My review of this book will be posted by The Book Queen on Aug 23. I can come back and add a link once it's live.

Last month during the #RomBookLove bonanza, one of Jennifer Porter’s topics asked for suggestions about something they’d like to see in romance. One of the most interesting answers was Tamsen Parker saying she wanted more “people of faith” in romance, and not just inspies. A follow-up tweet from Jennifer Porter sparked some further conversation about this idea. I thought, “Nah” and moved on. And then, lo and behold, two of my autobuy authors released books with very Catholic heroes. What we will do for our favorite writers!

A Brief Overview of the Books

The first book is The Lady of Royale Street by Thea De Salle. I loved The King of Bourbon Street and was excited to read this third book in the series, featuring Sol’s brother and Rain’s best friend. Alex and Theresa meet in the week leading up to Sol and Rain’s wedding. The plot of this one was a little contrived. The paparazzi is mobbing the wedding venues, and Alex and Theresa are sent out on a variety of errands to help prepare for the big day. Given how filthy rich those families are, I never for a second believed that the Best Man and Maid of Honor (My BFF and I prefer the term “Best Woman.” Feel free to adopt for your own usage, please.) would be hustling all over Louisiana completing such menial tasks. Alex and Theresa are attracted to each other and spend a lot of time trapped in a car that’s too small for them, and the sexual tension is thick. Their affair is sizzling, but Alex’s rigid Catholicism is an impediment to their happiness.

The other was Too Hard to Forget by Tessa Bailey. In this story, when Peggy Clarkson was a senior in college, she had a hot, heavy, and secret affair with the head football coach. It’s three years later, and Peggy blows back into town, determined to show Elliott that she’s moved on. I’ve previously established that I don’t like the “second chance at love” trope, but Tessa Bailey could write a closed-door, secret baby romance about a virgin and a billionaire tycoon in a small town and I’d fucking read it. (You may take a moment to giggle about the idea of Tessa Bailey writing a closed door romance, though.) Once again, the hero’s rigid religious beliefs cause difficulties for the couple.

The HEAs

I was raised Catholic, so I’m pretty familiar with the Church’s ideas about sex before marriage. But at the same time, it’s sort of...weird...because I think of romance as THE sex-positive genre, and reading about Alex and Elliott’s shame and regret made me both uncomfortable and angry. These are grown men well into their 30s, not teenagers fumbling around with sexual desire for the first time. For me, it’s pretty simple if you have pants feelings: act on them if the interest is mutual, have fun, use a condom, and wash up afterwards! Things are not that simple for Alex and Elliott. I know that even though fiction isn’t true, there is truth in fiction. Good books should show me the warring desires and internal struggles of characters, even if they’re things I wouldn’t feel conflicted about. And, regardless of my personal feelings, both books are a believable portrayal of characters trying to balance the demands of their Catholic faith with romantic relationships.

Of the two heroines, Peggy is far more damaged by Elliott’s guilt and self-disgust. Maybe it’s spoilery, but there is this completely devastating line late in the book where she confronts him and says, “You made me into a sin.” I gasped out loud when I read it, because it was that raw and painful. It’s not just that they have sinned, it’s that SHE is the sin. It ravaged me. It’s taken years for Peggy to understand that Elliott transferred the weight of all his shame to her and she’s still carrying it around. Only after this confrontation does Elliott understand and atone for his behavior. Which, you know, is a pretty neat narrative trick and kind of how the whole sinning thing is supposed to work out for Catholics: you sin, you confess, you do your penance, and then you’re forgiven.

In The Lady of Royale Street, the conflict plays out differently. Theresa is also Catholic, but she doesn’t have Alex’s hang-ups about sex. In fact, she’s royally (Royale-y?!) pissed at him when he tries to bring his guilty feelings to their bed. She’s just not there for it, pushing back on Alex’s shame and recrimination. I loved Thea De Salle for making Theresa a woman of faith who doesn’t have a zero sum belief system. I could not have taken another book where the heroine bears the brunt of the faith-based emotional damage. Alex talks to quite a few folks about his confused feelings---some help him, others don’t. Ultimately, Alex has to decide how to balance dogma with his desire to win Theresa’s love.

