I absolutely loved this book. Loved how Sylvie and Rene had always been so close. She’s his best friend’s little sister and they both adored her. But he chooses to let her go before anything happens between them. There’s a lot of drama with his family many years later and he “needs” to marry her. Can she help him? She’s the only one he trusts. There’s a bit of heartbreak too but thankfully there’s a very happy ever after. I loved feeling connected with the characters. I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy and I highly recommend this book.

Book 4 in the Butterly Bayou was by far my favorite win the series, we return to Papillon, LA and finally get Sylvie story.

Sylvie and Rene, get a second chance at love. They were young with Rene thought he was doing the right thing and not taking it to the next level with Sylvie.
Years later he comes to her with a plan to make sure he stays the CEO of the family business, Sylvie is a success in her own right, she has come home to be the mayor of the town she grew up in.

A small town quircky but sexy read, will have you wanting more. The chemistry between these two was amazing, can’t wait to see who and what’s next!

I love this series. Small town, second chance romance with all the feels. This book makes me smile and I really enjoyed Sylvie and Rene. They are a great couple. It may have not been easy to reach their HEA, but they worked hard for it. A great read that I highly recommend.

It's impossible for me not to love everything Lexi Blake puts out into the world! Bayou Beauty is no exception.

I will admit the last 15% of this book made it a 5 star read! As much as I adored Rene in the previous books, he was a little wishy washy for me for a big portion of this book. I think its because this book is primarily about girl power. With that said, it's also the reason I enjoy this series so much.

Usually I will go on and on about how much I love the hero, but that's not what this series is about, especially this book. I LOVE the relationships between the women in this book. Sylvie, Sera and Hallie have lifelong friendships that remind me of my friends and I love how in tune they are with eachother.
I should also note I love the ongoing friendships with the men in this series as well. Love their poker nights and how they gossip and spill the tea together! It's refreshing!!

As much as I love the HEA and Rene getting the girl, Andre STOLE THE SHOW! That's right I said it and it's true!

He is hysterical and I freakin love him. He totally saved the day with talking Rene off the ledge.

4.5 Stars


There is nothing like a visit to the charming and colorful Butterfly Bayou. Bayou Beauty is a fantastic small town romance.



Sylvie has been crushing on her brothers best friend for as long as she can remember. There was a moment when she thought things may go to something more yet he left her brokenhearted for many years to come. Sylvia is an amazing woman but with a mom like hers how could she not be. She is independent and strong yet caring and just. I don’t think there could be a better mayor for Papillion.

Rene has known two things for a very long time. Number one he’s been groomed to take over the family company. Number two, he has known that Sylvie has been and always will be the woman for him. Many years ago Rene let Sylvie walk away to be able to continue her dreams while he kept his promise to his father and the legacy of their company. When greed infiltrated the family in a way that made Rene have to make some big choices or he could lose the legacy his father created.



Bayou Beauty is a sweet, funny, heartwarming and charming small town romance. Sylvie and Renee have history and that history goes deeper than either one of them realize. It’s a twisted messed up situation and I believe that Sylvie acts like any other woman would when propositioned with a proposal. Renee is truly a genuine and sincere man who is really looking out for his family. Little does anyone know he’s just been waiting for the day that he could truly sweep Sylvie off her feet. I truly enjoyed this sweep you off your feet story. Sylvie and Renee are truly a pair and I love their interactions from the very beginning. It’s always fun to visit the Butterfly Bayou. The secondary characters throughout the story truly help make the book what it is. They are colorful and charismatic and you even have to laugh when ol Ottis shows up. Lexi Blake continues this fabulous Siri‘s filled with laughs, love and some amazing characters that you can’t help to enjoy.

So happy to return to Papillon, Louisiana and all of its interesting citizens. Here we finally get a story for the very fascinating Mayor Sylvie Martine. She moved from DC to help out her home town. She always has had feelings for Rene Darois. Rene is caught up in a situation where he could lose the family business and needs to get married.
Rene convinces Sylvie to marry him but realizes that he also wants her for real as well. It’s a fun journey to see how the feelings develop into a real relationship. The backdrop of Rene’s opportunistic family just makes everything more interesting. As always the citizens of Pappillon also play their part in this romance. It’s a sweet small town romance which has both humor and heart. I’m eagerly awaiting the next story that will be written by Lexi Blake.

