to sell books and maintain anonymity. She is quite transient due to researching her books and moving every several months. Tess Arceneaux is a New Orleans native who loves everything involving food and singing. You couldn’t have two people who are more different. I loved how they played the cat and mouse game of getting to know each other and how their relationship changed into something much closer without them even realizing it.

Carly and Elisa were two sub-characters I enjoyed. Carly is Tess’s best friend and confident who uses her managerial/behavioral skills in helping Tess to understand some of her feelings. Elisa is Sam’s cousin and a lawyer.

Ms. Rey threads an element of suspense into the story. She starts by planting a few breadcrumbs along the way to make for a little angst. Although the suspense is good, I feel the romance is the book’s strength.

Although I have only been to New Orleans twice in my life, I was pleasantly introduced to many of the “native” sights and sounds. This side of New Orleans and the surrounding area appealed to me. The in-depth description of the food adds to the flavor of the book.

Having read Ms. Rey’s book “Built to Last”, I was really looking forward to reading this one. I was not disappointed and rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

I was given this ARC in return for an honest review.

Mystery and thrillers aren't usually my kind of thing but added to this romance it was just the right amount of spice. The characters were engaging, interesting and likeable and the plot was well paced.

It's hard to get 5 stars from me, but I could see this being a 5 star book for a lot of people. The author is definetly talented in making 3 dimensional characters and they aren't these perfect people. The story also has a nice plot but wasn't so riveting that I couldn't put it down, hence the 4 stars.

The good first. My favorite thing was how the characters actually got to know each other and date. It didn't feel rushed and there was flirting! Sometimes I feel like that's missed in this genre, but Sam and Tess had witty banter that hinted at more. Because of this, the author did a really great job in making their conversations feel different than the ones Tess had with her best friend Carly. You could tell the two main characters really liked each other in a romantic sense just by the way they interacted during mundane conversations.

Also, I liked how they both had different visions of what they wanted in a woman/relationship and that wasn't each other, and yet something kept drawing them to each other. It gave it a whole "you can't help who you fall in love with" theme.

Now for what I didn't like/small critiques. Sometimes the POV would change within a paragraph. We would be with Tess and all of a sudden we would get the inner feelings of Sam and it would throw me off for a second. Not a huge deal, but I noticed it.

Spoiler!!!! Stop reading this section if you don't want to know!!! I'm going to try and sound as vague as possible but this was important. When sh*t hits the fan, it got a little unrealistic for me. I liked that even the author made a side note that things like this only happen in movies, but I'm still one of those people that doesn't think you need to go all the way crazy. For instance, when the mystery villain breaks in to Sam's place I thought that was enough of a threat to impact their relationship. I didn't think it needed to go another full degree of crazy when everything with Tess goes down. Nothing was further gained by going that far and hindered the realism that was going up to that point.

Recommendation: Buy it. It's got a nice vibe to it and I enjoyed the authors writing style.

Too much blaba too keep me interested (so I crossread a lot until it got more interesting). Very slow romance

I have liked this book but there is something lacking. Maybe is that I have found the characters somehow underdeveloped, somewhat superficial. Maybe it was because neither Sam nor Tess was looking for a serious relationship, apparently. I thought that the whole story had many interesting situations but treated superficially, also the secondary characters And the whole issue of the  final stalking, with Sam taking so long to realize who was the responsible, seemed somewhat unlikely to me.

This is the second book I have read by Aurora Rey. The first was Built to Last and it was also a 4 star read for me. I liked Built to Last better, but this was still a solid read. It took me a while to really get into the book, but once it started going I really enjoyed it.

This book will make you want to visit New Orleans if you have never been. I enjoy descriptive writing and Rey does a really wonderful job of creating the setting. You actually feel like you know the place. She does write about a lot of food in this book, so eat on a full stomach. I just enjoyed the writing so much, that even if I hadn’t enjoyed the characters this one would have been worth it for me.

