Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title. While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

This was a new author to me, so I didn’t know what to expect. I really liked the main characters. It’s my understanding this is a spin-off of another series. Had I read them first, some things would’ve made a bit more sense. Regardless, it was an enjoyable read. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

I really liked the plot of this book. From paranormal aspects to plenty or romance, twist and turns . Beautiful story. Some humor in the plot. Overall 5 stars for me!

Well this author was a new one to me and I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

The beautiful Felice - Felicité Marielle Christiane Andrews is heading back home to New Orleans from England, with her soon to be fiancée in tow. She is determined to get her father’s permission to wed, and travel back to England to be the wife of an heir to a dukedom. She is excited to see her family, her brother Michel has married a widow with six children while she has been away, but she is also dreading seeing René Thibodeaux, who tried to seduce her and then rejected her cruelly years ago.

When she arrives, things are very different, Rene and his brother and his nephew are all employed by Andrews Shipping, and there is no escape for Felice, she is set to work in the office straight away, and it is impossible to ignore him.

Cajun René is a self made man. An illegitimate son of a voodoo with her, he has worked hard to rise above his poverty stricken origins. He now has a beautiful house, servants and all the accoutrements of a gentleman, but he still feels unworthy of Felice.

Felice’s erstwhile fiancée is very concerned with status and class and bored and disapproving of Felice’s work. He he spends his time carousing and idling round town, often accompanied by Rene’s cast off mistress.

Strongly drawn to each other, others are determined to keep them apart as Felice realises her fiancée is not the man she wants, and René is about to finally get his hearts desire, to be accepted and made partner.

When the mistress is found strangled René is the main suspect, but he didn’t do it, so which of the cast of mysterious secondary characters in the book committed this crime, was it Felice’s fiancée, Rene’s aristocratic and nasty father, or someone else. It takes a lot of detective work and Felice’s father’s influence to solve the mystery, and if René is freed, will they both be brave enough to grab their HEA?

This was a classic romp of a book, with a headstrong heroine, lots of domineering and flirtatious men, and a cast of colourful characters, and lots of drama. I really enjoyed it.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

Also posted on Goodreads

Felice ran from New Orleans two years ago when her heart was broken, but now she is back with her soon to be fiancé. She did not expect to come face to face with the man that broke her heart or to have to work side by side with him everyday.

René had feigned an interest in Felice for revenge... that is until it turned into something real. When he sees her again, he realizes that he is still in love with her. But with his background, he knows that he will never be good enough for her.

But because of work, René and Felice spent a lot of time together. They both realize that the sparks are still there for both of them. Can they make it work?

I loved René and Felice's story!! I love how hard René had worked to better himself and that Felice didn't think herself better than him because of where he came from. Stories that have H/H from different classes always have that added conflict that make the story that much more interesting. I just loved the dialogue that Roth wrote. She had me laughing out loud throughout the story. This was a great start to a new series and I can't wait to see what Roth has in store for René's brother!!

I love second chance romances but in this case it was a miss for me. I didn't like her fiancee and the book would have been better off without him, it was enough with their internal struggles and to add a character that made it impossible for them to be together was unnecessary.

Loved the writing, characters and setting in this book. I'll definitely be looking for more from Kathleen Bittner Roth!

I grew up in the Deep South, moved to Louisiana while in elementary school. My best friend was a beautiful Cajun little girl, there was always a pot of Gumbo on the stove in her Mother's kitchen. Her parents spoke to each other, and to her grandparents in Cajun, I knew many people who are Cajun, I was the outsider, pure Southern! They were kind, sweet, happy, generous people, their French side was volitilal, not agressive, but expressive. I never heard one of them say, don't ya know? I like the book, the story was unique, but once again we have a contemporary situation in an historical book!? My friends were guarded by their parents through College, how do you think Felice really would have been treated by her brother and Father during this time period? However, I did enjoy their story.
Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

