If you are southern born and bred with more than one girl in the family you know their is a hierarchy in how things are done. Well Nola wasn't going to adhere to it. She is the eldest girl and she wasn't interested in taking over as the matriarch at the family estate. Soooo, one wedding after another and Nola is still unwed and living in New Orleans. Nola loves to sing and is fantastic at it so she has been roped into singing at her parents 35th weding anniversary which means she has to come home. As luck would have it her best friend in NO, Kayla Arceneau, is catering the occasion. Kayla’s brother is very protective of her having acted as mother and father after their mom died when Kayla was young and their father threw himself into his work. Now their father has died. Kayla's brother turns up and catches a glimpse of Nola as she does him as she hides. Marquis is a musician who lives in Nola's bldg--hmm--don't want to give good stuff away. Do Rex and Nola hook up--wait a minute--it can't be that easy!! Nola has a side job teaching high school kids who are at risk to play insruments and wants them to be in the parade. She spends all her money helping them. There is trouble with keeping the space to teach them and trouble because Rex actually has restaurants in NYC--how will this work. When a restaurant in NYC burns down and Rex has to leave we wonder if they will have a happy endng. Can her sister Biloxi do anything to get Nola to the alter? Will Nola be a spinster? This is by far the BEST book I feel Linda Joyce has written. Better have the box of kleenex close at the end

I really enjoyed this book. Absolutely love the New Orleans setting since I've never been there but want to go. Also love all of the music as I am not musical at all. Loved the characters, especially the relationships between the female characters (Nola, Kayla and Biloxi) The romance is really hot too and really enjoy Rex. Haven't read the earlier books in this series but am going to rectify that error as soon as possible.


I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

Captivating!!! Sultry!!! Power packed with
emotion!!!
You will love reading this fast paced, well
plotted adventure with plenty of twists and
turns to keep you guessing plus trying to
foresee the surprising ending. It is a
breathtaking, intense read with heart
pounding excitement keeping the reader
engrossed in the superbly written story.
Two main flawed characters with undeniable
chemistry but each stubborn in their own
lives meet and immediately fall in love. But
will each of them be able to let control of
their current situations???
One lives in New Orleans and never wants to
leave. She teaches in a private school, sings
at two restaurants and has taken a group of
students to form a band.
The other, he was born and raised in New
Orleans but lives and runs a restaurant and a
farm that raises fresh produce for the restaurant
in New York. He is back to settle his father’s
estate and get his sister’s restaurant in New
Orleans out it the red. He needs to make cuts
and one of them is the restaurant’s singer.
Intrigue, secrets, family issues, arson plus drama
keep the well developed, well creative, colorful
characters interwoven in a complex plot.
The author is able to weave the past and present
together making the reader feel as part of the
story.
A highly recommended read!!
I volunteered to read Bayou Brides. Thanks to
NetGalley and the author for the opportunity.
My opinion is my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Nola is a singer, a music teacher, and she runs a marching band for the poor kids of New Orleans, to give them a chance to achieve. She puts her heart and soul into the marching band, working really hard to provide everything they need - practice facilities, uniforms, a travel fund, which takes all the money she can earn. Rex is a successful New York chef, he has a third share of several restaurants and a farm which provides all their fresh foods. He has to return to New Orleans to sort out his father's estate. His father owned one of the best restaurants in New Orleans, and after his death Kayla, Rex's younger sister has started running it. Rex discovers a lot of discrepancies in the accounts, the restaurant is failing fast, and he feels he must do everything he can to sort things out for his sister. He sees Nola at a wedding fair at her family estate, when he is looking for his sister; and the attraction between them is instant and overwhelming. There are many hazards on their way to romance. Rex has family secrets to sort out, including a devious uncle who is stealing from the restaurant. Nola is fighting to keep hold of her band practice hall, the owner is trying to force her to have an affair with him and is making life very difficult for her. Also, there is the issue of Rex's work life being in New York, he will soon be going back. Nola is a home girl, she has never strayed far from New Orleans and doesn't want to.

The story portrays life in New Orleans very well, I think. Life there has different influences, family is very important, woman are expected to marry, and Nola's family expect her to be the next bride in the family, but until she meets Rex she has not found anyone who she wants to spend her life with.

