Cover Image: The Queen of Dauphine Street

The Queen of Dauphine Street

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Member Reviews

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

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It was awesome revisiting some of the characters from the first book, The King of Bourbon Street, which I also loved! And it's really virtually impossible not to adore Maddy Roussoux because she makes such a sweet, sexy. worthy heroine. She's just one of those persons who you'd want around if you had a problem. I adored the relationship between her and Darren. They just were such a perfect fit.

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I didn't have time to read this book before release so I will not be leaving a review. If I choose to read this book at some point I will grab a finished copy from my public library and post a review to my Goodreads account.

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Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Queen of Dauphine Street. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book and won't be rating or reviewing at this time. Should I decide to give it another chance down the road, I will rate and review on my blog, Goodreads and retailers at that time.

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Another sexy fun read from de Salle. Maddy is such a great heroine, gives no fucks, embracing her sexuality and love of sex. My kind of character! Darren was very much a cinnamon roll hero and I loved them together.

My only disappointment? That Maddy didn't peg Darren. But that's okay, pegging and ass play goes against Darren's limits and that's okay, I'll just have to search elsewhere to fulfill my pegging needs.

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Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately, I have lost interest in the title, partly due to trusted reviews, and will not be reviewing the title. I have, however, promoed the title through my weekly recap with links to Amazon. Thank you again, and I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.

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I DID NOT FINISH THIS BOOK. I THOUGHT THIS SERIES SOUNDED GOOD, BUT IT WAS NOT FOR ME

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The Queen of Dauphine Street (NOLA Nights, #2)
by Thea de Salle
Thea de Salle has improved remarkably from NOLA Nights 1. The characters are more humanistic and relatable. She changed her love scenes from a more intense and graphic nature to a more romantic and intimate and dynamic revelation. The book also opens the reader to connect more with the characters by revealing their past, in some detail, leaving mysteries that the reader explores throughout the book.

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4.5 out of 5 stars

I was in the mood for some hot, filthy fun and this definitely did it for me! Besides the heat, it was so much more. It was a really fantastic story about two people coming together and I loved how it all played out.

Maddy is quite the character. She is bold as brass and not apologetic about who she is. I love that she's this boisterous character that's full of life. I mean, she owns a tiger for goodness sake! But she was so much more than the person that she seemed to show to the world. I enjoyed learning her background and watching her open up to Darren. I loved seeing the real her with her insecurities and flaws and how she just owned who she was. Darren, the hunk-a-licious Texan. Oh my! I liked him a lot. He's got some drama going on which brings the two of them together. He’s so in over his head with Maddy but is up for the challenge. I loved watching their relationship grow as he got to know her. Darren and Maddy had great chemistry with a light, fun vibe and I adored the bad jokes and silliness.

There is a whole heck of a lot of heat happening in this. Maddy is a sexual creature and I love how she owns that too. What she liked and is willing to do and try. Darren is right along for the ride. Fantastic passion and hot scenes were happening between these two for sure.

Great story, nice descriptions and build. It ended a bit abruptly for me but there was decent closure. I went in thinking it was going to be all naughty fun but I got so much more from it because these characters, even though over the top, are real in their own way and have vulnerabilities and I really just enjoyed them coming together. Also, I loved the humor, it was just really entertaining. It was full of bad dad jokes that were just hilariously endearing to me.

This was a winner for me. Crazy yes but pure fun, sweet and super freaking hot!

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The description of this book looked so intriguing, but it didn't click with me. The writing style just didn't hold my interest.

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Favorite Quote:
“You’re Bill Nye-ing my sex rig.”
“I work in construction! Wood’s my thing!”
“Well, it’s my thing, too, but I’m not sure we’re having the same conversation anymore.”


Socialite Madeline (Maddy) Roussoux seems to have it all. More money, fame, and fortune than one person could possibly desire but no one, besides maybe her ex-husband, knows the extent of the pain she carries inside her. Since her father’s suicide to her mother’s breakdown when she was a teenager, Maddy has attempted to drink, drug, party, and sex her way to oblivion but nothing can chase away the pain forever and soon it returns with a vengeance. When her ex-husband finds love again with someone else, Maddy feels the loss deep in her soul. She knows she needs a change.