Felice was my first time reading a Kathleen Bittner Roth novel, and had I known this first book I was reading was a part of a series, I would not have started here. There were too many questions I had while reading that probably would have been summed up in prior stories in this book series world, but for me it was too confusing and hard to remember details. And the things I found out in this novel were repetitious and stultifying.
Felice was a wealthy independent woman from a large shipping company family who (kind of) works, and travels the world looking for I don’t know what. Felice has a history with the Cajun René, a very craven, unconvincing love interest if I ever saw one. Felice seems to chase René, and because of this I was not tuned completely in to their ‘love story’. I don’t like when both parties aren’t even devoted to their own story, so why should I be? René has to be convinced by almost every character, including the heroines own father (!!!) that he loves her and is worthy of her??? I am not here for that. Also, a Cajun man from 1850s New Orleans who says ’s’ils vous plait’ after everything is entirely unrealistic. Yes, I understand 19th century New Orleans was inhabited by French emigres, however it is not necessary, nor realistic that direct French descendants would be that polite.
While the writing was easy to understand, I kept getting caught up on the author’s/editor’s overuse of words such as ‘incendiary’, ‘countenance’ and ‘visage’ ten too many times. And then the real kicker that had me gagging: a quote from Felice, the wealthy white independent female character jokingly comparing herself to a slave (for real????), and that was pretty much when all of my interest in this book was turned off. I finished Felice, but I was disturbed.

I received an ARC from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Felice by Kathleen Bittner Roth is the First Book in the Bayou Bad Boys Series. This is the story of Felice and Rene. Rene is a illegitimate son of a voodoo witch so that in itself makes me different and having a low bar in life but he wants to raise himself up to a hire level which he does. Rene and Felice have history that didn't end well and Felice had left. Now she is back and Rene feelings for her are still there but he knows he has damaged what they once had. Both had tried to move on while they were apart but it soon shows now that they are within site of each other they didn't really move on from the other. Enjoyed this book.

Felice, by Kathleen Bittner Roth was the first book I have read from this author and I thought it was amazing. I loved it. I couldn’t put it down I read till 5 in the morning. Felice had gotten her heart broken and ran away to England. After 2 years she’s back in New Orleans to ask her father’s permission to marry. Rene who broke her heart is utterly amazing I might add and by far my favorite character , happens not to like her fiancé. So the author is really great at creating this world where you want to visit I felt like I was walking down the street in the dark with felice at times. I also loved bastien, renees brother and seriously I can’t wait for his book!!

This was such a wonderful read, I absolutely loved René and Felicité's story!! How can you go wrong with a hot sexy Cajun and a beautiful lady with a mind of her own:) I don't think I've ever read a story that takes place in New Orleans and I found it quite fascinating, especially since some of my ancestors ended up being displaced from Nova Scotia during the expulsions and went to New Orleans.

I really loved René's character, not only is he extremely handsome, he's managed to make something of himself, rising from the poverty he was raised in and has worked hard to be where he is today. When things start to fall apart for him, I just wanted to hold him, my heart ached for him. As for Felice, I adored her too, she is such a strong woman and I loved how independent she is. It's a slow burn romance between them and when they finally give in to their passions, well let's just say you'll need a fan! lol

Lots of twists and turns to the story that keeps you on your toes! Heartache mixed in with lots of action and excitement. As they say in N’awlins....."Laissez les bon temps rouler":)

I won an ARC of this book in a giveaway and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a decent Southern romance. Felice is determined to marry her well to do fiance and has returned to New Orleans to ask her father for permission. Upon returning she encounters Rene a past lover who broke her heart. They attempt to ignore the passion that rises between them but love cannot be denied. I enjoyed reading the rich Cajon cultural that the author captures. It felt realistic and the perfect scenery for a passionate romance.

While I strongly believe that other people will enjoy this novel, I just wasn't feeling it.

To begin with, Felice was such an interesting character. Being raised around all men, she has grown into a feisty young woman who not only knows her own mind, but isn’t afraid to speak it either. So why on Earth did she put up with a prig like Ainsworth who belittled her friends and family? From nearly the first time we meet him, you can tell there is something off about the man, but then he goes to dinner with his fiancé’s family, and proceeds to complain about them to her and then act surprised when she becomes offended. As the story continues, his character just seems to get worse and worse until as a reader, I must wonder what the point of him was at all. Sure, he is a nasty piece of work, but I would have thought someone as smart as Felice is purported to be, it wouldn’t have taken her so long to put the pieces together. He serves no purpose other than a potential scapegoat.

And speaking of scapegoats, that whole who murdered character X and the following courtroom scene was just preposterous. The way the judge allowed people to just hop up and say whatever they wanted turned me off to begin with, but then it just became so unbelievably out there that I was having trouble believing it.