Fortunately, I really enjoyed the characters. Sam I liked a lot. I typically do fall for the more butch characters so of course Sam was my favorite. Tess was likable as well though. I did feel like this was a “happy for now” instead of a “happily ever after.” I think that is okay though. I still enjoyed their story and would be willing to read another one later where they break up and are now friends. Sam could then find her ever after. I just didn’t feel like these two were the perfect match.

Crescent City Confidential pulled me into the wonderful sights, sounds and smells of New Orleans. I was totally captivated by the city and the story of mystery writer Sam and her growing love for the place and for a certain lady. Tess shucks oysters by day and is a singer by night. Neither woman is on the lookout for something serious or permanent so a few dates together works fine for both. Will that be enough as time goes on? Sam has a few secrets and it was interesting seeing how she dealt with them. Tess had some issues from the past to deal with too. Both had to get to a stage where they were ready to move to the next step. I liked how their deepening relationship was developed. It was slow burning but romantic and sexy too. A mystery thrown into the mix really piqued my interest.

I was given this ARC free by Netgalley and Bold Strikes books in return for an honest review.

It is only appropriate when talking about the Big Easy, that the location and exquisite cuisine be included. After reading the description about the story location, I looked forward to this read. I thought the author did a wonderful job describing the food as well as the location. Presenting information from a local, Tess Arceneaux and a visitor, Sam Torres was on point. I like the feistiness of Tess as she struggled with her feelings for Sam. The character of Sam grew so much during the story that I became her cheerleader for change. I enjoyed the slow romantic build up as they grew in friendship while checking out New Orleans. This read is different from most lesfic because of the depth of character, hesitancy about relationships, a writer writing under a male pen name and the friendship/slow romantic build up. My only point of contention was the “mystery/danger”, which was not a mystery although a little dangerous. Look forward to checking out more reads by Aurora Rey.

I enjoyed this slow and easy romance by Aurora Rey. The author takes her time building this love story and I was in the mood for a leisurely Big Easy read. I expected she would include mouth watering food descriptions and would let her readers see New Orleans through the eyes of both newcomer Sam and New Orleans native, Tess. What I did not expect was how much growth I see in her storytelling since her debut novel. She has added depth to her characters and given them more to do than eat and have sex. There is still plenty of both to keep Rey’s fans happy but now she is a writer who gives her two mains others to talk to and friends and family who help give Tess and Sam dimensions which were lacking in her early work.

Both women lead interesting full lives. I liked that Sam was a disappointment to her Cuban family not because she was lesbian but because she hid her brilliance as a novelist behind a pen name, a male pen name. The parallels with JK Rowling and her Robert Galbraith novels made me smile. Tess has her Cajun roots, her musical talent, her skills as an oyster shucker and her fearless nature which combined make her irresistible to Sam. I liked her wariness when Sam first started coming in to the restaurant where she worked. I liked the way both women took their time building a relationship.

The mystery aspect of this novel is the weak link in an otherwise pleasurable read. It was too easy to identify who the person adding conflict to this couple's HEA was going to be. I know the couple needed some form of drama to force them to face their obvious attraction but this was an aspect of the novel Rey still needs to work on and refine. I admit to being a hard-core thriller reader when I am not reading lesfic romances so I was hoping for more buildup, more tension for both Tess and Sam leading up to the dramatic finale. The drama did serve its purpose so I won't grumble over much.

This slow and easy relationship build reminded me of other authors who take their time building strong foundations. The care Rey takes to flesh out her mains made for a memorable read and points to a bright future for this author.

4 stars

ARC received with thanks from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for review.

Best selling writer Sam Torres arrives in a new city, choosing to stay for a few months to better understand the location for her latest novel. Intrigued by New Orleans, she finds a local to help explore the mystery and moods of the city. It doesn’t hurt that in the local bar she finds a beautiful woman shucking oysters. As long as Sam can keep her pen name a secret, perhaps a dalliance with the attractive Tess will be fun while Sam’s in town.