Enter Darren Sanders.

Darren Sanders is a gorgeous Texan with a huge heart, a never-ending smile, and a penchant for terrible jokes. The proverbial white knight, he loves life and woman though he has a tendency to pick the wrong ones. Hence his ex who’s stalking him. When she hires someone to try and kill him, he suddenly finds himself on a yacht headed to New Orleans with the infamous Madeline Roussoux herself. Having only read about her in magazines, he is shocked by just how much he wants her and just how far he’s willing to go to keep her.

First off, I didn’t read book one but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of this story in any form or fashion. Though the characters from book one pop in and out, this book stands well on its own.

The Queen of Dauphine Street is a fast, funny, and outrageously kinky romantic comedy that entertained me from the beginning to the very end. My first time reading de Salle, I adore this writing duo’s energetic and eccentric characters who say and do what they want. There is a refreshing sense of honesty to the narrative and sex that I appreciated. This couple isn’t made to jump through hurdles in order to prove their attraction worthy to readers-no relationship games, no elaborate set-ups, no excessive baggage to work through. The act of having sex isn’t used as a cure-all or a plotline.

The Queen of Dauphine Street is Maddy’s story who we first met in The King of Bourbon Street. Maddy is Sol Dumont’s ex-wife. Openly pansexual, loud, opinionated, and extremely kinky with a penchant for power topping, Maddy sticks to one night stands and her many, many toys for sexual gratification. Thea de Salle gives readers a taste of just how rich Maddy is with their outrageous and lush descriptions of her lifestyle. She travels on a luxury yacht that not only houses her pet Bengal tiger, Capulet, but also an extraordinary and quite extensive dildo collection. Private secretaries, lawyers, personal assistants, multiple chefs, etc…are all a part of her life and she literally can’t seem to function without them.

“I’m such an asshole. A loveable asshole, according to her best friend, Tempy, but an asshole all the same.”

Yet, she isn’t a useless trust fund baby with no direction in life. She picked up the reins of the company her father built after he committed suicide and her mother had a nervous breakdown, further building on his ideas and their wealth.

Darren, our ginger hero, is Maddy’s complete opposite with his serial monogamy and need to save the world one broken spirit at a time. The product of a single mom whose father abandoned them, he worked hard and this former stripper now owns a construction company. He’s comfortable but definitely not in Maddy’s league. Darren is a pretty simple guy who just wants to find the perfect woman, get married, have a few kids, and be happy. Yet, despite his and Maddy’s obviously differences, this couple is remarkably alike. Both suffer from PTSD and use humor as a way to mask their pain. Both are sexually adventurous though Maddy understands right off the bat, Darren is not a man to be topped unless he wants to be topped.

The part of her that liked to play games-the power play, the top to the bottom, and you’d better behave -was intrigued by the prospect of taking him on as a fuckpet. The realist said he’d have to give himself over to it completely and utterly or his size could skew the dynamic. It’s hard to manhandle someone who could throw you across the room like a javelin is he so choose.

A majority of the story takes place on Maddy’s yacht. While the blurb is what captured my attention-a female stalker and a male domestic abuse victim-that is really only a small aspect of the storyline. The romance holds the spotlight and for all the raunchy laugh out loud sexual innuendos and acts, the actual romance moves pretty slow. de Salle uses the yacht to give them time to get to know one another in a neutral setting. A place where there is no need for Maddy to toss on one of her many public personas and Darren doesn’t have to keep looking over his shoulder. The comedic narrative is well established but de Salle also draws out this couples’ intelligence, wit, and compassion. Maddy takes Darren pain to heart and goes all ‘mama bear’ on him as she finds herself in the position to be someone’s savior.

“I like you Darren. You’re a beautiful person inside and out. If you wanted to stay awhile, I’d be glad for it.”

This couple has mad chemistry. It had my kindle smoking and me laughing. They click instantly upon meeting and their attraction only increases the more time they spend together. Darren sees Maddy, every inch of her, and doesn’t want her to change. Maddy doesn’t need saving in any way, allowing Darren to finally have a relationship with a woman as equals. And they are so much fun. I love a couple that laughs and enjoys their time together in and out of the bedroom. I love their conversations about consent, limits, and playtime. It’s so organic and easy flowing.