Now Rene and Felice? They had all the makings of a great story. A history with each other, tension so thick you could feel it, and a sharp wit that made nearly all of their exchanges fun. I enjoyed it whenever they were on the page together. I do think her brother Michael was a bit overbearing when it came to both Felice and Rene as people, occasionally acting in a manner that was entirely too presumptuous (for example with the way dangled a carrot of a partnership in front of Rene, and then threatened to blacklist him entirely if he touched Felice).

Overall, as I said in the beginning, I do believe this book will appeal to a lot of other people. Those who enjoy second chance romances, those who like their females with a bit of a backbone, and those who enjoy a setting we don’t often see in historical romances will likely enjoy this story very much. I would read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Will his past and upbringing always come between them ...

Wow, what a read it was. As my first read by Mrs Kathleen Bittner Roth, I had no idea of the journey I will about to embark in.
And a journey it was!
I must say I had a preconceived ideas because of a few reviews I have read, why maybe I waited a bit too much to read it, and I hate love triangle, but here there is none.

I loved Felice, René, Bastien, Michel, his wife and their many children. While it was sad to know René and Felice lost so many years together, their reuniting is the opportunity to first put the past behind.
While I felt the first part of the story dragged a bit until Felice let René explain his past deeds. From there, they moved forward and the plot get carried away. It could have appeared as a bit erratic but it was fun as everything found its mark like a puzzle finally assembled.
Felice is no demure miss, she is outspoken, sassy, full of spunk. While she at the beginning tried to avoid René, she stands for herself and refuses to be pushed away. She has quite a temper and even if it can fail her and put her to fault, it also insures she is like a dog, never giving up.
René while he wears the mask of an easygoing man, he wears his wound in his heart. As he will never be enough, despite his many talents, his glibness hides the scars of a man who had to fight for everything in his life. And while he made a mistake and hurt deeply Felice, he wants to erase the slate and start over. Even if he knows she is far out of his reach, he wants her happy and refuses to see her personality to be crushed.
What will probably arrive if she marries her would-be fiancé.
After there is so many things going on, but I loved every moment of this story, from the funny or the full of actions ones to the sensual scenes or moving ones.
A special mention for Michel’s unusual family and while his romance with his wife looks like to have been a simple one, I laughed at the antics of the children and I loved the wisdom of his wife, while I wish it could become a novella if no more.

I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

So, this is the first book in a new series, but I believe the previous series, When Hearts Dare, takes place in this same world with the same characters. Or maybe at least the book Josette. Anyway, it didn't feel like a first book in a series, although it is okay to read as a standalone. I know many of you prefer to read in order, so perhaps with this story it might be better to go to that series first. I am still trying to figure out if the heroine's brother, Michel, has his own story already, as he was married in this book and it seemed like a story that would have it's own novel too. This is my firth Kathleen Bittner Roth and I'm obviously a bit lost lol.

Felice's family owns a shipping empire based in New Orleans, Louisiana. After a falling out with handsome Rene, she spends two years abroad and returns with an almost fiance, just awaiting her father's blessing.

Felice is a rather fun character. She's sassy and spunky and a bit mouthy, but not overly so. She wasn't obnoxious but definitely fierce and independent. I felt like she was the star of this book, where I usually look to the hero for that role, or at least a balance.

Rene is a creole born bastard, son of a voodoo witch. He's come from nothing but worked damn hard to be a part of the shipping business owned by the Andrews family. He knows Felice is not for him but he just cannot control himself around her.

Give this book a try if you like
-second chance romance (hero and heroine have a past)
-a new location! This story takes place in New Orleans and is filled with Cajun food and has a totally different feel than regency england
-great tension and a dose of action and mystery. There is a murder in this book and some questions regarding Felice's fiance she brings with her from England.
-A nonvirgin heroine

This book had a few things I enjoyed in it. I loved the sexual tension in the first half of the book. I enjoyed the dialogue a lot and the banter between the family members. I loved the food!! I enjoy when food is described in historical romance, and the fact that it was flavorful Cajun fair just made it more fun.

But there was a lot I didn't like. This book has a lot going on with it, especially in the latter half, and the romance just kind of dwindled for me (but does not mean it will do so for you). Also something I didn't know how I felt about was how Rene's accent was written. Things like “dat” for that and “don'cha know”. But I did like the sprinkling of french throughout the book. It was different anyway.

The ending of the book rather dissolves into a lot of action, mystery, crazy sub plot nonsense that I don't tend to love in romance. The fiance turns out to be quite the character. While the first few things he says to the heroine after meeting the family would probably be enough to terminate the engagement you just kept find out more. And more. And more. And more. And by the end it was a bit much with all this fiance was doing.