Finding herself back in her hometown as the mayor was certainly not the direction Sylive expected her life to head however the people and the town hold a special place in her heart. She has had feelings for her brother’s best friend Rene since she was a teenager his marriage proposal should have been a dream come true if it wasn’t for the fact it was out of duty and not love.

Rene has always known that it was his responsibility to manage the family’s company and their assets so he isn’t about to stand by while that is threatened. His reasons for the proposal are twofold as it will save his family while allowing him to explore the feelings that he has for her, but life and love is never that easy.

This is a heartwarming story about love and family with a twist of suspense. There is a great cast of character, both primary and secondary, that have you invested in the story and the town.

I love my visits to Papillon, Louisiana and Bayou Beauty is a great addition to this entertaining series.
All of these books can be read and enjoyed as stand-alone’s but I’m sure one visit will never be enough and its now Sylvie Martine and Rene Darois’s turn to entertain us.
Sylvie has loved her brother’s best friend Rene friends for as long as she can remember but after only sharing one kiss he walked out of her life. Fast forward to today and we see Sylvie come hone after losing her father and becoming Mayor of Papillon. Running the town she is surprised and stunned to have Rene come to her with a proposal, a fling in the past is hardly a good standing for a marriage but Rene needs a wife urgently so will Sylvie risk her heart again….
A marriage of convenience could be the answer but what happens when scene starts to sabotage the Darois family business and more importantly who will take the fall out…
If you have never visited this town I highly recommend you one click this one because I sure you are going to love this town and it’s quirky community and let’s not forget Otis the towns alligator who wanders around like he owns the place. This is a friends to lovers, second chance, small town romance all rolled into one and it’s certainly the best of all these troupes. Bayou Butterfly ticked all my boxes, I smiled I giggled, I laughed out loud but it was the friendship and love that took this book to another level. Loved everything about this gem of a read.

Being Papillon's mayor is...interesting for Sylvie. Then her first and only love comes to her with a crazy proposition. Rene needs a wife (and children) to keep his job and his money, and for some reason he thinks Sylvie is just the woman for the job. He's never gotten over not taking a chance with her back when they were much younger, but his best friend (Sylvie's brother Dre) was right when he said Sylvie was too young back then for a serious relationship. But now that they're both adults, he's going to get his woman back. He just has to approach it the right way, the way he knows Sylvie will agree to his plan. They can have it all this way. Right?

Sylvie's never gotten over the heartbreak Rene left her with when he kissed her and told her how he felt, then left her life. And now he's back and wants to marry her?! He must be out of his mind or something...except he's not. The way he puts it lets her know she has to do it because Rene has always done what's best for his family and she's the last person who would want him to not do right by them. She'll just have to keep her heart out of it because she doesn't want it being broken, AGAIN, by her first love.

I love the town of Papillon, but I love its couples even more. Sylvie and Rene are so good together. It's obvious from the first page that they have a true love, even if they were both so young when they started. And it was even more obvious from the time Rene came to her with his silly plan that it was just a way to get his love back, even if Sylvie didn't realize it. I love the way she made him work to be with her, but made it worth it by being his rock, even at the end when he tried to push her away. They are so sweet together, surrounded by his mom, her mom, and her brother (whose story I am dying for now!), their new dog, and the various citizens of their hometown.

I may have shed a tear or two as I finished my listen to Bayou Beauty. The brilliant Lexi Blake never ceases to make me feel so hard when I read or listen to one of her books. This one, a touch more serious than the last couple of books in the Butterfly Bayou book, dealt a serious whammy.

Sylvie and Rene. I adore these two apart and together. Both enter Bayou Beauty with some things to work out, though Rene took the brunt of this. Childhood friends, always one step from being in love with each other, Rene and Sylvie enter a “sham” marriage as the book starts that only they think is a sham. I will admit that I wish we’d seen more of these two together in the previous books, just to add a little more tension to their relationship. That didn’t happen and, honestly, it wasn’t needed in the end.