Tess Arceneaux works six days a week and likes the quiet life. Her friends have all settled down and had kids, but she’s happy to be quiet and is slow to open up to the possibilities of new romance.

As things start to heat up between Sam and Tess, strange things start happening.

This is a slowly paced romance. Sam is a bit more worldly, and obviously has money. She takes the running in the relationship, while Tess is understandably more reticent to commit. Rey has constructed two characters who fit well together, and both seem to be smart and capable, and come with their own identities. It’s nice to see in a romance. I liked both characters.

However, there is a small element of thriller in this, but I don’t think it’s as well managed as the romance. The character Sam is supposed to write thrillers, but doesn’t seem to be very cluey about working out who is the source of her problems. I found it a bit frustrating that she didn’t work it out so much earlier than she did. It would have been a shorter book, but perhaps that’s what it needed. It felt like it dragged a bit in the middle of the book, as things were moving so slowly with the romance, and the threat to the characters was not making an impression on either of them at that point.

I really enjoyed reading Rey’s other books. In those she focused more on the romance and I think they worked better. I guess I was expecting more of a thriller, and a faster paced plot to go with it. The slow romance would have worked in a romance only book, but I think I wanted a faster paced romance and a more serious element of thrills/action if the two genres were to be combined.

Admittedly, it is hard to work out how to categorise this book. I like the idea of not categorizing stories, but to be honest, I also have particular moods and want something fast and full of thrills, or something gentler with no violence. I guess I can’t have my cake and eat it too.

The characters have a lot to recommend them, and if you are after a gentle romance with a small element of thrills, this is the book for you.

Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

This third work by Ms. Rey was a strong offering, which exhibited a maturation in character development and plot tension. I did prefer Tess much more than I did Sam, but their dynamic was an exciting, edgy one to discover.

Wow! This was a great book. I really enjoyed it. The characters are likable and well developed. I enjoy when an author gives a lot of detail about the characters at the beginning. It really helps throughout the story. Heck, the entire book was well written and had me turning pages until the end. I love New Orleans so reading about the food was a plus but made me hungry. ;-)
It's a nice romance with a little unexpected suspense. What more can you ask for? I will recommend to others.

I really enjoyed this book!

Sam & Tess are wonderful together. The author crafts a wonderful sweet love story by weaving the intimacy, humor & vulnerability into these characters. In many ways Sam & Tess are both trying to discover where they 'belong' in life as individuals & eventually with each other.

I didn't see the mystery coming and it was well written to complement the storyline. I am a big fan of New Orleans so that was a big plus.

The supportive characters of Carly & Elisa were nicely woven in as friends and family.

If I have one small complaint it's the book ended abruptly. I would of loved an epilogue to see where Sam & Tess ended up living.

I would highly recommend this book for readers who would enjoy a well written romance.

Best-selling mystery writer Sam Torres loves jetting around the world, researching her next plot, and enjoying local culture, cuisine, and women. Her next stop: the Big Easy. Tess Arceneaux is a New Orleans native who likes life simple and uncomplicated. That includes shucking oysters for wealthy tourists and singing at the neighborhood bar—no pretense and no pressure.

When Sam saunters in looking for company in addition to dinner, she sets her sights on Tess. Although Tess is hardly inclined to get involved with a woman who’s just passing through, Sam proves very persuasive. But when casual dates hint at something more, strange and sinister things ensue. Someone doesn’t want them together and will go to extreme lengths to make her point. Will looming danger bring them closer or drive them apart for good?

This is my second book by Rey, the first was Winter's Harbor. I was surprised to find I almost have identical feelings for both books. Like Winter's, I had a really hard time getting into this book. I am normally at least a book a day reader. This book I kept putting down, and it took almost three days to finish. The first half was way too slow for me. Lot's of eating, and basically just going through everyday life. Luckily, like in Winter's, the second half was much better. The pace picked up and I felt like the story was finally going somewhere.