This is a very emotional story, and the emotion is well written. An excellent read.

A soulful singer, a restaurant owner/chef and a whole lot of family! What an emotional ride. This book will make you feel so many emotions, but mostly joy and love.

I felt that the book was well written and I loved the characters. Nola Belle is the epitome of New Orleans, LA. She lives for the music and the people. Her family provides love and happiness, but they really want Nola to find true love. Can she? Will she let love into her life?

This is a great story. I would suggest that, if you do not like explicit bedroom scenes, that you skip those parts and get into the story because the story is worth reading.

Nola’s roots and feet are firmly planted in New Orleans and she can’t imagine anything that would entice her to leave. She is surrounded by family, she has a job singing at a restaurant that she enjoys and she teaches music to a band for at risk students. She is the eldest however she values her independence and does not require a man to define her worth.

Rex is a successful businessman from New York and he is visiting New Orleans to help his sister make the restaurant that they inherited profitable. One of the first expenses that he would like to cut is the singer Nola or at least that was his plan until he met her.

The two have an instant chemistry and connection but is a happy ever after possible when she can’t imagine leaving New Orleans and his businesses are located in the New York area?

I have enjoyed this series as every book contains the history of ambience of New Orleans and the family connection is deep and strong. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

In Bayou Brides, Linda Joyce brings to life all the things that draw me to New Orleans.

Brought home from New York to New Orleans to revive the family restaurant, Arceneau's, (Xavier) Rex Arceneau brings with him secrets that could destroy not only the family's business, but also his relationship with his sister, Kayla.

Rex is eager to uncover the mystery of Miss Nola Bridgette Dutrey and the money being paid to her by Arceneau's, where she sings to earn money for her community band. Rex and Nola try hard to use the strain of their business relationship to try and ignore the connection of their hearts.

Will Rex settle his business in New Orleans leaving the only one he has ever loved? Will Nola allow her love for for the Crescent City to keep her away from her one true love?

Bourbon Street, beignets, Street cars, music and LOVE, Linda leaves me longing for more of Nola, Rex and New Orleans! I can't wait to see what a Linda has in store for the characters of Bayou Brides.

Take one New Orleans native who performs, teaches, directs a community youth band, and who's soul is married to the city and life in the Big Easy. The furthest she strays is to her family home, Fleur de Lis. Take the second New Orleans native who has relocated to NYC and has 4 successful businesses in the city and neighboring state of Pennsylvania. He returns to New Orleans to settle his father's estate and help his sister save the family restaurant that is struggling due to multiple troubles. Now have an occasion that the two people meet, and the chemistry between them is off the charts. What do you do now?

Nola Dutrey has no intention of ever leaving the city of her birth and the most wonderful place on earth. She is a vocalist who performs, teaches, runs a community band for troubled youth, and helps with the family business at Fleur de Lis. Fiercely independent, she accepts help from no one, yet helps everyone she meets.

Rex Arceneau is the son of a restaurateur who has recently died. His sister has taken over the restaurant, but is struggling financially to make a go of it. Rex has come down from New York to help her (Kayla) get things straightened out, but it is definitely only temporary.

When Nola and Rex cross paths they find that they are...well let's just say compatible. And the trouble begins.

This is the fourth book in the series about Fleur de Lis, the house, the family, the love, the essence of New Orleans that is beautifully narrated by Linda Joyce. I keep thinking each book is the most beautiful love story I have ever read, and yet they keep getting better and better! Each book stands alone, but why not start at the beginning of the series and get a chance to meet all the family and fall in love over and over and over. You will be glad you did!

Linda Joyce's Fleur de Lis books and Bayou series are loaded with tradition, family history and strong women characters. Bayou Brides continues these series and is no exception to the rule. Nola Dutrey is living in New Orleans and is working three jobs but not for her own personal gain, But to help underprivileged children. When she meets sees a mysterious man. Could it be love at first sight or maybe lust at first sight? Before long she discovers that not only is the man her BFFs brother Rex Arceneau but he wants to fire her. There are multiple obstacles standing in the way of the Nola's happiness. Will there be room in her life for what makes her happy? I enjoyed Bayou Brides and loved the characters, the story line and the settings. (ARC)