“-you’re obviously not interested in sub play.Or, um, being a bottom, but I want to know to what extent.” She paused, “I’m just trying to see where your boundaries are. Do you mean I shouldn’t get on top ever, or-”

“No butt stuff, “ he said immediately.

“Okay?”“I mean, your butt is your business. If you want stuff in your butt, I am there. Lets pound Butt Town. Two thumbs way up, way up-and you can take that however you wish.”

She started laughing, because how could she not, and he joined her but when they quieted down, he continued. “Just stay away from my butt and that’s about it.”

“Light bondgae to start? Not now, we’ll work up to that. No humiliation play. Nothing like earlier with the leash. Just, maybe. Some tethering you to the bedposts and having my wicked way with you, for example?”

“Go nuts.”

We get plenty of amusing cameos from previous characters-Sol, Rain, Alex-while getting to know Maddy’s personal crew. I love love love Maddy’s full-time assistant, Patrice. She puts up with a lot and cracks the whip to keep Maddy on track and in line. If I’m honest, for all the fun I had reading, there were some minor aspects didn’t work for me. The weight shaming for one. Rain, Sol’s fiancee, is referred to as roly-poly, a cream puff, and my favorite (insert sarcasm) when Darren meets her and refers to her as two basketballs stacked on top one another with a belt in the middle. The words wet and squish and squelch are used far too much. Those are the words de Salle uses to describe every sex act committed. Maddy is always wet and everything squelches and squishes. I also had issues wrapping my head around a pet tiger and the fact Maddy sleeps with it in her bed. *shaking my head no*

Thea de Salle creates a cast of characters whose broad sexuality and interests are written mainstream and not as novelty or plotline. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the Queen of Dauphine Street and look forward to reading the next in the series, The Lady of Royale Street, which is Alex DuMont’s book and slated to release August 21, 2017.

Grade: B

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This is the second book in Ms. de Salle’s NOLA Night series and is just as steamy as the first one. For those of you who love books with romance and a lot of graphic sex, this book is for you. There is a story behind the sex, but the sex scenes certainly take over a large part of the story.
Madeline Roussoux is a wealthy woman who is known for her excess. She has had public relationships with people of both sexes, has overindulged in both alcohol and drugs and lives her life with seeming no regrets. Of course, the private Maddy is a different story. Maddy has her demons and her vices sure, but there is more to her than appears in public. When she is asked to help a man who is shot while standing next to her, Maddy agrees. His insane attractiveness is not the only reason she agrees to help.
Darren Sanders is a Texas boy who works construction. He makes a comfortable living, but is not wealthy. He meets Maddy when he visits the hotel his best friend owns in Dallas. Darren has his own demons including a crazy ex-girlfriend. When Darren is shot by a teenager hired for the purpose, he gladly takes Maddy’s offer of help and sails with her on her boat to New Orleans. Darren hopes that he can enjoy the trip without putting her in danger.
What I liked most about this book is that it shows another side to domestic abuse. So often we see and hear about a woman being stalked/beaten by a man. We don’t often see the other side where it is the woman who is the abuser. This story tackles that subject. We see the effect the abusive relationship has had on Darren and how his ex still has the power to destroy him. He was traumatized by that relationship and Ms. de Salle doesn’t shy away from showing her readers the impact abuse can have on a person. Fortunately, she also shows it as something which can be overcome and coped with.
I did like these characters a lot. I appreciated that their private lives were not necessarily reflected in what the public saw. We certainly never know what goes on behind closed doors. Having the suspense of an ex-girlfriend who is stalking Darren added to the romance between him and Maddy. It also gave them something in common to build a relationship on.

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Madeline had everything she ever needed to except the love she always wanted. After the tragic death of her father she lost everything that mattered to her. Looking for love in all the wrong places she finally finds someone who intrigues her. Meeting Darren changed her and she finally felt she had met someone who competed her and filled the aching void of her heart.

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Thanks so much to Netgalley and Pocket Star for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.