The story is about Sam, a bit of a player and a famous writer. Sam writes under a pen name, so no one knows just how popular she really is. She moves around every few months, to take in settings for her new books. She also likes to pick up a few women in that time. When Sam finds herself in New Orleans, she is impressed with the culture, and oyster bar worker Tess. Tess, has a bit of a guard up, but a no strings affair might work perfect for her. Can these two casually date, or will their hearts get in the way?

Rey, really impressed me with her setting in Winter's and did the same in this book. New Orleans, is one of my favorite places to visit. This book really took me back there. The people, the food and the culture. It was all there in this book and was well done.

I think one of the reasons I struggled with this book, in the beginning, was the characters. While I found both to be likeable, I could not really see them together. I didn't really feel the spark or the chemistry. Towards the second half of the book, I got it more. I got them together, but I still don't know if I was seeing a soul mate kind of love connection.

My other small complaint is I found the ending to be a bit rushed. I really wished Rey would have taken some of those slower pages in the beginning, and added them to the end. I needed to be a little more convinced just how everything was going to work out.

As I found the style of this book, to be similar to Winter's Harbor, I think I can safely say if you like Rey's books, you will enjoy this. Those of you new to Rey, this is a bit slow in the beginning, but it does get much better in the second half.

An ARC was given to me by Bold Strokes Books, for a honest review.

Too much about food...

First, one fair warning. Do not read this book if you are on post holiday dietary restriction or similar, because you would be tempted to eat. The author is obsessed with food, and her main characters here are eating or preparing food all the time.

This is my third book by Aurora Rey, and in Crescent City Confidential she again delivered a good solid romance with well-defined and believable main characters. This time she nicely threw in a little bit of mystery and suspense. The setting was well described with the author's obvious fondness for New Orleans. The pacing was a little bit slow at times, and I skipped a few paragraphs here and there. I am not quite satisfied with the ending. It is kind of rushed -- a I-love-you-I-love-you-too type. (I know, I know... I am picky about endings. I just am.)

Overall, a nice enjoyable romance, and I will continue to read further books by this author.

Mystery novelist Sam lives a transient life, moving from city to city, immersing herself in the culture to relate it back her writing. She arrives in New Orleans and is immediately falling fast for not only the city but also the beautiful oyster-shucker she can’t get out of her head!

This book blew my socks off and not in the way I was expecting. Literally couldn’t put it down, I started it mid afternoon and was still reading early into the next morning. Yes, it ticks all the boxes I’ve started to expect from Aurora Rey. Firstly, Crescent City Confidential is written very well and the characters are extremely well developed, I felt like I was getting to know new friends and my excitement grew with every finished chapter.
The love story itself emanates off the page and I could totally empathize with quite a few of the worries Tess had about her growing feeling for Sam due to her transient lifestyle. I think it was a good change of pace that Tess was the aggressor in their first official date and also their first intimate night together, considering that Sam was the continuous flirt and confident with it to. I may have developed a crush on Tess and her sassiness… it was all a little sexy!

What excited me the most about the book is Sam’s backstory, that led to this book also hitting the Thriller/Mystery genre as well. I didn’t expect it but now I’ve read it, I know it couldn’t have been written any other way and still been so good. It shook things up and what I’ve realized recently is that the novels I enjoy the most are by the authors that are thinking outside the box when writing them. I want to say more but I truly don’t want to spoil anything for you…

Also, Crescent City Confidential made me want to visit New Orleans more than ever before. It was almost teasing how much I enjoyed reading about the alluring and vibrant city. This is not the first time this has happened with a book by Aurora Rey, oh no… first it was Provincetown with her novel “Winter’s Harbor”. She should include links to guide books as part of your purchase!

And then there is the food… The cravings I get while reading her books are unbelievable but this book… this one took was the icing on the cake (excuse the pun)… I’ve heard from many sources that the food in New Orleans is amazing, but I can’t stop thinking about the seafood gumbo.
5 Stars!