In New Orleans, Felice helps out as an accountant in the family shipping business. She's been in emotional turmoil for years over René. René Thibodeaux's attraction to Felice is the same turmoil, but he's been threatened by her brother that he will lose his standing in the shipping business if he seduces Felice. One night and another day changes everything and when René is accused of murder Felice will follow her heart. Very nice read with a lot of passion. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Felice arrives back in New Orleans with an English fiancé, the Marquess of Ainsworth, with the intent of asking her father’s permission to wed. She has been travelling the world overseeing the accounts of her family’s shipping business. With this as the beginnings of the story, it was clear that this was not your typical English romance. Felice is a woman, who is independent and certainly knows her own mind. However, her life is thrown into a spin when she sees that Rene Thibodeaux, a man who works for her brother and also shattered her heart several years ago. Their attraction is obvious to her fiancé and so the story soon heats up. When a murder occurs, their lives are all thrown into chaos.
The intense feelings that exist between Felice and Rene was palpable such that this was a major driver for the story. However, their past history and the reason for their split was also fascinating and integral to this captivating story. I found myself thoroughly immersed in all the complexity of the story. The secondary characters also added greatly to what will be an enthralling series. If you have not read any books by Kathleen Bittner Roth, then you are definitely missing out.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This story was a very I interesting read on how business was run in the 1800s. The heroine is in charge of all of the books for the company her family owns. I found that this was enlightening even though she was the best one to do this. The hero was a family friend who works for her family's company in a trusted capacity. The hero is illegitimate and he feels this makes him not eligible for the heroine. And the heroine has a betrothed, who is an aristocrat that needs some help with funds, although he does play the loving beau quite well.
This book was very well written, with colorful and descriptive scenes. I could feel as if I was in the scene with the characters. There was a lot of detail about the time period and it wasn't all spent on parties and balls like some historical fiction. I did feel it was a slow read and there was a lot of introspection between conversations that made it a little hard to follow. But overall, I enjoyed the story and other plotlines that ran through the story. I would recommend if you have time to read carefully. 4 stars

This spin-off of “When Hearts Dare” series has me once again meeting up with a couple of those characters in the Bayou, folks. What can I say? Other than I could not be happier and cannot wait for all of these Bayou bad boy brothers to get their own HEA.

Felice and Rene’s love story was still a work in progress from the get go of this book. Literally from the ground up since it was completely burnt to ashes when Felice left three years ago. Yeah, things did not end well between them. Thanks to Rene striking the match and torching both their hearts in the process. Rene knows he did not do right by this leading lady, still carries the guilt, and hopes to now remedy that. But, alas, there are still obstacles in the way. However, nothing can stop their smoldering attraction and sizzling chemistry, both which fan the flames and won’t let this hope of love completely die out.

During this separation, both of them were not celibate. Make of that what you must. She’s returned with an English Duke to marry. At his insistence he keeps her at arm’s length. Yeah, no hanky panky there, but she did have a brief affair awhile back she regrets. Rene soon cuts loose a manipulating widow lover upon Felice’s return. Both of these sub-characters took side turns I found rather distasteful. A simple heads up not to feel sorry for them. They did add to the plot development the author was obviously shooting for though.

I’ve got to say I absolutely loved Felice’s snarky and sassy comebacks. Some may find her overly so, but I much prefer that over a weak minded heroine. She always had something on her mind and wasn’t hesitant to share it with the rest of the world, namely Rene and her brothers. Rene’s frequent, smoldering stare often did a lot of his talking.

In wrap-up, just know I stayed completely riveted and finished this story in one sitting. I cannot wait for future sequels, my fellow romance Bayou book loving friends. Bring it on, Ms. Roth. I am so ready for some more ragin’ Cajun romantic tales!

Title: Felice, Series: Bayou Bad Boys (Book 1), Author: Kathleen Bittner Roth, Pages: 384, stand-alone but part of a series, handsome Cajun hero, second chance romance, sassy, quick with a comeback, feisty heroine, non-virgin MC, not celibate during previous 3 year separation, no sex with OP upon her return, crazy ex-lover drama, not romance safe for some, never healed/got over each other.. Rating: 4.5 stars

When Hearts Dare: Book 1 - Celine, Book 2 - Alanna, Book 3 - Josette

Bayou Bad Boys: Book 1 - Felice

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no relationship between this reviewer and the author, publisher, or NetGalley.)