Plot: Madeline Roussoux screams extravagance: she’s got money, houses, a private jet, a cruise ship, and a pet tiger; not to mention she’s gorgeous and hella sexy. Everyone in the social scene knows who she is. None of this takes away from the fact that she’s got some demons to deal with- growing up a lonely child in a noveau riche family, watching her father commit suicide and her mother subsequently having breakdowns, drugs, rehabs, failed marriages- and is wrecked on the inside. Darren Sanders is a stunning looking man, oozing Texan charm and a giant heart. While trying to get away from his stalker ex-girlfriend, he meets Maddy in New Orleans through a mutual friend, who offers to take him on her boat when there’s an attempt made on his life.

Trigger warnings: Stalking, attempted murder, PTSD

Thea de Salle has given us another hella entertaining and hella sexy book, balanced with a story centering trauma survivors. The PTSD content is not in a savior complex way, in that nobody is getting cured of their traumatic experiences by virtue of being in a romantic relationship. Instead, Maddy is able to harness her experiences and coping mechanisms to help Darren out when he is struggling. I love that the author took the time to detail what Darren’s panic attack looks like and include a conversation about it after. Of course, it’s never the same for everybody, but the book doesn’t shy away from the fact that the characters are trauma survivors. The story isn’t morbid, and offers hope to readers in the end.

Maddy and Darren are just so wonderfully fleshed out in this book.We were introduced to Maddy in the first book in the series, and she’s such a vivacious, flirty, fun, and kind person. She’s well-versed in kink as a Dom, and absolutely owns her sexiness and sexuality. I love a woman who knows what she likes and how she likes it and has no qualms about owning it. She’s also super aware of her privilege and how people perceive her, but that doesn’t stop her from living her life. She has a friggin’ tiger for a pet, for crying out loud. It’s hard not to love her. And then there’s Darren. Oh my god, Darren with the dad jokes. I AM DEAD. Ugh I’m such a sucker for dad jokes you guys, and even though I didn’t ship these two in the beginning of the book the dad jokes pushed me over the edge. They’re hard to resist. Oof. He’s just…such a dork. I love it.

It was also great to see some of my favorite characters from book one make an appearance in this one. Sol and Rain (my loves), Vaughn, Alex, Cylan (still mercilessly teased by Sol all day everyday), and Tempy (she’s just so badass I want her book so much). Sol and Rain are still so in love, and I also love that Darren and Maddy are so appreciative of that couple in their own way.

This book is a great mix of adorable and goofy and sexy, and such a great sequel to the first. I love all of these characters from this series so much and I would love for each of them to have their book. The next book in the series is going to be Alex DuMont’s, and he’s such a curmudgeonly bastard it’s going to be such a delight to see pages and pages of that, it is going to be a testament to my patience.

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A good well-written romance with a solid plot. Thanks!

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Enjoyed this book.

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So much better than the first, The King of Bourbon Street; it was like the authors turned up the Sweet and Sexy dials to FULL BLAST. I wasn't a fan of Maddy's when she first appeared as Sol's sexually omnivorous ex-wife but when her real self was fully revealed here, I wholeheartedly cheered for her and Darren to get their kinky HEA.

A ginger-haired former stripper turned construction worker - that alone should have earned this book 4 stars. Darren was a revelation - his bad dad jokes were a hoot - but it was his calm acceptance of all of Maddy, good and bad, that was the most beautiful thing about this gorgeous guy. But this really was Maddy's book, and how she becomes the hero of her own story. That her real strengths aren't necessary her millions or her sexual rapacity, but her tenderness, compassion, and wits.

Also, I need to mention how much I loved Cappy. When Capulet first appeared on the page, I dismissed her as a silly and unnecessary detail. I was so wrong - I loved how Capulet "came to the rescue".

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Another winner!! Super hot- loaded with erotica and a touch of bdsm!!
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I don't know who this author is because it's a pseudonym for someone, actually two someone's. But one thing is completely clear and that is I absolutely love this series.

The Queen of Dauphin Street is a funny, sweaty, and sometimes serious book that is so very addicting. The authors craft these wonderful characters that are just loaded with eccentric passion for life. And then they bring them together for this delightful and pretty damn hot read that will have you fanning yourself.

If you haven't picked up a book by this author then you are seriously missing a great read. I can't wait for book number three.

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This book will receive a spotlight on The Dew on May 30th. Http://Dewonthekudzu.com

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