I can’t help but end on a personal note. I left the Catholic Church because I think it’s oppressively patriarchal. And because of my history and who I am, these books were hard for me to read. Elliott and Alex were compelled to follow the rules of their faith, even if it meant personal unhappiness. There were lots of times I didn’t like them very much, and it was impossible for me not to read these books as damning examples of how that patriarchal thinking harms both men and women. Both authors show these relationships having to tackle painful, thought-provoking conflicts to reach that HEA. For me it was hard, but other readers might not have the same feelings.

Too Hard to Forget and The Lady of Royale Street both deserve good ratings for showing how complicated it is to be a person of faith in modern society. Were the writers of those original tweets wishing for these kinds of books? Do books about people of faith need to have that faith be the source of the conflict? I don’t have the answer to that, but I do know neither of these books were light, fluffy reads. Maybe the next time I hear someone talking shit about romance, I’ll tell them to read one of these books.

P.S.

In the time between the writing and scheduling of this review, I shared it with a friend who had a very Christian upbringing. She responded by saying, "I don’t think I could read romance novels with that sort of guilt/shame around sex in them. Too many triggers." I think that's what I was trying to get at when I talked about how the genre is sex-positive. I didn't use the word triggering, but maybe I should have.

For whatever reason, that comment led me to another line of thought. I tried to imagine what it would be like if the gender roles were flipped in these books. How would I have felt about a woman brining such intense feelings of shame about sex into a relationship? Would that book have been written? It's honestly impossible for me to imagine reading that book...because that doesn't sound like a romance, it sounds like a tragedy.

Of the three NOLA Nights books I have read, The Lady of Royale Street is my least favorite. That being said, it was still very enjoyable to read., and I had a blast. Thea de Salle writes some of the best romance books out there and I highly recommend all of them.

DNF... this book was not for me. After a few pages in I knew it.

I flipping love this series.
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It's exciting to find a series that you enjoy reading time after time. Last year I was introduced to the author and I have reviewed and enjoyed three books in her Nola Nights series. The Lady of Royale Street is the third addition and as I said in the beginning, I flipping love this series, and this book!

I have to say the character development in this book came as somewhat of a surprise. I love Alex's character and to add a twist to the story, the author made him a religious man. So how to find a balance in a hot romance is a difficult task that the author took on. And she did it remarkably well.

I love when an author can find a beautiful connection between the characters. This author has done just that with Theresa. You go from hot and steamy to conflict and even anger between these two. The ride along the way is engrossing and super hot.

Easy to read and extremely well written all the way around, the mystery author, Thea de Salle, is becoming a wonderful go-to for sexy romance done right.

NOLA Nights are mysterious, exotic and hard to resist. Ms. De Salle has imagined a world where the men are hot enough to chase away the chill and the women are smart enough to go in for the kill. The Lady of Royale Street sets the mood for some summer fun in the sun and some steamy summer nights.

interesting storyline, the first two were better though, but this one was just as interesting

The Lady of Royale Street by Thea de Salle

The NOLA Nights series has been packed with sultry sexual encounters and lots of profound emotions. In the third release, part of the spotlight is on the imminent marriage of Sol and Arianna from the first story, but the main focus is on Alex DuMont and Theresa Ivarson, two individuals who would seem to have nothing in common except for their connection to the bride and groom. Being forced to work together to pull off the grand wedding lets the couple understand what the other is really like, and what they discover makes them want to know more. I laughed, then sighed, and then laughed some more. But I will also recall the extremely heartfelt emotions conveyed by Alex and Theresa because every sentiment was so genuine. Thea de Salle draws you into each developing situation with attention-grabbing details, and there is no way not to remain hooked until the final word is read. THE LADY OF ROYALE STREET has honest reactions, particularly likable characters, and very original happenings.