Admitting they love each other is just the tip of the iceberg as Rene faces down demons that have influenced most of his life. His work and family responsibilities have led to him putting up a wall emotionally. Watching him slowly deal with everything he’s been holding back was heart wrenching. The need to hug him was strong and as Sylvie steps in to help him out professionally, her no-nonsense personality refuses to let him wallow. Sylvie has to be one of my favorite Blake heroines, right up there with Erin Taggart. She’s so sure of herself, so caring and loyal, and vulnerable when needed. She and Rene are perfect for each other as he brings out a softer side in her and she allows him to safely express himself emotionally.

Blake does a great job of weaving together Bayou Beauty. Rene’s company problems are a great background in the burgeoning romance between him and Sylvie. Throw in Sylvie’s tarot-reading mother, a dog, and the rest of Papillion’s crazy residents with a side of some very uptight Darois family members and you get another emotional-filled, small town romance, that’s a welcome addition to the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and, the author for an early copy in exchange for honest feedback.

I am absolutely in love with the small-town of Papillon, Louisiana. So I was beyond excited to get my hands on Lexi Blake's newest Butterfly Bayou romance, Bayou Beauty.

There is just something about this whole series that has me wanting to pick up and move to Papillon. I want to hang out with the colorful characters from this parish. I want to open my door to see Otis just chilling outside on my porch — you must meet Otis, Papillon's alligator friend! Each book in this series is its own standalone romance centering on a different couple. You do not need to read the series in order to enjoy each book. You will not be lost or missing anything… but if you are like me, you will want to go back and read the books because the cast of characters in this series is so strong.

Sylvie has had a massive crush on Rene for as long as she can remember. He was best friend's with her brother, Andre, and so he was always around. Sylvie thought something would happen between them when they were both in college and studying together, but Rene walked away before anything could really happen. Rene went off to learn the family business, and Sylvie headed to DC to work in politics.
Fast forward to now, and Sylvie and Rene are back in their hometown—Sylvie as Papillon's mayor and Renee as the head of his family's business. They have managed to pretty much avoid each other until Rene comes to Sylvie with a proposition—be his pretend wife! And well, you know that is ALWAYS a recipe for falling in love!

I loved watching Rene and Sylvie come to terms with how they felt about each other. How they both learned that it can be ok to ask for help. They are both people who like to take care of others, who want to be able to go in and be the fixer. Watching them learn to lean on each other was so great. And seriously, Rene is such a romantic! He may not realize he is, but all of his little gestures show just how well he knows her and how important she is to him. Seriously had me swooning!
And their friends and families are FANTASTIC! They just make me laugh and smile. I would love to be a part of THAT family dinner! There is no doubt it would be entertaining.

Bayou Beauty is a sweet, heartwarming, second chance romance that I just didn't want to end!
I can't wait until we get to return to Butterfly Bayou and hopefully get Andre's story next! I definitely want more of him; he is a trip!!

✦Review: BAYOU BEAUTY by Lexi Blake https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-bQ8
Publication Date: July 27, 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated: 5 Stars

This is my favorite installment in the Butterfly Bayou series. It can be read as a standalone, but why miss out on the other books. I love the people in Papillon. Quirky yet ready to rally around each other when needed. Their banter and nosiness make for a well-rounded story that pulled me in and held me while the action unfolded. I love when a book makes me wish I lived there.

Sylvie was easy to like. I was just about to get tired of her letting preconceived notions make her snap at Rene when that cleared up and they moved on with their relationship building. Thank heavens because Rene is perfect for her. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them navigate through family drama and their personal hopes and dreams. This story had it all…love, greed, secrets, laughter, and redemption. A fun quick read that still has me smiling.

*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~

Kindle https://amzn.to/35No6ak

If she thought too long, she could come up with a hundred ways she was better off without him. She would remember that his family was terrible and that he wasn’t great at expressing himself and she could do better. But he wasn’t letting her go this time. She’d slipped out his trap because he’d had a conscience back then. Now the only thing that mattered was binding her to him.

This story has me conflicted about it because there are some really special things in here, but there are also things that drove me crazy as a reader. I did enjoy it, but there were some obvious problems that I encountered.

Sylvie Martine and Rene Darois have always secretly pined for each other but were never brave enough to act on their feelings until one night right before Rene was to graduate college. He gathered up the courage to kiss her, but his better judgement won out when he decided that it was better to wait for their relationship so that she could finish school and find herself and her purpose. Ten years later, Sylvie has moved back to her hometown to act as the mayor, and that pushes her into the path of Rene quite frequently. She has mastered evading him until one day she literally walks right into him. Little does she know that Rene has a proposition for her: Marry him and help him save his company from his scheming weasel of a cousin, Charles.

The things that I really loved about this book were obviously the amount of diversity that was included. It is set in a small town in Louisiana, and there were different cultures and perspectives incorporated. Louisiana is absolutely a melting pot of different nationalities so that was really special. I adored the supporting characters. Cricket, Louis, Delphine, and Marcelle were all super fun to read about. They were so funny. I laughed out loud at the number of times it was mentioned that Marcelle was going to “sage” someone. It was the main characters and the villains that I had such a problem with.

First, Sylvie and Rene needed some work to be more well-rounded. I felt like I barely knew anything about either of them. This caused an issue because I stopped caring about their romance. Their dialogue was so repetitive, and they were in the heads a lot. I kept reading the same excuses from them about why their marriage wouldn’t work or why they couldn’t love each other. It got a little excessive. On top of that, Rene’s family was awful besides his mother. There were so many of them, and they were all just over the top loud and whiny. I know Charles is a villain, but just the way he was in the end really turned me off. I had a problem dealing with how unnecessary all that extra drama felt. I wish that someone would have edited half of them out because they were a headache.

I think that fans of small-town romance authors such as Susan Mallory or Robin Carr may want to give this a try but be aware you may want to reach through the story and strangle half of Rene’s family.

~ Michelle

4.5 Stars

Lexi Blake takes us back to the charming town of Papillon, Louisiana with her latest romantic charmer, Bayou Beauty.

Although she adores her hometown of Papillon, Sylvie Martine had big dreams and big ambitions which she hoped would take her all the way to the top in Washington, DC. The stage was set for Sylvie to make the dream which she had long cherished and harbored a reality, but when circumstances forced her to put her dreams on hold, Sylvie found herself with no other option but to stick around in Louisiana. Now the mayor of Papillon, Sylvie still hasn’t given up hope of taking Washington DC by storm, however, just when she had been poised to start her big adventure, an old love comes to town who ends up turning her perfectly ordered world upside down!

Rene Darois is used to putting his dreams on the backburner for the sake of his family and his grandfather’s company. Putting himself last and everyone else first is part and parcel of Rene’s life. There is nothing he would not do for the ones he loves, but the latest demand takes the biscuit and threatens to push Rene over the edge: marriage! Rene needs to marry and quickly if he doesn’t want to lose everything – and as luck would have it, he crosses paths with Sylvie who would be the ideal candidate for the position!

Kind, caring and beautiful Sylvie is Rene’s perfect woman and he plans to do whatever it takes to woo her and prove to her that he can give her the world if she agrees to become his wife. But with Sylvie intent on making a life for herself in Washington, will Rene convince her to stay and stick around in Papillon? Or will he get his heart broken and end up losing everything?

Lexi Blake’s writing sparkles and shimmers with warmth, humor and heart in Bayou Beauty. A stellar romantic tale about second chances, fresh starts and falling in love at the most inconvenient of times, Bayou Beauty is a spellbinding page-turner that effortlessly touches the heart and tickles the funny bone.

Sylvie and Rene are two characters who are absolutely adorable. Loyal, steadfast, generous and flawed, it is absolutely impossible not to fall in love with them. Readers will be completely gripped by their romance and they will keep their fingers firmly crossed that they will find the happiness they are looking for.

Uplifting, feel-good and wonderfully romantic, Lexi Blake strikes gold yet again with her latest novel, Bayou Beauty.