Although Alex DuMont loves his brother Sol, he was not thrilled to be chosen as his best man. His sibling is marrying a woman whose life is constantly followed by reporters, and when their disloyal wedding planner is killed in an accident, getting ready for the event has become doubly hectic. In order to help make certain everything goes without additional problems, the hotel manager of another family property has traveled from Dallas to New Orleans. Now Alex is going to do what he does best by bringing some control to a chaotic situation.

Upon arriving at the hotel where she will be staying, the expensive camera used by photojournalist Theresa Ivarson is broken by a man at the front desk. Learning she will have to work closely with this person because he is the groom’s best man does not set well, but she is determined to do her part as the maid of honor for her good friend, Arianna. As she and Alex try to salvage what they can of the original wedding plans, they realize their vastly different personalities might not be so incompatible after all.

Realism is never lacking in THE LADY OF ROYALE STREET. If a scene contains some lively sexual adventures, then every moment is conceivable. When only discussions are taking place and truthful words are spoken, I eagerly awaited the next response. While many of the activities portrayed in the story can be rather outrageous, I could see them happening because the behavior of several characters is unique. Alex likes order in his life and has followed the same routine for years. But being around Theresa has him concentrating more on them as a couple than sticking to his strict routine. Both are religious, and any aspects linked to their beliefs had me coming to know them even better. I never felt as though them discussing their faith took anything away from the story, as religion can be a very important part of a relationship, especially when two people are thinking of making it last more than a few days. As they explore the strong feelings between them, sex becomes steamier while conversations turn candidly sincere. I came to truly adore this couple.

Since a wedding is being celebrated, numerous engaging characters created by Thea de Salle make an appearance, and I thoroughly enjoyed many of their antics and witty words. I really hope more of the individuals in the series get their own books, as I am not ready to stop reading about them.

I voluntarily reviewed the book from the publisher via NetGalley, and all comments are my honest opinion.

Series: NOLA Nights – Book 3

Publisher: Pocket Star

Releases: August 21, 2017

Purchase: http://tinyurl.com/y7x9zb8a

Genre: Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Alex's book! Who doesn't love a seriously uptight hero? Alex and Theresa were a fantastic match but to be honest, I found theirs to be not quite as sexy or funny as the first two books (The King of Bourbon Street and The Queen of Dauphine Street. Theirs was a more internal journey with Alex trying to figure out what he really wants; I loved that a really bad dad joke from Alex's best friend Darren saved the day.

Speaking of which, I loved reuniting with all the characters: Sol, Rain, Maddy, Darren, Cylan, Dora, Capulet the tiger; not to mention meeting new ones. Can Nash, Cylan and Vaughn please get their own books? Uptight, serious, somber Alex was my favorite DuMont until Nash strolled into the Seaside.

The NOLA Nights series is one of my favorite discoveries this year. Funny filth or filthily funny, they take me to one of my favorite places on Earth and the books do New Orleans justice. My only quibble with this installment is that I wanted more answers about Alex and Theresa's devoutness and how they made things work. The ending was abrupt and left me wanting more from the crazy DuMont hotel world.

Spotlight or review will post at the Dew on release date. Dewonthekudzu.com

Darlene sounds charming. Not.

Karma.

For a religious man, he's kind of a butthead.

Cylan is clearly the foreteller of doom.

Oh good, she's also clearly religious.

Well, that's definitely not a meet-cute! More like a meet-damaged property.

Yep, Lyn was no great loss.

I actually like haggis.

I guess piety doesn't go hand-in-hand with clean language.

Why does driving practically give him a panic attack?

If he's worried about car safety, maybe he shouldn't be on the phone while driving.

Ew, Sol. People eat here. And shtupping your housekeeper? Really?

You could have said no, Rain. I feel like Theresa and Alex have lived through a war now.

Salad? Life is too short, Alex. Have a burger sometimes.

They probably don't want to see a crystal swan again for the rest of their lives.

They curse a lot for religious Catholics.

Wow. Nash is interesting, that's for sure.

I never understood why couples get divorced and stay "best friends". Stay married, then.

A tiger?!

It's nice of him to offer Tara a job with his brother.

Isn't this like shutting the barn door after the horses have escaped?