I found that Bayou Beauty by Lexi Blake was an adorable story of two people who didn't get the chance to be a couple before life got in he way of what could have been.
Sylvie Martine has been in love with her older brother's best friend, Rene Darois her entire life and when she's a freshman in college and he's a senior they almost were a thing, until he called it off at the last minute with no explanation. It's now ten years later and Sylvie is back in Papillon, Louisiana as the mayor and she's doing a pretty good job of it if she does say so herself. She's got everything in her life under control, but she's still single because no guy can compare to Rene. So when Rene shows up at her office one day unexpectedly she is completely surprised when he asks her to marry him.
Rene is in a hard place, as CEO of his family's company he has to deal with a lot, mainly his relatives always wanting more money and his cousin Charles breathing down his neck trying to steal his job. Charles is lobbing with the promise of more money to the younger family members and saying that Rene isn't a proper family man, as he doesn't have a wife and/or kids to the older ones. To get more members of his family back on his side Rene feels that he must get married, and there is only one woman that comes to mind, Sylvie. He and Sylvie almost were a thing but when her older brother reminds him that he's graduating soon and will be moving to Chicago for two years he feels that he can't hold her back with a long distance relationship so he ends it before it began... Rene has been biding his time waiting for the right moment to try again with Sylvie but life keeps getting in the way so when he has to get married there is no one else he can think of.
Can Sylvie and Rene turn this fake marriage into a real relationship? Or will life continue to keep them apart?

Another beautifully written, heartwarming romance in the quirky town of Papillon. I loved this book! An entertaining read from start to finish. There's mystery, drama and a whole lot of romance in this sweet, heart-felt and emotional read. Rene and Sylive are two amazing characters who were always meant to be together. I really enjoyed their journey to HEA. What a great addition to a wonderful series!

What to say… Rene is the CEO of the family’s company. He has been running it since his father’s death. Some rebel rousers think Rene should be married to continue running it. So he comes up with a plan.. marry Sylvie, his best friends sister. Sylvie went to college and then went to D.C. but when her father passes away she comes back home and becomes mayor. Now Sylvie is running the town and is shocked when Rene comes to her with a proposal. They almost had a thing years ago but Rene stopped it and Sylvie thought he didn’t find her attractive. She turns him down but thinks it over and agrees. They both plan to make the marriage work but family members make it difficult.

I cracked up and could not put it down. A little steamy. Crazy family members. I loved getting lost in Papillon, Louisiana.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for NetGalley *

I love being back in Papillon, Louisiana, this small town is so quaint and you can't help but falling in love with everyone that lives there. I have been looking forward to getting Mayor Sylvie Martine's story for a while and I am so happy that she has finally gotten her HEA.

Sylvie had been crushing on her brothers best friend for years but when Rene Darois proposed marriage to her she's not sure what to think, especially after he let her go in college. I enjoyed the way this story played out, not only did I enjoy watching the way Sylvie and Rene's relationship developed into what each of them had always wanted but with the story of his family business as well. There had been so many secrets kept and backstabbing done you really don't know who to trust. This wasn't only a great second chance romance this was a great romantic suspense..

I have been a fan of Lexi Blake's for many years now, it all started with her Masters and Mercenaries Series which is high on suspense and BDSM, this series is very different but it still has the signature Lexi Blake writing which draws you in and has you hanging on every word. I love this small-town Romance Series and I hope we have more books to come.

If you listen to audiobooks Jessica Almasy did a wonderful job with the narration of this book and I would definitely recommend you listening to this one.

Happy Reading!!!

Bayou Beauty is #4 in the Butterfly Bayou line up! This time it is Sylvie Martine and Rene Darios’s story.

We have met Sylvie before. She is the Mayor in the hometown of Papillon, Louisiana. Rene is her brother Dre’s best friend and I am secretly hoping that he gets a story written about him too.

Sylvie and Rene have known each other for years. They even shared a kiss while in college. But, she really was too young then so Rene went away after graduating.

Now it is ten years later. Sylvie is the hometown Mayor and Rene is in charge of the family business. Rene needs a wife or at least that is part of the pretense. He has a couple of reasons for asking Sylvie to marry him. She didn’t want to accept the proposal at first.

They do belong together and they have a fabulous story! We get to read about Otis the alligator again! There are also several of the familiar faces that you will have read about if you have read any of the previous books!

I love this series and it was great to be back in Papillon! I can’t wait to find out who’s story is next!

✅Second chance romance
✅Small Town
✅Friends to Lovers
✅Marriage ultimatum

This book seriously has a little bit of everything! It’s was fabulous and sassy! A great addition to the series!